In the meantime, however: Jess did it. Mel did it. Who am I to argue with greatness? For your amusement:

1. Once More, With Feeling- Because they pulled it off completely. Try *that* with Smallville. ::grins and ducks::

2. The Body- Seen it eight times. I still cry at Anya's speech. Converted three people with it. It's like a Jehovah Witness seminar, only without the annoying pamphlets.

3. Angel- The very first Buffy show I watched from start to finish. I knew right then there was *something* different about the series. It was the foreshadowing of Joss' willingness to spin an arc on its ass.

4. Enemies- Faith and Buffy and chains and kissing foreheads and Angel and Angelus and wriggling and geeyaaah. Also, the greatest mind-fuck Joss pulled to that date. 

5. Hush- Converted people with this one too. Still haven't gotten a toaster for my efforts, but the floating men never fail to creep me out. Also, any ep that can act as a complete stand-alone when a show has been around for four years is just a tribute to the entire cast.

6. Who Are You?- Eliza played Buffy better than S1 Sarah. Body swtich stories are a dime a dozen in scifi, but the ending of this one justified all the means...the fight on the altar, and the realization that crosses FIB's face as she pounds (herself) into the floor...man. Femslash at its dark, wicked best and an SMG/ED acting job entirely worthy of a couple of emmies. 

7. Restless- a lush and perfect peek into the brain of Joss Whedon and the many characters residing therein. Kinda scary, ain't it?

8. Fool For Love- Total retcon. And we bought every second of it, didn't we? The subway scene: Just thinking about it makes my knees sweat.

9. Becoming 1&2- AKA: </Begin Buffy's death wish> I can't separate these two eps, which is yet another tribute to the skill of the PTB over at ME. And we thought him being a vampire was a plot twist!? Tossing arcs on their arses, indeed. The ending of this season stunned *everyone*. Including the little "grr argh" monster, apparantly.

10. The Wish- My favorite dark ep. Stunning visuals: Buffy walking casually through Angel's dust, Oz slaying Willow, and GayDeadLarry with a crossbow. 

11. School Hard- Oh Spike swagger, how we miss you. And the gameface melting into human when he first turns to see Dru makes me wonder what anyone sees in any other conventional 'ship. 

12. What's My Line 1&2- Can't seperate these either. I loved the reflection of Buffy's humanity in the more detatched Kendra, the last B/A scene on the church altar while the Scoobs look on, and oh. god., anytime DB is shirtless and tortured horribly, I need alone moments. "You've been a very bad Daddy!" Gah.

13. Smashed- Spike swagger! Crumbling buildings. Dancing strawberries. Please, what else do you need? Oh, Spike-fuck face. Heh.

14. Lover's Walk- Falling anvils on B/A, falling beams on Cordelia, and Spike driving off in his De Soto, singing Sinatra. 'Least he's man enough to admit it. 

15. Tabula Rasa - I go against the grain here, but I loved this ep. The Giles/Spike interaction alone was worth the price of admission, but then we got Giles/Anya, Willow/Tara (look, Ma! Chemistry!) and the much foreshadowed shark - on land - with less flippers. ('Cause Watchers scoff at gravity.) Oh, and I *loved* the final Bronze scene: The song. The *look*.  And yea, the smoochies. Am I alone in wondering how their cheekbones don't collide with the force of a thousand glaciers?

16. Dead Things- Ok, can these folks do *dark* or what?! "This isn't a game. This is rape." The look on Johnathan's face at that moment redeemed his entire character's existence for me. Although I still wish 'Superstar' was just a very bad nightmare on my part.

17. Amends- I'm his ho, you all know it. I think he emoted just fine. He does crazy very well, anyway. And again, it meets the DonnaCriteria: Is Angel tortured? Check. I'm a happy girl. 

18. The Prom- The whole season was one big B/A anvil of doom. But this ep stood apart with its quiet ache. The umbrella chokes me up too.

