I am so amazed...

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Living Dead Boy

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Buffy has never failed to amaze me. From the storylines and character development, I could never get enough. But one of the things I find fascinating about Buffy, in relation to how fans view the series, is that EVERY fan views the show ENTIRELY DIFFERENT from the next. Mostly because of Joss' genius ability to mix genres seamlessly, but everyday it never fails to amaze me just HOW MUCH those views about the show vary.

I was just reading a blog called "The Hat Rack", and this blogger reviews every season of Buffy every other month or so. He has only done the first four, but his views on different episodes are very interesting. This guy, from what I've read:

1. Views "Ted" as the best episode of season two.
2. Feels iffy about "Band Candy" and adores "Gingerbread".
3. Thinks "Pangs" failed, but views "Where The Wild Things Are" as one of the best episodes of season four.

....and on, and on. Which makes me mad when people, or "fans" of the show tend to speak for everyone. Like when one guy expressed his views on the general consensus that Buffy is one the greatest shows of all time, according to critics everywhere, said they must have based that opinion on seasons 2-5, completely disregarding the final seasons as crap. Now, Living Dead Boy is a firm believer that season 6 is the greatest season of Buffy, for more reasons than I can excrete. But I digress. In the end, I think that's what will make "Buffy" stand the test of time, for it's ability to grow, to change, to never grow stale, and Joss' ability to mold the show so that it feels like it's speaking to ONLY YOU.
 
Yes, I must agree that Buyff continues to amaze me and always will. In a way it does feel like the show is speaking to ONLY ME. It makes me feel like I'm coming home to a good friend. Like I can relate to all it's metaphor's and witty humor and deeply invested characters. Although, it is fascinating to think everyone feels so differently about what seems a certain way to me. I hope it does stand the test of time. 🙂::heart::
 
BuffyElevated
BuffyElevated
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W
WWGD
"It makes me feel like I'm coming home to a good friend." I love how you put that! I feel the same way.
Anya2012
Anya2012
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I love BTVS and will always love it! The show has so much faces. Sometimes it's sad then happpy, tragical and full of action. And the storyline is always changing. And that's why we can discuss so much and everybody can find his own oppinion. And so we meet us here in BB and can discuss and compare and share our personal oppinions with the ones from other members. That's so amzing and deep inside me BB is still a important part of BTVS for me!
 
yeah, it's very cool how we can see the same thing differently. And have different reactions to it. In my experience, the positive usually rubs off on me but the negative doesn't, meaning hearing how someone likes an arc or an episode or a character more than I do usually has the affect of deepening or growing my affection for it. But not, so far, the other way around. 🙂
 
Buffy is a pretty damned good show.

For me, what keeps me coming back, as someone said earlier, it feels like coming home. No matter how times I've seen an episode, I never tire of it. When I'm stressed, or sad, I know exactly what episodes to watch to cheer me up. And the best thing is, I'm always discovering these new layers in the show, which keeps it fresh and interesting.
The fandom for this show is so incredible - I'm constantly amazed by the high-quality fic I come across, and how active this forum is is a testament to our fandom....we ROCK and were what every other fandom wants to be but can't (well, except for SPN's, they're crazy, sersiously)
Nice post!
 
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Living Dead Boy
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BuffyElevated
BuffyElevated
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I think it's a testament to the show and the writers that it is still so relevant now, even all these years later. I think it speaks highly of the show that we, as fans, continue to want to discuss it and rewatch it countless times. It's a damn good show with damn good writing. 🙂
 
You bring up a great point! I think the best works of art are the ones that leave a lot to the viewers own interperatation. This show is a great example of that! Though there are some things that the writers want to clearly express.

The blending of genres is done so well that it attracts a wide variety of fans. This is why years after the show has ended there are still so many fans that can get together (in an awesome place like this) and are interested enough to have a plethora of stimulating conversations on many, all Buffy related, subjects! 🙂
 
To be fair, pretty much every work of art witnessed by more than a few people provokes different interpretation in different people. Think of any movie or book you consider terrible, then go to Amazon or IMDB and you will see people praising it. Or think of any TV show you love and you will find dozens of long rants explaining the myriad of reasons why the show is the worst thing ever. 🙂

And in any fandom people prefer different elements of the thing they are fans of. Buffy's fandom seems to more broken into disagreeing factions than most but this is hardly any benchmark of quality or the lack thereof.
 
I think a lot of it has to do with the characters. I've gone through a lot of phases in my life.

And I find that different characters affect me differently during these phases.

When I was in middle to early high school, I was basically nerdy Willow. And I saw the show through that type of viewpoint.

