I say go with the WINS, especially in this case, where Puppet defeated Angel





The Pack vs Never Kill A Boy On The First Date

Favorite [L]
Best writing [D]
Best acting [D]
Drama [W]
Comedy [L]
Rewatchability [L]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot[W]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [L]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]




This is a match-up of fine episodes. The difference in tone and atmosphere found in these speaks loudly about the breadth of Season one that so often isn't recognized. Pack is a very disturbing episode. As Alien pointed out, the theme of Bullies is one that BTVS uses very effectively, here, and in Anne and in a variation, Earshot.
Owen is definitely one of the best supporting characters in BtVS. his naivety is so skillfully portrayed that you don't even recognize it as it is occurring.

I don’t have a strong opinion about this, but I do tend to agree with Premiere that match wins are stronger than category wins – in the same way that in tennis you can win more games and still lose a match.

On the other hand, not that it is of any great significance or has any great meaning, I calculated some points for the six episodes that have played so far based on football points (3 for a win, 1 for a draw) and came up with this:

Welcome to the Hellmouth 179
Angel 167
The Puppet Show 159
Teacher’s Pet 147
Out of Mind, Out of Sight 100
The Harvest 62


Premiere wrote:


I agree. Owen is a deceptively interesting character and it is fascinating to observe the reaction of the others to him and also compare him to Xander. At first, we might be tempted to think he is more mature or sophisticated than Xander. We have, for example, the great scene when Owen offers Buffy his antique pocket watch and Xander looks at the Tweety Pie watch on his wrist. Of course, it is not as simple as that. Buffy can rely on Xander, whose maturity is displayed in a very different and ultimately more solid way.

The Pack is the first dark episode of Buffy, containing the moments that are both unsettling and disturbing. Rumor has it that after this episode Joss was really impressed by the actors and decided that they are really able to handle deeper and darker material. For me the central point of the episode is Xander's transformation, his own "Angelus period". Despite being possessed, his personality (even if in its darkest manifestation) is still somewhat recognizable. He is still obsessed with Buffy. Only now he does have any moral scruples about forcefully going after her. He still wants to be respected and accepted. Only now, with his humanity driven deep inside, Xander is feeling strong, at least on the par with Buffy, he is accepted and followed as the leader of his own group (of bullies). Like Jesse after being turned, he is definitely and finally feeling good about himself. Xander also knows how exactly to hurt Willow (like Angelus knows that about Buffy). It is good that the memories about his experience are not wiped out clean afterwards. Still, it is not clear how much he learns from them, or just simply discounts the whole thing as an accident.

About NKABOTFD - later.


The Pack vs Never Kill A Boy On The First Date

Favorite [L]
Best writing [D]
Best acting [D]
Drama [W]
Comedy [L]
Rewatchability [L]
Emotional response [L]
B-plot[W]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [L]
Significant/memorable moments [L]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

I'll leave the scoring to the experts. I have a decidedly stronger opinion of NKABOTFD than TP for a lot of the same reasons you guys have already mentioned.


The Pack vs Never Kill A Boy On The First Date

Favorite [L]
Best writing [L]
Best acting [D]
Drama [W]
Comedy [L]
Rewatchability [L]
Emotional response [D]
B-plot[D]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [L]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [L]

Never Kill A Boy On The First Date takes a victory against The Pack, by 23 wins, 14 losses, and 11 draws.


In the second part, we have ...

Never Kill A Boy On The First Date vs I Robot, You Jane

Favorite []
Best writing []
Best acting []
Drama []
Comedy []
Rewatchability []
Emotional response []
B-plot []
Big/Small Bads []
Peripheral characters []
Significant/memorable moments []
Importance to the story/character journey []

The deadline for discussion and voting is Sunday at midnight. Let a better episode win!

Never Kill A Boy On The First Date vs I Robot, You Jane

When it comes to “worst” BtVS episodes, there are a select handful from the final couple of seasons that really seem to fill many fans with ire; ‘Wrecked’, ‘As You Were’, ‘The Killer in Me’ – all episodes that I like a lot. Equally, season four can boast ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ and ‘Beer Bad’. This latter episode used to be a guaranteed vote winner for “worst episode ever”, but more than a few fans have come to its defence over the years. ‘I Robot, You Jane’, on the other hand, sometimes still seems to have few friends, but I love it.

