BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: A Revolutionary Television Series

Things created with teenagers in mind are automatically treated poorly. Adults usually prefer something adult, implicitly meaning more ambitious. And upon hearing anything labeled for youth, they roll their eyes, sigh, and say watch something worthwhile instead. This has happened to me many times, even though I have long since ceased to be a teenager, and I watch things intended for that age group only occasionally—and rather recently, so that my brain can rest after the twentieth text submitted for proofreading. And although complaints about the childishness of films or series made for teenagers are often justified, there are productions to which this does not apply. One example is Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

It is a series often cited as cult, influential, and still shaping many trends on the small screen. It originated in 1997, when the Internet was gaining momentum, forums were only just emerging, and people spoke far less about series than they do today, yet Buffy fans avidly followed information in magazines, interviews, trivia, including that appearing on the Internet. Some still recall gathering such information in special notebooks. However, few know why this series is so beloved and why it is called cult.

Although Buffy premiered in 1997, its origins should really be sought in 1992. That year, Joss Whedon made a film of the same name; he was not thrilled with it, but he did not want the idea to be wasted, so when years later he was offered the chance to rewrite the story as a series, he agreed without hesitation. He treated the film’s story as canonical—briefly and without spoilers: Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) learns that her destiny is to fight vampires, so she skips off to Sunnydale in hope of finding peace. The series begins when Buffy arrives at her new school. Of course, her plan fails, because Sunnydale is a special gathering place for vampires, monsters, and other time-killers.

Initially the series did not spark enthusiasm—admittedly, the first season has more weak moments than strong ones—but it was praised enough to receive an order for more episodes, and thanks to critics’ acclaim it gained a broader viewership. And thank goodness, because the further it went, the better it became. Indeed, there are themes meant rather for youth, but they are treated seriously, not superficially. Take for example The Vampire Diaries—good entertainment, but rather light fare: everyone is beautiful, everyone loves each other, a few love triangles, melodramatic twists. The mood and tone of Buffy are decidedly darker and at a higher level.

The series is often treated condescendingly because of the protagonist’s name—what kind of name is Buffy? Yet this is not coincidental, as the intention was to contrast her calling (vampire slayer, which sounds terrifying) with the sound of her name (nobody would take it seriously. Nobody hearing that name would think it belongs to an important person). Buffy sounds like a cross between fluffy and bunny. Buffy’s girlishness is further emphasized by dressing her in typically feminine outfits—such as dresses and short skirts, of course white, pink, or leopard print. Joss Whedon, the series’ creator, wanted to subvert the trope of the innocent, defenseless blonde who within the first five minutes of a horror film walks into a dead end and dies. Instead, Buffy walks into a dead end and kicks the asses of any vampires dumb enough to follow her. This ironic idea worked splendidly. There are many such surprises in the series, because Whedon likes to exploit viewers’ expectations.

Incidentally, Buffy is known for its dialogue—it is intelligent, sarcastic, with a distinctive sense of humor. It was praised to such an extent that, just to spite everyone, in the fourth season Whedon wrote and directed the episode Hush, in which monsters take away the characters’ voices, so that for twenty-seven minutes not a single word is spoken. I assure you that this is neither a pleasant episode nor particularly youthful. Whedon also liked to experiment and did not shy away from difficult topics. The episode The Body deals with coping with the death of a loved one and makes a profound impact. To complete the set, there is also Once More, With Feeling—although I usually do not care for musicals, I genuinely like this episode. The entire cast trained in singing, not all sang perfectly, but the humor and the emotional finale work very well. These three episodes—Hush, The Body, Once More, With Feeling—are usually listed among the best episodes of the series. Indeed, I would place them there too; they are a perfect example that a production intended for teenagers does not have to be stupid or shallow.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer deserves to be called revolutionary television. Perhaps that can be discussed another time, because although I am aware of its innovation, for me Buffy still remains a piece of good, solid television. It may have been written with teenagers in mind, but it was written to remain relevant even many years after its airing. When you wipe away the dust of vampires, what remains is a juicy piece of captivating storytelling. In the category of timelessness, this production can truly rank very high.