Buffy The Vampire Slayer 10 Years Later: Why It Still Matters

Ten years ago today, Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired its 144^th and final episode, “Chosen.”  The only reason I knew this was because my 11^th grade math teacher was a huge fan.  I was not; as an awkward teenager who was constantly worried about how others perceived him, I wrote Buffy off as a show for pre-teen girls.  (How far I’ve come.)  Within three months, I would be hooked on the show and wishing that I’d gotten into it sooner.  The show grabbed me with its incredible story arcs (the Angelus arc in the back half of Season 2, to be exact), but it kept me coming back with its honest look at life as a high school student.  Sure, I never had to deal with vampires, internet demons, hyena people, or Principal Snyder.  But I did have to deal with being ignored (“Out of Mind, Out of Sight”), puberty (“Phases”), even suicidal thoughts (“Revelations”).  Even though the characters on Buffy were fictional and faced fantastical interpretations of these problems, their reactions to the hardships of life were so real, moreso than a lot of the other stories I willingly consumed.  (I say willingly because the books I read for school had pretty great characterization too, but with a few exceptions, I didn’t notice.)  And the show was funny as hell.  Joss Whedon and his team of writers at Mutant Enemy were experts at quippy dialogue, and could go from screamingly funny to sobbingly dramatic in seconds.

So now it’s been ten years.  Why do I still talk about this show nearly every day?  Why do I still hold it (and its spin-off Angel) in such high regard, viewing them as among my favorite shows of all time, right up there with The Wire?  Why am I writing a piece to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of its last episode, an episode I didn’t watch live because I was too close-minded to give the show a chance?  Because Buffy isn’t a show about how to survive high school.  It’s a show about how to survive life.  I am currently in the middle of my second full rewatch of the series.  The last time I watched the series from beginning to end, I was 22 and about to start law school.  I had never had a serious relationship, I could barely remember what it was like to lose a close family member (my grandfather died when I was very young, and I did not process it then the way I would now), and I had never made a mistake that would haunt me for years.  I’ve had all those experiences now, and during this viewing, while certain elements of the show look extremely dated and silly (hello low-budget monster costumes/effects and limited sets), the story elements are stronger than they’ve ever been.  “The hardest thing in this world is to live in it,” and there is never a shortage of hellish problems for Buffy and her friends to deal with, whether it be evil gods and Frankenstein’s monsters or heartache and depression.  And here’s the thing about how Buffy and her friends handled their problems: things didn’t “go back to normal” at the end of the episode.  Sometimes, they couldn’t solve their problems by the episode’s end.  And when they did solve a problem, they were changed by the problem and solution.  Just like in real life.  Sometimes they were changed for the worse, but more often, they learned from their mistakes and became better people for dealing with them.  And it’s still funny as hell.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is more true to life than many works of fiction that do not contain fictional creatures.  And for that reason, I will continue to watch it, analyze it, and talk to you about you can’t take it anymore.  It really is that good.

Photo via Fuckyeahjosswhedon

Television Thunderdome: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Series Overview: Telling the story of a group of children at the center of a global war, Avatar: The Last Airbender examines some very heavy, very adult themes in ways that few works of “children’s entertainment” dare to do.  (See also: Harry Potter.)  Taking place in a world divided into four nations based on the classic Greek elements and influenced by anime and kung fu movies, certain people have the ability to manipulate, or “bend,” the element associated with the nation of their birth.  The Avatar, the physical incarnation of the planet, can control all four elements and is tasked with maintaining the world’s balance.  The series begins 100 years after the start of a horrible war that has thrown the world out of balance and threatens to result in the eradication or enslavement of the losing nations.  The series follows the young Aang, the current Avatar, and his friends as they journey across the world to put an end to the war and restore balance.  Along the way, they see the horrors of war.  The series examines the high cost of human life in wars, nationalism, terrorism, racism, and even genocide without ever watering down these themes for children.  As a result, the series is a deep, moving experience that is appropriate for children but will draw in and captivate adults.

What Makes It Worth Watching: The thematic elements of this show help tell a wonderfully engaging tale of friendship, sacrifice, and balance.  But even with an excellent story, the series wouldn’t be anything without the fantastic characters.  Nearly every main and recurring character has something about them that makes them compelling to watch.  Also, special mention should be made about the women and the villains.  The women of the Avatar universe are among the best female characters in recent television history.  Unlike too many women in the medium, characters like Katara, Toph, Suki, and Azula are strong, confident, and have agency and motivations, rather than being little more than props or reflections of their male counterparts.  Meanwhile, the villains are some of the most dangerous villains you’ll see in a children’s work.  The heroes have to work very hard to earn their victories, because the villains are highly motivated and truly think that they are in the right.  Despite being a cartoon, the villains are not cartoonishly evil for the sake of being evil.  Most are fighting for their nation and, if not for the war, would probably be friendly with the protagonists.  There are some who are not quite so upstanding, but they have a combination of mental issues and warped worldviews, the result of being subjected to propaganda since birth.

Finally, the combat scenes are breathtaking to behold.  The creators worked with a sifu of various disciplines of Chinese martial arts, and each style of bending corresponds to a different discipline.  The fight scenes are intricately choreographed and stunningly animated, providing a visceral complement to the intellectual aspects of the show.

