corianderstem said:
Okay, Buffy fans. Come out of the woodwork, and let's gush (or gripe) about Buffy and the Scooby Gang from Sunnydale.
When it first came out, I brushed off all the people who kept telling me how good it was. Whatever, I thought, it's just some stupid high school show with a perky blonde girl. It can't be that good.
Then, some years back, I got laid off just as FX started showing the reruns. I was HOOKED! (And had a lot of people saying "I told you so.")
Yeah, maybe it started to go off the rails a bit in season 4 after high school. Or after Angel left Sunnydale. Or after (insert other event here).
Let's discuss this smart, funny, well-written show that blended monsters with real-life themes.
I had the same experience with Buffy. I first checked it out because some CNN Entertainment Weekly critic said it was better than Millennium Season 2; Season 1 was better than that and easily better than all of Buffy, but I guess he was right about Season 2.
Anyway, so I checked out a Season 3 episode in which Buffy lost her powers. I wasn't too intrigued. Didn't check out the show for another 3 and a half years.
Was bored out of my mind in summer school in undergrad in 2002. Watched the 5th season finale and was hooked. Over the rest of the summer, I'd sneakily watch the show, hating myself for watching this silly show. I enjoyed the comedy and mostly Spike and Xander. Then I started to appreciate the other characters and even was interested in the drama and those teen/early adult moments. I always wished I had pals like that who did anything for you!
My favorite season is 5, then 6, then 2/maybe 3 (though the 3rd season finale was awful). I actually appreciate the comedy in Season 4, though the drama's awful; it's better than Season 7, which was without humor, misfocussed on characters, and had awful drama; my early review of Season 7 was actually posted on a Buffy fan site!
I don't quite think Buffy was realistic enough. I think it tried too hard to make mythological archetypes and metaphors for real world emotions to an unbelievable degree -- for example, Angel turning evil was somehow akin to a guy not wanting you anymore because you slept with him.
Still, a unique show and much appreciated humor!
How about Angel. Season 3 was awesome in terms of basic plot, but -- much like Buffy had major drawbacks. Seasons 4 was good (not great because of a lack of humor) and Season 5 was pretty awesome; amazing finale. I was heart-broken when Angel was cancelled. Huge mistake in my opinion!