Musical Episodes Ranked! See where Buffy Lands!

Needs more Cop Rock. I don't know. OMWF really does come off like Joss really wanted to do a musical, and everyone else in his little cult of personality went along with it, it has an amateur quality to it, and you can sing along to it, because it is done by amatuers. Everything else seems overproduced.

Also, Once is about Disney Animated Classics. Frankly, breaking out into song should have been a regular occurrence. "Gold scheme is discovered by Regina's scheme, but everyone misses Gold's B-Scheme. Nobody has the heart to tell Snow she can't pull off a Pixiecut. Sexy Hook sings a pirate shanty."
 
If you're gonna do something, do it all the way. That's the key thing for me.

They went for it with OMWF. Having the cast (even the ones who couldn't sing or dance) do their own performances, having all the songs and music be totally original, integrating it into the show's mythology in a way that plausibly explains why the hell everyone is singing and dancing in the first place, having the songs all advance or resolve several ongoing plots and character arcs, excellent use of a guest star.

It doesn't feel forced or manufactured. It feels organic to the fabric of the show. Contrast that with something like the Arrowverse musical episode where all the songs were licensed, or certain other shows where they use professional singers to dub over actors' voices. Or when they do a musical episode and nobody even acknowledges the fact that they're all singing and dancing and it has no impact on the show's long term status quo. It feels cheap and like they're doing it just to do it.

I think a similar commitment to the core idea shines through in other concept episodes like Hush or Normal Again.
 
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I've only seen three of these (that's including OMWF). The Simpsons one I enjoyed, they Grey's Anatomy one was awful, and I'm likely biased but the #1 ranking for OMWF is well deserved.

JW took a swing, and managed to knock it out of the park. It really could've gone either way, but for a show titled Buffy The Vampire Slayer, you'd expect something wacky like that to occur.
 
I haven't watched any other musical episodes on that list. I didn't even know there was that many musical episodes of shows. Maybe Buffy sort of started a trend?

Then as for Once More with Feeling, if it's great or not, I guess it depends on what you compare it to. I mean it's not an episode of Fame (1982-1987) or another Sound of Music (1965). IMHO you shouldn't compare it to those kinds of musical shows or movies or expect that level of quality.

But if you watch it for what it is. An extraordinary Buffy episode where they sing and dance it does work really well. 😎 👏
I do have the CD soundtrack of the episode. The songs are mostly good and do get stuck on your brain. Which can be a bit annoying when the track stuck is "I got the mustard out!" 😂
 
I think the biggest thing about OMWF that makes it more than just your stock standard musical episode is that it does a tremendous amount of exposition, plotline wrap up, character development, etc, whilst ALSO having great songs throughout. Did I mention that it does it all concisely in less than an hour of network television?

It also cleverly contextualizes the musical element in the world of the show in a way that feels plausible by the world logic. A demon that makes you reveal your innermost self via song? Absolutely! Song has always been an emotional yawp for society/culture, so why not have a demon pervert it into something horrible?

I know people have turned on Whedon’s raw talent and ability, but the episode is just perfect evidence that he is capable of genuine masterpiece storytelling. The man does more in 50~ish minutes of 90s television than most creators can do in 8-12 hours or Netflix streaming content.

Also shout out to Music Meister for making it to #10. Genuinely a great episode of a fun cartoon that has some excellent songs and performances (with Neil Patrick Harris as the eponymous Meister). It’s the kind of thing only Brave and the Bold could’ve done, and they do it wonderfully.
 
To be honest musical episodes to me are usually bollocks. They get in the way of important developments I'd like to have seen happen properly. I'm clearly in the minority for that though.
 
burrunjor said:
To be honest musical episodes to me are usually bollocks. They get in the way of important developments I'd like to have seen happen properly. I'm clearly in the minority for that though.
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No, I agree. Most often, musical episodes deviate too much from the normal plot. I do agree with other posters in that the thought put behind Buffy's episode was great, and the fact that Whedon took the time to write out songs for the episode made it work better. I like the campiness of the episode, and I think it was done well. The others on this list that I have seen.. I totally agree with you. They were absolutely unnecessary and only created so that there could be a ratings event. (and in the case of 7th heaven... it could have stayed a terrible thought in Brenda Hampton's mind.)
 
I've not seen hardly any of the others so can't comment on the ranking. OMWF is a great episode though and it's grown on me a lot over time. Agree with the others that it makes sense within the verse and also moves the plot forward.

I'd say despite it being unique it also captures the spirit of the show very well. You've got a lot of humour in their but also some real emotion and darkness. Buffys reveal and Willows reaction are gut wrenching for example.

It's also just a good listen. Put it through decent speakers or headphones and it comes to life.
 
burrunjor said:
To be honest musical episodes to me are usually bollocks. They get in the way of important developments I'd like to have seen happen properly. I'm clearly in the minority for that though.
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Gimmick episodes in general are a tough sell for me, but when done right, they are really enjoyable to watch. Another good example is paintball episode(s) from Community.
 
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