As distinguished from entire episodes, what moments, lines, character reactions, etc, have been real standouts, even if the episode as a whole didn’t make the star list?
There are several for me.
Giles’ “Now, the plan is we’re going to work on curing my completely debilitating blindness tomorrow, is it?”
Willow’s serious look during Hush as she scribbles something important on her newly-acquired message board, and then turns it around to reveal, “Hi, Giles! :)”
After it’s been clubbed into the new slaves that the right answer is, “I am no one,” Buffy’s perky answer to the demon who asks who she is: “I’m Buffy - the Vampire Slayer. And you are?”
The whole “What Can’t We Face?” number from Once More, With Feeling.
Spike believing he’s ‘Randy Giles’ in Tabula Rasa. In fact, that whole discovering/making up new identities scene is priceless.
The gang has captured one of Glory’s minions who is protesting loudly that he will not talk. Giles asks Willow to get some rope so they can tie him up. The camera pans to follow Willow. Off screen we her a noise. When we pan back to Giles and the Minion, the Minion is all too ready to talk.
And I love Xander’s little bit where he’s trying to figure out where the zombie gang went, and segues into “I just had sex!”
From “Once more with Feeling”
You’re the cutest of the Scoobies
with your lips as red as rubies
and your firm yet supple <glances down>…tight embrace!
An Angel moment, but I think it would qualify, is from “In the Dark” where Spike’s giving his little monologue while watching Angel save Damsel-of-the-week. I can’t help but crack up at “Evil’s still afoot and I’m almost out of that Nancy-boy hair gel I like so much.”
The bit in “Who Are You?” where Riley has shown up at the church taken hostage by vamps because it’s his church.
Faith gets there & asks him, “How did you respond so fast?”
Riley says, “I didn’t. I was just late for church.”
Faith gave him such a look at that moment. I think that tipped me off that Joss was, at the very least, not a fan of traditional religion.
Xander practising his asking-Buffy-out lines with Willow in the Bronze in the first season finale. It’s both hilariously funny and heartbreakingly sad (Willow’s expression in particular). Sums up everything there is to love about Buffy.
Anya trying to explain alternate universes to Buffy: “You could have a world, for example, where there was no shrimp. Or, if you wanted, you could have a world where everything was shrimp.”
The loan officer turning down Buffy’s request for a loan, with her house as collateral: "For some reason, property values in Sunnydale haven’t increased at the same rate as the rest of the nation. <Demon breaks in and starts destroying the bank>
Giles’s rant to Willow when he finds out she used magic to bring Buffy back to life:
Willow: “You’re just jealous of me because it was a spell no one else could cast and I cast it!”
Giles: “Oh, there are others who could cast that spell! You just wouldn’t want to meet them!”
Xander: “Don’t tell me to calm down Willow! Wait 'til YOU have an evil twin and see how you handle it!”
(Xander storms out)
Willow (with indignant fact): “I handled it fine!”
Xander: “Willow, who made you in charge of the group?”
Willow: “You did!”
Anya: "Right, you’re little speech “Willow should be in charge of us?”
Tara: “And then you made the placard with the glitter that read Willow should be in charge of us?”
Xander: “Oh that’s right.”
Willow: “Angel, doesn’t the ‘no reflection’ thing freak you out? I mean, how do you shave??”
I still like Willow’s exchange with the demon in “Something Blue”:
Willow: I don’t want to be a demon. I just want to go back and help my friends.
D’Hoffryn: That is your answer?
Willow: It is.
D’Hoffryn: I’m sorry to hear that. Oh well, here is my talisman, if you change your mind, give us a chant.
