Top 10 Buffy episodes on AfterEllen

[Ben Varkentine]

Malindalo on the AfterEllen site has made a list of her Top 10 Buffy episodes, including clips via YouTube, to mark the 10th anniversary of the series.

http://www.afterellen.com/blog/malinda/ ... y-episodes

As you might imagine, it's heavily peppered with Willow & Tara episodes ("Hush", "New Moon", "Once More..."), but fair warning, it's also pretty "rah rah Joss." And one of the episodes chosen does include She Who Must Not Be Named (the hateful "Killer in Me," which is inexplicable to me).

Still, it's hard to argue with most of the choices (I don't like "Tabula Rasa" as much as some of you do).

[The Rose24]

They missed a couple.

What about "Who Are You" and "The Gift."

How in the world did "The Killer in Me" make it?!

[taralicious]

Maybe, in the freakin' Bizarro universe, "The Complete Rubbish in Me" would be in a top ten list but here on Planet Willow and Tara, there's no room for such drivel.

[Kendahl897]

Well, in my experience, ratings speak louder than polls...
Say it again..2.3

[Ben Varkentine]

Bear in mind, this was not a poll, it was one person's personal selection. I don't understand how that one person (or anybody, really) could like "Killer," as I said, but everybody's taste is different, I suppose.

And I'd kind of hate to see that overshadow the fact that she also gushed over episodes like "Hush," about which most of us can agree.

[Willowtree252]

Well I like 90% of her choices anyway and the other 10% we wont discuss~~~~

[Kendahl897]

Alright, my mistake. LOL I misread the original post. I''ll do as Diane as cheer the other 90%. But as I said, ratings speak louder than anything in TV and I think 2.3 speaks for itself.
Love and kisses

[the hero factor]

Well, only three of those eps overlap with my own top ten (The Body, Hush and New Moon Rising), 'though Doppelgangland, The Wish, Halloween, and Bad Girls are all great eps, too. OMWF, Tabula Rasa, and The Killer in Me don't even rate, cuz I hate UPN!BtVS with the fiery passion of a thousand nuns.

So, I guess I'm at about 60-ish% agreement with the writer. Actually kinda surprised it's that high, considering Smashed and Wrecked are listed as other favorites.

Really? Seriously? Smashed, in which the rat formally known as Amy sneaks into the Summers's house TO STEAL SAGE! And this became National Lampoon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer when?

And Wrecked. Oh. My. God. They took what was an already shakey and contrived start to the Dark!Willow storyline and completely flushed it in favor of Crackwhore!Willow. Very apt that this ep features a car crash, though I think Willow stealing and wrecking a train would have been even more fitting (not to mention hilarious). This is where the show jumped off the rails, and it never recovered.

Sorry, sometimes I rant. It's fun. For me, anyway.

Maybe, in the freakin' Bizarro universe, "The Complete Rubbish in Me" would be in a top ten list but here on Planet Willow and Tara, there's no room for such drivel.

Actually, taralicious, I think you'll find that in most universes, TKIM is held in pretty low regard. Over at TWoP, a general message board with no ship or character bias, we did an episode survival game. During the season seven round, TKIM was eliminated second (Lies Joss Whedon Told Me went first). And when we pitted all 144 eps against each other, TKIM came in 135th, making it the tenth ep eliminated.

[GoodWitch]

Looking at this person’s Top Ten list, I only have three of the ten on mine. Some of them, I really don’t know where this person got as anything that belongs on a Buffy Top-10 list but to each his or her own.
Therefore, I have come up with my own Top-10 (Well, Top-11) List (I have Eleven; then some honorable mentions). I include some of the two-part eps on my list as one episode so I’m cheating a little there too. I’m putting them in the order that they came out in the show, itself, not in order of preference (which would be next to impossible). Who am I? Well, nobody, really... just a fan. Regardless; here goes.

