Buffy Season 8, slaying the metaphor
Warning, I'm going to spoil the hell out of the Buffy Season 8 comics (and the show itself). So if you don't want me to do that, probably stop reading now.
So at the end of Season 7 there was a very, very explicit message of feminist empowerment. Buffy gives all potential slayers the power they deserve. This couldn't be more clear if Joss Whedon had appeared, waved a flag and said "women should be empowered, damnit!" As metaphors go, it worked pretty well (there is an issue with the selective nature of it, but one can overlook it), and was a fairly good way to go out in style. The series as a whole was a call for feminine empowerment, while being about growing up in general (with the theme of letting go of power to your children, represented by the potentials in the final series).
Of course, there are more stories to be told. The universe is pretty rich, and the characters are fun, and comics allow the authors to try out stories they had not before, so Whedon was tempted to write an "eight season" for Buffy. And, indeed, it was a lot of fun. Demons could be bigger and nastier, threats could be more epic, battles much larger, because budget was no issue anymore. There were problems: comics don't translate dialogue as well, so Buffy, which has always been a wordy show (with notable exceptions) had to portray its characters in different ways, leaving some characterisation feeling a bit rushed.
There was also the issue of brining back old characters purely for fan service: Amy and Warren are back, even though they don't make a great deal of sense, because we recognise them, and the writers weren't brave enough to build up new enemies.
Still, my biggest problem was the thematic arc. Throughout the series the leads are threatened by a deadly force called Twilight, who aims to bring an end to all magic, and attacks our heros at several points. Finally it is dramatically revealed that it is Angel, who um.. well isn't evil. He was pretending to be evil to protect Buffy. By violently attacking her. And bringing together forces who clearly wouldn't have joined up without Twilight. Um. So yeah. But anyway, turns out that Buffy and Angel are to be rewarded with magic sex and a new lovely universe while the old universe, where all their friends, and lives, and everything they fought for, gets blown up. Um. So yeah. So obviously Buffy doesn't accept this deal, because who would, and she heads back, and finds the seed of magic. And chooses to destroy it. Oh, and Angel, who is evil again, murders Giles. Um. So yeah.
So Buffy undoes the act of good she did at the end of Seaosn 7. The reason she does this is that Slayers simply cannot be trusted with their power. Rogue slayers are killing people, and even Buffy decided to rob a bank. This imbalance was going to destroy the world, so power had to be taken away. From women. Because they couldn't be trusted with power. Um. So. Yeah.
Now the comic has dropped the previous metaphor. Its done this before. In season 4, magic=gay sex. Thats pretty obviously the metaphor, and was there to deal with network qualms primarily. As the show got more adventurous, the metaphor got unattached, and magic became something of an addictive force, basically equalling power in season 6, or sometimes drugs. There was... some.. anger at Tara's death and Willow's craaazy killing spree because people were hung up on the old metaphor, and were thinking the show was saying that gay sex makes you go on a craaazy killing show. Which it was not. It was saying grief and an addiction to power makes one do that.
So the comic was doing the same, and replacing the metaphor witha "power corrupts" story. Only the show had actually rejected this as kinda bad- Season 7 argued that you can't just ignore power, you need to harness it for good, because its not just going to go away, and you can do good with it. I really hate this luddite notion that the
only thing humans ever do with power is abuse it because historically it isn't true. Its certainly true that people abuse power when given it, but people also use power to save people's lives and make it better. All the goddamn time.
So all in all... not a massive fan of Season 8 of Buffy, it has to be said.
Labels: buffy, comics, rant, television
Why the last epsiode of Buffy the vampire slayer is the worst, and best, episode of Buffy the Vampire slayer.
The final episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Chosen, is a great piece of television. It brings together themes that have existed in the show from the beginning, and the victory is entirely about female empowerment.