19.  Normal Again- No, it wasn't an accurate study of schizophrenia. If you're interested in that, watch the friggin' Discovery Channel. It *was* an incredible metaphor for how fucked up Buffy herself really is this season. And SMG played it with the chilling perfection of a blank stare and flat affect. 

20. Surprise- And I was. Spin that arc, Joss. No mercy. 

21. Innocence- The only time I actually respected Joyce's parenting skills. Plus, leather pants. 

22. Passion- Ok, so before this Angelus was pretty much just snarky Angel in eye makeup. But by the time we see him spying on the grief stricken Scoobies and quoting poetry at the ep's end, he's damn well *earned* the Big Bad. 

23.  Lie To Me- Foreshadows of everything to come, so subtly you don't notice til a season and a half later. Giles at his fatherly best.

24. Phases- "Once a month I'm not so much fun to be around either." Nuff said. 

25. Band Candy- Possibly the funniest ep ever. Ripper makes me drool. "You're my Slayer, and I say you rip his throat out!"

26. Faith, Hope and Trick- Hello. NakedAngelAss. And it's not even Xmas. Also, FAITH! Ahem.

27. Beauty and the Beasts- The metaphor that wasn't. But the premise remains squick-worhty, so, points. And the final scene. Yeahhhh, baby.

28. Consequences- Character studies *galore*. 

29. The Graduation 1&2-  The snake was a pathetic penis metaphor ('Dick', indeed), the editing of the much-ballyhooed explosion was a travesty. But the *idea* was truly inspired, the one liners fast and furious, the bloodplay and hip thrusting made me drool, and Harmony dies at the end. Plus, the scene with Angel walking away into the fog still chokes me up, and I'm not even a 'shipper. 

30. Intervention- Second only to tying up Angel and torturing him: tying up Spike and torturing *him*! The blond vamp looks adorable in sub-position,, but it just ain't really in him, is it?  "Skanky lopsided ass." Heh.

31. Nightmares- I'm alone in this one too, I know. But clowns scare the shit out of me. And it *was* the rough draft for Fear Itself, and finally, Restless. The scene with Buffy and her father is heartbreaking.

32. Prophecy Girl- SMG's acting has *clearly* improved since this ep. The mouth to mouth was cheesy as Hell. And it still manages to encapsulate everything we know and love about Buffy: Reluctant heroine in a beautiful dress who kicks monster ass. 

33. Wild At Heart- Oz pretttttttty. Willow cries exceptionally well. She ought to cry more.

34. Pangs- I gotta go against the flow here. I laughed out loud in this ep way too many times to dis it. "A bear! You made a bear! Undo it!" Snerk.

35. Something Blue- Oh come on. All the poorly written Spuffy fic come to life? What's *not* to like? "Can I be blind too?" Plus, Jess is right. The comedy was so well written that even Riley was funny in it.

36. Doppelgängerland- So, you all think Willow will turn out to be gay? 

37. Checkpoint- I liked this one better than Helpless. 'Cause Buffy came 'round completely on her own, and she kicked some Council *ass* with much sword tossing and snarkery. That's my girl!

38. Blood Ties- MT rocked: "Am I real? Is this blood? Am I real?" Ok, so we were all wondering the same thing for weeks, but she carried it off *well*.

39. Forever- Reanimation horror stories give me the wiggins like no other. List of hair raising bits: Never seeing Joyce's face, Dawn's oh-so casual dabbling in the worst form of the occult, and Buffy's realization that she is now Slayer, parent, and alone. 

40. The Gift- Yea, I was spoiled for it so I knew going in she was gonna die. But I shrieked at the screen nonetheless when she actually did it. And JM acted the *hell* out of that scene on the tower. Her gravestone? Perfect.

41. Bargaining- Willow annoyed me. Dead!Buffy's hairstyle was insane. And if her friends loved her, why the *fuck* would they bury her in that outfit?! But the ep hurt like hell to watch, and in the end, that's the point of Jossverse.

