Male Characters

Regulars

Giles

Of all of the main characters, the one who actually got a taste of Joyce's sweet lovin' was Giles. He was often seen as a perfect fit for Joyce, in his role as Buffy's surrogate father, and though the writers resisted making them a couple proper they did eventually get them together under unusual circumstances in 'Band Candy', where they famously fucked on a police car.

However, other than that episode and a few other moments, most notably in 'Killed By Death' when Joyce comforts Giles over Jenny's death, there is actually surprisingly little subtext. In Season 5 the pair seemed to have settled into a more platonic friendship, but it was very warm, so who knows what might have happened had fate not intervened.

The writers did drop a hint in 'Forever', as Giles listens to the same song that he and Joyce played when the two were high on chocolate and full of love. Awwww.

Key Episodes: Killed By Death, Band Candy, Earshot, The Body, Forever
Passion rating: 5 chocolate bars (out of 5)

Xander

Aside from Giles, the only other main character to get the chance - sadly not taken - to make Joyce their conquest was Xander. Admittedly it was only in his dreams but the bounteous pleasures of Mrs. Summers clearly figured in his sub-conscious - and perhaps even in his conscious, as he seemed awful protective of her in 'Dead Man's Party'.

But it wasn't just Xander who was attracted. Under the influence of Amy's love spell Joycie was more than happy to try to seduce the boy. The minx.

Xander and Joyce did find each other alluring, but it seemed destined to come close but never close enough. Unfortunately.

Key Episodes: Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, Dead Man's Party, Restless
Passion Rating: 4 chocolate bars

Spike

Of all Joyce's friends, Spike was perhaps the most unlikely. As they bonded over hot chocolate, marshmallows and 'Passions', we discovered that Joyce's legendary compassion applied as much to lovelorn vampires as it did anyone else. Admittedly they didn't get off to a great start with her whacking him with an axe, but over the years their relationship developed into a true friendship.

Those, like Xander, who doubted his sincerity - thinking Spike was interested only in being friends with Joyce as a way to Buffy - were proved poignantly wrong in 'Forever' with one of Spike's most heartfelt pieces of dialogue, as he declared how much he truly liked Joyce. Could their friendship have become something more? If it did, it would make more sense than many would think.

Key Episodes: Lover's Walk, Checkpoint, Crush, Forever
Passion Rating: 4 chocolate bars

Angel/Angelus

The besouled vampire mostly had eyes for Joyce's daughter rather than she. However, there was occasionally some sparks - from the lovingly drawn sketch in 'Passion' to the comments of the pretend Angelus in 'Enemies' about Joyce's hair. Of course, our theory is that her unexplained visit to Angel in 'The Prom' was really all about breaking him and Buffy up so she could get him. Maybe that's just us.

Key Episodes: Enemies, The Prom
Passion Rating: 2 chocolate bars

Riley

Like Angel before him, Buffy's second main squeeze didn't really have much time for Joyce, but even he was moved to comment on Joyce's fashion sense in 'Real Me'. However, he was subsequently a bit more concerned about himself than Joyce's brain tumour and so he didn't really illustrate any particular attraction, and we assume Joyce had a bit more sense. Still, this is the Buffyverse, and stranger things have happened.

Key Episodes: Real Me
Passion Rating: 1 chocolate bar

Oz

Sadly Oz didn't get to meet Joyce that often. When he did, he was being mushy with Willow. However Kristine Sutherland did say in her first 'Watchers' Guide' interview that she understood why Oz's character was attractive, so we're sure Joyce would too.

Key Episodes: None to speak of
Passion Rating: 1 chocolate bar

Minor characters

Dracula

We know Joyce was under the Dark Prince's thrall (much as anyone who met him was), enough to invite him into her home. The question is what exactly happened the first time he visited the Summers'. Did he just drink coffee? Or was Joyce more forward than we know?

Key Episodes: Buffy vs. Dracula
Passion Rating: 2 chocolate bars

Ted

Joyce's robotic suitor was never a good thing, obviously, although he did get to snog Joyce on-screen, making him the first of a select band of two (the other is, obviously, Giles). Ted was dismantled at the end of his one and only episode, but Willow said she'd kept some parts… maybe she made a good Ted, whose only thought was to service Joyce. Ew, now we feel ill.

