10 Innocence

Season 2, Episode 14

Buffy season 2 was when the series came into its own, and the writers began reflecting on what the show is ultimately trying to communicate. The fallout of Buffy's romance with Angel (David Boreanaz) is a huge part of her loss of innocence. No episode better demonstrates this than "Innocence," which takes place immediately after Buffy loses her virginity to Angel, and he loses his soul, becoming Angelus. It's an extreme example of the heartbreak that can accompany first love, made all the more costly by Buffy's position as the chosen one.

This is a transformative episode for Buffy and ultimately impacts every romantic relationship she has in the series. Gellar does an excellent job communicating the depth of the despair and loss Buffy feels after being rejected by the now soulless Angel and the grim reality that the man she loved has now become an enemy she has to defeat. Though each character goes through their own transformation in this episode, Buffy's is the most intense and the most important for her development as a character.

9 Chosen

Season 7, Episode 22

The series finale of Buffy, "Chosen," isn't the best episode of the series, but it's a fitting end for the story and gives Buffy the happy ending she deserves. While there's plenty of loss and sacrifice, and Buffy doesn't come out of the final showdown with The First unscathed, it's touching to see Buffy win her most challenging battle and begin to consider the prospect that she might get to have a more normal life. Though the comics continue Buffy's story after this, it will be interesting to see if the reboot takes this into consideration.

"Chosen" is a great foil for the almost series finale, "The Gift," when Buffy nearly ended with season 5. Since Buffy had already died twice, killing her off in the true finale wouldn't have been exciting or shocking, just disappointing. Buffy had spent seven seasons communicating to the audience just how different and isolated Buffy was and always would be because of her role as the Slayer. However, "Chosen" explores the other side of the chosen one narrative, proving that everyone has the potential to be a hero, and Buffy's ultimate role has been to share this power.

8 Tabula Rasa

Season 6, Episode 8

Buffy The Vampire Slayer season 6 was so dark for many reasons, but "Tabula Rasa" was a nice break in the tension of an emotional season. However, the episode isn't just memorable because it provided some much-needed comic relief. In the wake of the revelations in "Once More With Feeling," Buffy followed that iconic episode with another one of the strongest episodes of the season and the show. "Tabula Rasa" lets the characters express their true feelings and impulses without the weight of everything that's happened between them.

Of course, the spell is lifted, and everyone re who they are. This is when the crushing realization of the lies and betrayals that define season 6 comes crashing down. This episode demonstrates why season 6 is such an underrated season of Buffy, as it balances so much light and darkness simultaneously. "Tabula Rasa" moves the plot forward while taking the viewer out of the dark narrative the season constructs. These types of special episodes and unique ideas will be impossible to replicate in the revival.

7 Graduation Day Parts 1 & 2

Season 3, Episodes 21 & 22

Though Buffy is considered one of the best supernatural teen drama TV shows, the series successfully made the transition from high school to adulthood after the explosive season 3 finale. However, Buffy took its time saying farewell to high school and gave Sunnydale High a proper Buffy goodbye by literally blowing up the building. Only Buffy could pull off the tonal balance of experiencing one of the most emotionally significant rites of age of adolescence and then showing a comical explosion of a giant snake.

Before this classic Buffy ending, "Graduation Day: Part 1" saw the tragic end of Buffy and Faith's (Eliza Dushku) love-hate relationship and rivalry. The Buffy season 3 was the end of an era for the series, as it marked a serious departure in the style and structure of the show so far. If the Buffy revival has the chance to evolve as much as the original series does, it shouldn't copy the finale of season 3, but it can certainly learn a lot from it.

6 The Wish

Season 3, Episode 9

Any episode of Buffy that isn't as Buffy-centric is always a risk, but "The Wish" is a fantastic example of the alternate universe episode. Anya (Emma Caulfield) is introduced as the demon Anyanka, who grants Cordelia's (Charisma Carpenter) wish for Buffy to have never come to Sunnydale. Though the audience is already well aware of how much Buffy has done to make Sunnydale a better place, this version of reality is a stark reminder of the impact the slayer has had on the world.

Seeing Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendan) as soulless vampires and witnessing the cold version of Buffy, who never met Giles (Anthony Head) and her friends, is devastating. "The Wish" doesn't pull any punches, as the world is plunged into pure chaos, and evil comes very close to triumphing in the end. Though the characters don't who they were in the other reality, besides Cordelia, they still commit brutally meaningful acts of violence and revenge against each other, only for the world to reset and make the viewer the only person who re what might've been.

