Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
In September 1992 a movie called Buffy the Vampire Slayer was released to poor box office takings and a critical backlash. The movie, starring Luke Perry and Kirsty Swanson as our eponymous hero, centered around the struggle of a teenage girl on learning she was the one girl in her generation who could defeat the forces of darkness. Despite its cliches and lame title, the movie garnered a cult following and the idea hovered in the background for a while, not quite forgotten. Meanwhile, its creator Joss Whedon was building a reputation in Hollywood, performing uncredited script doctoring for Speed along with other films, and receiving an Oscar nomination for his work on the Pixar/Disney hit Toy Story.
Today, in 2000, the movie has become a TV series- one of the most successful teen TV shows around. It is now in its 4th season and has produced a spin-off- "Angel"- which premiered this year to huge success. Both series have been recommissioned for their 5th and 2nd seasons respectively and there is talk of an Emmy nomination for Buffy this year. Not bad for a failed movie about a cheerleader who kills vampires.
The History Lesson
As already mentioned, the movie was a critical and box office dud. That might have been where it ended, except that a few people, including Joss himself, were hugely dedicated to the project and kept up hope that it would be a success. The word had gotten round that Joss' original script was hot stuff and the concept stuck in the back of a few people's minds. Instrumental in getting Buffy to the small screen were Gail Berman (executive producer), Sandy Gallin (another one) and Fran Rubel Kuzui (director of the film and now... guess what! She also directs some of the episodes). Berman was working for Sandollar- one of the production companies involved with Buffy- when the script for the film was doing the rounds. She fell in love with it and pitched the idea to Gallin, President of the company, as a TV show. They both loved the idea and took it to Kuzui who felt that, while the idea was sound, it wasn't Buffy's time. Gallin and Berman agreed and the show was left on the back burner for a few years.
Later though, Kuzui contacted Berman and suggested that they try for the TV series. Joss got involved and, through a lot of hard work, a 25 minute showreel was put together. Unfortunately, no studio wanted to pick it up until, finally, the WB Network commissioned it as a mid-season replacement. The 12 episode first season was made without any knowledge of how the public felt about it, and without the security of knowing that it had been recommissioned. In fact, the end of episode 12 "Prophecy Girl" has the distinct feeling that everything is being wrapped up for this very reason. Fortunately, a second season was commissioned and the show has never looked back.
Telling the Story
On the surface "Buffy" seems to resemble 90210, except with vampires. The cast are all impossibly gorgeous, they have sharp dialogue and witty comebacks (ok, the resemblance is starting to fade...) but this is only superficial. When the show is examined, we find out that in fact it is a poignant, funny and smart depiction of teenage life and the relationships between the main characters. The demons are incidental to an intelligent and true to life story arc.
The main crux of the show is Buffy's reluctance to her destiny, and the interaction between her and the other three main characters- Xander Harris, Willow Rosenberg and Rupert Giles (known to everyone as Giles). For most viewers, the doomed relationship between Buffy and Angel- a 242 year old vampire with a soul- was also a major part of the show, providing even more anguish for our heroine until the vampire left for LA.
The fact that Buffy rejects traditional slaying methods, in favour of the pursuit of a semi-normal life, is, ironically, what gives the Slayer her power. There can be no doubt that Buffy is the best Slayer in recent times, if not ever, and it is down to her support system and irreverent attitude that she has achieved this status. It is also what endears her to the audience- this girl may be able to kick demon ass, but she's just a teenager, going through the same hellish experience as everyone else (though hers may be closer to the literal sense).
Sunnydale, the Californian town the show inhabits, is kept on its toes by the fact that it is situated on a Hellmouth. This is, to quote Giles "a mystical convergence" that attracts demons to the town. Interestingly though, these are not the faceless monsters that many shows choose to portray. Instead, the villains are as complex as the heroes, with fan bases and popularity as large as the main characters. Some of them even make it to regular status, as demonstrated by the most popular villain, Spike, in Season 4 after a recurring role in the previous two seasons. Evil as they may be, the characters have feelings and problems, making them as riveting as the rest of the cast.
In fact, Buffy has gradually moved away from the Monster of the Week feeling of its first season, focusing more on the story arc that interconnects the episodes. Continuity references reward the faithful fans who see the development of characters as the show goes on and one of the most exciting aspects of the programme is that, with a few exceptions, nobody is safe.
The fact is, that while Buffy's surface is glossy and more than a little ridiculous, the show was and is far more than that. It is an intelligent, funny and often moving portrayal of the journey from adolescence to adulthood, and the demons we have to fight to get there.
