Fabulous BB's Top 50 Most Memorable Scenes in The Buffyverse (Week 1)

[Tome]

****NOMINEE #1****

''The Future Is Ours''
(Buffy S3 Ep22 ~ Graduation Day: Part 2)



~~~~
Oz: Guys take a moment to deal with this: we survived.
Buffy: It was a hell of a battle!
Oz: Not the battle, high school.
~~~~

Tome's commentary: ''High school is over. What will happen next?'' That's what I remember thinking, back when I first saw this scene. This was sort of a series ending for me then. Having seen the first three seasons while they were airing (in French, of course), 14-year-old me stopped watching Buffy after that for around seven years! For me, the show had ended with them finishing high school. It was simply impossible to imagine the Gang in a different place. 😛

Anyhow, back to the scene at hand. Wasn't it just right for Oz to be the one asking for a moment of silence? Hahaha! 😉 ''We survived.'' Who didn't feel relieved after graduation? I don't know a single person who thought high school was anything but a jungle! Hell? That might be pushing it, but Joss sure digged that metaphor! 😛 In retrospect, this was the last appearance of Cordy on the show and I can't help but wonder if she'd have become as awesome on further seasons of BtVS as she did on AtS. Hmm"”I guess we'll never know!

****NOMINEE #2****

''Saturday Night Fever''
(Angel S1 Ep13 ~ She)



~~~~
Angel: I don't dance.
~~~~

Tome's commentary: Good god! Angel and Wesley dancing! Who would have thought it'd be so... peculiar. Hahaha! 'She' is probably one of the worst episodes in the Buffyverse, but you still HAVE to watch it if only for this scene. The guys are hilarious. Wesley choking on food while trying to flirt with the women at the party is pure gold. 😀

''Girl: I mean it's a great sweater.
Wesley: Oh, well, I'll pass that on then, to the person who knit it. I mean, I would, if I knew who did but I don't. So I won't pass it on to anyone, will I?''

Hahaha! You can't beat early Wes when it comes to making a conversation incredibly awkward. Anyway, what else can be said about this wonderful sequence?! That Angel should never audition for 'Dancing with the Stars.'



****NOMINEE #3****

''One Hell of a Monologue''
(Buffy S7 Ep1 ~ Lessons)



~~~~
The First: It's not about right, not about wrong... it's about power.
~~~~

Tome's commentary: What a great speech. What a great scene! It was so full of promises for the final season... That is until reality came crashing down on our heads. To my regret, the last season of the show was not as good as it could have been. When I first saw the ending of Lessons, I was really excited. The final Big Bad was going to masquerade as all the previous baddies of the show! This was full of potential for wonderful confrontations: Faith and the Mayor, Willow and Warren, Glory and Buffy, etc."”the possibilities were almost endless. Sadly, The First ended up being a very lame antagonist, unable to touch anything or anybody and being extremely annoying. It wasn't until Caleb came around that Buffy had an interesting arch nemesis. Yes, there were a few good scenes (The Mayor & Faith, for example) where they used The First's ability to shape shift the way I envisioned it, but it was too few and too far between.

Yet, the ''It's about power.'' speech still remains a strong moment in the final season of our beloved show.

****NOMINEE #4****

''Bloody Good Entrance''
(Buffy S2 Ep3 ~ School Hard)



~~~~
Spike: Home, sweet home.
~~~~

Tome's commentary: SPIKE! I can hear the fan girls screaming from here. 😛 After the very cheesy vampire who called himself 'The Master' had been killed off for good, this punk-y looking vampire "“ bad to the bone we hoped "“ suddenly appeared. From the moment Spike killed The Annoying"¦ err, Anointed One, I loved him. Spike brought a lot of humor to the show and this entrance will forever remain as one of the best character introductions on television.


****NOMINEE #5****

''I Heard You Sing''
(Angel S5 Ep22 ~ Not Fade Away)



~~~~
Lindsey McDonald: You kill me?
Lindsey McDonald: A flunky? I'm not just... Angel was to kill me. You? Angel...
Lorne: [sighs] Good night, folks.
~~~~

Tome's commentary: First thing first, poor Lorne. Oh! Poor Lorne. It was - and still is - hard for me to understand how Angel could instruct Lorne to carry out such a task. Not only do I personally think that it was not necessary for Angel to kill Lindsey, but the new boss of Wolfram & Hart knew very well that Lorne hated killing; he knew that Lorne despised it.

On a more neutral note, that scene was very shocking on the first viewing. I don't think there's one fan out there who expected it to happen-- which, I guess, explains why Angel sent Lorne and not someone else to do that job. Lindsey could have never seen it coming.

