It's been 25 years since Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered, and there are still dozens of moments that make me cry or laugh just by thinking about them.
Here are some of the moments from Buffy that still make me emotional after all this time:
1. π When Buffy tells the Master he has "fruit-punch" mouth
View this video on YouTube
She may have just died, but Buffy still manages to keep her sense of humor when battling her first Big Bad.
2. π When Buffy smashes the Master's bones
View this video on YouTube
She's clearly been going through it since dying and killing the Master, and by the time she manages to destroy his bones so he can't be brought back to life (or undeath?), the dam breaks, and she bursts into tears. Nothing makes me cry like seeing other people cry.
3. π When everyone turns into their Halloween costumes
View this video on YouTube
This is actually the first episode of BuffyΒ I ever saw, so it didn't quite hit the same way it does now, after knowing what a non-damsel in distress Buffy is.Β
4. π When Angel kills Jenny Calendar and leaves her body for Giles to find
View this video on YouTube
This is such a one-two-three punch. Not only do we have to see Angel kill Jenny, but we then have to watch Giles discover her body in his bedΒ when he thinks she's set up a romantic evening for the two of them, and thenΒ we have to see Buffy and Willow hear the news. Devastating.
5. π When Xander joins the swim team
6. π When Drusilla kills Kendra
View this video on YouTube
Kendra dying isn't like Buffy dying β there's no bringing her back when Drusilla cuts her throat. We didn't see nearly enough of Kendra before she was killed, and on top of her essentially being fridged, she was the first of only a small handful of Black characters who got more than a line or two on the show.
7. π When Giles drags Joyce about her evil mask that raises the dead
8. π When Buffy kills Angel
View this video on YouTube
Sarah Michelle Gellar really brought out the big guns (or swords) for this scene. After battling Angel and trying to keep him from kicking off the apocalypse, Buffy realizes Willow has managed to restore his soul β but it's too late. The only way to keep the world from ending is to kill him, which she does, and her heartbreak is palpable.
9. π Pretty much all of "Doppelgangland"
View this video on YouTube
This Season 3 episode is personally one of my favorites. It's a sort of sequel to "The Wish," which shows us how Sunnydale would have fared if Buffy had moved to Cleveland (home to another Hellmouth) instead.
Getting a glimpse of vampire Willow was already fun, but watching the two go head-to-head is truly a delight, and "I think I'm kinda gay" remains an iconic line.
10. π When Buffy saves Jonathan from himself
View this video on YouTube
Though she thinks Jonathan is planning to shoot up the school and kill his classmates, Buffy's speech about how lost and lonely everyone really is β which she has firsthand knowledge of thanks to her temporary mind-reading abilities β is still super poignant, and keeps him from hurting himself like he planned.
11. π When Buffy calls out Giles for having sex with her mom
12. π When Buffy gets her Class Protector award
View this video on YouTube
Just thinking about this scene makes me cry, but they're happy tears! After Buffy has saved her classmates yet again, she makes it to prom, where she's presented with a sparkly parasol inscribed with the words "Class Protector." Knowing that Buffy's fellow students do notice all she's been doing for them β and seeing Buffy realize this β is a truly lovely moment.
13. π When Buffy gets a roommate
View this video on YouTube
At this point, Buffy is still an only child, so she hasn't had to deal with sharing her house with an annoying peer, let alone her room. To say she doesn't take to it all that well is an understatement.
14. π When Oz leaves Willow
View this video on YouTube
Not long after they start college, Oz meets another werewolf, and it leads to all sorts of trouble. He realizes he needs to learn what it really means to be a wolf, and how to control it, and that he needs to do so alone. And so goes my favorite character.
15. π When Xander and Harmony fight
View this video on YouTube
This is a Hall of Fame moment for me. Between the initial slap and the slo-mo, it's truly unparalleled.Β
16. π When Buffy and Spike "fall in love"
View this video on YouTube
Before Buffy and Spike do...whatever it is they're doing in Seasons 6 and 7, they spend a lot of time making out and getting engaged β much to pretty much everyone's chagrin.
17. π Giles' presentation about the Gentlemen
View this video on YouTube
"Hush" is full of tense, scary moments β but it's also full of hilarity, and watching Buffy mime slaying and reacting to Giles' admittedly unflattering illustration of her are just a couple of them.
18. π When Buffy, Giles, Willow, and Xander combine their essences to fight Adam
View this video on YouTube
This one always makes me cry not out of sadness β seeing the OG Scooby Gang team up like that just gives me goosebumps.