42. Welcome To The Hellmouth- Lousy acting, lousy script, what the Hell was up with Darla?!..But I was hooked anyway. Joss even does cheesy well. Damn him.

43. The Pack- XANDER! GRRAAWWRRRAH!!! Who'd have thunk that!?

44. This Year's Girl- Faith is back. And boy, is she pissed. 

45. I Only Have Eyes For You- Soley for Buffy calling Angelus "bitch".

46. Helpless- Giles becomes a dad. Sniffle.

47. Bad Girls- And everyone is in leather pants! The look on Angel's face when Buffy jumps him and straddles his waist is priceless.

48. Earshot- Ooh look! Crazy!Buffy...nice foreshadowing. 

49. Choices- Seems to me this is where the show really began to explore the value of a single, beloved human life in the scheme of things. Interesting to be able to look back and follow this thread, which eventually ended with The Gift, and Dawn.

50. Life Serial- Mummy hand! Snee!

51. The Yoko Factor- Simply for R/A interaction in the alleyway. "Don't try me boyyyy." Anyone else get a little happy moment there?

52. Revelations- Man, it's been years and Xander in this one *still* pisses me off.

53. Wrecked- I admit it. I liked it alot the first time around. It lost some shine afterward, when the Hammer of Marti was pointed out to me. I still think AH did a fine acting job. 

54. Hell's Bells- I was petrified this would suck. It didn't. I was pleased.

55. When She Was Bad- When She Was Annoying. But foreshadowy loveliness to Buffy's darkness abound.

56. The Zeppo- Hello to the Meta. Was this Joss' first nod to all his own silliness? The swelling music around B/A, the monster you never really saw, the melodramatic morning after conversation. Giggled like a madwoman and loved it.

57. Afterlife- The last scene is a complete, classic Joss.

58. Halloween- Oh look. It's amnesia. With costumes. That's familiar somehow. Ep redeemed by Ethan and RIPPPPPER.

59. The Dark Age- Our first glimpse of Giles as anything but stuffy tweed book guy.

60. Dead Man's Party- "Mom wanted dead cat." "Look, at my mask, isn't it a pretty mask? It raises the dead! Stupid Americans." Hee!

61. Homecoming- Cordelia in that green dress. Gah. And the conversation between her and Buffy while they were trapped in the shack rings amazingly true now that Cordelia is Vision!Girl. Weird, I tell you. How does Joss *do* this stuff?

62. Fear, Itself- "Shown actual size." **giggle**

63. The Initiative- Spike. Willow. Lamp. All I'm sayin'.

64. A New Man- The animal in Giles is not as attractive as I'd thought. But this episode *really* amused me. And of course Spike speaks Fyoral. Just ask Peasant. 

65. New Moon Rising- Extra flamey, baby. (Ozzzzzz come back! *I* still love you!!)

66. Out of My Mind- The moment Buffy's hand slips out of Riley's - You just see it comin' don'tcha?

67. Listening To Fear- Creepy fucking roach thing made *Spike* scream for godsake.

68. Crush- The ep itself made me cringe. But in the scheme of things, I see it's place, and it's necessity. Spike's speech to his collective of women rocked. And, God, the Bronze moment with S/D made me all kinds of shivery and maudlin.

69. Tough Love- It didn't suck. And it had nice set up for the W/T arc.

70. Beer Bad- I'm with Jess, Cave!Buffy was cute. Also, beating on Parker was very oldstyle Buffy. Loved it.

71. All The Way- Dawn is really, really stupid, isn't she? The Halloween eps are never known for brilliant plotlines. But they're usually a fun watch. No exception here either way.

72. Anne- This one gets higher on the list only in retrospect, now that I see its significance. At the time, I was bored out of my head. Joss has a problem with making eps like that. Some foreshadowy things can be set up in half the time, or less. (IE- Hell has a different time clock, Robots can be love slaves, Johnathan has an inferiority complex but is talented with majik.) Someone needs to inform Joss that this is a viable option. Now please.

