It is a barrel of monkeys. The Hamlet-typing kind.

Pointy | July 06, 00:59 CET

Willow and Oz! Loved that scene in this ep.

SignalAddict | July 06, 02:25 CET

Yes it is.

But not Amends?

Craig Oxbrow | July 06, 03:17 CET

Amends was a great episode, but I feel it had less to do with Christmas than Buffy and Angel's relationship. Halloween on the other hand was fully dedicated to the holiday, and it was hilarious.

Valentyn | July 06, 03:34 CET

True, very true. It always fills me with the Hannukah spirit, though.

Craig Oxbrow | July 06, 05:08 CET

I'll just save us some time and allude to "Pangs." I'll also quote "ritual sacrifice with pie." Then I may make dry and sarcastic commentary. Stay tuned.

ManEnoughToAdmitIt | July 06, 06:13 CET

I agree "Pangs" definitely deserved to be on the list. I think it was at least twice as good as "Halloween."

SPIKE: You made a bear!

BUFFY: I didn't mean to.

SPIKE: Undo it! Undo it!

mysteryshadesman | July 06, 15:04 CET

I would put Pangs on such a list before Halloween. Not to say that Halloween shouldn't be on it either. It's an absolutely amazing episode, and definitely the best the show did with that holiday (although Fear Itself is also a favorite of mine).

But Pangs is just so sublimely ridiculous and amazing in so many ways. It falls into a category of Buffy episodes that fall within my favorite: absolutely idiotic monsters-of-the-week that can't bring down the amazing hilariousness of everything else. Other examples: Bad Eggs and Double Meat Palace.

As for Amends, I'm not all that fond of it. It's not a bad episode, it just seems like such standard going through the Angel/Buffy romance melodrama motions. It's around that time that I start to not care at all about those two remaining together.

alpha5099 | July 06, 18:12 CET

Pangs should have been on the list cause... how many thanksgiving episodes are there out there? At the same time, how many Halloween episodes are there?

But I liked Halloween better than Pangs.

FaithsTruCalling | July 06, 20:35 CET

Loved both Pangs & Halloween but enjoyed Pangs more!

Firefly Flanatic | July 06, 20:54 CET

As much as I loved 'Halloween', 'Fear, Itself' was way better in my opinion.

But I agree 'Pangs' should've been on that list.

badwolf | July 06, 21:10 CET

I've got to go with "Pangs" as well.

Buffy: "That's a great little hobby you have there, Will."
Willow: "Wait, an ear harvesting demon...one that's building another demon completely out of ears! Oh! Thought! We're just assuming someone else cut off the ear. What if it was self-inflicted, like Van Gogh?"
Buffy: (smiles) "So, she brutally stabs herself, dumps her body, then cuts off her own ear?"
Willow: "No! She cut off her ear, then killed herself, then dumped her body.....I'm really off my game, aren't I?"

Madhatter | July 06, 21:38 CET

I have to go with Halloween. I adore parts of Pangs, but other parts make me cringe a bit. I am not a fan of the snow in Amends and Fear itself, is one of the few episodes that only have a couple moments in them that I love. (Chainsaw Giles and "actual size" are admittedly to die for.) Yep, Halloween is the one for me.

newcj | July 06, 23:43 CET

Madhatter, that's got to be one of the best quotes from the series in general :-)

Valentyn | July 07, 01:00 CET

I love Halloween. One of my favorite episodes, to go along with my favorite holiday.

Rowan Hawthorn | July 07, 01:58 CET

I loved Halloween. It was so much fun. It was the best holiday "themed" episodes to me. As for the other ones, I prefer Amends and Fear Itself over Pangs.

maje | July 07, 02:36 CET

Totally love both Pangs and Halloween. Pangs is probably better substantively (the Buffy/Willow exchanges about Thanksgiving, colonization/exploitation of indigenous peoples were tremendous, as was Spike's hard-eyed grasp of history, which syphilus-ridden Xander kind of agreed with), but Halloween was so damned flat-out funny (Giles' reaction when ghost Willow walks through the wall always cracks me up, as does Spike's "This is...neat!").

Great, great episodes.

Chris inVirginia | July 07, 04:33 CET

I'd rank 'Pangs' right up there too, but I'd just slightly give it to 'Halloween', as there is just SO much goodness in there- with Spike, Dru and Ethan Rayne all thrown in as a cherry on top.
(And like 18th Century Buffy in this epi, Liam in 'Spin the Bottle' also shouts 'Demon!' when he sees a car. I love that kind of continuity.)

Mind you, 'Fear Itself' had one of the best-ever 'Buffy' moments- Fiesta Giles!

missb | July 07, 06:53 CET

Pangs should have been on the list cause... how many thanksgiving episodes are there out there?

Friends had a Thanksgiving episode each season, so that's ten right there. :)

I love Pangs, because it is subversive and awesome. Great lines, great moments, and a damn good message to put out there, as Thanksgiving is one of the most ironic holidays in the US.

I love Halloween because it's silly and I love how each of the actors got to show off. Plus, AH got to prove that she's hot in addition to being "Willow cute."

Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered is a good Valentine's Day episode, for both the loved and the loveless. Amends just never feels "Christmassy" to me because that's really just a sidebar.

Oh, and missb, I love Fiesta Giles as well. Although Doublemeat Palace Buffy is another one of my favs.

BandofBuggered | July 07, 12:05 CET

It should have been Pangs, IMO. Halloween is a great Holiday ep but Pangs is one of the funniest episodes on any TV show, ever. Jane E's dialog is beyond witty, the pacing is perfect and each actor nails it to perfection.
Perhaps a bit too subversive for this list? ;_)

Shey | July 07, 14:12 CET

Pangs should've been on the list. Halloween was a great episode, though.

Astoria_Potter | July 07, 20:44 CET