Scott Hope is a minor character who appears in season 3 of the Buffy Franchise, portrayed by Fab Filipo. He is a student at Sunnydale High, and briefly dated Buffy for a few weeks during her senior year. He is the lifelong friend of both Pete Clarner and Debbie Foley.
Scott is the only truly “normal” guy who ever showed any romantic interest in Buffy. He first appears in “Faith, Hope & Trick” (season 3, episode 3), from which the episode derives its name.
Willow makes Buffy aware that Scott has had a crush on her for some time. She encourages Buffy to explore the possibility of dating Scott to help her get over Angel’s death, and find some normality in her life again.
Although she is apprehensive at first, Buffy agrees to go on a date with Scott and the two begin to date. However, just as soon as the two start dating, their relationship comes to a swift end as Scott discovers the reality of dating Buffy.
After asking her to the homecoming dance, Scott breaks up with Buffy due to her constant distractions. He then brings a new date to the dance. In support of Buffy, Faith Lehane pretends the two are dating and that they have an STD in a bid to scare his date away.
Scott is mentioned in season 7, by fellow Sunnydale High alumni Holden Webster. Holden tells Buffy that Scott spread a rumor that Buffy was a lesbian following their breakup. However, Holden finds ironic as Scott came out gay himself years later.
Personality / Traits
As Scott is a minor character, not much of his character is revealed. However, he comes across as a sweet, and good-natured person, who is just hopelessly crushing on Buffy.
Willow regards his normality highly, and thinks that it’s a welcomed addition in Buffy’s otherwise chaotic life. Buffy herself thinks that Scott Hope is both nice and funny, and compares him to a “blueberry muffin with a crumbly top”.
However, fellow classmate Holden Webster doesn’t buy Scott’s “nice” persona. According to Holden, Scott is actually insincere as he spread malicious rumors that Buffy was a lesbian after he broke up with her, despite lacking evidence for the claim. It’s later revealed that Scott’s rumor was part of a plot to hide his own homosexuality until he came out himself.
Appearance
Scott is deemed a rather attractive student at Sunnydale High. He has dark brown hair and eyes, thick eyebrows, and a rather pale complexion.
Powers / Abilities
Scott Hope has no known powers/abilities, and is regularly referred to as a “normal” guy, which is far removed from Buffy’s usual type.
Relationships
Buffy Summers
Scott became the boyfriend of protagonist Buffy Summers for a brief period of time in 1998. He is the first person Buffy dates after losing Angel. Scott is not considered to be one of Buffy’s significant relationships, partly due to their very short lived romance.
Season 3
Scott Hope is first introduced in Buffy’s senior year at Sunnydale High. Once she is allowed back to school, Willow tells Buffy that Scott has a crush on her. Buffy’s friends believe that she is ready to start dating following Angel’s death (for which Buffy was responsible).
Buffy agrees, and thinks dating will help her get back to a “normal” life. However, Buffy is still being haunted by visions of her killing Angel.
Scott makes several attempts to speak to Buffy, but she is far too distracted by the arrival of a new vampire slayer named Faith Lehane. After Faith flirts with Scott, Buffy becomes jealous and tries to divert his attention back to her.
Scott asks Buffy on a date to a Buster Keaton film festival, whilst giving her a present which the store clerk told him symbolised friendship. When Buffy opens the box she sees a Claddagh ring, exactly like the one Angel had given her as a birthday gift in which he wore a matching one.
Although Scott’s gift was given with good intentions, the design wreaks emotional havoc with Buffy and she begins to get a vision of Angel once more.
Buffy reveals to Willow and Giles that Angel had turned just before she slayed him, but she told him she loved him once last time. This is a significant moment for Buffy as she now feels she is ready to move on.
Buffy tracks Scott down after class and asks if is still willing to go on a date with her. He agrees but she tells him she has something she needs to do first.
Buffy returns to the place where she sent Angel to Acathla’s dimension and places the Claddagh ring Angel had given her on the ground. When Buffy leaves, Angel returns to that exact spot, unbeknownst to Buffy.
In the following episode “Beauty and the Beasts” Buffy discusses her relationship with Scott, and says that she is thankful that “he doesn’t seem to be any kind of hellbeast”.
Faith responds by telling Buffy that all guys are beasts in some way. Later on, Scott greets Buffy at school, and Pete Clarner and Debbie Foley are introduced as Scott’s lifelong friends.
Although Buffy seems to be enjoying her time with Scott, she soon becomes distracted after Giles informs the gang that the body of a student was found mauled to death in woods near the school.
They fear that Oz may have attacked the guy as Xander had fallen asleep whilst he was supposed to be watching him during his transition.
Buffy is sent to search the woods to see if there was a sign of another nearby werewolf or creature that may have attacked the student. Whilst searching Buffy comes across Angel, who is unable to speak and tries to fight her. Buffy knocks him unconscious and locks him up in chains.
After Buffy discovers the school counselor, Stephen Platt, dead, the gang realize that the attacks were made at daylight, which exonerates Oz.
Oz meets with Scott’s friend Debbie to give her his biology notes and notices she has a black eye. He soon figures out that Pete is the one who has been attacking and killing people.
Pete tries to attack Oz but he turns into a werewolf and bites Pete. Pete escapes and kills Debbie for telling the others about his secret. Buffy fights Pete, but he begins to overpower her. Angel – who had previously escaped his chains – bursts into the room and kills Pete before he can hurt Buffy.
Later on the gang reveal that Pete, who had been overcome with jealousy and driven by fear that Debbie would leave him, had been playing around with potions and somehow managed to turn himself into a Jekyll/Hyde monster.
However, the rest of the school aren’t aware of Pete’s monster abilities so they believe that Pete went mad and killed both Debbie and himself. Buffy tries to comfort Scott, but he tells her that you never really know a person.
In the following episode “Homecoming”, Buffy is disheartened that she doesn’t have a date for the homecoming dance. Cordelia brings up how Scott hasn’t asked her to the dance in front of Scott, who confesses that he thought Buffy would find the dance lame.
The two subsequently agree to go together. Scott then asks if she would like a drink but Buffy says she needs to get going.
Buffy goes to see Angel, and tells him that she hasn’t told Giles or the others about his return, but agrees to help him with whatever she needs. She tells him that she is dating Scott, and that he is a “nice, solid guy” who makes her happy, and that’s what she needs right now.
In the next scene, Scott breaks up with Buffy and explains that it’s because she’s constantly distracted. Buffy says that she is getting better and promises that Scott will see a “drastic distraction reduction”. Scott apologises as he remains firm in his decision to call it quits.
Later on in the episode Scott can be seen at prom dancing with a new date. Faith notices and calls Scott a “sleazebag”. In a bid to support Buffy and ruin Scott’s date, Faith walks over to Scott, and pretends that they’re dating.
She tells him that the doctor said the itching from their STD will go away if they use their ointment at which Scott’s date shoots him a disgusted look and walks away.
Season 7
Although Scott is never seen after Homecoming, he is mentioned in season 7, episode 7 “Conversations with Dead People.” Whilst on patrol, Buffy stumbles upon a newly-risen vampire; Holden Webster.
They become embroiled in a fight, and just as Holden is about to bite Buffy, he recognizes her from their days at Sunnydale High.
After telling her that they were old classmates and revealing his name, Buffy slowly recognizes him and the two begin to reminisce.
Holden mentions how Scott Hope had spread a malicious rumor that Buffy was a lesbian following their break up, despite having no solid evidence to confirm it. However, Holden thinks this is ironic, as he reveals that Scott himself come out as gay whilst attending college.
Season 3, Episode 4: Beauty and the Beasts (Oct 20, 1998)
Season 3, Episode 5: Homecoming (Nov 3, 1998)
Mentions
Scott is mentioned in a further 3 episodes, however, the character is not seen again.
Season 3, Episode 6: Bad Candy (Nov 10, 1998)
Season 3, Episode 7: Revelations (Nov 17, 1998)
Season 7, Episode 7: Conversations with Dead People (Nov 12, 2002)
Audience Reception
Although Buffy wasn’t romantically involved with Scott Hope for long, many viewers weren’t a fan of their relationship. Some believed it was too soon after Angel’s death for Buffy to start dating someone else. However, other viewers thought that it was a significant moment for Buffy, giving her a chance to move on and experience a “normal” relationship, no matter how short it was.
Overall, he’s seen as a rather irrelevant character, but he serves as a metaphor for Buffy’s life beyond Angel.
Trivia
Many viewers believe that Scott’s name is a play on the words “got hope” (Scott Hope), which serves as Buffy’s renewed hope for the future after losing Angel.
Quotes
“I’m a bad liar, it’s not good for the soul”, Scott to Buffy.
“The guy is charm, and normal, which is what you wanted to get back to”, Willow talking about Scott.
“He’s a cutie”, Faith talking about Scott.
“I’ve given it a lot of thought – some say too much thought – about how I might fit into your life”, Scott asking Buffy out.
“He is… nice, and he’s funny”, Buffy talking about Scott.
“My favorite thing so far is that he doesn’t seem to be any kind of hell beast”, Buffy talking about Scott.
“Check out Scotty liking the manic depressive chick”, Pete talking about Scott’s interest in Buffy.
“I’m involved with someone… His name is Scott. He’s a nice, solid guy. He makes me happy. And that’s what I need. Someone I can count on”, Buffy telling Angel she is dating Scott.
“Buffy before we were going out you seemed so full of life like a force of nature. Now you just seem distracted all the time”, Scott breaking up with Buffy.
“Sleazebag”, Faith talking about Scott after seeing him dancing with a girl at prom following his break up with Buffy.
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