Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I only started to watch Buffy recently, 20 years after the first episode was aired, got to say I am very impressed. Now remember this is 2017, people are used to 1080p streaming, Blu-ray / 4K video, and HDMA sound quality, 480i, 2 channel sound and 1.33:1 screen ratio are simply not going to cut it anymore. However, in this case, despite the huge technical disadvantages, Buffy still stands out as a serious and entertaining show, one of the best of its kind. The screen-play are well written, characters well developed, dialogues are actually interesting and thought provoking, plus great acting all around. Joss Whedon is a real genius.

Due to the age of the show, I don't know if they will ever release a Blu-ray set, but I can only imagine what a tremendous joy it'd be to watch it on Blu-ray (again). Buffy really sets the standard and example for today's Hollywood, if there is show you can relate to 20 years later, then you know it is not the picture quality or special effects, but the story and acting that speak to you. Comparing this to some of modern day shows, it is clear to me that technical advances don't always improve the quality of a show.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, its misguided title put aside, is what I consider, and millions of other devoted fans believe to be a genuine and purely astonishing work of achievement in television history. With creative and daring story lines and terrific character development, the show that began its run on the WB as a mid-season replacement, became a dazzling cult hit resulting in a secure fan base and merchandising for as far as the eye can see.

The show follows a young girl endowed with the ancient powers of the slayer, one girl who fights the forces of darkness, battling alone, relieving the world of vampires and demons. In Buffy Summers' case, after moving to Sunnydale with her single mother, she befriends two loving, but out of place peers, Willow and Xander, who bravely march along side of her. Together, along with her watcher, Giles, they encounter creatures of darkness and strange mystical occurrences, which as a result, draw them closer together and occasionally, set them apart.

On occasion, Buffy is mistaken as a foolish, sci-fi television show which should probably be aired during the depressing Saturday afternoon time slot. But actually, nothing could be farther from the truth. A surprising element to Buffy is that the monsters and demons are a relatively small part of what the show actually stands for. From first love, life, death, sexual experimentation, and self identity crises – Buffy chronicles what it is like to be young person growing up in an overly mature world – with monsters! Between a slayer, a lesbian witch, a carpenter, and a werewolf – anything is possible and welcomed in the Buffy world. With the imaginative and extremely innovative writing of the show's creator Joss Whedon, along with the most intelligent and skillful writing staff that the biz has ever encountered, they were able to produce many groundbreaking episodes including "Hush", "The Body", "The Gift", "Becoming part 2", "Seeing Red", "Conversations with Dead People", "Grave", and "Chosen" – sadly I cannot continue this list for there is not enough space.

Without further ado, Buffy The Vampire Slayer is and will always be an incredible show. If you haven't had the privilege of watching this show, check your local listings for reruns or rent or even buy the entire series on DVD. Without a doubt, you will fall in love with the characters and stories, and by the time you finish the first season you will have welcomed a new family into your lives – sweet and sometimes muddled Buffy, clever and endearing Willow, faithful Xander, perceptive and paternal Giles. This show will linger in our hearts for eternity, and will go on to influence generations of intellectual and audacious writing in television.

Buffy is one of, if not THE, best dramatic series ever made. People that have never seen the show, or have only seen one episode of it, would probably laugh at that statement. But having seen all 7 seasons of this brilliant series, I feel quite confident in my opinion.

No other show touches on the major issues of humanity this show does: immortality and it's pros and cons, the power of love and friendship, the inner strength we all have within us, and the ability to appreciate life and learn to laugh at the things that get you down. There are moments of happiness, drama, tears, and moments that make you rediscover who you are, and Buffy deals with all of them. Every episode is layered with meanings and insights into humanity, all in some show about a girl who slays vampires.

Seeing these characters change and grow over the course of the episodes is a gift. Unlike other shows, the characters on Buffy are never the same from season to season. The events of the show change them and mold them into new people all the time, that's how good the writing is.

No episode is boring, in all 144 hours of the series there is something worth watching. Some episodes are truly brilliant pieces of television, especially the gems directed by series creator Joss Whedon such as Becoming, The Wish, Hush, The Body, and The Gift. These are some of the best hours of television ever produced.

The writing is spectacular, perfectly capable of balancing comedy, drama, and horror in every episode.

This is so much more than a show about a girl who slays vampires. It can change the way you react to events in your life and the way you view things. It's that good.

People who've seen this series don't need to be told whether it's good or not, so this review is solely for the uninitiated, i.e. Someone trying to decide whether to invest the time in a seven season series. Here's what to consider.

This was rated, when originally aired, as TV-14 programming, but it is far from your typical YA drivel. It covered a full spectrum of emotional, violent, and sexual content, over its seven season arc. Ignoring the sex, and just considering the human (non-"creature") body count, I'm amazed at what the showrunners were able to get aired over the course of the series. Bottom line, there's a lot of "intense" content throughout the series, and it gets far more graphic in the latter seasons.

