My Top 25 Episodes

Over its seven season run, Buffy produced many memorable episodes. With 144 hours of entertainment to chose from, it is near impossible to narrow the choice down to a select favorite few. There are episodes which I will watch again and again without growing tired of them. In no particular order, these are my choices for the top twenty five episodes. And yes I did have to cheat by counting two part episodes as one, it was the only way to make it all fit.

01. Welcome to the Hellmouth / The Harvest (s1 ep1-2)

"Buffy Summers and her mom move to Sunnydale, California, for a fresh start. Somewhat reluctant in her role as the slayer, Buffy quickly makes friends and enemies at her new school. While also meeting her new Watcher, Giles, her friends encounters the unearthly creatures in Sunnydale."

The very first episodes of Buffy which aired all the way back in March of 1997. It seems like so long ago that we were introduced to all the main characters. Highlights of these episodes include Angel and Buffy meeting in the dark alley for the first time, and Buffy smashing the window tricking Luke into thinking that the sunlight would get him. It was these episodes which first snagged me and made me watch a show with a stupid name like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

02. Prophecy Girl (s1 ep12)

"Buffy wants to resign from her life of slaying when Giles uncovers an ancient prophesy that spells out her deadly fate, as the Master's ascension from the Hellmouth is at hand. As the earth begins to crack open, Xander, Willow and Cordelia face the prophetic end of the world."

The finale of the first season where Buffy finds out that she is destined to die at the Master's hands that night. All she ever wanted was to be a normal girl but she has this big duty to save the world. And even though she just wants to go the dance, she goes willing with the Anointed One. Xander and Angel are forced to put their differences aside to save Buffy's life. And she comes back stronger than ever to kill her killer. Plus everyone liked her dress.

03. Halloween (s2 ep6)

"Buffy, Willow and Xander are recruited by Principal Snyder to trick-or-treat with the neighborhood kids, but the night doesn't turn out as they had planned when Buffy's costume causes her to lose her slaying ability and the other kids transform into their costume characters."

I really love this episode, the concept is so good. Buffy wants to be what Angel wants and instead becomes what he never liked. It also showed that other members of the Scooby gang could take charge when needed because Buffy was not able to fight.

04. Surprise / Innocence (s2 ep13-14)

"The Fate of the world is at stake when Spike and Drisilla gather the dismembered body parts of The Judge, a demon with a deadly touch. as their ultimate weapon to extinguish The Slayer. Meanwhile, Angel's soul is in jeopardy when he and Buffy share an Intimate moment. Giles' relationship with Jenny Calender takes on a new twist when he discovers her secret, and Willow's hopes with a relationship with Xander are Dashed."

I can still remember sitting in class the day after Surprised aired and not being able to wait until that night for the next part in this excellent duo of episodes. Angel was supposed to always be there for Buffy but was going to be sent to the other end of the world on her birthday. These episodes set up the tradition of everything going wrong on Buffy's birthday. Showing the interaction between Dru, Angelus, and the invalid Spike set up the greatest villain pairing of the show.

05. Becoming Part Two (s2 ep22)

"The suspense continues as hell prepares to swallow the world and Buffy is left alone to stop it. With Giles in the hands of the enemy and Angel primed for destruction, our slayer is forced into some treacherous alliances and faced with life-changing decisions."

I cried for the first time because of the tv show when Angel regained his soul just in time to tell Buffy that he loved her before she had to kill him to save the world. "Full of Grace" was the perfect song playing as the Scooby Gang met up but they could never have guessed that Buffy was watching them before leaving town. Xander lying to Buffy about Willow working the spell, Spike helping Buffy against Dru and Angelus, and Giles being tortured with visions of Jenny make this one of my all time favorite episodes. Definitely in the top three.

06. The Wish (s3 ep9)

"Cordelia decides that all of her troubles started when Buffy moved to Sunnydale and wishes that it had never happened. Not knowing that a demon would grant her wish, Cordelia is transported into an altered reality in which The Master is alive and ruling, with Willow and Xander as his undead minions."

Introducing Anya as the demon of the week who sends Cordelia to a parallel world where Buffy had never arrived in Sunnydale. I would call this episode one of the first concept shows that step out of the normal Buffyverse or take a wild spin. It seems weird to think what could have happened on the Hellmouth with Buffy there to continually save the day. And when she does arrive, it is only to die again at the hands of the Master, forfilling her destiny as seen before in Prophecy Girl.

07. The Zeppo (s3 ep13)

"Xander's lack of slaying superpowers has him feeling painfully expendable, but his quest to prove he's cool leads him rolling with a dangerous crowd. Meanwhile, Buffy, Giles and the rest of the crew engage in a furious battle with an all-female apocalypse cult that intends to reopen the Hellmouth."

Xander is the most underused of the main characters I always think, so it's nice to see him be the focus of this episode. All hell is breaking loose with the opening of the Hellmouth and we only see the epic battle in the background while Xander deals with his own problems. I love him interrupting Buffy and Angel's private moment of goodbye to get some help but ends up saving the day by himself. Walking away from Cordelia at the end without needing to insult her is classic.

