I’m not going to hold back any spoilers since this is so old, so if you haven’t watched Buffy The Vampire Slayer (TV Series) and plan to, please do not read on. This will also not be a review per say but rather my personal feelings on the series. There are much better reviews on Amazon which I will not dare to attempt to duplicate here.
I resisted watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer (TV Series) when it first started. I had seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer (The Movie)
and liked it, but couldn’t see watching a TV series with the same premise. Years went by and season after season of the series aired, making me wonder if I’d made a mistake. Maybe there was something to this Buffy TV Series after all. By that time, I was so far behind I decided it wasn’t a good idea to jump in so far into things and just passed it off as a missed opportunity for entertainment.
About two years ago, my daughter had seen a few episodes at friend’s houses and started watching the series on Hulu. Remembering my initial objection, I resisted watching it again. She bugged me for about a year before I noticed that the entire series was on Netflix instant play and finally started watching.
Yes, all of you that kept telling me I needed to watch it were right. The first season
was a little shaky action wise and I thought some of the camera work could have been better, but the characters were amazing right from the start. I found myself enthralled by them and couldn’t wait to see what happened next.
In season two
the action improved, the camera work improved, and I became increasingly addicted to the series. While I wasn’t all that drawn to the Angel/Buffy relationship in the beginning, season two tugged at me until I started to care, which happened right before Angel turns. Some of the episodes after Angel turns are introspective and poignant. All these building episodes of pain, desire, and passion culminate in the heartbreaking season finale. And yet, throughout the entire season the humor still pervades.
While it’s hard to say I actually have a favorite season, season three
is certainly a season I think back to often. While I felt like something was supposed to be explored further concerning the Mayor and his longevity, he is by far one of my favorite villains. A germaphobe, seemingly goody-goody nice guy as the nasty villain was fantastic. I wanted to dislike him, but he was so humorous and corny it was difficult to. The dynamic between the Mayor and Faith mirroring the Giles and Buffy father/daughter relationship was brilliant and enjoyable. While the big battle at the end of the season felt a little silly, it was also epic. I still find myself saying “fire bad, tree pretty” when my brain has shut down.
Season four
changed the show a bit as Buffy and Willow left for college five miles away and Xander attempted to work and still remain a part of their lives. The season got a little shaky for me with the introduction of The Initiative, but later in the season it felt more like a natural progression. The Frankenstein storyline was done pretty well even though I found myself cringing at first. I think I started this season feeling like the storyline was going to fall apart, but it didn’t.
I hate Glory. That’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of season five
. At first, I thought it was the actress, but I’ve seen her in things since and didn’t have that knee-jerk hate reaction. Between her whining, complaining, and needy disposition, Glory was difficult for me to stomach. I know I wasn’t supposed to love her, but I wanted to take a stake to her myself. Unlike some, I actually didn’t mind the addition of Dawn, Buffy’s sister, to the cast. She’s annoying and she’s supposed to be, but she added a needed depth and perspective to more than a few episodes. While I felt that the overall storyline was lacking, the characters still drew me in and kept me for another season.
Season six
is darker than the previous seasons. The musical episode was awesome. I love Giles’ (Anthony Stewart Head) voice. I still get the songs stuck in my head for no apparent reason. I thought the Spike/Buffy back and forth was a little excessive. Bad, pissed off Willow was frightening. Turning the sweetest, cutest character into the uber bad apocalypse causing mega witch was a bold move and could have easily failed. There was no failing here, only awe. The middle of this season drug some as the subject matter took a dark turn, but I still enjoyed this season. If every season was the same it would quickly become very boring.
Season seven
is the most different from the previous seasons. It is dark, but the humor of the previous seasons is almost completely gone. While the lack of humor helps to build the feeling of impending doom, it also makes the last season feel tired, much like Buffy seems throughout the season. While I missed the humor and wanted to smack several of the characters, the ending was fitting. While leaving things wide open as far as the Buffy universe goes, the ending felt huge and final.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer is by far the best TV show I’ve ever watched and I can’t recommend it highly enough. I hope to own the entire series someday, but for now I’ll be content to rewatch episodes on Netflix until they take it off instant play.
