#10: Buffy Quits
1x12 - "Prophecy Girl"
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While #21 ("It's Their World") helped hammer the point home, this is actually the moment when Buffy showed me how much more it could be. Sarah Michelle Gellar does scenes like this so well, and Buffy proves once and for all that she's not just some cute little blonde girl. All season, pretty much everything has been treated as a joke. There were threats, but they never felt all that serious. Such is the nature of a program where its tongue resides permanently in its cheek. But suddenly, without warning, we see that there's so much more going on under the surface. It's easy to forget that Buffy is a young girl forced into a role she never wanted. She's whined about not being able to go out on dates because she has to patrol, sure, but even then it was more like an amusing social statement on growing up than something to be concerned with. After all, Buffy makes jokes about it, so there's obviously nothing much to worry about. Until now, when she shows us that it's not all fun and games and she's terrified. And here's the amazing thing: it's all still in character. That's the truly wonderful thing about this show, the fact that it can slip easily from hilarious to devastating to ass-kicking and back again with completely fluidity, never losing itself along the way. This moment being its first significant dip to the "devastating", as Buffy screams at Giles for not being able to do more than sit around and read his books, a fact that is only too readily, painfully apparent to the Watcher. "Giles, I'm sixteen years old," she says quietly. "I don't wanna die." It's such a simple, obvious statement, but so effective in its simplicity.
#9: Close Save
4x06 - "Wild at Heart"
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And this is the moment when I lose everybody who knows anything about the show. What's about this scene makes it rank so darned high? To anybody who isn't me, probably nothing. But to me, this is the moment when I fell in love with Willow. I'd gone through the like and the intrigue, yeah. But right here, right now, I was gone. Her lost wandering down the street, her complete lack of caring about nearly being flattened, the fact that it hurts too much to speak or even cry. My heart totally went out to her, and with that realization, I was also lost to Buffy. When all is said and done, for me it comes down to the characters. Sure, a good story and all that is nice too, but I can stomach anything so long as there's at least one character in which I have an emotional investment, whereas a story has to be phenomenally good to hold my attention if there's nobody I like participating in it. With Buffy, of course, I hit the jackpot, but who really sold me was Willow, and this is where she did it. From this point on, there was no looking back.
#8: The Death of Jenny Calendar
2x17 - "Passion"
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She wasn't around all that long, but Jenny was a fairly significant character. Giles' love interest, the secondary adult fixture in the Scooby gang, the techno pagan and, as we discovered, part of the gypsy tribe who cursed Angel. So when Angelus comes a'callin' and Jenny flees for her life through the halls of Sunnydale High, I was sure she'd get away. After all, she was a major character. When he caught her, I figured the cavalry was on its way. He made a little comment or two, which was appropriately villainous, and I expected him to get whacked over the head or something a second later. Then he snapped her neck. And just like that, the world wasn't a safe place for anybody in the Buffyverse anymore. This moment is important enough for that realization alone (once you know it's not safe for the characters you care about, you can't help but get that much more wrapped up in their dangers), but it's also here because of the way the scene was done. Jenny's frantic race to get away from Angelus is very much the stuff of horror movies, even to the point where he somehow manages to end up in front of her. The way he breaks her neck in such a casual, almost off-hand gesture, like she's not even worth the trouble to drink. And that final scene of Angelus reveling in the sound of her neck cracking in front of those windows. All of these elements caused this moment to easily stand out through the years.
#7: About Last Night ...
2x14 - "Innocence"
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As soon as we find out that Angelus is back, you sort of think that it's not really real. Yeah, okay, so he's taken to killing hookers and stuff, but as soon as he sees Buffy, his good self will fight with his bad self and all will be well again. After all, that's the TV cliché, right? It is, and that's why Buffy stands out from the crowd, because just when you think you're going to get a traditional situation with a supernatural twist, you realize that's the very last thing you'll ever see. When Angel loses his soul, he doesn't just turn into a slightly less broody guy with a penchant for leather pants. He's a very bad man. A very bad man who lurves to torture his victims. There's no easy death with Angelus, it's all about how much he can make you hurt before you die. This scene takes giant strides into showing us that Angelus is no Angel, and to put it simply, it hurts to watch. It's every fear every girl has ever had about the guy she's just slept with dumping her after snuggles. And he's just so damned good at what he does. Every gesture, every smirk, every single syllable out of his mouth is calculated to prey on Buffy's fears and insecurities. David Boreanaz as Angel was okay enough. Sort of irritating with all the tragic hero stuff, but okay. David Boreanaz as Angelus? Loved it, and this scene shows exactly why. I may only find him marginally interesting as a hero, but as a villain, he's incredible.
#6: The First Few Minutes
5x16 - "The Body"
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I think I have enough bits from "The Body" in the Top 100 to make it clear how highly I regard that episode, but even in that greatness there are moments that give it even greater standing, and this is one of those. The first few minutes after the flashback, the continuous shot that follows Buffy frantically as she discovers Joyce, calls 911, tries to revive her and then, finally, knows on some level that it's far too late and gives up. Even within this moment it can be cut down into specific lines and looks and actions that make it so wonderful. Buffy's desperate attempts to wake Joyce up, her horror at breaking a rib while performing CPR, her response to the operator at referring to Joyce as a body, and the oh so small way she asks if she should try to make her warm. All of these combined with the incredible fact that this is one single shot. Not a single cut to give us relief. For two and a half minutes, we're caught in Buffy's world right alongside her. It's almost oppressive, it works so well. I don't care if someone is a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or not, this scene is damned fine acting, writing and directing, all melding into one unforgettable moment.
#5: Blank Slate
6x08 - "Tabula Rasa"
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I originally had nine separate moments from "Tabula Rasa" ... just in the first ten minutes or so after they wake up in the Magic Box. Realizing that one moment every minute was a bit much to sort for what is, pretty much, the same darned scene, I combined them all into one and here it is. Probably needless to say, I love this thing. I venture to say that with everything taken together, it is the single funniest sequence of events to ever appear in the entire series. The oddball conclusions that they come to ("Randy" being Giles' son because they're both British), the funny statements in light of what we know as the truth (Willow suggesting that she and Tara might be study buddies because they both go to UCSD), the over-reactions ("Alex" freaking out), "Umad" (which cracks me up every single time; Dawn looks so pleased with herself), and of course the biggie, everybody's reaction to the vampires ("Monsters are real! Do we know this?") and "Joan"'s discovery that she's "like a super-hero or something". Somebody who had never seen an episode of Buffy before would probably get only a fraction of the enjoyment out of this scene, but for those who know these characters inside and out, it's a nummy treat. Sadly, this is pretty much the last pure comedy moment we get from all the Scoobies, and of course they don't know who the hell they are, but that nugget of foreknowledge just makes you appreciate this scene all the more. (Note that by necessity, the clip for this one is pretty long, but I recommend anybody who hasn't watched this or is even remotely curious about it to go ahead and download. It's moment #5 for a reason.)
#4: Back to Basics
7x22 - "Chosen"
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There's an awful lot about season 7 that I didn't care too much for, but it's really hard to find fault with a lot of "Chosen", the final episode, and that's largely due to scenes like this one. Everyone else has left to assume their positions for the final battle against the First, and as the camera pans over we realize we're left with the ones we started with. The four friends look at each other, wondering if they'll make it out of this one. It's a time for reminiscing, for goodbyes ... but instead they talk about what they're going to do tomorrow. Miniature golf is out, so it's time to hit the mall cuz Buffy's got a wicked shoe craving and Xander needs some new clothes to compliment his eye patch. There are really no words that can properly express everything that's between these guys, so as always, they turn to levity. As Willow, Xander and Buffy break away from Giles, the parallel is intentional. "The Earth is definitely doomed," he says as he watches them walk away, and we're right back to the very beginning. It's a fitting farewell, crafted just for them and just for us.
