The Best Episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 5

#1 Fan Favorite
7.3/10(3943 votes)
#1 - Buffy vs. Dracula
S5:E19/26/2000
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.
Director:David Solomon
Writer:Marti Noxon
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Director:David Solomon
Writer:Marti Noxon
7.4/10(3321 votes)
#2 - Real Me
S5:E210/3/2000
As Harmony and her vampire gang plot Buffy's demise, Dawn adjusts to life with a Slayer.
Director:David Grossman
Writer:David Fury
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Director:David Grossman
Writer:David Fury
8.0/10(3564 votes)
#3 - The Replacement
S5:E310/10/2000
When a demon creates a Xander double, the real Xander must convince his friends of his true identity.
Director:James A. Contner
Writer:Jane Espenson
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Director:James A. Contner
Writer:Jane Espenson
6.8/10(3330 votes)
#4 - Out of My Mind
S5:E410/17/2000
While Riley's health begins to deteriorate, Spike and Harmony force a surgeon to remove the behavior modification chip embedded in Spike's brain.
Director:David Grossman
Writer:Rebecca Rand Kirshner
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Director:David Grossman
Writer:Rebecca Rand Kirshner
8.0/10(3283 votes)
#5 - No Place Like Home
S5:E510/24/2000
Buffy learns more about Dawn after she discovers a mysterious orb linked to a group of monks being pursued by an incredibly powerful force.
Director:David Solomon
Writer:Douglas Petrie
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Director:David Solomon
Writer:Douglas Petrie
7.2/10(3554 votes)
#6 - Family
S5:E611/7/2000
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.
Director:Joss Whedon
Writer:Joss Whedon
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Director:Joss Whedon
Writer:Joss Whedon

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The 20 BEST Episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

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8.4/10(4540 votes)
#7 - Fool for Love
S5:E711/14/2000
After being bested in a fight by an ordinary vampire, Buffy asks Spike to explain how he killed two Slayers many years earlier.
Director:Nick Marck
Writer:Douglas Petrie
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Director:Nick Marck
Writer:Douglas Petrie
7.2/10(3067 votes)
#8 - Shadow
S5:E811/21/2000
Glory transforms a snake into a terrifying monster in her quest to find the Key; Joyce is hospitalized after being diagnosed with an illness.
Director:Dan Attias
Writer:David Fury
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Director:Dan Attias
Writer:David Fury
7.2/10(3164 votes)
#9 - Listening to Fear
S5:E911/28/2000
As Joyce's sickness makes her begin doing odd things, a demon emerges from a meteorite and begins killing the mentally ill.
Director:David Solomon
Writer:Rebecca Rand Kirshner
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Director:David Solomon
Writer:Rebecca Rand Kirshner
7.3/10(3351 votes)
#10 - Into the Woods
S5:E1012/19/2000
After Buffy catches Riley in the clutches of a vampire-junkie, Riley makes an important decision regarding their relationship.
Director:Marti Noxon
Writer:Marti Noxon
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Director:Marti Noxon
Writer:Marti Noxon
7.3/10(3291 votes)
#11 - Triangle
S5:E111/9/2001
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.
Director:Christopher Hibler
Writer:Jane Espenson
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Director:Christopher Hibler
Writer:Jane Espenson
8.1/10(3431 votes)
#12 - Checkpoint
S5:E121/23/2001
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.
Director:Nick Marck
Writers:Douglas Petrie, Jane Espenson
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Director:Nick Marck
Writers:Douglas Petrie, Jane Espenson
8.1/10(3318 votes)
#13 - Blood Ties
S5:E132/6/2001
When Dawn learns her true identity, she runs away - only to encounter Glory.
Director:Michael Gershman
Writer:Steven S. DeKnight
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Director:Michael Gershman
Writer:Steven S. DeKnight
8.3/10(3533 votes)
#14 - Crush
S5:E142/13/2001
Buffy learns that Spike has a crush on her - a situation made all the more dangerous by Drusilla's return to Sunnydale.
Director:Dan Attias
Writer:David Fury
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Director:Dan Attias
Writer:David Fury
7.8/10(3251 votes)
#15 - I Was Made to Love You
S5:E152/20/2001
Buffy and her friends encounter an incredibly strong female robot with only one thing on its mind - love.
Director:James A. Contner
Writer:Jane Espenson
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Director:James A. Contner
Writer:Jane Espenson
8.7/10(9311 votes)
#16 - The Body
S5:E162/27/2001
Buffy, Dawn, and their friends deal with the loss of someone close to them.
Director:Joss Whedon
Writer:Joss Whedon
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Director:Joss Whedon
Writer:Joss Whedon
8.1/10(3490 votes)
#17 - Forever
S5:E174/17/2001
With some help from Spike, Dawn attempts to bring Joyce back from the dead.
Director:Marti Noxon
Writer:Marti Noxon
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Director:Marti Noxon
Writer:Marti Noxon
8.4/10(3532 votes)
#18 - Intervention
S5:E184/24/2001
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.
Director:Michael Gershman
Writer:Jane Espenson
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Director:Michael Gershman
Writer:Jane Espenson
7.7/10(3145 votes)
#19 - Tough Love
S5:E195/1/2001
When Tara falls victim to Glory's incredible power, Willow embraces dark magic and launches a counterattack.
Director:David Grossman
Writer:Rebecca Rand Kirshner
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Director:David Grossman
Writer:Rebecca Rand Kirshner
7.9/10(3205 votes)
#20 - Spiral
S5:E205/8/2001
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.
Director:James A. Contner
Writer:Steven S. DeKnight
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Director:James A. Contner
Writer:Steven S. DeKnight
7.8/10(3128 votes)
#21 - The Weight of the World
S5:E215/15/2001
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.
Director:David Solomon
Writer:Douglas Petrie
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Director:David Solomon
Writer:Douglas Petrie
9.0/10(5720 votes)
#22 - The Gift
S5:E225/22/2001
As Glory prepares Dawn for a bloodletting ritual that will open a portal to another dimension, Buffy and her friends head into battle.
Director:Joss Whedon
Writer:Joss Whedon
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Director:Joss Whedon
Writer:Joss Whedon