• Home
  • Movies
  • Music
  • TV
  • Video Games
  • Wrestling
  • Topics
  • Latest Comments
Search
Cult of Whatever logo
  • Movies
    Featured
    • The Living Daylights: Timothy Dalton as James Bond

      The Living Daylights is still awesome, thirty-five years later

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 28, 2022
      Movie Blogs
    Recent
    • Top Gun Maverick: Tom Cruise

      REVIEW: Top Gun Maverick is a sequel that soars!

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 27, 2022
    • Star Wars New Hope Mark Hamill Carrie Fisher Harrison Ford Luke Skywalker Princess Leia Han Solo

      Star Wars: 45 Years Later and the four people who made it happen

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 23, 2022
    • Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers Poster

      REVIEW: Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers is a fever dream of family fun

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 22, 2022
    • Doctor Strange Multiverse of Madness: Benedict Cumberbatch, Xochitl Gomez and Rachel McAdams as Steven, America Chavez and Dr. Christine Palmer

      REVIEW: Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is Sam Raimi’s Sam Ramiest movie in ages!

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 7, 2022
    • Full Metal Jacket: Vincent D'Onofrio

      Full Metal Jacket is still awesome thirty-five years later

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 5, 2022
    • Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore: Jude Law as Albus

      REVIEW: Fantastic Beasts 3 (The Secrets of Dumbledore) is a gloomy sequel with little pizzaz

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 18, 2022
  • Music
    Random
    • Linda Paul Mccartney 1976

      50 years ago, McCartney dropped "Lennon" and went solo...

      By Matthew Martin
      | June 5, 2020
      Music Blogs
    Recent
    • The Beatles: Get Back

      What GET BACK reveals about the Beatles

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 15, 2021
    • Simon And Garfunkel at Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam1982

      The Boxer is a song about being conned

      By Matthew Martin
      | July 4, 2021
    • Lady Gaga: Chromatica Album Cover

      Lady Gaga’s discography is totally out of order

      By Matthew Martin
      | June 3, 2021
    • Michael Jackson Thriller Album Cover

      Thirty years ago music fans said “Nevermind” to Michael Jackson

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 21, 2021
    • Queen II Album Cover

      On Queen’s The Miracle, and the importance of track ordering

      By Matthew Martin
      | February 16, 2021
    • Beatles Usa 1964

      50 years ago the Beatles said “The End”

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 31, 2019
  • TV
    Featured
    • Nancy Drew S03e01: Kennedy McMann as Nancy

      Nancy Drew S03E01 Review: The Warning of the Frozen Heart - Uh-oh!

      By Salome G
      | October 10, 2021
      TV Blogs
    Recent
    • The Flight Attendant S02e08: Kaley Cuoco and Cheryl Hines as Cassie Bowden and Dot Karlson

      The Flight Attendant S02E08 Review: Backwards and Forwards – A satisfying conclusion

      By Salome G
      | May 27, 2022
    • Riverdale 6 15 3

      Riverdale S06E15 Review: Things That Go Bump in the Night – Unexpected allies

      By Salome G
      | May 23, 2022
    • Doctor Who S10e8 Peter Capaldi

      Why is it that The Doctor can never seem to become ginger?

      By Jason Collins
      | May 23, 2022
    • Big Sky S02e18: Katheryn Winnick and Jensen Ackles as Jenny Hoyt and Beau Arlen

      Big Sky S02E18 Review: Catch a Few Fish – Solid finale

      By Salome G
      | May 22, 2022
    • The Flight Attendant S02e07: Griffin Matthews and Kaley Cuoco as Shane and Cassie

      The Flight Attendant S02E07 Review: No Exit – Huh?

      By Salome G
      | May 22, 2022
    • Star Trek Strange New Worlds S01e02 Celia Rose Gooding and Ethan Peck as Uhura and Spock

      Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Episodes 2-3 review (Good stuff!)

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 21, 2022
  • Video Games
    Featured
    • Arkham Knight

      Batman: Arkham Knight - A fitting end to a trilogy

      By Tom Farr
      | July 18, 2015
      Video Game Reviews
    Recent
    • Legend Of Zelda

      Can a Legend of Zelda movie work?

