‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Ended 20 Years Ago: How Fans Rank the Seasons
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, our pick for the best show of the ‘90s, came to a climactic conclusion 20 years ago, with Sunnydale going from town to town-sized crater in the Scooby Gang’s battle against evil.
That finale — “Chosen,” which aired on May 20, 2003 — is one of fans’ favorite episodes, according to IMDb user ratings. The average rating for the final season as a whole, though, lands it in the middle of the pack, though far ahead of the first season.
Upon this 20th anniversary of Buffy’s ending, scroll down to see the full ranking, plus the best- and worst-rated episodes from each season. (Seems like the episodes named after food and drink — beer, meat, eggs, etc. — did not fare well.)
7. Season 1
Average episode rating: 7.57
Worst episode: Ep. 8, “I, Robot… You, Jane” (6.5), the one where Willow (Alyson Hannigan) releases demonic malware online
Best episode: Ep. 12, “Prophecy Girl” (8.7), the one where Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) defeats the Master (Mark Metcalf) at Sunnydale High
6. Season 4
Average episode rating: 7.91
Worst episode: Ep. 5, “Beer Bad” (6.3), the one where Buffy and her friends turn Neanderthal after indulging in underage drinking
Best episode: Ep. 10, “Hush” (9.7), the one where the ghoulish Gentlemen steal Sunnydale residents’ voices
5. Season 6
Average episode rating: 7.99
Worst episode: Ep. 12, “Doublemeat Palace” (6.7), the one where Buffy realizes there’s something up with the burger patties she’s flipping
Best episode: Ep. 7, “Once More, With Feeling” (9.7), the one where the Scooby Gang and everyone else in Sunnydale feel compelled to air their secrets through song
4. Season 7
Average episode rating: 8.01
Worst episode: Ep. 6, “Him” (7.1), the one where a charmed letter jacket has girls falling for the same high-school quarterback
Best episode: Ep. 22, “Chosen” (9.3), the series finale, in which the Scooby Gang defeat the First Evil and Buffy lays down the Slayer mantle
3. Season 2
Average episode rating: 8.05
Worst episode: Ep. 12, “Bad Eggs” (6.6), the one where a health-class homework assignment hatches into prehistoric parasites
Best episode: Ep. 22, “Becoming: Part 2” (9.5), the one where Buffy kisses Angel (David Boreanaz) and then banishes him into another dimension
2. Season 5
Average episode rating: 8.07
Worst episode: Ep. 9, “Listening to Fear” (7.0), the one where Buffy’s mom, Joyce (Kristine Sutherland), is targeted by an extraterrestrial demon
Best episode: Ep. 16, “The Body” (9.7), the one where Buffy comes home to find Joyce dead of a brain aneurysm
1. Season 3
Average episode rating: 8.33
Worst episode: Ep. 11, “Gingerbread” (7.2), the one where Joyce goes on a literal witch-hunt
Best episode: Ep. 16, “Doppelgangland” (9.2), the one where Anya (Emma Caulfield) and Willow accidentally summon a vampire version of Willow from an alternate universe
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J
Season 5 is a hundred times better than Season 3. Glory was, well, glorificus and if the series had ended with Buffy's sacrifice it would have been the perfect way to end the series.
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R
Sorry but Season 3 had Eliza Dushku’s Faith which was like adding lightning to the mix. Also the writers stack perils upon hazards upon losses, especially in Season 3’s back-half, and it’s a sense of narrative cohesion, character control, and bottled lightning it never again sustained for so many consecutive episodes.
Season 3 also had these epic fan-favorite episodes: "The Wish" "Dopplegangland" "Enemies" & "Graduation Day Part 1"
Season 5 had Dawn, which was a huge distraction. When she's the center of attention she is additionally super annoying. Glory as a villain was okay, but she was kind of one-note. This season also had Spike and Buffy which sorry, but I never bought. One bright spot was the episode "The Body".
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