Retrospective: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"

It seems to be years ago when I first started my journey, but it was only March when I first looked through Netflix and selected a few shows that I might want to watch. At this point, I was wanting to fill time by picking a show and watching the whole thing. Upon the inception of this journey, it was originally between Twin Peaks, Veronica Mars, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

In truth, I was a small David Lynch fan, so I gave Twin Peaks a first season run. I didn't like it and am not too sure I care to find out who killed Laura Palmer. Veronica Mars was SO CLOSE to getting picked. However, when I popped on part one of the "Welcome to Hellmouth" episode, I was introduced to a culture I had never known.

It was immediately perplexing and by the time the episode ended, I already was clicking on episode two. In reality, I had never seen too much to make me admire Joss Whedon (besides Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog), but the novelty premise of a girl beating up vampires sounded like a delightful romp. Also, based on research, the show is considered to be one of the best, and the lead Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) manages to be one of the most iconic female characters in history.

Count in that Alyson Hannigan is on my good side, I had so much preconceived notions going into this show. What I didn't expect was how quickly I would get hooked. In season one, it captured my attention with monster of the week episodes where Xander (Nicholas Brendon) dated a large mutant and a poorly green screened apocalypse brought on by a kid in a coma. As a guy that loved Universal Horror classics such as Frankenstein and the Invisible Man, I was willing to take this novelty.

While the original villain was rather weak, the seasons to come produced interesting characters. Most of all, I really enjoyed the allegorical connections between fighting demons and surviving high school. In fact, the only thing that didn't make sense for the longest time was why Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) was such a prominently featured character if she seemed to be outside the Scoobies consisting originally of Buffy, Xander, Willow (Hannigan) and lead by Giles (Anthony Stewart Head).

However, as the team expanded, the show got more shaky. I will say this much, while the first two seasons survived on a lot of novelty premises, it captured my interest as it entered season 3, a season in which Buffy and her boyfriend Angel (David Boreanaz) got closer. Their relationship has always been my favorite part of the show with neither Spike (James Marsters) or Riley (Marc Blucas) ever matching the romantic nature. To me, there was something between Angel and Buffy that felt forbidden and by exploring it so well, it produced some of my favorite episodes, including "Amends" and "the Prom," both of which left me more heart warm than any other episode.

While the relationship between Buffy and Angel was some of the best chemistry that I've ever seen, my favorite character was also introduced in season 3. Bad girl Faith (Eliza Dushku), a slayer with a rebellious nature, kept pushing the boundaries of the Scoobies' morals, and she also had some of the greatest dialog moments, where she spouted off very clever things without losing a single ounce of cool cred. The fact that she eventually disappeared for a few seasons, only to appear in the final batch of episodes was rather heartbreaking.

By season 4, my expectations were starting to differ too. I no longer wanted this gimmicky show, even if "Band Candy" was really fun. I wanted emotional moments between the characters. I wanted Willow and Oz (Seth Green) to work out their problems, even if he was a werewolf. It felt very nice when Xander returned in "the Freshman" and explained how Buffy was an inspiration. To me, that is one of the many moments that epitomizes why this show is significant. It's very sentimental without being sappy.

Season 4 also marked a shaky period when I kind of fell out with the show. In truth, episodes like "Beer Bad" kept me kind of excited, but with Angel gone, Faith in a coma, and Buffy dating Riley, there was already something going wrong for me. I didn't like the whole government agent angle and felt that despite it being a huge call back later, was a stretch. I did however enjoy the attempts for Buffy to adjust to being in college and facing demon sororities. Basically, when she wasn't with Riley, I saw moments of season 4 that are really good.

Then season 5, a season we'd all like to forget happened. I feel that my original love for the show based on novelty was naive after it premiered with "Buffy vs. Dracula," an episode I was anticipating since before I started the show. I was hoping for it to be the ultimate showdown (as he is the ultimate vampire), but it as a whimper that only hinted at a terrible season. The next episode "The Real Me" in which you take the endearing Xander and make two of him should've been great, but it lead to numerous sex jokes. While there was sexual tension hinted at in the previous seasons between Xander and Buffy, the extroverted nature of his behavior felt forced. So did most of these episodes.

