Worst Buffy Episodes

T

Tucker's Cousin

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This has probably been done before but obviously not for some time. So what do you consider worst episodes? Not necessarily bad tv. I'm sure we've all said that old line about how a bad episode of Buffy is still better than anything else. But which ones do you skip whenever you get up to them?

Here's mine:
Season 1: Never Kill a Boy on the First Date (Just boring really), I Robot - You Jane (Good premise poorly executed).

Season 2: Some Assembly Required (Awful), Reptile Boy, Bad Eggs, Killed by Death, Go Fish (Being a guy, Xander in speedos does nothing to do redeem this stupidity for me. Also this and KbD spoil the Angelus momentum terribly.).

Season 3: Dead Man's Party (Huh?! Should have been a awesome reunion ep for the gang but everybody's all avoidy and holding grudges. I get that they're upset Buff didn't at least call them, but have a good sit down talk about it. And zombies awakened by an African mask... Please!), Beauty and the Beasts (Scott Hope must die! Dr Jekyll girlfriend beater = stupid), Gingerbread, Helpless (always think of these as "nasty" eps).

Season 4:The I in Team (Maggie Walsh must die! Oh, she did... well bring her back and then kill her again!), Goodbye Iowa (I so don't care about Riley and his withdrawl), Where the Wild Things Are (No redeeming features what so ever. Stupid idea that was poorly executed.).

Season 5: Out of My Mind (Again, I just don't care about Riley's problems. Also it's the beginning of his inferiority complex taking over, which makes me want to kill him.), Listening to Fear (WTF? That slug demon thingy annoys the hell outa me.).

Season 6: All the Way (Some funny moments but doesn't advance the story in any way.), As You Were (Riley, enough said. Sam, his wife, has been quite good in other things, but was terrible in this.), Entropy (Definition: The tendency for all matter and energy in the universe to devolve toward a state of inert uniformity. That about sums up this ep.).

Season 7: Help (I had no problem with Cassie Newton, she of the stupid looking face and annoying voice, dying, yet the whole ep is about trying to save her.), Him (Has some funny moments but adds nothing new to the series), The Killer in Me, First Date (Ashanti's music is alot better than her acting and I don't think her music all that good.).

Wow. I didn't really want this to become a negative post despite the title, but I did end up venting a little, didn't I? If I'm pressed for a top 5 worst eps I'd pick 1. Where the Wild Things Are, 2. Some Assembly Required, 3. Go Fish, 4. Listening to Fear, 5. Never Kill a Boy on a First Date. I know people are going to nominate Beer Bad and Doublemeat Palace and I used to not like these eps much either, but I've warmed up to them a little of late.

Anyway, lets hear some bad episode rage...
 
P
ProphecyGirl
[No message]
OK, this is probably to vague for this thread, but...

I've been away from actually viewing an ep for months and months now. I'd surely forget most of the ep names and specifics and such.

You can probably break down the awfulness by degree as well as type.

Seasons 1, early 2"”if and when it was bad, a lot of it was just weak concepts, relatively clunky acting, direction, music, bad lighting"”all kind of coming together in a schlocky way. This is not to say I don't love Buffy generally, seriously. The dialogue was always strong, smart and funny from the get go, I think. Just sayin', the show improved greatly as it went along. A lot of it was (I assume) budgetary as well as just letting the writers experiment, develop a clear feel for what the characters would be. By mid-season 2, it was humming along on all cylinders, I thought. Once real arcs started to develop, character's relationships were explored more...

I think that in general with Buffy, sci-fi and fantasy just didn't mix well"”except for the Buffybot and the Nerds to a degree"”and then it was the comic effect. Any other robot, spacemonster, Frankenstein, hi-tech, military theme pretty much blew, sucked, etc. Xander as a Halloween night "soldier" was just dumb, unconvincing, for example...
 
T
Tucker's Cousin
[No message]
goldenboy said:
OK, this is probably to vague for this thread, but...

I've been away from actually viewing an ep for months and months now. I'd surely forget most of the ep names and specifics and such.

You can probably break down the awfulness by degree as well as type.