Finally, one thing that Lorne said to Lindsey still has me questioning its meaning: ''I've heard you sing.'' What did Lorne mean by that? Was he implying that he knew Lindsey would never be good? That Lindsey had plans to overthrow Angel afterward? Or, in a more surprising outcome, could he have said that in a painful tone because he actually *did* see the possibility for Lindsey to change? I guess we'll never know.



****NOMINEE #6****

''Psych''
(Buffy S3 Ep17 ~ Enemies)



~~~~
Buffy: I never knew you had so much rage in you.
Faith: What can I say? I'm the world's best actor.
Angel: Second best.
~~~~

Tome's commentary: Who knew it wasn't Angelus? I DID! Haha. 😛 Ok, I'm not supposed to brag, but didn't you all feel like he was a little off? Like that scene in Buffy's bedroom; it just seemed forced at times. However, considering Faith had never personally encountered Angelus, it was still enough to play her. And play her he did! The first time I saw this scene I felt a little bad for Faith. Yeah, she had gone off the track and done pretty bad things, but she had severe trust issues and this sure didn't help her on that. 🙁 I liked Buffy's stab at Faith, though: ''There's a word for people like you, Faith: Loser.'' The whole scene reeked of (sexual? 😉 ) tension! It was just awesome.


****NOMINEE #7****

''Slayer's Blood''
(Buffy S3 Ep22 ~ Graduation Day: Part 2)



~~~~
Buffy: It is never over! I won't let you die. Drink!
Angel: Please...
~~~~

Tome's commentary: Ok, who agreed with Xander and thought Angel was selfish by agreeing to suck Buffy dry? I mean, hit him all you want; he wasn't FORCED to drink from her. So, did his survival instinct just kick in? Anyhow, this sequence has repeatedly been described as a sex scene, and a pretty intense one at that. The one actual sex scene that Buffy and Angel shared, back in season two, was tender and romantic. This one... isn't. And it raises an interesting question: does SMG play the scene as though she's having an orgasm in order to establish the metaphor, or does Buffy literally have an orgasm? 😛 I'll let you guys and gals answer that one.


****NOMINEE #8****

''You Can't Leave Me''
(Buffy S2 Ep17 ~ Passion)



~~~~
Giles: Why did you come here?! This wasn't your fight!
Buffy: Are you trying to get yourself killed?!
Buffy: You can't leave me. I can't do this alone.
~~~~

Tome's commentary: When people ask me why Buffy and Giles are my favorite characters on this show, this is the one scene I love to bring up. Nowhere is Buffy more honest with Giles on how much she needs him beside her. It's no secret that Joss loves portraying fathers in a bad light. Giles, though, is the one, great father figure on BtVS. Here, he loses all reason and goes to avenge his beloved Jenny, forgetting that there are still people who need him. In dramatic fashion, Buffy reminds him of that. They are wonderful together. 😀


****NOMINEE #9****

''Alone''
(Angel S4 Ep18 ~ Shiny Happy People)



~~~~
Diner Guy: Here you go. Looks like you just lost your best friend.
Fred: All of them. I never thought"”
(...)
Jasmine: Good morning, Los Angeles.
~~~~

Tome's commentary: This is one of the few scenes that I wasn't certain would be popular with everyone, but I think it earns a spot amongst the Top 100 by how eerie and disquieting it is. Winifred Burkle, the shy brainiac working for Angel Investigations, realizes that she is now alone in the world. She is going to have to find a way to save everyone else. The first time watching, I thought that the whole scene was incredibly unsettling. I could feel the sense of loneliness that Fred was feeling. It's as if all her friends were suddenly gone. And considering how uncertain of herself Fred was at that point in time, it was hard to see how she was going to fit in the role of the hero.


****NOMINEE #10****

''Hell of a Woman''
(Buffy S7 Ep20 ~ Touched)



~~~~
Spike: I love what you are, what you do, how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you. And I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You're a hell of a woman. You're the one, Buffy.
~~~~

Tome's commentary: Alright, let's get one thing straight: I am not a Spuffy shipper. I like them together, but that's about it. This scene, however, still ranks amongst my favorites because of how strongly you can feel Spike's admiration and love for Buffy. I mean, even she is extremely moved by it! I also adore his speech, because what he says about Buffy is exactly what I think of her and why I respect and admire her so much as a character. She's a hell of a woman!​

 

[MinwaraYana]

Gotta say the first one. It was so sweet. I love the bit when Oz said "We survived." and everyone thought he meant the battle. But then Oz was like "Not the battle. High school". It was so meaningful because, bottom line, BtVS isn't only about a Slayer fighting things. It's about real life stuff, too. 🙂

 

[Vamp Jenny]

Though choice. I have to go with Slayer's Blood.

