Many months ago, I decided to take on an ambitious, personal quest. I was going to pick one show off of the Netflix Instant queue and try to discover my new favorite show. It wasn't a very organized mission, but looking through the selection, I decided to go bold, check out something out of my comfort range: one hour dramas.
The initial list was between: Twin Peaks (what with me being a David Lynch fan), Veronica Mars, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
I didn't set my sights high to witness Buffy in it's entirety. I was more into it by the gimmick alone. She kills vampires? I hate vampires not played by Bela Legosi. It sounded like an interesting romp. Also, with last year's Entertainment Weekly calling lead character Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) as one of the most iconic characters of the past 20 years, I was more willing to give it a chance.
So, where does everything stand between those three? I liked Veronica Mars, but it sadly got stuck in the maybe pile after one episode. Twin Peaks was weird and made it through season one.
And then Buffy...
How the hell did I fall in love with this show?
It was the opening episode "Welcome to Hellmouth" that initially sold me. As episodes would go on, it wouldn't be my favorite, but at the time, I saw her kicking vampire ass, trying to keep Hellmouth from opening in Sunnydale. It was a two part episode, and even though my bedtime was in ten minutes, I HAD to see part 2.
So long, Twin Peaks. It was all about Buffy whenever I turned on my Netflix and looked for a show to watch. I never set an organized schedule, thus explaining why it took so long.
However, in that time, I indulged in everything about the show. I loved the supporting characters, notably Xander (Nicolas Brendon) and Willow (Alyson Hannigan), who managed to quip each scene with enough one liners to make the first few episodes trick me into thinking it was a brilliant parody of misfit hipsters (later determined to be nerds).
True, I had no idea why Charisma Carpenter got main credits billing the whole first season, but damn, I was totally into that first season. It didn't really develop much, but the references made me nostalgic for the days of R.L. Stine's "Goosebumps" and reminded me of the Universal Horror Monsters, notably Creature from the Black Lagoon and the Wolf Man (1941), a genre I have grown into loving since discovering Frankenstein in film class.
As the seasons progressed, I found my emotional investment growing in Buffy and the Scoobies. They not only talked intellectually, they also faced the normal high school problems, including running away at the end of season 2. I found it to be a fresh look on teenage angst and made really old metaphors about social interaction into something fun, exciting.
Somehow, one of my biggest loves of this show grew to be the Buffy/Angel (David Boreanaz) relationship. While Xander got stilted chemistry with Willow (albeit, very entertaining), the forbidden love of Buffy and Angel was something that may seem like a fleshed out version of Twilight if there wasn't a werewolf (unless Oz (Seth Green) is coming back).
Most of all, they worked together to make it work. It felt like a real relationship about rebelling against what is perceived as right. As time goes on, the realization that vampires aren't all necessarily evil (i.e. Spike (James Marsters)) helps to make this one hell of a show where the nerds rise with one hell of a quality script.
But Angel and Buffy. Together, I loved them. Every little quirk, I was wanting it to work out, even when things turned for the worst. They built a chemistry that I enjoyed, and sadly have missed since they replaced him with Riley (Marc Blucas) in season 4 (terrible choice, by the way).
Of all the seasons, I think season 3 is the most immaculate. I can nominate two episodes at the very least that have managed to make me cry and feel all warm and fuzzy (both involving you know who and you know who). In "Amends," I felt warm knowing that Christmas actually did come in a sentimental way (with the sun not rising).
And in "the Prom," the obvious happened, and yet, I was sitting in front of my TV hoping Angel showed up to dance with Buffy after winning the respect of her peers. Somehow, that trick seems hackneyed, but I loved these characters enough to want a perfect episode ending for them.
I also think my favorite character quickly became Faith (Eliza Dushku) after her entrance. It wasn't that she was evil or backstabbing. It was that she was a complex person who has so much likability, but is not that great of a person in some senses. She also kicks ass, has some of the best lines, and would be the one character I would love a thesis on pertaining to her arc through the stories.
To say the least, not all of the episodes have been gems. I have found a few I rolled my eyes at. However, the ratio is pretty slim to the actual fact that I can find something to take out of most of them. Whether it be a funny line Xander said (or when he gets all sentimental to Buffy in season 4's "the Freshman") or a little throwback to the old school monster movies, I took it's innovation as something unique and therefore wasn't any sign of Joss Whedon's collective doing their work half-assed.
So, after numerous months, I finally reached episode 72, which according to the episode count, is the halfway mark. What's my initial reaction?
It's an above average show. True, majority of the episodes are great, but sadly my memory cannot hold 100% facts of all the episodes. If you gave me a synopsis, maybe I could throw something at you. This gives me reason to watch them again, but for now, I must fight on. The fact that I haven't given up 72 episodes in should show that this show has something interesting to give me.
Even right now, over halfway through season 4 in the episode "Who Are You," I have found things to like. In truth, I dislike Riley's character a bit (wish Angel would come back) and the whole secret missions program stuff seems farfetched in some regards. I have found numerous cut offs to that group to be a hindrance to my enjoyment, but whenever it's Buffy or the Scoobies just doing their job, it's back to some great, old school fun.
I will try and stick with this show because there's so many things I love, whether it be the fleshed out characters, the interesting lines, the peril, the theme song, the undertones, the references, the sly humor, the monsters, Faith... it's a universe that I want to get lost in without feeling any shame for it. It's unique in that I don't even get teary eyed during the Simpsons, and here, I've done it twice in one season. This show has something going for it.
So, final thoughts? This is a great show, and I look forward to finishing it. However, the road that season 4 has taken is not my favorite. I don't like Riley (though the new monster introduction is picking things up), but I do like the new relationship with Spike the gang has. I like that the Bronze still has the best soundtrack any TV club has had (though where's the bands?).
I don't know that the show will get better, though my die hard Buffy fan Nathan gives me some inclination that it will. I heard season 7 is full of goodies.
Halfway there, guys... so exciting. Let's hope to get it done before the year is out.
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