- The ULTIMATE BUFFY Episode Countdown
Well, here we are. The final 10. The Top 10 episodes of the greatest show ever
to grace our TV screens. But before we get to the countdown finale, let's see
how we got here....
This is primarily this high because of the impact it had on the future of the series. There's a lot of
loss. Angel loses his soul, and Buffy, in turn, loses Angel. Oh yeah, and her virginity. You also have
to give it to David Boreanaz, because Angelus is so sly and so not over-the-top. He isn't an arch-villain
type, he's evil in a slick way. It's brilliantly played, which is something that can't be said about him
that often. Plus...hey....rocket launcher.
The series finale had some holes, I'll grant you. But at the same time it was the SERIES FINALE. We received
a hella cool fight scene. We also got some great moments between the scoobies. The two scenes that bring
this episode into the top ten are the most obvious ones. The original scoobies in a circle together harkening
(harkening, what the hell?) back to the very first episode. And the second one is Buffy's smile in the very
last scene. We had been waiting for her to feel happy finally, and we got that in the last frame.
The finale of season 2 was the first time that the show felt cinematic in quality. It felt like it could
actually be a movie. Drusilla has killed Kendra and taken Giles. Now it's up to Willow to get Angel's soul
back. Meanwhile, Spike has joined forces with Buffy to stop Angel and Dru from ending the world. It's so
fantastically crafted. The ending leaves a bit of a question mark over your head, which is what it was
intended to do, so I guess that worked. Of course, Buffy wearing overalls shows grief and despair....if you
didn't get that already from her running away.
For over 30 minutes in a 44 minute episode there was no dialogue. In the year 2000 on TV, who can say that
could be pulled off? We have crap reality TV shows and crap sitcoms, and people talking over each other
on 24-hour cable news shows.....and in the midst of all this bullshit came HUSH. A breathtaking (pun intended)
score, some creepy bad guys, and acting that should've been recognized and brandished with awards.
Why is this so high? Because it's the funniest episode ever. It's over-the-top without being TOO over-the-top.
After a spell goes wrong, the Willow for the alternate dimension - who happens to be a vampire - appears in Sunnydale.
The gang, after seeing this vampire Willow, thinks it's the real Willow....in other words, they think she's dead.
The scene in the library when Willow walks in - fluffy pink shirt and all - is the reason this is so high. "Say,
you all didn't happen to do a bunch of drugs, did ya?" - to Angel's reaction when he runs in....it's all hilarious.
Plus...that Vampire Willow is kinda gay. What's up with that?
I love how this is constructed. The time is shown on the tv screen, with the date. The music that plays
in the background. Buffy's "Here we go." There are certain scenes that are wasted, particularly between
Willow and Cassie (which should've been Tara, but as we all know, they couldn't get Amber). But that
still doesn't mean the rest wasn't brilliant...because it was. Michelle T really shows her chops finally,
and the stuff with Jonathan and Andrew is great. We get a lot of info about the season, but at the same
time it's muffled. I still think Webs could've been the next Dr. Phil, but that damned slayer pretty much
ruined that.
The best season finale of Buffy. Mainly in part because Joss wasn't sure if the show was coming back. So
he tossed out the whole bag in this one. The first scene was the mission statement -- the blonde girl kills
evil things instead of the evil things killing her. The funny part is, she died at the end. Oh well....talk
about irony. It's a very dramatic end, and we wouldn't want it any other way.
Joss was really starting to feel it as a director by the time "The Body" came around. This is the episode
where Joyce dies, but it's not really ABOUT Joyce, it's about death in general and those first few days after
the death occurs. What do you do? How do you react? Do you even react? It's so realistic,
and so ON POINT that it's scary. Everyone handles it differently. Willow cries and changes shirts, Xander gets
mad and punches a wall, Tara holds it together because she's been here before, Dawn wants to know if she's really dead
and won't believe it until she sees the body....and Buffy is just cold and paralyzed. It's so sad that it's
beautiful.
It's a musical....on TELEVISION? NO WAY! Who would have the balls to do that? Well...I guess we get the answer
here. There is absolutely NOT one scene that is weak in OMWF. The music is spectacular. The way that every
song fits the story should be applauded. Joss could've just left the story out and done some off-topic schtick,
but he didn't. Here he pieces every storyline together to fit the music, and not only that, but for the first
time in the show's history, they air it in widescreen. It's crafted to perfection. How did he think this up?
Bunnies. It must be bunnies. Or maybe midgets.
Why is Restless #1? Because it's the only episode to put together our main characters past, present and futures
all in 44 minutes. Willow was a nerd, she's become a powerful wiccan, and she will get more confidence as the
years go on. Xander has been weak, and he's stuck, but sooner or later he'll move out of the basement and become
his own man. Giles was the watcher, he's trapped with no job and nothing to do, but he'll be the great watcher
again. Buffy is the slayer, but what is a slayer? Is it a killer? She's also a protector, and soon she'll have
much more to protect. All of our characters' lives will change, and in this episode it is brilliantly put together.
The cinematography is so alive and vibrant that it, as Becoming before it and OMWF after it, could be a movie. You
have to love the scenes. Willow in the play, Xander and Snyder doing "Apocalypse Now". Buffy and the first
Slayer in the desert. Giles taking Buffy to the fair. Xander, Buffy, Spike and Giles outside at the park. And don't
forget the cheese man. Who could? I loved, loved, loved everything about Restless. That's why it's #1.
beckymedunic: buffy willow gilrs
- becky kenny emerson: i wish the still made buff the vampire slayer shows i love them. Kristina: I pretty much agree except I think that Passion should of been within the top 20 Hannah: No matter what anyone says this is a great list! It must have taken forever! I agree with most of them and ur top 10 is pretty much spot on! Congrats!! =D Nikole: I'd say your top 10 list is pretty damn good. Except I didn't much like Doppelgangland but that's okay. knoxy: Restless downright deserves to be set in stone as the best of all time Miz Thang: I think your list is fine as it is. Restless deserves to be number one, and I can't find anything wrong with it. Like you said, if someone has a problem, make your own fucking list. :D Atalanta: Yes, it is a reference to Dawn. There's a number of references to Dawn's arrival before season 5, starting with a cryptic one in in the season 3 finale. Question!: Restless is pretty cool. Has anyone ever noticed that when Buffy goes to her room in her dream (college room) and Tara says "be back before dawn." Is that like a clue or refference for those viewers that Dawn is coming in season five? Spike_and_Angel: RESTLESS IS THE MOST EXCELLENT EPISODE EVER!!!!!!!!!
by Matt -5.2.05
[ mlee@blkswan.com ]
138. Some Assembly Required
137. I Robot, You Jane
136. Doublemeat Palace
135. Reptile Boy
134. Listening To Fear
133. Bad Eggs
132. Wrecked
131. Never Kill A Boy On The First Date
130. Him
129. Where The Wild Things Are
128. Ted
127. Shadow
126. Smashed
125. Living Conditions
124. Go Fish
123. Inca Mummy Girl
122. Gingerbread
121. Beer Bad
120. The Killer In Me
119. Out of Mind, Out of Sight
118. Help
117. Teacher's Pet
116. I Was Made To Love You
115. The Puppet Show
114. Killed By Death
113. All The Way
112. Beauty and The Beasts
111. Touched
110. Older and Far Away
109. Anne
108. Real Me
107. The Witch
106. As You Were
105. The Initiative
104. Lessons
103. The I in Team
102. I Only Have Eyes For You
101. Empty Places
100. Goodbye Iowa
99. Amends
98. Nightmares
97. Wild At Heart
96. Gone
95. Lies My Parents Told Me
94. Doomed
93. Blood Ties
92. Dead Man's Party
91. Same Time, Same Place
90. Showtime
89. The Harsh Light of Day
88. Enemies
87. After Life
86. Out Of My Mind
85. Revelations
84. Beneath You
83. Sleeper
82. Into The Woods
81. Spiral
80. Lie To Me
79. Weight of The World
78. Dead Things
77. Pangs
76. Superstar
75. Welcome To The Hellmouth
74. Normal Again
73. Bargaining (1&2)
72. Get It Done
71. New Moon Rising
70. Crush
69. No Place Like Home
68. The Harvest
67. Family
66. Helpless
65. Flooded
64. A New Man
63. Choices
62. Tough Love
61. The Freshman
60. Bring on the Night
59. Life Serial
58. Hell's Bells
57. Homecoming
56. Angel
55. Faith, Hope and Trick
54. First Date
53. Consequences
52. Triangle
51. Bad Girls
50. The Yoko Factor
49. The Dark Age
48. When She Was Bad
47. The Pack
46. Potential
45. Fear, Itself
44. The Prom
43. This Year's Girl
42. What's My Line (1&2)
41. The Replacement
40. Storyteller
39. Checkpoint
38. The Zeppo
37. Seeing Red
36. Forever
35. Never Leave Me
34. Dirty Girls
33. Buffy vs. Dracula
32. Intervention
31. Entropy
30. School Hard
29. Primevil
28. Who Are You?
27. Passion
26. Villains
25. Lover's Walk
24. Surprise
23. Something Blue
22. Earshot
21. Halloween
20. Tabula Rasa
19. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
18. Prophecy Girl
17. Fool For Love
16. Band Candy
15. Graduation Day (1&2)
14. The Wish
13. End of Days
12. Two To Go/Grave
11. Selfless
And now....the top 10. This was EXTREMELY hard.
#10 - Innocence
[episode 2.14]
#9 - Chosen
[episode 7.22]
#8 - Becoming (1&2)
[episode 2.22]
#7 - Hush
[episode 4.10]
#6 - Dopplegangland
[episode 3.16]
#5 - Conversations with Dead People
[episode 7.7]
#4 - The Gift
[episode 5.22]
#3 - The Body
[episode 5.16]
#2 - Once More, With Feeling
[episode 6.7]
#1 - Restless
[episode 4.22]
In closing: You have a problem with this list? You try writing 138 blurbs and see how easy it is. I have to
say that this was WAY harder than the Angel list -- especially the top 20. So try to remember that as you beat
me down. Oh yeah, and bite me. Hope you enjoyed it.
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(10.08.2005, 18:30)
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(25.07.2005, 18:32)
(25.07.2005, 04:34)
(24.07.2005, 14:15)
(29.06.2005, 12:30)
(24.05.2005, 15:07)
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(08.05.2005, 12:36)