  
#3: Willow's Salvation
6x22 - "Grave"
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The season 6 ender was probably the hardest, most emotional set of episodes of any series that I've ever watched. There are a few things that I don't particularly like or agree with, but whatever my reservations about some of what transpired leading up to this point, I can find no fault at all in this moment between Xander and Willow. I love that Willow's out to destroy the world (in the sense that I think it's keeping in her character, given how extreme her character is at this moment). I love that she's so snarky in her grief and rage, but still manages to convey that deep down in there, she's still Willow. I love that Xander is the one that goes to her, alone. I love that he doesn't even really have a plan to stop her, just that if he's going to die, he wants it to be with her. I love how she can't bear for him to use her name. I love that he still tries to make jokes. I love that Xander never shows even the slightest trace of anger and refuses to quit saying that he loves her, no matter how much she hurts him. I love how when Willow's power runs out, she turns to beating on him to get him to shut up. I love the yellow crayon. I love that as Willow finally breaks down, her red hair comes back and you can let out that breath you've been holding since "Seeing Red". I love that Xander finally saves the world by doing what he does best -- loving his friends. I love Alyson Hannigan and Nicholas Brendon. I love Willow and Xander.
#2: Why
5x16 - "The Body"
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Who would have thought that of all the moments in "The Body", the one that hits the hardest for me comes from, of all people, Anya. Not Buffy or Dawn, who have lost the most. Not Willow or Xander, who were closer to Joyce than their own mothers. No, the one who delivers the coup de grace is a thousand-year old capitalist ex-demon who, despite having lived for a millennium has absolutely no idea whatsoever to do with grief. Anya's speech has all the charm of a child who wants desperately to understand what's going on around her, and utterly unaware that the questions she's asking have no answers. As Anya lists all the things that Joyce will never do again, it breaks your heart. But what really makes this moment so incredible is that it's one of the little twists that Joss manages to pull off so effectively when you least expect it. Because you figure that Anya's just being Anya. She's asking tactless and inappropriate questions because that's what Anya does. You either try to ignore them like Xander or get angry about them like Willow. But then you suddenly realize, she's not just being Anya. She's human now, like everybody else, and despite having over a thousand years of experience at being a demon under her belt, she's only become human again for two of them. She wants so desperately in this moment to manage her grief and help her friends, but has no idea where to begin. The saddest part of all, though? Nobody has any answers. When faced with trying to understand death, every one of us is as lost as Anya.
  
  
  
#1: Sacrifice
5x22 - "The Gift"
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Buffy always knew that she would die young. It's the ultimate fate of every Slayer, after all. What is unique to Buffy's death is that she is able to choose when her life ends. At the hands of a random demon or vampire who just happens to get lucky isn't the way for our Buffy to go out. Saving her sister, her friends, oh yeah, and the entire world? That's a bit more fitting. This moment easily settles into the number one spot because it's so perfect in every way. Buffy's own resolve face and even a little bit of joy at finally being able to rest. Her heroic, unhesitating swan dive off of Glory's tower into the portal. Dawn's courage when she realizes that she has to die in order to close the portal and her fear at realizing what Buffy plans to do. Willow's initial desire to run to Buffy's side. Xander's stunned disbelief. The look on Giles' face, as he realizes that the moment he's been dreading for five years has finally come to pass. Spike's complete breakdown. All under Buffy's final words to her friends to take care of each other. And live. For her. Finally, in traditional Buffy fashion, a little bit of morbid humour on the tombstone. This is the highest point of all Buffy season enders; once you kill off your title character, you pretty much peak. This moment is absolutely beautiful, every element coming together to create the perfect send-off for Buffy, and encapsulates why it is that this show is great. It makes me laugh and it makes me cry. It allows me to think or it allows me to escape. You can walk away from Buffy with as much or as little as you want to get out of it, and that's why I love it so much.
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