Xander’s “Kill starting with me” speech to the Inca mummy girl
Faith-in-Buffy beating the crap out of Buffy-in-Faith, while calling her names (such a great foreshadowing of Buffy and Spike’s perverse relationship)
Evil Willow
Oz panicking
Joel Grey with a tail
Giles with a feather duster clenched between his teeth, suddenly remembering a possible apocalypse. Alt-Giles “It has to be better than here.” Giles, Giles, Giles, all the time <sigh>
Cordelia’s SAT scores “I have some experience in covering these things up”
The final scene in Fool For Love where Spike marches into the backyard, gets ready to shoot Buffy, and then says “What’s wrong?”
In Afterlife when Spike realizes that it’s Buffy and not the Bot.
When Spike saves Buffy from bursting into flames in OMWF.
“Love isn’t brains children. It’s blood, screaming in you to work its will.”
In Doomed when Spike realizes he can still fight demons.
Buffy: “What’s wrong with ‘Buffy’?”
Giles: “Good question.”
The running “Nice dress” gag in Prophecy Girl. Buffy’s speech in Prophecy Girl.
The Buffy/Angel scene in I Only Have Eyes For You when they were possesed by the ghosts. That was the only time I was a B/A shipper, and it was for a very brief moment, but the scene really touched me.
When Spike got up from the wheelchair at the end of IOHEFY.
When Faith goes to the Mayor’s office and points out he has a job opening.
When Faith (in Buffy’s body) comes onto Spike.
Woo, this is getting to be a long list. I’ll stop for now.
When the gang is walking through a landfill, and Riley says, disgustedly, “They say that people are recycling. They’re not recycling!” Xander puts a comforting hand on his shoulder.
When Cordelia gets impaled on a piece of rebar, and soon after they show a funeral ceremony… and then Willow & Buffy walking past the cemetary saying, “So, Cordelia’s going to be okay, right?”
When Willow is describing the evil vampire Willow and ends with “…and I think she’s kinda gay.”
In the first episode, when Buffy points out a vampire because of his clothes, Giles asks “They’re dated?” Buffy responds, “They’re carbon-dated.”
I’d forgotten all about that line. I loved that!
And in season 4, when
Adam is brought to life and the first thing he does is kill Dr. Evil Professor. I totally didn’t expect that!
Virtually any scene where Spike and Joyce spend time together, especially in “Lover’s Walk”, “Bargaining, Part 2” and the one from Season 5 where they discuss the plot developments on Passions.
The presentation of Buffy’s Class Protector award in “The Prom”. Also Angel showing up a few minutes later. I’m not a B/A shipper at all, but I liked seeing Buffy get her “one perfect hgh school moment”.
“Graduation 2”, when the whole student body stands up, armed and ready to defend themselves.
Damn near every moment with the Mayor. I miss him!
Most of “Fool for Love”, especially the 1977 subway sequence.
Xander interrupting yet another b?a weepfest, including hilarious musical cues, in “The Zeppo”.
The Giles/Tara duet in “Once More, with Feeling”.
Anya’s Swedish flashbacks in “Selfless”.
Wow, there’s SO many when I stop to think of them.
Earshot:
Buffy: You had sex with Giles?!.. On the hood of a ploice car?!..TWICE???
Crackes me up every time.
Plus the bit in Once More With Feeling when Giles says “She needs backup… I need a guitar.” In the middle of the life’s a show song.
Giles with Ben (Glory’s alter ego): “She’s not like the rest of us…she’s a hero, you see…” then proceeds to break one of TV’s top (unspoken) moral codes, with little fuss.
The oral sex references. Off the top of my head:
Willow to Buffy, advising her on cute expressions to attract a boy: “that thing you do with your mouth…not that ‘bad’ thing you do with your mouth…”
Tara’s song to Willow in OMWF
Spike, standing with a cigarette in his mouth, looking, well, bored for a few seconds, no sounds, no music…then we hear someone entering his tomb/pad, offscreen…then the Buffybot emerges up from the bottom of the screen, saying “who’s there?”
Warren telling his hypnotized ex-girlfriend to get on her knees. (she snaps out of it before doing the deed). This wasn’t fun like the other references, but it was chilling.
