Snarf Zagyg
Notorious Liquefactionist
It is a point so banal it hardly bears repeating that we have been experiencing the golden age of television. It can be difficult to explain to those who are used to the bountiful riches of today's multiple streaming options and international offerings just how ... sparse ... and often bad television used to be. Sure, there were some good shows, here and there, but for the most part, the 30th best show of any given year now would have easily been the best show on television for most years from the 50s through the early 90s.
Small things, such as "actions from one episode having consequences in an episode later on" or "season-long arcs" just didn't exist, for the most part. And this transition began to occur ... in the 90s. I can first remember it with two shows in particular in terms of Geek Cred- the X-Files, which mingled "monster of the week" and "mythology" episodes, and Babylon 5, which, with Babylon Squared in the first season, had the audacity to show the future of the show (which, due to a cast change, had a fascinating payoff later).
But one show that seems both omnipresent, yet also doesn't seem to fully get the accolades that it probably deserves, is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I jogged around the web and found that it didn't even make most contemporary top 100 lists. And this bothers me, a little.
I never re-watch TV shows, even the best ones. And yet, I have now seen Buffy all the way through five times, including during the original run. Each time, I catch new things, and while it isn't perfect, and it does sprawl, and parts of it are oh-so-90s, I continue to be amazed at how fresh and modern it is. It might not be the Wire, or the Leftovers, or Breaking Bad, but Buffy introduced the wider world to a number of concepts that are overdone now because they are such as a part of our TV vocabulary- the witty banter, the "scooby gang," the Big Bad, the season-long arc, and the sometimes too-obvious metaphor.
I have to admit that I often fall into this trap myself. It's easy to talk about how Firefly was cut short, or BSG was a good reboot, or the roughly 5000 new Star Treks on CBS All-Access, but I often forget about one of the greatest of all of the TV shows, and the one that really bridged the era from bad TV to what we have today. So, in order to foster that conversation, I thought I would use the internet for its second-best use: posting a ranking that people will disagree with!
The Infallible Buffy Season Power Rankings as Determined by Overall Awesomeness and Cool Criteria
1. Season 3.
This is peak Buffy. It has all the classic components (High School setting, Giles, Oz, Some Angel, Principal Snyder). It has Faith.
And it has .... Mayor Wilkins. So perfect.
I really wanted to be contrary, but this is the absolute, positive, ur-Buffy. Others might say it declined after this (I would say that it evolved), or that Whedon became distracted with his numerous projects and "Whedon-verse" such that the quality of the mothership declined, but the only thing that is for sure is that this is the inarguable height of Buffy.
2. Season 6.
...and there it is. Some people say that this season is a depressing slog. To which I reply, "Really? Have you watched the Leftovers recently? How about Rectify?"
This is certainly the most polarizing season. So I'm going to make a quick case for making it the second-best season. The roughness is the point. Before this, the characters were in high school or kinda-sorta college. This is the post-college season. This is the characters flailing around in life. This is bad and abusive relationships, and good relationships that end badly, and characters that mean well but it doesn't work out, and all the mess and the complications that can't be solved by just stakin' it. People often point to the high point of Once More with Feeling from this season; the reason that this musical works so well is because it exposes the artifice, the lies, and feelings come out. The introduction of both terrible misogyny (the Trio) and gun violence both feels out of place and necessary.
But so many details in this season ring true for people that have struggled to find themselves, or wondered how their close friends have drifted apart. It's a difficult bunch of episodes, but one of the most rewarding.
3. Season 2.
At some point during this season, you realize that David Boreanaz graduated from "not being able to act, like, at all" to "only a little terrible." But while future episodes do, of course, un-do the impact of it, the "switch" in the middle for Angel, and the ending of Season 2 are some of true "TV" moments that I still remember decades later.
4. Season 4.
Maybe the worst Big Bad (although ... Season 7). But Hush might be one of the finest episodes, and overall, this was a solid season.
5. Season 1.
Most people say that the first season wasn't that great. THEY ARE WRONG. It was a short season. But when you watch it again, you realize it really had everything already in place. The wit. The acting. The plot lines. The Master was a good Big Bad!
So why is it below Season 4? I absolutely cannot watch it without cracking up whenever I see Angel. Seriously- David Boreanaz's acting is ... well, terrible. It's a good thing they try to keep him in shadows.
6. Season 5.
Good: I don't hate Dawn. I genuinely enjoy the scene-eating of GLORIFICUS! The Body might be one of the saddest, best episodes of TV done. Also, it's Buffy, so, even when it misfires, it is still pretty good.
Bad: Everything else.
7. Season 7.
Meh. At least they got to have a finale? This season is so forgettable that I have trouble remembering what happened, and I never remember the Big Bad from it until I start watching it.
Tips for People Who Want to Watch It:
Buffy is a great show. It's currently streaming in the US on Amazon Prime (all seasons).
