Many of you have seen at least one episode of this show. Some of you might also have a certain admiration for the series, like I do. Maybe there are a few fans of Whedon's work, too (he's the creator of Firefly and Dollhouse). What's BTVS? A brilliantly written story, filled with Whedon's witty dialogues and omnipresent sarcasm ; a great sense of irony at all times ; an amazing set of characters, led by the charismatic high-school slayer, the self-proclaimed "Scooby-Gang". Seasoning the whole series with humour is very important for any short fiction that greatly distorts reality, to lighten the mood and lower the viewer's skepticism, and this was never forgotten through the series. It also adds a whole new dimension to the plot, when criticism can come from both comedy (remember Malcolm in the Middle's cynical view of the American society) and tragedy.
Throw in some action, badass costumes, an awesome cast, 7 years of development, and you've got Buffy.
Of course, it also appeals to the melancholic teen. Many characters were designed with the intent to appeal to a certain audience in a very strong way (Buffy, Angel, Willow, Spike. The personal matters and romantic adventures of these unlikely outcasts (seriously, outcasts become so for a reason) quickly became the main focus : "will Xander and Willow finally go out together?" was a bigger question than "will Buffy defeat the season's villain (of course she will!)? They were all students, and were just a little older than the audience at the time. Role-models who would take you for a magic walk every week through the idyllic city of Sunnydale, full of exciting events and interesting people. And when you think about it, every bad guy represented one of your fears as a kid or teenager.
The writers didn't however hesitate to shake their faithful followers from time to time, with creative episodes like "Hush", where Sunnydale becomes mute after a couple of demons, the "Gentlemen", steal their voices. That is the Buffy I like.
Now, if I had to pick a favourite episode, I would hesitate a bit, but probably come up with "The Body", season 5, episode 16. It speaks of death, and how we react to it in our everyday life.
(I didn't found the excerpt on the net so I had to upload it myself)
Previous to this scene, Buffy's mother, Joyce, had been diagnosed with cancer, and the tumor was surgically removed. But just when everyone felt that the worse had passed, Buffy comes home and finds Joyce lying unconscious on the couch. This is the beginning of a downward spiral that will take a little (and sometimes a lot) from everyone's hearts. From there on, things only get darker.
This scene is very different from the rest of the series : the slow pace, the silence, the cinematographic tone contrast with the other episodes, full of action, humorous sarcasm, playful banter and drama. The audience has to feel that something has been broken ; in a story full of violent deaths, Whedon wanted us to feel that this time, it was different, that this time, death actually mattered, but that there wasn't really anything to learn from it.
Buffy opens the door, we can hear the children outside, the wind bell quietly singing in a sunny day. The impressionist influence is noteworthy. The image is poetic, like Kurosawa's "Rashomon". Indubitably the best of Whedon's work, bringing out the artistic value of the show.
For some reason I always have the Charmed opening theme in my head whenever someone mentions Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I guess I have grouped them together xD
On March 16 2012 07:29 Saechiis wrote: For some reason I always have the Charmed opening theme in my head whenever someone mentions Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I guess I have grouped them together xD
Indeed this is a good series. My favorite part about this show is the cast. David Boreanaz, Seth Green, James Marsters etc. I like all of them. Whedon did a good job overall, this show feels really unique.
On March 16 2012 08:38 darkscream wrote: See? Vampires were emo even before Twilight.
It's actually interesting that this shit goes in cycles. Teenagers gobble up goofy vampire romances every decade.
In Twilight, vampires are pussies and stalking is promoted. In Buffy, vampires eat people and try to destroy the world and stalkers get killed or smashed.
The vampires from Buffy are much more comparable to those from Tru Blood. They like to kill for sport, they enjoy dark nests with heavy techno music, they consider humans as prey, and they seem to be pretty kinky.
The main character only becomes intimate with one vampire who somehow has a soul and who impersonates all the emo-tions of the show. The second one she is involved with is much more of a... vampire, and their relationship starts when Buffy enters a depressive, suicidal state (as her vampire lover's secret wish is to kill her, but alas, he is too weak for that).
You should give the series a try. If it's too old for you, watch some Tru Blood, it's a good cure against Twilight.
Edit : it's funny, most of those who have left comments have a pretty high post count. Is it age-related or nerdness-related?
I actually don't like True Blood nearly as much. I didn't finish the first season, but I didn't like any of the characters and it seemed a lot more shallow, even though it tried to incorporate some political themes.
I remember buffy from when I was younger, but don't really ever remember watching it. I keep seeing it on my reccomended list on Netflix for some reason though, and always pass over it. You may have changed my mind haha, I could go for some good old fashioned cheesy tv.
The first season is very cheesy in my opinion, but it simply makes it funnier in my eyes.
