Vote for why you think it jumped
Never Jumped
New Kid In Town (Dawn)
Death (Tara)
Singing (The Musical)
Graduation
Shark Bytes
Buffy the Vampire never jumped the shark.
It did take some extraordinary risks throughout its seven seasons (that probably didn't sit well with everyone in the audience), while simultaneously coping with all the usual problems a long-running TV show will, such as actors unexpectedly leaving. And, of course, it has its ups and downs, but not only did it never jump that shark there isn't a truly bad episode in the 144 broadcast.
The journey from decidedly poor b-movie with teeth-itching "Valley speak" and bad pacing to the remarkable, complex and grown up world of the show at its best is utterly remarkable, and generations of television writers should be grateful for what Joss Whedon et al were able to achieve here. At its finest, Buffy the Vampire Slayer takes on an almost literary quality, while never straying far from popular entertainment. They don't study this show in media and popular culture classes for nothing. Just a shame they saddled it with such a silly name.
Season 1 of the show is acceptable, but disposable monster of the week/teen soap fluff with a handful of truly excellent standalone episodes, but - while its better than the film - there is still no real indication of just where the show is headed or how revolutionary it would become.
It's in season 2 when the episode stories begin to lose their importance to the serial aspect - the "season arc." The show takes on a pleasingly drifting quality; it begins to gel...
And then in season 3 with the introduction of Faith and sex Buffy the Vampire Slayer begins to really grow up.
Season 4 can, admittedly, at times be hard work. The Riley Finn character is dull, and the Scooby Gang are out of High School, which requires a new dynamic. There are a few teething problems in discovering that new dynamic...
But it's lightly peppered with clues as to the audacious device the show would utilise in season 5 - probably one of the finest achievements in the history of television. The episode storylines of season 5 glide, the serial aspect is to the fore, and the whole thing plays almost like one long movie.
The arrival of Dawn is both clever and swaggeringly confident. This is a show at its creative peak, and its a very high peak indeed. Far from being the moment at which the show loses its way, the sudden imposition of a previously non-existence character is - in large part - flipping the bird. "We're so good, we can do this and get away with it."
And they're right. Could have fallen flat on its face at that point, but in fact transcends to another level - becoming a meta-narrative as well as a damnably good yarn.
The balance between the soap opera and the silliness is perfect throughout the 22 episodes. The barely concealed subtext of the arc story is bible black. It's almost painfully good.
Season 6, after the network shift, sees the show continuing to take extraordinary risks, perhaps not with quite such success, but to present something this unrelenting bleak in a cult fantasy show that started out so goofy is brave. Dour, existential and at times genuinely touching, here we have a season-long payback for the ending of season 5 where lesser shows would have simply righted themselves, and gone for business as usual after one or two episodes.
Not all of season six works. The decision to make the villains the comic relief throughout the first half, and fairly inept and small-time right to the end serves the mechanics (the concept seems to include turning everything on its head to see if it will break), but irritates. It's Buffy the Vampire Slayer gone topsy-turvy with the subtext out in the open, and everything inverted. It's a deliberate, slow implosion, which - in context - pushes the envelope. Should a show like this go this dark?
The key episode is the one in which Buffy imagines herself in an asylum, and the entire Buffy Universe we have come to know to be a figment of her imagination. Crucially, that episode leaves us with a scene that implies that perhaps the mad girl in the padded cell is the real one after all. Again, it's meta-narrative, and gloriously glum and angsty.
Season 7 lightens up - because it has to. There's nowhere left to go in that direction once you have given us a suicidal hero who has loveless, violent sex with a dead guy just so she can feel something, anything in a world that has become a Hell to her. So, in a sense, it's back to the beginning.
There are some clumsy moments along the way as the show wraps itself up by sabotaging its original premise. "Into every generation a slayer is born" turns out to be a myth that needs to be staked.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is about female power, it's about how we tell stories, it's a rites-of-passage drama about growing up, and it's cracking entertainment in all its glorious silliness - yes, even the Buffybot and the sudden strain of sci-fi that steadily, unexpected emerges.
