****NOMINEE #1****
''We Are Forever''
(Buffy S4 Ep21 ~ Primeval)
~~~~
Adam: How... can you?
Buffy: You could never hope to grasp the source... of our power.
Buffy: But yours is right here.
~~~~
Tome's commentary: What a great scene! The Scoobies create a Super!Buffy who easily defeats Adam, the same Adam who looked invincible - and a little boring - in his few previous appearances. My favorite part is when she turns a missile into doves, hahaha! I don't think that was part of Adam's master plan.
So, who was speaking through Buffy? Was it Xander, Willow and Giles or, as I guessed back then, an old, powerful being? *She* sure seemed confident. I know there were risks attached to using such a spell (see Restless), but I wonder why they didn't use it again later on? It could have proved to be quite helpful against Glory and the first Uber!Vamp. Hmm!
****NOMINEE #2****
''What She Deserves''
(Buffy S6 Ep22 ~ Grave)
~~~~
Demon: We will return...
Demon: ... your soul.
~~~~
Tome's commentary: I'm probably not the only one, but I totally knew that Spike meant to get his soul back. 😉 The man was revolted by what he had just attempted on the woman he claimed to love to no end. He HAD to do something, and thus he went to seek the only possible thing that might redeem him in the end. With his soul, he hoped to be a different, better man.
Personally, despite not being shocked by the *revelation* in this scene, I still loved the cliffhanger. Obviously, I knew that the next season was going to be the last (I had the DVDs), and I was curious on how different souled Spike would be! Because, at that point, the only reference had been Angelus/Angel; so, of course, I expected a big change. But, in the end, Spike always stayed pretty much the same. 🙂
****NOMINEE #3****
''Kill Me''
(Angel S1 Ep18 ~ Five by Five)
~~~~
Angel: I'm not gonna make it easy for you.
Faith: I'm evil! I'm bad! I'm evil! Do you hear me? I'm bad! Angel, I'm bad! I'm ba-ad. Do you hear me? I'm bad! I'm bad! I'm bad. Please. Angel, please, just do it.
~~~~
Tome's commentary: Aww, Faith! Even today, this is still easily one of my favorite scenes. It's packed full of emotion, the rain just adding to the atmosphere. But before I go on in more detail about the scene, let me talk about Faith Lehane and my feelings for her.
Like some others, I had never been big on her in S3 of BtVS. It was kind of surprising for me because I usually like bad girls in fiction. The thing with her, though, was that she only DISPLAYED an image of confidence; she was actually quite unsure of herself and she honestly got on my nerves whenever she talked tough to Buffy. Buffy may have been less *fun* than her, but that wasn't without reason: she had gone through a lot of hardships and she had matured as a result. Imo, if there was one person who could have talked down to the other in that relationship, it was Buffy. Faith had yet to bear the heavy cross of Slayership. 😉 Anyhow, then Faith got lured toward the dark side and you all know the rest.
It's only when Faith moved to Angel that I actually started getting interested in her. What can I say? I love evil characters who try to redeem themselves and become do-gooders. 😉 Hahaha!
Anyway, back to the scene at hand. Faith, who's quite unstable at this point, just finished torturing Wesley and is now fighting Angel. You realize that she didn't even plan to kill him (not that she can think clearly enough to even have a plan), she just knew that HE could take her down. Eliza Dushku is amazing here and she succeeds in making us feel Faith's tremendous pain. As if the scene didn't have enough emotion, Wesley shows up with a knife ready to consume his vengeance on the creature responsible for HIS pain. However, so utterly shocked is he by Faith's breakdown, he changes his mind and drops the knife on the ground while the rain keeps on pouring. Beautiful. It made me speechless.
****NOMINEE #4****
''Darla is Dust''
(Buffy S1 Ep7 ~ Angel)
~~~~
Darla: C'mon, Buffy. Take it like a man!
Darla: Angel?
~~~~
Tome's commentary: Alright, while I'll admit that this is far from being my favorite scene in the 'Verse, its meaning cannot be understated. In it, Angel killed the person who had had the most impact on his life, the woman who had made it possible for him to even be *alive* at this point. The issue here, though, is that, by then in the show, we had not seen everything Angel (us) and Darla had went through together. It's only through multiple flashbacks, later on BtVS - and Angel -, that we discovered how important Darla really had been for Angel. Thus, it's only then, that we were able to understand how difficult killing Darla must have been for him. In the mere months he had stalked ( 😛 ) Buffy, she already meant more to him than Darla! This scene, and the act he performed in it, is then a perfect demonstration of his undying love for Buffy. Bangel forever! 😉
****NOMINEE #5****
''Not Like Us''
(Buffy S5 Ep22 ~ The Gift)
~~~~
Giles: Can you move?