The episode begins with Buffy splitting Caleb, the embodyment of misogny (and a terrific villain) in two, and a quick unification with Angel reminds us of Buffy's journey. She returns home triumphant, with the spoils of war, and forms her plan for the final fight.
The final battle is triumphant and epic. Hordes of vampires descend on to girls who quickly become women as the power of the slayer is finally taken from men (in the form of the watchers, who are usually male), and given to all the potentials there. This is the reason why they win, because they have dared to do something different, something unthinkable.
Along the way we tie together loose ends, and we have a lovely moment with the original 4 which ties directly to the start of the series again.
In a moment of sheer genius, the whol of Sunnydale gets dragged into the earth, meaning Buffy has to make an exciting roof top, leading to that final moment of joy as Buffy realises she is finally free of the burden of responsibility she has carried for seven years.
Of course, thats all nonsense.
Caleb is a terrific villain who brings a sense of pace this series badly needed. So he is killed at the start of the show, a massive mistake. Next, the conflict set up only last episode is apparently resolved, but not well- the writing basically resets half the characters to earlier status (including Giles). While this means that we get back our likable cast, it makes no goddamn sense. The magic axe, and plan associated with it, seems to come straight out of the writers arses, and worse yet, its not even the item which ensures the heroes victory. Instead a magic amulet
found in a different series is what really kills off the horde of evil vampires.
The entire episode sacrifices sense for theme, with vampires who were originally incredibly hard to kill going down more easily than standard vampires and Buffy collapsing from a fatal wound and then apparently being fine. With the main villain dead, the First evil, represented by a ghostly Buffy, lacks menace, as she has all series, and while her army presents a threat, its a somewhat mindless one, and certainly has no deeper thematic meaning behind it.
While Spike's death makes sense, Anya's does not. Understandably Joss Whedon wants to show that this is a battle where people will die, but by having the deah off stage we have to be fine with it in the space of a few minutes, which is more than a little frustrating.
Ultimately the final episode of buffy is a blending of the problems and successes of the rest of the show. It doesn't really hold a candle to the Gift, an episode which was originally intended to be a possible end to the show, even if the ending to that was a lot darker.
Labels: buffy, rant, television
buffy season 7 (may contain spoilers)
Unless I review season 8, the inferior but enjoyable comic series, this'll be it for Buffy reviews.
Season 7 promises to bring it all back to the beginning. Sunnydale High is open again, and Buffy has a job there. Its interesting, and exciting stuff, with the lovely back drop of girls being murdered at the start of each episode with no explanation. Lovely stuff, and the first few episodes are very strong. They present our characters in a healthier place than they were in season 6, but still with issues to deal with. Sadly, this season doesn't quite work.
It feels very much that there was a need to pack a lot into one season here. Season 7 has, more than ever before, a long, ongoing story, which from Conversations with Dead People onwards keeps going until the end. This is a shame, because while Buffy does good plot episodes, its strongest are usually character episodes, with plot happening in the background- see season 4's Faith episodes for a lovely example of this, or indeed Selfless.
This is made worse by an influx of new characters. I'm not too unhappy that the writers wanted to introduce new characters, as certain members of the established cast were fairly well defined. Xander at this point didn't really need another episode focusing on him, for example, and his gradual reconciliation with Anya in the background. Yet they seem to fail to develop most of these new characters, to a frustrating level.
The most irritating example of this was Willow's new love interest. Kennedy is a frustrating character. She is clearly a contrast to Tara, being loud and forthright, but there's no clear reason for her and Willow to get together. We learn very little about Kennedy to warm her too us, and this is annoying. The Killer in Me deals with Willow's feelings of guilt for moving on from Tara, but I'm still not sure why the writers felt she needed to. It is possible to be single and happy, after all.
The thing is, I imagine the point of Kennedy is to force Willow out of her shell, and make her become comfortable with her magic use. But it doesn't work at all, and past Killer in Me the relationship is barely touched on at all. Its a wasted opportunity.
