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I've seen every episode of Buffy
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Posted by: ClutchBrake

Well, after TiVo picked up an episode of Buffy a few months ago I decided to try it after hearing all the raves here. The 1st and 2nd season DVDs came shortly after, seasons 3 and 4 came from FX, 5 and 6 came from a generous benefactor, and 7 from DTiVo.
I finally caught up completely last night. Wow, what a ride. Season 6 started off boring to me but ended up blowing every other season out of the water. However, season 7 has been rock solid for 10 episodes. If they keep this pace up it could be the best season of any show I have ever watched.
After having seen everything, I want to list my my favorite finished seasons (I know that has been done here before) and the best Buffy moment ever.

Seasons:
6
2
3
4
1
5

(Major spoiler, DO NOT READ unless you have finished season 6. I mean it... DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE FINISHED SEASON 6.)

Best Buffy moment EVER!

Spoiler Alert! (highlight to read)
Season 6

Episode 21: Two to Go

Rupert Giles

"I'd like to test that theory."

Hell yes!!! I had no idea he was coming back. I literally screamed "YEAH!!!" when it cut to him and he delivered that line. It would have been a close call between Tara being shot and that line but someone posted here without spoiler tags about Tara so it lessened the shock. The scene was still incredibly visceral and shocking, but I knew she was going to die in season 6 so it lessened the overall effect.

So, a big Thank You to all of you who raved about this and got me hooked. Another big Thank You to my generous benefactor for helping me out with seasons 5 and 6. Without being able to see them all in order it would have really taken away from the overall effect.
For all of you who have not watched Buffy, take my advice and do it now. Get seasons 1, 2, and 3 on DVD (3 comes out this month, I believe.). Catch 4, 5, and 6 on FX or UPN. Trust me, you won't regret it.

Posted by: Timbeau

I had watched a couple of Buffy's last year or the year before and couldn't seem to finish them. After seeing the ever present thread(s) about Buffy here, I decided it was time to make a concerted effort to see it. I setup an SP and got 5 episodes from 1997 or 1998 taped. I started watching one, the one where Lance (I think that is his name) went to the zoo and got "taken over" by the hyenas. Well, after about 20 minutes I found I couldn't keep my mind on it. I'd really like to get into watching this show, there are a large number of episodes that can be watched and that is alway good. Am I just seeing bad episodes so far? What gives?

Posted by: Robin

ClutchBrake, I pity you. I remember the days of having loads of buffys in the queue to be watching at my leisure. Now you've joined the hordes of us who wait, salivating, for the next ep to appear.

Timbeau, watching from the beginning makes a big difference. I'd caught a handful of episodes without getting hooked--it wasn't until I bought the season 1 DVDs (well, obviously I liked it enough to buy the DVDs!) that it was a head-over-heels religion sort of thing. I'm not up on the Fx schedule, but if you can watch them from the beginning give that a try. Or rent or borrow the DVDs--Fx's reruns are snipped.

Handy tip for Discover Card holders: your cash back award can be redeemed for $40 Borders gift certificates, which can in turn be used at Amazon.com. Pair that with a $5 coupon (there are a couple available) and a Buffy or Angel box set can be yours for almost nothing out of pocket (technically $20, since you could have cashed out your award.)

[Edit: Rats. You can't combine the GC with the $5 coupon, so the end cost is $5.]

Posted by: ClutchBrake

The episode you are referring to is The Pack. I thought it was a poor episode. In all honesty, I didn't think the first season was very good. It was a mid-season replacement show and only had 11 episodes (12 if you count Welcome to the Hellmouth/The Harvest as two episodes). Watch the first episode(s) and then I recommend Angel, The Puppet Show, Nightmares, Out of Mind, Out of Sight, and Prophecy Girl.
Season 2 is when the show really takes off. There were a few mediocre episodes in seasons 2 and 3 but I didn't think there was another horrible episode until Beer Bad in season 4.
Season 5 was too gloomy and repetitive for me. The Big Bad was utterly lame and annoying. The first 3rd of season 6 was also a little gloomy for my taste. It more than made up for it with the rest of the season though.

Posted by: zaknafein

Clutch and I are in the same boat. I just finished 7x10 a couple weeks ago, after starting from 1x01 back in September, and am now in the horde of salivating fans.

7 has been so good it's almost unbelievable. 2 is still my favorite, but only because the latter 1/3 of that season was so well executed it left me in shock. If 7 continues on it's current path, there will be no contest.

