I'm sure I'm chiming in late after everyone else is, but better late than never.

Honestly, the storylines in Buffy and Angel (more Buffy, though) are so self-referential that you really should start watching from the very first episode of the first season. By the second season, most of the characters are very well established and storylines are moving forward already.

However, the episode that got me started on watching the series the 14th episode of the second season: "Innocence". Bazooka'ed Buffy is not easily forgotten.

One episode that I love and is pretty good as a stand alone is Earshot. It doesn't relate much to the season story as a whole but has all the elements that I love about Buffy. It's got some great humor and quirkiness. I think it is perfect for your purposes.

Agreen with some of the folks here that you should watch from the beginning. This is not CSI or Law & Order.

let's not forget about the best episode evar:

The Zeppo

I'm chiming in for starting from the beginning. Sure you get some clunkers, but the wide-eyed innocence of the first season and the character development that follows makes the darkness of the ensuing seasons more palpable. I mean, part of what makes "Once More With Feeling" or "The Body" so great is seeing where the characters have been, and where they have gone throughout the run of the show. It's less powerful with "Angel," so I'll say "Smile Time" just because it is so freaking hilarious.

It's funny how people say that you can watch single episodes.

Of course you can - and you won't miss anything.

But this is like saying "I tasted a seven course menu at the top rated restaurant in the world" while having to admit it was only course number three and that it was still THAT good.

How can you say you really enjoyed that while eating the cheese without having the bread afterwards and the right wine with it? It all tastes totally different than if you ate in the order the chef conceived the seven course plan, for all the food's tastes complement each other.

So go ahead and taste your fish, eat the shrimp and sample the cheese but please later on don't come and tell me that you tasted it and fully understood how good it really is.

You want one ep per show, my suggestion is a two-partner crossover.
Fool For Love (5x07) and Angel's 2x07 Darla.
i think you can watch them even as a fresh start cause the're mainly flashbacks and carachter defyning.

You want one ep per show, my suggestion is a two-partner crossover.
Fool For Love (5x07) and Angel's 2x07 Darla.
i think you can watch them even as a fresh start cause the're mainly flashbacks and carachter defyning.

Doppelgangland. best. episode. ever.

I had missed out on the BUFFY experience the first time around. This Spring I tackled all 7 seasons is just under 2 months and I was NOT disappointed. It's simply an amazing show, and although I may not have been a fan from the start, the BUFFYverse is now part of my TV lexicon.

That being said, I'm with the others that say it's best to watch them in order. But if you are not going to, my personal recommendation is HUSH. It's a truly original hour of television that had me floored. Just spectacular.

HUSH is my second favorite episode of BUFFY after the popular ONCE MORE WITH FEELING. But I don't think OMWF is the best episode to start with. It's only that can't be truly appreciated without having some relevant context for characters and their situations. But once you have that history, I triple dog dare you NOT to be singing along with the tune.

Long rant, but having recently gone through the BUFFY experience I wanted to pass along my two cents.