30 Days of TV - Day 6
Day 01 - A show that never should have been canceled
Day 02 - A show you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Seriously? You want me to pick a favorite episode? Why not just ask which of my children I love most? (If I had children. Which I don't. So, never mind.)
For reals, though, this is always a challenge because on the one hand I don't want to be cliche and pick the ones that everybody picks. But on the other hand, there's a reason those episodes are so popular. Which still doesn't help in getting me down to one single episode. Okay, we should do this systematically. Choose a favorite episode from each season, and then narrow it down from there. GAH. Okay.
Season 1: Well, this is easy, because there's only one episode that really stands out as being of the same quality as the rest of the show. Prophecy Girl is where we really see what being the Slayer means, what the sacrifices are. That scene in the library is gorgeous, and SMG knocks it out of the park.
Season 2: This one's is a little harder, but I think I have to go with Innocence. (My runners up would be Becoming 2 and Lie To Me.) Dude. ROCKET LAUNCHER. Oh, you need more than that? How about that devastating morning after scene? I'm not even invested in Buffy/Angel as a ship, but if you make Buffy cry, you make me cry. Plus, it's our first glimpse of Angelus, back when he was still just awesome evil potential, before he descended into killing fish and being generally ineffective. That sweet moment with Buffy and Giles, and the heartstring-pulling as Buffy lets her birthday candle burn. Oh, and did I mention the ROCKET LAUNCHER?
Season 3: I was about to say that this season is the hardest of all because it doesn't have stand-out episodes. It has good episodes, and less good ones, but nothing on the scale of Hush or OMWF. And then I remembered Helpless. When people talk about Buffy as a feminist role model, this is what we mean. Or at least, it's what I mean. Because it's not about Buffy being physically strong. It's about her being intelligent and innovative and brave and determined. It's about defying authority and telling the patriarchy to go shove it. It's about walking into a trap in order to save her mother. It's about forgiveness in the face of betrayal. It's about Buffy being awesome, even without super powers.
Season 4: Okay, I know a lot of people looooooove Restless, but I just can't get into it. I get it (please don't explain it to me), but dream sequences are not really my thing. So I'm gonna go with Hush, which... also has a dream sequence, but it also has clever themes and one of the scariest MOTW ever and it's one of the first instances of Joss really stretching beyond his comfort zone, removing the thing he does best (dialogue) for much of the episode.
Season 5: Man, while The Body is another example of Joss stretching beyond his comfort zone, and Fool For Love is five kinds of awesome, I've got to give it to The Gift. It's my favorite season finale of the entire series. I love that it's a team effort, that everyone has an important role to play, because as much as I love Buffy, I love the rest of them, too. I love Buffy's "that's what I keep saying" at the beginning. I love the little Spuffy moment. And I know intellectually the Key thing doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but gah, the LOVE between Buffy and Dawn is so intense that the rest of it doesn't matter. I adore them in this episode - I love Buffy willing to protect Dawn even if it means the end of the world, I love Dawn being willing to sacrifice herself to stop it, and I love Buffy taking her place because she can. This is one place where I cry. Every. Single. Time.
Season 6: Okay, do you expect anything else besides Once More With Feeling? Because if you do, you need to go take a gander at my unironic musical love tag and come back, because music/acting is my OTP. But the thing is, it's not just that it's a musical episode - it's that it's a good musical episode, the best one I've ever seen. It's not just novelty songs loosely strung together - it's all very much grounded in the story, and it's actually a crucial turning point for every major arc of the season. Plus it's meta about musicals in the same way [title of show] is, and, you know, most of the people can actually sing.
Season 7: Hmmm. I take it back, season 3 isn't the one with no stand-out episodes. Season 7 is. There are a lot of stand-out moments - the church scene in Beneath You, the rocket launcher in Him, Buffy rescuing Spike in Showtime, Xander and Dawn's scene in Potential, Xander's speech in Dirty Girls, Spike's speech in Touched. But no one episode that is just through-and-through awesome. I think I might go with Sleeper, though, because it's a Spike episode and I'm predictable.
And you know what? I'm not going to narrow it down any further. So there. Take that, meme. I won't be confined by your petty superlatives. I love them ALL. (Besides, we all know it would be OMWF.)
And the rest of the days, for those who want to play along...
