Blogger: SkullantacySmith

INTRODUCTION

I am going to begin this by adding a disclaimer. I don't know whether other people would consider this a fall show—some of you might not, and that is alright—but I always love watching this, especially as October settles in. It has everything I want in something to watch in the fall: vampires, the supernatural, and a sprinkle of forbidden romance.

For those of you not yet convinced to watch this in the fall, allow me to try to convince you in these next paragraphs. Perhaps I can make you join the wonderful world—well, not so wonderful most of the time—of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

PREMISE

For those of you unfamiliar with Buffy The Vampire Slayer, it follows a teenage girl called, you guessed it, Buffy Summers. Alongside juggling the normal life of a teenager in Sunnydale, California, she is also a vampire slayer. As you may be able to predict, this comes with its trials and tribulations as the seasons progress and Buffy becomes an adult.

But growing up is an overarching theme of the show with vampires and other mysterious forces Buffy has to face being used as metaphors for everyday experiences of the average teenager, especially teenage girls. For example, in season 2, Angel—the main love interest of Buffy—is a vampire with a soul. After a night together, he experiences true happiness which makes him lose his soul. Because of this, he returns to his less appealing and malicious personality, Angelus, who wants to break and kill Buffy. This was set up to mirror the experience of boys being sweet until they get what they want, then becoming distant.

Don't worry, though. Angel does return for later seasons of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and has his own spinoff show which is just as good, but much darker. He does become good again and evil again, then good again, but evil again— I digress!

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH IT

If the themes haven't fully hooked you, then the strong female presence of many of the characters may just. Not only is Buffy a physically strong vampire slayer, but she goes through a character journey over the seasons. We see things break her and how she comes back from them in the next season. We watch the hardships of someone trying to be a normal teenager and a vampire slayer, which doesn't always turn out great. But to help with that are her friends, The Scoobies.

Willow Rosenberg is one of Buffy's friends who is a socially awkward nerd who later ends up dabbling in magic. This comes with its downfalls as she navigates a lesbian relationship with Tara, but then falls to the darkness in season 6 of Buffy as she has to come to terms with what has happened. (No spoilers with this one, unless you know what I am talking about.)

We have Cordelia Chase who sees a lot of character development in the three seasons of Buffy The Vampire Slayer she is featured in before joining the main cast of the spinoff show, Angel. She goes from the snooty, popular mean girl archetype to a strong character in her own right. It's great to see that from someone who I generally couldn't stand in the first season.

Another strong female presence is Faith, another vampire slayer who is introduced in season 3 of Buffy. Her downward spiral towards a darker path is harrowing at times and is continued in Angel where she receives the help and support she needed all along. Faith is a complicated character, but she is so worth the watch for season 3. I could mention more characters, but I'd be here all day.

Not only the characters are a strong motivator to watch it, but did I mention vampires and the supernatural are included in this show? This makes it the perfect fall show in many ways for me, especially as someone who enjoys these things in the lead-up to Halloween. It is the perfect show to get you in the mood with its perfect blend of humour and serious moments spread throughout the show.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Buffy The Vampire Slayer is one of my favourite shows. If this hasn't convinced you to watch it still, maybe check it out for yourself—it's on the Disney+ and Paramount streaming services. I first watched this show as a child with my mam when I was off from school and later found it again when I was sixteen. Since then, it has become a yearly ritual to watch this show around this time or even just some of it. However, there is a reason I love this show so much. It blends everything well, but with any show, it does have its low moments and high moments. However, I would say the high moments outweigh the low moments for it to be worth the watch so many times.