115 Reasons Why We Love Joss Whedon's "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" Part III

By Joanna Robinson | Lists | March 13, 2011 |

By Joanna Robinson | Lists | March 13, 2011 |

Fifteen years ago “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” premiered on the WB to a somewhat skeptical response. A mid-season teen soap on a fledgling network? Based on a campy film that wasn’t even old enough to attain cult classic status? And who outside of Pixar had heard of Joss Whedon? Little did we know that in creating Sunnydale, Joss had built the first little metropolis in the vast empire now known as the Whedonverse. I was 15 when “Buffy” premiered and, as idiotic as it may sound, it changed my life. I had never before (or since) interacted with a TV show on such a deeply personal level. My high school and college years followed lock-step with Xander’s, Willow’s and Buffy’s and though our experiences weren’t exactly the same, their jokes became mine, their joy was mine and, most of all, their pain was mine. I realize that might sound heavy and melodramatic for an often-times silly show, but the heart wants what the heart wants. So here, here is my clumsy love letter to the seven years I spent watching the show. This is for my high school friend who used to bring me a VHS tape of every episode so I could watch it at home when I wasn’t allowed any TV. (She cried when she handed me a certain tape mid-way through Season 2.) This is for my college roommates who indulgently watched with me every Tuesday. This is for my “grown-up” friends who join me in re-watching the DVDs. This is for the strangers I meet who light up at a casual reference. And this is for my dad who called me the first time Tara and Willow kissed. This is for them and for me and for you and for Joss and for Jane and for Marti and for Doug and for the Davids. So, in no particular order and in honor of the 15th Anniversary, here are the 115 Reasons Why We Love “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.” Thank you for the things that were perfect and for the things that weren’t. We loved it all.

Part I: 115 - 76 || Part II: 75 - 36 || Part III: 35 - 1.

35. Randy Giles

34. Girl Fights

33. Boy Fights

32. The Ones We Lost

31. The Ones Who Lived

30. “The First” Because, Alright, We Get It, It’s Evil And Because It Eats You Starting With Your Bottom

29. The Beauty, Effulgent

28. The Halloween Episodes

27. The Whedon Regulars

26. Sunnydale, That One Starbucks Town

25. Conveniently Broken Furniture, Fence Posts and Pencils

24. The Intellectual Thrill Of Spelling Words Out With Your Arms

23. Passion

22. “Passions”

21. A Little Light Bondage

20. Kendraaah, Thah Vahmpi-uh Slayah

19. The Dialogue

18. The Monologues

17. The Relationships We Rooted For

16. The Ones We Didn’t

15. The Friendships That Made Sense

14. The Ones That Didn’t

13. That First Kiss From Season 1

12. Those Pants From Season 2

11. The Sweaty Martial Arts From Season 3

10. The Engagement In Season 4

9. The Very Special Guest Star From Season 5

8. The Time They All Lost Their Memory In Season Sex 6

7. The Trio’s Appearance In Season 7

6. The Loyal Fans

5. Who Love Buffy

4. Because She Saved The World

3. A Lot

2. And Because We Love Joss

1. Always

Part I: 115 - 76 || Part II: 75 - 36 || Part III: 35 - 1.

Joanna Robinson is bored now. To watch “Buffy” from the beginning, head over here.Twitter! Email!