One of the persistent of the many complaints levelled against it in the past was that its use of and reliance on computer technology to drive the plot meant that it almost instantly became horribly dated, but that is surely a criticism that can be made of just about anything. The basic premise here that evil lurks in the Internet is one that still occupies the thoughts of the British tabloid press and there is some degree of truth in it, although the threat is certainly no greater than the myriad of other daily “threats” we face - the apparent unstoppable onslaught of motor accidents, accidents in the home, etc. Anyway, I think it makes for an interesting story and this is an episode in which Willow’s thin-skin and inferiority/superior complex that constantly bubbles under the surface begins to become apparent – something that takes on a life of its own later on.

I feel a bit bad about my votes here, but ‘NKABOTFD’ is my favourite episodes, so it is always going to be a hard one to compete against.

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [D]
Drama [D]
Comedy [W]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [D]
Big/Small Bads [D]
Peripheral characters [D]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

IRYJ certainly has picked up more scorn than I feel it deserves, due most to the feeling that Season 1 episodes were uniformly inferior to the rest. This generalization has dissipated over time and now S1 episodes are being given more credit. The idea of a computer hosting evil is clearly a metaphor with substance today. All this being said, I still believe that NKABOTFD is the winner here.

Never Kill A Boy On The First Date vs I Robot, You Jane

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [D]
Comedy [W]
Rewatchability [W]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [D]
Big/Small Bads [D]
Peripheral characters [L]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

Looks like we're in agreement on this choice. Even though I'm a computer nut and could identify with the metaphor of a demon in the internet and how it's a dangerous thing to avoid the predators that surf the web, I still think NKABOTFD is the better of the two.

Never Kill A Boy On The First Date vs I Robot, You Jane

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [D]
Comedy [W]
Rewatchability [W]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [D]
Big/Small Bads [D]
Peripheral characters [D]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

I Robot, You Jane has its share of moments to remember. It is an introduction of Jenny. Giles explaining why books are better than computers (because they smell ). It is, as Alien pointed out, a mini-study of Willow. It is a great, laughs-turned-serious last scene. Still, it is difficult to compete against Never Kill A Boy.

Never Kill A Boy On The First Date vs I Robot, You Jane

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [D]
Comedy [W]
Rewatchability [W]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [D]
Big/Small Bads [L]
Peripheral characters [W]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]


Never Kill A Boy On The First Date gets an easy victory against I Robot, You Jane - 31 wins, 2 losses, and 15 draws.

In the last part, we have ...

The Pack vs I Robot, You Jane

Favorite []
Best writing []
Best acting []
Drama []
Comedy []
Rewatchability []
Emotional response []
B-plot []
Big/Small Bads []
Peripheral characters []
Significant/memorable moments []
Importance to the story/character journey []

The deadline for discussion and voting is Wednesday at midnight. Let a better episode win!

The Pack vs I Robot, You Jane

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [W]
Comedy [L]
Rewatchability [W]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [W]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [W]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

I didn't believe this would be such a landslide initially. But when it came to deciding on all the categories, it turned out to be decisive.

The Pack vs I Robot, You Jane

I have been putting off doing this one because although ‘The Pack’ is the better episode, I really like ‘I Robot, You Jane’.

Favorite [D]
Best writing [D]
Best acting [W] Because Nicholas Brendon is so good in ‘The Pack’.
Drama [W]
Comedy [D]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [D]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [D]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [D]

The Pack vs I Robot, You Jane

Favorite [W]
Best writing [D]
Best acting [W]
Drama [W]
Comedy [L]
Rewatchability [W]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [W]
Big/Small Bads [D]
Peripheral characters [W]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

The Pack nudges out IRYJ. I guess I'm an old time computer geek, but my animal instincts from all the years in the military take precedence here!

The Pack stands out in this matchup with its dark, unsettling mood, while Robot has a number of memorable small scenes.


The Pack vs I Robot, You Jane

Favorite [D]
Best writing [D]
Best acting [W]
Drama [W]
Comedy [L]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [L]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [D]
Significant/memorable moments [D]
Importance to the story/character journey [D]

A confident victory for The Pack against I Robot, You Jane - 29 wins, 4 losses, and 15 draws. The overall results of the third group mini-tournament are the following:

1. Never Kill A Boy On The First Date 54 wins, 16 losses, and 26 draws
2. The Pack 43 wins, 27 losses, and 26 draws
3. I Robot, You Jane 6 wins, 60 losses, and 30 draws

Which means that I Robot, You Jane leaves our tournament, while Never Kill A Boy On The First Date and The Pack stay in the competition.


