Michael Tree
First Post
This was coming up a bit in the Rank the Seasons thread, so I figured I’d create a new thread for it. I’ll use the episode names as well as a brief description.
These have some major spoilers in them, so if you havn’t seen the whole series, read at your own risk.
Honorable Mentions: (Okay, so I had trouble keeping my list to 10.
)
The Zeppo (Xander’s episode) – Not only does Xander shine, but it’s also the best instance of the show self-consciously mocking itself and its periodic apocalyptic angst.
Passion (Angel kills Jenny Calendar) Between Giles’ line “Since Angel lost his soul, he's regained his sense of whimsy” Jenny’s death, and Giles’ reaction to it, it's Buffy at its most painful.
Life Serial (the 3 geeks torment Buffy) – Buffy at her silly best. What can I say? Any episode that introduces Clem, has a fun groundhog-day sequence, and gets Buffy drunk and sitting in on a game of kitten poker is good by me.
Lies My Parents Told Me (Principal Wood tries to kill Spike) – While not as funny as some episodes, it has some nice personal chill from all the characters involved.
Conversations with Dead People (Dawn fights with a shadowy creature for her mom, Buffy has a conversation with an old classmate who’s now a vampire, and Willow talks with a ghost who claims to be talking for Tara) - A creepy trio of stories which made me really love The First as a big bad. Plus, Dawn's anchovy song is a classic.
Tabula Rasa (Willow’s spell goes wrong, and everyone loses their memories.) Sure it advances the magic addiction storyline, but what’s important is that it’s silly, pokes fun at itself, and references Restless.
10) Chosen (The last episode) – While it’s not perfect, and suffered from having to tie up the loose end of a poor season, it still was an wonderful end for the show, with great dialogue and characterization (Giles is actually himself again, for the first time since the finale of season 6), butt-kicking-action, Trogdor the burninator, and a funny non-resolution to the buffy/spike/angel triangle.
9) Fool for Love (Spike’s background story, with him reciting bad poetry before being turned by Drusilla, and killing two slayers, all told in conversation with Buffy) – This episode singlehanded gave depth to Spike, and was lots of fun too. It becomes even more meaningful once we learn more about Principal Wood in season 7.
8) Welcome to the Hellmouth / The Harvest (the 2-hour series premiere) – It introduced all the characters, had some of the best dialogue in the entire series, and featured the first and best of many “Buffy kills the big bad and makes a cool pose” scenes.
7) Earshot (Buffy becomes telepathic) – This episode highlights what is so great about Buffy. Most TV shows have a definite niche – comedies are never dramatic, dramas are rarely funny, suspense shows are rarely silly – but Buffy has it all, in one seamless package. Great character moments in the library when we hear what each character is thinking (Xander thinking about sex, Oz being deep, Cordy saying exactly what she’s thinking), hilarious dialogue, and great drama at the end with Jonathan, followed by one of the funnies single shots in Buffy history – Xander startling the cook.
6) Hush (the silent episode with the Gentlemen) – The first of Joss Whedon’s fantastic cinematic experiments, and one of the creepiest episodes there is.
5) The Gift (Season 5 finale) – Fun, action, and drama all around. Buffy is the most heroic she’s ever been, Doc is one of the creepiest enemies they’ve had, and Giles shows his true colors.
4) Once More With Feeling (The musical) – Great music, funny and touching dialogue, and a season’s worth of plot development, all wrapped up in one silly brilliant bunny-rocking package.
3) Becoming part 2 (Season 2 finale) – What can I say? Buffy killing Angel had me in tears, Spike’s speech about “happymeals on legs” was hilarious and character-defining, and even Giles and Xander (“She says ‘Kick his ass’”) shined. Plus, Spike and Joyce’s first meeting.
2) Restless (the dream episode) – Not only is it cinematically beautiful, surreal, and funny, it’s also perfect character studies for each of the four core characters. Willow’s dream is goofy and artsy and ultimately neurotic. Xander’s dream is by far the strangest, highlighting his brutal family life and odd relationships with everyone else. Giles’s dream is wry and secretly cool, with Buffy as a little girl, Spike as a poseur, Anya as a terrible comedian, and Giles himself as a torchsong singer. And Buffy’s dream, full of surreal poetry and responsibility, Riley and Adam acting like little boys, and conversations with the first Slayer about her fashion sense.
1) The Body (the few hours after Buffy’s Mom dies) – This is, bar none, the single best depiction of death and peoples initial reactions to it that I have ever seen on TV film, or any other medium. It’s beautifully and brutally filmed, and wonderfully acted by everyone. My heart broke for the characters several times while watching it, even for Anya, who I normally find unsympathetic.
