A Sheriff Country Star Was In A Seminal Buffy The Vampire Slayer Episode

"Sheriff Country" star Christopher Gorham might look familiar — he played a ghost in one of the best episodes from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." There is a reason why Sunnydale gained a reputation as Southern California's "Hellmouth." After all, the fictional town was plagued by several terrifying creatures, from centuries-old vampires to demonic entities. Gorham might've played a tamer villain of the week, but that doesn't diminish how memorable his appearance was in Season 2, Episode 19. 

The series led by Sarah Michelle Gellar focused on her role as a slayer, protecting her community from evil spirits while also trying to live a normal life by hanging out with friends and falling in love. Buffy engages in a forbidden romance with a vampire named Angel (David Boreanaz), and in Season 2, their relationship is tested in a major way. Angel loses his human soul after he sleeps with Buffy, and, in turn, breaks her heart. 

In Episode 19, Buffy is tasked with protecting her peers from a spirit that is lingering in the school halls and leading students to inexplicably try to shoot each other. The spirit in question is that of James Stanley (Gorham), a high school student from 1955 who had an affair with a teacher named Grace Newman (Meredith Salenger). Later in the episode, it is revealed that James shot Grace and himself before a Sadie Hawkins dance after she tried to break off their relationship. 

James and Grace's spirits are infiltrating students, who are essentially reenacting the tragedy that happened at Sunnydale High decades prior. Buffy and Angel are possessed by their spirits, and their scene reenacting James and Grace's conversation on the night of their deaths echoes their relationship struggle since Angel was stripped from his humanity.

Christopher Gorham reminisced about his on-set experience on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in an interview with the Chicago Tribune in 2003. "Sarah Michelle Gellar was unbelievable to work with," he said. "I played this character that possessed Buffy. There was a big breakup scene where my character ended up shooting and killing his teacher accidentally and then killing himself."

The actor went on to share that he was surprised to learn that Gellar and David Boreanaz reenacted the breakup scene based on his take on it. "I show up, and I'm thinking, 'OK, well, I'm a guest star on the show. They're going to tell me how Sarah did it, and then I'm going to copy what she did.' No. I did it first, and then Sarah and David and the other two guest stars, they watched the dailies of what I did, and they matched me."

Given that Angel is a vampire and therefore bulletproof, the reenactment allows for Grace to survive and stop James from killing himself, finally allowing for their spirits to rest in peace. The scene remains an iconic moment for Team Angel fans, and it wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Gorham's guest-starring role.