Ranking the Seasons of Buffy The Vampire Slayer from Worst to Best

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is easily one of the most iconic and beloved supernatural dramas in existence. As the brainchild of a pre-Avengers Joss Whedon, the series was set in the fictional town of Sunnydale and featured Sarah Michelle Gellar kicking ass as the titular slayer on a weekly basis from 1997 until 2003. Over the course of its seven season run, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a hit with fans and critics alike. That being said, it would be remiss to suggest that all of its seasons were created equal. In fact, many articles have been written contemplating the pros and cons of each. While there will never be an official consensus amongst fans, this will be yet another (highly subjective) attempt at ranking the seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer from worst to best.

SEASON SIX

Big Bad: Dark Willow

Best Episode: “Once More, with Feeling”

Worst Episode: “Normal Again”

Despite the fact that it boasts the impressive musical episode “Once More, with Feeling,” I find it difficult to plod through season six. Whedon and Co. are to be commended for taking risks throughout the season, particularly when dealing with Buffy’s attempts at being an adult and providing for her family (as evidenced in the hilarious “Life Serial”) as well as her coming to terms with her resurrection after being seemingly ripped out of heaven by her friends. The Dark Willow saga that unfolds over the last four episodes is as satisfying as it is unexpected. The epic Buffy/Anya/Giles versus Dark Willow fight remains one of my favourites from the series. My problem, however, is that this season takes forever to actually get to that point. We’re stuck with the bumbling nerd troika for a mind numbing amount of time while Buffy and her friends become exponentially more unlikable as they make a series of unforgivably piss poor decisions. Willow magically alters Tara’s mind (which amounts to a metaphoric rape), Dawn becomes a kleptomaniac, Xander leaves Anya at the altar for no good reason at all, and Buffy engages in a nauseating relationship with Spike that ends when he attempts to rape her. Also, Tara dies. Since this was the first season without Anthony Stewart Head’s Giles overseeing the group as part of the main cast, his absence is felt tremendously and is quite possibly why everyone goes off the rails at an alarming speed.

 

SEASON SEVEN

Big Bad: The First

Best Episode: “Chosen” (minus Anya’s death)

Worst Episode: “Him”

The seventh season gets a lot of hate for the Potentials. Sure it’s kind of like having a dozen Dawns running around, but they’re far from being the worst thing about this season. While Xander and Willow bounce back from their questionable behaviour in the preceding season, Buffy circles the drain as she descends into becoming a shrill drill sergeant who acts like she’s better than everyone else and whose every line of dialogue seems to drip with condescension. This is so pronounced that she makes former bad girl slayer Faith look like the nice one. The seventh season also gets demerit points for killing off Anya (Why?!).There are moments of brilliance though. I rather enjoy the introduction of D.B. Woodside as Robin Wood and how his character is woven into Spike’s backstory. The usage of Tom Lenk’s Andrew Wells as comedic relief throughout the season is hilarious and his split second wheelchair fight with Anya remains one of my favourite laugh out loud moments from the series. The idea of the First is also quite neat and is very much reminiscent of how Naoko Takeuchi conceptualized the primordial Chaos in her seminal manga Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon.

SEASON ONE

Big Bad: The Master

Best Episode: “Prophecy Girl”

Worst Episode: “I, Robot… You, Jane”

Buffy’s first season may have a fuzzy nostalgic place in my heart. Its episodes are atmospheric and concentrated more on the horror elements of the show. With witchcraft, insectoid demons and ventriloquist dummies involved, this season is actually quite creepy. However, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it’s not quite as epic as the ones that followed it. Obviously part of this has to do with the fact that it had a limited budget and because the writers were still settling on a tone, but it also has to do with its infamous “monster of the week” formula. Nearly every episode in this season is self-contained and contributes very little to the actual overarching plot of the Master’s ascension. As a kid, the Master scared the living daylights out of me and he had incredible potential to be one of the best baddies Buffy ever had. Unfortunately, he’s trapped in his damn lair for the entire season while Buffy mostly reacts to a series of random demonic occurrences.

SEASON FOUR

Big Bad: Adam

Best Episode: “Hush”

Worst Episode: Both “Beer Bad” and “Superstar” are equally as bad for me

Season four gets a lot of flak from fans and is sometimes considered one of the worst. I couldn’t disagree more. Buffy’s singular year at college was memorable and breathed new life into the series. The Initiative was a mildly interesting concept and Riley even started out as a semi-decent love interest for Buffy. This season also marked the expansion of Emma Caulfield’s Anya, who basically steals every damn scene she’s in with her brutal honesty and flawless comedic timing. Buffy needed Anya to survive after the gaping hole that was left following Cordelia’s departure. While Spike was meant to fill this snarky role, it was Anya who became the new Cordy with her unique brand of humour. This season was shaky in parts, particularly towards the end, but there’s a surplus of amazing episodes that help to counterbalance this. “Living Conditions” is absolutely hilarious, “Fear, Itself” stands as one of the stronger Halloween-themed episodes, “Wild at Heart” featured Alyson Hannigan acting her butt off and the two Faith episodes (“This Year’s Girl” and “Who Are You”) set up a rather impressive crossover with spin-off Angel. This season also gave us “Hush” – quite possibly the best standalone episode from the entire series. The Gentlemen remain some of the creepiest villains we’ve even seen on the show and the cast showed they could still be funny even without the writing team’s snappy dialogue.