Ben: Need a... a minute. She could've killed me.
Giles: No she couldn't. Never. And sooner or later Glory will re-emerge, and... make Buffy pay for that mercy. And the world with her. Buffy even knows that... and still she couldn't take a human life.
Giles: She's a hero, you see. She's not like us.
Ben: Us?
~~~~
Tome's commentary: Chills are what I had while watching this scene. Here, Giles showed that he was ready to do anything for the greater good. Unlike some people, I didn't see Ben as innocent, though. He had made his choice when, instead of helping Dawn run away, he made a deal with Glory. Of course, Giles didn't know Ben had made that decision, and so, to him, this really was the killing of an innocent man. He knew that Buffy would never be able to kill Ben, and thus, he had to do the *deed* himself. In the end, I think that it affected and changed him. Killing another human being will irremediably affect a good person, no matter how emotionally strong they are. That's my opinion at least—and the only reason I can attribute to Giles becoming somber and somber in the next seasons!
****NOMINEE #6****
''Vampire With a Gun''
(Angel S4 Ep14 ~ Release)
~~~~
Angelus: Looks like we got a live one. For now. A little tired, sweetie? You wanna take a break? Now, this is disappointing. You never used to bleed so easy.
Faith: Screw you.
Angelus: Maybe after. I like my girls to lie still. (calls over to Wes) Hey, buddy, how's it goin' in there? Good old Wes. Always count on him to tackle a bad situation and make it worse. I mean, hey, look how you turned out. But then again, I guess he really didn't have much to work with now.
~~~~
Tome's commentary: Hahaha, I love when Faith and Angelus interact. They're just awesome! They'd have made such a wicked team/couple when Faith was *bad*. 😉 Anyway, this scene is freaking great! I'm not only talking about the exchanges between Angelus and Faithy, but also the subsequent fighting. So brutal! 😱 The fight feels a lot like Spike and Angel's fight in 'Destiny.’ They don't just throw punches at each other, they also throw emotional jabs! And when you think Faith finally lost, there comes the shocker: she tricked Angelus into poisoning himself by drinking her blood. Wow, kudos Faith (and Wes).
****NOMINEE #7****
''The Earth is Definitely Doomed''
(Buffy S7 Ep22 ~ Chosen)
~~~~
Buffy: So, what do you guys want to do tomorrow?
Willow: Nothing strenuous.
Xander: Well, mini-golf is always the first thing that comes to mind.
Giles: I think we can do better than that.
Buffy: I was thinking about shopping. As per usual.
Willow: Oh! There's an Arden B. in the new mall!
Xander: I could use a few items.
Giles: Well, now aren't we gonna discuss this? Save the world to go to the mall?
~~~~
Tome's commentary: Finally, an old school scene between the Core Four! The last season of BtVS was so packed with new characters that we barely got any REAL private moments between Buffy, Willow, Xander and Giles. Here, Joss made sure to remind us of how it all started in 'Welcome to the Hellmouth': three outsiders in high school teaming up with an old British librarian to stop vampires and demons from taking over their city... and the world. 🙂 From their casual attitude towards impending disaster, we are also reminded of the light-hearted nature of the show at its core. Before all the drama, BtVS was a show that meant to be cheesy and funny, and it's certainly part of why I always loved it. Then, of course, you got Giles' line: ''The earth is definitely doomed.'' 😀 Perfect!
****NOMINEE #8****
''Heartwrenching''
(Buffy S4 Ep7 ~ Wild at Heart)
~~~~
Oz: Veruca was right about something. The wolf is inside me all the time, and I don't know where that line is anymore between me and it. And until I figure out what that means, I shouldn't be around you... Or anybody.
Willow (crying): Well, that could be a problem 'cause people... Kind of a planetary epidemic.
Oz: I'll find someplace.
Willow: Well, how long?
Oz: I don't know.
Willow: Oz... Don't you love me?
Oz: My whole life... I've never loved anything else.
~~~~
Tome's commentary: There isn't really any actress who so thoroughly made me feel their character’s pain as Alyson Hannigan did in this scene. How freaking genuine were her tears? I seriously wondered how easy it must have been for Seth Green to act his part during this scene. How can you not have your own heart broken by her reaction? 🙁
I'll admit that I was also pissed on the first watch, because to me it made little sense for Oz to leave. Sure, he had realized he was far from being in full control of the wolf inside him, but Veruca was dead. He could have stayed in Sunnydale and learned to deal with it there. It's not like his trip around the world proved to be that useful anyway. Truthfully, if his love for Willow was really THAT strong, he would have found a way to balance his inner self and his inner wolf-y without having to break her heart a second time in a row.