1) “I Only Have Eyes For You”
In this ep. we learn that David Borianis really Can act. (Sorry folks, but up until this episode, David was not among my favorite actors on the show.) Plus I REALLY liked the story line. I also Really Liked how it worked for what Buffy was going thru. Loved not only the gender switch but the vampire/human switch, which was the only way Buffy could have come out of the possession scenario without being shot.
2) “Becoming I & II”
A Powerful ep. Buffy is forced to grow up and stand on her own and, wow, does That hurt.
3) “Enemies”
There isn’t any part of this whole episode that I didn’t like. What a great psych-out job that Angel & Buffy do on Faith!
4) “Graduation Day I & II”
Loved it for these reasons: The Fight btwn Buffy & Faith was AWSOME! The Buffy-Healing-Angel scene was HOT! Principal Snider gets eaten!
5) “Hush”
If this is not on everyone’s Top-10 list, it should be. (JMHO).
6) “Superstar”
This one was just too much fun so it made it onto my list. If I had to do Just a Top-10, this would be in my Honorable Mentions List.
7) “New Moon Rising” Ah the Brave, on-screen acknowledgement of new L Love! And a fitting farewell to Oz.
8) “Restless”
Just incredible dream sequences.
9) “Family”
A really good Tara-centered story and a sweet way to show the scoobies acceptance of her into Their Family. Just get a little teary at the kindness every time I watch this one.
10) “The Body”
Too Well Done to be left off this list. Have only been able to watch this one twice, ever. Anya’s scene is The Best!
11) “The Gift”
By the time this ep. aired, us fans already knew that Buffy would be picked up by UPN for at least another season. So I was Happy knowing that Buffy would come back. In Hindsight, after seeing how badly season six turned out to be and how season seven barely made up for that (or how it really didn’t), I can now see that this would have been a fitting final episode for the series.

My Honorable Mentions List:
1) “Lover’s Walk” A love-sick Spike back in Sunnydale? Great fun. I like Spike so much I had to put one of his in my list.
2) “The Wish” I like alt-reality episodes and plus we got Anya from this ep.
3) “Helpless” I don’t really know why I like this one; the betrayal by Giles; Buffy saving her mom; the counsel is no longer seen as benign. Lots of plot things that go into my liking of this ep.
4) “Earshot” Buffy’s speech to Jonathan is too good to miss. Xander likes Jello That much?!?
5) “The Prom” Buffy getting the Class Protector Award makes this whole ep worth watching.
6) “Chosen” A fitting end to the entire series but it was hardly worth sitting thru Seasons 6 & 7 to get to it. The Soundtrack to this ep was Fantastic!

Anyone got their own Top-10 List? I'd love to compare notes.

[the hero factor]

I'll play, and hope all this isn't too wildly off-topic to get us spanked. Because I do have a top ten.

1. The Gift - I love the teaser, which perfectly sums up the series. There's the kid, running from a vamp. Then Buffy comes out quipping. ("Oh God, my leg, my leg!") Then there's ass kicking. The kid says, "How'd you do that?" Buffy says, "It's what I do." The kid says, "But you're just a girl." Buffy pauses and smiles a little and says, "That's what I keep saying." Seriously, I'm getting teary just typing about it. I love Xander proposing to Anya ("Give it to me when the world doesn't end."). I love Willow getting Tara back ("She's with me!"). And, okay, so the 'this blood is your blood, this blood is my blood' thing doesn't make much sense logically, but Buffy sacrificing herself to save Dawn, her friends, and the world, works for me emtionally, so I can overlook it. The last shot, of that wonderful headstone, had me laughing and crying all at the same time. I have never loved a TV show more. A great ending. What? Two more what? UPwho? La la la, I am not listening to you! Oh look! Pyramids!

2. Hush - A fun, cool, scary, funny ep. And hello, Tara! Yay!

3. The Body - Heartbreaking and sad and wonderful and I cry and I love every moment of it. Part of me will never forgive Joss for killing Joyce, and I mean that in a good way.

4. Becoming Part 2 - "Close your eyes..." Sarah McLachlan's "Full of Grace." I know I can love you much better than this NOW LEAVING SUNNYDALE It's better this way *sobs*

5. Restless - Such a cool ep, with lots of good character stuff. Infinitely rewatchable.

6. Passion - So. Much. Pain. Giles finding Jenny. Buffy and Willow getting the news, as Angel watches through the window, smirking. Buffy and Giles in the alley ("Are you trying to get yourself killed!? You can't leave me. I can't do this alone."). This show used to be able to make it hurt so good.

7. Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered - A funny and fun episode that also has a lot of heart. NB cringing his way down the Hall o' Lust as "Got the Love" plays on the soundtrack is one of the best things ever. And Cordy going all noble-ish at the end is a great 'Hell, yeah!' moment.

8. New Moon Rising - Doesn't really need an explaination, eh? I'd been shipping W/T since Hush, though I figured it would never, ever happen in a billion years. Ever. Watching each week, seeing the subtext become textier, I still wasn't convinced that they would go through with it. Then they did! Much happiness.

9. Amends - So here's where everyone looks at me like I'm wearing a bunny suit. What can I say, I'm a die-hard Bangel shipper. That scene on the hill gets me everytime (" Strong is fighting! It's hard, and it's painful, and it's everyday."). And I LOVE the snow.

10. Prophecy Girl - The first great ep of the series. Xander asks Buffy out and gets his heart stomped on, but doesn't let that stop him from walking into the mouth of hell to help her. Buffy finds out that if she faces the Master, she will die. So she quits. Then she talks with an upset, distraught Willow, and she goes to face the Master. Because dying to save the world isn't worth it, but dying to save Willow's world is. The 'I'm only sixteen, I don't want to die' scene rocks, as does SMG in it. Buffy's killed but saves the world anyway. Awesome.

[Knock yourself out]

My top ten (in chronological order):

1. Prophecy Girl – this is the episode that made me realise that this was no ordinary TV series but one that was prepared to take chances
2. Innocence – this is to me is the first 10/10 episode – and is the one when I first realised that Willow was the main reason I loved BtVS – the scenes when she finds Xander and Cordelia kissing, when she talks to Xander and with Oz in the van are just perfect
3. The Wish – this just kills me: I know it’s AU but when Xander and Willow kill Cordelia and Buffy has her neck broken I'm always shocked
4. Doppelgangland – for me, the funniest episode of BtVS with an extraordinary performance from Alyson Hannigan
5. Hush – this isn’t too shabby: my favourite moment of BtVS ever is the linking of Tara and Willow’s hands and the swivel of their heads as they watch the drinks machine slide across the room
6. Who Are You? – Sarah Michelle Gellar is awesome in this episode and it's probably my favourite: I am fascinated by Faith’s story, it has some top Tara moments (“I am you know”) and, of course, a flaming O
7. New Moon Rising – I am so lucky: I’m a Willow fan already and then Tara comes along to stay and I develop a major crush on Amber Benson: what a great series BtVS is
8. The Body – the best 41 minutes of TV ever? maybe
9. Once More With Feeling – Walk Through the Fire
10. Tabula Rasa – a funny episode topped and tailed by two heartbreaking scenes: a fantastic mix of drama and humour which is what BtVS does best

From TR it's downhill all the way.

[The Rose24]

My Favorites. In no particular order:

1)"The Gift"
2)"Hush"
3)"Family"
4)"Who Are You"
5)"New Moon Rising"
6)"Becoming 1 and 2"
7)"Passion"
8)"Tabula Rasa"
9)"Once More With Feeling"
10)"There is No Place Like Home" The ep where Buffy first gets her butt
kicked by Glory
11)"Primeval"

[taralicious]

My favorites:
Time to round up the usual suspects with a few surprises lurking down the line but nothing dangerous.
1.Hush
2.New Moon Rising
3.Restless
4.Family
5.The Body
6.The Gift
7.Once More With Feeling
8.Go Fish-"I'm a swim groupie. There's just something about the smell of chlorine on a guy. Oh, baby."
9.Doublemeat Palace- "It's like When Harry met Sally only minced."
10.The Yoko Factor-Such a simple act Tara playing with Willow's hair while Willow's sitting at her computer but that simple act conveys so much.

[sadie]

Prophecy Girl
Passions
Becoming I & II
The Wish
Doppelgangland
Hush
New Moon Rising
The Body
The Gift
Once More With Feeling

[GoodWitch]

Malindalo on the AfterEllen site has made a list of her Top 10 Buffy episodes, including clips via YouTube, to mark the 10th anniversary of the series.
http://www.afterellen.com/blog/malinda/ ... y-episodes

Now that folks are posting their Own Top Ten Lists, this thread is getting fun!! I like you folks' Lists way better than this person's! Well, Duh! That's because you all are on the Kitten List and that person isn't.