I also liked 6 for the most part. There were a couple of flops (Doublemeat Palace) but I think Joss conveyed the mood perfectly. The Scoobies were in the lowest, worst position they have ever been in. Not because of an adversary, but because of what they had done to themselves. Yes, it was dark, but it worked.

Posted by: DanT

[GOD mode]
And the DanT said "Go forth, and spread the Buffy love."
[/GOD mode]

I think generous benefactors (and even not-so-generous profit-seekers) everywhere are responsible for a lot of Buffy fans. I got hooked on Buffy during Season 4, and realized I was missing a lot of backstory and a lot of inside jokes, so I went searching for Seasons 1-3. This was back in early 2000, so the DVDs weren't even announced yet. I got them on EP-mode Nth-generation VHS tapes, and somewhere along the way a mono VCR had been used as the source to a stereo VCR because I only had sound in the left channel, and that sound was incredibly painful because of a high-pitched background hiss. But even with the horrible picture and sound quality, I didn't care. Even though I spent more than I would eventually spend on the DVDs, I didn't care. I was just happy. (If I'd been smart, I would have thought about searching usenet, but it was one of the many things I'd forgotten over the years. It also would have taken longer, having to wait for those 56 episodes to eventually be reposted.)

And I concur with CB that "The Pack" is a poor episode. In my mind, it's the second-worst of the entire First Season, only surpassed by the laughable "I Robot, You Jane" episode.

Posted by: rexdart

I will be joining you shortly Clutch. I started the last turn on FX with the second episode of season 2.

The Halloween and Thanksgiving marathons fundamentally altered my upgrade timetable on the TiVo. I had not planned to do it so soon but I would not have made it if I didn't. Having watched live since The Gift, I found myself recording season six when FX got there. Strangely enough, I have not stopped TiVo from recording now that season two is up again and I am back where I started! It's like being at the end of a rollercoaster and someone asking if you would like to go again....

HELL YA!

:D

I would also like to point out, as indicator of the show's cohesiveness and awesomeness (hehe) that I love that I can say "The Gift" and every single one of you out there (fans) knows what I am talking about. That would be fine testament to a show that ran for three years forget 6.5! About the only other show that could come close to that would be Babylon 5, "A voice in the Wilderness", "Babylon Squared", "The Deconstruction of Fallen Stars", etc. Even there, I remember the episodes but cannot quite as readily pinpoint their position within the series.

Posted by: Lori

Clutch--you didn't like season five? But Glory had the best minions! :)

We started watching cold at the beginning of season four. John had seen "Helpless" and that was all--I had seen nothing. I am not even sure why we started, but I am so glad we did. It has been the most rewarding TV experience of my life.

Rex, I know what you mean about going again--I have seen every episode to date, yet I still have an FX season pass. Every single night, the same arrangement--John comes home, we fix dinner and he asks, "What Buffy Tonight?" Unless it's Beer Bad, or Doublemeat Palace or Amends, we will usually sit and watch, cause, you know, a Buffy that you've seen 10 times is still way better than anything else. :)

Posted by: rexdart

Now I must ask, is Amends considered one of the less than good episodes? I imagine it must be because you list it as one of your "can do without seeing again" episodes.

Is it because of the hokiness at the end?

Posted by: JYoung

the local Fox affiliate ran "The Gift" the other day and it still brings a tear to my eye...

Posted by: zaknafein

quote:
Originally posted by rexdart
Now I must ask, is Amends considered one of the less than good episodes? I imagine it must be because you list it as one of your "can do without seeing again" episodes.

Is it because of the hokiness at the end?

Interesting that she listed Amends. It's not one of my favorite episodes, but it wouldn't make my list of ones to skip. I would have listed Beer Bad, Ted, and Doublemeat Palace as the thre biggest stinkers.

But, a bad buffy is still not that bad.

In fact, I went back to my season 3 DVDs a while back and watched Amends to refresh my memory about The First.

Posted by: Lori

Euuwww. Ted. I repress that one. :)

Actually, Amends is an episode that both my husband and our Buffy buddy Heaton loathe, and yes, it's because of the cheesiness of the ending. I get the impression that it isn't well-regarded overall, and doubt that it makes many top 25 lists.

Me, I think it's allright...I could do without the snow at the end, and as Joss episodes go, it's a little with the heavy hand, but I like the line, "if you die now, then all that you ever
were was a monster."

quote:
In fact, I went back to my season 3 DVDs a while back and watched Amends to refresh my memory about The First.