****NOMINEE #9****
''Why Can't I Stay?''
(Angel S5 Ep15 ~ A Hole In The World)
~~~~
Wesley: You have to fight. You don't have to talk, just concentrate on fighting. Just hold on.
Fred: I'm not scared. I'm not scared. I'm not scared.
Fred: Please, Wesley, why can't I stay?
(she goes still as Wes holds her in his arms)
Wesley: Please... Please...
~~~~
Tome's commentary: Fred and Wesley. It took so long, but they finally got together. They are, without a doubt, one of my favorite pairings. As usual, Joss made sure a wonderful relationship didn't last too long. 🙂 The way Winifred dies, though... It's the saddest, most painful death on both shows for me. Even Buffy's death in 'The Gift' didn't bother me as much. The way Fred asks Wesley to read her a story... And how Wesley then has to hold her in his arms, literally watching her slowly wither and die while he can't do anything about it. It's just too much.
Wesley had gone through so much already and this seriously broke him for good, in my opinion. Adding insult to injury, the demon that killed Fred takes control of her body. That's enough to drive anyone to insanity, which Wesley displayed in the following episodes before settling down a little. In the end, though, this heartbreaking death brought us a great character in Illyria-- which, I guess, if the show had continued, could have proven to be a worthy exchange for Winifred.
****NOMINEE #10****
''Mom Had An Accident''
(Buffy S5 Ep16 ~ The Body)
~~~~
Dawn: Where's Mom?
Buffy: Mom... had an accident. Or, um...
Buffy: ... something went... wrong from the tumor.
Dawn: Is she okay? Is she... but she's okay? But... it's, it's serious, but...
Buffy: Dawn...
~~~~
Tome's commentary: Honestly, what is there to say? It's simply a really well acted - and filmed - scene. I just love how we're watching Buffy and Dawn from behind the glass, as if we're spectators like the kids inside the classroom—WE ARE, after all.
P.S.: ‘The Body’ is such a unique episode, I could have chosen like ten scenes from it, but I had to limit myself to three. Hopefully, most of you agree with the ones I picked! 🙂
''We Are Forever''
(Buffy S4 Ep21 ~ Primeval)
~~~~
Adam: How... can you?
Buffy: You could never hope to grasp the source... of our power.
Buffy: But yours is right here.
~~~~
Tome's commentary: What a great scene! The Scoobies create a Super!Buffy who easily defeats Adam, the same Adam who looked invincible - and a little boring - in his few previous appearances. My favorite part is when she turns a missile into doves, hahaha! I don't think that was part of Adam's master plan.
So, who was speaking through Buffy? Was it Xander, Willow and Giles or, as I guessed back then, an old, powerful being? *She* sure seemed confident. I know there were risks attached to using such a spell (see Restless), but I wonder why they didn't use it again later on? It could have proved to be quite helpful against Glory and the first Uber!Vamp. Hmm!
****NOMINEE #2****
''What She Deserves''
(Buffy S6 Ep22 ~ Grave)
~~~~
Demon: We will return...
Demon: ... your soul.
~~~~
Tome's commentary: I'm probably not the only one, but I totally knew that Spike meant to get his soul back. 😉 The man was revolted by what he had just attempted on the woman he claimed to love to no end. He HAD to do something, and thus he went to seek the only possible thing that might redeem him in the end. With his soul, he hoped to be a different, better man.
Personally, despite not being shocked by the *revelation* in this scene, I still loved the cliffhanger. Obviously, I knew that the next season was going to be the last (I had the DVDs), and I was curious on how different souled Spike would be! Because, at that point, the only reference had been Angelus/Angel; so, of course, I expected a big change. But, in the end, Spike always stayed pretty much the same. 🙂
****NOMINEE #3****
''Kill Me''
(Angel S1 Ep18 ~ Five by Five)
~~~~
Angel: I'm not gonna make it easy for you.
Faith: I'm evil! I'm bad! I'm evil! Do you hear me? I'm bad! Angel, I'm bad! I'm ba-ad. Do you hear me? I'm bad! I'm bad! I'm bad. Please. Angel, please, just do it.
~~~~
Tome's commentary: Aww, Faith! Even today, this is still easily one of my favorite scenes. It's packed full of emotion, the rain just adding to the atmosphere. But before I go on in more detail about the scene, let me talk about Faith Lehane and my feelings for her.
