Buffy: Prophecy Girl (1.12)

Prophecy Girl's greatest achievements are achieved through the gut-wrenching humanity of certain scenes. One moment in particular is the aftermath of Willow discovering the various murdered students, in which she tells Buffy how completely horrifying the whole event was. So often the various murders and deaths that occur throughout Sunnydale High are casually dismissed or hilariously poked fun at, but here we have a teenage girl whose life is suddenly filled with killings and horror -- and it's not fun, and it's not something you get used to. The image of blood smeared on the TV screen while kids' cartoons play is effective enough, but Willow's monologue just raises the bar even further.

Buffy: Out of Mind, Out of Sight (1.11)

One of the numerous wonderful moments in Out of Mind, Out of Sight is the classroom sequence where Cordelia explains her world-view: how everybody thinks their own problems are somehow more important than everybody else's, and how instead of whining about it, you should probably just get over it. And while you can bring up Cordelia's hilarious self-involvement over the course of her tenure in the Buffyverse, little of the vacuous and self-centered qualities to her personality are necessarily the 'real her'. She can be just as lonely and isolated as everybody else, yet why bother letting those emotions become your entire being? You can be surrounded by people and still be isolated. Like she says, "It beats being alone all by yourself".

Buffy: Nightmares (1.10)

Nightmares is another example of the series taking on a tried-and-tested, cut-and-dry fantasy idea and running with it. Nightmares are becoming a reality in Sunnydale, and the Scoobies have to overcome their own fears to save the day -- that's pretty much it. What separates the episode from similarly themed but altogether less successful attempts on other TV series is that each nightmare actually reflects true, deep-seated fears within each character. Some, like the characters living through said nightmares, are silly and ridiculous, while others give a shocking amount of insight into the vulnerability of a person growing up in the world, and the results are sometimes undeniably affecting.

Buffy: The Puppet Show (1.9)

A plot structure that season one executed often was the 'whodunnit' format, with a horrific supernaturally-enhanced murder followed up by the introduction of a variety of kooky suspects, all of whom are just eccentric enough to be considered potential murderers. The Puppet Show utilizes that mystery element and juxtaposes it not only with a typically nightmarish high school event, in this case the much-maligned talent show, but also a B-movie style horror villain in the form of a ventriloquist dummy with a mind of its own. Just like so many episodes this season, there's a doozy of a twist at the episode's mid-point that throws the cards up in the air and helps in opening up the mythology of the series, depicting other forms of demon-hunters in the process.

Buffy: I, Robot... You, Jane (1.8)

Watching season one again, it's surprising that Willow is so under-developed. Maybe it was simply accidental that Xander had so much to do in the first seven episodes, but Willow definitely pales in comparison to him, at least in terms of character development. It's interesting that as the series progresses, however, Willow becomes so integral while Xander fades away into the background a little. I guess the writers realized which character was more exciting to develop. What's disappointing is that the first Willow-centric episode is so goddamn awful, making her look like a desperate, naive moron. I, Robot... You, Jane has the unfortunate distinction of being the only Buffy episode which really does look and feel like it aired nearly fifteen years ago. But even without the dated quality, it's still pretty appalling everywhere else.

Buffy: Angel (1.7)

This episode marks the point where the series raised the stakes and demonstrated that it's not a simple, occasionally silly, girl-fighting-monsters show. Most TV shows have that one couple who define the series and cement it in pop culture. Ross and Rachel, David and Maddie, Mulder and Scully, Dawson and Joey, etc. What is introduced here is the most epic TV couple in recent memory, the beginning of a doomed love affair that could never work and should never work, but the undeniable chemistry and heated passion between them make the two of them pretty much inseparable. A couple whose love shakes up the rules, brings about death and destruction and defined the high school years of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It works not only as a gothic romance, but also as a wonderful metaphor for teenage love. It's unexpected, usually restricted or frowned upon by certain parties, and is wrought with just as much pain as there is pleasure. Obviously, I'm talking about Buffy and Angel.

