Buffy The Vampire Slayer

NUMBER SEVEN
Season Five - Episode 7: Fool For Love
Written By: Douglas Petrie
Directed By: Nick Marck
Original Air Date: 11/14/2000

Yet another Spike flashback centered episode makes the list. Much of season four and season five had been leading up to this moment. Spike found himself falling in love with Buffy throughout those seasons, and it comes to a head here in one defining final moment. Before we get to that moment, however, we are treated to several interesting Spike back-stories. Buffy wants to know why those Slayers died, how did Spike get the upper hand, and he obliges Buffy by telling her in detail how each of the past Slayers died at his own hands. We get to see Principal Wood’s mom for the first time, which is the slayer with the leather duster that he kills in an exciting battle on a New York subway. We also see Spike takeout an Asian slayer during a big time rebellion. While these moments are fun to watch, the real capper of the episode is the final interaction between Spike and Buffy. Spike goes to Buffy’s house to kill her, chip be damned, because he couldn’t stand Buffy saying he was beneath her. He has his weapon in hand, is about to pull the trigger, but then Buffy raises her head with tears in her eyes. In this extremely touching moment, Buffy’s mom’s illness is taking a toll on her, she is completely broken, and in one swift moment Spike is putting his weapon to the side, sitting beside her, and comforting her. It is the moment when the viewer finally realizes that Spike does indeed love Buffy.

NUMBER SIX
Season Two - Episode 16: Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
Written By: Marti Noxon
Directed By: James A. Contner
Original Air Date: 2/10/1998

Many people want to use Marti Noxon as a scapegoat as to why they didn’t like season six (I’m not one of those people) but I can tell you now that Noxon did some great work on Buffy and that this won’t be the only episode she did that makes this top ten list. ‘BBB’ doesn’t exactly have any literary or groundbreaking moments, but it makes the list because it is so well done and just an enjoyably fun episode to watch time and time again. In this Xander centered episode, we find Cordelia breaking up with him after her friends thought Xander was below her social standing. Xander seeks Amy out to due a love spell to make Cordy his again, but the spell backfires when it protects Cordy from the spell, but makes every other woman Xander runs across instantly attracted to him. We get to see Jenny falling over Xander - right in front of Giles - who makes a hilarious noise as Giles pulls her away in protest. We also get to see - much to the pleasure of many men - Buffy wearing nothing but a black raincoat as she tries to seduce Xander. Sure, the episode was funny from beginning to end - including Willow in Xander’s bed and Buffy’s mom coming on to Xander - but can you get much better than Buffy in only a raincoat. I think not.

NUMBER FIVE
Season Five - Episode 22: The Gift
Written By: Joss Whedon
Directed By: Joss Whedon
Original Air Date: 5/22/2001

‘The Gift’ is the episode that many felt that Buffy should have officially ended on. I can’t say that for certain, since seasons six and seven did give several great episodes and some good ones, but it is hard to disagree with those people as well. This episode marked the final battle with Glory. I wish later season would have commented on Giles killing Ben/Glory - since to me the action is more about Giles’ love for Buffy and the other Scoobies instead of a brutal act of murder - but you can’t always get what you want. The episode had some great battling - with each character getting to participate in their own ways - and it had some great emotional depth. The final moments of the episode - everything from the moment Buffy gets to top of the scaffolding to the credits - is nothing but pure greatness. The writing, the acting, everything for that matter is top notch. The death of Buffy is one of the saddest moments of the series - heightened in its intensity because of Buffy’s voice over and because of the looks on Spike, Willow, and Giles’ faces as they mourn for their fallen friend. ‘The Gift ‘ - to put it simply - is a gift from the writers and crew of the show to the fans.

NUMBER FOUR
Season Two - Episode 19: I Only Have Eyes For You
Written By: Marti Noxon
Directed By: James Whitmore Jr.
Original Air Date: 4/28/1998

The second season of Buffy was all about love and relationships in its many forms. Each episode of that season had a parallel to relationships in one-way or another. ‘I Only Have Eyes For You’ is part love story and part ghost story as only Buffy could do it. The story centers on two ghosts - a teacher and a student - who were dating each other before the student in a jealous rage killed his teacher. The ghosts then started inhabiting people at the school and making them recreate their final moments they couldn’t get past. The episode was genuinely unnerving in such scenes as Cordy meeting up with the snakes, Willow getting sucked into the floor, and just a general sense of dread as you didn’t know what was coming next. The episode capped off with one of the most poignant moments of Buffy - the ghosts inhabit Buffy and Angel (Angelus technically), but this time Angel is the girl of the relationship and Buffy is the boy. The scene works so well because the words of the teacher and the student parallel Buffy and Angel’s own relationship to the letter. Hearing the two express their feelings that they have deep down inside of them, shadowed by Angel’s turn and Buffy’s unwilling to let him go, makes for one unforgettable scene that does nothing but cap off an already unforgettable episode.