Twenty-nine years ago, Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired an episode that, while not among its most celebrated, exemplified the series' early "monster-of-the-week" format and highlighted its eventual evolution. The episode, "Inca Mummy Girl," aired as part of the show's second season and, alongside other early installments, showcased the growing pains of a series that would go on to become a television classic.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer began its run as a mid-season replacement, with its initial episodes serving to fill a network schedule gap. The show's early reliance on standalone monster stories, a common practice for television at the time, is evident in episodes like "Inca Mummy Girl." The series would eventually move beyond this format, developing more complex, serialized storylines that became a hallmark of its success.
"Inca Mummy Girl" sees Sunnydale High participating in a cultural exchange program. When a mummy's protective seal is broken at a local museum, the reanimated ancient Incan girl, Ampata, takes the place of Buffy's exchange student. Unlike many of the show's antagonists, Ampata is not inherently malicious. She seeks to live a normal life but is compelled to drain life force from others to survive, a curse stemming from her own divine sacrifice.
The episode notably features a romantic entanglement between Xander and Ampata. This storyline contributes to a running gag about Xander's attraction to dangerous women. While Ampata ultimately reverts to her mummified state and shatters when Buffy intervenes, her brief presence also introduces Oz, who becomes a significant love interest for Willow.
Despite its shortcomings, such as an underexplained mythology for Ampata and a focus on the early Xander-Buffy-Willow dynamic, "Inca Mummy Girl" is seen as a stepping stone. It represents a period when the show was still finding its footing, experimenting with different narrative approaches before solidifying the character-driven, mythic storytelling that would define its later seasons. While often ranked among the series' lesser episodes, it played a part in the journey that allowed Buffy the Vampire Slayer to "grow its beard" and achieve lasting critical acclaim.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is available for streaming on Hulu.