Buffy the Vampire Slayer

My favorite show! I discovered Buffy last year; I’m a big fan of the supernatural/vampire genre and was recommended it many times. Buffy is a show that uses monsters and the supernatural as metaphors for life. It starts with monster of the week episodes to represent high school problems, and eventually expands to include complex topics like depression, addiction, and toxic relationships. The show blends comedy and drama quite well, and originated a lot of the concepts found in supernatural television to this day. That’s not to mention the cast. In shows like this, I often find the main character annoying, but Buffy is an excellent character throughout with realistic flaws that are explored by the narrative, and Sarah Michelle Gellar plays her well. Other standout performances are Alyson Hannigan as Willow, who evolves from an awkward high school student to a powerful and overconfident witch, and Anthony Head as Giles, Buffy’s mentor and voice of reason. The supporting cast adds a lot to the show as well, and characters like Cordelia, Anya, Tara, and Oz round out the show. The reason I can’t give the show 10/10 though is because of some weak and frustrating storylines at the beginning and tail end of the show, as well as its tendency to brush off predatory behavior or make it into a joke, especially in those seasons. Of course, parts of this can be attributed to the time, as other shows of the era and genre also succumbed to this kind of storytelling. Overall, I would probably rank the seasons as follows: 2, 5, 3, 6, 4, 1, 7.