5 Hilarious Buffy The Vampire Slayer Episodes (& 5 Angel Episodes That Are Too Funny) – Screen Rant

Along with supernatural themes and theever-present threatof the grim reaper, Joss Whedon's projects are known for having a joke or two.Buffy the Vampire Slayerand especially its spin-off,Angel, are generally quite grim,with both series not being afraid to breakdown their characters while forcing them to deal with significant loss and consequences that cannot just be wished away. Putting aside all the vampires and demons, the Buffyverse is primarily about people dealing with life.

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In order to emphasize their darker moments, both shows also have their fair share of humor.Buffy the Vampire Slayer's more lighthearted tone allowed for the creation of more comedy-driven episodes, but even Angel had a couple of genuinely hilarious entries. Here are five funnyBuffyepisodes, along with five that highlightAngel's sense of humor.

Xander was the normal one inthe Scooby Gang, the main character who is not a witch, a werewolf, or a vampire (slayer). Throughout its run,Buffy often used Xander as the straight man, which actually ended up making him one of the funnier characters in the series.

Season 2'sBewitched, Bothered and Bewilderedhighlights Xander's worst traits in the most hilarious fashion, as apoorly conceived love spell ends up causing every woman in Sunnydale to fall in love with him.While the story does take awhile to hit its comedic peak, the episode's second half consists of one hilarious scene after another.

A realpeople person, Lorne is simply the best. The owner of the Caritas karaoke bar often brought a touch of playfulness toAngel's typically somber storylines, so it is only natural that an episode driven by Lorne and his larger than life personality would be pretty funny.

Inorder to throw the ultimate party, Lorne decides to give up sleep. Unfortunately, this leads to the empathy demon losing control of his powers, asother characters begin to follow his (mostly sarcastic) advice.

Buffy's season 6 is comfortably the show's most depressing. The central storylinestarts out as a metaphor for drug addiction,Buffy and Spike engage in a mutually destructive relationship, and the main villains are the show's most human.

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As the eighth episode of the season,Tabula Rasaprovides a bit of a break from season 6's exhausting tone by wiping the memories of the Scooby Gang and Spike. While the ending is packed with drama and heartbreak, the scenes revolving around the amnesiac characters are innocent, funny, and enjoyably awkward.

Spin the BottleisAngel's version ofTabula Rasaand it comes pretty close to surpassingBuffy's episode. In an attempt to restore Cordelia's memories, Lorne performs a spell that, naturally, goes terribly wrong. The characters are mentally reverted back to their teenage selves, including Angelwho loses all recollection of everything that happened after 1753.

WhileTabula Rasareduces the heroes to blank slates,Spin the Bottle essentially reverts the characters to how they were at the beginning of the series. This confusion not only leads to many hilarious moments, but it also showcases just how much Angel's charactershad developed over the years.

Rupert Giles' dry humor often goes a bit underappreciated, but the Watcher can be just as funny as Xander or Spike.Band Candyonce again involves mind games, as some Halloween candy causesall the adults in Sunnydaleto relive their teenage years, at least in spirit. They present a more free-spirited bunch than the town'scurrent teenagers, as Buffy is forced to parent her mother.

Giles steals the show as the rebellious Ripper, a smooth-talking punk who could not be further removed from the British librarian's normal personality.

Following a seasonthat saw Angel reaching as far as possible towards the dark side without turning to Angelus,Angeltreated viewers to a more adventurous and comedic arc to end the year. Diving into pure fantasy territory, thePylea arc tends to be rather polarizing, but "Through The Looking-Glass" shines through with a couple of memorable gags, including a joyful cameo by Joss Whedon.

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With the exception of Fred's introduction, the Pylea arc does not impactAngelall that much, but it is just fun to see Cordelia live out her Princess fantasy; meanwhile, Angel, who has a reflection in this dimension, comes to the shocking realization that his hair looks terrible.

If there is one lesson to take from the Buffyverse, it is that spells performed for selfish reasons will inadvertently backfire in amazing fashion. Similar toAngel's "Life of the Party," Willow's magic causesher will to be forced onto other people, as throwaway comments cause the rest of the Scoobies to act out of character.

These comments lead to Spike and Buffy falling in love as they plan to get married, Giles gradually losing his sight, and Xander catching the attention of all the demons in Sunnydale.

Whenthe titular herois visiting a swami outside Los Angeles, Wesley decides to pretend to be the vampire when a case calls for Angel's presence. Angel's storyline is not all that memorable, but Wesley is nothing short of a treasure as he tries to keep up the ruse,which includes having to drink some blood.

At this point in season 2, Wesley was about half-waythrough his transformation from bumbling idiot to the respectableleader of Angel Investigations, and "Guise Will Be Guise" showcases both aspects of the character brilliantly.

"The Zeppo" is the definitive Xander episode. While the rest of the Scoobies fight to deraila world-ending event, Xander goes on his own side-adventure that involves zombies, a bomb, and a one night stand with Faith.

As the episode is mainly told from Xander's perspective, only glimpses are shown of the rest of the gang; for example, Xander walks in on one of Buffy and Angel's melodramatic discussions about love, a moment that serves as a prime example ofBuffy the Vampire Slayerpoking fun atitself.

Compared toBuffy the Vampire Slayer,Angelhas very few episodes that are straight-up comedies.Spin the BottleandGuise Will Be Guisejust about qualify, even then, both episodes have their share of drama.

Smile Timeis the one exception, as few ideas are as inherently funny as that of Angel being turned into a puppet. Be it puppet-Angel's disastrous exchange with his werewolf love interest or anything involving Spike,Smile Timeis a laugh-riot that takes full advantage of its unique and goofy premise.

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5 Hilarious Buffy The Vampire Slayer Episodes (& 5 Angel Episodes That Are Too Funny) - Screen Rant

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero