David Semel

There's no better television than this--Season Two might very well be Buffy's best season. I know it's my favorite and for me the most powerful. In that this season is on a much higher level than the first. Don't get me wrong--I greatly enjoyed that first season. I have no complaints, nothing that I wish had been done differently. It's witty, funny and the characters quickly endeared themselves to me. But Season Two has an amazing story arc and is darker and deeper in its emotions.

The show more episodes you'll see listed on Best of Lists? The earliest is "School Hard" (3), which introduces Spike and Drusilla. Those characters alone made for a stronger season--both made much more engaging and fascinating villains than the Master from the first season. The real story arc though starts mid-season with "Surprise" (13) and "Innocence" (14). It's not an original observation but a common place that both those episodes take the Buffy the teen-years-are-hell horror and fantasy metaphor to its heights. "Passion" (17) is a shocker. In case you're actually reading this review before watching, I won't say why, except that with it Joss Whedon proved he can mess with all your expectations for a television show and that no character is safe--and even having seen it before, the ending had me in tears. "I Only Have Eyes for You" (19) is another fan favorite--the scene between Buffy and Angel at the end having poignancy at two levels. And the last episodes of the Season, "Becoming, Part One and Two" (21 and 22)? Well, they're something special. Maybe my favorite of the entire series. A friend said the show sealed the deal with her with the last episode of Season One, "Prophecy Girl," but it was the last episode of Season Two that cemented Buffy as one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. The nature of the price she willingly paid defines heroism to me and reminded me of another favorite character, Captain Kirk of Star Trek. Buffy can make heart-breaking choices, and with this one my heart broke with her.

But there are other episodes in the season that stand out for me one way or another. The very first episode of the Season, "When She Was Bad" was memorable because of Cordelia acting like a real friend in telling off Buffy. Cordelia--the character that in last season I most loved to hate. The entire season is amazing alone just for the development of her character--and she has no finer moment than when in "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" (16) she tells Harmony she's a "sheep." "Halloween" (6) is a favorite for several reasons. For one, it's the first glimpse we have that sweet Willow is made of stronger stuff--that she has qualities of leadership. And she has the best and funniest line in the episode when she says, "She couldn't have dressed as Xena?" (You have to be there.) "Lie to Me" (7) is another favorite, especially for the bit between Buffy and Giles at the very end. And "The Dark Age" (8) gives Giles more dimension by showing he does have a dark side. Oh, and hey, this is the season that introduces Oz--the Season would get bonus points for that alone. That leaves Xander. He's a character I found problematic throughout the series--particularly for his dog-in-the-manger qualities and there's a moment in the very last episode where I wish I could thrash him. On the other hand, he has his moments, and one of the finest is in "Killed by Death" (18) when this ordinary boy with no superpowers refuses to stand aside and let Buffy be hurt.

Some would name Season Three as Buffy's best--and it's a good candidate. I'm not saying the third is the lesser season. Just that Season Two is the one that definitely pulled the most at my heart. show less

The very first scene is a great preview of what's in store. I've heard that the inspiration for Whedon was all those slasher films where that blonde girl, often a cheerleader, disappears into an alley or goes down the basement stairs--only to die horribly. So, first scene. We see a young blonde girl dressed in what looks like a schoolgirl uniform breaking into a school after hours with a guy looking to score. We all know how that's supposed to end, don't we? Well, except she's a vampire and show more eats him. :-) Buffy herself is the other anti-stereotype. A blonde sixteen year old girl who tries out to be a cheerleader, who doesn't always do her homework, who wants to have fun. But she's no victim--she's what the monsters are scared of. The Slayer, the "Chosen One" the one girl in all the world with the strength and powers to fight the demons and the monsters.

I refused to watch Buffy in its first four seasons. I mean, puhleeze. Buffy? The Vampire Slayer? I finally gave it a try in Season Five on the urging of a friend and got hooked. All in all, I'd name it the finest television show I've ever watched, despite my being a Trekkie from childhood and greatly admiring the reimagined Battlestar Galactica and for that matter, Joss Whedon's Firefly. Season One only gives hints of the riches in store, though I think it should charm from the beginning. Mind you, one friend didn't even make it through the first episode, "Welcome to the Hellmouth." Her reaction basically was "ewwww, vampires." But, honestly that's not what the show is about. It's about growing up. High school as hell. Various fantastic metaphors for the horrors of the teen years--like feeling invisible, the chase for popularity, crushes on teachers, dealing with parents divorcing or a parent that wants to relive their glory days through you, bullies, dating, internet relationships, losing your virginity, unrequited love, first love, hopeless love. It's all there in that first season and all done with great wit, humor, and some of the most endearing characters in television such as Buffy herself, Giles and Willow. And a character that almost to the end of the Season I loved to hate--Cordelia.

I think there isn't even one episode in this season that isn't fun and entertaining, even if very few wind up named in "Best of" lists for the overall series. The ones that tend to show up on lists are the seventh episode "Angel" and the very last "Prophecy Girl." Almost every episode does have great moments though. The second episode, "The Harvest" stands out to me for one of the best Willow lines ever, said to Cordelia: "Deliver." The ending of "The Witch" is truly creepy and chilling. The ending of "The Puppet Show" provided my first laugh-out-loud moment of the season. "Nightmares" stands out to me for a powerful scene between Buffy and her father, and the next to last episode "Out of Mind, Out of Sight" because it finally humanized Cordelia. Her lines to Buffy about the loneliness even in the midst of seeming popularity were poignant and the first glimpse of something deeper in her character than providing comic relief. And then there's "Prophecy Girl"--the very last episode. That friend who convinced me to try Buffy tells me that was the episode that really sealed the deal for her. The one where Buffy really got to her.

I think that the next two seasons, the second and the third, were the best. But the seasons after, even if I didn't like aspects of the overall arcs, had incredibly strong and innovative episodes that ranked with the best of any season. Compared to those seasons, the first one isn't that strong. But not one episode is dull or embarrassing or not worth watching. Oh, and the nice thing about having the DVDs of it are the extras like Joss Whedon's commentary and interviews with him and David Boreanaz (Angel). show less

Still doing the lightweight and fluffy, but fun thing. In the first episode, Buffy is worried that after the summer break, her friends will no longer care for her, but after much slayage, they are all bonding like nobody's business. Also, she seems to have gotten over having been killed pretty well.

I suspect many people don't believe that the show truly began until Spike and Dru entered the scene. Angel was never better than when he was bad. And the ending, the saddest ending ever, defined heroism and honor.