The one trick they really missed was Faith. Should've been a lot more Faith. Squandered one of the most interesting characters on the show. Damn shame Eliza Dushku turned down the opportunity to do a follow-up series.
Never. Jumped. The. Shark. Even at its weakest moments, better than it ever needed to be.
It did take some extraordinary risks throughout its seven seasons (that probably didn't sit well with everyone in the audience), while simultaneously coping with all the usual problems a long-running TV show will, such as actors unexpectedly leaving. And, of course, it has its ups and downs, but not only did it never jump that shark there isn't a truly bad episode in the 144 broadcast.
The journey from decidedly poor b-movie with teeth-itching "Valley speak" and bad pacing to the remarkable, complex and grown up world of the show at its best is utterly remarkable, and generations of television writers should be grateful for what Joss Whedon et al were able to achieve here. At its finest, Buffy the Vampire Slayer takes on an almost literary quality, while never straying far from popular entertainment. They don't study this show in media and popular culture classes for nothing. Just a shame they saddled it with such a silly name.
Season 1 of the show is acceptable, but disposable monster of the week/teen soap fluff with a handful of truly excellent standalone episodes, but - while its better than the film - there is still no real indication of just where the show is headed or how revolutionary it would become.
It's in season 2 when the episode stories begin to lose their importance to the serial aspect - the "season arc." The show takes on a pleasingly drifting quality; it begins to gel...
And then in season 3 with the introduction of Faith and sex Buffy the Vampire Slayer begins to really grow up.
Season 4 can, admittedly, at times be hard work. The Riley Finn character is dull, and the Scooby Gang are out of High School, which requires a new dynamic. There are a few teething problems in discovering that new dynamic...
But it's lightly peppered with clues as to the audacious device the show would utilise in season 5 - probably one of the finest achievements in the history of television. The episode storylines of season 5 glide, the serial aspect is to the fore, and the whole thing plays almost like one long movie.
The arrival of Dawn is both clever and swaggeringly confident. This is a show at its creative peak, and its a very high peak indeed. Far from being the moment at which the show loses its way, the sudden imposition of a previously non-existence character is - in large part - flipping the bird. "We're so good, we can do this and get away with it."
And they're right. Could have fallen flat on its face at that point, but in fact transcends to another level - becoming a meta-narrative as well as a damnably good yarn.
The balance between the soap opera and the silliness is perfect throughout the 22 episodes. The barely concealed subtext of the arc story is bible black. It's almost painfully good.
Season 6, after the network shift, sees the show continuing to take extraordinary risks, perhaps not with quite such success, but to present something this unrelenting bleak in a cult fantasy show that started out so goofy is brave. Dour, existential and at times genuinely touching, here we have a season-long payback for the ending of season 5 where lesser shows would have simply righted themselves, and gone for business as usual after one or two episodes.
Not all of season six works. The decision to make the villains the comic relief throughout the first half, and fairly inept and small-time right to the end serves the mechanics (the concept seems to include turning everything on its head to see if it will break), but irritates. It's Buffy the Vampire Slayer gone topsy-turvy with the subtext out in the open, and everything inverted. It's a deliberate, slow implosion, which - in context - pushes the envelope. Should a show like this go this dark?
The key episode is the one in which Buffy imagines herself in an asylum, and the entire Buffy Universe we have come to know to be a figment of her imagination. Crucially, that episode leaves us with a scene that implies that perhaps the mad girl in the padded cell is the real one after all. Again, it's meta-narrative, and gloriously glum and angsty.
Season 7 lightens up - because it has to. There's nowhere left to go in that direction once you have given us a suicidal hero who has loveless, violent sex with a dead guy just so she can feel something, anything in a world that has become a Hell to her. So, in a sense, it's back to the beginning.
There are some clumsy moments along the way as the show wraps itself up by sabotaging its original premise. "Into every generation a slayer is born" turns out to be a myth that needs to be staked.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is about female power, it's about how we tell stories, it's a rites-of-passage drama about growing up, and it's cracking entertainment in all its glorious silliness - yes, even the Buffybot and the sudden strain of sci-fi that steadily, unexpected emerges.
