Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Angel, the Series

If you've ever been to my apartment, you know that I have a large collection of TV series on DVD; if you ever take a closer look, you'll notice that 12 of these dvd sets constitute the complete collection of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (7 seasons), as well as its spin-off show, Angel (5 seasons). These were the first ones I ever got on dvd, and the ones I've spent the most time watching. I've seen every episode of each series several times. So the big question - - Why these shows?

First, I'll admit, the concept sounds pretty silly. A 90-lb blonde chick from California with superpowers who fights vampires. Superchick falls in love with occasionally evil, 240 year old vampire, who then heads to LA to get his own show, and battles an evil law firm.

Just by the title itself, many brush Buffy and its counterpart off as stupid teenage fluff with monsters. But the reason these shows are so good, the reason they developed cult followings and lasted for so long, the reason they achieved so much critical acclaim - - the writer, Joss Whedon. Whedon takes far-fetched, fantastical things like demons, vampires, witches, werewolves, and zombies and turns them into metaphorical representations of the evils we face in every day life. He uses fantasy to explore the truths of reality, and thats what hooks me.

I started watching Buffy at its 4th season; I read a TV guide once that explained the show and told all about its past three seasons, and that a spinoff (Angel) was starting that year as well. The premise of Buffy is simple: High school is hell, literally. The local high school sits atop the mouth of hell. You know how every problem that comes up in high school seems like life and death to a teenager? For Buffy, everything IS life and death. And all of the problems in high school manifest themselves in a supernatural form. A girl that no one notices turns invisible, and starts terrorizing the people that ignored her. The group of mean kids that delight in tormenting people get possessed by a demonic spirit, and really start tearing people apart. Buffy meets an older, mysterious boyfriend with a troubled past; turns out he's a centuries old vampire with a soul, who used to be the most sadistic, vicious killer in the world. A girl who wishes everything were different actually gets to live out that wish in an alternate reality, and finds out everything would be much, much worse.

As the chosen one, Buffy has to deal with every mess that comes up, while keeping her secret identity from her mom. She becomes an outcast at school, because she's always involved in the weird and supernatural. Thus she meets a couple of other outcasts, and they help her fight. Sometimes the fight takes on apocolyptic proportions; other times its simply a matter of growing up. The character development is fantastic; Whedon gives his characters real depth - strengths, weaknesses, awkwardness, success, and failure. And it has real consequences. Whedon's not afraid to kill off his characters for the good of the story. He'll just as soon wrench your heart out and stamp on it before giving you what you want to see. His motto was always to give the viewer what they need, not what they want. And it was never just as simple as kill demons, good over evil. The show explored all of the moral quandries that came with adolescence, as well as the possession and usage of power. And it made for some damn compelling television.

Even more than that, the shows were hilarious, and featured plenty of ass-kicking (especially in the later seasons, when they had a bigger budget. And especially on Angel.) Whedon imbued his characters with his subversive sense of humor, with characters tossing off witty, sarcastic comments at all times, especially in the face of impending death. Then, yes, the fighting. Buffy had super strength, as did the vampires and demons she faced. Other crew members developed powers as well, and at times, there were some full-scale beatdowns. And boy do I like me some kung fu fighting.

So what about Angel? After a painful relapse as psycho-killer (here vampirism serves as a metaphor for substance abuse), Angel skips town and opens a detective agency. Huh? Well, that was mostly a front so he could hunt down evil and try to earn redemption for all the horrible things he did. A couple familiar faces join him, and soon he finds himself in a world of trouble. A mega-powerful law firm apparently controls the city, and represents the vast majority of the world's evil. (something we can identify with, no?) This show really explores the themes of power, corruption, and coming to terms with your past.

As a more adult show than Buffy, I actually enjoyed it more overall. For one thing, plenty more fighting. It was still funny, though not as funny as Buffy because it had a darker tone. But it had the same strengths -- representing real world evil through supernatural creatures, backed by deep characters who developed so much through five seasons.

Ultimately, this show got cut off by the network at its peak; season 5 ended with what's left of the hero core (some had just gotten killed) facing a massive battle which they probably wouldn't survive. Whedon intended the show to go on longer, but it was not to be (Fuckin' WB network).

So the end served as a metaphor - - the good fight never ends. People who stand up and take action against evil and corruption will spend their entire lives in battle. And to this, Whedon's characters live and die by the immortal words of Carl Johnson: "Fuck it. I'm down."

Next in the series: The West Wing