73. The Harsh Light Of Day- It was good to see Spike again. But not in this ep. 

74. Buffy vs. Dracula- Did I say Joss can do cheese? I may have lied. A few very amusing moments, including Giles in the babe pit, and Dracula calling Xander what I swear sounds like 'strange and of pudding.' 

75. Reptile Boy- Filler, but entertaining filler with a not-so-subtle-date rape message.

76. Never Kill a Boy on the First Date- Unless it's Owen, then you have my permission. Poor befuddled Angel. 

77. The Witch- Interesting twist I didn't see coming. And likable Amy. Who knew?

78. The Harvest- Eh. It had to be done, but it could have been done *better*.

79. Primeval- As season enders go, I can see why they had to tack on Restless. The fight scenes were lovely though.

80. Invisible Girl- Again only in retrospect, but the ending makes me think of the Initiative. I doubt even Joss had that in mind at the time though.

81. No Place Like Home- I *liked* the monk. That's 'bout it.

82. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered- Hee. Angelus is slashy. 

83. Killed by Death- Creepy as hell, but twice as cheesy and predictable.

84. Go Fish- Hello to bathing suit Xander.  Was there anything else *in* this ep worth remembering?

85. Gingerbread- Burning witches can be funny! Next up: Musical WWII on ice.

86. Spiral- Whee. I like Brain-sucked Tara.

87. The Weight Of The World- And another Crazy!Buffy. All Power Willow really starting to annoy me here. 

88. Flooded- Buffy's friends brought her back from the dead so she could pay her share of the bills. Slacker.

89. Gone- Ok, you know how the show is called Buffy? It works much better when she's actually in it.

90. Older and Far Away- Forget vampires, werewolves and assorted creatures of the underworld. You wanna know my nightmare? Being trapped *anywhere* with Dawn. I only pray the Halfrek-Cicely connection bears fruit. Otherwise she's twice as annoying for no apparant reason.

91.Freshman- Ah Christ, it started bad and got worse.

92. Living Conditions- As I said. Worse.

93. Doomed- Not fast enough.

94. The I in Team- Not surprisingly, this season is kind of blurry. I think this was the episode where Riley gets whiny about something. Oh wait..that's pretty much .. yea.

95. Goodbye Iowa- Whiny, needy boyfreind? Check.

96. Where The Wild Things Are- Watch me hurl as you ruin my favorite childhood book memory. Nice touch with the condoms though.

97. Real Me- Sigh. I know we weren't *supposed* to like Dawn. But did we have to not like her *so godamn much*?

98. The Replacement- Nick has a twin brother. Cool effect. Once.

99.  Family- The anti-climax was terribly anti-climactic.

100.  Shadow- Yawn.

101. Triangle- Oh come on, a TROLL?!? For the love of God.

102. I Was Made To Love You- Maybe this would have worked better if Brittany Spears played April like she was supposed to. As it was, I kept going, 'Ok, the girl is pretty but what's the big effin' deal?' The last scene, however, was lovely and touching. 

103. Doublemeat Palace- This looked like a S1 plot. I wonder if they recycled.

104. Into The Woods- Look, Marti writes soap operas. Poorly.

105. As You Were- Damn Marine. Shoulda stayed in the woods. ("My hat has a cow" still makes me giggle.)

106. Superstar- Why. Why. WHY. **bursts into tears**

107. Some Assembly Required- No. Just. No.

108. Inca Mummy Girl- I felt bad for Xander. Then I got over it.

109. Teacher's Pet- Made my Dad ask, "you *watch*" this?

110. I, Robot -- You, Jane- Made me glad my Dad didn't see this one instead.

111. The Puppet Show- Puppets are evil. I don't care *what* Joss says.

112. Bad Eggs - Had a few cute lines. Had a very very pointless plot.

113. Ted- At least Bad Eggs had plot going for it. I concur with Jess. John Ritter = worse than mime.

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