But One Hell of a Monologue, I Heard you Sing and Hell of a Woman could all have been among my choices.

 

[thetopher]

I found it pretty easy to pick my top five- I guess some of the scenes just don't do it for me.

1) Nominee #6- Yes, the first time I saw this I kinda felt sorry for Faith too, and yes, there was definate sexual tension. Plus it was nice to see Angelus again, even if it was a fake-out.

2) Nominee #1- End of an era, really moving. If I wasn't such a shameless Faith fan, this would be number 1.

3) Nominee #3- After Adam and Glory we finally get another villain who can give a not-annoying, not-boring cool, evil speech. Didn't live up to the potential but a hell of an opening.

4) Nominee #8- Poor, poor Giles. Two people in pain who need each other. Easily one of my favourite non-romantic relationships in the Buffyverse.

5) Nominee #7- Forget season 6, this is the hottest 'Buffy having a moment' scene. The whole blood-drinking thing was established as blatently sexual, 'nuff said.

The others, I can take them or leave them, some are funny (Angel dancing!) but not exactly defining the show.

Good selection anyway!🙂


"There are three things I don't do: Tan, date or ship Spuffy!"

 

[sk]

Amazing job with the compilation and the comments Tome. Impressing. 🙂

Extremely hard to vote but I had to got with 'You Can't Leave Me'.
It's such a strong moment and an absolutely wonderful scene that I just love.

I can argue that scene's like 'Slayer's Blood' and 'The Future Is Ours' did more of an impression on me at the first viewing.
But scenes like 'You Can't Leave Me' touch me much more still, even on re-watch number 5 (or so).

/SK

 

[chasesummers]

I'll go with ''You Can't Leave Me''.
Buffy was so upset with Giles going to deal with Angel on his own. When she hit Giles out of anger and broke down telling him ''you can't leave me'' it was very upsetting but it was so beautiful in the same time.

 

[Black Eye Guy]

'Psych' for me, that scene was just brilliant.

Angel turning evil was believable, so I remember being genuinely tricked the first time I watched it, and even on multiple viewings it still plays fantastically in direction.

This was such a tough one between this and Angel dancing, which is a favourite of mine!!

 

[Ethan Reigns]

I'm going with psych on this one. The way they got information out of Faith was an excellent bit of planning (a capability that atrophied in later seasons). Angel saying "second best" had that creep factor found in the best horror movies.

 

[dan k]

Me and my fiancee are currently picking our top 5 and guessing each other's selections too. I must say it is a very enjoyable process and well done to Tom for creating this thread. However it is quite hard narrowing down to just five scenes. Will post our decisions shortly.

 

[Tillow4ever]

Daniel (dan-k) and I just made a kind of date out of it. We sat down with an AtS tab and BtVS tab open on Netflix and went through the scenes. It was kind of awesome. <3

This was very tough, but here's my order:

1.''Hell of a Woman''
I chose this scene because it is just so beautiful. Spike really grabbed my heart strings during his speech.

2.''One Hell of a Monologue''
I thought this was brilliantly done. I think it's amazing how Joss basically got every villian that had been in the series to come back and do that scene. Fantastic writing as well.

3.''The Future Is Ours''
This scene always got to me because in the end all the scoobies were just in high school. They had to deal with all this extra stuff all the time, life threatening stuff, but they still graduated. They made it through the struggles of natural life as well as the supernatural aspects.

4.''I Heard You Sing''
I really liked the scene for the fact that it was Lorne. It was Lorne who actually killed Lindsey. Lorne who was once the happy go-lucky Demon Karaoke Bar owner and he had turned kind of dark. Not because he was evil, but because of the life circumstances. And the way Lindsey said basically like "What? You don't kill me! I'm more important than that! It's supposed to be Angel if anyone!"

5.''Saturday Night Fever''
This scene was extremely funny and lighthearted. I loved seeing both Angel and Wesley let loose like this. I bet Alexis and David had fun filming it as well. 😀

 

[Blaze]

I'll do my top 5!

1) You Can't Leave Me. Passion is one of my all time favorite, this is such a powerful scene for me

2) I Heard you Sing. Those four words were just so haunting, I still don't know what they could have met, the possibilities are endless

3) The future is Ours. Who could not love that scene, it was perfect

4) Psych. Such a wow ending, felt bad for Faith though.