The only characters that really get arcs here are Spike and Buffy. Spike's, mostly, is good. Having got his soul back he is effectively a new man, and seeing him become whole again is good. Spike was always an interesting character, and still is, becoming someone new, different, and finally worthy. My only main frustration is that Spike occasionally acts as if he hasn't even got a soul- see Lies My Parents Told me, which undermines all this.
Buffys arc is probably my main issue with this season. The idea is sound- Buffy has to cut herself off even more than before, leading an army now she is even more excluded from life. Finally, she finds a solution so that slayers no longer have to be alone. My problem with this is that at the end of season 6, and indeed the start of 7, we really do get the idea that Buffy had seen the light, was more hopeful and happy, yet this is utterly sacrificed (to the point of the conversation with Giles where buffy happily tells him that she'd sacrifice Dawn). Its annoying. Whats even worse is the conclusion of this arc is terrible. Buffy is driven away by her friends after a disastrous attack on Caleb (who we shall speak of more soon), in a scene where she is turned upon by everyone she loves. Buffy, is, of course right about going back in (as she always bloody is, so people really should listen to her), and shes goes in alone and succeeds, while Faith leads the others into an ambush. They then make up for the final fight. Except... there were genuine issues raised by all sides, and they're simply NOT answered. Doing this so close to the end of the season was a genuinely bad idea, as it doesn't give the characters time to repair their relationships enough for the climax to work.
The final episode, is, of course, still great, bringing home the main theme of the season, and lots of lovely drama does make it very much worth watching, but I think it could have been stronger. Just a little bit more of character togetherness would have worked wonders. You'll notice I haven't even mentioned Giles, who goes so far out of character as to be utterly unrecognisable at some points.
One final mention has to go to the fantastic Caleb, who really makes the final arc of the season. He carries a brilliant air of menace, and making him a misogynistic bastard was a lovely offset to the message inherent in the final fight. Its a shame, however, that he was killed off at the start of the episode. It would have made much more sense for the first evil to enter him as part of some final desperate scheme, leading to a bit more of a satisfying conclusion.
Best episode here is Selfless, which is absolutely brilliant. I always loved Anya's character, and making an episode all about her, but also about the characters choices (the argument between Buffy and Xander is fantastic), is genius. This is head and shoulders the best in 7. There are other good episodes, Chosen and Conversations with Dead People, but this is the best for me.
Funniest episode is easily Storyteller, which is not only very funny, I think it nicely points out a tendency some of us do have to tell stories rather than to confront reality. Him is also funny, although it has absolutely nothing to do with anything else happening whatsoever (and is probably the first episode to do this in a looong time!)
The worst episode is harder. I don't think any of the episodes are terrible, I just think a lot of them could have been better. Its probably Empty Places for me, it set ups a dilemma shoddily and unnecessarily, which isn't resolved very well at all.
[I'm aware this isn't the best written post in the world, my thoughts on season 7 are somewhat fragmented. Meh)
Labels: buffy, television
Buffy Season 6 (spoiler alert, is of course, mandatory)
So, for the dark season. This season inspires many different emotions among fans- among some it is hated, and others it is loved. Its very grim, and often depressing. This, however, is not necessarily a bad thing. Buffy had had 5 seasons at this point, , and this show was a drama, not a comfort blanket, so the writers wanted to explore somewhere dark. That's fine, as long as it is well written and interesting. Season 6 succeeds there... for the most part.
Buffy is back from the dead, and, as we soon find out, not from hell, but torn out from heaven. This is a brilliant idea, and leads to a season of Buffy trying to find her way. She feels like her time is over- she fought the good fight, and was ready to move on, but now she is dragged back to earth to come back again. This works well, and she sinks into a stupor which cuts her off from her friends, leading her to turn to Spike, because she does not feel worthy of anything else. Here is my first issue: Spike was built up as a champion in season 5. Yes, he still had elements of darkness, but he became a trusted warrior. Yet now he is used as a metaphor for how far Buffy has sunk, so they need to build him up as a monster. This is ok, but its more than a little jarring, especially when you consider the start of the season: Spike racked with guilt over his failure to save Buffy.
