Let’s talk Buffy a bit.
Was only planning to talk about the Buffy season 11 comic (and I will in another article), but my Buffy senses started tingling. Won’t fully analyze the series (if you want that I recommend listening to Buffy podcasts like Dusted or the Hellmouth Podcast), just want to ramble about my love of it—without spoiling too much.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a TV show about a high school cheerleader chosen to become another in a long line of girls destined to fight the evils of the supernatural. Each gained some mystical power, trained, fought, and died. Another girl is chosen, the endless cycle continues. Can Buffy survive her fight against the darkness? Does she even want to? Does she have a choice? And will she ever tryout for cheerleading squad again? Tune in to find out. Seriously, you like good storytelling mixed with vampires and other monsters? Watch (and read) it.
My recommendation: Start at the season one finale or anywhere toward the latter half of season one. You don’t have to, but I think the later half of season one is stronger. If you like it, you can always go back and watch the previous episodes.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is of my favorite television shows of all time. I remember dismissing the show from its title and not liking the BtVS movie trailer. Note: Still haven’t seen it.
Anywho, one boring summer night centuries ago, I gave it a watch and liked it. Ending up watching season one and two reruns over the same summer, a strange but enjoyable experience, and by fall I was ready for the premiere of season three. By then, I was already a Buffy fan. While I liked certain parts of season one, I could tell season two was a bigger, better monster. I could see it was a good show that got better over time. Been a fan ever since.
Not to say the show is perfect, but when it clicked, baby it clicked! Buffy had what a geek like me wanted, a fantasy action show with a good story and likeable characters. A series starring a badass female superhero was icing on the cake. It was my modern Xena: The Warrior Princess.
Season one was touch and go but had a great finale and Big Bad. Did I mention I love the concept of Big Bads? No series long battle with one enemy, instead having our heroine go up against a Final Boss every season. That’s genius! It kept the show from getting stale by slightly changing the undertones while giving Buffy a villain that reflects her current state of being and power level. Anyway, season one got me in the door.
Season two sat me down, offered me a place to stay and I wholehertedly accepted. Actions had concequinces! Buffy beating the Master affected her. Buffy’s relationship with Angel affected her, thanks to Angelus. Other characters also grew, matured, made mistakes—all behind a story about monsters trying to kill them. The Master was a tough act to follow, having multiple Big Bads this season (one being Angelus) was an excellent direction to go in. Spike and Drusilla were perfect. Giving the season a tragic love story is perfect. I love season two.
Season three brought Buffy and the gang into their final year at Sunnydale High. Relationships changing. Characters changing. Faith and the Mayor joined the cast. The world once again was on the road to ruin. This season has one of my favorite Big Bads and how can you not love Faith? Shoutout to Kendra, she needs more love from the fandom. This season went out with a bang and a character leaving to star in their own awesome series. That plus Buffy and the Scoobies graduating ensured the show, like in real life, was forever different. The high school is hell anology ended. Can the show survive post Sunnydale? Yes, I’m sure you knew at least that much.
Season four is the college season. A growing pains season where the showmakers and we, the audience, both adjust to a Buffy out of high school. One of the weaker, is not, the weakest season but even then the show managed to turn out some great episodes. Hush is easily one of the best Buffy episodes, period. But, we also got Beer Bad, one of the two Buffy episodes so bad I’ll NEVER watch again. Season four was polerizing at best, some really good gems mixed in with some bad lumps of coal plus my least favorite Big Bag of the TV series, not counting a certain comic Big Bad, grrrr. It’s hard topping a show like Buffy every season, at some point, you got to stop and catch your breath. Season four is the rest stop. Not where you want to go necessarily, but you had to take a dump somewhere, now at least you feel better leaving the stall and, hey, the building is nice and there’s a lovely spot to eat your lunch before moving on. By no means is it a dumpster fire, just go in with low expections.
Season five put things back on track. Buffy is more mature, the Scoobies are grown too. This is the season I first saw them as real adults. Dawn joining the cast may factor into that. We get an awesome Big Bad, sorry, Big Bads are the bread and butter of Buffy for me. They can make or break a season in my eyes. Also, don’t want to spoil things.
Again, some the show’s best episodes are in this season. Tara and Anya join as an official main cast members, great! And we get more Spike. This is my favorite after Sunnydale TV season. A few cluckers but many more good episodes than bad. The good ones were good, and the great ones were oh so great! Season five was going to be the show’s finale. Luckily, it was picked up by another network.
I call season six the downer season. Our cast goes through some crappy stuff. It hurts seeing characters you care about go through such pain. In a way, that’s a testament to the show. You care about these people and want the best for them. Season six renewed my already massive love for Willow and Tara, and gave us a Dawn who wasn’t completely annoying. Even if it was a downer, it was an interesting downer. A minus point overall for giving us Doublemeat Palace, the second of the two Buffy episode I never want to see again.
The sunrise season, season seven–last season of TV Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Team Buffy is brighter and we get a Big Bad who technically can’t be stop. Also, got the greatest ending to a season opener in the entire series. Of course, I’d think that.
Buffy is protecting potienal slayers from the Big Bad, but it’s got more than the death of the Slayer line in store for Sunnydale—and the world. A good start with a slow middle but I enjoyed the ending. That final walk down the school hall, that final shot of Buffy, so good. That was the end until Buffy came back in comic form with season eight. Don’t let the negitivity fool you, the good episodes outweigh the bad by a mile. Not one of my all time favorites for nothing!
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a marvel, an enigma, copied by many, but still in a league of her own. DO NOT deny yourself the opportunity to enjoy such a smart, funny, dramic and just entertaining series. If you don’t like it, fine, but give it a shot, one episode. I promise I won’t say I told you so.
Mammoth Base Opera Castle 