TVSquad

Last week, I devoted my first Jane After Dark column to my top five Buffy moments. I was thrilled to read all the responses, both here on TV Squad and at Whedonesque, where the post was picked up. Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are a passionate bunch!

This week, I thought it would be fun to delve into my favorite Buffy hookups. One that didn't make the list but holds a special place in my heart is Giles and Joyce. It was a fleeting moment, but one that was fun and would have made for great storytelling had it continued.

But who to pair Buffy up with -- Spike, Angel or Riley? What about Spike and Drusilla? And while Willow and Tara had a special love affair, there's a lot to be said for Willow and Oz. And what of Xander? Sure, he and Anya had a fun romance, but his hookups with Cordelia and even Faith were intense in their own way.

Oh the choices! Read on for my thoughts, and please add your own in the comments below.

I'm starting a new column here on TV Squad called "Jane After Dark." Some of you know I work the "night shift" here at the Squad, editing and scheduling posts into the wee hours. I'm a big multi-tasker, so I also use those hours to get caught up on all the great shows I've missed along the way.

Over the past year, I've watched some really cool shows, including Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, Moonlight, Weeds, Entourage, Gossip Girl, and many others. So I thought it would be fun to write about my After Dark musings, and I hope you'll chime in with your own thoughts about whatever I'm watching.

I just finished Joss Whedon's magnificent Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I loved so many things about the show. No one could look as stylish as Buffy as she slayed those vampires. Angel and Spike were both hot in their own way. The love between Willow and Tara was sweet and gentle, but also powerful. And the characters continued to grow and evolve throughout the series. By the last episode, you really felt like you knew these characters and had grown right along with them.

(S01E19) Sanctuary, on a personal level, is where we perform the job of taking care of our soul. -- Christopher Forrest McDowell

The consequences of Faith's actions during the last episode are coming to fruition, and there are a number of people who aren't happy with her. Let's take a look at who wants a piece of the slightly insane slayer.

1. Wolfram & Hart -- Considering the fact that the law firm hired Faith to get rid of Angel, they're a bit miffed at her not fulfilling the contract. So, they hire another assassin to eliminate both Angel and Faith at the same time. Unfortunately, the assassin who was hired to kill the assassin who was hired to kill Angel failed at his task as well.

(S01E12) What is regarded by many to not be one of the better seasons of this show, 'Prophecy Girl' is always highly regarded as a stand out episode, and rightly so. So much is set up for the remainder of the series, just from this episode. It's clear from watching even from the first episode that this episode was filmed before the show debuted, as there are scenes from this episode in the show's opening credits and, I believe, some of Buffy's nightmares in previous episodes.

(S01E11) It's interesting to watch how, in the infancy of shows that become cult classics like Buffy, there are some missteps here and there while the series figures out where it wants to go. This episode is an example of one of those missteps.

Sometimes it's interesting to see baddies on Buffy that aren't just demon in nature. While we'll see ghosts in future episodes, this was a totally different take on the invisible threat theme. It was full of holes, and those holes were filled with cheesy badness.

(S01E10) The worst nightmare you can have is of an out of control, giggling clown wielding a knife. No wait, it's when you realize there's a class at school you've never been to, but you have to take an exam for it. Or is it going to class naked? Wait, why is that last one scary?

This episode has a theme that's used in a few others in later seasons, in particular the Halloween episodes where fears and costumes take over Sunnydale. It's a theme that definitely works well in providing opportunities for an equal share of drama (through the facing of fears) and humor.