Top 25 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episodes: Countdown #11-25

By Leo Milmet, Buffy the Vampire Fanatic

Warning: There are spoilers for all 7 seasons of Buffy The Vampire Slayer in this post. Also, this post is designed for people who are very familiar with the series–there will be references to certain scenes, lines, etc. that simply may not make sense if you aren’t at least a casual fan of Buffy. That said, on with the post.

 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the most amazing television show ever to grace the small screen (and therefore, us) with its presence. In honor of its glory, and honestly just because I love it so so incredibly much, I wanted to list my top 25 favorite episodes. However, I have so much material here that I have decided to separate it into two posts. Here is #25-#11. Log in next week for the top ten Buffy episodes ever.

 

#25. “After Life” (Season 6, Episode 3) — This episode is both terrifying and emotional, fun and profound, bitter and sweet. And I always tear up a bit during Buffy’s conversation with Spike. That moment is perfection.

 

24. “Selfless” (Season 7, Episode 5) — Anya is a great character, and her unique disconnection with humanity and traditional morality is showcased in “Selfless” more than in any other episode.

 

23. “The Wish” (Season 3, Episode 10) — Cordelia (stereotypical popular girl)  has always been a hilarious character, but I think this might be one of her greatest moments. Her superficiality in wishing that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale is believable, and I love Vampire Willow and Vampire Xander. Points off for using the clichéd “be careful what you wish for” story technique, but it more than makes up for it with its unique dystopia and hilarity. Anya’s demon face still haunts my dreams.

 

22. “Tabula Rasa” (Season 6, Episode 8) — GILES, GILES! The characters’ amnesia creates so many hilarious jokes; i.e. there’s a “loan shark” shark paid off with kittens. It’s wonderful seeing the characters act like I would (e.g. being terrified of and running away from the vampires) as opposed to their usual immense bravery and courage.

 

21. “Dead Things” (Season 6, Episode 13) illustrates the horrible power of false guilt.

 

20. “Band Candy” (Season 3, Episode 6) — This episode’s character-based zaniness is hilarious. I love how turning the adult characters into their teenage selves ties into the main plot of The Mayor’s attempt to take over Sunnydale. The incredible chemistry between Joyce and Giles is honestly the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in a ‘90s network TV show–except maybe the Buffy and Angel relationship in season two, or Xander and Faith in “The Zeppo.” But y’all get my point.

 

19. “Villains” (Season 6, Episode 20) — This great episode, while by no means perfect, makes you think and ask yourself, “How far is too far?” “What actions are truly irredeemable?” and, “Is murderous revenge justifiable?” The episode does all of this while being one of the most action-packed episodes of the series, with a villain made only more terrifying as she morphs from soft-spoken nerd to vengeful grieving murderess.

 

18. “The Replacement” (Season 5, Episode 3) — Xander is one of the most nuanced characters in the series. He is warm, funny, and humorous but with an awesome subtle-but-serious dark side, and this episode knows exactly how to deconstruct such a character. He is literally shown his potential as he gradually grows into a self-confident man in every sense of the word. That’s Xander’s arc throughout the series, growing up, and this episode shows that more than any other.

 

17. “The Zeppo” (Season 3, Episode 13) — Another end of the world is gonna happen from some demon group or another. Excuse me while I channel Vampire Willow and say, “Bored now.” Oh, wait, even the writers know that, so they decided to make the “B” plot the “A” plot by focusing on Xander’s encounter with a group of undead psychos. And, I know it sounds lame, but anyone who’s seen it knows how awesome it is. And that ending? One of the best in the series.

 

16. “Prophecy Girl” (Season 1, Episode 12) — I can’t imagine what people in 1997 thought of this episode. Just imagine this: you’re tuning into your favorite Monday-night schlock horror show, the ridiculously-titled (and, at the time, rather ridiculous) Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which has potential to become a really good series, but it never (yet) really gets there, and you kinda like its cheesy grade-B horror vibes. Then you see THIS EPISODE, and Buffy completely changes. Sarah Michelle Gellar is one of the greatest actresses of the ‘90s. I see you all laughing at this statement as I write it, but, my God, it’s true. The rawness of her emotion when talking to Giles about her imminent death is priceless, and the use of the Buffy theme music just makes you wanna get up and scream: “HELL YEAH!”

 

15.  “Storyteller” (Season 7, Episode 16) — The biggest issue with Season 7 is its unfocused-ness. The introduction of too many “Potentials” always rubbed me the wrong way. But, this episode shows that Buffy will always be able to do right by its most important and interesting characters. I mean, come on, this episode is just one long running joke about the ridiculousness of Andrew Wells’ character, and it works so well. It’s funny, charming, and in the end, deeply, deeply moving. It’s about redemption and faith and the influence of The Blair Witch Project on modern horror and love and sacrifice and the awesomeness (and not-so-awesomeness) of nerd-dom.

 

14. “Grave” (Season 6, Episode 22) — I got two words for ya. Yellow. Crayon. This episode had me bawling the first couple times I watched it, and I rarely cry in movies or TV. Xander’s monologue is one of the greatest scenes ever to be shown on television. The way the writers have, from the first episode, built up to that one moment in both of these characters’ lives is truly epic. While the rest of the episode is great but not truly on the level of the others you’re about to see, the “yellow crayon” monologue is, for me, maybe the greatest moment in all of Buffy.

 

13. “Normal Again” (Season 6, Episode 17) — This episode is freaky. Buffy is tempted with the chance to live in a fantasy that, compared to her real world, is a paradise. She is presented with the chance to NOT be the “chosen one.” This has been her biggest internal long-term goal since the first season. Though she obviously accepts her calling, she doesn’t truly want to give up her life for a cause that is bigger than her (she merely deems it a necessary sacrifice). And here, she may have a chance at being “Normal Again,” and it’s tempting. It really is. But this episode is about waking up, and facing the true trials, tribulations, and horrors of what the real world presents, refusing to live in a fantasy.

 

12. “I Only Have Eyes For You” (Season 2, Episode 19) — First of all, a round of applause for the beginning of the career of the great John Hawkes. Second of all, James is one of the greatest one-off villains ever. There’s a James in all of us, even in those who hate him most. He wants to be loved and can’t find a way to properly and appropriately express his love, so that love turns to hate. What could be more tragically relatable? Also incredibly well-done is Giles’s totally illogical (and yet so fitting of a man in true love) desperation to believe that the spirit possessing the school is that of Jenny Calendar, his now-dead love interest. And that ending is so bittersweet and moving, simultaneously reminding us even more of the noble, tragically heroic Angel of the past and the stomach-churning new reign of Angelus, brought forth by none other than our heroine, Buffy Summers.

 

11. “Chosen” (Season 7, Episode 22) — These characters have come so far and done so much over these crazy seven years. Only when one considers the Buffy, Xander, Willow, and Giles from “Welcome to the Hellmouth” and then considers the moment this same gang facing the literal Big Bad of all Big Bads (the First Evil) does one understand the epically rich characters of this series. This episode has some incredibly character-rich moments like the First Evil’s midnight taunting sessions, Xander’s great line “That’s my girl. Always making the stupid decision,’ and of course that little smile on Buffy’s face at the very end that indicates that Buffy finally is NOT the “chosen one,” the “one girl in all the world.” In “Chosen,” Buffy has gone from her “chosen one” status into one empowered woman, who can bring one glimmer of hope for the survival of humanity and its vanquish over evil. Her character arc is now complete, and in the end, just like in one of the fairy tales she’d probably (and rightfully so) call lame and sexist, this TV scream-princess finally gets what she wants (to regain a “normal life”). This, while imperfect, is an incredibly satisfying conclusion.

 

Stay tuned for the top ten Buffy episodes, which will be revealed soon in a future post!

 

Editor: Holden Hartle