Sarah Michelle Gellar shares her three favorite episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Gellar played the title character of Buffy Summers in the series created by Joss Whedon, the latest in a long line of young women who are chosen to battle against vampires, demons, and other forces of evil. Aided by a watcher, and the help of her friends, Buffy slowly embraces her role as the Chosen One. Initially, when the show premiered on The WB in 1997, it hardly seemed like the kind of premise that would alter the course of television history.
Almost two decades after Buffy ended its run, with the final installment airing in 2003, the series is still heavily-debated and discovered by a new generation of fans. Whether it’s because of distinct villains, groundbreaking couples, or the sharp writing of Whedon and his team, Buffy’s legacy has proven challenging to replicate despite attempts to reboot the franchise. A large part of the appeal, after all, comes down to excellent tremendous standalone episodes, which still seem fresh when viewed today.
Gellar revealed her favorite Buffy episodes, per Hit Entertainment. When asked to narrow down her choices to three, the actress listed season 3’s “The Prom,” the nearly dialogue-free season 4 episode “Hush,” and the devastating season 5 episode “The Body.” Gellar has a different reason for each of these selections. She enjoyed “The Prom” because she viewed it as both beautiful and heartbreaking. She cites “Hush” as the scariest episode of the series and also difficult, due to its mostly silent nature. As for ”The Body,” which Whedon views as his best work, it’s widely regarded as the finest hour of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Another thing to note about Gellar’s selections is that they represent Buffy succeeding in a more experimental approach. “The Prom” is the most traditional of the three episodes, but it still features the touching scene where Buffy receives an award from her fellow students for protecting them. It also features a measure of closure for the popular pairing of Buffy and Angel. In the case of “Hush” and “The Body,” however, they couldn’t be any more different from a regular installment of Buffy. “Hush” was created by Whedon partially in response to the criticism that the success of the show was mostly the result of witty dialogue. Simultaneously, “The Body” is a profoundly moving examination on grief that features almost no supernatural aspects. Given how Gellar has previously gone on the record as disliking the dark turn the show takes in its last two years, it makes sense also that her top three emerges from the first five years of Buffy.
It’s entirely possible, as well, that Gellar looks back with fondness on the more experimental episodes for how they prove that the series could be just as memorable and daring as other critically-acclaimed darlings of its era. As explained by Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander Harris on all seven seasons of Buffy, Whedon’s teen drama was often overlooked because of its genre. The tide has shifted since then, however, with the show amassing a remarkably enduring reputation. The three episodes that Gellar mentions are a big part of why Buffy the Vampire Slayer is viewed by legions of fans as an iconic series.
Source: Hit Entertainment