Like some others, I had never been big on her in S3 of BtVS. It was kind of surprising for me because I usually like bad girls in fiction. The thing with her, though, was that she only DISPLAYED an image of confidence; she was actually quite unsure of herself and she honestly got on my nerves whenever she talked tough to Buffy. Buffy may have been less *fun* than her, but that wasn't without reason: she had gone through a lot of hardships and she had matured as a result. Imo, if there was one person who could have talked down to the other in that relationship, it was Buffy. Faith had yet to bear the heavy cross of Slayership. 😉 Anyhow, then Faith got lured toward the dark side and you all know the rest.
It's only when Faith moved to Angel that I actually started getting interested in her. What can I say? I love evil characters who try to redeem themselves and become do-gooders. 😉 Hahaha!
Anyway, back to the scene at hand. Faith, who's quite unstable at this point, just finished torturing Wesley and is now fighting Angel. You realize that she didn't even plan to kill him (not that she can think clearly enough to even have a plan), she just knew that HE could take her down. Eliza Dushku is amazing here and she succeeds in making us feel Faith's tremendous pain. As if the scene didn't have enough emotion, Wesley shows up with a knife ready to consume his vengeance on the creature responsible for HIS pain. However, so utterly shocked is he by Faith's breakdown, he changes his mind and drops the knife on the ground while the rain keeps on pouring. Beautiful. It made me speechless.
****NOMINEE #4****
''Darla is Dust''
(Buffy S1 Ep7 ~ Angel)
~~~~
Darla: C'mon, Buffy. Take it like a man!
Darla: Angel?
~~~~
Tome's commentary: Alright, while I'll admit that this is far from being my favorite scene in the 'Verse, its meaning cannot be understated. In it, Angel killed the person who had had the most impact on his life, the woman who had made it possible for him to even be *alive* at this point. The issue here, though, is that, by then in the show, we had not seen everything Angel (us) and Darla had went through together. It's only through multiple flashbacks, later on BtVS - and Angel -, that we discovered how important Darla really had been for Angel. Thus, it's only then, that we were able to understand how difficult killing Darla must have been for him. In the mere months he had stalked ( 😛 ) Buffy, she already meant more to him than Darla! This scene, and the act he performed in it, is then a perfect demonstration of his undying love for Buffy. Bangel forever! 😉
****NOMINEE #5****
''Not Like Us''
(Buffy S5 Ep22 ~ The Gift)
~~~~
Giles: Can you move?
Ben: Need a... a minute. She could've killed me.
Giles: No she couldn't. Never. And sooner or later Glory will re-emerge, and... make Buffy pay for that mercy. And the world with her. Buffy even knows that... and still she couldn't take a human life.
Giles: She's a hero, you see. She's not like us.
Ben: Us?
~~~~
Tome's commentary: Chills are what I had while watching this scene. Here, Giles showed that he was ready to do anything for the greater good. Unlike some people, I didn't see Ben as innocent, though. He had made his choice when, instead of helping Dawn run away, he made a deal with Glory. Of course, Giles didn't know Ben had made that decision, and so, to him, this really was the killing of an innocent man. He knew that Buffy would never be able to kill Ben, and thus, he had to do the *deed* himself. In the end, I think that it affected and changed him. Killing another human being will irremediably affect a good person, no matter how emotionally strong they are. That's my opinion at least—and the only reason I can attribute to Giles becoming somber and somber in the next seasons!
****NOMINEE #6****
''Vampire With a Gun''
(Angel S4 Ep14 ~ Release)
~~~~
Angelus: Looks like we got a live one. For now. A little tired, sweetie? You wanna take a break? Now, this is disappointing. You never used to bleed so easy.
Faith: Screw you.
Angelus: Maybe after. I like my girls to lie still. (calls over to Wes) Hey, buddy, how's it goin' in there? Good old Wes. Always count on him to tackle a bad situation and make it worse. I mean, hey, look how you turned out. But then again, I guess he really didn't have much to work with now.
~~~~
Tome's commentary: Hahaha, I love when Faith and Angelus interact. They're just awesome! They'd have made such a wicked team/couple when Faith was *bad*. 😉 Anyway, this scene is freaking great! I'm not only talking about the exchanges between Angelus and Faithy, but also the subsequent fighting. So brutal! 😱 The fight feels a lot like Spike and Angel's fight in 'Destiny.’ They don't just throw punches at each other, they also throw emotional jabs! And when you think Faith finally lost, there comes the shocker: she tricked Angelus into poisoning himself by drinking her blood. Wow, kudos Faith (and Wes).
