BtVS Season 1: Episodes 7 & 8: Angel & i, robot...you, jane

in episode 7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, the plot really starts to thicken & things in general heat up. it's in this episode that Buffy and Angel share their first kiss. (a bit of behind the scenes trivia, Sarah & David tried to each make their breath as nasty as possible for their first on-screen kiss), however the romance is immediately shattered when Angel "vamps out" and then dives out the window. a bit of information that heretofore no one (even the audiance at the time) was aware of.

and as if that was enough, we learn Angel's got a SOUL. cursed upon him by gypsies for killing their favorite daughter. to top it all of, Darla (Julie Benz) dies, or rather gets dusted by Angel, but not before she reveals herself to be Angel's sire.
however, this is not the end of the darling one. through many flashbacks over the years (not just on Buffy, but also on Angel's spin off show) and one resurrection spell (more on that when we get into the Angel series after Buffy season 3) Darla becomes one of many Buffy fans favorite characters.

in i, robot...you, jane, another pivotal character is added to the cast, Ms. Jenny Calendar. seemingly just a fiesty computer science teacher at first glance, Ms. Jenny reveals herself to be a "technopagan", and helps Giles (who, though he doesn't get knocked out in this episode, does get his ass kicked by Buffy with a quarterstaff, and gets shot at by Darla) cast moloch the corruptor out of the internet.
it's kind of humorous to watch this episode and see the slightly dodgey mix of mac and pc computer graphics created for the show. pc's with menu bars across the top and the like. one character is hooked into a security camera using a program called "watcher pro", no doubt a little inside joke.
aside from the focus on the internet and computers though, the main thing that makes this episode important is the introduction of Ms. Calendar. though she never gets a picture credit, she is an intregal part of the cast for the rest of this season and part of the next. if you're a fan of the show you know what happens, and if you're not... well, i won't spoil it for you yet.