Yesterday I finished off the TV series known as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. By finished off, I mean that completed watching all 7 seasons - in a row. There’s 144 episodes at 45 minutes a piece - that breaks down to 108 hours of Buffy goodness. And I watched it in about a week and a half.

If nothing else, I learn that I have a damn long attention span for things that interest me.

Personally, I can’t recommend the binge watching. It’s probably not healthy. It probably causes insanity. Point in case, most of my friends probably think I’m insane for even attempting such a feat in the first place. Hopefully what shall follow shall allow me to ramble and perhaps explain a few points on why I was so intrigued. Spoilers will abound.

The first natural blackmark against Buffy is simply its name: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Those of us of a proper age and movie inclination will remember the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This remembrance is not a good thing. In fact, the film, well, stunk. There’s not much else to be said for it.

Fortunately, the TV series has little to do with the movie. A little research does show that the creator, Joss Whedon, is behind both projects, but his movie script was horribly butchered to the point that even he gave up on seeing anymore of the Buffyverse. Eventually he was given the opportunity to revive his idea, and the TV series is much more based on the original screenplay than the movie - making for some odd inconsistencies, but positively allows viewers to skip the movie and dive right into the series.

General info, briefly.

Story is mostly set in the fictional Sunnydale, CA which happens to be built right over a HellMouth - a place of mystical energy convergence that draws the baddies like dung beetles are drawn to very sexy manure. Buffy never meant to come to such a place, but once there she ends up acting on her Slayer instincts to ward off apocalypses and make friends. The show covers about seven years in the Buffyverse, starting with Buffy et al as high school sophomores and ending with the destruction of Sunnydale.

Buffy fights evil with the help her friends, nicknamed the Scoobies. Willow and Xander are always a part of the gang, but others come and go as their story arcs permit.

Some characters, briefly.

Buffy Summers is the titular star of the show, a sophomore who tries to be vampire Slayer by night and normal by day. Sarah Michelle Gellar provides a strong acting repertoire for the character - it is quite easy to see the evolution of the character from teeny-bop to kick-ass general during the course of the show. She is a tragic heroine - losing the love of her life, never finding another love, dying twice - that sort of thing. Buffy is the Slayer (though after season 1, not the only Slayer), so she tends to be the focal point for every baddie in existence. Slayers tend to live short lives after they are called, but Buffy survives (albeit with a few deaths) due to her strong friends.

Opinion: Buffy rocks. She’s not perfect, she doesn’t pretend to be, but she gets the job done.
Buffy moment: killing the love of her life.

Willow Rosenberg is Buffy’s best girl-friend and comes to play an important role in the series. Willow is the only character besides Buffy to appear in every episode. Her character changes drastically - she starts as a shy HS computer nerd who can barely talk to boys and ends as self-confident, powerful Wicca who has had two lesbian lovers. Needless to say, the journey is quite strange. Alyson Hannigan demonstrates exceptional breadth in this portrayal.

Opinion: Willow is very intriguing. She’s highly intelligent and becomes one of the most powerful Wiccas on the planet - except that she almost destroyed the world in the process. I wish her character had been even more fleshed out - she wasn’t the main heroine, but in the end she was just as (if not more) powerful as Buffy.
Willow moment: attempting to destroy the world.

Xander Harris is Buffy’s best guy-friend. He and Willow were friends from an early age, and both immediately jumped on the band-wagon to help Buffy fight evil. Xander is somewhat unique in that he never really evidences any powers or masters fighting skills - a point that is made throughout the series. While not completely useless in combat, his main usefulness comes in the form of comic relief, though the final season makes a hint that he is the one who sees. His character matures, eventually settling into contracting as a profession (very useful as he has to repair the Summers residence on a regular basis), but his character doesn’t undergo drastic changes - it remains mostly consistent throughout. Xander is in every episode save for one.

Opinion: I wasn’t a big Xander fan. He was funny (occasionally), but that was it. Perhaps the point was to show that an ordinary guy could hang with everyone else, but…
Xander moment: getting split in two.

Rupert Giles is Buffy’s Watcher, dedicated to preparing Buffy for whatever - when she’ll listen to him. He starts a stuffy British librarian but evolves into a father-figure for the Scoobies. His strength is his knowledge and contacts - the ability to find out information. He has a checkered past that haunts him, and he does go through period of self-doubt concerning Buffy. A regular for the first five seasons, he moves back to England briefly during season six and shows up intermittently.

Opinion: Giles is cool. He has weapons knowledge and arcane knowledge. After Wesley appears, he can let down his guard and show his true feelings for the Scoobies. I wish that he had been every episode.
Giles moment: defying the council.