Seasons 1, early 2"”if and when it was bad, a lot of it was just weak concepts, relatively clunky acting, direction, music, bad lighting"”all kind of coming together in a schlocky way. This is not to say I don't love Buffy generally, seriously. The dialogue was always strong, smart and funny from the get go, I think. Just sayin', the show improved greatly as it went along. A lot of it was (I assume) budgetary as well as just letting the writers experiment, develop a clear feel for what the characters would be. By mid-season 2, it was humming along on all cylinders, I thought. Once real arcs started to develop, character's relationships were explored more...

I think that in general with Buffy, sci-fi and fantasy just didn't mix well"”except for the Buffybot and the Nerds to a degree"”and then it was the comic effect. Any other robot, spacemonster, Frankenstein, hi-tech, military theme pretty much blew, sucked, etc. Xander as a Halloween night "soldier" was just dumb, unconvincing, for example...
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I Agree 100%. Whenever I'm urging someone to try getting into the series I invariably end up telling them to watch the first couple of eps (WthHm, The Harvest) just to learn the characters/setting/what's going on then skip to Lie To Me or What's My Line Pt. 1. I usually explain it as everyone, actors, writers, finding their feet and taking the show from concept to clear vision/direction. I think I should just let them find their own way though, because after I'm finished with which early eps to skip or watch, it all sounds too complicated and I end up putting them off.
 
M
Mulder22
As a huge Wesley fan, I LOVE your banner!!!!
I rarely watch season 1 and 2 to be honest, except for a few really good episodes.
Except for that and some too Initiative-focused episodes in season 4, the only episode I really don't want to watch is Buffy vs. Dracula. I'm not even sure why I dislike that episode so much... I just never liked Dracula, he's not interesting ain my opinion. The only thing I really love about that episode (apart from some things in the end) is the beginning, at the beach, with the three cute couples, heh..
 
It's hard to pick really horrible episodes. I agree that season 1,2 and 4 are not really liked very well. There are some episodes in seasons that I just don't really care about, but I don't then by are horrible. There is something in every episode that I like.

I've probably got at least one a season that I don't rewatch that much. But I like things in them.
 
Yep, even bad Buffy is mostly better than anything else, but there are several eps I don't care for a whole lot. I watch them (most of the time) when they come up in rotation, but I can live without watching them if I happen to miss them. The vast majority of Buffy is exactly the opposite for me, tho....and I watch at least one a day and usually more.


s1: Never Kill a Boy on the First Date....I really disliked that guy that Buffy was all ga-ga over. I was like, "uh WHY?" He wasn't even cute! Out of Sight, Out of Mind. I wanted to tell Marcy to get over it, already! Nobody leaves HS without emotional scars!

s2: Inca Mummy Girl.....Ok, I get that Xander's normal teenage horny guy, and I see the point of the ep, but it was just boring to me. Reptile Boy, just dumb. Ted. Oh my goodness, if a boyfriend of my mom's smacked ME and then my mom didn't believe me about it? SO not cool. All kinds of hell would be breaking loose.

s3: Gingerbread. Really didn't like Joyce condeming Buffy that way. I think I have issues with moms not behind their daughters 100%!

s4: Living Conditions. I actually do watch this one when it comes around, just because of the continuity. But Kathy really was driving me nuts! And, this is the one where Buffy starts getting interested in Parker - grrrr! Wild at Heart. Great Oz ep, but I blame Veruca for Oz and Will breaking up. Also, I'm not that fond of The Initiative, but I watch those eps since they're such a huge part of the season. Maggie Walsh is the evil spawn of Satan tho, so I FF thru her parts, LOL!

s5: Real Me. Early Dawn......Arrrgh, she was so annoying! I Was Made to Love You. Hated that dumb robot. And misogynistic Warren, too.

s6: Doublemeat Palace. Uh...yuck! Older and Far Away. I like this ep for the funny Tara lines....but Dawn still annoys me.

s7: The Killer in Me. Just hated the way Willow was used by Amy. Storyteller. I thought this was pointless.
 
Miffed67 said:
Living Conditions. I actually do watch this one when it comes around, just because of the continuity. But Kathy really was driving me nuts!
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How could I forget? Gah. I actually don't really think that this is one of the worst episodes... But Kathy makes it impossible for me to watch. I just can't stand her, she is the most horrible character ever, I would want to kill her just as much as Buffy. I don't believe people can be evil, but I'm willing to make an exception for Kathy (even if she would've been a human that is), that girl is just... ahh...
 