We did that, too...we just stopped it before the snowfall. :)

But, to rein back in an impossible long and rambling answer, we usually skip that one cause John hates it. :)

Posted by: rhuntington3

I still have not seen the episode "Hush". I recorded the FX run all the way through twice but for some reason, keep missing that episode.

Posted by: LoadStar

All the above mentioned episodes, I'd have to say, pale in comparison to the unbelievable stinkiness of season 2's episode "Bad Eggs." Is there anyone that actually liked this episode? The only redeeming quality that it had was that it coined the term "bezoars," which if you frequent the "Buffy Cross & Stake" web board, you've likely seen before.

Ted, overall, was just a fairly blah episode... nothing horrible about it for me, just nothing spectacular.

Beer Bad, for me, had some amusing comedic elements that save the episode. Besides - who doesn't like seeing Parker get clubbed? Twice? :)

And as for Doublemeat Palace - the worst part of the episode was the Doublemeat Palace subplot that Buffy got stuck with through the rest of S6. This episode wasn't so much bad as just totally disappointing.

Posted by: Philosofy

EVERY episode? Even the unaired pilot, with a different actress as Willow?

Posted by: rexdart

quote:
Originally posted by Philosofy
EVERY episode? Even the unaired pilot, with a different actress as Willow?

had it, watched a little, and now that you bring it up and make me go digging through all my discs, I can't find it! :(

<sigh>

Posted by: Maui

Well, I don't agree with your season order Clutch but I will toss in a HELL YEAH! To that spoiler you mentioned. I did the same thing at that scene

It's sad I have actually had to start trying to avoid almost all Buffy topics here just so there might be a possibilty that I can have another moment like that. But people know how much I love the show and just keep wanting to blurt out things they have read about it.

Season 6 though ranks near the bottom of my list of seasons. The finale (actually the last several episodes) was great but the season as a whole was so inconsistant, the Spike/Buffy angle was overdone and I was not crazy about that. Episodes like doublemeat palace just drug it down.

Season 5 takes a spot near the top for me. Probably neck and neck with season 3 but coming in behind season 2 (my favorite) which was a true emotional roller coaster.

Season 1 was short but the last few episodes of that season were where the show started to get into it's groove.

Season 4 - All I have to say is I hated the Initiative so it is my least favorite season despite a few brilliant episodes like Hush

Season 7 - so far has been the most consistant season and if they can keep up the pace and come up with a killer finale it may jump into one of my tope slots.

Posted by: rexdart

It's so hard for me to rank the seasons like that. I want to, its just that having seen the entire series in one fell swoop over 2 and a half months, its tough.

I am 100% with Maui on the Spike/Buffy thing in season 6. I understand this season needed him to just be crushed last year, but the bathroom incident is probably where I formally thought, "ok, too much". Now, had they never "been" together, it possibly would have worked for me a little better. I don't know.

I have also read derision on the finale of season 6, I tend to go easy on that. Cheesy as it may have been, there really was only so much you could have done with that situation having pushed a major character so far beyond the edge like that. It seems the only ending that would have fit the power of that whole situation would have been the death of Willow at the hands of her friends and their having to deal with that. Any other season, maybe, but 6 was so dark and gloomy, ending it like that would have sent most of us into therapy :D.

Posted by: danielobvt

Last time I checked, there are still a couple of shows that were held out of the rotation on FX that UPN had reserved the rights to rebroadcast (because they make really good placeholder episodes). Maybe that has changed, but that was the situation as I recall from 6-9 months ago. When FX first ran Buffy last year there was some massive shouts from the fans as they noticed certain episodes were missing.

Posted by: ClutchBrake

quote:
Originally posted by Philosofy
EVERY episode? Even the unaired pilot, with a different actress as Willow?

Yup. I got it off Kazaa while I was waiting for my season 1 and 2 DVDs to arrive. Let's pretend that Willow never happened. ;)

Posted by: BBQ Chicken

I've seen 0 episodes of Buffy, but I wish I have seen them all, because then I could tell girls at parties.. they would be all over me!

Posted by: Robin

quote:
Originally posted by Philosofy
EVERY episode? Even the unaired pilot, with a different actress as Willow?

/me raises hand

I'll bet there are a lot of us who have!

Posted by: rickertk

quote:
Originally posted by danielobvt
Last time I checked, there are still a couple of shows that were held out of the rotation on FX that UPN had reserved the rights to rebroadcast (because they make really good placeholder episodes). Maybe that has changed, but that was the situation as I recall from 6-9 months ago. When FX first ran Buffy last year there was some massive shouts from the fans as they noticed certain episodes were missing.