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 6, 2022
    • Super Mario 64

      Which system had the better launch: A battle of four Nintendo consoles

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 1, 2021
    • Luigi's Mansion

      Happy twentieth to Nintendo’s underrated gem, the Gamecube

      By Matthew Martin
      | November 18, 2021
    • Metroid Dread

      Metroid Dread – Post Game analysis and sequel needs

      By Matthew Martin
      | October 29, 2021
    • Mario Headphones

      The SNES Turns 30: A look at some of the system’s best soundtracks

      By Matthew Martin
      | October 22, 2021
    • Metroid Dread Poster

      REVIEW: Metroid Dread reawakens the old gamer in me

      By Matthew Martin
      | October 11, 2021
  • Wrestling
    Featured
    • Wwe Payback 2017 Poster 2

      Your SO OF COURSE preview of WWE Payback 2017

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 30, 2017
      WWE Blogs
    Recent
    • Raw 210501: Triple H and Stephanie McMahon

      May 21, 2001 – A (forgotten) date that will live in WWE infamy

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 20, 2022
    • WWE WrestleMania 39 Logo

      Your WAY TOO EARLY predictions for WWE WrestleMania 39!

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 20, 2022
    • WWE WrestleMania 38 Poster

      Your SO OF COURSE preview of WWE WRESTLEMANIA 38!

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 30, 2022
    • Wrestlemania 31 Paige Aj Lee 2

      BOOK REVIEW: The Women of WrestleMania is a balanced take on an under-valued slice of history

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 16, 2022
    • ROH Proving Ground 2009: El Generico aka Sami Zayn

      In buying ROH, AEW has a chance to redo history (the right way)

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 14, 2022
    • Cody Rhodes Tnt Title Belt 220720

      Cody Rhodes is gone from AEW. What does that mean for wrestling?

      By Matthew Martin
      | February 16, 2022
  • Topics
    • site logo
    Latest
    • The Flight Attendant S02E08 Review: Backwards and Forwards - A satisfying conclusion
    • REVIEW: Top Gun Maverick is a sequel that soars!
    • Star Wars: 45 Years Later and the four people who made it happen
    • Riverdale S06E15 Review: Things That Go Bump in the Night - Unexpected allies
    • Why is it that The Doctor can never seem to become ginger?
    • Big Sky S02E18 Review: Catch a Few Fish - Solid finale
    • Latest Comments

    Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Every episode ranked! (Part 1/5)

    By Matthew Martin
    | January 24, 2022
    TV Blogs

    Last year, we kicked off a look back at the 90’s cult classic, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series, spearheaded by Joss Whedon, celebrates its 25th Anniversary this March. The movie on which the show is based (sort of; Whedon wrote the movie, hated the way it was made, and then created the show as a way to do the idea justice) came out a cool thirty years ago but I don’t plan on doing a big anniversary retrospective on it; the film has few redeeming qualities. In fact, other than a fantastic villain performance by Paul Reubens, it has no redeeming qualities, but man that Pee Wee was phenomenal.

    Anyway, you can check out all our previous articles in the series, breaking down each season of Buffy (and Angel to boot), here: Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

    What else is left to say about the series I love so much? All that’s left is to offer a completely biased, wholly unscientific, and absolutely indisputable ranking. So, without further ado here is part one of five in our list breaking down all 131 episodes. Technically there were 144 episodes produced but I’m combining a few two-parters because, though they aired on different weeks and sometimes had different writers/directors, they tell a single story spread across the two episodes. Things also get hairy when you get to the second half of season seven, where the stories get very serialized, but for the most part, even those episodes are still treated as single entries.

