#4: The Chosen One (Part 1)

Giles: “As long as there have been vampires, there has been the Slayer. One girl in all the world – ”
Buffy: “He loves doing this part.”
Giles: [speeding up] “All right: They hunt vampires, one Slayer dies, the next is called, Buffy is the Slayer, don’t tell anyone. I think that’s all the vampire information you need.”
– Breaking it down for Willow and Xander, “The Harvest”

I usually start these things by saying how underqualified I am to write them. This is no exception: I was not, nor probably ever will be enamoured with vampires – I enjoy the fantasy element, and that’s about it. Nor was I such a rabid fan of this show when it was still on TV – my mom gave me the choice of watching either it or Xena, and since Xena was about as fantastical a show as you could get at the time, naturally I went for the leather, over-the-top swordfighting, and that earsplitting scream. Though I don’t fully regret that choice – nostalgia has a high value – yet another Boxing Day splurge has taught me to never judge a book by its cover. Or a TV show by its title.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer isn’t the campy-horror-hokum its name suggests. It is, however, one of the best damned (ha ha) TV shows you ever will see. Its humour and wit rivals that of M*A*S*H (which I believe to be the best-written TV show ever – and I don’t make superlatives lightly), and its suspense and drama can compare to the best of the silver screen. It may even have surpassed Charmed as my favourite TV show (though the jury’s still out on that one – I don’t make favourites lightly either). In short, this story of a supernaturally gifted teenage girl and her lovable, oddball friends is brilliant, one-of-a-kind, humourous, heartwrenching, and not-to-be-missed.

Season 1: High School Hell

Giles: “Dig a bit into the history of this place and you’ll find there’ve been a steady stream of fairly odd occurrences. I believe this area is a center of mystical energy. Things gravitate toward it that you might not find elsewhere.”
Buffy: “Like vampires.”
Giles: “Like werewolves. Zombies. Succubi, incubi… everything you’ve ever dreaded under your bed and told yourself couldn’t be by the light of day.”
Buffy: “What, did you send away for the Time Life series?”
Giles: “Uh, yes.”
– “Welcome to the Hellmouth”

The first season of Buffy is a short one – a good helping of 12 unique episodes that were all completed before the show ever aired. The show begins where the (comparatively pathetic) movie left off – having burned down her old high school’s gym to thwart a vampire attack, Buffy Anne Summers moves from L.A. to Sunnydale with her mother, Joyce. She hopes to start a new life free from slaying, but alas, she soon learns her destiny is inescapable: the school librarian, Rupert Giles, is to be her new Watcher (a sort of guide or mentor for Slayers) in Sunnydale, a town conveniently located on a Hellmouth – a “center of mystical convergence” where the things that go bump in the night come to play. She also has a new adversary in The Master, an ancient vampire who’s been trapped underground in the remains of a church, but is planning his escape. Luckily, Buffy finds solace and sanity in the company of her newfound friends: Xander Harris, the lovable loser who never shies at the opportunity to crack a joke; and Willow Rosenberg, the sweet geeky girl with unrivaled computer skills. There’s also Cordelia Chase, the it-girl who loves to verbally torture those she sees as beneath her, and Angel, the beautiful brooding stranger who hides in the shadows and gives Buffy just the hints she needs at the exact right time. Hello, salty goodness.

Although Season 1 has neither the gusto nor the heartbreak of the seasons to come, it does have a respectable share of good episodes. My favourite is undoubtedly “Angel” – which gives a decent introduction of my favourite Buffy character and revealed his not-so-secret secret. Edward Cullen, you have nothing on this guy. “Nightmares” is also a highlight – it was the first Buffy episode I ever saw on TV, and I loved its high fantastical element, as Buffy’s and her friends’ worst nightmares come true (I share Xander’s fear wholeheartedly. *Shudder*). “Prophecy Girl”, however, is objectively the best episode of the season, and would have served as a decent wrap-up had the show not returned for a second season. Thankfully, return it did.