[Alcy]

I couldn't resist adding my comment on the afterellen board, I post there sometimes when I'm feeling opinionated. I mostly agreed with the selections although not with her final selection for obvious reasons, I didnt want to rant on that particular board too much as they aren't Kittens...but seriously! That ep was awful and I can't believe it made anyone's top ten (yes I watched it, but only for Aly!)

Now that I've thought about it, my faves would be (in order of preference)
1. Hush (obvious, Giles with his OHP transperancies was inspired)
2. New Moon Rising (obvious - get lost Oz!)
3. Family (Tara, Tara, more Tara)
4. Who Are You? (Flaming O, and as someone said above, SMG is awesome)
5. Restless (Naked back...need I say more)
6. Entropy (last two minutes!)
7. The Real me (so many funny moments, 'can I trade the children for more cash?'
8. Bargaining I & II (Mega Magic Willow rocks, as well as some funny moments)
9.Dopplegangland (Vamp Willow, rwoar!)
10. Passions (Had to throw in something from season 2, and Aly is really great in it)

My two cents
Alcy

[Guppy]

Ok. I'm going to join the party and list my favorite episodes.

1. Triangle: One of my favorite episodes for quotes. Anya & Willow are hilarious!
2. OMWF: Umm, Amber's voice.
3. Hush
4. Dopplegangland: Vamp Willow could have me anyday
5. Who Are You: We've got Tara/Willow action and Faith around. How perfect!
6. The Body: Anya's speech is one of the best scenes I have ever seen.
7. The Gift
8. New Moon Rising
9. Family: oh Tara!
10. Restless

[GoodWitch]

Ok. I'm going to join the party and list my favorite episodes.
2. OMWF: Umm, Amber's voice.

For those of us (Me inparticular ) who are Acronym Challenged, which episode is this?

[GoodWitch]

I don't understand how that one person (or anybody, really) could like "Killer," as I said, but everybody's taste is different, I suppose.

For me, the ONLY thing that made that episode worth watching was Alison's scene where she cries about kissing Kenedy (have to spell it this way or the kitten program abreviates it to "JFK" which is Really Weird) and that for that one moment she 'let Tara go'. For me, when Alison cries in a scene, she Should Be nominated for a Emmy every time, she is so good at that kind of emotional acting!
But given that this whole episode is wrapped up in the Tara is dead and gone (and the "Kitten-Forbidden") portion of the show, it Ceratinly doesn't make it onto MY top-ten list.

[Hemiola]

Hi Goodwitch!

OMWF is "Once More With Feeling", the famous musical episode which showcases, as JW put it, "Amber's marvelous pipes".

[GoodWitch]

Hi Goodwitch!
OMWF is "Once More With Feeling", the famous musical episode which showcases, as JW put it, "Amber's marvelous pipes".

Ah, Yes! When one writes out the whole name of most eps, I know what they are talking about. BUT something in my brain just Doesn't know how to put whole words to acronyms (sad but true; I am Acronym Challanged).
I, myself, sing relatively well and a good friend of mine (and ex-music partner) and I got the lyrics and chords to that song so we can play it and I can sing it. Very pretty love song.
I think I know why Once More With Feeling is not on my top ten list. I guess I just kept comparing it to the musical episode of Xena which came out a good while before Buffy's musical. The near-operatic scope of that musical just outshown the Buffy ep so I was not as impressed as I might have been had I not been comparing.

[Dana5140]

By far, my favorite episode in all of Buffy is New Moon Rising, with its high emotion and Willow's final realization of who she really loves- scenes just steal your heart: Willow coming out to Buffy; Tara telling Willow she will remains friends; Tara telling Willow about Oz even though she knows what it might cost her; the perfect ending scene.

So, here is my list:

1. New Moon Rising
2. The Body- the best single hour of televsion ever broadcast
3. Family
4. Hush
5. Who Are You
6. Dopplegangland
7. Halloween
8. Triangle (I just love this for some reason)
9. The Gift
10. Restless

[the hero factor]

1) “I Only Have Eyes For You”
In this ep. we learn that David Borianis really Can act. (Sorry folks, but up until this episode, David was not among my favorite actors on the show.)

