Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Tags: comedy, violence, cult, alternate reality, good versus evil, romantic

Plot synopsis:
High school senior Buffy Summers (Kristy Swanson) is introduced as a stereotypical, shallow cheerleader at Hemery High School in Los Angeles. She is a carefree popular girl whose main concerns are shopping and spending time with her rich, snooty friends and her boyfriend, Jeffrey. While at school one day, she is approached by a man who calls himself Merrick (Donald Sutherland). He informs her that she is The Slayer, or Chosen One, destined to kill vampires, and he is a Watcher whose duty it is to guide and train her. She initially rebukes his claims, but is convinced that he is right when he is able to describe a recurring dream of hers in detail. In addition, Buffy is exhibiting uncanny abilities not known to her, including heightened agility, senses, and endurance, yet she repeatedly tries Merrick's patience with her frivolous nature, indifference to slaying and sharp-tongued remarks.
After several successful outings, Buffy is drawn into conflict with Lothos (Rutger Hauer), a local vampire king and his acolyte, Amilyn (Paul Reubens). Two young men, Oliver Pike (Luke Perry), and best friend Benny (David Arquette), who resented Buffy and her friends due to differing social circles, are out drinking when they are attacked by Amilyn. Benny is turned but Pike is saved by Merrick. As a vampire, Benny visits Pike and tries to get him to join him. Later, when Pike and his boss are discussing Benny, Pike tells him to run if he sees him. Not only this, but a studious girl from Buffy's class, Cassandra, is abducted one night by Amilyn and sacrificed to Lothos. When her body is found, the news spreads through LA and Hemery High, but her murder is met with indifference from Buffy's clique.
When Pike realizes there is something wrong with Benny and that he is no longer safe, he decides to leave town. His plan is thwarted, however, when he encounters Amilyn and his tribe of vampires. Amilyn hitches a ride on the hood of his van which crashes into a tree just before Amilyn loses an arm. Buffy and Merrick arrive to rescue him and Amilyn flees the fight to talk to Lothos. After this encounter, Buffy and Pike start a friendship, which eventually becomes romantic and Pike becomes Buffy's partner in fighting the undead.
During a basketball game, Buffy finds out that one of the players, and a friend of Jeffrey's, is a vampire. After a quick chase to a parade float storage yard, Buffy finally confronts Lothos, shortly after she and Pike take down his gang. Lothos puts Buffy in a hypnotic trance, which is broken due to Merrick's intervention. Lothos turns on Merrick and stab him with the stake he attempted to use on him. Lothos leaves, saying that Buffy is not ready. As Merrick dies, he tells Buffy to do things her own way rather than live by the rules of others and he says "remember about the music." Because of her new life, responsibilities, and heartbreak, Buffy becomes emotionally shocked and starts dropping her Slayer duties. When she arrives at school, she attempts to explain everything to her friends, but they refuse to understand her as they are more concerned with their upcoming school dance, and Buffy falls out with them as she realizes she is outgrowing their immature, selfish behavior.
At the senior dance, Buffy tries to patch things up with her friends but they turn against her, and she is dismayed to find Jeffrey has dumped her for one of her friends. However, she meets up with Pike and as they start to dance and kiss, Lothos leads the remainder of his minions to the school and attacks the students and the attending faculty. Buffy confronts the vampires outside while Pike fights the vampiric Benny. After overpowering the vampires, she confronts Lothos inside the school and kills Amilyn. Lothos hypnotizes Buffy again and when the dance music stops, she remembers Merrick's words and is ready to defend herself. Lothos ignites her cross but she uses hairspray to create a makeshift flame-thrower and burns him before escaping back into the gym. Buffy sees everybody recover from the attack, but Lothos emerges again getting into a fight with Buffy, who then stakes him.
As all of the survivors leave, Buffy and Pike decide to finish their dance. The film then ends with the two of them leaving the dance on a motorcycle, and a news crew interviewing the students and the principal about the attack during the credits.

Review: Some good examples are S3--The Wish, Helpless, Doppelgangland, S4--Something Blue, Hush and Restless, S5--Fool for Love, Triangle, Weight of the World, The Gift (I'd also say The Body but that one gives too much away) S6--Bargaining, Tabula Rasa, Older and Far Away, S7--Beneath You, Selfless, Conversations With Dead People, The Killer In Me, Get It Done (I'd say Chosen but it's the series finale which also would give too much away).About the show itself--Buffy is the antithesis of the "pretty-blond-victim" who runs from the "psycho ax-murderer" in horror films past--the girl who always twisted her ankle and fell in her attempt to get away.
