22yo
Being a big fan of anything involving vampires, I thought it was time that I (finally) watch the Buffy series. I honestly didn't know what to expect. I knew that the show was a huge phenomenon when it aired, but I had also heard many people say that it was a cheesy waste of time. I was delighted to find that the show had a fine balanced mixture of horror, gore, action, wit and humor. I can honestly say that I've never seen anything like it.
Episodes that Stood Out:
Hush & Once More, With Feeling were my two favorite episodes. I love it when writers aren't afraid to break out of the traditional scripting and try something new. I think that fun episodes like these are what make a series memorable.
The Body was also an episode that stood out for me. It shocked me, especially since Joyce's tumor scare had been resolved and everything was seemingly fine. What impressed me the most was the realism. Buffy finding the body, Willow's breakdown, Buffy pulling Dawn aside at school... none of it felt forced or dramatized at all. I felt like I was watching the aftermath of a real loss.
The Gift is the episode where I personally think the show should have stopped. The end of this episode felt very final, and though Buffy died to save Dawn, the ending still felt right to me. Tara's mind was restored, the world was put back in order, and another slayer would eventually be called. All the ducks were in order.
Couples I Supported:
Spike & Buffy - Even before the Spuffy romance started to spark on the show, I thought that the two of them had potential. They had an exciting, wild side that was very refreshing to see after the blah-ness that was Riley. As for Angel, though the two of them had a little chemistry, I wasn't really much of a believer. The start of Spuffy was more than a bit rocky. The bad boy image was cute at the start of the relationship, but there were several episodes where I thought that too many lines were crossed. I wasn't happy with the turnout until after he regained his soul and stopped treating Buffy like his own personal blowup doll. The relationship was greatly redeemed in the 7th season, when Spike became the hero instead of just a predator with a shock collar.
Willow & Tara - When Tara and Willow first got together, I was still on the fence because of Oz. Up until season 4, Oz and Willow were my favorite couple. However, it didn't take long for Willow and Tara's relationship to grow on me. Their scenes in the Hush episode were so adorable, and the two of them ultimately made more sense than Willow and Oz. This storyline also proved to be a smart move for Willow's character. I noticed that she had slowly started to come out of her shell, and had a lot more presence amongst the Scoobies than she did before.
Xander and Anya - These two are my favorite couple, though they were always on the backburner and obviously destined to fail. Their quirky, whimsical relationship really spiced up the rest of the show for me. I took Anya's side almost every time a conflict arose, because Xander had a bad tendency to piss me off... especially when he had the nerve to leave a former vengeance demon at the friggin' altar! Exactly what did he think was going to happen after that? I was happy to see a few more scenes between them in season 7, but was disappointed again when they severed the couple permanently, and once again made it into no big thing.
Best Enemies:
Druscilla - Simply for her ridiculous babble throughout her appearances on the show. She was priceless.
Faith - Such a sad story for such a promising character. No matter how evil she got, I still couldn't help liking her better than Buffy... I know, I'm bad. Haha
The Gentlemen - There's nothing more disturbing than a heart removal under no sedatives, no painkillers and no voice to scream out for help. This enemy was utter brilliance.
Anya, Season Six - Because Xander deserved her rage. Asshole.
Gnarl - Because this skin-eating freak actually gave me nightmares. His voice, his boogeyman-like form, his *shudder* diet... He deserves kudos for being so over-the-top. This episode will forever stand out as the most horrific episode in the series.
Dark Willow, Season Five - Defending her woman. Though she didn't succeed in beating the shit out of that bitch, Glory, it was sure fun watching her try. She got a few good smacks in!
Dark Willow, Season Six - This was a beautiful sight to behold at that particular point in the series. It was exactly how I thought she should react to the passing of the love of her life. Everything built up and she snapped just like anyone under that kind of pressure would. It could not have been better. She cut into everyone like a hot knife tossed into a tub of Country Crock, especially little miss Buffy. It was so great. First time I ever actually cheered for the bad guy. And then the end scene with Xander was just icing on the cake. I actually cried.
Humor Sharp, witty, nothing that sent me rolling on the floor laughing, but clever enough to impress me.
Horror Verrry nice. Not cheesy like Charmed, but not overly horrific. Just the right amount of shudder, and some of the monsters actually managed to bother me a little (and that's saying something).
Romance Great potential romances, but they always turned into some sort of disappointment. I think it would have been wise to have at least one happy ending!
Drama A little too much of this. Around season 5 things became way too doom & gloom for my taste. It lost something after the Glory storyline. It became overly depressing. It wasn't as fun.
What I Could have Done Without:
Overall Grade: 90