The one trick they really missed was Faith. Should've been a lot more Faith. Squandered one of the most interesting characters on the show. Damn shame Eliza Dushku turned down the opportunity to do a follow-up series.
Never. Jumped. The. Shark. Even at its weakest moments, better than it ever needed to be.
The high school episodes were easily the best. It started losing steam in the following college seasons. Definitely jumped when Dawn was conveniently written in as the sister that suddenly appears out of nowhere but was always there. The switch to UPN after the "final" episode was a HUGE error in judgment. The episodes alternated between boring and depressing. Also, is it just me or every person of color in Sunnydale killed, maimed, or tortured in some fashion? Spike and Buffy? Gross.
BTVS started to JTS when the writers were given freedom to do things that weren't very believable...
...and it really went off the deepend, when the show moved to UPN.
The first two seasons were consistently good, the 2nd being my favorite. The 3rd wasn't quite as memorable as the first two, though there weren't any specific red flags other than the whole Columbine controversy that caused us Americans to get a censored season finale.
The 4th Season introduced annoying "boy toy" Riley, and is when the show seemed to start focusing needlessly on Buffy's sex life. This is probably when the show lost most Christians who had defended it for being deeper than most similar shows.
Also in the 4th Season, they ruined the Willow character, by turning her from an adorable socially-inept computer geek sidekick into a queer witch. Not only that, but Willow suddenly became the most powerful character in the Buffyverse. And while Giles didn't change nearly as much, his character became nearly irrelevant, and kept going through this will-he-leave-or-won't-he syndrome.
S4 did have some good moments like the finale, and also the interesting twist on Spike's character.
Season 4 also suffered from Angel leaving the show. Another thing you'll notice is that over time, Buffy becomes more and more irrelevant in her own show, to the point where she releases hundreds of other slayers, no longer being the only chosen one. Angel on the other hand becomes more and more important, starting off as a cryptic messanger on Buffy, learning he's a part of some big prophecy, and taking over Wolfram & Hart.
Season 5 was much better, except I wish they made Dawn more likable and didn't spoil how the season would end with the whole "death is your gift" stuff. Finale would have been an excellent ending for the show though.
But S5 was also the first time they introduced a ridiculous Buffy sex robot, and if it wasn't perfectly clear at that point that the show was being WRITTEN by complete geeks, they had to rub it in by making a whole season about geeks.
S6 was BAD, with the only saving grace being the awesome musical episode and Spike's redemption. And S7 was EVEN WORSE, because at that point, they weren't even trying to make the show funny anymore, and they went all the way down to this primitive good-versus-evil plot, way below the BTVS standard set by S2! I guess they figured that they had already ruined all the character arcs, so they should just focus on senseless mayhem.
And from what I've seen, the so-called "Official Season 8" comic is garbage with slayers running amuck everywhere and Buffy going lezbo. Gee...didn't we already do that with Willow? Now, Buffy has to go through the lesbian/bi-curious phase too?
Is there some kind of rule that all superpowered girls have to become lesbians or bisexual?
Now I understand what network execs are good for...keeping writers from doing crap like this.
...and it really went off the deepend, when the show moved to UPN.
The first two seasons were consistently good, the 2nd being my favorite. The 3rd wasn't quite as memorable as the first two, though there weren't any specific red flags other than the whole Columbine controversy that caused us Americans to get a censored season finale.
The 4th Season introduced annoying "boy toy" Riley, and is when the show seemed to start focusing needlessly on Buffy's sex life. This is probably when the show lost most Christians who had defended it for being deeper than most similar shows.
Also in the 4th Season, they ruined the Willow character, by turning her from an adorable socially-inept computer geek sidekick into a queer witch. Not only that, but Willow suddenly became the most powerful character in the Buffyverse. And while Giles didn't change nearly as much, his character became nearly irrelevant, and kept going through this will-he-leave-or-won't-he syndrome.
S4 did have some good moments like the finale, and also the interesting twist on Spike's character.
Season 4 also suffered from Angel leaving the show. Another thing you'll notice is that over time, Buffy becomes more and more irrelevant in her own show, to the point where she releases hundreds of other slayers, no longer being the only chosen one. Angel on the other hand becomes more and more important, starting off as a cryptic messanger on Buffy, learning he's a part of some big prophecy, and taking over Wolfram & Hart.
