Beauty and the Beasts
Beauty and the Beasts
Beauty and the Beasts is the fourth episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 3. It first aired on October 20, 1998. The episode was written by Marti Noxon and directed by James Whitmore Jr.
Plot in simple terms
- A boy is mauled near the full moon, making Oz look guilty because he is a werewolf. At the same time, Angel has returned from a hellish demon dimension in a broken, animal-like state.
- Buffy and her friends learn of a brutal murder in the forest the night before. A library window had been left open, and a rare book cage was involved. Buffy talks with Mr. Platt, the school psychologist, about her life.
- On patrol, Angel attacks Buffy and is chained in the mansion. Buffy sees a scorch mark where Angel’s ring once sat. Hair samples are taken from the mauled boy to see who did it.
- Debbie and Pete at school reveal a disturbing pattern: Pete drinks a substance that makes him turn into a monster and then violently abuses Debbie.
- The fight worsens as Pete, now a monster, beats Debbie. Oz remains in werewolf form in a cage. Faith sedates Oz with a dart, and Buffy and Willow try to reason with Debbie, who is caught in a dangerous situation.
- Buffy struggles with the possibility that Angel caused the murder. Pete confronts Debbie and later kills her. Buffy and the others follow Pete’s trail while Oz is subdued.
- Angel breaks free and fights Pete. He uses the chains that bind him to kill Pete, then returns to his human self and reunites tearfully with Buffy, who also breaks down.
Themes
- The episode uses a Jekyll-and-Hyde metaphor to explore aggressive masculinity and abusive relationships. Pete’s fear of losing control leads to violence against Debbie, and Buffy must face the pain of Buffy's own past with Angel.
Reception
- Critics had mixed feelings. Some praised how the episode balanced the monster plot with the Willow/Oz and Buffy/Angel storylines and explored Buffy's grief. Others felt the episode was too on-the-nose or paced unevenly. Overall, it remains a notable example of Buffy tackling difficult themes within its fantasy framework.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:27 (CET).