Caveats: Like Buffy/Angel, Avatar doesn’t hit the ground running.  Fortunately, it picks up quicker than Buffy and Angel do, but the earliest episodes are the least mature of the entire series.  The show never loses touch with the fact that it’s a show on Nickelodeon (something that nearly prevented me from watching it), but most of the immature humor comes in the early episodes.  And once again, it takes about 12 episodes or so for the characters to develop into who they will become.  For example, the Sokka of the first 5 or so episodes is an insufferable moron and sexist.  And then, he suddenly becomes a hilarious tactician, and the show is so much richer for it.  And while the first season has many great episodes, the show is very episodic with an over-arching story in the background.  But then seasons 2 and 3 kick things into high gear by bringing the over-arching story more into the foreground and raising the stakes.

Suggested Episodes If You Aren’t Immediately Sold: “Jet” (1x10), “The Storm” (1x12), “The Blue Spirit” (1x13)

Bonus: Unlike Buffy and Angel, which I pretty much view as a single show due to the fact that the crossovers between the shows enrich the viewing experience, I see Avatar: The Last Airbender as a separate show from its spin-off The Legend of Korra.  Korra takes place 70 years after Avatar, so there are no concurrent crossovers.  However, Korra has proven itself to be a worthy successor to Avatar, and brings Avatar’s strong thematic exploration to politics and peacetime terrorism.  And the hero and current Avatar, Korra, takes “strong female character” to the next level.

Television Thunderdome: Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Angel

Series Overview: Two horror/fantasy series created by Joss Whedon before he was known as the man who gave us The Avengers, which use supernatural elements to tell some of the most human stories on television.  Beginning as a show exposing the horrors of teenage life, Buffy expanded into an epic about what it means to be alive.  The show examined first love, adapting to new settings (first when the characters transitioned from high school to college, then from college into the workforce), what it means to be family, and, in one of the most devastating hours ever committed to film, the finality of death.  The spin-off series Angel, starting when the Buffy characters were in college, was the first to examine the horrors of adult life.  Its first season looked at what can go wrong when buying your first house, the unpredictability of raising children, and making it through a job that wasn’t your first choice, but is something that is, for better or for worse, inescapable.  From there, Angel opened up to larger themes, including the horrible things people can do to each other when they are scared, the nature of evil, and, most importantly, what constitutes redemption.  Along the way, both series see their fair share of hope and heartbreak as the characters learn, grow, succeed, and, just as often, fail miserably.

What Makes It Worth Watching: Joss Whedon is a master of humor, sadness, and pivoting from one to the other without warning.  The characters who populate his worlds are both very witty and have very human reactions to the events around them.  The characters are the crux of a Joss Whedon show; big events happen, but it is the characters’ actions which drive the story.  And, with very few exceptions, these characters are well-developed and act how you would expect them to based on what you know of them.  This is not to say that their actions are always foreseeable or that they don’t grow.  Many times, characters’ actions are unexpected despite being perfectly within character.  Everyone on the show is flawed, and sometimes, their stronger qualities win out, while other times, they succumb to their flaws.  And as for growth, no one is exactly who they were at the series’ beginnings, but the changes always make sense.  In fact, Angel has a character who, at the end of the series, is almost unrecognizable from who he was when he was introduced.  And yet, the changes were so gradual and organic that they are almost impossible to notice until you see a flashback to who he was and realize how much hell his trials and tribulations have put him through.

Beyond the characters, the stories told are exciting, touching, and at times, delightfully weird.  Buffy especially was willing to go weird with its storytelling, featuring a musical episode, an episode that was nearly dialogue-free (and, ironically, was the only episode to be nominated for a non-make-up Emmy… in the category of Best Writing), and an episode that takes place entirely in an alternate universe, with no exposition at the top explaining why things are different.

Caveats: Together, there are 254 episodes, which is a huge commitment.  And unfortunately, neither show hits the ground running.  Angel’s first season is by far its weakest, and includes the two worst episodes of the series.  It also has some episodes that merit mention among the series’ best, and overall, it is a good season, but the show takes a while to find it’s footing.  Buffy’s first season has similar problems, but is even more awkward.  The make-up and effects were laughably bad (they never become spectacular, but they at least become passable), the “high school is hell” metaphor stories are not as seamlessly integrated as they become in future seasons, and the characters are a bit rough around the edges.  They are not “out of character,” but they are not as well-defined as they will come to be, as the show uses the first season to sort out everyone’s relationship.

I’m reluctant to suggest skipping episodes, as even the worst episodes have something to offer, whether it be characterization or, in the case of “She,” Angel’s worst episode, very funny moments.  All I can say is that you have to go in knowing that the first few episodes are going to be silly and being ready to make a few MST3K-style quips.  But stick with it, and in no time at all, the show will become one of the most rewarding and moving television experiences you will ever have.

Suggested Episodes If You Aren’t Immediately Sold: “Prophecy Girl,” (Buffy 1x12), “School Hard” (Buffy 2x03), “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” (Angel 1x14), “Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been” (Angel 2x02)

Television Thunderdome

While talking on Twitter tonight, I learned that a friend is planning to start watching either Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, Avatar: The Last Airbender, or Breaking Bad soon.  I told her that all three (well, four) shows are incredible, but are great in very different ways.  I’ve already given 140-character explanations as to their worth, but because I can’t pass up an opportunity to talk about these shows, I’m going to give fuller recommendations here.

Hopefully, a few others will decide to take the plunge into one or all of these incredible TV series.