This message has been brought to you by my DVDs of Buffy's season 1 (even bad Buffy is great) & season 3 (the best season of anything ever). Stupidly I don't own the other 5 seasons.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Buffy the Television Slayer
In the winter I tend to watch a bit more television and I recently realized that no matter how much I love any given show I chance upon, none are ever as good as Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Truly. Nothing. Maybe they should just quit. TV, I mean. Stop production on everything.
This message has been brought to you by my DVDs of Buffy's season 1 (even bad Buffy is great) & season 3 (the best season of anything ever). Stupidly I don't own the other 5 seasons.
This message has been brought to you by my DVDs of Buffy's season 1 (even bad Buffy is great) & season 3 (the best season of anything ever). Stupidly I don't own the other 5 seasons.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
28 comments:
I think my favorite episode ever is still "The Body". God, Sarah Michelle Gellar was transcendant in that episode.
You don't own any of the other seasons? Not Season 6, with the astonishingly creative "Once More With Feeling?" Not Season 5, with the heartbreaking "The Body." Not Season 4, with the funny, scary clever "Hush?"
And you dare call yourself a Buffy fan?????
After overcoming the shock of your betrayal (you call Blanchett overexposed and miscast, you don't own Buffy :D ).... BtVS really is stellar television. Maybe the most unusual perfect storm of talent to be found anywhere.
if i were to own just one season it'd be season 3 - the wish, evil willow, and, of course, faith...
oh, faith
arkaan
'once more with feeling' and 'the body' and 'hush' are all classics for a reason and even allowing for the brilliance of other television shows... they'd probably hog 30% of the top ten for the best episodes of any season ever.
i do have 'once more with feeling' on DVD -can you believe they gave that out to Emmy voters and that damn show still wasn't nominated?
argh.
i meant top ten of any episode from ANY series ever.
BUFFY RULES!!! and I agree season 3 is the best... and yes, even thos rare nots so good episodes are great in comaprision with other tv series. BUFFY IS THE BEST TV SHOW EVER!
I'm a new convert to Buffy - only started watching this last year on DVD. Yet another thing in my life Nataniel is responsible for me getting to see. So, big thanks and how could I have been so stupid to miss out before?
And you need those other seasons. Really you do. Sometimes Buffy is the only therapy that truly works.
OMG Nat, how can you NOT own the other seasons?!?!?!?
I actually invested in the full set with all 7 seasons in a very nice packaged box. It's like my Buffy bible and I worship it.
And I am so in the minority here but season six is actually my favorite. Season 5 and 3 are right up there though.
Ugh, I love this show.
Oh, Nat I'm so glad your a fan of this show.
It was some of the best writing I have ever seen in a television show.....oh, some of those lines and catchphrases I could repeat for days.
We've been here before, but my favourite season is 6. Love the juxtaposition of laugh-out-loud comic gold (Geek Trio) versus the dark, brooding undercurrent of a whole new Buffy.
Season 2 and 3 are up there too though.
Rob
Ha! This was the show that made me love TV again. I don't think there is ever gonna be a show that thrilled me so much like Buffy; Lost really got close recently, but it will never reach the status of genius camp Buffy had. Watching it was a religious experience, I'd drop absolutely everything I was doing to see it.
That show made me feel scared, laugh and uhg, aside the fact that I'm a convicted cry-baby there wasn't a single season finale that didn't leave crying for hours after [except the 1st season of course].
I also love "The Body" episode and Once More With Feeling is [no surprise] one of tmost memorable moments on TV for me. I remember Fox-Brasil ads for it making me anticipate and count down the days. Actually, season 6, despite being neglected even by the fans, is absolutely my favorite.
And you're lucky you have all the seasons there. Down here we just have till season 3.
Wow, lotsa love for season 6! It's my fave too; just never seen this much love for it in one place. Then I think season 3&5 are tied for 2nd faves.
I was gonna holler about not own ing the rest but everyone else beat me to that, but why do you own the first season, Nat? I mean, there's stuff to enjoy there (The Master!) but mostly it's just hinting at the genius to come. At least you have got a copy of the musical. And the fact that Buffy never won a single Emmy is why the Emmys will never mean anything to me, EVER.
I would, seriously, commit murder if Joss asked me to. I would do anything that man said. Genius.
Gellar is perfection on Buffy.
As the self-entitled Biggest Buffy Fan Ever, it's hard to bash anything to do with the show...but I didn't care too much for season 6.
There's a space of about 6 episodes in the season where the exact same thing happens in each one. Anya and Xander bicker lovingly over wedding plans, Buffy and Spike do it violently and Buffy feels bad about it afterwards, Willow struggles with her magic addiction, etc.
But alas, "Once More With Feeling" is the best hour of episodic drama ever produced, and season 3 is the best season of episodic drama ever produced. And all the other seasons and episodes make wonderful runner-ups.
"The Body" and the series finale (particularly when Anya is cut in half) are the only pieces of filmmaking that make me cry even after multiple repeat viewings.
But who would you say is your favourite character, Nathaniel?
Mine's a close call between Anya and Willow.
