1. “Phases”
Meet Larry Blaisdell. For season one and much of season two, this football jock bullied Xander and harassed the ladies. But that all changed in “Phases.” The Scoobies are investigating a series of what looks like werewolf attacks, and Xander tries to question Larry without actually saying the word “werewolf.” The two guys get their lines seriously crossed. Xander tells Larry he’s “gone through something similar myself,” and Larry thinks Xander is talking about being gay. Relieved at finally having someone to talk to, Larry comes out to Xander.
Larry: You. You of all people. You bring it out of me.
Xander: It probably would’ve slipped out even if I wasn’t here.
Larry: No, because knowing you went through the same thing. Made it easier for me.
Xander: Larry, I am not…
Larry: It’s ironic. I mean, all those times I beat the crap out of you? It must’ve been because I recognized something in you that I didn’t want to believe about myself.
Finally unburdened by coming out, Larry evolves into a much better person. In “The Wish” he shows up as vampire-hunting “white hat” in a nightmarish alternate reality, and at the end of season three he’s one of the graduating students who dies heroically fighting the giant snake Mayor.
R.I.P. Larry. We didn’t know you well enough. But we’d have known you far less if you hadn’t come out!
Oh, and bonus points to this epiosde for giving us a shot of Oz waking up naked in the woods after a night of werewolfing. Woof.
2. “Go Fish”
Two words: Xander. Speedo. Bonus points for a Wentworth Miller cameo. It’s not exactly gay, but c’mon guys it’s most certainly of gay-interest. Am I right? In this enjoyable standalone ep, Buffy has to figure out what aquatic creatures are gobbling up the Sunnydale swim team. So Xander goes under cover. “But,” as Buffy notes “not too much cover!” Nicholas Brendon never looked better than he did in this episode.
3. “Doppelgangland”
Willow comes face to face with her vampire alter-ego from an alternate reality. This Willowvamp knows how to rock a leather bustier, she’s “sorta gay” and very handsy. Fun fact: Remember Season 6 Bad Willow’s famous “bored now” line, which she uttered just before skinning Warren alive? Well, Willowvamp said it here first – right before throwing a guy across The Bronze.
“Bored now.”
This episode is the first indication we get that the show intends to take Willow in a sapphic direction, and they do it with a throwaway line from Angel. When Willow picks up on her doppelganger being gay, she’s a little weirded out, so Buffy tries to reassure her.
Buffy: Just remember a vampire’s personality has nothing to do with the person that was.
Angel: Well… actually…er.
Clearly, in the Buffyverse sexual orientation is inherent – not chosen.
4. “Family”
Aww, this was one of the sweetest Buffy episodes ever, and its message of acceptance and what constitutes a family resonates with a lot of gay viewers. Family are the people you choose to be with – not always who you’re born too.
It was the start of Tara’s full-on integration into the Scooby Gang and honestly, I tear up a little just thinking about that great scene where everyone (except for Spike – he’s evil so he doesn’t care) gets between Tara and her oppressive father.
Tara’s Dad: The girl belongs with her family. I hope that’s clear to the rest of you.
Buffy: It is. You want her Mr. Maclay? You can go ahead and take her. You just gotta go through me.
Donny: Tara, if you don’t get in that car, I swear by God I will beat you down.
Xander: And I swear by your full and manly beard, you’re gonna break something trying.
Bonus points for an early role for actor Kevin Rankin who plays Tara’s brother Donny (and went on to play gay Tyler Briggs on Trauma) Also, Oscar nominee Amy Adams shows up here as Tara’s prim and hostile cousin.
5. “Storyteller”
As far as we are aware, Tom Lenk is the only out gay Buffy regular cast member, and his character Andrew too was pretty clearly gay, even if he might not have been aware of it himself. According to Joss Whedon, “Andrew’s sexuality is always on the cusp of self-awareness because Andrew is stunted emotionally, and because it’s hilarious.”
“Storyteller” is the only episode that really revolves around Andrew, and it had the difficult task of redeeming the character with viewers. Season Seven was pretty bleak, and Andrew was much needed comic relief. But Andrew was also a killer, having stabbed his Evil Trio partner Jonathan to death. So how to reconcile that?
The episode starts out absurd and hilarious, with Andrew constructing his own video documentary of Buffy and the slayer team. He takes particular care to document Spike’s physique. There’s also some interesting flashbacks to Andrew’s rather obvious crush on Warren. When Andrew fantasizes about heaven, it’s him and Warren (and Jonathan) running around in a field of flowers.
But things get very serious at the end when Andrew finally has to stop telling stories to himself, face his own conscience, and take moral responsibility for Jonathan’s murder. Powerful stuff, and Tom Lenk really sold it.
So there’s our five choices for gayest Buffy episodes. Did we miss something? Can you think of a particularly gay (or gay-ish) episode that wasn’t mentioned here? Let us know in the comments!
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