5 Becoming Parts 1 & 2

Season 2, Episodes 21 & 22

The showdown between Buffy and Angelus in the Buffy season 2 finale makes for one of the most iconic finales of the series. It's not an exaggeration to say that Buffy loses almost everything in "Becoming," as just when she's come to with the fact that Angel is gone and she has to kill Angelus, Willow restores his soul, but Buffy has to kill him anyway. The fact that this happens on the heels of being kicked out of school, being rejected by her mother, and Kendra's (Bianca Lawson) death is too much for the teenage slayer.

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While both parts are vital to the end of season 2, "Becoming: Part 2" is a near-perfect episode of television. It's here that the series makes good on the promise that Buffy can't have a normal life and be the slayer. Throughout the season, everyone has questioned Buffy's ability to balance her duties and personal life. In "Becoming: Part 2," she faces the consequences of trying to have both and pays by having to sacrifice everything. She gives up Angel and her family willingly because she knows she's the only one who can save the world.

4 Hush

Season 4, Episode 10

One of the scariest episodes of Buffy is "Hush." When Buffy and her friends wake up one day without the ability to speak, the rest of the story unfolds similarly to an old-fashioned silent movie, with the characters forced to communicate in different ways. However, not being able to speak is far from the scariest part of the episode, as the central villains, The Gentlemen, are the real terrors. With horrifying character design and a penchant for ripping out people's hearts, The Gentlemen are the source of nightmares.

As always, the writers of Buffy create obstacles for themselves and the characters that result in the show's most creative storylines and conceits. Without the ability to speak and therefore conceal their true feelings, the characters in Buffy inadvertently show each other more truthful sides of themselves. Balancing such a terrifying narrative with the development of the relationships between Willow and Tara (Amber Benson) and Buffy and Riley (Marc Blucas) is something only Buffy could pull off.

3 Once More, With Feeling

Season 6, Episode 7

Since "Once More, With Feeling" premiered, many shows have done their own versions of a musical episode, but Buffy's remains the definitive example. As a supernatural show, Buffy had already set a precedent for using new and expected formats and storylines for very special episodes. Though "Once More, With Feeling" was unlike anything the show had done before, audiences were willing to suspend their disbelief and enjoy the escapism of the musical installment of the series.

However, no episode of Buffy is truly escapist, as "Once More, With Feeling" subverts viewer expectations by using musical numbers to force the characters to express the feelings they've been hiding from each other. Buffy is holding onto the biggest secret, as she's been lying about being in heaven in the afterlife and finding the real world her own version of hell. Since "Once More, With Feeling" is the blueprint for musical episodes, the reboot should stay away from this concept.

2 The Gift

Season 5, Episode 22

The Buffy season 5 finale was initially intended to end the series before the show was saved, moving networks for seasons 6 and 7. While "The Gift" would've been a devastating ending to Buffy, it also would have been a full-circle moment for the show and fit with the themes of the series up to that point. After Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) was introduced at the beginning of season 5, Buffy's role shifted. She was no longer the protector of the world but also of her sister, which was a much more personal mission.

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Additionally, season 5 follows Buffy's struggle to find her higher purpose as the slayer, as being surrounded by death has taken its toll.​​​​​​​ In the final moments of season 5, Buffy realizes that when the oracle tells her that death is her gift, it doesn't describe her ability to end life but her selfless sacrifice of her own. To Buffy, there is no cause more worthy and no act more fulfilling than saving the world and her sister. Giving her life in "The Gift" is one of the most heroic acts in the entirety of the show.

1 The Body

Season 5, Episode 16

One of the most talked about episodes of Buffy is season 5's "The Body." A huge turning point in Buffy's development as an independent adult and the loss of her ive system, "The Body," isn't only notable because of its emotional impact. The series made many distinct and effective stylistic choices, like the acclaimed decision not to include any music in the entire episode. Additionally, the editing style and individual moments when each character must come to with Joyce's (Kristine Sutherland) death make "The Body" one of the best representations of grief on television.

"The Body" is truly a unique piece of television and is one of the parts of Buffy that elevates the series beyond genre limitations. Though the show struggled tonally in season 5, this episode is reason enough to stick with Buffy through the season. The next installment of the Buffy universe will doubtlessly grapple with death, grief, and loss and should take its cues from "The Body." However, only the original Buffy The Vampire Slayer could give this episode the gravity it deserves.

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Release Date

1997 - 2003

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Joss Whedon

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  Sarah Michelle Gellar

  Buffy Summers
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  Nicholas Brendon

  Alexander Harris

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