Top Ten: Reasons To Love Buffy The Vampire Slayer

I'm aware that this list marks me out as a massive geek, when the others have given the impression that I might be minorly cool. You were fooled. I am truly geektastic, and a big part of that is my love for Buffy. You know, it's NEVER wrong to quote Buffy, despite what others might think.


10. The baddies

The bad guys were a huge strength for the show, from the normal variety of vampires and demons to the big bads like The Master, Spike and Drusilla, Angelus, Glory and Caleb. I can genuinely say I have been terrified by a number of Buffy monsters, in particular The Gentlemen who gave me horrific nightmares for weeks on end with their creepy-arse faces and silent floating *shudder*. It was also an amazingly good twist when recently-boinked Angel became slightly less puppyish and donned his evil boots. Becoming, which features a Buffy vs Angelus finale is one of my favourite episodes.

9. The couples

Buffy not only covered some really well-expanded, regular couples, if also pushed the boundaries with same-sex relationships like Willow and Tara, interspecies like Xander and Anya and borderline abusive like Spike and Buffy. It also wasn't afraid to discuss sex, which is a vitally important quality when you consider the core viewing audience of teens. I think it handled the dynamics of teen relationships really well too, without ever learning towards the smutty, over-dramatic or saccharine. I think Willow and Tara may be the best and most tender unfolding of a love affair in any TV show.

8. Xander 

For the first few series Xander's main role was to be the classic, goofy clown, however he was a perfect example of Buffy's character development as he developed from an inane joker to a sweet, funny man. But, the best bit of it for sure was when he found his backbone. He lacked the slayer strength of Buffy and the magic of Willow but he wasn't afraid to fight for his friends. The episode where he faced up to evil Willow and used love, loyalty and humanity to save the world was just breathtaking.

7. The musical episode

This episode was a very brave move. It worked so perfectly blending humour and darkness, and all of the cast sang their own line, which is quite exceptional. Tara and Willow's song Under Your Spell has received a lot of attention for its frank portrayal of a lesbian relationship and the sexuality of it, which is unusual for a TV drama, let alone a teen one. All songs and performances were strong, catchy and perfectly placed to tell a story rather than being extraneous extravagances. Buffy was boundary-breaking in a number of ways an Once More, With Feeling summed it up perfectly.


6. Spike

What can be said about Spike, other than the fact he's cool? He channels the vibe of the 1980's vampires (such as The Lost Boys and Near Dark) with added punk, from his bleached blonde hair and lashings of leather. He makes sparkly stalker Edward Cullen look like a prat (which he is - so it's a fair call). He's wonderful as a Big Bad, but really comes into his own when he begins a masochistic relationship with Buffy, and the development of his obsessive love for her is startling and surprisingly real. 

5. The quips & pop culture


For a show about vampires, that deals with loss and pain on an almost episodely basis, Buffy is refreshingly funny. And, pretty much everyone is quipping, from Buffy's witticism and one-liners to Spike's acerbic sarcasm. It's a rare show indeed that can move from laughter to tears in an instant, and Buffy cracks it. There's also the pop culture, like every 90's kid, The Scoobies (see, a pop culture reference there!) lives seem to revolve around TV, and it shows, in an ever amusing way.


4. Faith

Rogue slayer Faith is the quintessential bad girl. Sexy, dangerous and more often that not, slightly murderous. She steals the screen in every scene she's in. Be-leathered and mildly trailer-trashy Faith is a complex character, constantly verging between the good and bad and wrestling with her more carnal urges for blood, guts and banging. She's the perfect counterpoint to sassy, but sweet Buffy and allows for Buffy's darker side to begin emerging. The tension between the slayers verged on sexual at times, and sizzled on screen with danger.


3. 90's nostalgia



I remember growing up with American high school TV programmes that left me utterly bewildered at the sartorial choices - knee socks, really Sabrina the Teenage Witch, were they THAT popular? - but Buffy seems to really flood me with nostalgia - from the unflattering chokers and lipstick choices to questionable hairstyles and high-waisted trousers. There's also the old-school technology and terminology - how big are the computers?! But the feeling is pleasantly nostalgic rather than dated.

2. The friendship

While the romantic relationships in Buffy are well-fleshed out and strong, it is the friendship and heart that make the show what it is. The bond shared between Buffy, Xander and Willow is well explored, and develops on-screen with a progression that seems natural and genuine. The bonds of friendship are tested time after time, but the tender bond always overcomes all. All of the characters were complex and their connections to each other even more so, but it never verged into the overblown or sickly-sweet. The revolving additions to the group such as Cordelia, Oz, Tara and Anya all added their own strengths and complex relationships, but the overwhelming theme in all of the friendships is loyalty.

1. Buffy

How could the leading lady not get a mention on this list? I think the thing I liked the most about Buffy was her growth from a slightly vapid, but warm-hearted cheerleader to a complex adult balancing the weight of a turbulent home-life with saving the world on her shoulders. She was an utterly flawed character, at times vacuous and fluffy and others snippy and hot-tempered, and every single one of the flaws made her seem more human. I think the most important turning points in her progression came in her relationship with Spike, where her darker side was fully explored and the death of her mother, which showed a vulnerable side to the kick-ass heroine. She gained a lot by shedding some of her moral high ground.