Title: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Year(s): 1997-2003
Creator: Joss Whedon
Country: US
Language: English
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was part of a unique time in television where strong female characters ruled. The late 1990's to Early 2000's saw Xena: Warrior Princess, La Femme Nikita, Charmed, Alias and The Dark Angel among others. Their cultural impact was enormous; reaching up to four million viewers per episode and having hundreds of tie-in products. I started revisiting the show thanks to Rev Rachel Twigg's fandom being so infectious.
A young woman (Sarah Michelle Gellar) , destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an inverse of the typical horror movie trope; the hot blonde doesn't die by the monster therein, but becomes a kickass heroine. In addition to fun genre storytelling, we get a quirky funny series that isn't afraid to tug at our heartstrings. Damn, some of these episodes, which often is loose subtext for the troubles of adolescence, are incredibly relatable. Even if we don't slay actual vampires in our lives, we are trying our best to slay our fears.
As the seasons go on, Buffy the Vampire Slayers grows darker as our main character- and us- gets older. From teenager to adult, the show effectively gives us more complex themes of identity, responsibility and more complex moral issues. Buffering the Vampire Slayer is a great podcast that goes into a deep dive about the introspective nature of the television series.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a worthy re-watch. Though visually the show is starting to look a teeny bit dated, I feel like newer generations would find Buffy very entertaining and would certainly be able to sit through all 7 seasons. I'm slowly becoming a bigger fan as I find more episodes to dissect.
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