Any fantasy, supernatural, or SciFi series fails or succeeds on its "believability". I don't mean the plots, but instead, whether the characters project believability. If it "works", it will stem from a combination of well scripted episodes, but far more important, a cast that buys into, and fully "sells" (110%), their characters. BtVS had all of that in spades. Whether it is their witty banter, a plethora of deeply emotional scenes, or the larger story arcs of the seasons, and/or the overall series, as a whole, these characters are "all in", in terms of their commitment to the stories being told, within their "fantastical universe".

Throughout the series, there are always multiple (concurrent) story arcs in play. Some, especially toward the end, are even multi-seasonal. Certainly, simply because it is episodic, there is a "monster (or problem) of the week" feel, all through the series, but those stories are generally unique and interesting, and many of those play into the larger (and more important) story arcs.

In the first three seasons, the characters are in high school, and many of the plots revolve around that setting (but always with the fantasy-based twist), while the final four seasons move out into the adult world. We basically get to watch these characters grow up throughout the full series arc, and as alluded to earlier, the plots become increasingly more "raw/intense" as the series moves forward.

The most important thing is that, even from the first season, it is easy to become invested in the core suite of characters. And, when season two takes what seems to be a somewhat stable set of core characters, and turns their situation "on its head", you realize that you cannot count on anything being "stable", and consequently, can't really predict what might happen in subsequent episodes (which, obviously, is a "good thing", from a story-telling perspective).

Some of the later (especially season 5 and 6) story arcs are heart-wrenching, and easily some of the best "TV drama" that has ever been aired. Some of the episodes are also some of the creepiest that have ever been aired. The series is a constant mix of many different storytelling genres, which just happen to exist in the (fantasy-based) "Buffyverse". Unlike some series that fizzled out near their end (or simply got canceled), this series really reached its peak in its final three seasons, just continuously "upping the ante", until its epic finale. I own the series, and (roughly) every two or three years, I drag out the discs, and re-binge the whole thing, because of "Buffy withdrawal". It's always feels good to (yet again) watch it all play out, over the characters' seven year arc.

BtVS is "not perfect". There are some episodes that are (IMHO) duds ("Beer" comes to mind), and there is at least one story arc that I thought had a bit too much silliness, but "as a whole", it is easily one of the best TV series, and runs you through the full emotional gamut.

Bottom line, assuming that you "accept" a fantasy/SciFi premise in the first place (as you would with a "Star Trek", a "Fringe", or any similar series), then BtVS is truly a great series (for people of any age... and I'm "North of 60", as I write this), and I believe, well worth your time investment.

One major caution: The first two episodes of season 5 are a major "WTF moment". During its original airing, some viewers (literally) stopped watching the series after seeing those episodes, and also wrote online rants about their disappointment with what happens (avoid reading the episode synopses to avoid spoilers). Those episodes definitely DO leave you asking "WTF", but I would simply say that you MUST have faith, and "trust your tour guide" (i.e. The screenwriters), and settle in for the season 5 "ride", which, as I alluded to above, is an emotional roller coaster, with an "unexpected" season finale that sets up a similarly emotional season 6.

One final note, depending on where you obtain media, and/or from where you stream it, seasons 4-7 may or may not be wide-screen. The latter seasons were shot on 35mm, whereas the first three were shot on 16mm. Even though the entire series aired in the old (narrow) 1:1.33 (original NTSC TV) aspect ratio, and even though Joss Whedon argues that the whole series should be seen that way, I respectfully disagree. I always relish getting to Season 4, where (with my UK DVD versions) the whole series opens up, and fills up the full 16x9 (modern) wide screen. Scenes, and "people", that would have been partially "cropped" (or shifted) in the narrow format, are simply seen "in full".

So, hopefully some of the above is useful, if you are considering the series. It is definitely a unique experience.

If I'm having a bad day I can always count on Buffy to cheer me up (or, even if it's one of those cases were I just need a good cry I can always count on Buffy for that as well). It's the perfect blend of so many different qualities...it's humour, action, romance and just incredibly well written, believably flawed characters. I'm not exactly sure where all the haters came from, it's honestly seems to me that this is a case of judging a show by it's title.

There's little I can say about Buffy that won't become redundant, there is not much to find fault with. Sure it's got it's bad episodes, bad story arcs just like any show. But what kept me coming back with the razor sharp wit and characters that became like a family to me.

This is a beautifully written show and if you can make it past the goofy title, fantastic premise and (for many people) the campy first season (You'll grow to love the camp upon re-visiting it) you'll discover one of the best show's in recent memory.