15 Best Buffy The Vampire Slayer Episodes
6. Graduation Day (Season 3, Episodes 21 & 22)
"Congratulations to the class of 1999. You all proved more or less adequate. This is a time of celebration, so sit down and be quiet."
As amazing as Becoming is as a two-part season finale, season three's Graduation Day makes for a slightly stronger viewing experience. On the one hand, it heralds the end of the show's first era - the end of high school marks a new page in the Buffy story. It also says goodbye to Angel and Cordelia (off to do their own thing in LA), and features the best fight of the series between Buffy and Faith (Eliza Dushku).
The emotional stakes are higher than ever, as Buffy takes on her old friend in hopes of saving Angel. The fight is epic and harsh, ending with Buffy victorious. From there, everything goes into high gear as the students arm up around the Scooby Gang to take down the Mayor, leading to a great battle, the destruction of the high school, and some pretty big deaths.
Season three is the strongest of Buffy's seasons, and watching Graduation Day it's hard to imagine it ending on a bigger high.