These have some major spoilers in them, so if you havn’t seen the whole series, read at your own risk.
Honorable Mentions: (Okay, so I had trouble keeping my list to 10.
)The Zeppo (Xander’s episode) – Not only does Xander shine, but it’s also the best instance of the show self-consciously mocking itself and its periodic apocalyptic angst.
Passion (Angel kills Jenny Calendar) Between Giles’ line “Since Angel lost his soul, he's regained his sense of whimsy” Jenny’s death, and Giles’ reaction to it, it's Buffy at its most painful.
Life Serial (the 3 geeks torment Buffy) – Buffy at her silly best. What can I say? Any episode that introduces Clem, has a fun groundhog-day sequence, and gets Buffy drunk and sitting in on a game of kitten poker is good by me.
Lies My Parents Told Me (Principal Wood tries to kill Spike) – While not as funny as some episodes, it has some nice personal chill from all the characters involved.
Conversations with Dead People (Dawn fights with a shadowy creature for her mom, Buffy has a conversation with an old classmate who’s now a vampire, and Willow talks with a ghost who claims to be talking for Tara) - A creepy trio of stories which made me really love The First as a big bad. Plus, Dawn's anchovy song is a classic.
Tabula Rasa (Willow’s spell goes wrong, and everyone loses their memories.) Sure it advances the magic addiction storyline, but what’s important is that it’s silly, pokes fun at itself, and references Restless.
10) Chosen (The last episode) – While it’s not perfect, and suffered from having to tie up the loose end of a poor season, it still was an wonderful end for the show, with great dialogue and characterization (Giles is actually himself again, for the first time since the finale of season 6), butt-kicking-action, Trogdor the burninator, and a funny non-resolution to the buffy/spike/angel triangle.
9) Fool for Love (Spike’s background story, with him reciting bad poetry before being turned by Drusilla, and killing two slayers, all told in conversation with Buffy) – This episode singlehanded gave depth to Spike, and was lots of fun too. It becomes even more meaningful once we learn more about Principal Wood in season 7.
8) Welcome to the Hellmouth / The Harvest (the 2-hour series premiere) – It introduced all the characters, had some of the best dialogue in the entire series, and featured the first and best of many “Buffy kills the big bad and makes a cool pose” scenes.
7) Earshot (Buffy becomes telepathic) – This episode highlights what is so great about Buffy. Most TV shows have a definite niche – comedies are never dramatic, dramas are rarely funny, suspense shows are rarely silly – but Buffy has it all, in one seamless package. Great character moments in the library when we hear what each character is thinking (Xander thinking about sex, Oz being deep, Cordy saying exactly what she’s thinking), hilarious dialogue, and great drama at the end with Jonathan, followed by one of the funnies single shots in Buffy history – Xander startling the cook.
6) Hush (the silent episode with the Gentlemen) – The first of Joss Whedon’s fantastic cinematic experiments, and one of the creepiest episodes there is.
5) The Gift (Season 5 finale) – Fun, action, and drama all around. Buffy is the most heroic she’s ever been, Doc is one of the creepiest enemies they’ve had, and Giles shows his true colors.
4) Once More With Feeling (The musical) – Great music, funny and touching dialogue, and a season’s worth of plot development, all wrapped up in one silly brilliant bunny-rocking package.
3) Becoming part 2 (Season 2 finale) – What can I say? Buffy killing Angel had me in tears, Spike’s speech about “happymeals on legs” was hilarious and character-defining, and even Giles and Xander (“She says ‘Kick his ass’”) shined. Plus, Spike and Joyce’s first meeting.
2) Restless (the dream episode) – Not only is it cinematically beautiful, surreal, and funny, it’s also perfect character studies for each of the four core characters. Willow’s dream is goofy and artsy and ultimately neurotic. Xander’s dream is by far the strangest, highlighting his brutal family life and odd relationships with everyone else. Giles’s dream is wry and secretly cool, with Buffy as a little girl, Spike as a poseur, Anya as a terrible comedian, and Giles himself as a torchsong singer. And Buffy’s dream, full of surreal poetry and responsibility, Riley and Adam acting like little boys, and conversations with the first Slayer about her fashion sense.
1) The Body (the few hours after Buffy’s Mom dies) – This is, bar none, the single best depiction of death and peoples initial reactions to it that I have ever seen on TV film, or any other medium. It’s beautifully and brutally filmed, and wonderfully acted by everyone. My heart broke for the characters several times while watching it, even for Anya, who I normally find unsympathetic.
I was really starting to love her character. 
