mine is the monologue "Sacrifice", I cry everytime :'(

Mok | December 03, 21:10 CET

Although I like Buffy a little more than Angel, I find that Angel has some of my favorite speeches. Like...

1. Angel's speech to Connor in "Deep Down".

2. Lilah's post-mordem speech to Wesley in "Salvage"

3. Angelus' speech to Gunn in "Soulless"

protector | December 03, 21:30 CET

not sure what exactly constitutes a "true" monologue but here's some of my favs:

Angel's VO in Passion at the beginning and at the end.

....It speaks to us... guides us... Passion rules us all. And we
obey. What other choice do we have?.....

Without passion, we'd be truly dead

From Entropy:


TARA: There's just so much to work through. Trust has to be built again, on both sides ... You have to learn if ... if we're even the same people we were, if you can fit in each other's lives.

It's a long... important process, and ... can we just skip it? Can-can you just be kissing me now?

Whistler's VO in Becoming

So what are we, helpless? Puppets? No. The big moments are
gonna come. You can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that
counts. That's when you find out who you are.

and, even though I'm not the biggest Spike fan, hard to beat this:

Spike: We like to talk big. (indicates himself) Vampires do. 'I'm going
to destroy the world.' (looks at the officer) That's just tough guy
talk. (steps over to the car) Strutting around with your friends over a
pint of blood. (sits on the hood) The truth is, I like this world.
(pulls the cigarette pack from the officer's shirt pocket) You've got...
dog racing, Manchester United. (pulls one out and drops the pack on the
officer) And you've got people. (exhales) Billions of people walking
around like Happy Meals with legs. It's all right here. (lights the
cigarette and takes a drag) But then someone comes along with a vision.
With a real... (exhales) passion for destruction. (takes another drag
and looks at Buffy) Angel could pull it off. Goodbye, Picadilly.
Farewell, Leicester Bloody Square. You know what I'm saying?

jeebs | December 03, 21:40 CET

My favorite monologue was Xander's "you're my hero" speech from The Freshman. So funny yet sincere; I loved the look on Buffy's face when he delivered it, too.

Saturn Girl | December 03, 21:45 CET

I have to add Angel's monologue in Amends ("It's not the demon in me that needs killing Buffy, it's the man.") and Willow's when she sees Oz is leaving in New Moon Rising. She breaks my heart everytime I see it....

lala | December 03, 21:52 CET

xander's speech to Anya at the end of the episode where Riley leaves is my favorite. A great love scene.

sioux | December 03, 22:00 CET

PS: Jeebs...good call on Angel's Passion monologue. One of my all time favorites! I also forgot to add Spike's monologue in Fool for Love:

Spike: "Death is on your heels, baby. And sooner or later, it's gonna catch you. And part of you wants it. Not only to stop the fear and uncertainty, but because you're just a little bit in love with it."

lala | December 03, 22:00 CET

Simon, I agree with you. Anya's speech in "The Body" is one of my favorite pieces of writing in the world. And the Xander/Dawn moment in "Potential" was perfect. They were the two that came to my mind immediately.

(And it must be said that the acting has a good amount to do with why these moments are all so successful.)

keever | December 03, 23:03 CET

Yay! My suggestion - Buffy's speech at the end of 'Prophecy Girl' - made #4 on the list.

Also, I'd mention Spike's "love's bitch" speech from Lover's Walk.

wren | December 03, 23:13 CET

Does the First's speech at the end of "Lessons" qualify as a monologue?

bovik | December 03, 23:28 CET

I'd count it as a monologue, that speech is one of my personal highlights from season 7. I watched that episode for the first time at a Buffy convention in Belfast ages ago and people were cheering when the speech was over.

Simon | December 03, 23:31 CET

The "You're one hell of a woman" speech made by Spike in Season 7's "Touched". It gets me every time...

Spike: You listen to me. (kneels in front of her) I've been alive a bit longer than you, and dead a lot longer than that. I've seen things you couldn't imagine, and done things I prefer you didn't. I don't exactly have a reputation for being a thinker. I follow my blood, which doesn't exactly rush in the direction of my brain. So I make a lot of mistakes, a lot of wrong bloody calls. (looks into her eyes) A 100+ years, and there's only one thing I've ever been sure of: you. (Buffy looks away; he reaches toward her face) Hey, look at me. I'm not asking you for anything. When I say, "I love you," it's not because I want you or because I can't have you. It has nothing to do with me. (a tear rolls down Buffy's cheek) I love what you are, what you do, how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you. And I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You're a hell of a woman. You're the one, Buffy.

vamRIPire | December 04, 00:00 CET

The monologue from the body still makes me cry, incredible writting and delivery.

Linda | December 04, 00:05 CET

Bovik, I think it certainly does.

And The Body cannot be overpraised. I have seen it maybe 20 or 30 times and it overwhelms me everytime.

This is more of a speech than a monologue, but I think it is an astounding piece of writing and acting, and it is probably the literary climax, as in the major turning point of the over-arcing story of Season 7:

Buffy: You're right. We don't know how to fight it. We don't know when it'll come. We can't run, can't hide, can't pretend it's not the end, 'cause it is. Something's always been there to try and destroy the world. We've beaten them back, but we're not dealing with them anymore. We're dealing with the reason they exist. Evil. The strongest. The First.

Giles: Buffy, I—I-I know you're tired.

