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Why do you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
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Posted by: TivoFan

For me it all started out about Willow. She was the best part of the whole show for me. But over time I've come to really enjoy Spike much more. I think season four was the beginning of the turning point.

What do you like best about the show?

Posted by: ClutchBrake

Spike
Anya
Xander
Giles
Buffy
Willow
Dawn

More on my motives when I am not half asleep.

Posted by: murgatroyd

The characters, and the wordplay.

Jan

Posted by: David Platt

quote:
Originally posted by murgatroyd
The characters, and the wordplay.

Jan

You stole my answer, Jan! ;)

Nobody can tell a story like Joss Whedon. I love the continuing storylines that take entire seasons (sometimes even multiple seasons) to resolve. I love not only the characters, but also how the writers are not afraid to make characters that we love do unlovable things.

Posted by: JimSpence

And SMG.:)

Posted by: Maui

I don't think I can actually rate the characters, although I will admit to falling for Willow.

Mostly what it boils down to is the writing. They ave made me laugh, cry, gasp and cheer and utter more than a few refrains of "Holy Sh*t"

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

Yeah, it's probably the best-written show on TV (although I'm getting tired of the looks I get when I say that).

Posted by: TiVoLance

Its the best mix of Drama, Action, and Comedy I have ever seen on TV.

Posted by: JimSpence

I got hooked near the end of season 4. As everyone has said before, it's a combination of acting, writing that I enjoy. Yeah, sure some episodes are dogs, but, the characters make take up the slack. I don't understand some of the complaints that are written about the show on the Television Without Pity Forum. The people over there need to get a life, just learn to sit back and enjoy the show instead of looking for all of its faults.

Season 3 DVD is on the way.

Posted by: murgatroyd

quote:
Originally posted by Medieval Guy
Yeah, it's probably the best-written show on TV (although I'm getting tired of the looks I get when I say that).

Aren't we all. :rolleyes:

To expand a little on my very brief answer last night (sorry, DPlatt ;) ) -- it's hard for me to single out any one character as a favorite -- the ensemble is so good, and after all it's the way all the characters play off each other that makes them all so good.

Then there are moments like the one where Joss introduces a stranger to the mix, and (skip this spoiler thing unless you're caught up) you get a zinger from an entirely different direction:

Spoiler Alert! (highlight to read)
like the episode where the girl loses her dog, and we find out that Anya has turned her boyfriend into the giant worm -- remember the moment when they find Anya in the Bronze, and the new girl says "are there any of you that haven't slept together?", and Xander and Spike give each other that Look?

I also love the way that Joss makes it possible for the old farts like me to both identify with the young characters, as I remember what high school is like, and the older ones (since I'm bookish by nature, I have more fellow-feeling for Giles than Buffy's mom).

Thus "Band Candy" is still one of my favorite episodes. :D

P.S. Fox's own website says the expected release date for Buffy Season 3 is 1/7/2003, so it should be showing up any moment now ....

Jan

Posted by: DanT

Ditto on the writing. All my friends that don't watch the show immediately assume I have a crush on SMG or some other female character/actress on the show. Then I get that look when I say it's the best written show on television. Then I have to admit that I don't watch The Sopranos or West Wing, which gives them the ability to stop giving me that look. I guess the name just prevents most people from believing that it could be a quality show.

And ditto on what Maui said. This is the only television show that has actually made me cry, and it's done it more than a few times. OK, there were also at least two instances with Angel, but that show is still part of the Buffyverse.

Posted by: murgatroyd

I do watch The West Wing, so when it's me, I say that Buffy and West Wing are the best-written shows on TV, and I still get That Look. :rolleyes:

Haven't watched The Sopranos because I no longer get HBO -- I refuse to be *forced* to upgrade to digital cable and hassle with a digital cable box just for one or two channels.

On the other hand, if I were to get a 2nd TiVo, I suppose I could get an AT&T and insist on getting the cable box with the right firmware, etc. Hmmmm.

Naw, never mind, I can barely keep up with the goodies on my one TiVo as it is. If I get a 2nd TiVo, I still won't need digital cable to fill it up. :D

Jan

Posted by: Cathy/Vik

I was hooked from episode 1, which I saw the night it aired. Yup, I've been watching since the VERY start.

