I think my wife is mad at me. Maybe not “mad,” but a little irritated. After making so much progress with my obsessive compulsive disorder, after scaling back the number of “genre” shows I need to watch, I’ve picked up another. I’ve known for some time that I would probably like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” if I ever watched it. I’ve heard it’s well-written, people whose opinions I trust like Buffy, and well, I’m a sucker. So for the simple reason that I knew I’d be hooked, I never started. Same reason I’ve never tried smoking, drinking alcohol, or various other dangerous hobbies—I’m too easy to hook.

Then, a few weeks ago, in a sudden burst of synchronicity, I found out that my favorite toy company (Palisades Toys) is going to be making Buffy toys, and my friends at my favorite Muppet site (Tough Pigs) have been Buffy fans for a long time. So I figured it was time. Time to start a new obsession. Star Trek is dying, the Muppets don’t have much going on (a new Wizard of Oz project is starting up soon), and I don’t have the money to follow comics like I used to. So, finding the first season box set of DVDs, I took the first bite.

It’s been kind of strange watching something from the beginning, especially when the show is already off the air. Because Buffy was such a pop culture phenomenon, I already knew a lot of the characters and situations going in.

The basic premise is this:

Buffy Summers is a California high school girl who gets a calling in life. She is The Slayer. One girl in every generation is chosen to guard Life As We Know It against an onslaught of vampires and other supernatural creatures, a dark battle going on just under our noses. We’re too dumb to realize it, but it’s happening. Buffy’s relatively new to the calling, but has been slaying vampires for at least a year when we meet her in the First Season. She’s just moved to Sunnydale, which happens to be at the gate of a mystical portal called the Hellmouth. She gets a new “Watcher,” Rupert Giles, who is her mentor. I don’t think he actually slays himself, but he reads musty books and watches for signs that stuff is about to hit the fan. Buffy quickly makes new friends, Xander and Willow, and they become her allies in her battle against evil.

And that’s basically it. I’m already a fan of The X-Files and Smallville, and this has many elements of both. You get the teenage angst and “freak of the week” villain that you see in Smallville, and some of the darker themes and larger story arcs that the other series have as well. Even in the first season, creator Joss Whedon has a firm grip on characterization and dialogue, and unlike many early episodes of television series, they aren’t as uneven, as “hit and miss” as you’d expect. I hear that the seasons just get better, and that the first one is pretty weak, but it was very enjoyable.

There are only twelve episodes in Season One, but there’s enough of an ongoing story that it makes a tidy arc, following Buffy through her first few months in Sunnydale. The episodes include:

Welcome to the Hellmouth

The Harvest

The Witch

Teacher’s Pet

Never Kill a Boy on the First Date

The Pack

Angel

I Robot…You Jane

The Puppet Show

Nightmares

Out of Mind, Out of Sight

Prophecy Girl

In these twelve episodes, the writing is solid, the dialogue is smart, and laden with pop culture references, and the acting is surprisingly good. Sarah Michelle Gellar, who I’ve never really liked in anything else, is perfect in her somewhat reluctant role of Vampire Slayer. She has the desire to be a normal teenager, but also really enjoys killing vampires. More on that in a minute. The other stars include Anthony Stewart Head as the delightfully British “Watcher,” Giles…who’s also the school librarian. Buffy’s best friends are Willow, played by “American Pie” star Alyson Hannigan…she’s a brainy girl who’s awkward around boys, but is pretty darn cute. I hear later there are reasons for her awkwardness around boys, but I’ll have to discover that for myself. Xander (Nicholas Brendon) is the jokester who’s got a crush on Buffy, but she’s only got eyes for…well…anyone BUT Xander.

The series is all about killing vampires and other ghouls and beasts, so it’s not surprising that they’re pretty violent; in just this first season, there have already been decapitations, stabbings, shootings, cannibalism, and lots of stakes and biting and blood drinking. So this isn’t one for the kids. The violence does usually take on a sort of cartoony feel, and even though there are dark themes, the general tone is lightened enough by banter that you don’t get a real sense of jeopardy. Which keeps it from being completely oppressive.

This was an exciting discovery for me, and if you haven’t ever seen any Buffy yourself, right now they’re showing it in the mornings on F/X. My recommendation is to do what I did and start at the beginning—this is a great way to watch the series and characters grow over time.

Now, on to Season Two!

My wife will be sooo happy.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD