Quad Blogs

There are many iconic scenes in Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. The opening scene of the series is iconic, when the pretty blond girl turns around and reveals she is a vampire to her date. In that scene Joss broke genre conventions. There is the image of Buffy, in her prom dress, ready to save the world. Very iconic. As for The Foot, one scene has always stood out. The scene is not included amongst the various iconic moments but the scene says so much about the heart of Buffy. The scene occurs during season two’s “Lie To Me,” a Joss Whedon episode. Buffy’s old friend visits her; however, he’s dying and wants eternal life. He makes a deal with Spike and Dru to turn him if he brings along some more people for the duo to feed on. Spike and Dru aren’t the big bad in this episode. The big bad is Buffy’s old friend and the experience blindsides her. She waits with Giles in the cemetary and they share this discussion

BUFFY

Well, does it ever get easy?

Ford BURSTS from the grave, a snarling VAMPIRE, and lunges at Buffy — who plants a stake firmly in his chest. She doesn’t even look as he explodes into dust.

GILES

You mean life?

BUFFY

Yeah. Does it get easy?

GILES

What do you want me to say.

She thinks about it a moment.

BUFFY

Lie to me.

GILES

Yes. It’s terribly simple.

As they start out of the graveyard:

GILES

The good-guys are stalwart and true.

The bad-guys are easily distinguished

by their pointy horns or black hats and

we always defeat them and save the day.

Nobody ever dies…and everybody lives

happily ever after.

BLACK OUT.

BUFFY (O.S.)

(with weary affection)

Liar.

END OF SHOW

THE TOP NINETEEN EPISODES OF BUFFY, THE VAMPIRE SLAYER

buffy-the-vampire-slayer.otavo.tv

19. Fear, Itself (Written By David Fury; Directed By Tucker Gates)

Fear, Itself is season four’s Halloween episode. Buffy’s sad because Parker totally used her, Xander feels left out because he is not in college, Oz worries about his werewolf nature and Willow fears that her magic could become uncontrollable. All of these fears manifest during a frat house’s Halloween party. A fear demon preys on people’s fear. Xander, literally, becomes invisible. Oz’s werewolf-ness emerges. Buffy is alone. Willow loses control. Meanwhile, Anya (in her bunny costume) and Giles team up to save the frat and the group from whatever’s happening inside. They do save the day and the fear demon, who seems so large, is actually revealed to be very small. The symbolism isn’t subtle but it works. “Fear, Itself” does what Buffy does so well: take real life problems and illuminate them through the supernatural. This is a Halloween staple in The Foot.

18. Angel (Written By David Greenwalt; Directed By Scott Brazil)

For six episodes, Angel has been the mysterious guy who helps Buffy out or warns her that trouble lurks. Buffy grows more and more attracted to him as time goes by. A lot of sparks exist between the two in this episode before he accidentally vamps out on her when they are close to kissing. This freaks Buffy out and she feels like she no choice but to kill him. He’s a vamp. She’s a slayer. She doesn’t know about the curse, the soul. Meanwhile, The Master grows impatient and Darla’s bloodlust for Buffy grows. She wants to kill Buffy because Angel is Darla’s. Angel stakes Darla at the end of the episode and the curse is revealed. The episode is notable for Angel’s backstory. The brooding hero he’ll eventually become begins. We understand the conflicting nature he experiences daily in the scene he tells Buffy that he wanted to kill her. One of the series’ most iconic scenes closes “Angel” out. They kiss and her cross burns his chest. Ange lets it burn. The series mirrors this image in season seven’s “Beneath You” after Spike returns with a soul. It works both times. This is a wonderfully crafted episode.

17. Innocence (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)

One of the most popular episodes of the entire series. I might be committing a crime by ranking it as low as seventeen but, hey, “Innocence” is included in the Best of Buffy. Whedon said this episode accomplished everything he wanted the show to be. He wanted to tell stories on the personal level and the-larger-than-life level. Angel becomes Angelus after experiencing a moment of true happiness with Buffy. It’s quite a change and he hurts Buffy quite a lot once the soul is gone and Angelus has arrived. He uses the loss of her virginity to embarass and humiliate her. On a personal level, this is about “girl has sex with guy and he stops calling her afterwards.” Buffy has to work out these intense personal issues while aware that she needs to kill Angelus. Meanwhile, Oz charms Willow in the van in one of the series’ best scenes while Xander uses the skills acquired on Halloween to procure a rocket launcher for Buffy to kill The Judge with. When she has the chance to kill Angel, she can’t, and that decision will have some bad consequences. This episode also breaks the trust the gang has with Jenny Calendar because she knew that Angel could lose his soul. Also, Angelus really let the show take off.

