Why does the episode start out with the title and time/date? I've never understood this.

Because they wanted everyone to know it was my birthday.

Oh, sure. You guys talk about CWDP and I get ear-wormed with "Blue."

Someone on another board is saying Xander's family was Episcopalian. Is that canon or fanon? Was it mentioned in Hell's Bells or one of the episodes leading up to HB? I don't ever remember knowing this thing about Xander.

I can see it being mentioned in early Xander/Willow conversations about their childhood in some sort of Xmas/Snoopy dance context, but I can't recall anything specific regarding his religion, Cindy. If it's there I'd need to re-watch to know.

Was it mentioned in Hell's Bells or one of the episodes leading up to HB?

It's said by Cousin Carol (Whose cousin is she - does Xander call her cousin? She seems more like an aunt) at the wedding:

UNCLE RORY: Yeah, well, the thing is, if you expect Xander to bring up his kids in some kinda foreign-speaky bow-to-the-easty kinda cult-

TENTACLE DEMON: So you think the children should be raised in ignorance of our ways? (Xander's Mom looking nervous)

COUSIN CAROL: No! No, the Harrises are very broad-minded. We're Episcopalians.

Don't ever recall a specific mention of Xander's religion.

eta: But I'm wrong!

Idle thought: What's Buffy's greatest badass moment for you?

Some of them came in otherwise not-great episodes. Like wiping out the vamp nest that was sucking on Riley, finishing with the javelin toss dusting. Or in "Anne" with the "I'm Buffy."

It's easy enough to write a scene where Buffy's the winner, but harder to have it bear all the narrative weight and character development that has Buffy stopping Angelus sword with her palms and declare she's enough (probably her greatest moment).

Hmmm, the power walk in "Prophecy Girl" was good. Also Buffy winning by smarts against Kralik. Your choices?

Idle thought: What's Buffy's greatest badass moment for you?

Yikes! There's a lot. But what stands out to me isn't so much physical- it's "I'm fairly certain I said no interruptions."

The authority she takes on with the Watchers in that scene is great.

The "You have fruit punch mouth" moment in "Prophecy Girl" was pretty good too, as was Buffy locking and loading her bazooka in "Innocence."

I think I got the most sense of a buildup to a badass moment during "Walk through the Fire" in OMWF, where the song crescendos along with Buffy kicking the Bronze door off its hinges and confronting Sweet.

Ooooh! In "Go Fish" when Obnoxious Swim Team Guy gets frisky with her in the car and she slams his nose into the steering wheel.

There are many more, of course. But that scene has always stuck with me.

And the pan-up shot in "Anne" with her holding the axe.

What's Buffy's greatest badass moment for you?

Two of my off-the-top-of-my-head "Wow, Buffy's such a bad ass!" moments from some meh episodes:

Jumping down into the hellmouth to catch the Vahrall demon that had jumped in and having Riley pull her out in Doomed.

Likewise, jumping in to kill the Bezoar (it looked like she jumped right into her stomach and killed her from the inside) in Bad Eggs.

These stick out to me because she had no idea if her fighting skills would save her. She was literally puting her life in jeopardy with no way of knowing if she would survive. Sometimes Buffy assesses the risk and backs off but in the first case - it was to prevent an apocalypse and in the second - one of the victims was her mother, so I don't think either one qualifies as a normal scenario.

But my favorites are a tie between "Me" in Becoming Pt. II and kicking Angelus in the balls in Innocence.