The Slayer's Parents Joyce & Hank Summers

Joyce Summers met Hank Summers, her future husband, at her high-school prom. She didn't have a date, so went alone. She was miserable for the first hour, then met Hank. He did have a date, but they still met and clicked, and later married.

By the time their daughter, Buffy, reached high school, her parents were fighting, and during her freshman year, they divorced, Buffy moving to Sunnydale from Los Angeles with her mother. They seem to be getting on well since the divorce.

Joyce works at an art gallery, where her duties include acquiring and selling pieces, a job which requires long hours and keeps her away from home sometimes. She has tried to connect with her daughter, but - despite their occasional bonding over movies and ice-cream - finds understanding of her daughter elusive. She appreciates that her daughter can take care of herself  but has gropwn frustrated with Buffy's inability to do what she is told for no obvious reason, and for not confiding in her about anything, such as the fact that she had begun to date Angel.

Despite having seen evidence of the bizarre activity in Sunnydale, she remained oblivious to her daughter's secrets right up until circumstances compelled it to be spelled out to her (see 2.22 - "Becoming, Part 2"). The ultimate consequences of this discovery have yet to be established.

Joyce Summers is played by Kristine Sutherland.

Hank Summers is played by Dean Butler.