The other big arc of the season belongs to Willow, who ultimately proves to bring the final climax. The slow work of showing her build an addiction to the power that magic gives her, the need to be someone else, driven by her low self esteem, means she becomes more and more dependent on magic. Tara, seeing this, is driven away by Willow trying to control every aspect of her life, including Tara's mind. This is brilliant, and with Tara's death, you have Willow finally giving up on what she was, and becoming something else, the personification of her self loathing for her ineffectual ways. It works very well, and the final showdown with Giles is, of course, bloody brilliant. Sadly, the writers went too far with the magic addiction arc, with the ridiculous episode where Amy, no longer a rat, suddenly knows of an extremely powerful warlock with drug-like magic powers. Its pathetic, unsubtle, and unnecessary.
Xander and Anya spend most of the season leading up to the wedding. Now I'm afraid this bit did make me mad. While I stated earlier that Buffy should be free to go as dark as it wants, I am going to happily contradict myself and say that the choice to make the wedding fail was stupid. Xander is frightened away from the wedding because of a possible future, where he acts like his father, and while I understand where that comes from, he has shown time and time again that not only is he not like his father, he is far more mature. Anya and Xander's relationship never felt rushed, it felt natural and organic, and to take away the one fun element of the entire season was more than a bit soul crushing.
A failing for this series was the departure of Giles. He decides to leave because he feels like Buffy needs to stand on her own. Its silly, and certainly doesn't make sense in light of Buffy's confession that she was booted from heaven. However, the actor wanted to leave, so it was the best they could do without killing him off, so I'm willing to be a bit forgiving on that front.
One notable thing about this season is that despite the dire tone, theres actually a lot of humour. The villains being three geeky idiots is lovely, and their plot initially is very amusing, but also does go to a very dark place towards the end. This twist actually feels more natural, as people without any connection to reality are finally brought back to earth as they realise that their actions do indeed have consequences. Lovely stuff.
The best episode is, of course, Once More With Feeling. The idea of making a musical episode is a lovely one, but it is not just played for laughs. Each song tells us a story about the characters, and this episode in one fell swoop gets Tara to realise that Willow has been enchanting her (making I'm Under Your Spell EXTREMELY creepy), Giles decide to leave, Buffy to admit that she was in heaven, and Spike and Buffy's first kiss. That the songs are catchy and funny is an added bonus to what is probably the best episode of Buffy ever made.
The funniest episode is Tabula Rasa, with a lovely amnesia plot leading to amusing misunderstandings, and then resulting in that horribly tragic ending, as Tara finally leaves Willow. In second place is Life Serial, which has Buffy dealing with the trio messing with her. The trio bantering is truly a joy to watch, and this episode gives it the most focus.
The worst episode? Smashed, a ridiculous episode with Amy having knowledge that she simply shouldn't have, and the absurd magic/crack metaphor.
Labels: buffy, television
Buffy Season 5 (will contain spoilers)
Been a while since I've written one of these.
Season 5 is really Buffy's first move to a darker place. While everyone notes the sixth season as being heavily depressing, season 5 has a lot of sour notes, and plain sad episodes. Most notable, of course, is the fantastic "The Body", in which Buffy discovers her mother, dead on the couch. This was not only a fantastically done episode, really exploring grief in what felt like a very realistic manner, it was also a real surprise; Joyce has been set up to die earlier in the season, and when it didn't happen, it seemed like she had got through. Having her condition relapse unexpectedly was a stroke of genius.