But what kept me coming back with the razor sharp wit and characters that became like a family to me.This is a beautifully written show and if you can make it past the goofy title, fantastic premise and (for many people) the campy first season (You'll grow to love the camp upon re-visiting it) you'll discover one of the best show's in recent memory..
But having seen all 7 seasons of this brilliant series, I feel quite confident in my opinion.No other show touches on the major issues of humanity this show does: immortality and it's pros and cons, the power of love and friendship, the inner strength we all have within us, and the ability to appreciate life and learn to laugh at the things that get you down.
The events of the show change them and mold them into new people all the time, that's how good the writing is.No episode is boring, in all 144 hours of the series there is something worth watching.
Buffy's story has a huge arch that many can relate to, from chosen one to leader.The show itself is timeless, although some of the early episodes coincide with the advent of the internet and at times you will be watching and yell at the screen "Use your bleeping cell phone!" (cell phones weren't used mainstream by teens until after 2000).
This show was slightly ahead of its time in some regards, where you may think some plot lines were lifted from something like The Matrix in episodes that were actually released a good year before it hit theaters.The stories are quite good, and what I enjoyed most about this show is that the writers actually throw a lot of curve balls at you when you might decide what the outcome will likely be.
buffy the vampire slayer, great fun to watch if you've never seen it and you have an hour to spare, full of action and kick ass lines.but all changes if you've been watching obsessively, the kick ass action and the cheesy lines give way to something far more important, the extreme symbolism, when i watch it im still shocked at how well joss has used the whole show to sum up the teenage girls struggle through life, all the characters merge together showing characteristics of a whole person, the demons show all bad people in life and how they concure them and the relationships show how hard it is at that age and how teenagers feel alone.when watching even after the amount I've watched it through i still find new bits that amaze me, and so people who say buffy is a load of rubbish, obviously don't get its deeper side and just see a girl fighting off demons while tryng to date.plus there's a musical episode :P what more could you want lol.
Some of the characters like Spike for example, will always pop up into my head when thinking of TVs greatest villains.After over 10 years since it first aired, Buffy is still a must have TV show and Buffy and Angel will always be one of TVs best couples..
With creative and daring story lines and terrific character development, the show that began its run on the WB as a mid-season replacement, became a dazzling cult hit resulting in a secure fan base and merchandising for as far as the eye can see.The show follows a young girl endowed with the ancient powers of the slayer, one girl who fights the forces of darkness, battling alone, relieving the world of vampires and demons.
From first love, life, death, sexual experimentation, and self identity crises  Buffy chronicles what it is like to be young person growing up in an overly mature world  with monsters!
With the imaginative and extremely innovative writing of the show's creator Joss Whedon, along with the most intelligent and skillful writing staff that the biz has ever encountered, they were able to produce many groundbreaking episodes including "Hush", "The Body", "The Gift", "Becoming part 2", "Seeing Red", "Conversations with Dead People", "Grave", and "Chosen"  sadly I cannot continue this list for there is not enough space.Without further ado, Buffy The Vampire Slayer is and will always be an incredible show.
Without a doubt, you will fall in love with the characters and stories, and by the time you finish the first season you will have welcomed a new family into your lives  sweet and sometimes muddled Buffy, clever and endearing Willow, faithful Xander, perceptive and paternal Giles.
**this review is based on the entire series**An odd show called "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" brought a lot of changes to television.
People who hadn't watched Buffy before could jump right back in, and if they didn't like the current season-long story arc, they could just come back next season or enjoy the stand-alone episodes.These changes are not always noticed, but were successfully employed later on such shows as "Desperate Housewives", though Buffy was never as serialized as the aforementioned show.
The cast, as well as the characters, matures over time and become living, breathing people that you believe.In short, if you are considering watching this show, I highly recommend you watch all of the first and second season before making any judgements.
nobody involved in the making of this show gives less than 100%.Why Buffy The Vampire Slayer did not gain a wider audience, more awards, and a much longer run is perhaps down to the greatest crime committed in the art of making moving pictures - those pulling the purse strings failed to realise the true worth of the treasures they let slip through their greasy hands.As long as I live I know that every two-bit TV show that comes along with a wannabee Sarah Michelle, and pathetic production-line vampire rip-offs, will just make me cringe and mourn the passing of Buffy, and of Sarah Michelle who with one or two exceptions has never been given a decent feature film role.I love and admire Buffy and the girl who brought her to life, and pray for the day when she returns to rescue me from the humdrum banality of living in this world..
