Yes. Okay I admit it - I am a huge Buffy fan, I have a shelf dedicated purely to Buffy books and of course, my beloved box-set. Even my University dissertation was based on Buffy's doppelgänger, the dark Slayer - Faith.
This iconic show still makes me burst into tears or laughing fits after numerous marathons. Trust me, I watched certain episodes so many times during my final year at Uni, (purely for dissertation purposes of course).
One of the main factors in why Buffy was so successful was Sarah Michelle Gellar. I feel Sarah is a highly underrated actress. Her speech in "Prophecy Girl" (Season 1 Episode 12), is one of the best scenes in the entire show and still brings me to tears, it showed that underneath all the bravado, strength and skill, Buffy was just an ordinary scared teenage girl who didn't want to die.
Sarah always played the vulnerable and burdened side of Buffy, equally as well as the witty hero who got to kick butt, and always had a comeback. I feel this is what made Buffy relatable to me and a lot of other people, she wasn't perfect.
I also liked the fact Buffy ended up without a romantic partner, despite her dalliances with different romantic interests. It always came back to her and her duty as a Slayer. Her speech to Angel in the final episode about how she was cookie dough,(not quite ready to be enjoyed), but one day she might be cookies (ready for a relationship), was so relatable to me, and showed she was similar to a lot of other 20+ single women. However, I do like to think that once the burden of being the 'Chosen One' was lifted in the final episode, she settled down with a decent guy.
Two stand-out episodes for me (besides the final episodes "End of Days" and "Chosen" (Season 7 Episodes 21 and 22) are "Innocence" (Season 2 Episode 14) and "The Body" (Season 5 Episode 16).
*SPOILER ALERT*
"Innocence" was a brilliant episode, Sarah really showed her acting chops, and a lot of the scenes are heart-breaking to watch,(the scene where Angelus taunts Buffy about their night of passion, which meant so much to her always has me in tears). This episode brilliantly turned a beloved love-interest(Angel)into a hated villain (I personally loved David Boreanaz as a villain - as a romantic interest he was boring in my opinion). This episode was the very metaphor for a guy changing after sleeping with him.
*SPOILER ALERT*
One of the greatest and saddest episodes is "The Body". In which we say goodbye to Joyce Summers, Buffy's mum. The whole opening for this episode was skilfully done without music and using long camera-shots and made Buffy's discovery of her mother eerily real. The fact Buffy's mother died of natural causes (the first, and one of the few natural deaths in the series),and not supernatural causes or murder, showed us a new helpless side to Buffy, unable to avenge her mother or blame anyone for her death.
*SPOILER ALERT*
I can honestly say I feel Buffy had the best ending of any TV show, in terms of where the show started out and the concept of the show it was a beautiful ending. Buffy was no longer the only "Chosen One", of course ever since "What's My Line Part 1" (Season 2 Episode 9) there has been two Slayers, but the final episode saw every potential Slayer actually become a Slayer, making Buffy one of an army of Slayers. Joss Whedon completely turned the "One girl in all the world" concept of the Slayer upside down, and, as Giles said I thought it was "bloody brilliant"
The last line and shot were just perfect with Willow, Faith and Dawn asking Buffy what she wants to do next, Buffy just looks at the giant hole that used to be Sunnydale and smiles, contemplating a future as a normal person.
I personally hope Buffy never gets rebooted, as it was perfect just as it was. Any reboots would just trash the brilliant ending, and if it ever does get rebooted, I hope Joss Whedon is in charge and the original cast are involved. Buffy is such an iconic show it deserves to be remembered as that, not a failed reboot that undid all the amazing work.
If you're a Buffy fan I'd love to know your thoughts, and if you've never seen the show...what have you been doing? Get watching!
Grrr Argh.