The 10 best Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes of all time, according to their rating on IMDb

The top three is *so* correct

2 years ago

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of the greatest shows of all time, if not *thee* greatest show of all time. So, with that in mind, it naturally has a lot of great episodes. And when you have nearly 150 episodes that are pretty much all excellent, getting into the top 10 highest rated ever is highly competitive. But these 10 are the best Buffy episodes ever, according to their rating on IMDb.

10. The Wish (Season three)
IMDb rating: 9.1

Playing out like a big fan fiction dream, The Wish introduced us to Anya who grants Cordelia her wish that Buffy Summers had never come to Sunnydale. In this dimension, The Master is alive and rules over Sunnydale with his top generals: Vampire Willow and Vampire Xander. It’s chaotic, glorious escapism and stands apart from all other episodes in its standalone nature.

9. Doppelgangland (Season three)
IMDb rating: 9.2

Doppelgangland is The Wish’s sequel, and its 0.1 score victory here suggests sometimes the sequel IS better than the original. I think I personally would give The Wish the edge just because I love that alternate reality in its entirety, but it’s so much fun seeing Willow and Vamp Willow interact and the character moments and writing here are outstanding. Also: THE FORESHADOWING!

8. Innocence (Season two)
IMDb rating: 9.2

In many ways, Innocence is the first ‘grown up’ episode of Buffy. It still stands as one of its most moving – one if its biggest tests of the Slayer and proves how capable Buffy really is. Everyone’s acting in this hour is next level, as the gang reels from Angel losing his soul after Buffy and him have sex for the first time. David Boreanaz plays Angelus so great and Sarah is a tour de force. Wow.

7. Chosen (Season seven)
IMDb rating: 9.3

It’s so hard to get a finale episode correct – so few shows manage it successfully. Buffy the Vampire Slayer goes out perfectly, and whilst it’s not the longest and most pop culturally impactful episode of all the highest rated on the IMDb top 10 it is one that is a masterclass in how to wrap your show up. Just meticulously done.

6. Passion (Season two)
IMDb rating: 9.3

God, this episode. I both dread and look forward to it every rewatch. A KILLER. This is one of those episodes that really showed what Buffy was capable of as a show, and if it wasn’t in the top 10 best episodes according to IMDb I’d have been shocked to my core. Angelus is truly terrifying in Passion – the murder of Jenny alone, but then the leaving of her body for Giles to find … Horrific.

5. Becoming Part 2 (Season two)
IMDb Rating: 9.5

The second half of Becoming truly feels like a cinematic event. Spike and Buffy join forces for the first time, Buffy tells her mum she’s the Slayer in a scene that parallels coming out conversations, Willow does her first big spell and restores Angel’s soul but not before Buffy and her former lover have THAT sword fight duel and she has to kill him before Acathla swallows the world. Huge stuff.

4. The Gift (Season five)
IMDb rating: 9.5

The best Buffy season finale, not just out of IMDb episodes ratings but ALSO as fact! It’s so great. The setting on that shaky tower is just so tense, the battle feels massive and the gang finally getting some form of upper hand over Glory even if the tactics are chaotic feels euphoric. The ending makes me cry like a baby just thinking about it.

3. Hush (Season four)
IMDb rating: 9.7

A silent piece of genius television, and the scariest hour in Buffy history. If this wasn’t in the top three I’d have marched into Sunnydale and started a revolution.

2. The Body (Season five)
IMDb rating: 9.7

One of the greatest hours of TV ever made, and the most harrowing and raw exploration of grief. Everyone deserved Emmys. Endless Emmys. I wrote a full piece about how important this episode is to me, and I think it sums up why this deserves its top two placement here – IMDb got it right.