With a wonderful cast of regulars and a weird, scary, and often hilarious cast of monsters, this is the most original product I have seen in a long time.Sarah Michelle Gellar does wonders with her role as Buffy Summers.
And Kristine Sutherland is wonderful as Buffy's flakey mother who is trying to come to terms with her daughter's destiny.The shows original concept of a high school student fighting vampires by night has expanded into this amazing portrayal of life and how things rarely go the way you expect.
I could honestly go on for hours about Buffy The Vampire Slayer - a series that formed the basis of television for me with one of the most deterrent names in history but the best writing, acting and humor ever on network television.Season 1 starts off with a big 90s feel and a high corniness to it.
In Season 2, we meet new main characters, see new love blossom and get introduced to probably the best villain-turned-hero we've ever seen on television in the form of Spike portrayed by the incredible James Marsters - of course a villain for a while yet.
Personally, I don't find the 'Adam' villain too compelling but this season works as one that sees characters grow in preparation of a daring move that only four years on the air would allow that comes early season 5.That change is season 5 is the inclusion of a new character, Buffy's sister Dawn who audiences are led to believe has been in the show since season one.
A musical episode reveals this all through song (one of my favorite hours of television ever), and from that point the series moves into a very dark place culminating in Buffy secretly having sex with enemy Spike on a regular basis (and being almost raped by him), Willow nearly destroying the world after losing control of her witch powers and Anya becoming a 'vengeance demon' once again after Xander left her at the wedding alter.
This season is truly about maturing each character in order to push their characters beyond expectations and really cement the idea that high school is long gone, innocence and happiness are now much harder to maintain and in the real world, the line between good and evil is often blurred.In Season 7, Spike has a soul and the end is near.
In closing, I give this a 10/10 because while it can be faulted, I cannot deny its impact on me as a person, it's brilliance as an original idea that paved the way for many shows and films to follow, and its inspirational characters and story-telling that continue to amaze me every time I watch it which I have done and will continue to do over and over again..
I also think there's something people of every age can enjoy about the show like little kids can enjoy the monsters and what not, teenagers can relate to some of the real issues that the show deals with and that the characters go through and adults can also enjoy some of the issues too since some of the things relate to them and anyone can just enjoy the story I guess.
Buffy is about more then a blonde girl slaying some vampires here and there, it's about the power of friendship, Love, being a teenager, human lose and the reality of growing up and facing what is to come to you.
By the end of the 7th season you know everything there is to know about each and everyone of the scooby-gang and you will come to see that every character is hard not to like even the ones that are trying to kill the beloved Buffy herself.
Look up the series' ratings and you'll see how few people actually watched this show.And those low ratings had one reason, and one reason only: Sarah Michelle Gellar's lack of acting ability..
So in that respect the show fulfills its stated purpose.The sexual content (hinted at/confessed homo/bisexuality) might be very trendy, but it comes across as being aimed at people who are too uptight to go rent a real X-rated film.I admit that the occasional episode or comment or scene rises above the the others, but on a whole I always got a feeling that Buffy became popular because one was supposed to like it or be branded uncool.
The Buffy character herself, with her growing arrogance and weird choices, was the true drag on the series in its death throes.In essence, the show plays like a high school writing contest entry where the writer, rather than crafting a coherent tale, substitutes a succession of endless gimmicks and plot twists simply for the purpose of having something different to show the judges on every page.
These 12 episodes introduce the main characters for the duration of the series - Buffy - the one girl in all the world with the strength to do battle with demons, her friends Xander and Willow, and her "watcher" - or mentor - Giles, as well as at first reluctant ally Cordelia Chase and the initially mysterious Angel who both exit at the end of season three for the related show "Angel".
Beyond doubt, "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" is my favorite TV series of all times.
If your thinking about starting to watch the show I have no reservations in recommending it but be warned that BTVS could become your new drug of choice, with series creator Joss Wheden acting as your dealer, and believe me he'll keep you coming back over and over again.