And yes, Tru Blood is definitely a lot more shallow on certain aspects. They often lack a larger perspective in their criticism of "xenophobia" (Why does it exist? Is it part of human nature?) and rely a lot on aesthetics. It lacks the irony BTVS has, although the character of Sookie sometimes steps out of the plot with her weird attitude and reactions. This is a big problem when the show tries to be very serious, depicting a fictional supernatural tragedy - it seems fake.
Buffy was also very, very close to the audience. This proximity created the Buffyverse and the hardcore fanbase which Gellar somehow came to dislike (too many anxious teenagers I guess).
Season One is of much poorer quality, but yes, I loved this show. Once More With Feeling might have been the greatest episode to ever grace a TV screen.
Best thing about Buffy: in episode 1 when they introduce Angle for a minute, you don't really find out much about him... and that's because even the writers had no idea what to do with him when they started the show ROFL
I don't know about the quality of the show, but damn buffy was hot. I jacked off to her in the shower many times back then hahaha. Imagination was the best thing when you didnt have access to massive amounts of porn on the net lol.
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! this thread makes my day! and sadly i may be the lower post count person to comment! But i honest to god was rewatching the series for the first time in a few years and i was at the episode mentioned in the OP when megaupload went down! like you fucking kidding me?!?! I still haven't found a new way to watch them
my dad and I used to watch Angel together every tuesday when i was a kid... It was something i looked forward to every week. Now i have to get a netflix if i want to continue... which sadly, thanks to this thread... i probably will.
To be honest, the main draw of the show to me was the growth of Willow as a character, moreso than Buffy. The show pays a lot of attention to subtext and takes on a whole new dimension upon rewatching.
Spike is such an incredible character. One of my go-to characters in fiction when I need to figure out how to expose new aspects of characters in my own writing :3
BtVS is by a lot my favorite TV series of all time! Such strong characters, great humor, and intelligent plots. My favorite episode is "Once More with Feeling." If musicals were more like that episode I would love musicals.
Should I watch it? I love Firefly, maybe because it doesn't take itself too seriously. But I hate cheesy shows with "dramatic" music, so will I like it?
Also has anyone seen Kindred: The Embraced? It's based on The Masquerade rpg game, so if you know it, you know these are the manliest vampires ever. Is it good though?
On March 16 2012 08:38 darkscream wrote: See? Vampires were emo even before Twilight.
It's actually interesting that this shit goes in cycles. Teenagers gobble up goofy vampire romances every decade.
Actually, all the vampire romance / urban fantasy stuff that's been so popular over the last decade? That's there because of Buffy. The show was never a huge blockbuster... the numbers were good for the small cable networks it was on, but not amazing compared to the big networks. However, the show was amazingly well-written, and very influential as a result.
Hell, it was influential enough that it inspired a lot of academic writing and university courses. The area is called Buffy studies.
I tryed watching this about a year ago after I saw it from time to time on tv.. Had to stop fast... Such a huge pile of emo / teenageangst bullshit...... SMG looks good tho ^^.
On March 16 2012 19:36 Velr wrote: I tryed watching this about a year ago after I saw it from time to time on tv.. Had to stop fast... Such a huge pile of emo / teenageangst bullshit...... SMG looks good tho ^^.
Unfortunately you have to invest with Buffy. Seasons two and three are by far the best, but you have to watch season one to get there.
If you still dislike it because it's too "emo" then watch the spinoff, Angel, which is about kicking ass more or less, but with the same attention to quirky characters.
On March 16 2012 17:24 Steveling wrote: Should I watch it? I love Firefly, maybe because it doesn't take itself too seriously. But I hate cheesy shows with "dramatic" music, so will I like it?
Also has anyone seen Kindred: The Embraced? It's based on The Masquerade rpg game, so if you know it, you know these are the manliest vampires ever. Is it good though?
You definitely should. Vampires aren't very manly though, they mostly kill people and then die, with a couple of very badass exceptions (Spike being the best of them all). Those exceptions are usually very, very badass.
It's not dramatic at all, in fact it doesn't take itself too seriously, much like Firefly. The excerpt I posted was an exception.
Actually i bought all 7 seasons on dvd :D such a great fun to watch... And it feels like 90s :D
The greatness of Buffy is the humor and the soundtrack. The writes of this project must be the total Badasses: In so many episodes there is this way of playing with the audience's expections and clichees its really a big fun to see it. I have to vote for willow and spike :D
I marathoned buffy when I was 14 or 15 as I borrowed the dvds from someone who owned all the seasons. Really liked it (last season was bad, but whatever).
But sad that my friends now all call it such a chick show.
A 7th grade teacher of mine introduced me to the show, which is perhaps a little creepy thinking back on it(mid 30s aged man with a huge obsession for Buffy). That said, it did become one of my favorite shows, and I ended up following it really closely and then watching all of the Angel series because of it, so I can't hate on him for the intro.
SMG was really really fucking hot(well... still is, but ya).
EPT
![[image loading]](http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/buffy/gallery/season4/images/340/17hush.jpg)