For the fourth group of Season One, "Reggy" has chosen the following episodes:

Prophecy Girl vs Nightmares vs The Witch

We start with

Prophecy Girl vs Nightmares

Favorite []
Best writing []
Best acting []
Drama []
Comedy []
Rewatchability []
Emotional response []
B-plot[]
Big/Small Bads []
Peripheral characters []
Significant/memorable moments []
Importance to the story/character journey []

The deadline for discussion and voting is Sunday at midnight. Let a better episode win!

Prophecy Girl vs Nightmares

I am very sad to see ‘I Robot, You Jane’ go, although it was never going to last very long.

‘Nightmares’ is an episode I absolutely adored when I first watched it and for a long time I considered it to be one of my favourite episodes. Ten years down the line that is no longer the case. Although I remain very fond of it, I don’t think it has quite stood the test of time, although the scene when Hank tells Buffy some home truths still gets me in the gut every time, even more so I think because this is Buffy’s nightmare, it’s how she thinks her dad sees her.

‘Prophecy Girl’, on the other hand, is a bona fide classic that has stood the test of time.


Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [D]
Drama [W]
Comedy [L]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [W]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [D]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

Prophecy Girl vs Nightmares

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [W]
Comedy [L]
Rewatchability [W]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot[D]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [W]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

No contest.

Prophecy Girl vs Nightmares

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [W]
Comedy [L]
Rewatchability [W]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot[W]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [W]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

I like Nightmares very much. It is one of many Buffy episodes investigating how much internal fears can affect and also to some extent define the people they are inhabiting. For the most people shown in this episode (Xander, Willow, Giles, Cordelia) these fears are presented in a comic form. On the other hand, for Buffy it is much more serious. The scene with her father is heartbreaking. Buffy always has this fear that all the bad things happening to the people closest to her (family and friends) are primarily her fault. Which is also somewhat connected to her another fear that she can eventually become (or is gradually becoming) the exact thing she is fighting against night after night.

It is also interesting that, IMHO, how by its structure and contents the episode reminds me Restless. So that I often intermix some scenes from both episodes when I am thinking about any of them

Prophecy Girl is a true classic. We will have plenty of opportunities to discuss it at length because it is definitely not going to leave this tournament anytime soon


Prophecy Girl vs Nightmares

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [W]
Comedy [L]
Rewatchability [W]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [D]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [W]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

Inexplicably, I had never consciously made this connection before and lince I think you are absolutely right about it. The two episodes are very much inter-related.

Extremely good point, Lince!

Thanks, Alien and Ohio!


Prophecy Girl gets an expected victory against Nightmares - 39 wins, 4 losses, and 5 draws.

In the second part, we have ...

Prophecy Girl vs The Witch

Favorite []
Best writing []
Best acting []
Drama []
Comedy []
Rewatchability []
Emotional response []
B-plot []
Big/Small Bads []
Peripheral characters []
Significant/memorable moments []
Importance to the story/character journey []

The deadline for discussion and voting is Wednesday at midnight. Let a better episode win!

I'm still mad that Buffy didn't get to be a cheerleader. We know she was on the squad in L.A.. The scene with her and Giles at the beginning of the ep is priceless. I have to wonder if this is the ep where Willow began to think that she might be able to help the Scoobies if she dabbled in witchcraft?

Prophecy Girl vs The Witch

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [W]
Comedy [L]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [L]
Big/Small Bads [D]
Peripheral characters [W]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

PG still rules in my book.

Prophecy Girl vs The Witch

This is going to be a hard one for me. Although ‘Prophecy Girl’ is a genuine “classic”, ‘The Witch’ is one of my very favourite episodes (possibly in my Top 10) and I think it is probably a lot better than its reputation suggests. It is not one of those episodes that is generally disliked, just one that seems to slip through the net and is rarely mentioned. As ohio has already mentioned, we can trace Willow’s interest in magic back to here.

I have to give my votes mainly to ‘Prophecy Girl’, but as much as I love that episode it pains me to do so.

Favorite [L]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W] Because of SMG’s fabulous performance.
Drama [W] Once Buffy learns she is going to die all bets are off.
Comedy [L]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [D]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [D]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [D] I’m pushing it a bit with this one, but ‘The Witch’ does introduce witchcraft into the Buffyverse.

I'm with Ohio & Alien on this one. I agree completely with Alien's assessment that PG is a classic and TW is clearly an above average episode. It really was a showcase for the charm & innocence of Buffy and the Scoobies.