08. Earshot (s3 ep18)

"A pair of demons unexpectedly leave Buffy with the ability to hear other people's thoughts. When she unearths a potential mass murder plan at the school, Giles, Willow and the rest of the gang spring into action, while Angel endeavors to keep Buffy from spiraling into telepathy-induced madness."

This was the first of two episodes to be pulled following the Columbine shootings and I can appreciate the sensitivity of the network. We just had to wait longer for an excellent show. The scooby gang gets to play detective to find out who is going to kill students at the school. Buffy stops Jonathan from using his gun, not on the student body like suspected but instead from killing himself. It tells a powerful message about life in high school and how there are always people who don't fit in but life should not be wasted.

09. Graduation Day Part Two (s3 ep22)

"As the hours tick away to the fateful graduation, the impending doom of the Mayor's ascension into pure demon hangs heavy with Buffy. With Angel near death, Buffy must risk her own life and defy the orders of the Watchers Council in order lead a campaign to save the world."

Featuring the death of Principal Synder and Angel leaving to go to LA. Oz wraps up the entire meaning of the series when he says that they survived, high school that is. The students get to fight back against the administration and together everyone is able to beat back the Mayor's plan to rule the world.

10. Fear, Itself (s4 ep4)

"Buffy reluctantly agrees to join Willow, Oz and Xander at a Halloween party where they stumble into a real-life house of horrors masquerading as an innocuous fraternity. Meanwhile, Giles is called upon to help out the college crowd when all he wants is to get into the spirit of the holiday."

Two reasons for loving this episode: Oz's costume where he is just wearing a name tag saying God, which is just so Oz, and the actual size demon at the end. It was great when Giles has to tell Xander to stop taunting the little bitty demon before Buffy just steps on him.

11. Something Blue (s4 ep9)

"Willow, pining over the disappearance of Oz, tries to imbue herself with the power to have her will done. The fallout includes Buffy falling in love with Spike and planning to marry him, Giles going blind and Xander becoming even more of a demon magnet."

Willow's spell goes terribly wrong in such a funny way as she manages to curse Buffy and Spike into falling in love. Who would have guessed what a fight wedding invitations would provoke and what they would chose to have as their song. Best line was when Giles said he was glad that he couldn't see because he didn't have to watch Buffy and Spike kissing and Xander wishes that he was blind too.

12. Hush (s4 ep10)

"A silence falls over Sunnydale when otherwordly beings come to town and steal the power of speech from all the residents. Meanwhile, Riley gets his first clue to Buffy's slayerside when they have a fight with the outside visitor, and Willow attends a wicca group that's not all she had hoped."

Joss finally gets a writing emmy nomination for this episode where they don't even talk for 30 minutes. Ironic, isn't it.

13. Who Are You (s4 ep16)

"Buffy battles to escape the clutches of the Watcher's Council, while Faith continues to wreak havoc in the lives of Buffy's family and friends. Meanwhile, it's Willow and Tara who figure out Buffy's whereabouts, but not before Faith has done some serious damage to Buffy's relationship with Riley."

The return of Faith to Sunnydale to stir up more trouble. I just think that Sarah and Eliza must have had so much fun switching characters for this episode. Buffy/Faith and Spike in the Bronze where she comes on to him and Buffy/Faith making faces in the mirror are definately the two best moments of the episode.

14. Fool For Love (s5 ep7)

"When Buffy wants to learn more about Slayers of the past and their final battles she heads to the expert. Spike has killed two Slayers and Buffy wants to know how. We witness his first meeting with Drusilla and how Angel and Darla ended up joining them to become the gruesome foursome."

I just recently watched an Angel episode which shows the same events from Angel's angle, not Spike's) and I am still amazed about how the two work so well together to present backstory for the some of the same events from two totally different people. Spike fighting the two slayers while talking to Buffy about it and then comforting her at the end of the episode is just classic.

15. The Body (s5 ep16)

"After months of fighting a brain tumor, Joyce dies unexpectedly. Reeling from the shock of discovering her mother's lifeless body, Buffy manages to pull herself together enough to deliver the news to an already emotionally fragile Dawn whose denial makes fighting the boundless forces of evil look like child's play."

This episode strikes a cord with anyone who has ever lost anyone close to them. I love how no background music was used or needed through the episode as each of the characters learned of Joyce's death and dealt in their own way. Even though Joyce had been sick all season, she had been getting better and it just shows that Buffy might be the Slayer but even she cannot save her own mother from a natural death.

16. The Gift (s5 ep22)

"Buffy must square off against a true God when Glory prepares to use Dawn to break down the walls between the dimensions and unleash all Hell on Earth. Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles, Anya, Tara and Spike go to battle with the knowledge that they may not all survive."

Buffy sacrifices her life again to save the world but it was also a selfish act. After her mother's death and sister's kidnapping, she lost her will to fight. The flashback over of the first 100 episodes at the beginning of the episode gave a rapid overview of the highlights of the series before showing that Buffy is just a girl, only with a sacred duty to kill monsters.

