PopHorror Let's Get Scared
In honor of the 20th anniversary of our favorite vampire slayer, here is the second half of a list of 20 top moments in the franchise. Check out the first half of this list here. Enjoy!
The Gentleman – Hush
“Can’t even shout, can’t even cry. The Gentlemen are coming by.”
The Gentleman were one of the scariest Buffy monsters. These suit wearing demons take away the power to speak. They kill with smiles on their faces while the victim can’t even scream. Fun fact about this episode is that Buffy’s objection to Giles drawing of her was completely improvised by Sarah Michelle Gellar.
I Wear the Cheese – Restless
“I wear the cheese, it does not wear me.”
One of the most absurd episodes of Buffy is Restless where Buffy, Willow, Xander and Giles have their dreams invaded by the first slayer. The funny thing about this episode is the guy who offers sliced cheese. Joss Whedon has indicated that the cheese guy has no meaning, yet fans think otherwise.
The Fanged Four – Fool for Love
“The King of Cups expects a picnic. But this is not his birthday.”
In this Buffy episode, we get flashbacks of The Fanged Four: Angelus, Darla, Drusilla and Spike. It shows that even in the beginning, Spike and Angel butted heads. In this episode, Spike’s birth name is revealed to be William Pratt, the real name of Boris Karloff.
Joyce’s Death – The Body
“No, my mom. Sh-should I make her warm?”
The Body was somber episode where the Scooby gang grieved the death of Buffy’s mom, Joyce. I remember Anya’s speech the most; she never experienced loss but her speech expresses it eloquently.
Buffy’s Sacrifice – The Gift
“The hardest thing in this world… is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me.”
The Gift marked Buffy’s second death. Buffy and the gang form a plan to stop Glory before she uses Dawn to open all the dimensions. Dawn’s blood activates the portal ensuring total chaos. Buffy tells Dawn to be strong as she knows that her death is her gift to Dawn.
Spike Kisses Buffy – Once More with Feeling
“All those secrets you’ve been concealin’, say you’re happy now. Once more with feeling. Now I gotta run. See you all in Hell.”
In the musical episode, everyone’s secrets come crawling out in the form of song and dance. Buffy sings about what being in Heaven was like until her friends pulled her out. Spike sung his undead heart out. At the end of the episode, we get the kiss. Spike and Buffy kiss for real the first time.
Yellow Crayon – Grave
“I love crayon-breaky Willow and I love scary, veiny Willow. So if I’m goin’ out, it’s here. If you wanna kill the world, well, then start with me. I’ve earned that.”
After Tara’s death, Willow goes all dark and murderous. She decides that she is going to end the world. Every member of the Scooby gang is neutralized except Xander. Xander faces his friend and stops her from ending the world. Xander with no powers, just human, helps Willow sees the light and the two break down as she transforms back from Dark Willow.
The Talking Dead – Conversations with Dead People
“Yeah, what I really need is emotional therapy from the evil dead.”
Buffy, Dawn, Willow and Andrew end up having conversations with the dead. Buffy has an interesting conversation with a vampire whom she went to high school. The dead are actually the first evil communicating to each of them. Amber Benson was supposed to be in this episode but due to scheduling conflicts, she was not. She later said that she did not want to portray Tara as evil or a villain.
Spike’s Feelings for Buffy – Touched
“You’re a hell of a woman. You’re the one, Buffy.”
All the young slayers are now following Faith, forcing Buffy to leave the gang. Spike finds the slayer and gives one of the most touching speeches. As he begins to leave, Buffy asks him to stay with her. He goes for the recliner to sleep when she asks to have him stay in the bed and just hold her.
The End of the Hellmouth – Chosen
“Yeah, Buffy? What are we gonna do now?”
Buffy and her gang of slayers take the Hellmouth by storm in this series finale. Spike sacrifices himself and the town of Sunnydale becomes a creator. But not everything was perfect at the end as Anya was killed in the final battle. Fun fact: Emma Caulfield chose to let the producers to kill off Anya as she did not want to appear in Angel or any spin-off shows.
Did you favorite make the list? Buffy the Vampire Slayer can be streamed on Hulu and Netflix.
