How interesting! Although "The Body" and OMWF would certainly rate in my top BTVS episodes, and I concur that "The Body" is probably one of the best episodes of television ever made (Anya's speech ANYA'S SPEECH), I almost feel like using either - but especially "The Body" - as pimping episodes would kind of... ruin them? "The Body" is devastating partly because of what it has been preceded by, because of a several-seasons-long relationship I have with those characters. Skipping straight to it seems like it would divorce it of much of the emotion. OMWF I just think would alienate about a third of the people who would otherwise really love the show (not me, but I do know people out there who just don't like it. Weird, but what can you do.)
In some ways maybe they also create unrealistic expectations? Like, I looooove BTVS, but "The Body" is truly truly stand-out in every respect - script, direction, acting, everything is basically perfection. Someone can aesthetically appreciate "The Body" who might, to be honest, really hate "Doppelgangland" even though that is an awesome episode!
But it is tough to think of a good episode with a show that has BTVS' range. I do kind of want to go with something a little earlier in the run, just because I do think that the early seasons are some of the best HS television ever made... but I think it would still probably be "Hush". If there's nothing that does it for you in "Hush" - even missing the trademark Joss-speak - nothing will do it for you in the rest of the show. I'd also try someone on "School Hard" or another early-S2 episode depending on what their kinks were, just because there's a reason "high school is hell" is a great tagline.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
In some ways maybe they also create unrealistic expectations? Like, I looooove BTVS, but "The Body" is truly truly stand-out in every respect - script, direction, acting, everything is basically perfection. Someone can aesthetically appreciate "The Body" who might, to be honest, really hate "Doppelgangland" even though that is an awesome episode!
But it is tough to think of a good episode with a show that has BTVS' range. I do kind of want to go with something a little earlier in the run, just because I do think that the early seasons are some of the best HS television ever made... but I think it would still probably be "Hush". If there's nothing that does it for you in "Hush" - even missing the trademark Joss-speak - nothing will do it for you in the rest of the show. I'd also try someone on "School Hard" or another early-S2 episode depending on what their kinks were, just because there's a reason "high school is hell" is a great tagline.