Prophecy Girl vs The Witch

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [W]
Comedy [L]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [L]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [D]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

Another victory for Prophecy Girl: 31 wins, 8 losses, and 9 draws against The Witch.

In the last part of the round, we have …

Nightmares vs The Witch

Favorite []
Best writing []
Best acting []
Drama []
Comedy []
Rewatchability []
Emotional response []
B-plot []
Big/Small Bads []
Peripheral characters []
Significant/memorable moments []
Importance to the story/character journey []

The deadline for discussion and voting is Sunday at midnight. Let a better episode win!

Nightmares vs The Witch

I thought my votes were going to be heavily weighted in favour of ‘The Witch’, but that is not quite how it turned out.

‘Nightmares’ is a message episode, one that draws on a social issue, something that was quite rare in BtVS, I think – other examples would include ‘Anne’ and ‘Where the Wild Things Are’. Probably of most interest are Buffy’s nightmares – her belief that she was the cause of her dad leaving and her fear of becoming a vampire. The moment when Giles first sees Buffy’s headstone is a memorable one. When Buffy becomes a vampire this doesn’t quite seem to work, because she doesn’t actually become a vampire, but rather begins to morph into one. However, this is easily explained because nothing is real, it’s a dreamscape and so anything in Buffy’s imagination is possible.

Perhaps because later on (‘Helpless’ onwards) Hank Summers was depicted as a somewhat feckless and unreliable father the impact of ‘Nightmares’ has suffered a little bit.

‘The Witch’ just works for me.

Favorite [L]
Best writing [D]
Best acting [D]
Drama [D]
Comedy [D]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [D]
B-plot [L]
Big/Small Bads [D]
Peripheral characters [L]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [L]

Another of Buffy's nightmares was being buried alive. This would surface for real when Buffy was brought back from Heaven and woke up in her coffin. Hank Summers needed to have his teeth rearranged. He never (as far as I know) said or did anything when Joyce died. He was off with his secretary somewhere (in Spain I believe). He was a pig. Sorry if I sound so negative, but I've been a Reserve Deputy Sheriff for 24 years and I've seen so many kids lives ruined by being abandoned by one parent or both.

The Witch was better in my book. It's too bad Buffy didn't make the squad. Perhaps she and Cordy would have connected better. Then again - it may have made things worse.

Nightmares vs The Witch

Favorite [L]
Best writing [D]
Best acting [L]
Drama [L]
Comedy [D]
Rewatchability [L]
Emotional response [D]
B-plot [D]
Big/Small Bads [L]
Peripheral characters [L]
Significant/memorable moments [D]
Importance to the story/character journey [L]

The problem with Hank Summers, I think, is that there was a sudden shift in the way in which he was presented.

In ‘Nightmares’ (the real Hank, not Buffy’s nightmare version of him) and ‘When She Was Bad’ it seems that he is a loving father. However, in ‘Helpless’ this changes and after that he is barely even mentioned, even at the time of the death of Joyce (I always thought the whole thing was a little strange – either down to expediency or some rather clunky story plotting/writing). By the start of the sixth season he is depicted as being in contact with his daughters again, but later on, apart from an appearance in Buffy’s hallucinations in ‘Normal Again’, he once again is not mentioned. It was possibly not one of the better examples of BtVS characterisation and story telling.

I have chosen to believe that he was not a perfect father, but we didn’t have all the facts and perhaps he was not necessarily as bad as we were sometimes led to believe.

I think you're right, Alien. Fathers in general are not presented as very favorable throughout the Buffyverse. Not to mention Sarah's real father.

Nightmares vs The Witch

Favorite [W]
Best writing [D]
Best acting [W]
Drama [W]
Comedy [L]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [L]
Big/Small Bads [L]
Peripheral characters [L]
Significant/memorable moments [L]
Importance to the story/character journey [D]

Nightmares vs The Witch

Favorite [L]
Best writing [D]
Best acting [D]
Drama [W]
Comedy [L]
Rewatchability [L]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [L]
Big/Small Bads [L]
Peripheral characters [L]
Significant/memorable moments [L]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

A confident victory for The Witch against Nightmares - 23 wins, 8 losses, and 17 draws. The overall results of the third group mini-tournament are the following:

1. Prophecy Girl 70 wins, 12 losses, and 14 draws
2. The Witch 31 wins, 39 losses, and 26 draws
3. Nightmares 12 wins, 62 losses, and 22 draws

Which means that Nightmares leaves our tournament, while Prophecy Girl and The Witch stay in the competition. This also concludes our first min-group stage. Next we will have 4 knockout rounds, cutting the remaining 8 episodes by half.