Cordelia Chase is a popular cheerleader and reluctant member of the Scoobies. Though she thinks of them as social lepers, she does lend a hand during the first few seasons. Her character was transferred after graduation (season 3) to Angel, so she doesn’t have the development that some of the others have.

Opinion: Cordy was a fun counterpoint to everyone else. She was completely self-involved and almost hated saving the world - especially if it ruined her shoes.
Cordy moment: making out with Xander.

Angelus is a 240 year old vampire with a soul, the very definition of mysterious, tortured brooding character. He is given his own spin-off at the end of season 3, though he does guest star in numerous episodes afterwards. He is Buffy’s first (and truest) love interest, though the consummation of that relationship turns him evil. Buffy has a blind spot regarding him, but eventually has to kill him to save the world.

Opinion: Angel as the good guy was somewhat boring. Angelus as evil was truly inspired.
Angel moment: encountering Buffy after their consummation.

Daniel ‘Oz’ Osborne is a taciturn guitarist who plays Willow’s first love interest. He also happens to be a werewolf. When introduced to the oddities surrounding the Scoobies, he simply stoically accepts them. Played by Seth Green, Oz is introduced in the second season and become a regular during season 3. He is written out at during season 4 because Seth Green wished to pursue movie projects.

Opinion: If I had to pick a favorite major character, Oz would be it. I wish that he had had a larger part in the overall Buffyverse. He doesn’t say much, but when he does it is short and to the point - often with a comic edginess.
Oz moment: Buffy reading his mind.

Riley Finn is a soldier for the Initiative. He is a regular for season 4 and half of 5. He plays Buffy’s second major love interest.

Opinion: Riley is one of my least favorite characters. He simply doesn’t bring the depth to the series that the others do. He shared many aspects of story with Angel, but was the lesser element.
Riley moment: him leaving.

Anya Jenkins is a 1000 year old ex-demon trapped in a human body. After losing her powers, she starts dating Xander and thus becomes a major part of the Scoobies during the last few seasons. She never learns human restraint and always speaks exactly what is on her mind - sometimes to the great embarrassment of Xander et al.

Opinion: Anya is lots of fun. She never really takes anything seriously and takes great delight in capitalism. Good comic relief tinged with usefulness in the form of demon contacts.
Anya moment: the altar.

Dawn Summers is Buffy’s younger sister. Except she was previously a mystical ball of energy known as the Key, and was inserted into Buffy’s life by a spell. Dawn is a major part of the Scoobies for the last few seasons.

Opinion: I hate Dawn. Period. I find absolutely nothing redeeming about any of her actions. She is constantly getting into trouble that could have been avoided and mouthing off to the people who love her. Buffy should have thrown her off the tower at the end of season 5.
Dawn moment: none.

Tara Maclay is Willow’s second love interest. She is also a Wicca and helps guide Willow in her early stages. Though she is only credited once as a regular, she appears throughout the middle seasons.

Opinion: I’m not a huge Tara fan. Ultimately this stems from the fact that she sorta replaced Oz, and Oz was so much cooler. The character never seemed expressive and never changed much over the years.
Tara moment: her death.

Spike is a vampire with a thing for the Slayer. Originally introduced as one of the big bads for season 2, his character was so popular that he became a regular for most of the series. He undergoes more character transformation than anyone in the series: all the way from trying to kill Buffy to loving her enough to sacrifice himself.

Opinion: Spike is wonderful. He provides the right amount of tension and distrust throughout the series. Much better than Angel.
Spike moment: his ending.

Those are only the characters that are credited in the main title sequence - there are dozens upon dozens of recurring minor characters who could each have a mention, from Giles’ love interests to each of the main villains.

Story arcs, briefly.

Perhaps one of the strongest points of Buffy is its usage of story arcs. I may have too much awe for such arcs as most of my early sci-fi TV was in the form of Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica - neither being known for strong story arcs. Whedon planned his seasons quite early - some clues are provided years in advance for important happenings. Though continuity is not 100% (an impossible dream for something of this scope), most episodes fit together nicely with a minimum of “filler” episodes.

Season 1 is shorter than the rest and concerns Buffy thwarting The Master, an ancient and powerful vampire. She eventually defeats him, but dies in the process, thus setting off the “second” Slayer arcs of Kendra and Faith. Xander revives her using CPR. There’s not a whole lot to be said for this season - it’s good, but it’s mostly finding its feet and setting the background for the rest of the series.

Season 2 concerns the junior year of high school. The main villains are Spike, Drusilla and Angelus. This was a much more interesting season, seeing the Angel/Buffy consummation and the death of Jenny Calendar. Oz is introduced as a minor character as is Kendra and Ethan Rayne. Buffy suffers much during this season as she is forced to kill Angel in order to save the world - poignantly right after he regained his soul and became good. She is expelled from school and finally tells her mother about her Slayer lifestyle, but ends up running away at the end of the season, much to the delight of Principal Snyder (Quark as a principal).

