Comments on: Project Buffy: Top 5 Episodes

By: sam

sam — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:37:24 +0000

I personally believe that the 3rd season episodes bad girls and consequences were close to, if not, the best. faith has always been my favorite buffy character, and there was just something so sad about the way she just collapsed into evil. another pair pf episodes i liked was the 4th season this years girl and who are you. in thse episodes faith wakes up from a coma and switches bodies with buffy. in the end of who are you there is a fight scene between her and buffy before they switch back. faith beats the crap out of buffys face (HER face) and you finally get to see how much faith hates herself, how much she wishes that she really could be buffy. faith as a character was an amazing study of the human psyche and every episode she was in was amazing.

By: Kimber

Kimber — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:25:40 +0000

So hard to choose only 5 … especially considering it’s been a while since I’ve seen most of it. But you captured three of my faves, so I’ll go from what I remember:

5. Halloween (first episode I saw, and also a really good one!)
4. Becoming (Pt 1 and 2) (Just wonderful)
3. Tabula Rasa (so hilarious watching everyone discover who they are, being afraid of vamps and loan sharks, Anya making more and more bunnies, and of course Willow’s spiel ending with “…and I think I’m kinda gay” slays me every time!)
2. Hush (amazingly wonderful, even without sound!)
1. Once More, With Feeling

Runners up include … The Body (incredibly sad, plus first Willow/Tara kiss – so points for that!), Family (I love seeing the Sccobies stand up for Tara), Seeing Red (though it makes me weepy), and Tough Love (again, makes me weepy, but Anya’s telling Willow she’ll sleep with her in Tara’s place makes me giggle).

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:20:27 +0000

Tough call…

5. Hush
4. Graduation Day
3. The Body
2. The Gift
1. OMWF

The last three would have been fine in any order … too close to call!

By: Kristi

Kristi — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:51:39 +0000

(grr, my comment got cut off – sorry about that)

I agree with most of your choices – I too loved Andrew to death in the final season. “Once More with Feeling” is definitely my number one episode. I would have included “Tabula Rasa” like someone said above – I absolutely loved that episode and Spike thinking he was a good guy kind of my broke my heart. I loved the concept though and the little things they did to make it believable.

It would probably go like this for me:
1. Once More with Feeling
2. The Body
3. Tabula Rasa
4. Touched (Spike speech!)
5. Life Serial (Buffy gets drunk and goes to play Kittie poker with Spike, hilarity ensues!)

It was incredibly hard to choose though!

By: Kristi

Kristi — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:34:41 +0000

I agree with most of your choices – I too loved Andrew to death in the final season

By: Liz

Liz — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:34:28 +0000

I love this because I went through the same top 5 phase when I finally watched the show in 2006. My top 5 overall:

5. The Gift (I bawl at the end. It is ridiculous)
4. Becoming, Pts 1&2 (Just brilliant end to the season)
3. School Hard (Spike is my very favorite character)
2. Hush
1. Once More with Feeling

By: Maggie

Maggie — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:49:18 +0000

“I Only Have Eyes for You” is my all-time favorite.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:35:47 +0000

6. Graduation Day – Indeed, it was.
5. Conversations with Dead People – Jonathan M. Woodward and Azura Skye were GREAT guest stars… and then there was that song at the end written by Joss.
4. Selfless – The origin story of my favorite character… and a scene from “Once More With Feeling?” Awesome.
3. Hush – Funny how it took silence for Buffy and Riley to start communicating.
2. The Body – That moment with Anya always brings tears to my eyes. Always.
1. Once More With Feeling – Is it weird that Giles is so sexy when he sings?

By: Give Me My Remote

Give Me My Remote — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:17:05 +0000

I have a feeling “Restless” will come up in one of my Project Buffy lists. I think that one deserves a rewatch from me. It was the only one I really didn’t enjoy on first viewing.

By: Vlada

Vlada — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:13:35 +0000

I agree with all your choices. Some other memorable episodes that come to mind:

Restless — it felt so much like what dreams are like.

Normal Again — I loved the concept of this episode. It would have been too much of a “gotcha ya!” ending for the show, but I can’t help wondering.

Becoming Part 2 — the ending was heartbreaking. Killing Angel, leaving her friends, family and Sunnydale behind.

Tabula Rasa — one of the funniest episodes, imo.

By: Laura (Fancy New Beesly)

Laura (Fancy New Beesly) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:09:44 +0000

OMG. I’m going to go watch all of my Buffy seasons. Your list is perfect. I agree with every one of them. In fact, I’d totally forgotten about “The Body” & it really was SO brilliant. It’s a shame that the show is over even though it definitely needed to end. Oh, the 90s. How I miss you. I think “Hush” is my number 1.

By: Denny

Denny — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:02:23 +0000

If you want to give yourself more of a challenge, name your top 5 Buffy episodes that WEREN’T written and/or directed by Joss Whedon. Pretty much every episode he helmed in the series (which include all but one, Storyteller, in your top 5) were fantastic, probably because of a uniformity of vision as producer, writer, and director. So it’s almost like an unfair advantage. Almost.

