Darla spends four centuries killing civilians, often accompanied by Angel (until his soul is restored), before appearing in Sunnydale. Her first appearance is in "Welcome to the Hellmouth", the first episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", which aired in 1997. She breaks into Sunnydale High School with a student who goes there. Darla first toys with the youth, then her face morphs into that of a vampire and she bites the boy. Darla later appears in the episode "The Harvest", where she participates in the attempted ascension of the Master. Darla's role in the series is more prominent in the episode "Angel", where it is revealed that she is Angel's sire and former lover. Darla bites an unsuspecting Joyce Summers (Buffy's mother), making it look as if Angel did it. She then attempts to shoot Buffy but Angel intervenes and stakes Darla. She later appears in numerous flashbacks, illuminating her involvement not only with Angel, but also with Spike.