Season 5 was much better, except I wish they made Dawn more likable and didn't spoil how the season would end with the whole "death is your gift" stuff. Finale would have been an excellent ending for the show though.
But S5 was also the first time they introduced a ridiculous Buffy sex robot, and if it wasn't perfectly clear at that point that the show was being WRITTEN by complete geeks, they had to rub it in by making a whole season about geeks.
S6 was BAD, with the only saving grace being the awesome musical episode and Spike's redemption. And S7 was EVEN WORSE, because at that point, they weren't even trying to make the show funny anymore, and they went all the way down to this primitive good-versus-evil plot, way below the BTVS standard set by S2! I guess they figured that they had already ruined all the character arcs, so they should just focus on senseless mayhem.
And from what I've seen, the so-called "Official Season 8" comic is garbage with slayers running amuck everywhere and Buffy going lezbo. Gee...didn't we already do that with Willow? Now, Buffy has to go through the lesbian/bi-curious phase too?
Is there some kind of rule that all superpowered girls have to become lesbians or bisexual?
Now I understand what network execs are good for...keeping writers from doing crap like this.
Wait for it. Soon you'll see why so many people like Spike more than Angel. He is very loyal which makes him more attractive. Careful though this show is very addictive.
Hi There All,
I am watching this show, BTVS, for the first time all the way through. My daughter is the Buffy Buff, so I got curious about what attracted her to this show. I am in Season Five right now, where they just buried Joyce, and Spike get the BuffyBot created. I find Spike amusing, Buffy effective, Gile reliably Gile, Xander funny in a vague sort of way, Anya silly like an Autistic person coming out it, and Willow, oh my God, I find Willow so annoying. Heck, I even like Dawn, though she is defensive, difficult, but believable as a teenage. Is it the actress or the part, I am not sure; I think it is the combination of both of them, but she constantly comes across as someone who just does everything stupidly. Maybe she is too geeky for my comfort. They say if you hate something about someone, it is something you hate in yourself but haven't faced. Then I am emotionally silly, stumble over my words, and such. But, I do not. I guess it doesn't matter. My daughter told me lots of peole find Willow their favorite character. I like Tara because at least when she speaks she sounds like an intelligent sensible person who is emotionally connected tot he world around her. Oh well, I am enjoying watching the snow, and trying to see what the huge appeal was. I know that some scenes move me, thus far, the one where she lost her mother was a very difficult disturbing one, and the positive scenes with Angel have a very solid loving feel to them. Yes, I do prefer Angel to Spike thus far, but my daughter tells me that without a soul, it isn't fair to compare Spike to Angel, at least not until that field is levelled with Spike's receipt of a soul. I will keep watching all the way through, and then I may watch it all once again, maybe. Thanks for listening, Carol
I am watching this show, BTVS, for the first time all the way through. My daughter is the Buffy Buff, so I got curious about what attracted her to this show. I am in Season Five right now, where they just buried Joyce, and Spike get the BuffyBot created. I find Spike amusing, Buffy effective, Gile reliably Gile, Xander funny in a vague sort of way, Anya silly like an Autistic person coming out it, and Willow, oh my God, I find Willow so annoying. Heck, I even like Dawn, though she is defensive, difficult, but believable as a teenage. Is it the actress or the part, I am not sure; I think it is the combination of both of them, but she constantly comes across as someone who just does everything stupidly. Maybe she is too geeky for my comfort. They say if you hate something about someone, it is something you hate in yourself but haven't faced. Then I am emotionally silly, stumble over my words, and such. But, I do not. I guess it doesn't matter. My daughter told me lots of peole find Willow their favorite character. I like Tara because at least when she speaks she sounds like an intelligent sensible person who is emotionally connected tot he world around her. Oh well, I am enjoying watching the snow, and trying to see what the huge appeal was. I know that some scenes move me, thus far, the one where she lost her mother was a very difficult disturbing one, and the positive scenes with Angel have a very solid loving feel to them. Yes, I do prefer Angel to Spike thus far, but my daughter tells me that without a soul, it isn't fair to compare Spike to Angel, at least not until that field is levelled with Spike's receipt of a soul. I will keep watching all the way through, and then I may watch it all once again, maybe. Thanks for listening, Carol
I think I'm crazy because I want to see a movie based on the stuff they're doing in season 8 comics. I also think it be neat to see a new Buffy movie.
