(deep sigh) I’m sticking with “Becoming” as more heartbreaking. “I Will Remember You” gets me a lot, but by that point, I was more conditioned to heartbreak between those two. “Innocence,” “Becoming,” and the S03 trio of “Choices”/”The Prom”/”Graduation Day” had all come before; “I Will Remember You” was better than the others except “Becoming,” but that relationship’s sadness had been well-established by then. “Becoming” was just the saddest, the moment where you can tell those two will never have a happy ending.

I have to ask, and please don’t hate me or plan my murder but pick the more heartbreaking: “Becoming,” or Angel S01E08 “I Will Remember You”?

And I agree with what you said about “The Body” vs “Once More With Feeling.” They were separately but fairly equally wonderful, and if I debate about whether or not I ranked them right any longer, I might seriously have a heart attack from the stress.

10. The Zeppo
I may never meet another human with my love for this episode, but I don’t care. Xander is my second-favorite character (Spike, of course), and I think it’s the greatest Xander episode. I can’t get enough of the humor of having a near-apocalypse happen mostly off-screen with only glimpses through Xander’s otherwise-preoccupied eyes. I think the episode captures his essence better than anything, from his spot-on humor, to his identity as an ill-fitting piece, to his willingness to do anything to help his friends (even if they never know it).

9. Hush
The best horror of the series, this one stills freaks me the eff out to this day.

8. The Prom
Honestly, I don’t even remember much of the actual “conflict” of the episode. But Jonathan’s speech about Buffy, and her final dance with Angel as a beautiful cover of “Wild Horses” plays, get me every time.

7. The Wish
I love this alternate reality ep, not just for how dark the other timeline is, but how much I come to care about that timeline’s resolution in just one hour.

6. Graduation Day
A fitting end to the show’s original era, this just wrapped up everything so damn well.

5. The Gift
4. Chosen
Both of the show’s finales packed an extreme punch. “The Gift” was probably better, but I have a softer spot for giving Buffy a happy ending. It would have been tougher to move on from a world where Buffy stayed dead.

3. Becoming
The best that the Buffy/Angel dynamic ever was. Everything here was so freaking epic.

2. The Body
1. Once More With Feeling
If I have to choose between these, I would rather just choose for my head to explode. These aren’t just my two favorite episodes of the series; they might be my two favorite hours of television, ever. I think Sira’s ranking is the better way to go. “The Body” was the greater achievement, as I’ve never felt mortality on that level from any kind of media, evidenced by the fact that I get emotional even thinking of it. “Once More With Feeling,” though, I think is the better embodiment of the show: a blend of humor, character moments, some action, striking originality, and still an emotional wallop. Plus I can rewatch it without feeling dead inside for days afterward.