The Buffy the Vampire Slayer series ran for 6 consecutive years – 1997 to 2003 – on WB. This long-running show gave viewers ample time to discover who Buffy was and to come to love watching her fight the forces of evil in Sunnydale, California. I remember seeing this show advertised shortly before it came to air. I thought it looked like it was going to be a great show and it was! Here are 8 reasons I liked Buffy and the entire show.
So many vampire slayers are portrayed by men. They all have to be these big guys with massive muscles so they can use brute force to slay vampires. Buffy was slight in stature, yet very effective with her techniques for vampire slaying. Of course, it did help that she had super-human strength and slaying vampires was a relatively simple task for her.
Buffy talked to everyone and didn’t shun people because of the types of clothes they wore or who they hung out with. She was genuinely kind-hearted. I think this is best seen in the very first episode when she begins talking to Willow. I liked that this attribute of Buffy was brought out right from the start.
The longer a series plays, the more drawn out and slow they tend to become. There seems to be a lack of ingenuity and creativity after a while. I can’t recall this happening in the Buffy series. Each season also blends well with the next. Even all the oddities, such as werewolves, vampires, and various demons come across as being very believable.
The first time occurred right at the end of Season One. Buffy is drowned by the Master, but saved by Angel and Xander. The series could have easily ended there, but thankfully it didn’t! The second death of Buffy occurred at the end of season five. Buffy throws herself into a portal to save her younger sister, Dawn. Of course, in the sixth season Buffy is brought back once again by her friends and a powerful spell.
I thought all the actors did very well in portraying their respective characters. I’ve seen a few series that could have been done much better, if only different actors had been chosen. These flops tend to fail because the actors deliver their lines like they are doing an afterschool special, instead of a well-made television series. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with afterschool specials, but there are times when proper line delivery is pertinent.
I guess this should have been a given though, since she was ‘The’ vampire slayer. Buffy always knew what she had to do and how to do it successfully. There never seemed to be any hesitation on her part. She was a very gung-ho vampire slayer. It probably also helped that she had a Watcher aiding her at times too.
Just enough humor was added to the series to keep the show from appearing to be completely dark and sinister. I thought the humor seemed very normal though and not forced. This kept it from being cheesy, which isn’t usually a good quality for a series to have. At least this isn’t a quality I would expect to be present in a series running for more than a single year.
Sure, the hair and makeup crew is who should get credit for keeping Buffy’s appearance looking good, no matter what she was involved in. Even her second death scene didn’t involve any gore on her part. She fell hundreds of feet and was still left unscathed. I commend Buffy on her ability to look good and fight even at the same time.
I hope also share some of the 8 reasons I liked Buffy or can offer your comment on why you enjoyed the series. I wouldn’t mind having a Buffy the Vampire Slayer night and watch episode after episode. If you are a huge Buffy fan, which was your favorite series? What reasons did you like Buffy?