19. π When Dracula comes to Sunnydale
View this video on YouTube
On top of how starstruck (initially) Buffy is, watching Xander basically become a spider-eating Renfield never fails to make me laugh.
20. π When Buffy breaks down about her mom being sick
21. π When Giles dresses like a wizard
22. π When the Scooby Gang sticks up for Tara
View this video on YouTube
The Scooby Gang's relationship with Tara has, until this point, been a little lukewarm. But she's important to Willow, so she's important to them, and they basically tell Tara's family that if they want to force her to leave, they need to be ready to enter the Thunderdome.
23. π When Buffy tells Dawn they're sisters no matter what
24. π When Spike gets thrown through a window by a robot
25. π Pretty much all of "The Body"
View this video on YouTube
Literally, this whole episode is sad, from Buffy discovering Joyce's body, to Giles discovering Joyce's body, to Dawn's meltdown, to Anya's meltdown. Every time I watch it, I'm in various stages of crying.
26. π When the gang meets the Buffybot
View this video on YouTube
The whole reason the Buffybot exists is super gross, but the Buffybot herself is genuinely hilarious, and Sarah Michelle Gellar really nails the overly perky version of Buffy.
27. π When Glory attacks Tara
View this video on YouTube
Even though I know Tara's sanity is ultimately restored, watching Glory torture her and basically eat her mind is crushing, especially since Willow is just moments away from reaching them.
28. π When Spike tries to explain to the Scoobies that Ben is Glory and Glory is Ben
View this video on YouTube
This verbal slapstick will simply never not be funny.
29. π When Buffy dies (the second time)
View this video on YouTube
In the event I ever need to make myself cry, Buffy sacrificing herself for Dawn and the rest of the world will be my go-to prompt. The music itself is enough to get me teary-eyed.
30. π When Anya sings "Bunnies"
View this video on YouTube
All I'll say is Emma Caulfield deserved an Emmy for this solo alone.
31. π When Buffy reveals her friends pulled her out of heaven
View this video on YouTube
Speaking of musical numbers that deserved awards, "Give Me Something to Sing About" truly is a show-stopping number. Sarah Michelle Gellar's singing, dancing, and emoting are all on point, and watching her friends' reactions to finding out what they've done is almost as painful as the revelation itself.
32. π When the Scoobies (temporarily) lose their memories
View this video on YouTube
Another of Willow's spells go awry (classic!), leaving the gang with no idea of who they actually are. Xander and Willow think they're a couple, Giles and Anya think they're a couple, Giles and Spike think they're father and son, Buffy has no idea she has super strength β hijinks ensue!
33. π When Tara dies
View this video on YouTube
Moving onto things that are not always a joy, Tara dying has to be one of the worst moments in the entire show. She was always such a solid character, and it happens so suddenly (shame on the producers for finally putting her in the opening credits only to kill her off at the end of the episode).Β
34. π When Xander saves Willow from herself
View this video on YouTube
Willow is unsurprisingly gutted by Tara's death, and it pushes her over the edge and squarely into Dark Willow territory. She kills Warren and makes a play for Jonathan and Andrew, going so far as to turn on her friends. She's all set to bring about the apocalypse until Xander of all people talks her down from the ledge (literally and figuratively).
35. π When Buffy, Anya, Willow, and Dawn fight over a kid with a magic varsity jacket
View this video on YouTube
Setting aside the ickiness factor of three women in their early 20s (or in Anya's case early thousands) pining for a high schooler, it's impossible not to laugh at how they go about trying to prove their love β especially when Buffy decides to try to take out Principal Wood with a rocket launcher, only to be thwarted by Spike.
36. π When Xander tells Dawn she's "extraordinary"
View this video on YouTube
Following the disposal of Glory, Dawn's mostly just been a regular kid β something she's acutely aware of β so it's natural that she jumps at the idea she might be a Slayer. It turns out to be a mixup, though, and she goes back to being regular ol' Dawnie. It's obvious that it hurts, especially to Xander, who knows what it's like to be an average Joe in the midst of a bunch of superheroes, and he lets her know that she's just as special as everyone else.
37. π When Buffy gets in one final pun
38. π When we hear Buffy's big finale speech
View this video on YouTube
Just thinking about this gives me the shivers (in a good way). It's an amazing final rally-the-troops speech, and seeing Slayers across the world feel their powers come in is just plain beautiful.