When it began airing in March of 1997 on The WB, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was a show that delighted in throwing its audience for a loop, starting with the title. For those who had neither seen nor heard of the 1992 horror-comedy of the same name, the show was an unexpected blend of supernatural action and high-school angst. On one hand, we have the Slayer, a person with almost inexplicable power and strength whose job is to keep the forces of evil at bay. On the other hand, that Slayer is a teenage girl named Buffy Summers who seems like she would be more at home on a cheerleading squad than she is in patrolling local graveyards to take down any members of the undead. 

After moving to the seemingly quiet and pleasant town of Sunnydale, California, Buffy soon realizes that it's actually positioned on the edge of the Hellmouth, a...