For anyone who can't watch the video for whatever reasons, these are Joss's Top 10 (in descending order):
10. Prophecy Girl (1-12)
9. Conversations With Dead People (7-7)
8. Restless (4-22)
7. Becoming, Part 2 (2-22)
6. The Wish (3-9)
5. Doppelgangland (3-15)
4. The Body (5-15)
3. Hush (4-10)
2. Once More, With Feeling (6-7)
1. Innocence (2-14)First off, I find it rather amusing that all but one episodes that Joss listed were written and directed by himself (the exception being Conversations with Dead People). While I agree that he's the most talented writer on the show, if I were in his position, I'd have a hard time listing any episodes that I did, as opposed to the vast majority of them.
Each season had an episode which made the list, with seasons 2, 3, and 4 having two episodes up there. While I agree that the second and third seasons are fantastic, I think season 4 really dropped the ball - but as this list shows (if people agree with it), it did at least contain some cool episodes.
Much as The Wish and Doppelgangland are enjoyable episodes, I was surprised to see them make the list, and I think that as entertaining as they are, the series has had better episodes. I was also surprised to see that Becoming 2 ranked so low on the list, while Innocence was his top choice. And although we're trying to keep to Joss's list, I was surprised to see that Chosen didn't rate at all.
As my thoughts on the episodes, my thoughts are as follows:
Prophecy Girl - This was the episode which really got me addicted to Buffy. I'd been watching since Welcome to the Hellmouth, and had really been enjoying the show. That said, episodes like Witch and Teacher's Pet were grating on me a bit, limiting my patience for the show. But Prophecy Girl really made me take notice of what a great show Buffy is.
Conversations With Dead People - I can see that my opinions on this episode are going to cause a little controversy.
But I'll openly admit that I love it. The use of "Blue" by Angie Hart was put to beautiful effect in the episode, and gave it a great tone. Granted, Cassie was used in Tara's place due to Amber Benson's unavailability, but it seemed to work better for screwing with Willow.
Restless - I really like this episode. It was something completely different for the series, and worked as an interesting coda for the, um... "troubled" fourth season. It touched upon many of the story arcs and themes inherent in the characters, and managed act as a great character study. It was definitely a "different" choice for a season finale, and I suspect that it was spurred by nobody really caring too much about the whole Adam thing.
Becoming, Part 2 - In many ways, this is the episode where Buffy grew up (before running away, that is
). She's foced to come to terms with Angelus and her torn feelings, and realises that the only way to save the world is to destroy the man she loves. We get some great Spike moments. And Buffy's life just gets hard in general. Season 2 was in many ways a Gothic opera, with the Becoming episodes bringing it full circle. One of my all-time favourites.
The Wish - Okay, I'm a sucker for alternate realities. Cordelia being Cordelia, inadvertantly creates a new reality, with the help of Anya (and who thought this would be the introduction of a classic character?) where Buffy never moved to Sunnydale. It's an almost dystopian world, and parts are cliche'd, but we get to see the characters in a new light. How would Giles be without a Slayer? Does Oz actually have the balls to get in there and fight? And what would Xander and Willow be like if they were vampires? And it was a catalyst for...
Doppelgangland - A funny, if mostly inconsequential episode. The moment where "evil Willow" gets transported to Sunnydale proper right before her staking is priceless, as is the humour of mistaken identiy between both Willows. The scene where "good Willow" has to impersonate "evil Willow" was also great. There was also a bit of foreshadowing between Willow being gay, and turning evil, though I'm not convinced that this was intended (though when it came down to creating the later episodes, I think they were played off it).
The Body - Quite possibly, the most upsetting episode of TV I've ever seen. It's a brutally honest take on death, and how people respond to losing a loved one. Joss made the decision that there would be no music in the episode, instead letting the drama speak for itself. It didn't "cheat" the audience into being sad, instead, it was raw and visceral. The only humour in the episode came through Anya, and even that lead to her heartbreaking speech about not understanding mortality.
Hush - It's interesting that The Body didn't include any music, and yet Hush used it to great effect, especially in the silent portions. Joss really channeled Tim Burton here, with his use of fairy tale inspired horror, and the creepiness inherent to the Gentlemen. This is an episode that could have easily fallen flat on it's face and been an embarassment to al involved, but it was pulled off brilliantly. The episode was all about communication - which also lead to some brilliant humour regarding miscommunication - and this lead to Buffy and Riley getting together. However, it's mostly a stand alone episode, and still worked nicely.
Once More, With Feeling - Who doesn't love a musical, especially one that manages to sneak in a Magnolia reference?
Most of the cast had adequate voices, with James Marsters, Anthony Stewart Head, and Amber Benson all showing that they have some great musical talent. Despite the music, the episode was entrenched in continuity, with Buffy still being screwed up from her return from Heaven, Willow's magical problem, and Giles coming to the realisation that he will have to leave. The humour was there, the drama was there, the action was there, along with great setpieces, and ofcourse, the music.
Innocence - Sex is evil. And so is Angelus. The episode starts with us worried about Angel after the cliffhanger at the end of Surprise, and has us hating Angelus afterwards. The Judge was a little boring, but he was only there as another threat to distract the Scoobies, while the question of how evil Angelus really is lingered in everyone's minds. It was metaphorical for the whole "Will he still love me in the morning", was poignant, and had some great acting from SMG.
Okay, this post has gotten way longer than I'd intended it to be, and I'm sure everyone's bored with my thoughts by now. But I'll quickly wrap up with how I'd rank these episodes (off the top of my head, not having seen them in a while).
10. The Wish
9. Innocence
8. Doppelgangland
7. Prophecy Girl
6. Restless
5. Conversations With Dead People
4. Hush
3. Becoming, Part 2
2. Once More, With Feeling
1. The BodyOkay. Done now.
But I'll openly admit that I love it. The use of "Blue" by Angie Hart was put to beautiful effect in the episode, and gave it a great tone. Granted, Cassie was used in Tara's place due to Amber Benson's unavailability, but it seemed to work better for screwing with Willow.
). She's foced to come to terms with Angelus and her torn feelings, and realises that the only way to save the world is to destroy the man she loves. We get some great Spike moments. And Buffy's life just gets hard in general. Season 2 was in many ways a Gothic opera, with the Becoming episodes bringing it full circle. One of my all-time favourites.
Angel being kill by Buffy well sorta killed since she didn't kill him he was just sucked into another world.
He did create it after all.