Season 3 is my favorite of all the seasons. The show really hits its stride, and Oz is made a main character. Buffy returns from her absence to find that all is not well and must deal with the ramifications of everything that happened the past season. Angel is spit out from Hell, and Buffy must deal with both her friends and her tortured feelings regarding Angel. The big bad is the mayor of Sunnydale who attempts to become an immortal demon. He is aided by the rogue Slayer Faith whom Buffy must fight despite their previous friendship. Wesley comes into the picture for part of the season and is attracted to Cordy - even though she is just a student. Anya and Jonathan are both introduced, and Angel leaves semi-permanently for LA at the end of the season. The finale also featured a mass battle sequence that was great fun.

Season 4 is the first season that takes place outside of HS. Buffy, Willow and Oz all enroll at UC Sunnydale while Xander tries to find his calling and Giles sinks into despair as a gentleman of leisure. This season concerns the Initiative both as the big bad in the form of Adam and as the love interest in the form of Riley. Gone are the familiar boundaries of HS, and the characters must explore and grow-up. Spike becomes a regular, Tara is introduced, Oz leaves, Cordy is gone - all sorts of character changes.

Season 5 sees Buffy fight a god, Glory. Glory more or less pounds her into the dirt, but is eventually foiled as Buffy sacrifices herself to stop the apocalypse. The Brat known as Dawn is introduced and plays a key (pun) part in this season. Riley leaves Buffy thus causing more heartbreak. Buffy’s mother dies of natural causes in a rather heartbreaking episode.

Season 6 starts with the Scoobies attempting to resurrect Buffy. They believe that she is being tormented in a hell dimension, but they actually rip her out of heaven. She is very shaken by this experience and must come to terms with her life and taking care of adult problems. The big bad of this season is “life” - Buffy et al face down common adult issues while trying to maintain the fight against evil. The Trio are comical villains at best - until Warren kills Tara with a stray bullet. Then Willow becomes Evil Willow (much fun) and proceeds to try to destroy the world. Spike and Buffy continue to have a love/hate relationship and he ends the season by (accidentally) gaining his soul back. Giles leaves the regular cast, believing that he is holding Buffy back from growing up.

Season 7 see Buffy fighting the First Evil - not just any old evil, the very source of evil itself. This season greatly expands the mythos of the Buffyverse by exploring Potentials and the history of the First Slayer. Spike is much tortured by his past crimes. The First Evil gathers an army at the newly rebuilt HS, and the new principal is the son of an old Slayer whom Spike killed. The climax is a battle between all the Potentials and the army - the tide is turned by Willow’s magic activation of all Slayers. Sunnydale is destroyed in the final battle, and Spike and Anya both perish. Buffy is no longer the only Chosen One.

Notables, briefly.

Two episodes stand out at especially notable - both received Emmy nominations. Hush is a season 4 episode that involves the Gentlemen. They steal the voices of everyone in a town and then silently float about taking 7 hearts. The only thing that is fatal to them is a human scream - but no one can so much as whisper. Almost half of the episode features no dialog whatsoever. Characters communicate through gestures, expressions and the written word. Such an idea could either be brilliant or horrible, but Whedon et al pull off a stunning display of boundary pushing - the episode is fascinating to watch simply because there is no dialog.

Once More, With Feeling is a season 6 episode that took over 4 months to plan and execute. The premise was that someone accidentally summoned a demon that forced everyone to burst into song and dance - musical style. The entire episode features a number of musical numbers, making use of the whole cast. It is also the only episode shot in widescreen. Again, this is a concept that could have fallen right on its face, but Whedon and the talented cast managed to make it not only decent but downright enjoyable. Though none may have “professional” voices, everyone is certainly good enough to hold their own. Elaborate choreographing and catchy tunes makes this a must-see episode.

Thoughts, briefly.

So why did I enjoy Buffy so much? Honestly, I’m not sure that I could put a finger on it. The acting was (mostly) great. The stories were interesting, though they did occasionally repeat elements. Dialog was incredibly witty. Perhaps the best factor was simply the mythos. Whedon set out to create an entire mythos - his personal vision of the Buffyverse - and succeeded. Though strange things happened, they ultimately made sense within the universe. The characters were not superficial and dealt with pain and heartbreak. The heroes were not invulnerable. Major characters were killed. Cliff-hangers were a standard staple.

In the end, I simply have to say that it’s good. The show received over a dozen Emmy nominations. It stayed on 7 yeas and survived a network shift. It created another major TV series as a spin-off.

Get over the name and go enjoy it.