What hooked me was the relationships and clever writing style. I related to Willow so much (and I STILL haven't forgiven Cordy for her "It's nice to see you've seen the softer side of Sears" comment :mad: ).

At this point, I admit that I'm not digging the show that much. Joss seems to be all about the story arc. While I know it's going to pay off down the road, I don't feel enough payoff NOW. :(

But I've been with these characters for years, so I'm dedicated to them, so I continue to watch and anxiously await for the arc to make it up to me....

Posted by: T-Veaux

I have yet to make it through an entire episode. It's not because it is a bad show. I simply just don't find it interesting.

Posted by: conchita

I only got hooked on Buffy recently, when a friend who has been hooked for years came to visit with the first few disks of the season 2 DVD set that had just arrived. He convinced me to try one or two episodes, and we ended up watching everything he brought with him by the time he left. Then I went out searching for season 1, but since no one had it in stock, bought season two and ordered season 1 - which came the day after I finished season 2!

Thanks to FX network, I am all caught up already (except two episodes from last season that FX hasn't shown and were not shown in summer reruns after I started watching).

I think the thing I love most about Buffy is the characters. In most TV shows (and even movies), the characters are fairly one dimensional. But Joss does an outstanding job of creating complex, real characters - even the bad guys and minor characters. And the good guys aren't perfect, and the bad guys aren't pure bad, etc.

Posted by: dmdeane

The writing, the dialogue, and the characters.

I liked early Willow, when she was all goofy and tripped over her own words. Very endearing; believe it or not, a lot of us guys like intelligent, socially awkward girl geeks. Especially when they look like Allyson Hannigan!!! The more recent Willow doesn't have these qualities; the price of what her character has gone through, I believe.

My current favorite is Anya, who has goofy and endearing qualities of a different sort than Willow, but still goofy and endearing. I will miss her if they have another season (since she has said this will be her last).

Posted by: dmdeane

quote:
Originally posted by conchita
I think the thing I love most about Buffy is the characters. In most TV shows (and even movies), the characters are fairly one dimensional. But Joss does an outstanding job of creating complex, real characters - even the bad guys and minor characters. And the good guys aren't perfect, and the bad guys aren't pure bad, etc.

Speaking of bad guys, The Mayor has got to be one of the best TV bad guys ever; certainly the best of the Buffy Big Bads. It is not often that a TV show shows you the bad guy's points of view, and allows you to see some of the nicer or nobler elements in his character.

Posted by: ronbo

When Buffy first started, I was hooked mostly because it was totally different from everything else on TV at the time.
Slowly, because of the great writing mentioned above, I really got into the characters and was sucked in by the season-long story arcs.
It's still one of the few shows that actually surprises on a consistent basis.

Posted by: JimSpence

Did I mention SMG?

Posted by: ClutchBrake

quote:
Originally posted by dmdeane
My current favorite is Anya, who has goofy and endearing qualities of a different sort than Willow, but still goofy and endearing. I will miss her if they have another season (since she has said this will be her last).

Are you positive about that? I would have sworn that I heard Anya was signed on for another season but SMG wasn't. This was months ago, and was probably only speculation on AICN.
I avoided everything Buffy in the news because I didn't want to read spoilers. Now that I am caught up I guess I can search for news. Anyone want to update me on the situation of Buffy. Will this be the last season? Who has signed for more seasons?

Posted by: Cathy/Vik

quote:
Originally posted by ClutchBrake
Will this be the last season? Who has signed for more seasons?

To anyone who might answer that, please remember that for some of us *cough* *me* *cough*, that info would be a Spoiler, so please tag it. Thanks! :)

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

[No spoiler tags. Information about what's going to happen on the show is spoilers; widely publicized information about the cast's future plans is not. If you're opposed to getting that kind of information, than do not go on the internet, do not watch TV, do not read magazines...]

Everybody has signed except Anya and SMG. SMG has not decided (although word has been for a long time now that she doesn't want to do it), and Anya has said very loudly and very publically and very often that she's not coming back.

As for whether it will return, I suspect only Whedon and UPN know. The show has certainly been set up to go on even if SMG does not return (both Dawn and Faith have been firmly established as potential Slayers, and then there's the whole Slayers-in-training thing that's been going on lately), but Whedon has said repeatedly that this year has absolutely nothing to do with whether the show returns; he always structures each year is if it were the last.

Posted by: LoadStar

quote:
Originally posted by Medieval Guy
[No spoiler tags. Information about what's going to happen on the show is spoilers; widely publicized information about the cast's future plans is not. If you're opposed to getting that kind of information, than do not go on the internet, do not watch TV, do not read magazines...]

Everybody has signed except Anya and SMG. SMG has not decided (although word has been for a long time now that she doesn't want to do it), and Anya has said very loudly and very publically and very often that she's not coming back.

According to Tensai, who runs the very fine Spoilerslayer.com website, Nick, Alyson, and James are signed (though he says he doesn't have any official source to back this information up). The rest are unknown, except for, as you said, Emma has publically said she will not return.

Of course, contracts are meaningless, really, as far as I know - it's just insurance that if the show continues into the next season they have first chance at them. The show can probably release actors from contract (as they do when a show is cancelled) and the actors can very likely negotiate their way out of them.

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

Which, if I'm not flaking out on somebody, leaves only Dawn, who should still be under her original contract. (Giles left last season and has been doing guest appearances since, so there's no contract to renew.) Since I TiVo with 30-second skip, I don't see the opening credits, but there's nobody else, is there?

Posted by: JYoung

I've also been a fan of Buffy since day one.
I watched Welcome to the Hellmouth and saw the potential of the show.
With good, long ranging storylines, witty dialogue, and wonderful characters, I've been in it for the long haul...

Posted by: JimSpence

With what's happening here in Season 7, what do you think they could do with a Season 8? Assuming the same cast and not a spin off. It seems to me that with this BB, there isn't anything more they can do.

Posted by: ClutchBrake

quote:
Originally posted by JimSpence
With what's happening here in Season 7, what do you think they could do with a Season 8? Assuming the same cast and not a spin off. It seems to me that with this BB, there isn't anything more they can do.

Well, we don't really know anything about the BB yet.

Spoiler Alert! (highlight to read)
After all, they have already beaten a god.

Posted by: johnjohn

The writing. First episode I saw was from the Riley as BF season. Riley takes the Scoobies on patrol, and uses his military hand gestures to communicate something with them. Cut to the Scoobies munching on potato chips, wondering what the hand gestures meant. I think the line was something like, "Maybe he was saying 'chooo chooo' like a train conductor."

Posted by: jwjody

I once found a Buffy fan site that gave a synopsis of each episode and posted some of the best quotes from each episode. I've found some sites like this out there but cannot Google the site I'm looking for. Can people post their fave Buffy fan site? Maybe it will give everyone some new stuff to look at and help me find the site.

Thanks,
Jody

Posted by: Lord Nimon

I used to watch Buffy (since the first episode), but I haven't seen any episodes this season. I just got burned out. Yes, for what it is, it's very good and original, but how different can season 7 be from seasons 1-6? I was getting a little tired of it last year, but the conflict with Smallville was the "last straw", so to speak. I find it stupid that TV networks schedule similar shows against each other.

I stopped watching Angel for the same reason.

Posted by: ClutchBrake

quote:
Originally posted by jwjody
I once found a Buffy fan site that gave a synopsis of each episode and posted some of the best quotes from each episode. I've found some sites like this out there but cannot Google the site I'm looking for. Can people post their fave Buffy fan site? Maybe it will give everyone some new stuff to look at and help me find the site.

Thanks,
Jody

Here ya go. :) http://www.buffyguide.com

Posted by: zaknafein

quote:
Originally posted by Lord Nimon
I used to watch Buffy (since the first episode), but I haven't seen any episodes this season. I just got burned out. Yes, for what it is, it's very good and original, but how different can season 7 be from seasons 1-6? I was getting a little tired of it last year, but the conflict with Smallville was the "last straw", so to speak. I find it stupid that TV networks schedule similar shows against each other.

I stopped watching Angel for the same reason.

You're seriously missing out man.

If you change your mind, let me know, I might be able to help you.

Posted by: Lori

Totally OT, but zak--I totally love that song! :D

Posted by: JYoung

quote:
Originally posted by jwjody
I once found a Buffy fan site that gave a synopsis of each episode and posted some of the best quotes from each episode. I've found some sites like this out there but cannot Google the site I'm looking for. Can people post their fave Buffy fan site? Maybe it will give everyone some new stuff to look at and help me find the site.

Thanks,
Jody

I like
www.buffyworld.com also....