Why does everybody hate Kathy? She's sassy for god sakes! I love that episode 🙁

I'm not sure if I have a list of episodes I don't like, I can agree with some that have been mentioned, like Ted and Never kill a boy on the first date. Oh and I Was Made to Love You really sucked also. Most episode where Spike get's emotional i usually skip or just watch the fun parts with no Spike in them.
 
Well, I have to say I have problems picking out episodes that I absolutely hated. I'd be lying if I said there weren't episodes on the DVDs that I skip because I can't be bothered watching it again. It's as if they are tedious and I could be doing better things... like watching a better episode! I can't pinpoint the exact episodes... I just can't.
 
here is the list of all my least fav episodes...

s1: I Robot, You Jane.
s2: Some Assembly Required
s3: Dead Man's Party
s4: Where The Wild Things Are
s5: I Was Made To Love You
s6: Dead Things
s7: Lessons
 
Gah, yea Kathy was so horrible, couldn't stand her for one minute. So Living Conditions is one of the worst episodes imo. But even so I can still watch it, there's always something in every episode that makes it a little good. But I Robot, You Jane and Go Fish is not so great either..
 
Hehe, Yes, I agree that Kathy is horrible, with the eggs and the music and the borrowing and ruining Buffy's cardigan etc. But I still have to love that episode. Especially when Buffy's showing Kathy that it's sharetime now!
 
Tucker's Cousin said:
I Agree 100%. Whenever I'm urging someone to try getting into the series I invariably end up telling them to watch the first couple of eps (WthHm, The Harvest) just to learn the characters/setting/what's going on then skip to Lie To Me or What's My Line Pt. 1. I usually explain it as everyone, actors, writers, finding their feet and taking the show from concept to clear vision/direction. I think I should just let them find their own way though, because after I'm finished with which early eps to skip or watch, it all sounds too complicated and I end up putting them off.
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Why is everyone bashing the first 1 1/2 seasons? May I point out that if it wasnt for them, the last 5 1/2 seasons wouldnt have come out? And that they are good, considering the development of the show at the time? I mean, every shows first couple of seasons are gonna be "blah" after you get to season 3-5...You have to accept that, and look at how they were viewed at the time they came out...
 
VisionGuy
VisionGuy
[No message]
You make an excellent point! There are some very pivotal episodes in season 1 & 2 that really make the show what it was at the end. (And still today in all our hearts.)

*and my note on Kathy: I just liked how she made Buffy crazy. We'll all have to deal with those roommates at some point, and we can learn from this episode... "What not to do!"
 
sk8rj04 said:
Why is everyone bashing the first 1 1/2 seasons? May I point out that if it wasnt for them, the last 5 1/2 seasons wouldnt have come out? And that they are good, considering the development of the show at the time? I mean, every shows first couple of seasons are gonna be "blah" after you get to season 3-5...You have to accept that, and look at how they were viewed at the time they came out...
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For my part, I wouldn't consider my comments 'bashing' rather than stating what I didn't like, in the interest of discussion. I and others on this thread also stated that even bad Buffy was better than anything else. Buffy ran a long time, all things considered, and there are going to be episodes that people didn't like, for one reason or another. Obviously, we all love the show as a whole, or else we woudn't be here.

SpikedBuffy, you're right! Altho I was rooting for Buffy to just get rid of her, already.....she didn't handle the conflict in the best way possible! Buffy's selfishness and me, me, me attitude were definitely showing. Turned out that Kathy was a demon, and she was up to no good, so she could stay in this dimension and attend college, but still.....I don't think that justified Buffy's reaction.
 
What's with all the Kathy dislike? Living Conditions is one of my favorite episodes.It is so funny the way Buffy acts with Kathy driving her crazy.And the way she drank her milk was LMAO funny."It's share time."And the way Buffy zoomed in on Willow's sandwhich in the end is classic.

I also like Bad Eggs.That's a very good episode also.There is one that I tend to skip when I get to it and that's Lie to Me.I just don't like that ep for some reason.Some Assembly Required isn't all that either.
 
Hey, VG! Everyone's entitled to their opinion....if you like Kathy and the ep in general, more power to ya is what I have to say!

I like Bad Eggs, tho......I love that part where Buffy goes to school the next day and she's talking about how the egg cracked and some skittering thing attacked her....LMAO!
 
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