A number of original songs, here, have titles inspired by the TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BTVS); it's a clever show, with flaws (and clever shows have flaws). I don't agree with parts of the Buffy mythology. I'm sure I wouldn't agree with the politics or opinions of the writers and actors. I don't agree with some of the 'arc' decisions made, as seen below. That said, I thought I'd put up a Buffy page, maybe explain how I see the show; my two bits, is all. I tried to keep it short, but . . .

Creator Joss Whedon blended his childhood fascination with horror films and 'underground' comics into something of a 60s action farce. He does insist it was supposed to be, first season anyway, about making literal and exaggerating some of the trauma he faced as a high schooler. He also called it My So-Called Life meets The X-Files. But it has a lot in common with a similar sort of show in the Wild, Wild West (from the 60s, and doing very well in syndication), a show which moved between outright farce and high drama, with some inevitable stunt scenes meant to resolve the plot, more often than not. It also has a lot in common with other successful shows of various eras, but particularly the first Star Trek. With essentially stage curtains and painted soundstage walls as readily apparent backdrop, the show did well because of the interplay between the characters; something which hasn't really carried over to subsequent Star Trek spin-offs. And Star Trek had its share of plot resolving brawls. All three shows also have the catchy music, the convincing make-up (remember Ross Martin's various efforts). Sometimes you had the sense you were watching a movie, rather than a tv show - and same for BTVS.

Now if the Wild, Wild West had a farsical premise, it's easy to forget how silly was that for Star Trek. And it's the same for Buffy. It basically is a silly show. Vampires explode to dust, clothing and all. Joss says it 'looks neat', and is a convenient device for a couple of reasons. The desperate gun-toting Darla vamp was never repeated, lest Buffy, or whatever slayer, gets killed at the end of every episode. Sunlight, or no sunlight. Smoke or don't smoke. And so on. And West and Gordon used hobbyist propane torches to melt locks and steel bars. But as the bond between the partners in the WWW, and that between the bridge officers of the Enterprise, the Buffy 'team' seems to have found a similar sort of friendship. And so that is an essential element in the success of the show. Friendship. Growing friendship. Changing friendship. But still always friends, and even more. To be clear, close friends, sure. But close friends with a purpose. Friends who 'have each other's back'. Friends who face life threatening situations every week.

One characteristic of that is the willingness to kid each other. There has to be a willingness to relieve the tension, the fear, the foreboding. And the shows all tend to farce, as part of this. And they all employ tongue in cheek and biting sarcasm even, on many occasions, from other characters, from the writers setting up a humorous situation, and so on, which is when such a fantasy drama works best - when the writers don't take it too seriously for too long an interval; when they try some 'special' episode is when the reality of such tends to highlight the silliness of the show's very premise. The characters kid each other, sometimes seemingly even cruelly, without ultimately being cruel (perhaps). West always chided Gordon. Gordon often teased West. 'Bones' often had nothing good to say about Spock. But no one imagined McCoy wouldn't even give his life to save Spock from danger. That is less evident in the second season of Buffy. And calling upon teenage sarcasm is not a difficult thing. But the jibes of Buffy at Giles, or Giles about them, or teens in general, frankly of the writers about Buffy (the library scene in her cheerleader outfit), of any of the team about Cordy, once she basically joined the team, and so on, never gave the sense that they, in the bizarre kill or be killed universe of Sunnydale, wouldn't actually give their lives for each other.

They tease. But this is a team in mortal danger, every week. Maybe some shows had West alone, or Gordon alone, and the sense was that the writers were covering while the other actor was unavailable that week. But they eventually got back together. Maybe Kirk was stranded on a planet, or McCoy, or whatever. But even by the end of the episode the team was reunited. West and Gordon, the Enterprise officers, and the Buffy bunch (or 'Scooby gang' as it was phrased in one episode) face the common and unforeseen enemy; mostly together. The next danger is not always predictable. And they must rely - on each other. They need to know they can tease each other, after a fashion, and even if it sometimes misfires. For relieving the tension, still, they need to know they're, at least, friends; that some things can be taken for granted, what with all the unpredictability the characters, together, must inevitably deal with.

And that's possibly where it isn't even so much that they're in a war, with bullets flying. Real soldiers, facing fatal uncertainties, when the casualities are high, when the war is particularly 'hot', don't necessarily develop any friendship with new recruits, the outsiders. They could be dead the next day. There's just no guarantee, according to a script, that they'll survive for the next intro. In addition, in a war, the soldier's aren't enjoying it. They want the job over. They want to go home. It isn't an adventure. They don't want there to be a next episode, as it were. Kirk and friends, in the face of a battle, after a battle, were in good spirits. It never got to those characters, as in reality it likely would. But introducing such reality, again, can reveal the flawed premise of the show, itself - shows based in utter fantasy, not reality - and where otherwise viewers are more eager to suspend all disbelief. West and Gordon, for example, were always ready with a quip for the next assignment; likely following the James Bond paradigm of the time. And at least for the first season, if less so in the second, the 'Scooby gang' was up for the next 'assignment', the next baddie, with sort of a song in their heart - as was Angel's line, at one point. Giles couldn't wait, at the close of the initial premiere, for what would come next. The reality would be that it would all wear thin, real fast. The Star Trek spin-offs sort of considered this, and suffered for it. The fantasy is that it's equally an adventure to look forward to, every week. The characters are sharp every week, bright, enthusiastic, witty, with that song in their heart, to some degree - good guys, bad guys, everyone's having fun, so to speak.