Key Episodes: Ted
Passion Rating: 2 chocolate bars

Principal Snyder

Snyder clearly liked Joyce, as we found out in 'Band Candy'. Joyce mercifully didn't like him. In fact, even under the influence of magic sweeties she loathed him, let alone without. Although we have this idea that he might have answered her ad in the Lonely-Hearts column, and romance ensued. Then we feel ill again.

Key Episodes: Band Candy
Passion Rating: 1 chocolate bar

Hank Summers

Once happily married, the Summers had divorced by the time 'Buffy' began. There was always the possibility of reconciliation, certainly if Buffy had anything to do with it, and they were civil to each other. Hardly exciting though, was he? They were still married in the alternate asylum reality of season six of course, so there's possibilities there.

Key Episodes: When She Was Bad, Weight of the World, Normal Again
Passion Rating: 1 chocolate bar

The Mayor

Surely even the evil Mayor Wilkins could hardly fail to be moved by Joyce's inspiring speech at the MOO rally in 'Gingerbread'. Perhaps the two in their heady desire for civic duty discovered a heady desire for each other. Probably not though.

Key Episodes: Gingerbread
Passion Rating: 1 chocolate bar

Unseen

Brian

We never saw her last beau but Joyce did hint that they got physical, and he sent her flowers, the sweetie. Will we ever know more about this mysterious date?

Key Episodes: I Was Made To Love You
Passion Rating: 2 chocolate bars

Female Characters

Regulars

Faith

Insofar as there was femslash subtext for Joyce it was Faith who gave us the most. She seemed quite attracted to Joyce, and it is interesting that Joyce was almost the first person she visited after she awoke from her coma. Some would argue this was to get at Buffy, but we know better.

Even prior to this more psychotic turn of events Joyce was quite disposed to Faith, her compassion for all shining through as ever. She cooked meals for and lavished praise upon the younger Slayer, even persuading Buffy to invite her round for Christmas, where the two were conveniently left alone as Buffy went off after Angel.

Even when the police dragged Faith off, intending to take her to the cells, Joyce worried about her. There was clearly a spark, and if anyone needed the love of an older, wiser woman, it was Faith.

Key Episodes: Faith, Hope & Trick, Amends, This Year's Girl
Passion Rating: 3 chocolate bars

Cordelia

Cordy's first reaction to seeing Joyce was to compliment her beauty. Such was her devotion she even angrily pushed Xander away when he tried to seduce Joyce under the influence of a love-spell. Or was that the other way around?

Well, anyway, if she didn't she should have.

Key Episodes: School Hard
Passion Rating: 2 chocolate bars

Willow & Tara

Willow and Tara obviously educated Joyce in the department of lesbianism between 'Buffy vs Dracula' and 'Real Me', and our minds can only wonder how. Certainly, Joyce is as caring towards these two as she is anyone else, from comforting Willow in 'Passion' after Jenny's death right up to the Christmas before her death. Willow was even buying her gifts in 'Listening to Fear' so they obviously had a bond. Plus we know that Joyce liked Willow's blue sweater - probably more so when she took it off.

Key Episodes: Buffy vs Dracula, Listening to Fear, The Body
Passion Rating: 2 chocolate bars

Anya

We know Anya thought Joyce was nice, but we'd be hard pushed to discover more subtext than that (still more than Oz though). In any case, Anya was the Patron Saint of Scorned Women, and Joyce was certainly that on occasion. Who knows what she could have wished for.

Key Episodes: The Body
Passion Rating: 1 chocolate bar

Minor characters

Darla

Joyce's first major imperilment came when Darla bit her in 'Angel' way back in the first season. Had the eponymous vampire not come to her rescue, Joyce may well have died sooner - or with a spot of turning, perhaps even become Season 2's big villain. And we see how Darla is with Drusilla - what would she have been like with Vamp!Joyce?

Key Episodes: Angel
Passion Rating: 2 chocolate bars

Pat

Pat was clearly a good friend - though how good we can but guess. Sadly murdered in 'Dead Man's Party' we never did find that out. In any case, Joyce was obviously too distressed by Buffy's abscondment to notice how irritating Pat was, and in that sort of state there's no knowing what she might have agreed to do.

Key Episodes: Dead Man's Party
Passion Rating: 2 chocolate bars

Sheila Rosenburg

Willow's mom was obviously a bit of a hippy with her Joni Mitchell hair so we're sure she'd be up for lesbo experimentation on one of their lunch dates after burning their daughters at the stake (almost).

Key Episodes: Gingerbread
Passion Rating: 1 chocolate bar