Unless you’ve been living under (or on) the Hellmouth, you’re probably aware that this week marks the 20th anniversary of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This little TV show that could, born from an ill-received flop of a movie, reemerged as an expected to fail mid-season replacement. What followed, though, was seven seasons of some of the best storytelling that ever graced the small screen. And although not every season was equally beloved, each one still had more than a handful of standout episodes that, like Buffy herself, were destined to become legend.
Read on to find out what I think were the single best episodes from every season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
6. Season Six, Episode Seven – “Once More, With Feeling”
Perhaps the most famous episode of Buffy, “One More, With Feeling” is often credited with inspiring the trend to do musical episodes (or in cases like My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, entire series). But what gave the episode that extra edge was how brilliantly the musical idea was worked into the narrative. Rather than have the singing and dancing just sort of happen, they are worked heavily into the plot and larger arc going on in the season. In many ways, it’s THE episode where every characters motivation, inner-most feelings, and relationships with each other is laid bare. Plus on a surface level, it’s just plain fun, catchy, and entertaining. You’ll be humming the songs long after you watch it.
