My Favorite buffy Episodes seasons 1-5 (spoilers)

Back in february, I was browsing netflix and decided to revisit one of my favorite shows of all time.  I began watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1997 when it debuted. I was ten years old at the time and it could be easily argued that no other television show has made such an impact on my life. sadly, I have yet to complete the series and have taken to netflix to catch up. I will be starting on season six tomorrow morning.  On May 20th, 2003 the last episode of Buffy aired. In honor of that I would like to post about a few of my favorite episodes in seasons 1-5.

Season 1:

My favorite episode from season one is The Pack. In this episode xander and a group of Sunnydale students get possessed by the spirit of  Hyenas which resulted in the adopting somewhat of a pack mentality.That dodgeball scene brought me back to my middle school days and still leaves me feeling vaguely uncomfortable. Plus, when you factor in that poor pig! scary.I have always had a soft spot for Xander and even got to meet Nicholas Brendon at a convention last year.

Another episode from this season that I feel is worth mentioning is Out of Sight, Out of Mind. As I rewatch Buffy as an adult I am able to pick up on more of the meaning behind each episode. I don't think anyone could argue that they have felt invisible at some point in their lives. This is especially true in middle and High School. I know I had a lot of "Have a great summer" inscriptions in my year book and at the time this episode aired it made me feel less alone. Not that I wanted to be invisible and live at my school,
 that would be an entirely different sort of Hell.

Season 2:

My favorite Episode from season two is Halloween.I kind of enjoyed the idea that with a little magic, a costume could transform you into anyone. I have always resonated with Willow. she was always the super smart and socially awkward one. I remember the way she wanted to wear something a little less modest and then dawning her ghost costume at the last minute. as a young girl I was really self conscious as well. I also really liked that Buffy chooses a "Helpless Damsel" costume only to discover that Angel truly likes her for who she is. Until Buffy, strong teenage girls were barely portrayed in the media. I think Whedon did an excellent job exploring gender ideals by transforming Xander into a military know-it-all. I feel like Xander felt that he did not have anything to offer Buffy until this episode.

Season 3:

The Wish is my favorite episode from season three. I love wishverse Willow. In this episode Cordelia uses a vengeance demon to make a universe changing wish.I enjoyed her little boost of empowermint in this episode. Especially once she gets to the Bronze. Vampire Willow did not take any crap from anyone including  Percy the jock. I also like her catch phrase in the episode. BORED NOW and the scene where the real willow goes undercover still cracks me up! I wasn't too crazy about Anya in the beginning but I really like her now.

Season 4:

Restless is my favorite episode from this season. to be completely honest, I wasn't a huge fan of the Initiative storyline. I'm not a huge fan of Riley, either. I really enjoyed this episode because it gave some backstory to what it means to be The Slayer. I liked that they went all the way back to the first slayer in this one.  also, everyone loves cheese.



Season 5:

As much as it was a heartbreaking episode, The Body was my favorite. It was so eloquently written. as someone who has lost a parent, this episode captures it beautifully. When you lose a loved one a thousand and two scenarios play in your head, "If I had just done this or gotten there sooner." The confusion of loss is suddenly unbearable, I feel like Tara's words to Buffy also cement her as a character and in that moment a bond is made between the two of them.

What are your Favorite episodes of Buffy?