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1st top ten list!

Without further ado, I bring you my first of many top ten lists. I recently bought Buffy season 6 on DVD. And it got me thinking about my favorite episodes of what I consider one of the greatest shows of all time. So here we go:

Top Ten Episodes of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer:

10. "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" (Season 2): Rounds out the bottom of the list, because it is so darn funny watching the girls go gaga over Xander. Just slightly funnier than Season seven's "Him" which features a bewitched Buffy trying to kill Wood with a bazooka.
9. "Earhsot" (Season 3): One of the first great episodes of Buffy that was really dramatic without being overly sappy (IE most of Season 2). Buffy can hear thoughts, and we get the first real character development for little Jonothan.
8. "Becoming, Pt 2" (Season 2): More great drama, as Joyce discovers Buffy's slayerhood, Giles being tortured, and Angel bites the big one (It doesn't last). Also one of the precious post-morten Robia LaMorte moments.
7. "Hush" (Season 4): Can a show whose strength lies in witty dialogue do a silent episode and not have it suck? Hell yes.
6. "Tabula Rasa" (Season 6): Here's an episode that follow the fabulous musical episode of Buffy and still managed to hold its own and muscle its way onto the list. A brief anmesia-filled retreat from the gloominess that proceeded it, which made the return to it even more painful.
5. "Conversations With Dead People" (Season 7): Perfect example for why Buffy was such a good show - it could be spooky, dramatic, and hilarious all at the same time. Dawn's night is downright scary, Willow's creepy as hell, and Buffy's hilarious, but full of some of the pychological insight to Buffy's psyche outside of "Normal Again".
4. "Restless" (Season 4): Such a cool little episode, visually interesting, taking from source's all over the place, most notably "Apocalypse Now". Really capped off Season 4 better than "Primevil" aka "Joss Whedon sees the Matrix".
3. "Chosen" (Season 7): I am sure a lot of reason's I feel strongly about this episode was that it was the last. It's painful to see a show you love go out, but at least it went out on top.
2. "Normal Again" (Season 6): I just watched this episode again last weekend. It is scary how Whedon and Co. manage to tie every part of Buffy's character and environment into a schizophrenic web on confusion. My old roommate was so sold that he claims Buffy is still sitting in an asylum somewhere.
1. "Once More With Feeling" (Season 6): One of the most daring, entertaining, and touching hours ever to grace the small screen. Every time you watch this musical episode, you catch something new, so subtly laid in the episode's subtext. Funny (Anya and Xander's "I'll never tell"), warming and wrenching on the heart (Tara's realization of Willow's deception), and ultimately tragic (Buffy's heavenly realization to the Scoobies). This episode has it all.

I admit I'm a little surprised by some of my choices, when looking at how I feel about the seasons overall, here's my ranking of them from best to worst with the number of episodes from each season that made my list:

1. Season 7 (2)
2. Season 5 (0)
3. Season 3 (1)
4. Season 6 (3)
5. Season 4 (2)
6. Season 2 (2)
7. Season 1 (0)

I think part of the reason is that while Seasons 3 and 5 were really good, they flowed smoothly, without a lot of episodes standing out, while for every "Tabula Rasa" in Season 6, there was also a "Doublemeat Palace", aka, the throw away episodes made the great ones look all that better. Anyways, there's my opinion, feel free to flame me if you disagree. I'll be back soon with another.