From: daviderl31@yahoo.com   
      
   https://screenrant.com/buffy-summers-vampire-slayer-luckiest-breaks/   
      
      
   10 Lucky Breaks That Prove Buffy Summers Was Just In The Right Place At The   
   Right Time   
   BY   
   LAUREL HOSTAK   
      
   Buffy Summers, the vampire slayer, is a superhero worthy of admiration, but   
   a lot of her success can be attributed to sheer luck.   
      
   With the recent news that the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot is now buried   
   in the development Hellmouth, disappointed fans may revisit the original   
   supernatural series for comfort. Its characters, humor, and heart still have   
   a lot to offer to audiences.   
      
   On a rewatch, the titular Slayer's superpowers and savvy are as impressive   
   as ever, but it's also clear that much of Buffy's success is the result of   
   sheer luck. Whether a would-be victim of a supernatural threat just happens   
   across the Slayer's path, or she herself escapes a near-miss due to   
   happenstance, Buffy frequently ends up in the right place at the right time.   
      
      
   The Move To Sunnydale   
      
   After Buffy earned a bad reputation at her LA high school, her mother moved   
   her to the small town of Sunnydale. While this seems like the fresh start   
   the Summers family needs, Sunnydale is also on a Hellmouth, and it's a   
   hotbed of supernatural activity. Ostensibly, Joyce chooses Sunnydale because   
   it's home to the only high school that would accept Buffy, but it feels more   
   like destiny that they settle there. A glimpse of an alternate reality in   
   season 3 shows a hardened Buffy who fights vampires in Cleveland, so it's   
   not a given that she would have ended up in Sunnydale.   
      
   While arriving in a town overrun by vampires and demons might not seem like   
   a stroke of good fortune, Sunnydale is lucky to have the new Slayer watching   
   over it. For Buffy, it's also the place where she meets her two best   
   friends, Xander and Willow.   
      
      
   The Hyena Exhibit Is Closed   
      
   In one of the more ridiculous Buffy episodes ("The Pack"), a Sunnydale field   
   trip to the zoo results in a group of students becoming possessed by vicious   
   [supernatural] hyenas. Attempting to stand up for a bullied student, Xander   
   follows the bullies into the off-limits hyena exhibit, which results in his   
   possession.   
      
   Seconds after Xander rushes in, Buffy and Willow attempt to enter the   
   exhibit as backup, but they're stopped by the zookeeper. Had Buffy not   
   hesitated, she would be among the hyena-possessed students; the idea of a   
   Slayer controlled by dangerous animal spirits is terrifying. Fortunately,   
   she was spared the possession and rescued Xander - though not before he did   
   some reprehensible things.   
      
      
   Xander's CPR Timing   
      
   The first time Buffy dies, it's by surprisingly natural causes. Cast off by   
   the Master, she drowns in a shallow pool, fulfilling an ominous prophecy.   
   Moments later, Angel arrives with Xander, who springs into action by   
   performing CPR. Opinions may be mixed on Xander, but this action proves he's   
   one of the best characters on Buffy.   
      
   Even with Buffy's resilience and superhuman healing abilities, it's a   
   miracle that help arrived when it did. Xander is able to revive Buffy, and   
   she experiences no long-term aftereffects. Buffy is lucky to be alive - and   
   audiences are lucky she stuck around for six more seasons.   
      
      
   Willow's Medical Know-How (the virus in Killed By Death)   
      
   In the season 2 episode "Killed By Death," Buffy infiltrates a hospital to   
   investigate a doctor she suspects is intentionally infecting children. With   
   Willow by her side, she's ready to swallow a test tube full of an undiluted   
   virus to get closer to the truth.   
      
   Fortunately, Willow has a modicum of knowledge and a quick hand; she stops   
   Buffy from drinking the pure, deadly virus and waters it down to a safe   
   level. Buffy is by no means unintelligent, but she's fortunate to have had   
   her brainy best friend present before she made such an impulsive decision.   
      
      
   The L.A. Interlude   
      
   After the trauma Buffy experiences at the end of season 2, she leaves town   
   and assumes a different identity in Los Angeles. It's here that she meets   
   returning character Lily and learns that homeless youth are being exploited   
   by an underground demonic factory.   
      
   Buffy is able to free numerous enslaved young people, whose suffering she   
   wouldn't have known about had she stayed in Sunnydale. Though her running   
   away causes other problems, Buffy shows up exactly where she's needed most.   
      
      
   Faith Stakes First   
      
   During their short-lived, reckless partnership, Buffy and Faith may damage   
   property, but they never intend to harm human beings. Sadly, as the Slayers   
   track down a dangerous demon, Faith is too quick with her stake, killing   
   Allan, the Mayor's assistant. The accidental killing starts a villain spiral   
   for Faith, who teams up with the Mayor, a villain Buffy fans love to hate.   
      
   Had the circumstances been only slightly different - if Buffy had been   
   standing in Faith's spot, or had she reacted faster - the roles might have   
   been reversed. Though implicated, Buffy is spared the fate of having human   
   blood on her hands. Tragically, Faith has to confront the consequences, and   
   she loses much of her humanity in the process.   
      
      
   Earshot   
      
   It's hardly a blessing to become infected with the aspect of a demon, but   
   Buffy's inheritance of telepathy through an encounter with mind-reading   
   monsters looks like one at first. Ultimately, it becomes an unbearable   
   burden, but it tips Buffy off to a sinister plot at the high school. Because   
   of what she overhears, Buffy rushes to the Sunnydale High clock tower, just   
   in time to stop Jonathan Levinson from taking his life.   
      
   "Earshot" was set to air in April 1999, but was pulled after the Columbine   
   High School Massacre and aired out of sequence. The episode demonstrates   
   nuance and compassion for Jonathan's experience. The character would go on   
   to play a complex role in the future of the series, thanks to Buffy's   
   well-timed malady and exercise of empathy.   
      
      
   Matriculating At UC Sunnydale   
      
   High school has to end sometime, and Buffy has a bright future with an   
   acceptance at Northwestern University. However, prioritizing her Slayer   
   duties, she decides to enroll at the nearby UC Sunnydale; luckily, so do   
   Willow and Oz. It just so happens that the Sunnydale campus is home to an   
   underground government installation, the Initiative, which becomes the focus   
   of the season's over-arching story.   
      
   The Initiative employs Buffy's new boyfriend Riley, and it conducts curious   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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