The biggest reason this season was the worst was entirely blamed upon by Glory (Clare Kramer). As the evil, I assumed she would be in just one episode. However, when she appeared in more than five consecutively, I began to loathe the show. To say the least, Glory's character was very sinister and bitchy, but lacked the charm that previous villains did. She had a lot of snarl and repulsive nature. It just got out of hand when you add bad story lines.

While season 5 was terrible, I would like to think there were numerous elements that made this one worthwhile. Spike returns and slowly begins to instigate a romance with Buffy. By becoming more prominent, he also becomes more endearing and his involvement more interesting in the later episodes.

It also brought some other characters to the front. While "the Real Me" suffered from a bad story, it introduced Dawn Summers (Michelle Trachtenberg), Buffy's sister. To me, that was the most interesting addition to the show. It introduced a new character and raised existential questions about her being. While it seemed strained at first, her involvement with Willow and her girlfriend Tara (Amber Benson) became one of the more endearing parts of the season, including when Glory started accusing her of being nothing but a key.

Also, while she had appeared in earlier episodes, the addition of Anya (Emma Caulfield) as full time cast was great. While the early seasons saw Xander as the comic relief, Anya became a certain replacement that allowed for a fresh take on the relief needed for darker moments. It also allowed for interesting relationship stories between Xander and Anya.

However, for the next two seasons, Willow and Tara would have the most interesting relationship. It's not just because they were witches or gay. It's that they worked together and helped Willow to develop as a character by practicing her magic. It was also more rewarding than giving her sexual tension parts against Oz or Xander. I argue that the show went over the top briefly with their relationship by overly expressing it, but they eventually helped it to become more commonplace.

The biggest moment from season 5 that I felt really was necessary to move the story forward was the death of Joyce Summers (Kristine Sutherland) in "the Body." Up to this point, Buffy had been self reliant on her mother and while she was responsible at her job, this allowed for her character to become more fleshed out and take on new challenges. They mostly involved raising Dawn and providing the income. While it started off shaky, I felt it developed in interesting ways that helped round out the end of the season with "the Gift" in which she sacrificed herself.

Season 5 wasn't great, but I saw some things worth remembering. However, with season 6, I felt a resurgence that I hadn't felt since season 3. It opens with the two part "Bargaining" in which the Scoobies are trying to bring Buffy back from the dead (spoiler: successful eventually). Maybe it was the bad writing of season 5, but this season kicked off with a bang and may be my ideal season of my preconceived desires of the show and what eventually developed. It took a few novelty ideas and mixed it with endearing moments in a way that I had only hoped the 4-5 seasons would've been like.

The villains were also greater this season, as the Geek Trio: Jonathan (Danny Strong), Warren (Adam Busch), and Andrew (Tom Lenk), a pop culture spouting group who creates technology to fight Buffy. While their references seemed to be more of a popular person's perception of nerds, the fact that they were human and flawed actually made for interesting arcs. It wasn't that they were the most threatening, it was that they had a great dynamic to their role, including Andrew's eventual turn of sides onto the Scoobies.

Another highlight includes the departure of Riley. Along with Glory, he was one of my least favorite recurring characters. Also, the growing love between Spike and Buffy may never have reached the passion of Buffy and Angel, but it did result in some great scenes of conversation between the two. However, Tara and Willow still had the best relationship.

This may be true until the assassination of Tara in "Seeing Red." Somehow, after that episode, Willow's relationship stories lacked the flair and she felt like a secondary character. However, as the season climaxed with her becoming evil and seeking revenge, it created one of the greatest season finales that this show had in "Grave." The simple act of Xander standing up to Willow is very beautiful, and I felt that I only got something out of it because of my relationship with these characters.

Meanwhile, Xander and Anya have their own interesting falling out arc. It peaked in "Entropy," where Xander runs out on their wedding after getting a vision of their future. Suddenly the bright, cheery world that was built is destroyed and it only works to make Anya a very bitter character that had some charm, but clearly was used more as a continual grudge.

This season also has some of the best episodes in a long time. It proves that with a simple premise, the story can go a long way. One of my favorites is "Gone," a whole episode that feels like a tribute to the Invisible Man. It was also the biggest reminder of why I began watching this show. It was also followed with "Doublemeat Palace," which made Buffy's character more fleshed out by giving her a job and solving once and for all the story behind mystery meat. I think I just like it because it's out of Buffy's element and presents a different side that is never before or again explored.