As a television show it's pure soap mixed in with generally banal plot lines, but unfortunately it contains enough charm that it isn't too unbearable, but still, it isn't really quality television at all, and Whedon was to do better with "Firefly".Perhaps the single most unsatisfying element of the program is just how forgettable and uninvolving its sense of mythology is: vampires are slain by the thousands and the few that are humanized make the very idea of the vampire more of the cartoon, all of it of course delivered with self-consciousness and pop culture references, like when the character of Spike says in season 1 something like"what is this--an anne rice novel?" But Anne Rice made the vampire myth sexy and riveting--she didn't treat it as a mere backdrop to teen drama!
The idea of a dark underwold is never exciting because its never treated seriously, and thus you can't fault it because its campy on purpose.And Joss Whedon's dialogue, while it can be cute and funny, is often annoying because its "humor" tends to remind one that these people saying it are really just television characters.Sad that Firefly got cancelled.I wasn't too upset when it happened to Buffy,though..
A soap opera full of characters you could give a crap about and a lot of campy flat humor.If watching a show that thrives on camp is your thing, you'll probably like Buffy.
And it wasn't a big help that one of the most memorable lines of the last season was: Buffy: "I'm the slayer, I am the law".......Ok, i will agree that season 1 through about 4 were amazingly done and very well written, but after 4 years it's difficult to stay fresh and even more difficult when you have a character leave on a spin off (Angel).
IF not for Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy might have actually lives up to some of its hype.Again and again, I felt drawn into the show when encountering it while channel surfing.But as soon as Sarah Michelle Gellar showed up with her perpetual grimacing and started chewing through lines with her usual complete lack of acting talent, all illusion that this would be a good show collapsed.It's amazing how WB kept this on the air for so long even though most people who tried it tuned out.I guess it's what ended up killing the WB network.
I thought the movie was entertaining enough, if rather silly.So I tried to watch Buffy a number of times.Unfortunately, Sarah Michelle Gellar was apparently chosen to play a Vampire slayer because she is a Dialogue Slayer!
Who knows how good Buffy The Vampire slayer could have been without Sarah Michelle Gellar?
Every time Sarah Michelle Gellar showed up on screen, made one of her wrinkly faces that passes for her acting or tried to throw a punch to hilarious effect, Buffy became complete camp, a spoof of itself.Maybe if the lead actress had been a good actress, the show would never have become cult...
This show has developed a cult following over the years and it is easy to see why.Loosely continuing on from a failed 1992 movie of the same name, the premise of the show is that a young girl, Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) has been chosen to be the next Slayer, a warrior that is to fight the forces of evil.
This precise kind of episodes just prove how bold is the genius who's been running this show for more than a decade (if you count the amazing new seasons in comics.) Plus, the show expands a rich and unique universe with unforgettable characters and it even sets new standards for the genre in a good (way more Buffy-esque dialogue in television now, for example.) or a bad way (How could those lurking vampires possibly exist ?!
So those are some reasons why Buffy the Vampire Slayer is great and why I highly suggest that you watch it.
For me it was dismal that Sarah Michelle Gellar was playing the Buffy-character - the first five seasons she just didn't convince me at all.
However, that is something that you grow to love about Buffy the Vampire Slayer soon after you begin watching it.
We get to watch Buffy, a naive sixteen-year-old girl grow into a powerful vampire slayer.
Plus, who doesn't love to watch the powerful (and very sexy) romances that Buffy experiences?Buffy the Vampire Slayer is well-written and well-acted.
Brilliant is the only way to describe Buffy The Vampire Slayer.Over seven seasons blonde valley girl turned super slayer Buffy battles evil while trying to Martainn a normal teenage life.Unlike most shows Buffy proved to be completely unpredictable with surprise's around every corner.With a mixture of horror-action-drama-love story-comedy.
I think the actors were amazing, but it's the writing that really makes this show special.SO, TO RECAP: What are the chief factors that make people Buffy fans?Seasonal narrative structure; Humour (especially the dialogue); Characters and relationships; An attractive cast; A mixture of several genres; Classic themes; There is simply nothing else like it: Creativity at every turn.If you're not willing to give it a chance, then at least admit that you can't possibly really know whether you would like it or not.
Also, Buffy benefits from really good story lines, good dialogue and characters that we like and love.
Because of this, and the general consistency of the show, I feel that "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is possibly the best television show ever made..
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of the best shows ever created.
"BUFFY, THE VAMPIRE SLAYER" is the best television shows to be released in the 90's - hands down!