Top Ten (or more) Lists are always popular and always subjective. Entertainment Weekly recently did a list of their favorite "Whedonverse" episodes similar to the one Television Without Pity did.
I'm removing the ones that EW had in common with TWOP in order to think about that list separately. It's completely unscientific, of course, but I'm curious to see if there's any sort of consensus.
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Angel: You're Welcome
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The return of Cordelia and the fight with Lindsey, who was always a favorite of mine even after he started wandering around looking like he hadn't washed his hair in days. It is a bit continuity-heavy; the more familiar you are with the characters, the more impact it has.
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Buffy: Conversations with Dead People
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A very talky episode in a rather spotty season. Plus, I was never entirely convinced by the pop psychology. Why am I always listening to people tell Buffy what her problem was? Does she not talk for herself?
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Buffy: The Zeppo
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I always thought this episode was under-rated. The focus on Xander is refreshing, as is the subtle send-up of the show's own story-telling crutches. His journey around the fringes of those "The World is Ending - Look Busy" melodramatics gives the whole thing another layer that I really enjoyed.
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Buffy: Restless
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The rather psychedelic dream-sequence heavy four season finale. It managed to give insights into the characters without falling into cliche or being strange just for the sake of being strange. (Except for the cheese guy.) Of all the "Die in Your Dreams" episodes I've seen over the years, this is one of the best.
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Buffy: The Wish
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Cordelia wishes herself into an alternate reality. Classic Mirror Universe that gets darker and darker, right up to the Master facing off with Buffy again. Another example of a genre convention done right.
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Buffy: Seeing Red/Villains
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Enh. I'm not feeling Evil!Willow as much as I should. I really need to rewatch this season to see if my intial impressions were accurate or just a reaction to the seemingly unending bleakness. At this point, I was left with the feeling that the show was more survived than enjoyed. It was a relief when it was over.
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Buffy: Passion
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Now this is classic Buffy. Shattering the assumption that Angelus would just lurk around saying mean things to Buffy and then be handily redeemed so they could live happily ever after. A demon is a demon is a demon on this show.
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Angel: I Will Remember You
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A grace note on Angel and Buffy's deathless love affair, this is a true tear-jerker. I'd have to see where it fell on a Best Of list, but it would definetly be hovering around somewhere. Pure romance.
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Firefly: War Stories
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Deeper than it seems at first glance, particularly as it handles the Wash-Zoe-Mal relationship. Adds another layer onto each character, and OMG how happy am I they didn't go the "unresolved sexual tension" route with Zoe and Mal?
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Buffy: Chosen
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The series finale of Buffy didn't leave me as bowled over as the series finale of Angel. It was less organic and more clumsy than "Becoming" or "The Gift." I could see the people behind the curtain desperately heaving everyone into place for the Big Finish, which got in the way of getting emotionally engaged.
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Buffy: The Gift
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Far more satisfying than "Chosen," even if Glory was a bit of a disappointment. By that time, I had invested in Dawn and cared what happened to her, so there was a real build to Buffy's final sacrifice. I can see, however, where "Chosen" was more ambitious in terms of scope.
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Firefly: Our Mrs. Reynolds
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I have no idea why this episode is here. I can only assume that the author wanted to name-check Christina Hendricks, who is now on Mad Men and spent most of this episode half-naked, pouting seductively at the camera. (Not that I dislike her. Just wondering how this wound up Number Five Best Ever on their list.)
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Angel: A Hole in the World
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Fred's death. Dying is dramatic, I suppose, even when you kinda sorta come back less than an episode later. I liked it, but I could have done without everyone spending the first half of the story gushing at Fred. Not to mention her and Wesley's Luv Twu Luv routine.
This is a very Buffy-centric list. At least half the episodes on the list are examples of genre tropes being well used - sometimes twisted, sometimes straight up - in the service of the characters. Which always was a real strength of Buffy and is something that appears in all of Whedon's shows, so I guess that's fair. It also makes sense that Entertainment Weekly would pick up on that aspect of Whedon's work.
But I am sincerely baffled by "Our Mrs. Reynolds" being here. Seriously, I thought that one ranked just above the Happy Hooker episode.