If you know me at all, you know that "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is very dear to my heart, and I am also currently finishing up my fourth time binge-watching the entire show. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is more than just a TV show. "Buffy" is a masterpiece of writing, acting, character development, and progressive thinking that was far ahead of its time, so here is my list of reasons why, if you haven't seen the show yet, you need to stop whatever you are doing (including studying for finals) and Netflix the hell out of "Buffy."
1. Complete Bad Ass-ery
Buffy is the chosen one, given powers beyond mortal comprehension to face the demonic and supernatural forces constantly sprouting from the Hellmouth (conveniently located beneath her high school library). With super strength, speed, and agility, she literally slays anyone in her way, even if the occasional rocket launcher is necessary.
2. The Big Bads
Each of the seven seasons of "Buffy" is defined by a major villain that the gang refers to as the Big Bad. From super-powerful vampires to a demon/robot hybrid created by the military and from a psychotic hell goddess to the very essence of evil itself, Buffy and her friends face it all and come out on the other side.
3. The Outfits
Even though it's a tough gig patrolling the town every night for vampires and saving the world from apocalypse after apocalypse, you would never catch Buffy dead in a poorly organized outfit (seriously, she even died twice. Both times in spectacular style). Even an army of forces from Hell won't stand between Buffy and a shopping spree.
4. The Relationships
If you've heard anything about "Buffy"at all, you know Buffy and Angel are the Slayer/Vampire dream couple, but only true fans understand the spectrum of relationships in this show. Each of Buffy's relationships represent a different stage of her life and shows how she changes throughout the show, but the real interesting relationships are those that spring up around her. Buffy's best friend and practicing witch, Willow, finds love with a werewolf before discovering her sexuality and exploring lesbianism to find love with a fellow witch -- experiencing two different types of loss in the process.
Xander, the nerdy sarcastic friend and often the voice of reason, jumps from the high school 'mean girl' to the (in some ways) even meaner ex-demon. These and many more relationships give you butterflies while ripping your heart out all in one episode, and you keep crawling back for more.
5. Genuine Struggle
Even though Buffy is constantly locked in a battle against demonic forces, she and her friends encounter just about every struggle an actual teen or twenty-something can face. It's crazy that a show largely based in the 90s is still so relevant to young people today. From personal loss and mental illness to sexual orientation and rocky relationships, "Buffy" captures it all.
6. The Subtle Humor
Joss Whedon and the various writers of "Buffy" had the ability to infuse a very serious and sometimes depressing script with the most subtle, necessary, and genuine humor I've ever seen on TV. Not a single joke in the show seems misplaced or forced.
7. The show engages you
You end up spending most of the show actively trying to connect all the dots between characters and the subtle references within each episode to future and previous episodes. Whedon connects every aspect of the show in a way that leaves us with that sense of accomplishment that comes with figuring it all out.
8. The music
A common setting in the show is the local bar, The Bronze. It's a dark, hole-in-the-wall type place with cult style music and atmosphere. Every time the characters make an appearance in The Bronze there's a live band performance, and almost every band is an actual band from the 90's and early 2000's. If you're one of those 'I only listen to good music that no one has ever heard before,' types, just watch a few episodes of Buffy and look up the bands that play in The Bronze. You can even check out this Spotify playlist I made out of different songs played by bands in the show! They're great!
9. Revolutionary Cinematography
Over and over again, Whedon broke ground with his cinematographic choices and innovations. Among these were the episodes "Hush" -- which had a full 27 minutes of no dialogue -- "The Body" -- an episode with absolutely no background music, giving it a much more realistic and somber feel -- and "Once More With Feeling" -- the musical episode to end all musical episodes (yes, much better than Grey's Anatomy's and Scrubs).
As much as I love "Buffy," I will never be able to capture the show in all its glory with only nine points, but that's what Netflix is for. Go check out "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," you won't regret it. It's five by five.