According to the achieved results, the remaining episodes are "seeded" into two baskets:

Basket One: Welcome To The Hellmouth, The Puppet Show, Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, Prophecy Girl
Basket Two: Teacher's Pet, Angel, The Pack, The Witch

The episodes from the first basket will compete against the episodes from the second basket, with the exception of the episodes they met already.


For the first knock-out round, "Reggy" selected …

Welcome To The Hellmouth vs Angel

Favorite []
Best writing []
Best acting []
Drama []
Comedy []
Rewatchability []
Emotional response []
B-plot []
Big/Small Bads []
Peripheral characters []
Significant/memorable moments []
Importance to the story/character journey []

The deadline for discussion and voting is Wednesday at midnight. Let a better episode win!

Welcome To The Hellmouth vs Angel

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [W]
Comedy [D]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [L]
B-plot [L]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [W]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

Welcome To The Hellmouth vs Angel

This is a hard one because neither episode counts amongst my favourites, but both have an important place in the first season and the story as a whole.

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [D]
Drama [D]
Comedy [D]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [L]
B-plot [L]
Big/Small Bads [D]
Peripheral characters [D]
Significant/memorable moments [D]
Importance to the story/character journey [D]

Both episodes are important introductory episodes. WTTH just works for me better. As a pilot, it really does its job of setting the scene and, more importantly, characters almost perfectly.

Welcome To The Hellmouth vs Angel

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [L]
Comedy [W]
Rewatchability [W]
Emotional response [L]
B-plot [D]
Big/Small Bads [D]
Peripheral characters [W]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [D]

Welcome To The Hellmouth vs Angel

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [W]
Comedy [D]
Rewatchability [W]
Emotional response [L]
B-plot [D]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [W]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

An easy victory for Welcome To The Hellmouth vs Angel: 25 wins, 8 losses, and 15 draws. This means that Welcome To The Hellmouth advances to the Top 4 of Season One, while Angel leaves the competition.


For the next quarterfinal, "Reggy" selects ...

Never Kill A Boy On The First Date vs Teacher's Pet

Favorite []
Best writing []
Best acting []
Drama []
Comedy []
Rewatchability []
Emotional response []
B-plot []
Big/Small Bads []
Peripheral characters []
Significant/memorable moments []
Importance to the story/character journey []

The deadline for discussion and voting is Sunday at midnight. Let a better episode win!

Never Kill A Boy On The First Date vs Teacher's Pet

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [D]
Comedy [W]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [L]
Big/Small Bads [D]
Peripheral characters [W]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

Never Kill A Boy On The First Date vs Teacher's Pet

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [D]
Comedy [W]
Rewatchability [W]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [W]
Big/Small Bads [D]
Peripheral characters [W]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

Teacher's Pet does not rank high on many lists, and that is reflected in my scoring here. It doesn't deserve scorn, but it certainly isn't in the class of NKABOTFD

Never Kill A Boy On The First Date vs Teacher's Pet

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [D]
Comedy [W]
Rewatchability [W]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [W]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [W]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

"If the apocalypse comes - beep me."

Never Kill A Boy On The First Date vs Teacher's Pet

Putting to one side my obvious bias here, ‘NKABOTFD’ is a genuine classic, although perhaps not universally acknowledged as such. It’s a deceptively robust episode – and “If the apocalypse comes... beep me!” is my all-time favourite line of dialogue. I must also make reference to Buffy’s pained question when Giles (rather than Owen) turns up on her doorstep; “Giles, why do you want to hurt me?”

‘Teacher’s Pet’ is also deceptive a episode, a very enjoyable one and a better episode than it is often painted to be (although I don’t think it is regarded as poorly as episodes like ‘I Robot, You Jane’ and ‘Bad Eggs’). The theme of peer pressure, gender stereotyping and gender conditioning is done very well – and it gets an extra point for Dr Gregory.

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [D]
Drama [D]
Comedy [D]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [W]
Big/Small Bads [L]
Peripheral characters [D]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [D]

A decisive victory for Never Kill A Boy On The First Date as it advances with a 34 W 2 L 12 D victory over Teacher's Pet. For the next match-up, Reggy has selected:


Puppet Show vs The Witch.


