At least once a year, I manage to revisit Buffy the Vampire Slayer in its entirety. There are a few shows I hold in high esteem as the most intriguing, well-written, and compelling: The Wire, Six Feet Under, The West Wing, just to name a few. But I have watched none of those as much as I have watched Buffy. The premise was simple enough, and yet it defied all existing tropes up to that point. Buffy Summers is the chosen one, the next in a long line of Vampire Slayers, called when the preceding Slayer dies. It is her duty to protect the world from bloodsucking creatures of the night, and all other manner of beasties. Creator Joss Whedon’s intention was to take the helpless girl in the alley in every cliché horror movie and give her agency and power. That, in itself, was likely enough to make me watch, despite the somewhat silly title, but the transformation of “High School as Hell,” from the figurative metaphorical to the literal made it even more appealing.
Fans know the origin of the show already. Originally, Buffy was a movie starring Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, and Luke Perry, with Rutger Hauer and Paul Reubens as the baddies. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Whedon was unsatisfied with the result, despite Reubens performing one of the best death scenes in film history. It certainly wouldn’t be Joss’ first disappointment with Hollywood. But, he was given a second chance with this great character, the reprise to appear on the small screen. Cleverly, Whedon managed to reboot the property while maintaining the mythology created in the movie. Later, a comic book adaptation of Whedon’s original script was released, which he explains is to be taken as canonical. But the basics are the same. A new Slayer is called in L.A., she is trained in her fight against the vampires, she loses her original Watcher, and then she has to move.
The series starts with Buffy as a new student in Sunnydale, having just moved from Los Angeles. She meets her new Watcher, Giles, though she is at first resistant to resume her destined role, and quickly subverts a major tradition amongst Slayers by having friends. This becomes a key issue in the series. Though Whedon certainly follows his thesis of celebrating female power, he also follows the maxim that no one is truly alone, prophecy or no. The first set of episodes, a mid-season replacement, had twelve installments. They acted as a blueprint, establishing character, setting, situations, and mythology. Though the twists and emotional complexity would be more fully explored in later seasons, there were definitely some shining moments in the original dozen shows.
From the first show, Whedon wanted to establish the notion that nobody was safe. Eric Balfour, later to star in several shows including the aforementioned Six Feet Under, was to have appeared in the opening credits (though the network balked at the idea), only to be made a quick casualty in the war against darkness. While it wasn’t necessarily Game of Thrones, it was daring nonetheless. All of the chess pieces are put in place in the first two episodes. We have our heroine, Buffy, her substitute father figure in Giles, the Watcher, and her friends, Xander and Willow. In addition, we meet two different foils, the cliquish Cordelia and her mysterious romantic interest, Angel. We also have what Whedon establishes every season, what he likes to call “The Big Bad.” In the case of the first season, this is the elder vampire known as The Master.
The Master sets the architecture for major season-long enemies to come. While every episode may have some new challenge to face, there is always the threat of the major villain, ever plotting in the background for some major battle that will inevitably come. He and his minions, Luke (played by an actor who would later come back as baddie, The Judge) and Darla (a recurring fan favorite), scheme to rise from their underground “mystical” prison, and subsequently doing what nearly every Buffy baddie wants to do, open the Hellmouth and release untold evils upon the earth. The point is made again and again, as it probably needs to with such fantastical stories, that this is a lot of responsibility for one teenager to bear, even with special powers.
The Master’s arc over the season is peppered with what has become the norm for supernatural shows, which is appropriately called “Monster of the Week.” Buffy deals with witches, praying mantis monsters, animal possession, ancient demons, a cursed spirit inhabiting a ventriloquist’s dummy, waking nightmares, and a vengeful, invisible girl. And yet, they go far beyond those pedantic descriptions. All take on the subtext of the metaphorical becoming literal. The overbearing mother who lives vicariously through her daughter actually switches their bodies through witchcraft. Hyenas possess the cruel, preying clique. The ignored and scorned girl actually becomes invisible. And, though the bulk of the episode, “I, Robot…You, Jane,” is somewhat clunky, it is memorable not only for the introduction of Jenny Calendar, but also for its books vs. technology messages that are still relevant, fifteen years later.
“Smell is the most powerful trigger to the memory there is. A certain flower, or a-a whiff of smoke can bring up experiences long forgotten. Books smell musty and-and-and rich. The knowledge gained from a computer is a - it, uh, it has no- no texture, no-no context. It's-it's there and then it's gone. If it's to last, then-then the getting of knowledge should be, uh, tangible, it should be, um, smelly.”
The season finale, meant to wrap up the entire series in case it wasn’t renewed for a second season, has Buffy finally meeting and facing the Master. Though this seems formulaic, the episode is anything but. For one thing, when Buffy learns of the prophecy that predicts her death, she has a real, emotional, visceral reaction. There is no “rah-rah” moment or a stiff upper lip in the face of danger. Buffy is a reluctant hero. She’d much rather lead a normal life, and when faced with impending death, shows her true humanity. It is authentic and memorable. Secondly, the fact that the Slayer, the chosen one, has friends ends up to save her life. Though the prophecy actually comes to pass, Xander revives her, a circumstance that would never have happened had Buffy been a more “conventional” Slayer. And, though Buffy lived, she did die temporarily, which would have lasting effects in later episodes. This bit of business ended up becoming a touchstone of the series that proved to obsessive nerds, like myself, that no detail was insignificant.
Of course, a lot of fans will point to the Buffy and Angel romance as the hallmark of the series. It wasn’t the first instance of the vampire as romantic figure by a long shot, but it, and possibly Anne Rice, helped redefine the vampire as an elegant, all consuming, passionate character. Though it wasn’t the first, it definitely helped spawn an entire generation of supernatural romance, from True Blood to Twilight. With Buffy, however, there are no religious overtones and no sparkles. Angel is cursed, forced to walk the earth as an immortal, but with a human soul, aware at all times of the damage he has done and the pain inflicted. He is another piece of this Slayer’s unconventional life. Because of his unlikely curse and his desire to help this Slayer, who he falls for, Buffy has an advantage over past incarnations.
Buffy represents the power of feminism. This is not the kind of feminism that says women have to “be like men,” but instead showcases the strength of all women, distinct from men, yet equal, and uniquely powerful. It is a feminism that has the strength enough to share her power with others. This becomes a consistent theme throughout the series, making profound statements about humanity’s shared struggles, and how the battles we fight against our own demons are best assailed with the help of others.
In the days to come, I hope to share with you my thoughts about later seasons of this, one of my most beloved television series. I almost can’t wait to get to the second season, which is strange considering I’ve seen it so many times already. Buffy faces life after having faced death, a few more recurring vampire foes, including the enigmatic Spike, and a “Surprise” big bad that shocked everyone. Season two definitely raises the stakes on a show that had a strong beginning and near unlimited potential. Stay tuned.
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