wrote the teleplay solo. The season was shot through 1997. Greenwalt wrote and directed "Ted" with Whedon as well. Rob Des Hotel and Dean Batali (returning from the first season) wrote three episodes together. Freelance writer Carl Ellsworth was fired following his first episode "Halloween". David Tyron King wrote two freelance episodes (as Ty King), King was previously an executive producer on the previous series Whedon worked on, Parenthood (1990). Former story editors Matt Kiene and Joe Reinkemeyer returned and wrote one freelance episode. The other freelanced script of the season was "Go Fish", wrote by husband and wife team David Fury and Elin Hampton, Fury would continue to write freelance in the following season before joining the show full-time. Both Joss Whedon and Bruce Seth Green directed the highest number of episodes in the second season, directing five episodes each. Later regular directors on the series, David Solomon (also co-producer) and James A. Contner directed their first episodes in the second season. Episodes <onlyinclude>{{Episode table |background=#A41C1E |overall=5 |season=5 |title=20 |director=13 |writer=26 |airdate=15 |prodcode=6 |viewers=10 |country=U.S. |episodes= {{Episode list/sublist|Buffy the Vampire Slayer (season 2) |EpisodeNumber = 30 |EpisodeNumber2 = 18 |Title = Killed by Death |DirectedBy = Deran Sarafian |WrittenBy = Rob Des Hotel & Dean Batali |OriginalAirDate = |ProdCode = 5V18 |ShortSummary = Buffy falls ill from flu, collapsing during a fight with Angelus, and is taken to hospital. In an apparent dream, she sees a boy outside her room, followed by a demonic figure. When Buffy wakes, she overhears a conversation about experimental treatments, and finds the boy, Ryan, who warns her that "Death" visits the hospital regularly. She enlists the help of her friends to investigate. They learn that Dr. Backer, who works at the hospital, has a history of controversial experimentation on children. Later, Buffy watches Dr. Backer attacked and killed by the demon, although she can no longer see it. Cordelia and Giles learn that the demon is called Kindestod (German for "the child's death"), while Buffy and Willow learn that Dr. Backer's treatment was working on the children. Realizing that Kindestod is only visible to the sick, Buffy re-infects herself. She finds all the children gone, and sees Kindestod heading to the basement. Kindestod attacks Ryan there, but Buffy intervenes while Xander rescues the children. After a fight, Buffy breaks Kindestod'''s neck. |Viewers=6.08 |LineColor = A41C1E }} }}</onlyinclude> Reception Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval