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Buffy the Vampire Slayer turns 20

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That being said, S4 is Angel at its most ambitious and has some of the very best stuff in it. Love it.

Yep. It always pisses people off whenever I say it but S4 of Angel is the most consistently well done season of any show in the Buffyverse. The other seasons may have higher highs, but holy shit do they have some real lows.

Buffy overall remains the much better show. It was pretty gutsy to have Buffy sacrifice herself in the series finale, but hey, five seasons is a good run for a show. At least it didn't overstay its welcome.

edit: The craziest thing that spawned from the Buffyverse to me is David Boreanaz's career. He was so awful when he first started on Buffy and now between it, Angel and Bones I've watched 20 seasons of television starring him. He's gotten a lot better at acting over the years too.
 

Aske

Member
I grew up with this show mirroring my highschool experience. It will always have a special place in my heart.

Buffy is my favourite character. Season 4 is my favourite season. I know it's behated by many, but it has Hush, and I loved the college backdrop. Also, I was never a huge fan of Dawn - she didn't hurt the show, but I definitely prefer the pre-Dawn days.

Favourite episode is tough. So many to choose from. Hush is great. Favourite villain(s) are The Trio for their amazing character arcs, the incredible episodes that featured them as antagonists, and the impact each of them has on the rest of the cast throughout the series. They're closely followed by Caleb and The First. Loved their dynamic, and the superb way the show used them to escalate things above and beyond where it had gone in the past. All that being said, the Mayor remains one of the best characters in the whole show.
 
Spike was the best character.
Great character progression from villain to hero.
He always had Buffy's back

Plus him going onto Angels final season was genius.


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Metalmarc

Member
I remember after-school TV on BBC2 being the holy trifecta of The Simpsons/Fresh Prince/Buffy. They don't make shows like them anymore :(

Yes,mthats where i first discovered it, before then i heard about it and thought it was a silly show for teenage girls only, or it was like Friends but with Vampires, but one day i taped simpsons and fresh price and had left it on and accidentally recorded Buffy, i was bored, so i started fast forwarding through it, it was the one with the Lesbian kiss between Willow and the other Girl, so i stopped and started watching, and it became a guilty pleasure.
 

Replicant

Member
S2, S3, and S5 were the best.

S1 was okay.

S4, S6, and S7 suck balls. Hairy ones.

Hate Anya. She's bargain basement, inferior, and wannabe Cordelia.

Wesley is the best.

Spike is the worst love interest for Buffy.
 

Lender

Member
Started watching it again due to it's 20th birthday. Seen it countless of times and I still enjoy them as much as I did back in the day. Was a huge Buffy freak too. I remember being sick one day and actually binge watching the entire season 7 in one day.

Favorite season. Hmmm, a toss up between 2, 3 and 5. Worst season: 4 (even though it had some amazing episodes).

Favorite Buffy character is obviously Spike. If we're talking about the general Buffyverse I would probably say Wesley. The character progression he went through was amazing.

Going from this:

Wesley+spazz+gif.gif
b92821250edfa12c372436b86a71bbaa.jpg


to this badass:

tumblr_lx2m0pLHM81qagmbf.gif


Amazing.
 

Bladenic

Member
S2, S3, and S5 were the best.

S1 was okay.

S4, S6, and S7 suck balls. Hairy ones.

Hate Anya. She's bargain basement, inferior, and wannabe Cordelia.

Wesley is the best.

Spike is the worst love interest for Buffy.

Amen about Anya. She eventually grew on me by the end and I was sad at her fate but still, she always seemed like a poor Cordelia replacement.
 

Shadybiz

Member

I ACTUALLY choked a little bit on my drink when I saw this. Well done.

Well... put it this way.

Buffy is probably the most popular choice for best WB show ever, and makes it's way into a lot of best TV ever lists.

It was one of the first WB shows, so it's a bit dated at times, and the first season is ROUGH - but Seasons 2 and 3 are some of the best ever and the show has like 15 episodes of it's 144 episode run that could be included in a top 100 list.

Also, it has a 100+ episode spin-off people like as much. Some like it more.

Okay good stuff. I have informed the wife that I would like to check it out, and she is, predictably, totally on board.
 
I have nealry forgotten everything that happened in that show.... I think I have more recollection about the spin off "Angel".

But I really liked the show, don't know why I can't really remember anything from it... strange.
 

Jintor

Member
hell of a show.

I watched most of it on a tiny laptop screen in a freezing cement garage while sorting junk mail for my delivery job.

good times.
 

dude

dude
I re-watch this series all the time. It's one of the best TV shows ever made.
My favorite are seasons 2 and 6. season 7 was the weakest for me.

Angel was fun to watch, but some of the story lines in that show were ridiculous. Wesley kept redeeming the show though.
 
Angel was fun to watch, but some of the story lines in that show were ridiculous.

This is why I preferred Buffy over Angel. Angel devolved into some straight up soap opera shit at times.
Darla should have stayed dead, for example. Couldn't stand her revival and what it eventually lead to (i.e. Connor).

Wesley's character development was the most consistently strong thing, though.
 
Started watching it again due to it's 20th birthday. Seen it countless of times and I still enjoy them as much as I did back in the day. Was a huge Buffy freak too. I remember being sick one day and actually binge watching the entire season 7 in one day.

Favorite season. Hmmm, a toss up between 2, 3 and 5. Worst season: 4 (even though it had some amazing episodes).

Favorite Buffy character is obviously Spike. If we're talking about the general Buffyverse I would probably say Wesley. The character progression he went through was amazing.

Going from this:

Wesley+spazz+gif.gif
b92821250edfa12c372436b86a71bbaa.jpg


to this badass:

tumblr_lx2m0pLHM81qagmbf.gif


Amazing.

Wesley seemed to be the only character in both shows using actual guns.

When team Angel fought The Beast he shot him a bunch of times with dual pistols that did nothing until he then pulled out a pump action shotgun that actually brought him to his knees: https://youtu.be/qgRdWnhixf0
 

kunonabi

Member
1. Favorite season?
Season 2 and I'm also pretty partial to 6 despite my distaste for Willow by that point. Had season 5 had a better actress for Glory it would have been near the top for me. Season 3 is obviously the best season though.

Season 4 was pretty terrible but had same amazing highlights while season 7 was just garbage from start to finish.

2. Favorite episode?
The Zeppo.

3. Favorite character?
Really hard to pick one. Started liking Willow the best than moved on to Xander and I really dug Spike, Drusilla, and Dawn too. Top three are probably Xander, Spike, and Dawn.
 
Tremendous show. So important to me growing up and to this day I haven't seen a show that or any other kind of media that had me so invested in its characters and world.

I really wish it could have some kind of spin off or revival today. Hell, I'd even be alright with a reboot if it was in the right hands.
 

PaulloDEC

Member
How weird, I've been watching Buffy for the first time over the last few months. About to start Season 4 and really enjoying it.
 

Bold One

Member
Kennedy almost made the last season of Buffy unwatchable. What an awful awful character. Hated her so much. The show's Connor but much worse.
 

Helen Shivers

Neo Member
Favorite season: 3, 5 a close second. Faith and Glory were such great additions, Dawn can lessen season 5 for some because she can be annoying but most younger siblings are annoying

Favorite episode: Hush, The Body, Once More With Feeling are obviously up there. Becoming, The Gift, Tabula Rasa, Bad Girls, Selfless

Favorite character: Buffy is the show, she's the best, I've always been a fan of Sarah before I even watched any Buffy. Anya is my other favorite, her comic relief is very welcome at times, and I love her bluntness because she just doesn't know any better.
 

Darrenf

Member
Favorite Season is Three.
Favorite episode is Once More With Feeling
Favorite character is Wesley (I know I'm kind of cheating selecting him)

I started rewatching Buffy last year got to Season 7 and just stopped, I'll go back some day.

Started rewatching Angel in January but only got to Season 2 before I stopped. Really looking forward to returning to it.
 

Dispatch

Member
I started watch the series midway through. I'd never even heard of it, but, strangely enough, it was the horrible shooting at Colombine High School that led to me discovering the show.

I was student teaching when Colombine happened and I was devouring news of the event, and, because of the high school setting and some violence, the WB decided to delay the second half of the Season 3 finale. I watched it because of the delay and I was hooked.

It was a few years before I could go back and watch Season 1 and 2 on DVD, and it became my favorite show of all time. It still is, and I'm looking forward to binge-watching it with my girls, probably this summer.

My favorite season is Season 3.

I can't narrow it down to one favorite episode:
  • Hush is the one I show to get people interested.
  • Once More With Feeling is the one I've watched the most.
  • The Body STILL feels ground-breaking.
  • Band Candy is the one that makes me laugh the most. ("Summers, you drive like a spaz!")

I identified with Xander, since he was the stand in for us. I loved Wesley's story the most and wish that Alexis Denisoff would do more. (If they ever did a Moon Knight Netflix series, he'd be perfect for Marc Spector, even if he's a little old now.)

Maybe I'll watch an episode or four tonight.
 

LoveCake

Member
I remember being hyped for the first series when it was first show on Sky One here in the UK and It was great and I watched it from start to finish and of course Angel.

I did though prefer Faith and more so as I actually got to meet Eliza Dushku at an event here in the UK.

I have seen one or two episodes recently (not sure on which channel) but unfortunately, they do seem to have dated rather quickly and I hate to say it, they have not aged well, I know, I know this is a celebration, but I was shocked and sadly surprised when I did watch recently.

As for favorite episode, the one where Faith steals Buffy's body.
 
One of my favourite shows ever.

I literally can not get into any other American live action to shows outside of Buffy and X Files, and Buffy beats it.

It's timeless.
 

jrush64

Banned
2011 to 2012 was when I really got into Buffy. Watched all 7 seasons and really loved it. Faith was my fav character, was sad what happened to her in the 3rd season. At least she redeemed herself.

S2 ending is like one of the GOAT endings though.
 

Replicant

Member
Wesley/Lilah was my favorite ship after Buffy/Angel. So twisted but there's a real connection, tenderness and love that neither willing to admit because they are enemies.

Wesley trying to burn Lilah's contract with W&H made me teary. "It meant a lot that you tried."
 
Which episode was it that had the demon that poisoned Buffy, and had her hallucinating that she was in a psych ward and everything was all in her head... or alternatively, where she had a moment of lucidity, and broke free from the illusion that she was the Slayer?

I remember kinda liking it for raising the question, but never going back to definitively answer it.
 

AoM

Member
Some ongoing podcasts/media to check out for those who have already seen the show:

- Dusted: couple who unfortunately divorced recently (new co-host around roughly halfway through S6); completed five seasons of Buffy and two seasons of Angel; currently going through S6 of Buffy (and have done some of Angel S3).

- Tiny Fences: two friends, one’s seen both shows, the other hasn’t; currently in S5 of Buffy; also giving mini Angel reviews at the end of their podcasts (and some episodes dedicated entirely to Angel episodes).

- Buffering the Vampire Slayer: couple who have both seen Buffy; create music that encapsulates each episode; currently in S2.

- Passion of the Nerd: YouTube video reviews of Buffy and Angel episodes; currently in S4 of Buffy (and S1 of Angel).

- Big Bad Buffy Interviews: interviews with the cast and crew of the show; so far they’ve interviewed Kristine Sutherland (Joyce), Marcia Shulman (casting director), David Fury (writer/director), Kristy Swanson (original Buffy), David Solomon (producer/director), Stephen Tobolowsky (principal in the unaired pilot), Doug Petrie (writer/director), and Clinton McClung (arranged screenings of OMWF around the country).

I’ll add these (and others anyone knows of) to the OP.
 

ascii42

Member
Which episode was it that had the demon that poisoned Buffy, and had her hallucinating that she was in a psych ward and everything was all in her head... or alternatively, where she had a moment of lucidity, and broke free from the illusion that she was the Slayer?

I remember kinda liking it for raising the question, but never going back to definitively answer it.
That was the Season 6 episode "Normal Again"
 
Which episode was it that had the demon that poisoned Buffy, and had her hallucinating that she was in a psych ward and everything was all in her head... or alternatively, where she had a moment of lucidity, and broke free from the illusion that she was the Slayer?

I remember kinda liking it for raising the question, but never going back to definitively answer it.

http://buffy.wikia.com/wiki/Asylum_Buffy
The real Buffy

OR IS IT???????
 

Rhaknar

The Steam equivalent of the drunk friend who keeps offering to pay your tab all night.
thanks for making me feel old. One of the my faves ever along with Angel.

I give the nod to Angel because Angel has my uber bae, Illyria:

latest


and im a sucker for goth
demon
chicks
 

krazen

Member
Legion just had an episode where 25% of it was in silence and all I could think of was Hush.

Nobody did it like Buffy did it, greatest of all time!
 

jb1234

Member
I've considered doing a rewatch and just stopping at the end of season 5. I don't have a great deal of affection for the last two seasons.
 

bitbydeath

Member
Favourite seasons - 5,6,7,3,4,2,1
Favourite episode - Once more, with feeling (still listen to the album)
Favourite character - Buffy/Giles
 

Blank!

Member
I hated everything Spike related. That whole romance/plot line was such a turn off on the show for me and it felt like they devoted so much fucking time to it.
 

hipbabboom

Huh? What did I say? Did I screw up again? :(
Is it weird that I left that show feeling Spike was the most memorable... and that's not to take away from the other characters; its just... its really rare to have a villain become endearing but, like the trauma, the impact is lasting.
 
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