9 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episodes We'll Never Forget

Nobody knew The WB was releasing one of the best television series ever on March 10, 1997.
Yet on that date, on a network no longer in existence, Buffy the Vampire Slayer the series was born, changing genre television forever.
We're celebrating with some of our personal favorite episodes and why they've stuck with us.
Share yours, too!
1. Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 2 Episodes 13 & 14, "Surprise" & "Innocence"

Those two episodes had such a range of emotion for Buffy, something that tween me could easily relate to (if not the reasons for her ups and downs). Honestly, Angel losing his soul probably had as much to do with my self-imposed teen abstinence as my mom's near-daily talks on STDs did.
In a way that is so wonderfully Joss, he showed how sex changes everything for teenagers but did so without slut shaming his female lead. The heartbreak that only a teenager can experience was amplified by Buffy's ex attempting to literally ruin her life by killing her friends. I'm all grown up now, and I take a slightly different meaning from these two episodes, but I still think they're the first two really capital "I" Important episodes of Buffy.
Decisions have consequences. Star-crossed love is tragic, not romantic. The moment you think you're mature enough to handle things is pretty good proof that you're not. – Elizabeth
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 2 Episode 22, "Becoming, Part 2"

Heck, Buffy even made a deal with Spike that would be our first glimpse of their future partnership. But a delivered message from Xander left Buffy forced to do the unthinkable – knowingly sending her boyfriend to Hell with his restored soul. Nothing will ever be as gut-punching as their brief reunion kiss, followed by her tearful words.
Buffy: Close your eyes.
Upon re-watch now, the graphics are cheesy. They're PAINFULLY cheesy, actually. But the stellar performances by Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz in that moment were signs that they would be stars way beyond the Buffyverse. – Christine L.
3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 4 Episode 10, "Hush"

4. Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 5 Episode 16, "The Body"

I never consciously realized why I hadn't started watching Buffy when it came out, but it never stopped me from being a great fan of the series. Five years later, when Buffy suffered the tragic loss of her mom, it was with great appreciation, sadness and through tears that I understood not only what Buffy was feeling, but Anya, Tara, Willow, Xander and all the Scooby gang.
Death was the norm on Buffy, but not by natural causes. People didn't just die without them being monstrous or deserving or being sent back to where they belonged. "The Body" was the juxtaposition of what death meant and will mean, what pain was and will be going forth, what you can get through and what seems insurmountable.
I still use "The Body" as a reference point when trying to explain the loss of a parent to others. The shock, the bewilderment, the bizarre turning point from loved one to (in my case) a yellow wax bean of a man instead of your father, or from your mother to a body, hasn't been expressed better from so many viewpoints in any other program before or since. It remains one of the most significant explorations about death in entertainment. – Carissa
5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 5 Episode 22, "The Gift"

Often times you watch a show, and you beg to see some actual consequences play out and not just have everything magically work out for everyone involved. This finale featured Buffy doing her job and willingly accepting her fate, which she has known was going to happen ever since she became a slayer. It's not like dying to save the world wasn't in the job description.
Between Buffy's acceptance of her fate and everyone's reaction to her death, this finale absolutely devastated me in the best possible way. – Allison
6. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6 Episode 7, "Once More, With Feeling"

7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6 episode 8, "Tabula Rasa"

But then it turns on a dime, the spell is broken, and all of a sudden I find myself sobbing as Tara moves out and Giles leaves for London. That was also the first time I ever heard Michelle Branch's "Goodbye to You," and I instantly became one of her biggest fans. Sometimes I'll watch the episode just to listen to that specific version of the song because it's just so hauntingly beautiful and perfect for the moment. – Stacy
8. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6 episode 22, “Grave”

So when the Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 6 finale opened, we really believed that Giles would be the person to get evil, angry Willow to see the light.
Boy, were we ever wrong, and the results couldn’t have been more satisfying…
Willow: Uh oh. Daddy's home...I'm in wicked trouble now.
Giles: You've no idea.
I’ve always loved Willow, but dark, sarcastic, drunk on power Willow was like nothing we’d ever seen! That sweet, smart, shy girl we’d met at the beginning of the series was nowhere in sight, but that’s exactly the Willow that Xander tried to reach as she stood on the verge of obliterating the world.
Yes, we know that the pure magic that Willow stole from Giles helped dilute the power she had gotten from her rage, but it wasn’t magic or superpowers that pulled Willow back from the edge, it was the love of her best friend who wouldn't give up.
Xander: First day of kindergarten you cried 'cause you broke the yellow crayon and you were too afraid to tell anyone. You've come pretty far, ending the world, not a terrific notion but the thing is, yeah. I love you. I loved crayon-breaky Willow and I love scary veiny Willow. So if I'm going out, it's here. You wanna kill the world, you start with me. I've earned that. – Christine O.
9. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 7 Episode 7, "Conversations with Dead People"

This is a subtle and serene episode that focuses more on the inner thoughts of our characters instead of the big action sequences. Words can be the most powerful thing and it surprises – during the initial watch and every replay – how open and forthcoming Buffy, Dawn and Willow are with dead characters.
Throughout the series, Buffy has had ongoing relationship woes and this moment talking to her dead vampire classmate is her chance to analyze her past issues. The same goes with Willow with her fear of magic as she's talking with Cassie, who died episodes prior.
In addition to the conversations, there are many iconic moments like the return of Joyce, the realization that Spike can kill humans again, and Andrew killing Jonathan. And we can't forget the interaction with the Big Bad of the seventh season: The First! – Justin