Season 2: Lost Souls and Broken Hearts

Cordelia: “This is great. There’s an unkillable demon in town, Angel’s joined his team, and the Slayer is a basket case. I’d say we’ve hit bottom.”
Xander: “I have a plan.”
Cordelia: “Oh no, here’s a lower place.”
– “Innocence”

Season 2 is probably my favourite season of Buffy, as its focus seems to be on the characters’ relationships (I sound like such a sap, don’t I?). Buffy and Angel get serious, Willow has her eye on Xander, who has his eye on practically every girl except Willow, including Buffy and Cordelia, of all people. Luckily for Willow, Daniel “Oz” Osbourne, the laid-back lead guitarist of Dingoes Ate My Baby, has his eye on her. Giles even gets a date or two with “technopagan” Jenny Calendar. Meanwhile, Spike and Drusilla, the vampire codependents, roll into town and start raising hell. This sounds like a nice cute teen drama (albeit with vampires), but Buffy is a Joss Whedon show, and as you’ll eventually find out, no one gets a break in the Whedonverse.

The second season of Buffy is also one of the series’ strongest in terms of quality. Many of the series’ best episodes are from Season 2, including School Hard (which introduced bad-assed, sharp-tongued, Billy Idol-like vampire Spike and his crazy lady of the night Drusilla – both of whom became staple characters on Buffy and Angel); Halloween (the first of many good holiday-related episodes), Lie to Me (Giles’ final ironic speech about life hits close to home); Surprise & Innocence (a spectacular mid-season two-parter – of which the latter half is Joss Whedon’s favourite episode – that turned all expectations on their heads, and broke more than a few hearts); Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered (Xander, you are the MAN!); Passion (another utterly chilling “Oh my God, I can’t believe that just happened” episode which proves, among other things, that voice-over narration isn’t always a hokey gimmick); and the two-part season finale Becoming – of which the latter half is my very favourite Buffy episode. Talk about bad timing and ultimate heartbreak – this is probably the only episode of television to ever make me want to cry.

Season 3: Graduation

Faith: “It was about a hundred and eighteen degrees, I’m sleepin’ without a stitch on, suddenly I hear all this screamin’. I go tearin’ outside – stark nude – this church bus has broke down and three vamps are feasting on half the Baptists in South Boston. So I waste the vamps and the preacher is hugging me like there’s no tomorrow when the cops pull up. They arrested us both.”
Xander: “They should film that story and show it every Christmas.”
– “Faith, Hope & Trick”

After losing everything that ever mattered to her, Buffy flees to L.A., where she tries in vain to begin a new life apart from everything she knows. After duty and destiny call, Buffy reclaims her identity and returns to Sunnydale, only to discover there’s a new Slayer in town. Faith is everything Buffy wouldn’t dare be – a dark, promiscuous high-school dropout who thrives on sex and violence. Despite their extreme differences, the two Slayers manage to share duties and work together without too much trouble – but one out-of-control night of slaying creates an irreparable rift between the two young women, and Faith goes to the dark side, joining forces with Sunnydale’s mayor – a “family man” who deals in the occult and will stop at nothing to ascend the ranks.

Buffy’s senior year is one of the show’s best seasons – and the one I saw the most of on TV. Where season 2 focuses on relationships, season 3 concentrates on morality. Faith is an unforgettable, charismatic character who carries this entire season. She is what Buffy could have been had circumstances been different, and this makes her descent into darkness that much more poignant. She takes a little getting used to, but in light of what happens to her throughout the entirety of Buffy and Angel, I believe she is one of the Buffyverse’s most complex and interesting characters. Also making his first appearance in season 3 is Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, Faith and Buffy’s new Watcher, Cordelia’s crush, and Giles’ foil. Wesley begins his existence in the Buffyverse as an annoying bumbler, but after transitioning to Angel, undergoes a remarkable transformation. Looking back on his early episodes, it’s sometimes hard to believe that this is the same guy.

Season 3 was a gem, character-wise – that’s for sure. It was also no slouch in terms of memorable episodes. Beauty and the Beasts marked Angel’s return into Buffy’s life (YAY!), Band Candy was a hilarious look at the kid in all of us (Giles, you are the MAN!), Lover’s Walk marked the triumphant return of Spike (and the first hint that Buffy and Angel might not be together “4ever”), The Wish introduced Anya (a bunny-phobic ex-vengeance demon who speaks delightfully tactlessly and lusts after Xander… and money), The Zeppo gave Xander the spotlight (and us some of the best lines of the series), Bad Girls and Consequences were the highlights of the Faith saga (and the turning point of the season), Enemies gave Angel one last hurrah as a central character (before getting his own show), The Prom brought the Buffy/Angel relationship to a close (and me close to tears), and Graduation Day ended the Buffy high school years with a (literal) bang. For better or for worse, Buffy would never be the same again.

Stay tuned for Seasons 4, 5, 6, and 7!