Buffy has a dream, more of a nightmare really. She comes face to face with the Master for the first time and he is leaning in to bite her unprotected neck . . .

Joyce wakes her up, it's time for school. We learn that Buffy plans to spend the weekend with her father in LA. At school, Willow and Buffy talk about the divorce and then go on to class where they bump into Xander and dicuss 'Active Listening'. The teacher asks another student, called Wendell, to read a passage from a book. However, when he openes his book tons of spiders crawl out and onto him. While this is happening a young boy stands at the doorway and watches.

Meanwhile in the Master's underground lair, the Master and Colin discuss fears and conquering fears and how they both sense that something is changing above ground. Something bad.

The next day Jouce takes Buffy to school but Buffy is worried that her dad won't show up. Willow is still wigging-out about yesterday's spider incident, but Xander has full faith in their Slayer and isn't worried. They find Giles in the library, and he claims that he got lost in the bokkstacks (how big is the library?). He has had no luck in finding any information and suggests that they go and talk to Wendell.

Wendell is (understandably) upset about the spiders but it turns out that he loves spiders, but they hate him. He says that he had often had dreams about yesterday's incident .

Cordelia pops by, reminding Buffy that they have a history test which Buffy didn't know about. Time literally flies by and Buffy gets no further in the test than writing her name. Buffy spies the young boy from yesterday standing in the doorway. The little boy follows a girl called Laura as she sneaks into the basement for a cigarette break only to be attacked by an 'ugly man'.

Giles and Buffy visit Laura in hospital, but the only information she can give them is the words the man said before attacking her 'Lucky 19'. They talk to a doctor who shows them the first victim of the same crime. Giles and Buffy decide to spilt up. They hope that they can stop this before any of Buffy's nightmares start coming true.

Xander's nightmare becomes reality when he walks into class and discovers that he's just wearing his boxers. Giles, in the library, realises that he can't read and Buffy finds an article with a picture of the little boy she saw around school.

Another trip to Sunnydale Hospital leads to the discovery that the little boy is in a coma. Buffy's dad shows up early at school wanting to talk to Buffy. He tells he that he never wanted a daughter like Buffy and that it would be best if they did not get together at weekends. The little boy is watching them form the other side of the school yard.

Willow and Xander go to Giles for advice, but it is Willow who solves the mystery and realises that everybody's worst nightmares are coming true. Giles thkns that this may be due to Billy, the little boy. Somehow, he has brought the nightmare world his was in, over to reality. Buffy spots Billy and follows him into the gym. She tries to find out what is wrong but they are interrupted by the 'Ugly Man' who tries to beat up Buffy. Buffy and Billy have a narrow escape and end up in the cemetery which has mysteriously relocated to opposite the school.

Willow's worst nightmare comes true when she has to sing in front of a crowd and Xander follows a trail of chocolately goodness until he runs into the clown who 'entertained' at his sixth birthday. The clown is armed with a huge knife.

Buffy and Billy run into the Master who is standing over Buffy's open grave. Buffy is thrown into the grave and buried alive.

Back at the school, Xander, Willow and Giles meet up and run away from the knife-welding clown. Xander suddenly turns around and faces his fear by knocking the clown out.

They come out of school and see the cemetery across the road. they investigate and find Buffy's grave. As Giles puts his hand on the grave, Buffy's hand reaches out from under the earth and they pull her out. Their problems are not over yet; Buffy is now a vampire.

Buffy struggles to keep control of the demon while they race to the hospital. Billy's astral body is keeping watch over his physical one, but he refuses to wake up. The Ugly Man shows up and Buffy fights him. She manages to knock him out, but now it is time for Billy to face his fear and unmask him.

Billy wakes up just as his Kiddie League coach walks in. It transpires that Billy missed a ball and the coach blamed him for the loss. So much so that he beat little Billy up. Xander and Giles stop him leaving and he is taken away to jail.

Later that day, Buffy's dad shows up and takes her away for the weekend.

Willow asks Xander whether he found Buffy attractive while she was a vampire and his admits that he did. Sick puppy.

Our View -
Spiders! I don't like this creepy crawlie theme that keeps popping up. Ugh! I really liked the idea of everybodies nightmares coming true as it revealed a lot about the characters.
Our Score - 8

The Professional View
A surreal and clever episode, with some of the most memorable images of the first season, Nightmares's highlights are in the area of subtle characterisation, playing with the secret fears of the regular characters. A remarkably assured, and well structured epsiode.
Their Score - 9