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 - Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best TV show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 28 - First TV show obsession
Day 29 - Current TV show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death
Day 02 - A show you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Seriously? You want me to pick a favorite episode? Why not just ask which of my children I love most? (If I had children. Which I don't. So, never mind.)
For reals, though, this is always a challenge because on the one hand I don't want to be cliche and pick the ones that everybody picks. But on the other hand, there's a reason those episodes are so popular. Which still doesn't help in getting me down to one single episode. Okay, we should do this systematically. Choose a favorite episode from each season, and then narrow it down from there. GAH. Okay.
Season 1: Well, this is easy, because there's only one episode that really stands out as being of the same quality as the rest of the show. Prophecy Girl is where we really see what being the Slayer means, what the sacrifices are. That scene in the library is gorgeous, and SMG knocks it out of the park.
Season 2: This one's is a little harder, but I think I have to go with Innocence. (My runners up would be Becoming 2 and Lie To Me.) Dude. ROCKET LAUNCHER. Oh, you need more than that? How about that devastating morning after scene? I'm not even invested in Buffy/Angel as a ship, but if you make Buffy cry, you make me cry. Plus, it's our first glimpse of Angelus, back when he was still just awesome evil potential, before he descended into killing fish and being generally ineffective. That sweet moment with Buffy and Giles, and the heartstring-pulling as Buffy lets her birthday candle burn. Oh, and did I mention the ROCKET LAUNCHER?
Season 3: I was about to say that this season is the hardest of all because it doesn't have stand-out episodes. It has good episodes, and less good ones, but nothing on the scale of Hush or OMWF. And then I remembered Helpless. When people talk about Buffy as a feminist role model, this is what we mean. Or at least, it's what I mean. Because it's not about Buffy being physically strong. It's about her being intelligent and innovative and brave and determined. It's about defying authority and telling the patriarchy to go shove it. It's about walking into a trap in order to save her mother. It's about forgiveness in the face of betrayal. It's about Buffy being awesome, even without super powers.
Season 4: Okay, I know a lot of people looooooove Restless, but I just can't get into it. I get it (please don't explain it to me), but dream sequences are not really my thing. So I'm gonna go with Hush, which... also has a dream sequence, but it also has clever themes and one of the scariest MOTW ever and it's one of the first instances of Joss really stretching beyond his comfort zone, removing the thing he does best (dialogue) for much of the episode.
Season 5: Man, while The Body is another example of Joss stretching beyond his comfort zone, and Fool For Love is five kinds of awesome, I've got to give it to The Gift. It's my favorite season finale of the entire series. I love that it's a team effort, that everyone has an important role to play, because as much as I love Buffy, I love the rest of them, too. I love Buffy's "that's what I keep saying" at the beginning. I love the little Spuffy moment. And I know intellectually the Key thing doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but gah, the LOVE between Buffy and Dawn is so intense that the rest of it doesn't matter. I adore them in this episode - I love Buffy willing to protect Dawn even if it means the end of the world, I love Dawn being willing to sacrifice herself to stop it, and I love Buffy taking her place because she can. This is one place where I cry. Every. Single. Time.
Season 6: Okay, do you expect anything else besides Once More With Feeling? Because if you do, you need to go take a gander at my unironic musical love tag and come back, because music/acting is my OTP. But the thing is, it's not just that it's a musical episode - it's that it's a good musical episode, the best one I've ever seen. It's not just novelty songs loosely strung together - it's all very much grounded in the story, and it's actually a crucial turning point for every major arc of the season. Plus it's meta about musicals in the same way [title of show] is, and, you know, most of the people can actually sing.
Season 7: Hmmm. I take it back, season 3 isn't the one with no stand-out episodes. Season 7 is. There are a lot of stand-out moments - the church scene in Beneath You, the rocket launcher in Him, Buffy rescuing Spike in Showtime, Xander and Dawn's scene in Potential, Xander's speech in Dirty Girls, Spike's speech in Touched. But no one episode that is just through-and-through awesome. I think I might go with Sleeper, though, because it's a Spike episode and I'm predictable.
And you know what? I'm not going to narrow it down any further. So there. Take that, meme. I won't be confined by your petty superlatives. I love them ALL. (Besides, we all know it would be OMWF.)
And the rest of the days, for those who want to play along...
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 - Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best TV show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 28 - First TV show obsession
Day 29 - Current TV show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death