Well, the show did win Christophe Beck an emmy for his sensational music work in season 2 (remember the "Close Your Eyes" theme. Beautiful), but yeah, Joss Whedon is owed approximately six emmys for his work (best show for season 2, best directing for "Hush," "The Body" and "Once More with Feeling" and best writing for "Hush" and "Once More with Feeling.") Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan and James Marsters are also owed some emmys. But let's be honest - even when a show is great AND right up emmys' alley, they still manage to screw it over (I'm talking about the heartfelt "Once and Again").
My favourite season of BtVS is probably season 5, followed closely by season 2.
I don't understand the indifference towards Season One; you all make it sound like it's "The Season That Should Never Be Named" or something like that. I actually prefer it to some of what came after...
Ali, I think it's a matter of Buffy not finding it's footing yet in season 1 --which is true of a lot of shows, hitting their strides to become what people remember them as usually in the 2nd or 3rd season never mind what came before or after --it's almost Twilight Zoney. very short stories with supernatural twists... not much in the way of character development or arc.
Whedon learned quickly though and season 2 and 3 are instantly attuned to what television does best: the long term character and story arcs.
I agree; season 1 has a lot of great stuff going on, and much of the humour is spot on, but you have to admit there are a few filler episodes in there. And for a short season, that says a great deal about it. Season 1 finale is, however, wonderful. But on balance, it edges out as being the weakest season, narrowly ahead of the all-over-the-place Season 5.
Rob
What sucks for me, is like, out of all of my friends (and now, apparently webmaster's whose opinions I respect for the most part) I am the ONLY PERSON ALIVE not to enjoy Buffy.
And I was "goth" in high school.
What went wrong?
Why can't I jump in and just enjoy?
I guess for me, Buffy always seemed too "cheeky". You know? It was always aware of itself (which I get is part of its charm).
Typically I love it when characters break the fourth wall, but only when they do so in an extreme way (see The Sensational She-Hulk)
Maybe I'm just not a Whedon fan. As an X-men reader -- I haven't really been too impressed with his take on Astonishing X-men either. Although, everything in the X-universe sucks right now -- besides the amazing Peter David's neo-noir inspired X-Factor.
But back to Buffy. As much as I don't enjoy it. I wish I did - I feel like I missed the moon landing or something.
well moses,
how much have u actually seen? I find that it's one of those series where you really have to give it a solid go --several continuous episodes to appreciate what it's doing.
same with Battlestar Galactica now.
N
The reason for the Season 1 lameness is that the showrunners couldn't pay people to write for a mid-season replacement called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But folks quickly caught on to what an amazing thing Whedon had going. Seasons 2 through 5 are without a doubt some of the best television EVER. I like to pretend Season 6 and 7 never happened, save for "Once More With Feeling," "Tabula Rasa," and "Selfless."
I was like moses and was pretty much the only person in my group of friends who didn't like the show, but I had only seen a few episodes and didn't get to take it all in, but last year a friend actually bought me seasons 1 thru 3 and told me to give it a chance, and I did.
Now I'm overtly obsesses with it. It's amazing how Whedon and his amazing team of writers and actors made such an odd and ridiculous world come to life and actually fit in with real world problems.
One of the best telivision shows in history. I adore it like nothing else.
I've seen about seven episodes during season 3 (with Faith right?)-- my best friend at the time was obsessed and made me watch it.
I don't know. I love Battlestar Galactica, and even think Firefly was more appealing than BTVS.
Maybe it just is an odd fit. I'm not saying it is a bad show or anyting (far from it!) I think the fact that it became this huge zeitgeit show that people still talk about for years after it is gone is amazing.
I honestly wished I liked it, because so many friends love it.
Did I see a bad stretch of episodes maybe? I swear to god I have GREAT taste!
moses --if you saw a stretch with Faith you hardly saw bad episodes ;)
:(
Maybe I should give it another try anyways. So much of my high school years were spent rebelling against what everyone was doing (even my fellow eyeliner obsessed goths) that I may have just not enjoyed it to be the only one who didn't like something.
Now, a question for you (sorry for so many) IS the supporting cast the reason to watch the show? Because I must say, I find Sarah Michelle Gellar to be lovely in interviews, and as a person (she knows the limits of her acting ability - and I like that she doesn't take herself too seriously.) But in the episodes I saw - who cares about Buffy, when Faith is ultimately more interesting?
Since season one sucks, as many on the board are saying, should I just start with another season? Is it replaying on any networks?
My sister and I recently broke out our dvd's after a few years. I still watch my share of tv shows, but none will ever compare to Buffy. ever.
As much as I love Joss and the entire writing team, they broke my heart and tore into little tiny pieces over and over again.
And I really maintain that Spike is one of the greatest characters ever created. ever.
Anyway, just reaching out my still weakly beating Buffy heart to another's. Here's to nostalgia.
moses -season 1 doesn't suck so much as wander around, not exactly sure where it's going. you've got the twilight zoney episodes, the straight up vampire episodes, the filler... it's kind of all over the place. BUT. Despite all that it really lays important groundwork for season 2 when the show hit it's groove and rarely slowed down from there.
so you should see it.
I'm impressed with your blog. I must bookmark it and come back. I have a download tv website. I like to give reviews on download tv related subjects. Please visit my download tv site one day.
Post a Comment