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The Best Episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 5

Every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 5 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 5!

The Best Episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 5

Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to...

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  1. 9.7/10(8.1k votes)

    #1 - The Body

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    S5:E16

    Buffy, Dawn, and their friends deal with the loss of someone close to them.

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    Director:Joss Whedon
  2. 9.5/10(5.2k votes)

    #2 - The Gift

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    S5:E22

    As Glory prepares Dawn for a bloodletting ritual that will open a portal to another dimension, Buffy and her friends head into battle.

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    Director:Joss Whedon
  3. 9.1/10(4.2k votes)

    #3 - Fool for Love

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    S5:E7

    After being bested in a fight by an ordinary vampire, Buffy asks Spike to explain how he killed two Slayers many years earlier.

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    Director:Nick Marck
  4. 8.6/10(3.3k votes)

    #4 - Intervention

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    S5:E18

    A weary Buffy seeks to regain focus by embarking on a quest with the First Slayer; Spike cavorts with his very own "Buffybot" and Glory instructs her minions to spy on Buffy's friends in the hopes of ascertaining the Key's true identity.

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  5. 8.4/10(3.3k votes)

    #5 - Crush

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    S5:E14

    Buffy learns that Spike has a crush on her - a situation made all the more dangerous by Drusilla's return to Sunnydale.

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    Director:Daniel Attias
    Writer:David Fury
  6. 8.3/10(3.2k votes)

    #6 - Checkpoint

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    S5:E12

    The Watcher Council travels to Sunnydale to review Buffy's skills as a Slayer; meanwhile, Glory puts her search for the Key into high gear.

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  8. 8.2/10(3.1k votes)

    #7 - Blood Ties

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    S5:E13

    When Dawn learns her true identity, she runs away - only to encounter Glory.

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  9. 8.1/10(3.0k votes)

    #8 - No Place Like Home

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    S5:E5

    Buffy learns more about Dawn after she discovers a mysterious orb linked to a group of monks being pursued by an incredibly powerful force.

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  10. 8.1/10(3.3k votes)

    #9 - Family

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    S5:E6

    When relatives arrive in Sunnydale, to celebrate her birthday, Tara uses a magic spell on her friends to keep them from learning her "secret." Meanwhile, Glory unleashes a hoard of demons to hunt down Buffy.

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    Director:Joss Whedon
  11. 8.1/10(2.9k votes)

    #10 - Tough Love

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    S5:E19

    When Tara falls victim to Glory's incredible power, Willow embraces dark magic and launches a counterattack.

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  12. 8.1/10(3.0k votes)

    #11 - Spiral

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    S5:E20

    Realizing they may never be able to vanquish Glory, Buffy and the gang decide to flee Sunnydale in Spike's R.V. to protect Dawn.

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  13. 8.0/10(3.3k votes)

    #12 - The Replacement

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    S5:E3

    When a demon creates a Xander double, the real Xander must convince his friends of his true identity.

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  14. 8.0/10(3.3k votes)

    #13 - Forever

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    S5:E17

    With some help from Spike, Dawn attempts to bring Joyce back from the dead.

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    Director:Marti Noxon
  15. 7.9/10(2.9k votes)

    #14 - The Weight of the World

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    S5:E21

    When Buffy lapses into a catatonic state, Willow uses magic to find out why; a tug-of-war erupts between Glory and Ben over Dawn's ultimate fate.

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  16. 7.6/10(3.7k votes)

    #15 - Buffy vs. Dracula

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    S5:E1

    The one-and-only Dracula makes his way to Sunnydale and immediately has everyone enchanted. Even Buffy might not be able to resist his charms.

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    Director:David Solomon
  17. 7.6/10(3.1k votes)

    #16 - Triangle

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    S5:E11

    While Giles is in England meeting with the Watcher Council, a bickering Anya and Willow mind the magic store and inadvertently conjure up a fearsome troll.

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  18. 7.5/10(3.1k votes)

    #17 - Out of My Mind

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    S5:E4

    While Riley's health begins to deteriorate, Spike and Harmony force a surgeon to remove the behavior modification chip embedded in Spike's brain.

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  19. 7.4/10(3.1k votes)

    #18 - Real Me

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    S5:E2

    As Harmony and her vampire gang plot Buffy's demise, Dawn adjusts to life with a Slayer.

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    Writer:David Fury
  20. 7.4/10(3.0k votes)

    #19 - I Was Made to Love You

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    S5:E15

    Buffy and her friends encounter an incredibly strong female robot with only one thing on its mind - love.

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  21. 7.3/10(2.8k votes)

    #20 - Shadow

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    S5:E8

    Glory transforms a snake into a terrifying monster in her quest to find the Key; Joyce is hospitalized after being diagnosed with an illness.

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    Director:Daniel Attias
    Writer:David Fury
  22. 7.3/10(3.1k votes)

    #21 - Into the Woods

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    S5:E10

    After Buffy catches Riley in the clutches of a vampire-junkie, Riley makes an important decision regarding their relationship.

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    Director:Marti Noxon
  23. 7.0/10(2.9k votes)

    #22 - Listening to Fear

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    S5:E9

    As Joyce's sickness makes her begin doing odd things, a demon emerges from a meteorite and begins killing the mentally ill.

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Season 5 Ratings Summary

"The Body" is the best rated episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" season 5. It scored 9.7/10 based on 8123 votes. Directed by Joss Whedon and written by Joss Whedon, it aired on 2/27/2001. This episode is rated 0.2 points higher than the second-best, "The Gift".