Since July, FX has shown every episode from Seasons 1-5. Admittedly, they've often skipped some in one pass, only to show them sporadically at some later date, but they have shown all the episodes. I've seen "Hush" a couple of times on FX.
While they've been showing some season 6 episodes, there were 5 missing from their run through it in December. 4 of those aired on UPN over the holidays ("Normal Again", "Villains", "Two to Go", and "Grave").
So it seems pretty clear that UPN still has the rebroadcast rights on these.
The other one that FX didn't show was, of course, "Once More With Feeling", the only episode from seasons 1-6 that I haven't seen now.
I don't know whether UPN is still hanging onto that one as well, or not.

Keith

Posted by: murgatroyd

quote:
Originally posted by Maui
Well, I don't agree with your season order Clutch but I will toss in a HELL YEAH! To that spoiler you mentioned. I did the same thing at that scene.

Yet another obnoxious 'me too' post, but you and Clutch are not alone. What a great moment.

Jan

Posted by: Pie_People2

My favorite season was the season when Faith came in. (season 3 i think) Damn she was only like 18 at the time, but boy did she look good.

That episode where Xander and her got it on was an awesome episode.

I also liked the episode where all the parents were going to burn Buffy, Willow and Amy. that was awesome.

Also episodes involving Xander are very underrated.

Beer Bad was funny i thought.

Also season 3 rocked because i believe Cordelia, Faith & Enya were all on it together. Doesnt get better than that. IMO.

Posted by: dcheesi

quote:
Originally posted by Pie_People2
Also season 3 rocked because i believe Cordelia, Faith & Enya were all on it together. Doesnt get better than that. IMO.

Enya was on it? Funny, I don't remember any celtic/newAge music that season. . . ;)

Posted by: TiVaholic

After reading this very long thread, I've got a few things to throw in myself.

I've seen every episode (including unaired pilot- Wow, that Willow so didn't fit) except "Halloween" which I have set to record next week.

I actually really liked season 6, but that and season 5 were also pretty good for me. I think the only bad seasons were 1 (too many monster of the week-I hope Smallville changes that soon), but that set up a lot of the plot to come, and season 4 was really bad. That one episode where Buffy and Riley are in bed the entire episode and the vines were all around the house....that was probably the 'worst episode ever', I think.

One of my favorite episodes of the entire show is "Life Serial" just because of that one scene where Buffy had to satisify the one customer. The candles were funny as it is, and the mummy hand had me cracking up. Having seen the entire series since late July or early August, I remember a few small things, and lesser thought of episodes.

Also, in the beginning of season 6 when everyone is at the airport saying goodbye to Giles, I fell to the floor laughing when Tara brought the little monster gift up and said "Grrr, Arrg". I think that was the best joke of the entire show.

Yes, Anya was in season 3 (Xander took her to the prom).

Unfortunately, I started watching the series at "What's My Line, Part 1" season 2, so I didn't know a lot of the character history, and therefore didn't like the season as much, but hey, "Becoming" (that was the finale, right?) was enough to keep me watching.

Posted by: zaknafein

quote:
One of my favorite episodes of the entire show is "Life Serial" just because of that one scene where Buffy had to satisify the one customer. The candles were funny as it is, and the mummy hand had me cracking up.

Yes, that was a very good episode. In fact....

/me looks for heas season 5 box set.

Posted by: LoadStar

quote:
Originally posted by zaknafein
Yes, that was a very good episode. In fact....

/me looks for heas season 5 box set.

/me? Heh- another IRC addict like me that uses IRC commands, even when they won't work? ;) (It's bad when you start saying stuff out loud like "me does something or other" - people start looking at you funny...)

Anyway, "Life Serial" was Season 6, episode 5 - it was one of the first episodes with the Troika in action.

Posted by: zaknafein

quote:
Originally posted by LoadStar
/me? Heh- another IRC addict like me that uses IRC commands, even when they won't work? ;) (It's bad when you start saying stuff out loud like "me does something or other" - people start looking at you funny...)

Anyway, "Life Serial" was Season 6, episode 5 - it was one of the first episodes with the Troika in action.

So you are correct. And, those are the only one's I don't have on DVD.

