Season 2, Episode 9 | Aired: 17 November 1997 | Written by: Howard Gordon & Marti Noxon | Directed by: David Solomon
Career week at Sunnydale High collides with the Order of Taraka — a guild of assassins that Spike has hired to kill Buffy while Drusilla’s healing ritual proceeds. And a second Slayer arrives, which complicates everything.
What Happens
The Order of Taraka sends three assassins: a worm-like creature that can reassemble itself from pieces, a police officer who is not what she seems, and a young woman named Kendra who attacks Buffy on sight. Kendra, it turns out, is a Slayer — activated when Buffy died in the season one finale and was temporarily clinically dead. Two Slayers now exist simultaneously, which is unprecedented.
Spike, meanwhile, needs a du Lac manuscript translated to complete a ritual that will restore Drusilla to full strength. Angel is captured by Spike’s forces and taken to the ritual site. The episode ends on several cliffhangers simultaneously — Buffy trapped, Angel captive, Kendra revealed.
Key Moments
Kendra’s arrival reframes the Slayer mythology. The calling passes on death — even a temporary death. Buffy’s death mattered in ways nobody anticipated. The Slayer line is now branched, and the show will follow that branch all the way to the series finale.
Career week provides the episode’s quiet comedy: Buffy tests high for law enforcement. The guidance counsellor is almost unbearably enthusiastic about her future. The contrast between these ordinary teenage concerns and the assassins trying to kill her is done with light touch.
Monster / Villain
The Order of Taraka — professional killers, no cause, only payment. Kendra (Bianca Lawson), initially seeming like a villain, revealed as an ally.
Notable Quote
“I’m the only one. The Chosen One.” — Buffy. Followed immediately by Kendra’s arrival proving otherwise.
Where It Fits
The two-part What’s My Line? is primarily important for Kendra and for advancing the Drusilla restoration arc. It’s also the show’s first sustained action setpiece with multiple concurrent threats — juggling three assassins, the ritual, and Kendra while keeping everything clear is impressive plotting.