However, like most people, the real highlight comes from "Once More, With Feeling." An all musical episode? Was music a prominent part of this show? It's true, many bands played at the Bronze, and it was awesome. However, the show never broke out into song. Making a whole episode around this premise is ballsy, but only if you don't know how great Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is. I was utterly in love with this episode because it worked. It took all of the character's premises and let them have their own song. The fact that they were very catchy is also a benefactor that makes this one of their best.

Overall, despite the lack of Angel or Faith, this was my second favorite season and also features the most memorable group of episodes if just because it wasn't reveling in gimmicks. It allowed for characters to grow while changing the allegorical elements to be placed upon Dawn in high school and Buffy as the care giver.

Season 7 was the final one, and while it was really good, I don't love it. I enjoy the idea of Sunnydale High School reopening and Buffy becoming a counselor. However, majority of the episodes focused on a singular story, which was to find a new batch of slayers to destroy the First Evil, who has been haunting the series for a few seasons. However, the inclusion of Amanda (Sarah Hagan) was great, as it let me enjoy the Freaks and Geeks crossover for 10 episodes.

While I enjoy when the show is consistent, I don't know that I like the build up. This season was heavily focused on finding the slayers and teaching them how to fight. They had problems, they solved them, and most interestingly, Giles officially quit after talking to a European council. This was all in Buffy's power, and the way she handles it goes back and forth between strict and crazy.

However, it's a chance that allows Faith to return and become the leader. While these episodes feature her prominently, the scrapping fun of earlier episodes feels more refined and focused, leaving me wanting the old fun Faith. I did enjoy that Willow had to be rehabilitated for half the season because of her actions, though it strained the core friendship that I liked.

The final episode is definitely a great conclusion of the entire show, even if it was a pointless destruction of a school open for not even a year as well as the surrounding town. However, it was also a beautiful send off for Spike, in which his last moments finally give him the endearing nature that I have associated with Angel.

However, season 7 wasn't as fun as the previous seasons because it was building up to the great finale. True, it brought back a lot of the previous seasons, but it didn't have too many great stand alone episodes. The epiphany moments where Buffy explores outer worlds for answers is also weird and adds impact to the final episodes, but this season felt mostly to be build up, which as a fan I enjoyed, but left me wanting the characters to have more fun.

Overall, I'd say that this show was definitely one I enjoyed embarking on. At 144 episodes, it beat Soap for the longest show I've ever marathoned. It makes me feel rewarded for doing so, even if it's something I hope never to do frequently. I don't know that I remember all of the episodes as well as some die hards, but what stands out the most for me is that core relationship between Buffy, Willow, and Xander that grew and faced challenges over the seasons. No matter how interesting additional characters were, that core group was the glue to the show.

I don't know that I will ever say that I love this show, but it's unique approach to TV is one I'll praise. It managed to have Jason Ritter as a robot dad and Kal Penn as a college drunk. This show had a broad spectrum of guests that still surprise me. It's very of it's time, but most of all, it created characters that were different than the norm, some monsters, and make them human with interesting dialog and character traits. They all stood out and were created so well that eventually they became an endearing addition.

It's true, Angel was a great character. Will I watch Angel? In time. I'm planning on doing it next year some time. I hope it's more solid than Buffy the Vampire Slayer was, but then again, I liked this show for being out there and having a unique personality, even if it didn't work every time. But when it was on, it was very much on. I don't see any other shows having moments quite like these.

So, how would I rank the seasons? In order of favorite:

Season 6

Season 3

Season 2

Season 7

Season 4

Season 1

Season 5

This is not to say that any of these is a truly awful season, it's just that when remembering them, this is how fond I am of them. It's a tough call between season 6 and season 3, but for the finale, I will award the top spot to season 6.

As for favorite characters?

Faith

Xander

Willow

Angel

Spike

Dawn

For the entire show's run, I wanted more Faith. Sadly, it was very limited, but what I got out of it was definitely worth it. She was so good.

And there you have it, a recap of this show. It's a little wordy and full of spoilers, but it's been a few months. I need to show work that accounts for it (and to show you that I'm not just sleep walking through the show). I hope you have enjoyed the article and I look forward to feedback.