Dawn is another new addition to Buffy, and a brilliant one. A new character appearing from nowhere introduces a lovely level of mystery, which is actually allowed to continue from episode 2-5, rather than instantly spoon feeding the answer. What's great about the addition of Dawn is that it forces Buffy to act as a protector, a mothering figure, a level of responsibility she has yet to take on. This is of course underlined when Joyce dies, leaving Buffy alone as a single parent (a theme which would continue later).
Willow meanwhile, is still being set up for her fall in season 6. While some people have claimed Willow's actions had no foreshadowing, this is of course miles from the truth. From the very moment she restores Angel's soul we see her tap into a darker magic, and she does so in this season. Her first argument with Tara is about the subject of magic, with Tara expressing some fears about the rising level of power Willow is displaying. Of course, following this up with Tara's mind being sucked by Glory was a brilliant hammer blow. Tara is also developed a bit here, becoming a bit more open as a person. Sadly, her stand alone episode, Family, is a bit weak, but she has a nice moment talking to Buffy in the Body.
Xander also gets to grow up, finally. Having lost his way in season 4, he now finds a job, gets serious about his relationship with Anya and matures greatly. This is nice, as it means he is no longer just the butt of everyone's jokes.
This season also sees the departure of Riley. I guess many would say good riddance, and he really has nothing to do. I maintain that as a character he is fairly perfect. His entire purpose is to provide a more mature relationship for Buffy, but ultimately not one of love. Buffy is still hung up on being hurt.. after all she had to KILL the man she loved. That's got to cause some emotional scars, and the only councillor she ever spoke to got murdered. He did need to go, of course, to drive Buffy to finally realise what she was missing. And while Riley makes the wrong choices, you can sort of see why- he is aware that Buffy treats him as an obstacle, and wants to prove himself. He gets angry and confused, at a very bad time for Buffy, who is coping with her mother's illness.
Glory, I also liked. I know some people disliked her as a villain, but I think she is rather glorious, and brilliantly powerful. The only issue with her is her lack of violence. While initially Glory doesn't like fighting Buffy because it's tawdry, once she becomes aware that Buffy has the key, I'm not entirely sure why Glory doesn't kidnap and torture Buffy. She does, admittedly, do this with Spike, but it does seem like she's holding back somewhat. Still, she was a strong, dangerous villain who, unlike other bad guys, did cause real hurt to the scooby gang, mind sucking Tara and torturing Spike.
Man, this season really is full of character arcs, because I've realised I've got to talk about Spike now! In the previous season we saw Spike joining the others out of boredom, now he begins to develop a purpose. Despite being soulless, he realises he loves Buffy, and begins to change because of it, to the point where becomes a trusted member of the team. This transformation is awesome, and works very well (and is UTTERLY undermined in season 6).
So are there bad points to this season? Well, yes, there are some weak episodes, and the Knights are frankly bloody bizzare. I guess they exist to create the dilemma that drives the plot forward, but why on earth are they using swords and shields? They're fighting a god, not vampires, so standard guns would prove rather effective. They don't really make sense, and stretch credibility a bit.
One final moment that has to be spoken about is Buffy's sacrifice. Buffy refuses to allow anyone to talk of sacrificing Dawn, despite the fact that to do so might save the entire world. From a utilitarian viewpoint, this is wrong. But this misses the point that Buffy is the hero. She always has been, and she simply has not compromised on that point. As she says herself, if these are the choices she has to make she does not want to live in this world. Being the hero is about rejecting these choices, and finding a third way. Yes, Dawn could have willingly chosen to jump herself, but this is not Dawn's story, this is Buffy's. Jumping really encapsulates who Buffy is, and marks a brilliant end to what is the best season.
Funniest episode? As mentioned above, season 5 is not full of laughs. The best are probably Triangle, with Willow and Anya arguing and the hilarious Troll, Olaf, and the Replacement, with the two Xanders.
Best episode? A straight up choice between the Body and The Gift. Both fantastic and powerful episodes for different reasons, so I'd prefer not to choose.
Worst episode? As mentioned, family is weak, and doesn't really work very well. Out of my Mind is also a little bit tiresome.
Labels: buffy, television
Buffy Season 4
Season 4 is where some Buffy fans claim Buffy went downhill. The gang left high school, and were going to college, there was no more Angel, and soon no more Oz. I rather have a soft spot for it, however. It's true that the main plot doesn't quite work- the Initiative is a little bit amateur for a government organisation, and Maggie Walsh would have made a much better long term villain than Adam did. Still, this season contains some of the best and funniest episodes Buffy ever created, with some decent insight into the characters. I never particularly missed Angel, who felt out of place in the third season, and quite enjoyed Riley, a character who admittedly does not have much to work with (people like to blame Mark Blucas, but there's really not much going on- the only time Riley gets to be funny is in season 5..), and in many ways is very similar to Tara- someone who exists to be the partner rather than a character in their own right.
Tara, of course, brings another daring move from Buffy, a gay character, but not only that, making one of the main cast gay. How it happens feels entirely natural, despite some baffling claims that Willow can't be gay because she was with Oz (because there exist no gay people who initially enter into straight relationships. Or even get married). I really love the Willow Tara relationship, and the cutesy magic=sex metaphor that is used to get round bizarre American standards (no, it's ok they're orgasming from the spell... it's fiiine).
Tara isn't the only new character here- Spike and Anya become very interesting in this series. Spike absolutely shines here, as a soulless creature forced to do good, he consistently makes you laugh, and his character gets a lot of development ready for the next season. Anya meanwhile enters an amusing and awkward relationship with Xander, that grows into something very strong.
So, funniest episodes? Well theres a lot to choose from. Most episodes are infused with humour- the hilarious denouement of Fear Itself, the otherwise rather poor Beer Bad. Episodes that consistently bring the funny are Pangs, a New Man, Superstar AND Something Blue. My personal favourite is probably Pangs, as this is one of the first episodes that has Spike interacting with everyone else.
The best episode is a hard pick here- I'm going to say Hush, because it's such a wonderful episode, Joss Whedon proving the beauty of Buffy is not just about the dialogue, as he strips the words away and still crafts an amazing episode. Honourable mention must be given to Who Are You, an episode all about who Faith is, and her learning about who Buffy is as well.
Worst episodes? Thats not hard- Where the Wild things Are really is a filler episode that adds nothing (unless Buffy Riley sex counts), and Beer Bad's moral screams itself out from the fricking title.
Labels: buffy, television
Buffy Season 3
Season 3 is probably the best in my opinion. The characters have matured and become more interesting, there are some fun plot arcs, some brilliant stand alone episodes, a brilliant villain in the mayor, and the scarred character of Faith all bring this together.
The only main weakness of this season, is, for me, Angel. I seemed to be alone amoungst many of my friends who also watched the show in cheering him leaving the show. Their relationship produced a lot of angst I found tiresome. I also found their relationship flimsy- the classic teenage first love thing, where they had very little in common (indeed they rarely had any real conversations other than fighting evil). While I have become detached from my irritation at Buffy/Angel angst in season 2, primarily because the arc serves a purpose, in season 3 is seems to be an opportunity to whine a lot, and set Angel up for his (very good) spin off show.
So, that aside, lets have a look at the episodes.
There's some extremely funny episodes here. My personal favourite is "The Zeppo", an episode focusing on the evolution of Xander's character (which does change. Buffy does suffer from the problem that writers forget about character growth, but Xander does noticably improve as time goes on). By following Xander entirely, we get a lovely little story, with the amusing back drop of the others fighting the apocalypse at the same time.
Theres a lot of humour in all the episodes, although the other main standouts are Band Candy and Doppelgangland (which also expands Anya's character, who soon becomes my favourite on the show).
