Season 3, Episode 5 | Aired: 3 November 1998 | Written by: David Greenwalt | Directed by: David Greenwalt
Cordelia and Buffy compete for Homecoming Queen. Mr. Trick organises SlayerFest ’98 — a pay-per-kill competition where a group of killers hunts two Slayers through the woods. Buffy and Cordelia end up hunted together instead of Faith and Buffy (a mix-up with the corsages), and the episode turns into a surprisingly effective showcase for Cordelia Chase’s actual competence under pressure. It is also very funny.
What Happens
The SlayerFest hunters — Lyle Gorch (Jeremy Ratchford), a German couple, a cyborg, and others — pursue Buffy and Cordelia through Sunnydale’s woods and into an abandoned building. Buffy has a trick bag left by a previous student; Cordelia talks a hunter out of killing them by sheer force of personality. They survive. Neither wins Homecoming Queen. They tie, with a third candidate.
Scott Hope breaks up with Buffy earlier in the episode, which she barely registers. Scott’s importance to the season is approximately zero from this point forward.
Key Moments
Cordelia’s negotiation with Lyle Gorch — she talks at him, at length, about how killing her would be a mistake, about how little he would gain from it, until he simply leaves. It is a remarkable scene and entirely true to her character.
Monster / Villain
The SlayerFest hunters — various, entertaining, mostly dispatched within the episode. Mr. Trick, who organised the whole thing, escapes again.
Notable Quote
“This is not over. If I don’t get the votes I deserve, I’m gonna — “ — Cordelia, moments before being shot at, which reframes her priorities.
Where It Fits
Homecoming is the season’s first properly light episode and serves as a reminder that Cordelia Chase is more than a foil. She’s resourceful, clear-eyed under pressure, and genuinely funny. The show will eventually realise it’s underusing her and send her to Los Angeles.