On March 10 Buffy the Vampire Slayer is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The Joss Whedon created cult classic is still garnering new fans even after two decades of slaying.
In every generation a slayer is born. In 1997, that chosen one was Buffy played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. Though the quote says that “she alone must stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness,” Buffy was never one to follow the rules. In the show, the witty superhero teams up with her Wicca best friend Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) and comedic sidekick Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendon) to save Sunnydale, California, from the dangers of the Hellmouth.
Buffy uses monster metaphors to teach life lessons about relationships, friendship and high school. The show was presented by a team of writers that used clever and witty language to disarm the viewer’s emotions only to later stab them in the heart with tear-jerking storylines. From breakups and disappointments to dealing with the death of loved ones, Buffy was not afraid to hit us where it hurts.
In seven seasons, 144 episodes, one spin-off series and now three extra seasons in a comic book form, Buffy still manages to stay popular even 20 years after it first aired.
With 144 episodes it might seem like a trying task to narrow the list down to the 20 best of the best. But that’s just what we did. This is the list of the 20 funniest, most creative, most heartbreaking and overall most monumental episodes of the series. Warning: There are definitely spoilers in here.