17. Life Serial (s6 ep5)

"Jonathan, Warren and Andrew test Buffy's abilities---and patience---with a secret campaign of harassment. The Slayer struggles to readjust to life in Sunnydale by attending classes with Willow and working with Xander."

It was the mummy hand which makes the episode so funny for me. All the ways that Buffy tries to catch or kill it while it just mocks her. The Trio were not the best villains ever but they gave more comedy than any other reoccurring bad guys. Jonathan and his magic bone gave a good laugh.

18. Once More With Feeling (s6 ep7)

"A demon summoned to Sunnydale forces Buffy and the Scooby Gang to sing their most private secrets. The musical features all-original songs and lyrics written by Joss Whedon for this special episode."

A critical and fan favorite, all singing and dancing musical episode. It brought together two of my favorite things and everyone did a great job. I love how Joss played on everyone's strong points and the songs were all beautiful. Buffy tells her friends that she had been in Heaven before they had pulled her out and she kisses Spike for the first time, setting up the storyline for the rest of the season and the beginning of their relationship.

19. Normal Again (s6 ep17)

"A demon doses Buffy with a powerful chemical that causes her to hallucinate, convincing the Slayer her parents are alive and Dawn never existed. Plus, in an exciting new twist to this years storyline, Buffy is forced to make an unfortunate decision."

Sometimes I think that the writers want to mess with our minds, with this episode, I know that they are messing with our minds. Is Sunnydale and the events of the past six years real? Buffy has to chose between her friends and her parents without knowing which one is reality. And the last scene where hospitalized Buffy goes back to being silent doesn't clear it up for us either.

20. Seeing Red (s6 ep19)

"Buffy goes looking for trouble in the lair of Warren, Andrew and Jonathan, and she nearly falls victim to a booby trap of buzz saws. But that's the least of the Slayer's worries. Warren acquires the Orbs of Nezzla'khan, thus setting the stage for a fateful showdown."

Just when you think that Willow and Tara are all better, they kill her off. At least they got to be happy again for most of the episode before shooting her. And it does set off Evil Willow for the rest of the season. Another nice touch was putting Amber in the credits at least once.

21. Grave (s6 ep22)

"Things are looking bad until Giles comes back to join the fight. Meanwhile, after getting his heart broken by Buffy, Spike is in search of a soul undergoes a fiery test given by the African demon in order to win it."

Xander comes through and saves the world with his story of yellow crayons and his love for Willow, no matter what. Buffy also sees that Dawn isn't just a little girl anymore and they have to fight side by side to escape. What a great way to end a season that had such a dark theme.

22. Beneath You (s7 ep2)

"Xander introduces Buffy to a woman whose dog was eaten by an oversized annelid. Suspecting demon activity, Buffy volunteers to find the creature, and Spike, who's being tormented by an unknown force, shows up to offer his assistance. Willow, meanwhile, prepares to return home."

Most of the episode was pretty silly with the dog eating worm thing, but this episode makes the list purely because of the last scene with Buffy and Spike. I may not be the biggest shipper of the relationship but seeing Spike laying on the cross asking if he could rest yet was just beautiful. Everything about that scene was a perfect representation of what he has been feeling since he received his soul for her.

23. Selfless (s7 ep5)

Finally some of the background of Anya, even if it doesn't explain how she went from raising rabbits to hating the cute little bunnies. I loved how it kept flashing from her past to the current events and her remorse over so many deaths which she had caused. The big spider creature was dumb though. And another new song as well showing how happy she was to give up herself to become Xander's wife.

"A wish granted by Anya has devastating consequences in this alternately witty and wrenching tale. Anya's breakup with Xander has driven her to return to her vengeance-demon ways with, well, a vengeance. But that changes after she takes a humiliated coed's desire too literally."

24. Conversations With Dead People (s7 ep7)

"While out on patrol, Buffy squares off with a former classmate and current vampire, who goads her into revealing her insecurities. Back at home, Dawn is thrown into a panic when an invisible force trashes the Summers' house and deposits the corpse of her mother on the sofa."

Definitely one of the best episodes in season seven. It focuses on just three of the main characters and sets up their doubts and fears for the rest of the season in an attempt to defeat them early on. Willow is taken in by someone who claims to have a message from Tara. I heard that the original plan was to have Amber herself guest star, which would have made the scene even more creepy. Dawn is taken in by a vision of what could be her mother. Buffy has to face her relationship with Spike even while the First is beginning to corrupt him. It's such a well written episode and plays off the characters so well.

25. Chosen (s7 ep22)

"With the fate of the Earth at stake, the Buffster leads the Scoobies and the Potentials into the Hellmouth for a decisive clash with the First and its demonic minions. Before the battle, however, Buffy must sort out her personal life after Spike spies her kissing Angel."

The series finale. The last episode to ever be made. The destruction of Sunnydale and the closing of the Hellmouth for good since it just became a big hole in the ground. Not everyone made it out alive and Anya died saving the humans that she claimed to hate instead of running away again like in Graduation Day. That's all. The show is over.