when THEY BROUGHT IN SPIKE AT THE START OF THE SECOND SEASON SPIKE AND DRUCILLA "THE BRITISH BONNIE AND CYLDE VAMPIRES" IT WENT DOWNHILL AFTER THAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CANCELLED AFTER BUFFY KILLED "THE MASTER"
Somewhere between the reformed Spike falls for Buffy nonsense and the introduction of Robin Wood. Season seven had its good points, but if there was ever a JTS moment, it's in there.
Oh, and for those who liked the series and wish there were more, there is a Season 8 in comic book format. Oh, and to give you the big spoiler upfront, Buffy had an tryst with a potential. Hurray for lesbian Buffy!
Oh, and for those who liked the series and wish there were more, there is a Season 8 in comic book format. Oh, and to give you the big spoiler upfront, Buffy had an tryst with a potential. Hurray for lesbian Buffy!
Well, maybe it's the writer's fault. No one ever says "Hmmm...I think I'll decide to be gay today."
Anyway, I didn't really like the "Nemesissies" or the forced Willow/Kennedy relationship.
Anyway, I didn't really like the "Nemesissies" or the forced Willow/Kennedy relationship.
She wasn't gay at the beginning of the series, hence being all in love with Xander, then with Oz. So she became, turned, gay after he left and she met Tara. Now if you've watched the whole series you would have seen her in a couple of non-gay situations. And yes it can work that way.
buffy NEVER evr jumped the shark :D
the reason she was cold was because usually she is just protecting her friends and family (and the world) but in season 7 she had to protect a big group of potential slayers (plus everyone else) because if she never and they were all killed then no more slayer, then she and faith would of been killed and then the world would have no more protector ...
the reason she was cold was because usually she is just protecting her friends and family (and the world) but in season 7 she had to protect a big group of potential slayers (plus everyone else) because if she never and they were all killed then no more slayer, then she and faith would of been killed and then the world would have no more protector ...
Umm...you do know that Willow never "TURNED" gay? It doesn't work like that. She was probably hiding it from Oz.
I think the show jumped the shark in the last season. Not that it was a bad season, it just seemed like things got a little too serious:
*Xander with the eye patch
*Buffy becoming bitchy and angry
etc.
Also instead of having different stories each episode with a continuing sub-plot, it became one big story.
I think the show jumped the shark in the last season. Not that it was a bad season, it just seemed like things got a little too serious:
*Xander with the eye patch
*Buffy becoming bitchy and angry
etc.
Also instead of having different stories each episode with a continuing sub-plot, it became one big story.
I don't know about the show JTS but there were those moments that we could have done without. Willow turning gay wasn't so bad but after Tara was gone she should have turned back. Kennedy was too annoying. Spike trying to rape Buffy come on... she is supposed to be a vampire slayer. Earlier seasons she would've dropped kicked him down the stairs. Just the same he was good before the whole soul thing so they should've let him be and let their relationship develope. Never should've killed off Anya, she was literal, sarcastic and funny, a necessary additive after dropping the other characters. Oh and in season 7, all Buffy's friends and the potentials kicking Buffy out of her own house. Her "sister" telling her to leave? Before her convenient appearance it was Buffy and her mother. Dawn was a whiny annoying character. Too cry-baby for me. Don't get me wrong I absolutely loved the show watched every episode twice. Just some of the ideas I didn't care for.
I couldn't agree with you more. I watched the show in syndication but i agree that the first three seasons aren't the best. In fact, I only own the final four seasons in my DVD collection. That's not to say the first seasons aren't good. I just came to love Buffy for the woman she became and not the girl who struggled to be normal. It was a little too tame for me. But overall this was the best show on television in the last decade.
Leave a Comment
