My friends Janci and Drew created a list of the best and worst Buffy episodes.  It’s a pretty good list, but I have my quibbles.

Here’s my list, with commentary.

1. Once More, With Feeling - This is the musical episode, and it’s generally considered by fans to be the best episode.  I agree.  The songs are great, but more importantly, they not only fit the characters very well, they also advance the larger story arc of the season.
2. Becoming, Part 2 - This is the climactic episode of season 2.  This is the episode that turned me into a fan of the series, because of the choice Buffy is forced to make in the end.  The writers knew what they were doing.
3. The Body - This is the most heart-wrenching episode of the series.  One of the interesting things about it is the complete lack of background music.
4. Hush - A spell makes everyone in Sunnydale unable to speak.  Therefore, the majority of the episode has no dialog.
5. Conversations With Dead People - Part funny, part scary, part sad, this episode gives a lot of insight into the characters.  It also features the wonderful song "Blue," by Angie Hart.
6. Help - This is one of the most poignant episodes.  Buffy fights to save a psychic student who foresees her own death.
7. Normal Again - What if Buffy is really in a mental institution, imagining the whole fight against vampires thing?
8. Superstar - Thanks to a spell, a minor recurring character becomes the star of the show.
9. Tabula Rasa - Group amnesia.  Hilarity ensues.
10. I Was Made to Love You - Another very poignant episode, involving a robot searching for its creator.

Wow, it was tough cutting it down to ten episodes.  There are a whole bunch more that are also excellent:  Storyteller; Chosen; The Zeppo; Passion; Prophecy Girl; Lie to Me; Innocence; Becoming, Part 1; Anne; Amends; Bad Girls; Consequences; Earshot; Graduation Day, Parts 1 & 2; Fear, Itself; Something Blue; This Year’s Girl; Who Are You?; Restless; The Gift; Bargaining, Parts 1 & 2; Grave; Selfless; Showtime; and Lies My Parents Told Me.

I won’t do a list of the worst episodes, because I try to forget them.