5) Hell of a Woman. I'm a sucker for inspirational speeches

Great job Tome, this is awesome!

 

[Zeppo]

What a great idea! Top 5 are:

''The Future Is Ours'' (Buffy S3 Ep22 ~ Graduation Day: Part 2)
''I Heard You Sing'' (Angel S5 Ep22 ~ Not Fade Away)
''Psych''(Buffy S3 Ep17 ~ Enemies)
''You Can't Leave Me'' (Buffy S2 Ep17 ~ Passion)
''Hell of a Woman'' (Buffy S7 Ep20 ~ Touched)

I gave up a spot of Angel dancing for a Spike speech, yeesh 🙂P). Tough choices.

 

[dan k]

Number one: Hell of a woman. A really powerful scene and one which I really appreciate as a Spuffy fan. This moment perfectly demonstrates Spike's transformation from a villain into a hero. Furthermore the speech itself is incredibly moving to the viewer as well as Buffy.

Number two: Psych. As Tom mentioned this scene is full of sexual tension but it also brings a twist which provides great shock value. To see and hear the chains go away from Buffy and see Faith despairingly looking back to Angel in slow motion is brilliant.

Number three: You can't leave me. I love the relationship Buffy and Giles have and this is one of a number of scenes which I really enjoy. One thing that did surprise me when watching this again was how short the embrace between the characters is. Nevertheless I remember the build up to that moment and to see Giles just break down and fall into the arms of Buffy was nice. I say that because it was like a changing of roles, usually it's Buffy going to Giles. It showed how strong the relationship was.

Number four: Saturday Night Fever. A selection that may surprise some but I just had to include it. One of the many reasons why I love Buffy and Angel are the shows ability to go from pure drama to comedy moments which to me end up being real highlights. Whenever I watch this moment I have to laugh and so that's why it gets in.

Number five: The future is ours. I had to find room for it. As I was telling my fiancée whilst watching what I most like about this scene is the end. I just find seeing the yearbook with the quote "The Future is ours" to be so fitting. I can't pinpoint why but it just warms my heart.

 

[PassionBecoming]

Ok, top 5, right? I have six that I really like, so gotta eliminate one. None of the AtS scenes made my top picks; I don't think I'm as invested in the series yet. And one was a spoiler so I tried not to look at it!!

My votes:

1. "The Future Is Ours" It was a calm moment after one of the most epic battles so far; it was the end of high school; it was really the end of The Scoobies as we know it.

2. "Slayer's Blood" Really, who doesn't remember this scene? Highly emotional, dangerous, violent, and full of sexual tension. Buffy was willing to sacrifice everything to save the love of her life and Angel couldn't stop himself. I always think of her kicking the coffee table!

3. "You Can't Leave Me" Giles has been and always will be Buffy's father figure. He is consistently looking out for her best interests and always "trains her to win". This scene shows how clearly the two need each other and how deep the Slayer-Watcher bond can go.

4. "Hell of a Woman" Now, I am not a fan of souled Spike and not much of a Spuffy fan, but I have always loved this scene. Spike is able to speak to Buffy from his heart and to be a pillar of strength for her when she needs it most. And Buffy truly deserves to hear those things!

5. "Psych" Loved this scene because Faith was in dire need of getting taken down a few notches. Plus, this is one scene that I don't always remember, even in my rewatches, so I'm somewhat surprised each time! And gotta love a little Angelous in our lives. 🙂

The scene that almost made my top five is "Bloody Good Entrance". I LOVE bad, evil Spike, and I loved him in S2!! To me, that scene wasn't as good as some of Spike's other scenes, so hoping they pop up.

 

[Kean]

1. "Psych" - This scene has never lost any of its punch. It's still as effective and thrilling as any either show produced. That's before we consider its importance among these three characters and its ramifications on Season 3.

2. "You Can't Leave Me" - A crucial moment in Buffy and Giles' relationship. Nobody but these two know the real pain of that year or the cost of what they do. As terrible as it was for them, I miss this closeness they used to share.

3. "The Future is Ours." - The entire first 3 seasons was about surviving high school. And they they did. This scene is well earned.

4. "Slayer's Blood" - This is such an enormous scene for Buffy and Angel. Right in the exact spot that 12 months previously Buffy took Angel's life to save the world, she gives him hers in return. There is an almost elegant symmetry to that. They had been skirting around each other all of season 3, trying to convince themselves that they could avoid a sexual relationship and still remain a couple. This is the culmination of that year of repression and guilt. It's a visceral wake up call for them both, albeit an inevitable one.