    Buffy The Vampire Slayer Cast

    The list is divided into four categories (with a fifth article wholly devoted to the number one entry): At the bottom are the episodes “EIGHT AND BELOW.” Those are the ones—ranked an 8/10 or below—that, for one reason or another, had serious missteps, structural flaws, bad plots, or some other errors that couldn’t be overlooked no matter how charming the writing was. After that, there are the episodes that are “NOT BAD BUT NOT MUCH.” These episodes—ranked 8.5/10—all have plenty of redeeming qualities but they’re hamstrung by one or two big problems or even a ton of little problems that keep it from rising up the ranks. Next are the 9/10 episodes simply called “GEMS.” These are the brilliant ones, the side-splittingly hilarious ones, the fantastically written ones, the surprise-filled twisty ones. These are the ones I loved, but not as much as the last group in the ranking. At the top are “TENS.” These are the 10/10 ones, the best of the best, the little pocket masterpieces that made the show the cult hit it became, and which helped the show maintain its place in genre fandom twenty-five years later.

    Disclaimer #1: I won’t be doing too much summarizing of the episodes here. Instead, I’ll mostly spend the few words I have devoted to each entry explaining its placement in the ranking. This listing is for the fans, not someone who hasn’t yet seen the show. What are you waiting for? Go watch the show!

    Disclaimer #2: Making this list was, at times, a ton of fun and, at other times, agonizing. The best of the best were quickly identified, though coming up with a satisfactory ranking wasn’t easy. Likewise, the bottom of the barrel episodes were also easily spotted, but which goes at the bottom?

    Actually, that was easy, too…

    THE “EIGHT AND BELOW” EPISODES

    #131 – Wrecked – season 6, episode 10

    The worst for multiple reasons. To start with, there is almost nothing to enjoy here. For another thing, the “magic is like drugs” parable is laid on so heavy-handedly, without nuance or subtext, it becomes secondhand embarrassing to watch. The scene where Willow drives “drunk” with Dawn in the passenger seat never sat right with me from a “true to character” standpoint.

    Buffy The Vampire Slayer S06e10: Michelle Trachtenberg and Alyson Hannigan as Dawn and Willow

    #130 – Beer Bad – season 4, episode 5

    A public service episode with a moronic plot. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of episodes of Buffy and Angel that have silly plots, but the shows usually knew how to balance the silliness of it with a wink and a nod and some sharp writing to make you laugh with it and not at it. I didn’t even laugh at beer bad. As with Wrecked, I was more embarrassed to watch.

    #129 – Smashed- season 6, episode 9

    I almost combined this one with Wrecked, but I hated the latter one so much more and found this one less offensive enough to keep them split. For one, the hijinks of the trio is handled better than in other episodes. For another, the destructive relationship between Buffy and Spike is literalized in the most literal way possible. It’s an episode with very little meaningful plot but a lot of good character development for everyone but Willow. She has development, just not the good kind.

    #128 – I Robot You Jane – season 1, episode 8

    We did not know how the internet worked in 1995. The plot is simple: Willow falls in love with a “person” on the internet, but the person is actually a demon that was, long ago, sealed in a book via magic. I’m with you so far, Buffy… That book was then uploaded onto a computer. Okay… And that set the demon loose in the computer. Oh no… And then the demon started online chatting with Willow. Alright, Ima head out… What follows is a lot of cringe, though I’m sure it wasn’t so bad in 1995. I honestly can’t remember. I do remember cringing pretty hard last year when I rewatched it.

    #127 – Some Assembly Required – season 2, episode 2

    Students are being killed and reassembled as a Frankenstein’s Monster-like creature. That’s a pass. There’s some nice Angel/Buffy stuff here, and some lovely Giles/Ms. Calendar flirting. In fact, that’s a recurring theme to the first half of season 2: The plots are usually forgettable but the character stuff keeps things flowing nicely. The A-plot is enough of a bore to hold this one back, however.

    Buffy The Vampire Slayer S02e02: Michael Bacall, Charisma Carpenter and Ingo Neuhaus as Eric, Cordelia Chase and Daryl Epps

    #126 – The Pack – season 1, episode 6

    The problem with all the subpar season 1 episodes is the writers and actors hadn’t quite figured out the needed subtleties to make everything work. These were very plot-centered episodes early on and the plots were not great. The Pack is about school bullying, with Xander and some other high schoolers being possessed by the spirit of wolves or something. It’s just as on the nose as the next entry on the list, but not nearly as cheesy-fun.

