God, I want to do a series re-watch of this show so bad. I had to do my One Tree Hill re-watch this summer and push this one to the back burner for the time being. It's been nearly a year since I've watched all my Buffy episodes. Unacceptable!
Okay, now I feel the random need to list my favorite episodes. In chronological order.
Angel (Classic season 1. Compelling romance and action. I absolutely love the fight scene in the Bronze and the dailogue between Buffy and Angel that comes before it.)
Prophecy Girl (Buffy's "I quit" speech to Giles and Angel is one of my all-time faves.)
When She Was Bad (While I don't think it is the strongest episode of all time, something about it has always clicked with me. Buffy's sexy dance with Xander while Willow and Angel looked on was just a brilliantly crafted scene that utilized PERFECT music.)
Innocence (The turning point that showed what this little show could really be.)
Passion (Angel's narration is epic. The scene where Giles finds Jenny will always, in my mind, be the most unsettling of the entire show.)
Becoming Part 2 (My all-time favorite and it will never change. As far as I'm concerned, this was the only perfect hour of TV I've seen.)
Band Candy (The episode where I realized Giles was absolutely amazing in every single way. It's really a hilarious one.)
Lover's Walk (Makesme wish Spike had been in all of Season 3. Hilarious and somehow adorable.)
The Zeppo (The Xander-centric eps tend to be forgotten, but I think this one is a hidden gem.)
Dopplegangland (I firmly believe that the scene where Willow walks into the library to find Buffy, Xander, and Giles mourning her "death" is the funniest scene of the show.)
Earshot (A real-world issue with a Buffy twist. Plus, Sarah Michelle Gellar looked insanely beautiful in this one.)
Graduation Day Part 2 (That battle scene with the students banding together to fight is EPIC.)
Something Blue (I'd always thought Spike and Buffy could be interesting, and even though this one was all played for a joke, it was proof of that to me.)
Who Are You? (It has everything. Humor, great acting, a great storyline, but more importantly, a HUGE emotional resonance with Faith's character.)
Restless (Even though I'll never understand the whole thing, I love that I can go back and pick up on something new EVERY single time.)
Fool for Love (We waited so long for a Spike flashback episode, and it didn't disappoint. The writing in this one was incredible. The "every slayer has a death wish" is foreshadowing at its best, brilliantly acted by both parties involved.)
Into the Woods (Even though Buffy/Riley are the focus of this one, it's actually Xander that makes me love it so much. When he tells Anya how in love with her he is, I melt every time, because it's so understatedly beautiful.)
Crush (Yes, this one is silly and fun, but I love it!)
Intervention (Who doesn't love the Buffybot? She's so adorable and clueless.)
Spiral (Probably some of the most incredible action sequences of the entire show. This episode just doesn't stop. It's quite a ride.)
The Gift (With the exception of Becoming Part 2, I think this is the best Season finale. I would consider it a perfect episode if Glory had been the one to bleed Dawn and not the creepy guy, who was just so random.)
Afterlife (An odd choice, I know, as the demon in this one was so lame and uninteresting. But I think this episode is probably one of the most underrated of the show. SMG is brilliant with her acting in it. She's so detached, and it's so sad to watch.)
Once More, With Feeling (No other show could pull this off so well. Many have tried since, and none have done it as well as Buffy. Add in the fact that this was actually quite the important, pivotal episode of the season, and you've got genius.)
Tabula Rasa (Yes, it was a great excuse to pull season 6 out of its darkness and despair for a minute. Yes, it was hilarious. Spike and Giles were the best.)
Dead Things (Thematically, I think this episode is darkly beautiful and so underrated.)
Beneath You (The image of Spike burning on the cross is probably my favorite image of the entire show.)
Storyteller (Oh, Andrew, you are the best. But I love that this episode surprises us by actually letting him develop as a character, and by actually having a deeper thematic meaning.)
Lies My Parents Told Me (The parallels between Spike's and Robin Wood's stories were brilliantly drawn. Love it.)
Touched (Contains my favorite Spuffy moments when they rest on the bed together. Gorgeous.)
Chosen (While not quite as epic as Becoming Part 2 or The Gift, I did feel that the series finale was amazing and appropriate. Tied everything up while still leaving some room for speculation about the future.)
Well, I tried to narrow it dow nand obviously failed miserably. It's just impossible for me to even do a Top 20 for this show. It has to be 30.