Why You Should Be Watching "Buffy"

In 1992 a cheesy, not very funny horror comedy was briefly released in theatres. Titled "Buffy The Vampire Slayer", it deservedly was greeted with scorn by many, including writer Joss Whedon, whose original vision had been ruined by the producers and director. But five years later, the impossible happened: Whedon got the chance to do it again, the right way this time, on weekly television, and the result was the single most imaginative series of the past decade.

Yes, a show called "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" is indeed as good as all that. And if you were or continue to be scared off from watching what you THINK is just a hoky teen horror show, here are a few reasons why you should have been watching "Buffy", and why you should do all you can to catch up with the show now that all seven seasons are available on video.

First, we have Buffy herself. A lot of TV shows and movies CLAIM to bring you "girl power" and/or empowerment, but "Buffy" is the real day, created by a guy who has said he got sick of watching tiny blonde cheerleader types running from the big bad monster until they were devoured by it, and thought "Wouldn't it be great if she turned around and kicked the monster's ass?" And never doubt, the monsters on this show are NOT just monsters... whatever problem or trauma teens face growing up, or adults face adjusting to adulthood, or people in general face just trying to get on in life, there's been a "monster" on "Buffy" representing that dilemma. So when Buffy kicks the monster's ass, she's also demonstrating how these problems can be overcome by someone who doesn't exactly look like an Amazon superwoman. And she's a character who genuinely grows as you follow her from a high school junior to a 22-year-old young adult at series end. Anyone else get tired of watching characters stay the same over the course of a decade or more?

"Buffy" is also an ensemble show whose supporting cast was more than capable of taking the spotlight when need be. Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris, Rupert Giles, Spike, Oz, Tara... these and many others helped form probably the most interesting and unique ensemble on network TV in many a year. And they helped continually reinforce the show's message about the importance of friendship... something you don't see in enough shows, and don't see convincingly in most of those that try it.

As to the show itself: well, there's the problem. That is, the very thing that made the show most appealing to so many fans also made it a difficult sell to many others. As James "Spike" Marsters once said in an interview, "Every time you think you've figured out exactly what this show is, it turns into something else". Do you like straight-faced, terrifying horror? "Buffy" gives you the almost totally silent episode "Hush", featuring the terrifying "Gentlemen." Do you like comedic farce? You could watch "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered", in which Xander's attempt at a love spell don't go quite right. do you like serious character-based drama? how about "The Body", probably the single most realistic portrayal of the impact of the death of a loved one to have ever been telecast on series TV. If you're a musical fan, you could watch "Once More, With Feeling", which beats most of the best musical films ever made for sheer creativity and fun. Trouble is, many people like a series to be just one thing, and stick to it. They have trouble adjusting to a show that can not only be all of those things from one week to the next, but often can be all of them in the course of a single episode. Joss Whedon just had too wide a variety of creativity driving him to just settle into a predictable rut. The variety is one of the greatest things the show had going for it, and if some people find that difficult to adjust to, well... their loss.

Then there was the fact that the show depended so heavily on viewers' knowledge of what had gone before. Past events and characters often figured into the present-day storylines so much that newcomers felt it too difficult to catch up if they came into the show too many years after the series opener. Well, I guess this one is legit. I started watching a couple months into season three, catching up with earlier shows later, and it was a struggle at first, though a struggle well worth it. I'd imagine anyone trying to beging watching in, say, seasons four or five would find it REALLY tough. But the show is now available in its entirety on both VHS and DVD, so you can't use that excuse any more.

Come on... a series with more imagination and inventiveness in the course of a single episode than most shows have in an entire season? A show filled with characters you actually grow to care about, and that
features snappy, pop-culture-savvy dialogue that can often put Tarantino to shame? That gives you important lessons about life while never forgetting to tell a great story? A show than can be so incredibly many different things? And you're going to be put off watching it because of a silly thing like the title? That's no excuse for not watching "Buffy." Especially if you care at all about quality, creative television, there IS no excuse not to watch.