Favorite []
Best writing []
Best acting []
Drama []
Comedy []
Rewatchability []
Emotional response []
B-plot []
Big/Small Bads []
Peripheral characters []
Significant/memorable moments []
Importance to the story/character journey []

Puppet Show vs The Witch

I don’t like this game anymore; it keeps pitting lots of my favourite episodes against each other!

These early rounds have been quite difficult because the first season is my favourite – and ‘Puppet Show’ and ‘The Witch’ are two of my favourite episodes from my favourite season.

I loved ‘The Witch’ the very first time I watched it and nothing has changed since. This might be why Amy is possibly my all-time favourite peripheral character. The episode is important in establishing very early on how the show was going to work – it was not just going to be about vampires. It is also a classic high school scenario.

I didn’t rate ‘Puppet Show’ the first time I saw it. I thought it was an interesting take on a classic horror staple, but one that ultimately didn’t work. All of that changed when I got a DVD of the first season and was able to watch these episodes over and over again. Each time I watched ‘Puppet Show’ it seemed to get better and better. It’s a strange queasy creepy episode with a weird nightmarish quality to it and it just works beautifully.

Favorite [L]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [D]
Comedy [D]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [L]
B-plot [L]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [L]
Significant/memorable moments [L]
Importance to the story/character journey [L]

This is indeed a difficult contest. The uniqueness of Season 1 is really coming to the fore with this internal competition. The introduction and early formation Buffy/Giles, and the Scoobies is fabulous to watch. It is now also possible to really appreciate what Season 1 was doing, and not to just set it aside as a batch of episodes that had nothing to do with the series as a whole.

Puppet Show vs The Witch.


Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [W]
Comedy [D]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [L]
B-plot [D]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [D]
Significant/memorable moments [D]
Importance to the story/character journey [D]

Puppet Show vs The Witch.


Favorite [W]
Best writing [D]
Best acting [D]
Drama [L]
Comedy [W]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [D]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [L]
Significant/memorable moments [D]
Importance to the story/character journey [L]

You guys are right. This is a hard season!

Puppet Show vs The Witch.


Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [W]
Comedy [D]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [L]
B-plot [D]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [D]
Significant/memorable moments [D]
Importance to the story/character journey [L]

These are two well-matched episodes (both favourites of mine) making so difficult to choose between them. The Witch is probably a bit lighter, but so enjoyable to watch. On the other hand, Puppet Show has some layers and persistent quality, which can be appreciated more and more with repeated viewings. A tie, in my book


Puppet Show vs The Witch

Favorite [D]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [D]
Drama [W]
Comedy [L]
Rewatchability [D]
Emotional response [D]
B-plot [D]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [L]
Significant/memorable moments [D]
Importance to the story/character journey [L]

A difficult victory for Puppet Show against The Witch: 20 wins, 15 losses, and 25 draws. Puppet Show advances to the Top Four of Season One, while The Witch has regretfully to leave the competition.


For the last quarterfinal, "Reggy" selected …

Prophecy Girl vs The Pack

Favorite []
Best writing []
Best acting []
Drama []
Comedy []
Rewatchability []
Emotional response []
B-plot []
Big/Small Bads []
Peripheral characters []
Significant/memorable moments []
Importance to the story/character journey []

The deadline for discussion and voting is Sunday at midnight. Let a better episode win!

I've probably mentioned this before, but PG was the ep that 'sold me' on Buffy. Sarah's acting dealing with death at the age of 16 was perfect and heart rending. Her courage dealing with the situation was inspiring.

Prophecy Girl vs The Pack

Favorite [W]
Best writing [W]
Best acting [W]
Drama [W]
Comedy [D]
Rewatchability [W]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [W]
Big/Small Bads [W]
Peripheral characters [W]
Significant/memorable moments [W]
Importance to the story/character journey [W]

Prophecy Girl has for a long time been regarded as the episode where, BtVS turned the corner. In the last few years, Season 1 as a whole has been given more credit, but that should not diminish the significance of Prophecy Girl. The Pack is an exceptional episode. I didn't realize how good I believed it was until I finished the voting process.

Prophecy Girl vs The Pack

Favorite [W]
Best writing [D]
Best acting [D]
Drama [D]
Comedy [W]
Rewatchability [W]
Emotional response [W]
B-plot [D]
Big/Small Bads [D]
Peripheral characters [D]
Significant/memorable moments [W] Buffy's chilling chuckle before her "I don't wanna die" speech.
Importance to the story/character journey [W]