My later teen years . . .I was a lot like Spike. In a character aspect. Minus the violence . . . so my perception changed and yet I could still connect with the show, just through a different character.

As I get older I am a bit like season 7 Spike and Buffy mixed in with Giles and so I have yet another perspective on the show, and yet I can still identify with it because of the range of characterization.

And the fact that the themes are so universal. Right and wrong, good and evil. Love and hate. The line between the savior and the sinner and how often they blur.

It has always been fascinating to me and I feel that it probably will be for many years to come.
 
Totally lost me with Where the Wild Things Are. How in the hell...? Has that person not see Restless? To each his own I guess, but that is shocking. I also disagree that season 6 is the best season. It's probably my second to least (7 being the least) favorite. However, if that person told me why they loved WTWTA or if you explained what you loved about season 6, I'd probably see both of your points as valid.

I tend to get pretty...perturbed when fellow Buffy fans (I've only met one, in person, who I could have some type of discussion about the show with) hate episodes/seasons/characters that I love. I become somewhat defensive. More defensive than if someone who isn't a fan called the show stupid or something.
 
ProphecyGirl65 said:
Totally lost me with Where the Wild Things Are. How in the hell...? Has that person not see Restless? To each his own I guess, but that is shocking. I also disagree that season 6 is the best season. It's probably my second to least (7 being the least) favorite. However, if that person told me why they loved WTWTA or if you explained what you loved about season 6, I'd probably see both of your points as valid.

I tend to get pretty...perturbed when fellow Buffy fans (I've only met one, in person, who I could have some type of discussion about the show with) hate episodes/seasons/characters that I love. I become somewhat defensive. More defensive than if someone who isn't a fan called the show stupid or something.
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Yeah, I've never heard anyone say that WTWTA is one of the best episodes of season 4, but that's what makes Buffy so special, is that there's so many different views on things. And you shouldn't get defensive. It's a waste of energy and time. 🙂 I would love to dig deeper into the reasons why I love season 6 so much, but I can write a whole college essay on it. I love the risks the writers took, and how they dealt with the fallout of last season, not by tiding it up in one episode, but actually letting it fester throughout the season. Buffy's arc is the major pull for me. Everything about her arc was pitch perfect. I love television shows that take us inside the character's minds, and this season has loads of it. I've never seen depression dealt with in a more realistic manner, and it's in this season that I can relate to Buffy more than I could ever relate to any fictional character in pop culture history. Her struggles were my struggles. Of course, it's my opinion though.

I would love for you to read this: Buffy season 6 review if you have time. And you should read the reviews of your favorite season as well!
 
Living Dead Boy said:
Yeah, I've never heard anyone say that WTWTA is one of the best episodes of season 4, but that's what makes Buffy so special, is that there's so many different views on things. And you shouldn't get defensive. It's a waste of energy and time. 🙂 I would love to dig deeper into the reasons why I love season 6 so much, but I can write a whole college essay on it. I love the risks the writers took, and how they dealt with the fallout of last season, not by tiding it up in one episode, but actually letting it fester throughout the season. Buffy's arc is the major pull for me. Everything about her arc was pitch perfect. I love television shows that take us inside the character's minds, and this season has loads of it. I've never seen depression dealt with in a more realistic manner, and it's in this season that I can relate to Buffy more than I could ever relate to any fictional character in pop culture history. Her struggles were my struggles. Of course, it's my opinion though.

I would love for you to read this: Buffy season 6 review if you have time. And you should read the reviews of your favorite season as well!
Click to expand...

Haha when I say defensive, it's more of an inward defensiveness...if that makes sense. I usually shrug and say, "Well, you're entitled to your opinion." or I'll try to discuss it with them, but I'm usually just left feeling confused as hell and then I feel the need to re-watch said season and/or episode that the person didn't like. For instance, if someone were to tell me that they hate The Body...I would be completely dumbfounded.

I agree with you about Buffy's depression. I don't dislike season six, it's just not one of my favorites. I have no problem with how "dark" that season is, because I'm huge fan of darkness...it just contains some of my least favorite episodes. I always look forward to Tabula Rasa, OMWF, Normal Again, and the Dark Willow arc, it's just if I HAD to rank all of the seasons, 6 would be towards the bottom. I agree with most of the reviewer's pros and cons and I really do love season 6! Haha. I can totally see why it's your favorite. I like it more than season 5 actually...the only episode of that season that I truly love is The Body.

Thanks for the link, these reviews are really detailed and I love the way that they're organized 🙂
 
L
Living Dead Boy
No problemo. :)
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