    #125 – Teacher’s Pet – season 1, episode 4

    When you pitch a show to network execs, you usually have to offer up a handful of episode ideas to show how you can explore the various themes you intend to build the series around. Buffy was pitched as “High School is Hell…literally.” The personal demons and challenges young people face in school are, in this show, made literal. So, it’s not enough for Xander to be preyed upon by a horny teacher, the teacher has to be a literal praying mantis monster determined to eat him. I wonder if my feelings would be better if the monster wasn’t a B-Movie rubber suit. I was never embarrassed, however; the cheesiness and cheapness of it were almost endearing.

    #124 – Nightmares – season 1, episode 10

    This one is a lot higher on other lists I scanned over the past year. Personally, I thought it was just an okay episode. I can see the hints at the kind of show Buffy would be, one that was willing to blur genre lines. The gimmick of turning the Scoobies’ nightmares against them is a good idea, but it will be done much better in a later episode. This is just okay.

    #123 – Go Fish – season 2, episode 20

    The worst episodes of season 2 feel like they belonged to season 1. My problem with this episode is two-fold. On the one hand, the plot is season 1 levels of dumb, coming after the show had already jumped to a new level of quality, proving it was better than the kind of on-the-nose storytelling seen previously. The other problem is that the episode aired right before the amazing two-part finale. It is sandwiched between two incredible stories (I Only Have Eyes For You, and Becoming 1-2) and sticks out like a sore thumb, ruining the flow that the show was on since Angel turned into Angelus. Rape jokes are also way too casually employed, but that’s the mid-90s for you.

    #122 – Killed By Death – season 2, episode 18

    Feels like an idea that was bandied about when the writers were trying to nail down the plot of Nightmares. As with the previous entry, its biggest sin is that it stops the momentum of the Angelus storyline for a one-off that’s not good enough to justify its placement in the season. It also suffers from a bad writing trope: Introducing backstory that is only relevant in this episode and never brought up again. Buffy had a cousin who died in a hospital and now Buffy hates hospitals. She will be in hospitals a lot in this show so it’s a good thing she completely conquers her fear here and now and never brings it up again.

    Buffy The Vampire Slayer S02e18: Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers

    Buffy The Vampire Slayer S02e18: Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
    Next Page
    1 2 3

    Share this article:

    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit

    Tags

    Buffy the Vampire Slayer

    You might also like

    • Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Twenty five years later (Part one)

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 10, 2021
    • Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Twenty five years later (Part two)

      By Matthew Martin
      | June 10, 2021
    • Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Twenty five years later (Part three)

      By Matthew Martin
      | July 9, 2021

    FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

    TV Topics

    Recommended for you

    • The Flight Attendant S02E08 Review: Backwards and Forwards – A satisfying conclusion

      By Salome G
      | May 27, 2022
    • Riverdale S06E15 Review: Things That Go Bump in the Night – Unexpected allies

      By Salome G
      | May 23, 2022
    • Why is it that The Doctor can never seem to become ginger?

      By Jason Collins
      | May 23, 2022
    • Big Sky S02E18 Review: Catch a Few Fish – Solid finale

      By Salome G
      | May 22, 2022
    • Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Episodes 2-3 review (Good stuff!)

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 21, 2022
    • Star Trek Picard Season 2 (not a review but a rant)

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 10, 2022
    • Star Trek Picard S02E10 Review: Farewell – Future perfect?

      By Ethan J
      | May 7, 2022
    • Meditating on Moon Knight (Season One Review)

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 5, 2022
    • Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Every episode ranked! (Part 4/5)

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 24, 2022
    • Why “The Body” from ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ remains one of TV’s greatest explorations of the five stages of grief

      By Jason Collins
      | March 27, 2022
    • On a scale of 1 to really messed up, how well does The Boys translate to the small screen?

      By Jason Collins
      | March 15, 2022
    • Who’s Who? We have some ideas about the new Doctor Who

      By Oliver Johnston
      | September 13, 2021
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Affiliate Disclosure
    • Cookie Policy and Settings
    • Terms of Use
    • Photo Credits
    • RSS
    All Cult of Whatever articles, logos, illustrations and graphics are copyright CultOfWhatever.com. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. © 2021 CultOfWhatever. All Rights Reserved.
    • facebook
    • twitter