In case you didn't know, March 10 marks the 19th anniversary of the day the pilot for Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired on UPN — now known today as the CW — and set out on its voyage to become one of the greatest and most-studied shows in the history of television.
In honor of its 19th birthday, and in no particular order (with the exception of the bottom two eps, which are my personal favorites), here are the nine best episodes — and the worst episode — that Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its creator Joss Whedon have to offer.
Dopplegangland
Playing on a premise previously introduced in the third season episode "The Wish," "Dopplegangland" makes a Whedonian switch by making the good bad and the bad good. By implementing a choice assemblage of the Scooby Gang's evil dopplegangers from an alternate universe into the dimension in which Buffy's Sunnydale resides, the ep helps us question what makes a person who they are — and gives us some amazing one-liners from Vamp Willow along the way.
The Zeppo
Much like the underrated Marx brother the ep is named after, "The Zeppo" examines the life Xander, the lesser-exalted and perfectly un-supernatural member of the Scooby Gang, as Buffy and the rest of the gang deal with yet another possible apocalypse that is only hinted at and never seen. Flipping the B story and the A story in an episode is genius to begin with — but mixing resurrected corpses into the mix makes it comic gold.
Seeing Red
"Seeing Red" can only be described as a sobfest and a vengeance origin story mixed into one. The death of Tara, the girlfriend of Willow, marked the end of one of the first openly (and openly affectionate) LGBT couples in the history of television, and gave way to the birth of Dark Willow — and without it, the last important act of the television series as we know it.
Restless
"Restless" takes a page out of the David Lynch playbook to more-than-excellent results, and using Jung-esque dreamscapes to delve into the psychological makeup of Buffy, Willow, Xander and Giles to introduce the First Slayer was an unconventional — but completely winning — choice. An honorable mention goes to Willow's dream sequence, which may or may not involve the most nerve-wracking type of anxiety dream many of us have ever had.
Chosen
Buffy's series finale was a gratifying conclusion in almost every sense of the term — and by enacting the dormant powers within every Potential Slayer in the Buffyverse, it proved to be the fitting feminist crescendo for one of the most progressive, well-written and enthralling shows of the late 20th century.
Graduation Day (Parts 1 and 2)
What could be a better way to complete the "high school is hell" metaphor than to have an apocalyptic be-all-end-all battle on the very grounds of the Hellmouth itself on graduation? The third season finale was a fitting goodbye to fan favorites Cordelia Chase and Angel, who went off to Los Angeles to star in their own Whedon spinoff, the de facto denouement of Faith and proved a satisfying end for the Mayor, one of the best Big Bads Buffy had to offer.
Hush
Part homage to the silent movie era, part fairytale from the Brothers Grimm, "Hush" features an unforgettable Monster(s) of the Week, the Gentleman, the ep renders the residents of Sunnydale completely without the ability to speak — and presents an ingenious obstacle for Buffy and the rest of her crew to work around. "Hush" also marks the appearance of Tara, who would make an impression on general media culture in her own right.
The Body
"The Body" might not just be arguably the best episode of the seven seasons Buffy gave viewers, but one of the best episodes in the history of television, hands down. Whedon's choice to run the episode without any background music was a stark contrast compared with other episodes in the series (minus "Hush," of course), and amplified the existential heartbreak of the entire Scooby Gang, as all of them tried to grasp how Buffy's mother Joyce, the indirect matriarch of the clan, could pass away under completely ordinary circumstances in a world where supernatural forces are always at work. While each and every character makes their mark in "The Body," it's Anya, a formerly immortal demon, who proved to be the standout character in the episode, epitomizing a child's dawning sense of mortality in her monologue.
Once More, With Feeling
What's not to love about tap dancing demons who take over the town and turn it into one big supernatural, satirical and hilarious rock opera? Considering that this was the special musical episode in the sixth season of Buffy that made the "special musical episode" a thing, there's only everything to love about "Once More, With Feeling" — even if one or two of of the numbers are a "retro pastiche that's never going to be a breakaway pop hit." Special props go to Anya's "Bunnies" solo as a comedic highlight.
Bonus Round!: Worst Episode Ever
Beer Bad
A walking, talking PSA with cavemen and an overwrought message about not drinking in ... college? Oh Joss, honey, no.