16. Once More, With Feeling (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)

I wrote about this already on Monday. Joss didn’t just make the musical for the sake of making a musical. The episode is a game-changer for the season. Buffy and Spike kiss. Xander and Anya aren’t as ready as they seem for marriage. Tara learns Willow altered her memory. There’s many fun songs as well.

15. No Place Like Home (Written By Douglas Petrie; Directed By David Solomon)

This season five episode introduced the season’s big bad and the thing that she’s looking for that would destroy the world. The big bad is Glory, a God, who wants to return to her kingdom and needs the key to do it. Some monks took the key, which is energy, and created a person–Dawn, Buffy’s sister. They knew Buffy could protect the key but they changed the memories of her and everyone she knows. Dawn doesn’t know any of this. Once Buffy learns the truth, she embraces her role as Dawn’s sister and protector. The scene between Buffy and the monk is very moving and Sarah Michelle Gellar is just an amazing actress. Meanwhile, the magic shop opens under Giles’ rule and Joyce’s health issues aren’t getting better.

14. The Zeppo (Written By Dan Vebber; Directed By James Whitmore Jr.)

I didn’t write about Dan Vebber in yesterday’s post because he wrote just two episodes; however, both episodes are among these nineteen episodes. “The Zeppo” is the first. Xander feels left out and winds up befriending the crazy Jack O’Toole while the gang prepares for another apocalypse. This is the quirkiest episode of Buffy as well as the most meta of any episode. I’m of the opinion that “The Zeppo” is either the funniest or second funniest of the series. Since Xander is the focus, we mostly see the episode through his eyes so he enters random scenes in the apocalypse story that are very intense and melodramatic which is the intent. Xander actually ends up saving the day, as the group he finds himself hanging out with are all guys who have just been risen from the dead and they want to blow up the school. Xander’s courage saves the day. The title comes from Zeppo Marx, the most forgotten member of the Marx Brothers.

13. Lie To Me (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)

I wrote about “Lie To Me” already and I covered the most essential portions of that episode so, yeah.

12. The Wish (Written By Marti Noxon; Directed By David Greenwalt)

Every character dies near the end of “The Wish.” The scene is so jarring and surreal to watch. The episode gets away with it because we’re in a wish world created by Anya after Cordelia wishes for a world where Buffy never existed. Cordy’s bitter after the events in “Lovers Walk” and Anya, the vengeance demon, pounces on it. Without Buffy, Sunnydale is controlled by vampires because The Master rose and took control. Willow and Xander are vamps. They kill Cordelia. Giles, Oz, Larry, Johnathan and other students remain on the side of good. The Master has a master plan to use the remaining humans in Sunnydale as fountain drink machines essentially. Buffy eventually arrives from Cleveland. She’s much more harsh and cold than we know her. Meanwhile, Giles, off something Cordelia said, investigates the reality of the world he is in. Anyanka arrives, determined to convince Giles to remain in the wish world. As everyone dies in the battle at the Bronze, Giles is prepared to shatter the pendant in hopes of restoring the correct reality. Anyanka says: “Trusting fool! How do you know the other world is any better than this?” and Giles responds, “Because it has to be.” He smashes the pendant and things return to normal. Just a flat out awesome episode.

11. Lover’s Walk (Written By Dan Vebber; Directed By David Semel)

Spike returns to Sunnydale for the first time since “Becoming.” Dru broke up with him because she thought the deal Spike made with Buffy made him soft. He’s a wreck. He threatens Willow into performing a love spell for him. The love spell never happens. Spike, by episode’s end, has an epiphany and no longer sulks around. Of course, every other relationship is damaged thanks to Spike. Cordy and Oz walked in on Xander and Willow kissing. Cordy nearly dies after falling through stairs. Spike points out that Buffy and Angel never can be friends because they love eachother too much. “Lover’s Walk” is hilarious and I laugh every time I watch it.