So, obviously, these tv shows are a bit different than a documentary. The on-going friendship which is so essential to these stories is based on thinking the team is invulnerable. The Mission Impossible team got together at the end of each show. If Jim Phelps was killed, it would be a different sort of show. The recent Soldier of Fortune mercenaries always manage to rescue each other, if that's the danger they face. Kirk could be on a planet half way across the galaxy, and the Enterprise would have rescued him by the end of the hour. This may be where Joss dropped the ball, by introducing a character as a member of the team, only to kill her off for the shock value - namely the Jena/Jenny character brought to life by Robia la Morte. To the extent she was seen as a member of the bridge crew, a member of the team and fighting force, and it does seem she was, perhaps it introduces a sort of detachment, particularly to anyone new, which is just the opposite of the bond these teams develop on the succesful shows, because basically only the red shirts are killed. The team, itself, has been injured. The new recruits may never quite lose their probationary 'red shirt'. Kendra, slayer and all, was still just a 'red shirt'. Jenny was a member of the crew. For her to have been forced to move on, would have been one thing. But for the script to call for her to be killed off, specifically, is entirely something else.

A Star Trek spin-off killed off one of its crew, played by Denise Crosby. Behind the scenes, it may have been over contracts, and whatever else. But for the other characters, it seemed to introduce a certain coolness and 'professionalism' that might have seemed alien to the original Enterprise officers (perhaps careerism was more a yuppie cult kind of thing in the late 80s into the 90s, as well). Gordon was often replaced by other actors as the WWW aged. But Gordon was never killed, and tended to return, at some point (in fact, the actor, Ross Martin, was actually injured at one point doing his own stunts, something which Sarah Gellar, who plays Buffy, may be allowed only occasionally, as in the closing scene of the Amy witch episode).

As already noted, ultimately, and like WWW and Star Trek, Buffy is more fantasy than anything. The suggestion of wartime fatalities goes to reality, not to fantasy. The fantasy is still that the princess lives happily ever after. The fantasy is that the team survives, intact, to the next episode. Sulu, we'll say, could have been killed off, at some point. But Star Trek will be remembered with Sulu as part of the team, because he wasn't killed off. And he's part of the syndication appeal, as are the rest of that bridge crew. Joss Whedon could easily dispose of a somewhat marginal team player in Oz, the sometimes werewolf. But that, too, would cut into the very trust for the team that the characters developed in the early episodes, and which was damaged by killing off Jenny. And he will have to find some excuse to move Cordy and Angel along, because a tv spin-off is in the works. At least he won't be able to slay them. But it does suggest a move more toward plot every week on BVTS, to avoid the relationships; duty and roles, now more than friendships.

The last thing I'd mention is that the shows share is a certain quality in the acting, and the sense that the actors actually enjoy playing the characters. They seem to be having fun in the role, while also being convincing and good at it. They seem to be the characters they pretend to be. And there's always an intelligence and wit behind the eyes that's evident. It is and was the actors who make or break such a fantasy action show. Shatner was Captain Kirk. And even more, Leonard Nimoy was the unlikely Spock.

In that way, Anthony Head, in a pivotal role on the team, perhaps not appreciated as such, is the confused but dutiful watcher/librarian. He's the narrator; on-screen voice over, in a way. He's the 'control' for his little group of agents. He's the adult, the authority figure the kids like and respect. He's the coach who provides motivation and direction; as in, 'this is serious, Buffy.' And he's, as Joss put it, the stereotypical British guy who is the guru on demon hunting - save that Head plays it as far more than a movie stereotype.
 

Similarly, Sarah, who could have easily played Cordy for which she originally won a part in the cast, and who could easily have played one of the evil vampires (she can get that sort of angry, psycho, demented look at times - see the 'stake' commercial) - perhaps the ultimate Cordy, the ultimate cheerleader, the ultimate vamp - and yet, is Buffy Summers. There's no question. She is her character. You can't 'switch Darren's, here.

And while actually older than Sarah, and whether one thinks Alyson Hannigan is so much similar to her character, Willow, fact is her portrayal is a perfect . . Willow; which character perhaps has even more appeal than the 'super-hero', of Buffy. Willow is the average kid, ambitious, bright with good grades, but not one to mess with others, or manipulate others, or take advantage if advantage can be taken. She's fair. She starts out shy and retiring; the nerd everyone wants her to be. But even through the second season, the character maintains a certain humility, even as the shyness necessarily starts to fade.

Nick Brendon plays the somewhat less important role of general utility man, in Alexander 'Xander' Harris. He doesn't really have any particular skill to lend the team, save that he's another guy when one can use another guy in a fight, or to track down clues. Xander came to the team as Willow's best friend, even though his own affections are for and shared by 'Cordy' Chase. The writers give Xander a wit, a sarcasm, that often seems more bitter and defensive, than teasing. The others either laugh, or scratch their heads, but don't typically seem that offended; only on occasion (e.g. the 'dummy slayer' jibe). His virtues stem from a sort of selfless devotion to his friends, the team, even if he knows he isn't really capable or ready to face Sunnydale dangers, he does so for them.

Briefly Baywatch babe, Charisma Carpenter (her first name supposedly drawn from a commercial perfume product) plays the late addition to the team, Cordelia Chase, one of the 'popular girls' in school, a manipulator, a hustler, the shallow, stuck-up 'git' of the old late night soap operas. She seemed, in episode after episode, to mysteriously wind up as the damsel in distress, the killer's next victim, only to be repeatedly rescued by the 'Scooby gang'. So 'Cordy' is forced into association with the team, if just for self-preservation, perhaps. Needlesstosay, it's her character that stands in need of the most transformation from beginning of story to end. And that's pretty much how it's gone.

David Boreanaz was apparently so convincing as Angel, that Joss, or the network, or both, decided to make him a member of the cast, rather than a briefly episodic character.

Some have said it's a shame the same wasn't considered for the Darla character, played so ably and evilly by Julie Benz. But perhaps the villain, even a recurring villain, isn't quite the same as the protagonist. The same villain, every week, suggests a lack of success by the 'A' team; that there's been a stand-off, even an 'understanding'; but that the threat isn't really there any longer. If the bad guy gets away too many times, it doesn't look right. Still, she created an 'A' villain. And she can't, now, mysteriously sneak on back into town to even the score.

The conclusion is simply that BTVS has good writing, much of the time; save for a few of those second season episodes. And the acting is superb. And that's surely no accident, from the auditions on up. It was the actors who made the original Star Trek, and haven't really been up to it in the subsequent series. It was Conrad and Martin who made their substitutes, in various episodes, pale by comparison.

JULY 2000: I had originally written the above critique at the end of season #1, when the show was something of a phenomenon, and even something you 'got home to watch'. It was a fun show. It didn't preach. It was the cartoon of Whedon's fantasies. It was just as described, above. Buffy could jump straight up, backwards, over a ten foot steel gate, and land like a cat on her feet (Buffy's gotten a lot more 'earth-bound', since then).
 
I then revised the critique after the 'surprise' episode involving Robia la Morte, and in anticipation of the Angel series spin-off, as mentioned above.
 
But I still have to confess that my interest in the show fell off in what some argue was its best season - #2; though some might also call it the 'bad eggs' season (?). Certainly, by season #3, the 'Anne' premier was a shocker in that they violated most every rule of this sort of program, and tried to change the series from a campy 60's sort of action adventure into a 90's style PSA or soap opera. They never really recovered from that, going from one shattered arc to another, one useless villain to the next (except for Spike), with one or two successful episodes becoming more the exception than the rule. I suggested that the Zeppo episode was brilliant in how it managed to poke fun of almost every cliche we've seen so far in the series. It was a fun episode in the way that some of the best first year episodes were fun, though it had to go parody to accomplish it.
 
Looking back, at the end of the show's run on the 'WB', it's clear that many critics were right when they complained that the show lost its focus even as early as the end of the very first season; that they'd 'run out of ideas' (at the time, I didn't agree - but they were right). To marry soap with fantasy, as was attempted in Dark Shadows, does not demand martial-arts plot resolutions and stunt work, which have worked so well without the soap opera overlay. Returning to the obvious fantasy, in the recent musical episode on UPN, showed how fantasy works with this concept, as well as it did when the Xena crew did the same thing. The original concept was silly, but good. It actually worked. It was bright, upbeat, unrealistic, and fun. Starting with Anne, it began to embrace more of the darkness and despair that provided that place to fear and to escape from, out into the light, away from vampirism. It became less an adventure, and more just . . a job. You have to pay people to do a job. They'll pay you for an adventure.
 

 

That said, back toward the beginning of season 3, while viewing the ng, and with all respect to the make-up people (who I believe won an Emmy the year before), I just found the following amusing:

Joss and Co. realize that the wolfy costume from last season was silly looking so they decided to switch to this new costume.
[Darkmoon, Oz's new fur coat, Tue, 20 Oct 1998 22:30:55 -0700, 70jr56$m3o@sjx-ixn5.ix.netcom.com]

Re: Ozwolfsuit. We've gone from Big Gay possum to Puffy Gorilla. What can I say? We'll keep trying.
[Joss Whedon, Tue Oct 20 21:45:43 1998 205.188.193.153, non-threaded posting board at buffy.com (http://board.buffy.com/bronze/pb00tuesday.shtml)]