Posted by: TiVaholic

quote:
Originally posted by LoadStar
/me? Heh- another IRC addict like me that uses IRC commands, even when they won't work? ;) (It's bad when you start saying stuff out loud like "me does something or other" - people start looking at you funny...)

Anyway, "Life Serial" was Season 6, episode 5 - it was one of the first episodes with the Troika in action.

Troika? The star wars truck?

Posted by: JimSpence

Next new episode of "Buffy" is Tuesday at 8pm entitled "Showtime". That's the good news, the bad news is that it'll be a two week wait for the next one. UPN is having a special called " UPN's Funky Flubs". Then another two week wait.:( Why can't network execs just leave things alone?

Posted by: Lori

Because they need to make sure that they have 12 episodes for sweeps, and 4-6 episodes to start the season. That leaves 4-6 episodes, max, to be spread out over the months of December, January, March and April.

Posted by: JimSpence

Gone are the days when series ran 26 weeks straight through starting in September, with maybe a break around the holidays. Well, I just gave away my age, didn't I?

Thank goodness for TiVo to catch the shows for you. Except I still have to use the VCR for Buffy. No locals here yet. And, I haven't decided whether to move, either.

Posted by: mrmike

quote:
Originally posted by LoadStar
All the above mentioned episodes, I'd have to say, pale in comparison to the unbelievable stinkiness of season 2's episode "Bad Eggs." Is there anyone that actually liked this episode? The only redeeming quality that it had was that it coined the term "bezoars," which if you frequent the "Buffy Cross & Stake" web board, you've likely seen before.

OK, I'll bite. This tickled my "saw it once in a random magikal book" sense, so I had to go look it up.

bezoar
\Be"zoar\, n. [F. b['e]zoard, fr. Ar. b[=a]zahr, b[=a]dizahr, fr. Per. p[=a]d-zahr bezoar; p[=a]d protecting + zahr poison; cf. Pg. & Sp. bezoar.] A calculous concretion found in the intestines of certain ruminant animals (as the wild goat, the gazelle, and the Peruvian llama) formerly regarded as an unfailing antidote for poison, and a certain remedy for eruptive, pestilential, or putrid diseases. Hence: Any antidote or panacea.

How do they use it on the web boards?

-MM

Posted by: filosophychic

I watched all of the series last spring/summer. I made it all the way through series 6 and then they get rid of UPN on my cable provider. I haven't seen one episode this season and I am upset. I have the hugest crush on Spike (the character)...so bad, but oh so good! My very favorite episode is the one where Buffy is invisible and she and Spike get caught in the act. YUMMY! I guess I will just be waiting for Fox or FX to air reruns this summer. Bummer!!

Posted by: zaknafein

quote:
Originally posted by filosophychic
I watched all of the series last spring/summer. I made it all the way through series 6 and then they get rid of UPN on my cable provider. I haven't seen one episode this season and I am upset. I have the hugest crush on Spike (the character)...so bad, but oh so good! My very favorite episode is the one where Buffy is invisible and she and Spike get caught in the act. YUMMY! I guess I will just be waiting for Fox or FX to air reruns this summer. Bummer!!

I'd PM you, but it appears you have PM disabled.

I've got 7x01-10 on DVD-R that I would be happy to send you. What DVD player do you have?

Posted by: rexdart

Well, just about finished with season 1, gonna watch Prophecy Girl later tonight.

Hmmm, took more effort than I thought. I suppose having originally started with Some Assembly Required I was tainted with the knowledge of how good it gets in season 2 and am anxious to get back there again.

Most of it was pretty much forgettable on the first pass. Hellmouth/Harvest, Angel, and Nightmares are really the only ones that "stuck". The Pack was ok if for no other reason than its oddity when held against the collective of season 1.

Ok, back to your more productive post reading! I gotta get back to the Mavs game! :D

Posted by: Lori

quote:
Originally posted by JimSpence
Gone are the days when series ran 26 weeks straight through starting in September, with maybe a break around the holidays. Well, I just gave away my age, didn't I?

I, too, have nostalgic memories of this...but the problem is, that they never really did it. I am not sure why we rememember it that way, but to accomplish 'starting in September and running straight through', you need closer to 36 episodes, even inclusding a Christmas break. Shows from the 70s and the 80s rarely filmed more than 24, and usually only 22, as we film now. Back in the 60s, Gunsmoke actually filmed 39 one year, but by the early 70s, it, too was down to under 25.

I find this puzzling, because I clearly remember fewer repeats when I was a kid. Or, maybe, I just had more of a life then? :)