10. Passion (Written By Ty King; Directed By Michael E. Gershman)

Angelus is at his most evil in “Passion.” “Passion” is the closest the show has come to 44 minutes that felt like a horror movie. Angelus stalks and torments Buffy throughout the episode. He kills Jenny Calendar (who was dating Giles at the time). Angelus tells Joyce that he had sex with her daughter. He displayed Jenny’s dead body for Giles. Here’s the story: Giles and Jenny were planning a romantic night together. Giles arrives and finds the house lighted with candle. A note tells him: “upstairs.” Giles walks to the room and finds Jenny dead. Later, Buffy apologizes to Giles for not being able to kill Angelus as they stand at her cemetery but, now, she knows Angelus must die. She is, however, unaware the key to returning Angel’s soul is on a disk in Ms. Calendar’s room. A brilliant, game-changing, series-changing episode.

9. The Body (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)

I wrote about this already on Monday. Joss wanted to capture the reality of losing a loved one. He captures the experience. This is not a fun episode to watch. It is sad and depressing but it’s excellently written and directed. Sarah’s performance is heartbreaking. In fact, the whole cast knocks it out of the park.

8. Graduation Day Pts 1&2 (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)

Again, I wrote about the episode on Monday. This episode foreshadows Buffy’s death in two seasons, Angel leaves Sunnydale for LA, Buffy puts Faith into a coma and the Mayor is destroyed. Also, the gang graduates high school. I love this episode.

7. Selfless (Written By Drew Goddard; Directed By David Solomon)

Anya, a vengeance demon again, helps a girl get revenge on a frat by sending a huge spider to rip their hearts out. After hearing this, Buffy decides that she has to kill Anya. There are Anya flashbacks, a great argument between Xander, Buffy and Willow in which the infamous “kick his ass” line finally returns as a plot point and genuine Anya remorse. Anya doesn’t want to a vengeance demon anymore. Of course, the heart of the story revolves around Anya’s identity. Not even she knows who she is. She’s not a killer anymore and she’s not Xander’s wife. A fantastic episode.

6. Prophecy Girl (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)

Once again, I wrote about this on Monday. I think this episode is the first one that actualizes the potential of the series. Buffy’s incredibly heroic in this one, faces death and dies at age 16 before Xander saves her life. Xander tells Buffy how he feels about her but she doesn’t feel the same way. She defeats The Master. It’s awesome.

5. Becoming Pts. 1&2 (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)

I’m sort of stepping on tomorrow’s entry now as Joss is showing up everywhere on this list. “Becoming” concludes the season arc of Angelus. Tons of stuff happens. Angel is cured but not before Acathla is awoken so Buffy is forced to kill Angel. She runs away after her mom finds out she is the slayer and is kicked out. She’s accused of murder after Dru kills Kendra. Willow’s life is put in peril but she manages to be the girl who cures Angel. Giles is tortured by Angelus and Dru. Spike makes a deal with Buffy so he can have Dru all to himself again. “Becoming” is action-packed, full of emotion and heart. Joss Whedon at his best.

4. Hush (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)

Yes, I wrote about this on Monday. I don’t have much to add. The episode’s greatness speaks for itself.

3. Conversations With Dead People (Written By Drew Goddard Goddard & Jane Espensen; Directed By Nick Marck)

The characters talk a lot in this episode. The most action takes place in the Summers home as some evil force has invaded the home and Dawn tries to fight it. Dawn also sees her mother who she thinks needs proection from this evil. What actually occurs during the episode is the introduction of the season seven big bad: The First. The First showed up in season three’s “Amends” and returns here. Buffy talks with a vampire named Holden about her slayer nature, her place among her friends and the guilt she feels about being a Slayer (it’s complex guilt). Willow gets a visit from the girl who died in “Help” who claims she is receiving messages from Tara. Andrew kills Johnathan for Warren. Spike has no lines but his story ends when he bites a female he is with. The episode was written by four writers actually. Joss Whedon and Marti Noxon each wrote two of the stories in the episode. This is the last truly great episode of Buffy.

2. Restless (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)

I wrote about this on Monday. The characters all dream. The episode contains foreshadowing for Buffy’s death, the arrival of Dawn and the episode motivates Buffy to learn more about the nature of the slayer. Fans and critics love writing about their interpretations of the dream. This episode is an English major’s dream.

1. The Gift (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)

The series’ 100th episode and the last episode of TheWB era. Whedon said he wrote “The Gift” as a series finale. This is the best episode of Buffy. Buffy sacrifices herself for Dawn and the world is saved. Glory dies but the death is devastating because Giles has to kill Ben in order to kill Glory–an outstanding scene. If the series ended, I would’ve been happy with the resolution and “The Gift” would most likely rank among the best series finales of all-time.

Good day.

TOMORROW: Seven Business Days of Whedon concludes.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK