#70: "She's with me."
5x22 - "The Gift"
A sizeable chunk of the end of season 5 was devoted to Willow's power surge, and it culminated in this exciting scene that kicked off the final battle against Glory. The way Willow swings into the shot before delivering her double-edged line and then pulling off a flashy reverse brain suck that sends everyone flying was the perfect way to immediately leap into the final moments of the season with both feet. I can watch this one again and again and it still gives me goosebumps.
#69: Proud Papa
3x21 - "Graduation Day, part 1"
I love Faith and I love the Mayor, but even more than that I love Faith and the Mayor. Throughout the season, I kept waiting for one to betray the other. For the Mayor to turn a treacherous eye to Faith, or for Faith to snap at an order and go for the jugular. But those betrayals never came, and this is the moment when I realized that they never would. The true father/daughter love between these two villainous characters is never more clear than in this touching scene. Faith is, for perhaps the first time, worried about somebody more than herself, and wants so badly to not let the Mayor down. For his part, his unconditional love for Faith seems to give his Ascension an even greater worth, like he's creating a "better" world for his child. The emotions run deep and true, so much so that you almost forget that they're plotting to kill just about everybody in town. Almost.
#68: Every Night I Save You
6x03 - "After Life"
Spike's speech here to Buffy is straight from his unbeating heart. There's no doubt whatsoever that every word he's speaking is true. That he replays that horrible night at Glory's tower every single day, doing something just a little bit different or being just a little bit faster and making it so Buffy didn't have to jump. I'm positive that Spike isn't alone in this. Most of, if not all of the Scoobies would be in the same place. The big difference between them is that I doubt very much they would ever say so. Spike on the other hand pretty much always says what's on his mind, and his underlying pleas for forgiveness at failing her are touching.
#67: Happy to Sad in One Cut
7x05 - "Selfless"
I was sure this was it. I was so positive in this moment that we'd just seen the death of Anya. Forgetting, of course, that Halfreck had already proven that you can't kill a vengeance demon with a silly little thing like a sword in the chest. All I could think about was poor Anya. This one was an editing triumph, since we'd just come into this shot from Anya's "lost" song from the events surrounding "Once More, With Feeling". When things were happier, before all the altar-dumping, vengeance-returning, frat boy-massacring. Things were so promising for Anya, and she was clearly so happy. And then, before she can even finish her song -- this. Thankfully Anya lived for another 17 episodes, but she was really never again able to reclaim the happy she lost in "Hell's Bells", and this scene becomes a foreshadow of that tragedy.
#66: D&D
7x22 - "Chosen"
It's the night before the epic battle against unspeakable horrors and a legion of undead monsters. What do you? Why, you pretend you're fighting a epic battle against unspeakable horrors and a legion of undead monsters. This scene is so cute, and somehow oddly perfect. I particularly love Giles' complaint that, "I used to be a highly respected Watcher, and now I'm a wounded dwarf with the mystical strength of a doily."
#65: Nobody Watches Us
7x12 - "Potential"
Xander's the regular guy. That's his job. Everyone else is the Slayer, the witch, the ex-demon, the Watcher, the vampire, the Key, the werewolf. Xander's always just the regular guy. The guy who fixes the windows. And he never complains, he just fixes up those windows and gets the doughnuts and provides the comic relief. Despite what he believes, he is the hero of this piece because he has no powers. Xander is truly the heart of the Scooby gang, and watching this scene it's clear to see why. Nobody loves his girls like Xander does, and he'll never give up on any one of them. He may think that nobody watches him, but we do. We always do.
#64: Visitation
7x04 - "Help"
For a scene that consists of only three words ("Hey. It's me."), the moment when Willow first visits Tara's grave manages to convey so much. This one is all about the subtlety, though. As always, Alyson Hannigan proves she's the master of facial expressions, with just the right amount of sadness to make it real without being overly melodramatic. The tracing of the name, the nice Jewish touch of placing the stones ... Just the simple, quiet nature of mourning makes it so moving, and an appropriate (and welcome) contrast to the explosion of grief at the end of the previous season.
#63: Making Up is the Best Part
6x19 - "Seeing Red"
Well you know happiness can't last in the Buffyverse, it's like a rule or something. But for a couple of seconds there, absolutely everything is right. Xander takes a huge step towards growing up in this scene, and I think it's here that he finally comes to terms with his unrequited six-year crush on Buffy. Buffy's fallen hard off of the pedestal he had enshrined her on way back in high school, but through no small amount of soul searching, he comes to accept what he already knows: Buffy isn't perfect. And he's okay with them loving each other as friends. For Buffy's part, her biggest, darkest secret is out, and despite his initial reaction, Xander isn't rejecting her. Her words here show so much hope for her getting through all this badness and the bond between these two becomes stronger than ever, right when it's at its weakest and right when they need it most of all.
#62: "You're gonna back off!"
6x14 - "Older and Far Away"
You know whenever Tara actually gets angry you're in for a memorable time, and this is certainly no exception. She and Willow may be on the outs at the moment, but we see here that when the chips are down, Tara has never left Willow's corner. This scene goes a long way towards healing the rift between our two witches, although as always it's very subtle. Tara stays out of the confrontation long enough to know that Willow is remaining solidly on the high ground before stepping in and telling Anya to shove it. As for Willow, she regains a bucket load of muchly needed confidence when Tara praises her later for staying strong, and you can actually see the little spark of hope reignited when Tara stands up for her. It's amazing to think that this Tara is the same one who was so shy in "Hush" that she could barely form a complete sentence.
#61: A Miracle
5x16 - "The Body"
I was sucked in so hard by this scene. I thought that Joyce had been revived. I wanted it to be true so badly, I didn't even question it. She was going to be okay, everything was going to be okay. Then, of course, reality comes crashing back, and we see it's all been in Buffy's head. Joyce is dead, and there's nothing to be done about it. With my little hopes risen so quickly only to be dashed again, I admit it -- I cried. Hard. (Well, okay, harder; I'd been crying pretty much since the beginning.) Brutal stuff, but then that's what "The Body" is all about really. Death isn't nice, it isn't pretty. It's cruel and pointless and no amount of wishing and make-believe can ever change that.
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