I definitely agree that Boreanaz's acting was pretty bad at first, but he got remarkably better over time. He does a really good job here. He doesn't get over the top or try to make his voice or mannerisms overly femmine, he just does the scene. I loved the gender-swap. I really didn't see it coming.

3) “Enemies”
There isn’t any part of this whole episode that I didn’t like.

I do have a bit of a problem with the fact that Buffy and Giles didn't tell the other Scoobies about the fake!Angelus plan. I know the writers wanted to psych out the audience, but they could have done that without making Buffy and Giles look dumb for not informing the others. Luckily, "Second best," makes up for it, and I really do like this episode.

2. Innocence

Much love. The arrival of Angelus and the Leather Pants of Evil! The scene with Buffy and Angelus in his apartment. Ouch. Rocket launcher! And the very end. "Got older." "You look the same to me."

6. Who Are You? – Sarah Michelle Gellar is awesome in this episode

She really is. I don't even feel like I'm watching Sarah Michelle Gellar play Faith. I'm just watching Faith. Eliza Dushku does a good job, too, but I don't feel like inhabited Buffy the same way SMG did Faith. Of course, when it comes to this show, I'm pretty much SMG's bitch.

10)"There is No Place Like Home" The ep where Buffy first gets her butt kicked by Glory

I love this ep because I was totally blown away when I found out what the deal was with Dawn. Brilliant.

8. Triangle (I just love this for some reason)

Well, what's not to love? Anya driving! Buffy and Tara scenes! Olaf! "Puny receptacle!" "He's not a ball of sunshine!"

[Dana5140]

And don't forget: Anya, there is nobody you can't piss off. And, I wish I had a million dollars.

[GoodWitch]

OK… For the extremely geekish I have tallied everyone’s Top-Ten lists who have posted So Far (EXCLUDING the AfterEllen list that started this thread). From the episodes that got put on everyone’s lists, I have come up with a Kitten Top Ten list (well, a Sort-Of top-10 list, because there are more than ten episodes here). There are sixteen different episodes that people chose to put on their lists and I have numbered each according to HOW MANY VOTES each episode got (or HOW MANY LISTS EACH EPISODE MADE IT ON TO). There were many ties, as you will see. Here is Our Top Buffy Episodes:

1) “HUSH” &
“NEW MOON RISING” Tied with 9 votes each (These two eps made it onto Everyone’s list).

2) “THE BODY” with 8 votes.

3) “THE GIFT” with 7 votes.

4) “RESTLESS” &
“FAMILY” Tied with 6 votes each.

5) “DOPPLEGANGLAND”;
“ONCE MORE WITH FEELING” &
“WHO ARE YOU?” All three tied with 5 votes each.

6) “BECOMING I & II” &
“PASSION” Tied with 4 votes each.

7) “PROPHECY GIRL” 3 votes.

8) “THE WISH”;
“TRAINGLE” &
“TABULA RASA” All tied with 2 votes each.

9) “HALLOWEEN” 1 vote.

Opps! That cut and paste thing didn’t work completely so there are all these that also tied for the 9th spot with one vote apiece. Here they are!
“AMENDS”
“GO FISH”
“DOUBLEMEAT PALACE”
“YOKO FACTOR”
“ENTROPY”
“THE REAL ME”
"PRIMEVAL"

[littlewicca]

okay okay...

im not agree with that person lol

first.. hush, the body, should be one of the firsts same new moon.

the episodes are ok, but like someone said, what about the gift? is one of the best episodes.
i like tabula rasa, is a very sad episode i know but is also very cool, they way willow and tara were atracted, without even remember anything, it was scary, cool, and anyway, later we had entropy wich was really great.

The killer in me? on a buffy top ten? wich does not incclude the gift? or entropy or.. i dont know.. i guees something is missing..

i mean not talking just for willow and tara episodes, but come one there were better than hallowin or bad girls.

what about restles? is good episode, there are a lot, and if i had to choose one of the seasson 7 i like the last episode and some others but..

and please dont kill me, but i liked the killer in me, i love the way aly act in there, and i dont care about the unnamed. i just care about how willow miss tara, it is really sad, please dont kill me about what i had just say, i think you understand what i mean, i dont like the unnamed, i like willow

[xita]

I am closing this topic as it has gotten off topic, remember season 7 is off topic.