Buffy: The Pack (1.6)

It's pretty easy to dismiss The Pack as just another of season one's dumber episodes. You'd certainly have a point, though. I mean, come on, possessed by demonic hyenas? It's pretty stupid. But away from the ridiculousness of the concept, it's important to note that the episode isn't afraid of creating truly ugly moments that are both aggressive and disturbing. Xander's cruelty is especially nasty, not written as teen-show "Xander's acting weird" behavior, but as destructive and upsetting in how personal it is. His attitude towards Willow, which borders on abusive, is especially tough to watch, unloading his anger on her and degrading her both physically and mentally. In that regards, the episode is successfully affecting.

Buffy: Never Kill a Boy on the First Date (1.5)

This is the most obvious depiction so far of one of Buffy's enduring themes: the desperation for a normal life amid all the apocalyptic monster-hunting. Here we have Buffy besotted with an annoyingly broody and handsome loner who surprisingly isn't Angel, who reads Emily Dickinson alone in the cafeteria and clearly has some fetish for watching petite young ladies beat up toothy muscle-men. It's all very, very disturbing. What it succeeds in is creating real sympathy for Buffy. She can't do anything ordinary without at least that nagging sense that others could be in danger or that darkness could be lurking right around the corner. It sucks, but it makes her such a great heroine in the process.

Buffy: Teacher's Pet (1.4)

Buffy settles into a goofy, standalone-driven groove, with a fun if lightweight episode all about virgins, bugs and interspecies mating. Buffy for the first time takes a major backseat, allowing Xander to take center stage in all his lovestruck glory. As a character, he's better here than he has been so far. He has that nerdy likability factor, as well as that keen self-awareness of how awkward he is. But what 16 year-old guy isn't mostly a big dork? You're trying to find the courage to be the man that you assume you need to be, while trying to keep that fear you have about it all from being made public. There's a neat moment of personal victory for him when he discovers the obnoxious jock isn't quite the sexually experienced stallion he claimed he was, but it's undermined by the fact that he isn't exactly much better in the sexual stakes. However, he's Xander: lovable, funny, self-deprecating and kind of heroic even this early in the series. He's still pretty darn awesome.

Buffy: Witch (1.3)

I have a particular fondness for this episode, even if its not particular great, since it was the first Buffy episode I ever saw. I remember that my mom was working late, so I used that as an opportunity to turn over and sneak a peek at this show that my mom thought was inappropriate for an eight year-old. Heh. Witch sees the show settling into a monster-of-the-week groove, a format I have no problem with on this particular show. It not only showcases a different kind of enemy, but expands the world of Sunnydale High and, with that in mind, follows up the pilot with a very 'high school' episode, with cheerleaders, jocks and extra-curricular activities. It's a lot of fun.

Buffy: The Harvest (1.2)

The weaker hour of the two-part pilot, The Harvest puts greater emphasis on action than its predecessor, and only really fails in that regard due to some pacing problems and the show being a little unsure about how to depict Buffy's vampire antagonists. What is most noticeable here is that immediately the Scooby Gang is formed and given their separate ranks. Xander is the everyman, tagging along in the hopes of helping Buffy in combat, while Willow is the internet hacker and bookworm (the hacking being a convenient deus ex machina that's used repeatedly through the early seasons). Giles, too, relaxes into his role as the stuffy 'dad' figure to all three of them, delivering exposition and chastising everybody for not taking things seriously enough. He's kind of a grouch, but he obviously gets better.

Buffy: Welcome to the Hellmouth (1.1)

I was a '90s kid. As a result, I have this affection for pretty much everything from the latter part of that decade, from the bubblegum pop music to the Freddie Prinze Jr movies that littered movie theaters. I bring this up because Buffy the Vampire Slayer was sort of like my awakening in terms of television. Before I went behind my mom's back and secretly watched this little TV show with the goofy title that was considered by my parents as being a little too adult for such an impressionable little kid, I was all about kid's TV. Sabrina, Dexter's Laboratory, Hey Arnold!, Batman, Sister Sister, Clarissa - they were my shit! Buffy, with that title, appeared to my young eyes like another show of that variety. High school, monsters, teenage girls fighting evil: awesomeness. At the time, I had no idea that Buffy would not only demonstrate to me how powerful television can be, it also introduced the concept of strong, flawed, hilarious, dark characters, all written with knowing dialogue and relatability. Buffy is my favorite ever show, not only because it was so wonderful as a series, but for opening my eyes to both TV and film, as well as crafting so much of what makes me who I am as a person.