SEASON FIVE

Big Bad: Glory

Best Episode: “The Body”

Worst Episode: “I Was Made to Love You”

There are two huge reasons why this season is so damn good – Glory and “The Body.” As far as Big Bads go, Glory was different from everyone that came before her. She wasn’t some brooding vamp hiding in a crypt, but rather a stylish goddess living in a lavish apartment. She was equally as manipulative as Angelus and as darkly humorous as the Mayor, but she was much more powerful and was far more unhinged. “The Body,” meanwhile, is a poignant and powerful episode that deals with death and loss in a gut-wrenchingly sincere manner. It’s so good and so haunting that it’s actually quite ridiculous that this episode never netted the series an Emmy in an acting or writing category. Beyond that, season five is notable for Emma Caulfield becoming part of the main cast (yay!) and for the introduction of Buffy’s universally despised kid sister Dawn (hiss!). Dawn is a big reason why this season didn’t rank higher and her introduction did seem to mark a shift in quality of the series, particularly as it altered the chemistry and dynamic within the cast. There’s also the fact that she’s unbearably annoying. Even still, this season is full of great episodes like “Buffy vs. Dracula,” “Family” and “Triangle.”

SEASON TWO

Big Bad: Angelus

Best Episode: “What’s My Line (Parts 1 and 2)” and “Becoming (Parts 1 and 2)” are strong contenders

Worst Episode: “Ted”

By its second season, Buffy the Vampire Slayer really hit its stride. All of the main cast had been fleshed out and their roles were firmly established, which gave the writers the opportunity to play with their relationships and throw in a series of jaw-dropping twists. Xander begins dating mean girl Cordelia while Willow engages in a relationship with the werewolf Oz, a badass new slayer is introduced (and is subsequently killed – boo!), Buffy loses her virginity and Angel turns evil. This season was also notable for unleashing the vampiric equivalent of Sid and Nancy in the form of Spike and Drusilla. The psychotic duo and their electric chemistry injected this season with a kind of energy that the first was missing. Once evil Angel was thrown into the mix, all bets were off. The second season was tonally consistent and kept a solid pace as well, balancing filler with overarching plots (and comedy with drama) better than most others. I’d be hard-pressed to pick favourite episodes, but some of the standouts include “School Hard,” “Halloween,” “What’s My Line (Parts 1 and 2),” “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” and the supremely creepy “Killed by Death.” Let’s also not forget the epic moment that was Buffy using a rocket launcher in “Innocence” and the tear-inducing final moments between Angel and Buffy in “Becoming (Part 2).”

SEASON THREE

Big Bad: The Mayor

Best Episode: “Graduation Day (Parts 1 & 2)” (though “Homecoming” and “Doppelgangland” are perhaps equally as amazing)

Worst Episode: “Anne”

I’ve got one word for this one – Faith. When Whedon and Co. introduced a new slayer in the form of the morally corrupt Faith (portrayed flawlessly by Eliza Dushku), they gave audiences an alternative to the righteous Buffy and illustrated how destructive the powers of a slayer can be in the wrong hands. Faith was mouthy, impulsive and rebellious, but she was also cruel, calculating and sociopathic. Her character arc was remarkably well-written and really showcased this beautifully broken shell of a girl who just wants to belong. This level of quality writing extended to just about every other character on the show, particularly as Cordelia pivoted away from her mean girl persona towards Scooby Gang member then towards jilted lover. The writers gave us plenty of Cordy’s legendary zingers and standout comedic moments (like when Buffy gains telepathy and discovers that Cordelia quite literally says what she’s thinking), but we were now finally able to sympathize and identify with her just as much as many of the others. Since I count both Faith and Cordelia among my favourite characters, my judgment may be cloudier here. Season three also alleviated the Buffy/Angel melodrama that made season two a little too soapy and focused on them working together as a team, while also delving deeper into the interpersonal relationships of the Scoobies. A good chunk of my favourite episodes from the series come from this season – notably “Faith, Hope & Trick,” “Homecoming,” “Band Candy,” “Gingerbread” and “Doppelgangland.” Its two-part finale is also something to behold. From Buffy’s final showdown against Faith to the Scoobies blowing up the school, “Graduation Day” gives us everything we could ever ask for in a finale.