****NOMINEE #7****
''The Earth is Definitely Doomed''
(Buffy S7 Ep22 ~ Chosen)
~~~~
Buffy: So, what do you guys want to do tomorrow?
Willow: Nothing strenuous.
Xander: Well, mini-golf is always the first thing that comes to mind.
Giles: I think we can do better than that.
Buffy: I was thinking about shopping. As per usual.
Willow: Oh! There's an Arden B. in the new mall!
Xander: I could use a few items.
Giles: Well, now aren't we gonna discuss this? Save the world to go to the mall?
~~~~
Tome's commentary: Finally, an old school scene between the Core Four! The last season of BtVS was so packed with new characters that we barely got any REAL private moments between Buffy, Willow, Xander and Giles. Here, Joss made sure to remind us of how it all started in 'Welcome to the Hellmouth': three outsiders in high school teaming up with an old British librarian to stop vampires and demons from taking over their city... and the world. 🙂 From their casual attitude towards impending disaster, we are also reminded of the light-hearted nature of the show at its core. Before all the drama, BtVS was a show that meant to be cheesy and funny, and it's certainly part of why I always loved it. Then, of course, you got Giles' line: ''The earth is definitely doomed.'' 😀 Perfect!
****NOMINEE #8****
''Heartwrenching''
(Buffy S4 Ep7 ~ Wild at Heart)
~~~~
Oz: Veruca was right about something. The wolf is inside me all the time, and I don't know where that line is anymore between me and it. And until I figure out what that means, I shouldn't be around you... Or anybody.
Willow (crying): Well, that could be a problem 'cause people... Kind of a planetary epidemic.
Oz: I'll find someplace.
Willow: Well, how long?
Oz: I don't know.
Willow: Oz... Don't you love me?
Oz: My whole life... I've never loved anything else.
~~~~
Tome's commentary: There isn't really any actress who so thoroughly made me feel their character’s pain as Alyson Hannigan did in this scene. How freaking genuine were her tears? I seriously wondered how easy it must have been for Seth Green to act his part during this scene. How can you not have your own heart broken by her reaction? 🙁
I'll admit that I was also pissed on the first watch, because to me it made little sense for Oz to leave. Sure, he had realized he was far from being in full control of the wolf inside him, but Veruca was dead. He could have stayed in Sunnydale and learned to deal with it there. It's not like his trip around the world proved to be that useful anyway. Truthfully, if his love for Willow was really THAT strong, he would have found a way to balance his inner self and his inner wolf-y without having to break her heart a second time in a row.
****NOMINEE #9****
''Why Can't I Stay?''
(Angel S5 Ep15 ~ A Hole In The World)
~~~~
Wesley: You have to fight. You don't have to talk, just concentrate on fighting. Just hold on.
Fred: I'm not scared. I'm not scared. I'm not scared.
Fred: Please, Wesley, why can't I stay?
(she goes still as Wes holds her in his arms)
Wesley: Please... Please...
~~~~
Tome's commentary: Fred and Wesley. It took so long, but they finally got together. They are, without a doubt, one of my favorite pairings. As usual, Joss made sure a wonderful relationship didn't last too long. 🙂 The way Winifred dies, though... It's the saddest, most painful death on both shows for me. Even Buffy's death in 'The Gift' didn't bother me as much. The way Fred asks Wesley to read her a story... And how Wesley then has to hold her in his arms, literally watching her slowly wither and die while he can't do anything about it. It's just too much.
Wesley had gone through so much already and this seriously broke him for good, in my opinion. Adding insult to injury, the demon that killed Fred takes control of her body. That's enough to drive anyone to insanity, which Wesley displayed in the following episodes before settling down a little. In the end, though, this heartbreaking death brought us a great character in Illyria-- which, I guess, if the show had continued, could have proven to be a worthy exchange for Winifred.
****NOMINEE #10****
''Mom Had An Accident''
(Buffy S5 Ep16 ~ The Body)
~~~~
Dawn: Where's Mom?
Buffy: Mom... had an accident. Or, um...
Buffy: ... something went... wrong from the tumor.
Dawn: Is she okay? Is she... but she's okay? But... it's, it's serious, but...
Buffy: Dawn...
~~~~
Tome's commentary: Honestly, what is there to say? It's simply a really well acted - and filmed - scene. I just love how we're watching Buffy and Dawn from behind the glass, as if we're spectators like the kids inside the classroom—WE ARE, after all.
P.S.: ‘The Body’ is such a unique episode, I could have chosen like ten scenes from it, but I had to limit myself to three. Hopefully, most of you agree with the ones I picked! 🙂
Blaze
I hate you for putting so many of my favorite scenes in one week :p