Buffy: I'm beyond tired. I'm beyond scared. I'm standing on the mouth of hell, and it is gonna swallow me whole. And it'll choke on me. We're not ready? They're not ready. They think we're gonna wait for the end to come, like we always do. I'm done waiting. They want an apocalypse? Oh, we'll give 'em one. Anyone else who wants to run, do it now. 'Cause we just became an army. We just declared war. From now on, we won't just face our worst fears, we will seek them out. We will find them, and cut out their hearts one by one, until The First shows itself for what it really is. And I'll kill it myself. There is only one thing on this earth more powerful than evil, and that's us. Any questions?

It's not quite St. Crispin's Day, but it'll do!

Chris in Virginia | December 04, 00:15 CET

The Season 7 speeches/monologues would've been a lot more effective if they were used a little more sparingly. I really like the one from Bring On the Night, I think it's probably the most rousing thing Buffy said in all seven years, but the fact that (a) it was repeated in different forms over and over again throughout Season 7 and (b) that they never really followed through with Buffy's aggressiveness kinda made it lose it's impact.

Still, it was a very good speech.

ringworm | December 04, 00:32 CET

No votes for the cookie dough speech? ;-)

Scott | December 04, 01:12 CET

Funny, Scott!

Ringworm, I agree that most of Buffy's speechifying in season 7 was trite and uninspiring...on purpose, I think (not Buffy's purpose, the writers')...because that was never her strong suit, and she still tried to play it...it's part of what got her booted out in favor of Faith...

And: they did indeed follow up on it, in Chosen--they sought out the evil and killed it, right where it lived. A fabulous coda, I thought.

Chris in Virginia | December 04, 01:37 CET

I'm sorry, I may be the only one that thinks this, but they are not all monologues. They're dialogues. Granted, he changes it to 'long talking portions' but I still don't think that some of these count. I agree that they are great moments in the show, but don't fit here.

saralove | December 04, 12:30 CET

I vote for Xander's Yellow Crayon speech in "Grave".

brother_grady | December 04, 19:21 CET

Dirty Girls, Xander
"I've been through more battles with Buffy than you all can ever imagine. She's stopped everything that's ever come up against her. She's laid down her life—literally—to protect the people around her. This girl has died two times, and she's still standing. You're scared? That's smart. You got questions? You should. But you doubt her motives, you think Buffy's all about the kill, then you take the little bus to battle. I've seen her heart, and this time—not literally. And I'm telling you, right now, she cares more about your lives than you will ever know. You gotta trust her. She's earned it."

Same Time Same Place, Dawnie
"It's smellementary. Also, I'm sure there's tons of stuff like this. You know, procedures we can use that don't involve magic spells. Just good solid detective work. And we can develop a database of tooth impressions and demon skin samples and I could wear high heels more often!"

Reptile Boy, Willow
"Well... Well, why do you think she went to that party? Because you gave her the brush-off! (to Giles) And you never let her do anything except work and patrol! And I know she's the Chosen One, but you're killing her with the pressure! I mean, she's sixteen going on forty! (to Angel) And you! I mean, you're gonna live forever! You don't have time for a cup of coffee?! Okay, I don't feel better now, and we've gotta help Buffy."

Lie To Me, Giles
"Yes, it's terribly simple. The good guys are always stalwart and true, the bad guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hats, and, uh, we always defeat them and save the day. No one ever dies, and everybody lives happily ever after."

Restless, Buffy
"I am not alone... I walk. I talk. I shop, I sneeze. I'm gonna be a fireman when the floods roll back. There's trees in the desert since you moved out. And I don't sleep on a bed of bones. Now give me back my friends!"

(punch. kick. slap. roll down hill. punch. kick. slap.)

"It's over, okay? I'm going to ignore you, and you're going to go away. You're really gonna have to get over the whole primal power thing. You're *not* the source of me. Also, in terms of hair care, you really wanna say, what kind of impression am I making in the workplace? Because--"

ZachsMind | December 04, 20:16 CET

Whoa, I can't believe I forgot this one, from Help:

Cassie: You think I want this? You think I don't care? Believe me, I want to...be here, do things. I want to graduate from high school, and I want to go to the stupid winter formal...I have this friend, and it would be fun to go with him. Just to dance and hear lame music to wear a silly dress and laugh and stuff. I'd like to go. There's a lot of stuff I'd like to do. I'd love to ice skate at Rockefeller Center. And I'd love to see my cousins grow up and see how they turn out 'cause they're really mean and I think they're gonna be fat. I'd love to backpack across the country or, I don't know, fall in love, but I won't. I just never will.

Utterly heartrending.

Chris in Virginia | December 04, 20:36 CET

so many good ones to choose from... -sighs-
my top four:
1. Anya's speech (The Body)
2. Spike's speech (Touched)*this one made me cry so much!!!
3. Buffy/Giles (Lie To Me)*YES, i know its a dialogue..
4. Spike's "Love's Bitch" speech

[ edited by buffyfanatic18 on 2003-12-04 23:34 ]

buffyfanatic18 | December 05, 01:32 CET

It's a shame there isn't a way to list or somehow chronicle all these great monologues into Whedon Wiki. I've been looking over the Wikiquote.org website and trying to figure out how to do it. Would the quotes be listed by subject? By character name? Or by the name of the writer who actually wrote a given piece of dialogue? Sometimes it's difficult to say whether a given line from the series came from Whedon or Espenson or someone else, because so many of the works were written by committee. Although most scripts only have one name, each script actually went through a process that may have involved over a dozen talented individuals before it was committed to film.

So I don't know about you guys, but I'm stumped. =(

ZachsMind | December 05, 07:47 CET

Face it, ZachsMind, we're in a realm beyond our capabilities!

And damned glad of it!

Chris inVirginia | December 05, 08:32 CET