Beginner: Watch the first three seasons. Remember that it keeps getting better!
Intermediate Studies: Watch seasons 4 & 5. More uneven in quality.
Advanced Studies: Season 6.
Completist: Season 7.
Small things, such as "actions from one episode having consequences in an episode later on" or "season-long arcs" just didn't exist, for the most part. And this transition began to occur ... in the 90s. I can first remember it with two shows in particular in terms of Geek Cred- the X-Files, which mingled "monster of the week" and "mythology" episodes, and Babylon 5, which, with Babylon Squared in the first season, had the audacity to show the future of the show (which, due to a cast change, had a fascinating payoff later).
But one show that seems both omnipresent, yet also doesn't seem to fully get the accolades that it probably deserves, is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I jogged around the web and found that it didn't even make most contemporary top 100 lists. And this bothers me, a little.
I never re-watch TV shows, even the best ones. And yet, I have now seen Buffy all the way through five times, including during the original run. Each time, I catch new things, and while it isn't perfect, and it does sprawl, and parts of it are oh-so-90s, I continue to be amazed at how fresh and modern it is. It might not be the Wire, or the Leftovers, or Breaking Bad, but Buffy introduced the wider world to a number of concepts that are overdone now because they are such as a part of our TV vocabulary- the witty banter, the "scooby gang," the Big Bad, the season-long arc, and the sometimes too-obvious metaphor.
I have to admit that I often fall into this trap myself. It's easy to talk about how Firefly was cut short, or BSG was a good reboot, or the roughly 5000 new Star Treks on CBS All-Access, but I often forget about one of the greatest of all of the TV shows, and the one that really bridged the era from bad TV to what we have today. So, in order to foster that conversation, I thought I would use the internet for its second-best use: posting a ranking that people will disagree with!
The Infallible Buffy Season Power Rankings as Determined by Overall Awesomeness and Cool Criteria
1. Season 3.
This is peak Buffy. It has all the classic components (High School setting, Giles, Oz, Some Angel, Principal Snyder). It has Faith.
And it has .... Mayor Wilkins. So perfect.
I really wanted to be contrary, but this is the absolute, positive, ur-Buffy. Others might say it declined after this (I would say that it evolved), or that Whedon became distracted with his numerous projects and "Whedon-verse" such that the quality of the mothership declined, but the only thing that is for sure is that this is the inarguable height of Buffy.
2. Season 6.
...and there it is. Some people say that this season is a depressing slog. To which I reply, "Really? Have you watched the Leftovers recently? How about Rectify?"
This is certainly the most polarizing season. So I'm going to make a quick case for making it the second-best season. The roughness is the point. Before this, the characters were in high school or kinda-sorta college. This is the post-college season. This is the characters flailing around in life. This is bad and abusive relationships, and good relationships that end badly, and characters that mean well but it doesn't work out, and all the mess and the complications that can't be solved by just stakin' it. People often point to the high point of Once More with Feeling from this season; the reason that this musical works so well is because it exposes the artifice, the lies, and feelings come out. The introduction of both terrible misogyny (the Trio) and gun violence both feels out of place and necessary.
But so many details in this season ring true for people that have struggled to find themselves, or wondered how their close friends have drifted apart. It's a difficult bunch of episodes, but one of the most rewarding.
3. Season 2.
At some point during this season, you realize that David Boreanaz graduated from "not being able to act, like, at all" to "only a little terrible." But while future episodes do, of course, un-do the impact of it, the "switch" in the middle for Angel, and the ending of Season 2 are some of true "TV" moments that I still remember decades later.
4. Season 4.
Maybe the worst Big Bad (although ... Season 7). But Hush might be one of the finest episodes, and overall, this was a solid season.
5. Season 1.
Most people say that the first season wasn't that great. THEY ARE WRONG. It was a short season. But when you watch it again, you realize it really had everything already in place. The wit. The acting. The plot lines. The Master was a good Big Bad!
So why is it below Season 4? I absolutely cannot watch it without cracking up whenever I see Angel. Seriously- David Boreanaz's acting is ... well, terrible. It's a good thing they try to keep him in shadows.
6. Season 5.
Good: I don't hate Dawn. I genuinely enjoy the scene-eating of GLORIFICUS! The Body might be one of the saddest, best episodes of TV done. Also, it's Buffy, so, even when it misfires, it is still pretty good.
Bad: Everything else.
7. Season 7.
Meh. At least they got to have a finale? This season is so forgettable that I have trouble remembering what happened, and I never remember the Big Bad from it until I start watching it.
Tips for People Who Want to Watch It:
Buffy is a great show. It's currently streaming in the US on Amazon Prime (all seasons).
Beginner: Watch the first three seasons. Remember that it keeps getting better!
Intermediate Studies: Watch seasons 4 & 5. More uneven in quality.
Advanced Studies: Season 6.
Completist: Season 7.