I rented the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Five set, and I have to say that it is a truly stunning feat of filmmaking. The artistic highpoint was the episode titled "The Body" which was one of the most brilliant dramatic works I've ever seen, that faithfully captured the pain and loss and shock... and boredom... of death. Whedon, who based the episode on his own experiences losing his mom, created something that provides no relief to the viewer, from the spare and desolate camerawork to the absence of a musical soundtrack. This, I thought to myself, is art.

Lots of great episodes, but the best is the conclusion of the series, "The Weight of the World" and "The Gift". I guarantee that you will wear out your DVD player's remote, replaying the moment when Buffy realizes her destiny, her final narration to Dawn, and jumps from the top of the tower to seal the portal that threatens the world... I thought this is as beautiful and mythic and dramatic as the final moments of Hidden Dragon, Crouching Tiger, when Zhang Ziyi jumps to her death from the Taoist monastery. Every moment of the teleplay was lovingly, artistically, and perfectly rendered.

This, besides the amazing show 24, is one of the best reasons to own a television.