That said, here’s my top 5 non-Joss eps:

Fool For Love — Spike’s “origin” episode, including wimpy bad-19th-century-poet Spike and very cool late-70′s punk Spike.
The Pack — great season one episode about high school conformity
Lover’s Walk — A heartbroken Spike kidnaps Willow and Xander to force Willow to make a love spell for him. But by the end of the episode he pulls himself back together (through fighting) and simply tells Buffy, “Oh, they’re act the factory.”
The Zeppo — The Xander-centered episode, he deals with his own crazy night as the Scoobies fight their worst foe yet (but the story only glancingly shows this “epic” fight, firmly placing tongue in cheek at the usual Buffy monster-of-the-week). Also, Xander punches his V-card with Faith.
Wild at Heart — the Oz/Willow breakup, amazingly heartbreaking and well-executed

I don’t really have any faves in the later seasons, but if I had to pick one I’d go with Villains in season 6.

By: distracted

distracted — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:51:59 +0000

I’m with everyone else–narrowing it down to just five is crazy hard. I guess my top five would be:

1. OMWF
2. Something Blue (Willow casts a spell causing Giles to go blind and Buffy and Spike to fall in love and get engaged). I loved this episode
3. Tabula Rasa
4. Doplegangland (I’m on the vamp willow bandwagon too)
5. A New Man (Giles becomes a demon)

By: Give Me My Remote

Give Me My Remote — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:44:38 +0000

I love everyone’s choices, and I’ll soon be posting my favorite episodes from each season and most of these that you all are mentioning have made that cut.

Keep your Top 5 coming!!

By: Amanda

Amanda — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:41:39 +0000

Oops, I meant season 6.
I would say my faves, in no order are: “Once More, With Feeling”, “Hush”, “Smashed/Wrecked”(both), “Dopplegangland”(I love Vampire Willow!!!), “Restless”(that dream is priceless…the cheeseman?), “Tabula Rasa”, “Grave”(Willow/Xander love!), “Conversations with Dead People”, and “Storyteller” (Andrew is endearing and hilarious…kinda like Chuck!)

By: Amanda

Amanda — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:39:43 +0000

Oops, sorry for posting twice…and I meant season 6.
I would say my faves, in no order are: “Once More, With Feeling”, “Hush”, “Smashed/Wrecked”(both), “Dopplegangland”(I love Vampire Willow!!!), “Restless”(that dream is priceless…the cheeseman?), “Tabula Rasa”, “Grave”(Willow/Xander love!), “Conversations with Dead People”, and “Storyteller” (Andrew is endearing and hilarious…kinda like Chuck!)

By: Amy

Amy — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:39:11 +0000

This list seems pretty typical to me. (except for maybe Storyteller) I don’t know if I could choose five favorite, but The Gift and OMWF would probably be on it if I did.

By: Spadada

Spadada — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:28:23 +0000

I love “The Gift” too. I think that was the first time I ever cried like a baby while watching TV. (This was before “Brothers & Sisters” and the Desmond arc on “Lost.”) And I think the other reason (besides the writing) that I continue to be so impressed by HUSH and OMWF is the amazing acting that takes place in them. Acting without speaking? Nuts. Acting while singing? Amazing. And I love Willow’s breakdown and Xander’s face when they realize they ripped Buffy out of a Heaven dimension. Hurts just thinking about it.

For similar fun acting challenges I love the ep where they become their Halloween costumes and the one where they all forget who they are.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:20:26 +0000

Me being a musical theatre geek, it was definitely a given that “Once More, With Feeling” was to be number one in my heart. Kath, your list was great. I think with every Buffy fan, we have favorite characters (Andrew was hilarious, but definitely not my fave) and that should be on your list! I am a huge Spike fan, so of course I love Wrecked!!! Season 5 was a great one for me.
I absolutely could not narrow my list down to five, so I commend you. Great choices all around!

By: Jenna

Jenna — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:18:36 +0000

I think it is interesting that all of your picks come from later seasons. I think it would take me all day to come up with even a top ten list, but one that would definitely be included is “Normal Again” of Season Six. Here is a reminder: After Buffy is stung by a demon, she begins to have vivid day-dreams about a mental asylum. She gradually begins to believe that she is a crazy girl back in L.A and that Sunnydale and all her friends are just a figment of her imagination.

It still drives me crazy to think that the entire Buffy universe could indeed be just a figment of Buffy’s imagination. The ending of the episode was brilliant, perplexing, chills-enducing, all of the characteristics of great TV!

By: Give Me My Remote

Give Me My Remote — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:04:28 +0000

#1 Oakling & #3 Amy – What would have been in your Top 5?

#1 Oakling – I’m kind of surprised that “Once More with Feelings” was the one you originally took issue with. I thought that was a given for all BUFFY fans. Maybe I was wrong?

By: Amy

Amy — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:57:32 +0000

I love your list, even with Storyteller being on it. While it’s not a fantastic episode, we got to see new sides to the gang, and that I loved. I’m so glad you’re doing this! Right now I’m working on Project Angel for myself. I forgot how much I loved the show, but unfortunately didn’t get to see much of seasons 3-5.

By: Project Buffy: Top 5 Episodes — All This Nonsense

Project Buffy: Top 5 Episodes — All This Nonsense — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:56:24 +0000

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By: oakling

oakling — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:50:13 +0000

God, you just gave me goosebumps – with the last one, not even with The Body! What the hell is that? I agreed with you on most of these, particularly the middle three, but I wouldn’t have said the musical episode before I read your explanation. I just wasn’t that into some of the music, I guess. But you’re right: major reveal which is giving me goosebumps RIGHT NOW, music that moves the plot along, awesome in general. Anya’s screeching thing about bunnies gets stuck in my head regularly TO THIS DAY.