By Brett Shaw
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is as old as I am, both of us originating in 1997. Although I did not start watching the show until many years after its final season, its characters, themes, and plot maintained relevance and continue to serve as one of the most iconic television series of all time.
This popular supernatural series follows the triumphs and struggles of Buffy Summers, a regular high-school girl who was unwillingly chosen to be the sole defender of the world from vampires, demons, and other supernatural disasters. While often busy saving the world, Buffy also finds time for romance and other teenage shenanigans in effort to retain a semi-normal life.
Her supernatural and human lives frequently collide, however, causing all sorts of problems. Buffy accidentally falls in love with a vampire named Angel, and their love story makes Twilight look like well … Twilight. (Bella and Edward had a gross and unhealthy relationship.) Angel has a soul and conscience, unlike the other vampires, which makes his life as a monster extremely depressing, but also sexy and mysterious.
Most episodes, especially in the early seasons, take on a new spooky disaster, whether it be a new demon in town or a swim team turned pack of sea monsters. Each time watching the show provides a thrilling mystery with frequent screams and plot twists. Meanwhile, an overarching conflict drives the season along, pulling you from episode to episode.
As lovable as heroes are, we all know that villains are the ones who make the stories interesting. “Buffy” has some of the most badass and interesting villains of all time. I’m a sucker for strong female characters, so I loved Glory, the main antagonist of Season 5. She was this all-powerful hell god who basically invented chaos and destruction.
What’s amazing about the show is that it remains consistent in quality throughout its entire seven-season run. Many television shows tend to peter out after the first few seasons, but “Buffy” arguably gets better throughout. This is incredible, because the first season immediately hooks viewers with suspenseful plot lines and memorable characters.
Despite the appearance of being another shallow teen drama, “Buffy” takes on extremely meaningful and progressive issues. Willow, Buffy’s best friend, was one of the earliest portrayals of a bisexual in TV geared toward young people. This development is not made until later seasons, when Willow falls in love with a woman instead of her typical male interests.
The show also takes many dark turns. Numerous character deaths, struggles with mental illness and addiction, and the emotional problems that many characters must go through tend to bring viewers down to the lowest levels of despair. Fair warning: I was miserable for the entire month that I was watching Season 6. But things almost always get better, and these low moments make Buffy’s triumphs all the more thrilling.
When I finished the final season, I cried for a bit and then immediately began rewatching at Season 1. This is a show that sticks with you and pulls you in with incredible stories and characters that hold up even stronger the second time through. I feel like I am friends with these characters, which is ridiculous. However, that is why shows such as “Buffy” develop cult followings and continue to be relevant many years after they air.
The series was recently taken off Netflix, which is reason enough for me to switch to Hulu. But find a way to watch this late-90s phenomenon that I believe was a precursor to basically all modern television.