5. "I Heard You Sing" - A massive scene for both characters. Lorne's line of "I heard you sing" cast such a heavy presence over this episode, and the series as a whole. Did he always know he would kill Lindsey? Is that why he drank so much? I guess we'll never know.

 

[Himiko]

1) "You can't leave me" - Of course the "Passion" scene was going to take my top spot, it's not what I would consider the best scene in the episode, but it's a lovely scene nontheless. The father/ daughter relationship between Buffy and Giles, Giles's finally falling apart and crying over Jenny's death, the hurt that they are both feeling. Beautifully done.

2) "Psych" - Narrowly beat out "The World is Ours" for number 2- the moment when Angel says "Second best" alone is awesome.

3) "The World is Ours" - a true end of an era for the show in many ways. The end of high school, which had been such a central part of the first three seasons. The last ever appearance by Cordelia, who had been a major character for the last three seasons.

4) "I heard you sing" - a shocking moment for Lorne, and a dark one, that causes Lorne to sever ties with Angel following the event. And yet, I think it very accurately sums up the relationship between Angel and Lindsey- Angel is Lindsey's "nemesis", the guy who cut off his hand, the guy who Darla "chose" over him, but Lindsey has only ever been a minor enemy to Angel, a cog in the the larger evil of Wolfram and Hart. He doesn't trust Lindsey, he thinks he needs to die, but in Angel's mind, he has bigger fish to fry. And I think it's a sad moment for Lindsey, not just for the obvious reason, that he's going to die, but because he actually realises this.

5) "Saturday Night Fever"- This was a really tough choice. "One Hell of a Monologue" was indeed one of the high points of Season 7, and a great shoutout to the former Big Bads. "Alone" is also a great, Fred-centric moment, establishing the extending reach of Jasmine. So, in the end, I went for the one that made me laugh the most. Even in my worst of moods, Angel and Wesley dancing puts a smile on my face, so they get a vote from me.

 

[NY State of Mind]

1. I heard you sing
2. You cant leave me
3. The future is ours
4. Bloody good entrance
5. Saturday night fever

 

[ladydorotea]

None of the above where ever my favorites, so I can't really pick which ones I like more. One comment on Lorne and ' I heard you sing' though. Firstly, it never, ever, touched my mind to doubt what exactly Lourne meant by it That line was given as explanation of both 'why' and 'why it is me', killing you that is. The is no way on Earth Lorne could be convinced, coerced, bribed, threatened, blackmailed, etc into assassination unless he himself vehemently belived it was absolutely nessessary for the world to survive. So the only way he could have done what Angel asked him to do was for him to absolutely believe it was the only way to stop Lindsey from taking over the W&H and proceeding to do that what he saw while Lindsey was singing. And that was what made him go and fire that pistol in place of Angel. Therefore I never saw why it was so badly misunderstood or misinterpreted. I always thought Lorne's motives were clear as day. He could not NOT do it - yet he could not change himself to agree with murder either way. It is like doomed if you do doomed if you don't, still Lorne was the one who knew for certain he had to.

 

[VisionGirl]

This was such a fun thread, thanks [MENTION=9740]Tome[/MENTION]! And I had a really, really hard time choosing, these were such great scenes.

1- One Hell Of a Monologue. I completely agree with [MENTION=9740]Tome[/MENTION] that this was so epic and really set up the tone for Buffy's final season. The rest of the season didn't quite live up to it in a lot of ways, but it was so thrilling seeing The First as all of our favorite villains.

2- Slayer's Blood. Some of you will probably be surprised that I didn't choose this scene for #1, as it is one of my favorites in the entire series. I do love it, although I felt that season 7's Monologue had a more epic feel. I won't repeat what everyone else said about this scene from Graduation Day (especially [MENTION=7585]Kean[/MENTION]'s comments), but I will just add that this is even more poignant considering Angel's imminent departure.

3- I Heard You Sing. I loved Lindsey's character, and feel so ambivalent about his death. I agree with the previous comments- the fact that it's Lorne says a lot about Angel's feelings about Lindsey, and it kind of makes me sad for Lindsey. However, I believe that Lorne & Angel both agreed that Lindsey's future was dark. I hated to see him go though, and hated that it was Lorne that had to do it.

4- Saturday Night Fever- the only good thing about that episode, I adore this scene!!

5- Bloody Good Entrance- I just can't help smile at Spike's entrance. Spike actually has all the best entrances and departures in both series if you think about it!

 

[sleecin]

I vote for #8 You cant leave me.

The bond between buffy and giles is just amazing on so many levels.