Buffy The Vampire Slayer - The Complete DVD Collection

You know, I only ever used to catch the odd episode of Buffy on TV. Either it was her having some trauma with Angel or something to do with the rather cold inflicted looking Master. As far as I was concerned it was just a bit of fun, pure standalone episodes, to pass an hour or so of my life away. This was, of course, until I stumbled across someone on an internet forum giving a season by season breakdown of the storylines. I'd never realised the links between each episode, each series, that takes young Buffy from a fashion conscious student at Sunnydale right up to being a General figure leading a bunch of potential slayers into an apocalyptic battle against an almost Lord Of The Rings-esque host of feral vampires and the overal essence of evil in the Hellmouth itself.

So I vowed one day to sit down and watch the entire series from start to finish to take in this epic opus. After finishing it I can say its pure class, the thought that goes into structuring the entire flow of the series. Little throwaway lines that pop up referring to events that may have happened seasons ago, little clues dropped in about the appearence of Dawn in Season 5 as early as Season 3. There are episodes that are standalone pieces of amusement (take Xander and the 'all women love me' episode for example) or those that tackle more serious aspects of life such as the rather sombre The Body. There are episodes the pushed the boundaries of normal US TV viewing such as the musical Once More With Feeling, the silent Hush and the surreal Restless, all episodes that I will recommend to friends to check out to show that there is more to Buffy than initially perceived.

I found the DVDs to be absolute quality, Season 4 onwards are presented in widescreen which is a bit of a treat. Its also the first time that I've actually wanted to sit down and watch through a commentry, Joss Whedon expanding on the excellent episodes of Hush and Restless for example. There aren't as MANY features as I was expecting and there appears to be a surprising lack of Sarah Michelle-Gellar from the mini docus that punctuate the various boxsets. In defence of this, its a joy to hear Joss expand on the creation of the series where you find he approached Buffy from the mind of a film-maker. Hence the absolute quality of visuals, something you take for granted when you're used to mega-epics like Lord Of The Rings. Perhaps we assume too much that when it comes to TV, everyone has the time and budget to knock up something as impressive as this.

All in all, its a top box set. Something you will, and I have, watch over and over again. The characters are absolutely wonderful and have now become popular culture icons, Buffy will become a piece of history so you should really make sure you own it.

Buffy is more difficult to sell than 'serious' shows like The Sopranos and The West Wing. The name itself is very silly; the notion of "Buffy" and "vampires" was probably enough to scare off half the population before it even aired. And then there is the main character. Buffy is no cool, serious or attractive man but a blonde, stereotypical teenage cheerleader holding a stake. There seems to be no depth, reality or threat.

But Buffy triumphs in defeating stereotypes and the preconceptions you have whenever a young blonde woman walks onto the screen. From the very first scene where the blonde victim idea is subverted, Buffy establishes itself as the wittiest, funniest drama around. As the season progresses you realise that this show can also be dark and is as innovative as any other, more acclaimed, modern culture.

The writing is consistently brilliant, avoiding predictability and cliché throughout, unlike most drama scripts. Each character is beautifully created. They are always real, tangible, different and three-dimensional. Although there is a sharp sense of morality in Buffy, the fantasy element never leads the writers into the trap of the superhero versus the evil monsters. Buffy and her friends are not perfect and not even always good.

But probably what makes Buffy great, rather than just another sharp witty drama, is the direction. Buffy is a TV show, not a book or film on the small screen. The strengths of the medium are constantly exploited - the uniquely long amount of time TV has to establish character and expand plot are used brilliantly. Look at Buffy over the 7 seasons and it is clearly a cohesive whole, a journey. A journey you are invited to join over a vast period of time.

Because of these strengths the acting doesn't have to be brilliant but it generally is. Many of the actors here are little more than average but something in the chemistry of the show raises them well above their game. No one sees Sarah Michelle Gellar as an Oscar winner, but here, on the small screen, her acting is pretty near perfect.

The final strength of this show is the concept. The hero is, unusually, a woman and a strong, capable, demon fighting one at that. The often quoted metaphor that High School is Hell does fit the first seasons but there is often a lot more to it that that. There is a sense of morality, goodness and duty that runs throughout. The strength of friendship and the importance of doing what is right even if it hurts you is constantly emphasised.

I do not want to make Buffy something it is not. It is not always deep, serious and meaningful. It is sometimes only silly. But what I can guarantee is that it has moments of breathtaking brilliance and is almost always really good fun. It is wonderfully acted, directed and written. It is different, never clichéd and always fresh.

So if you have resisted Buffy until now, if, like me, you have been put off by the title, the heroine and the concept please give it a chance. I can promise that you will not regret it.

Of course, you must buy this as it's the best TV series ever made bar none. BUT this is a warning to people who are discovering Buffy for the first time. DON'T WATCH ANY OF THE EXTRAS UNTIL YOU HAVE GOT TO THE END OF THE SEASON. There are sometimes extras, featurettes, etc. on Discs 1-5 [particularly on disc 3, which only has 3 episodes], but these often give away important parts of the plot that happen later in the season. So best to leave all extras to the end of the season. Note also that the 'Season Summary' extras on disc 6 and some of the commentaries can also give away parts of the plot in later seasons too. So if you're a spoiler-phobe, like me, I suggest you just watch all seven seasons without watching any of the extras. Then, when you watch Joss's masterpiece the second time (as you surely will), you can watch all the extras too, as a bonus. You have been warned. Enjoy!