"When She Was Bad" is also the name of a book by Patricia Pearson"When She Was Bad" is the first episode in the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode was written and directed by series creator and executive producer Joss Whedon. The narrative follows Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) returning from her summer vacation showing textbook symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, brought on by her encounter with The Master in the previous season's finale.