Best episodes is tough, because there are so many. My favourite is definitely the Wish, a look at an alternate reality without Buffy, extremely bleak and giving us a clear message that what she does matter, but the bleak ending of Bad Girls is brilliant, and as always the concluding episode (Graduation Day Part 2) is fantastic (even if it doesn't make a great deal of sense).
Worst episodes here are Dead Man's Party, which really bothers me. Buffy ran away from home at the end of last season, and returns to recriminations. All the characters have legitimate grievances, although they are necessarily harsh to Buffy, but sadly none of this is ever resolved, instead a zombie ex machina bonds them together...
Another weak episode is Amends, which is a set up for the Angel spin off. My main issue with it is that divine intervention is the only thing that saves Angel here: Buffy's heartfelt pleas are completely sidelined.
Labels: buffy, television
Buffy Season 2
Season 2 is where Buffy begins to seriously grow up. Some bad things happen here, and it's the first season where metaphors begin to play a big role in the show. While some of the villains in season 1 obviously represented some concepts (the pack being peer pressure, I robot you Jane being awful), here we have entire plot arcs representing metaphors- Angel turning into a soulless fiend after Buffy sleeps with him being about guys changing after having sex with you (this is made explicit in season 4 with Parker, an interesting contrast), and there's even a metaphor for homosexuality here, with Buffy coming out to her Mum about being a slayer, and then feeling rejected because of it.
Sadly, this is also the season of terrible accents. Spike and Drusilla, while excellent characters, sport appalling accents (while Spike's gets better as James Masters settles into the role, Drusilla's, if anything, gets worse). Then there's Kendra the vampire slayer, who's accent makes me want to cry. I know it's a minor thing, but it's hard to pay attention to the plot when accents are ruining everything- Passions is an excellent episode (and the first EXTREMELY dark moment for the series), but it does have an irish accent in it, which I could have lived without. Still, there are some excellent episodes here-
This season starts having some funny episodes as well. "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" sees Xander casting a misfiring love spell to get revenge on Cordelia, which gives us some hilarious moments as well as some touching character moments. Quite frequently the humorous episodes in Buffy will give us insights into characters and plot. The other episode worthy of mention is "Halloween" , where the characters become their costumes, leading to Buffy being helpless, and Xander being strong, with Willow being the only person who knows whats going on.
The stand out episodes of the season are probably Innocence, where we learn of Angel's curse, and, of course, get to see a rocket launcher in action, and Becoming Part 2, a brilliant battle between Angel and Buffy, this episode features everything that makes the show great.
Worst episode? There are a few stinkers here, and they're mostly the stand alone ones. My least favourite is probably reptile boy, which has a tiresome moral message to impart, and a hokey evil villain. It also features Buffy's amazing variable powers, which are utterly dependent on the plot...
Labels: buffy, television
Buffy the vampire slayer- the best and the worst (will contain spoilers): Season 1
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of my favourite shows of all time, possessing wit and intelligence beyond many other programs, and exceeding most people's expectations of it. Certainly it had a slightly shaky start- some of the monster of the week episodes in season 1 are pretty terrible, but come season 2 it soon became it's own creature. So, for fun and profit, I have decided to list the funniest, the best, and the worst episodes from each season. Because I'm weird like that.
Season 1This, as mentioned above, was not the strongest season, with the majority of its episodes being silly and stand alone, with rather hokey ideas.
The worst episode by far is probably
"I, Robot... You, Jane" which shows a stunning lack of understanding of the internet, leading to a rather embarrassing story all round.
While many of the episodes are amusing, few are actually deliberately funny, so I'll just skip to the best episodes. These are easily the first and the last.
Welcome to the Hellmouth
is a great introduction to the world of Buffy, which, with a few missteps along the way (some weird dialogue, Xander's skateboard and the soon to be eaten Jesse), ably lets us into the world of Buffy.
Prophecy Girl
is in many ways where the show grows up a bit, with Buffy accepting her destiny, facing it and kicking evil in the face repeatedly.
Labels: buffy, television
