The clever writing of Buffy's series:

[Chasing Cordy]

I have to admit that the folks responsible for writing on this show came up with some of the most brilliant concepts imaginable.
At the top of that list is the invisible girl episode from season one.
Marcie is invisible not because of a magic spell, a witch's potion, or by accident. She can't be seen because...oh you know why.
BRILLIANT CONCEPT!!!!!!
The whole theory behind that episode tops even my favorite--Fear, itself.

"Fear, Itself" is one heck of an episode as well.
You find yourself on the edge of your seat for the whole haunted house scenario and when it comes time to face the demon responsible for the troubles...what a twist! Plus the last scene/line is one to put in the classic TV vault.

Season one also has "Witch" and that also has some good twist writing.
I must admit that Buffy's Macho man song and her cheer routine beats the twist of the story, but in all it was a great episode. Her line of You're my Xander-shaped friend just is funny stuff.

So to summarize:
Buffy is indeed loaded with great writing and some memorable lines, scenes, and episodes. Much more cleverly written out than the clowns that wrote for "Charmed"
The question is: Was clever writing good enough to put it over the top?

 

[Schillaci]

I'm not sure why you think those episodes you referenced are 'clever writing'.

Fear, Itself - The ending was obvious.

Out of mind, out of sight - Good idea, weak delivery.

Clever writing to me is something like this.

When Buffy gets the power to read others thoughts, she tries to read Angel's mind to see what he thinks about Faith. She can't get into Angel's mind. 4/5 years later Faith does a little Angel mind walking. She comes back to Sunnydale and Buffy finds out Faith was in Angel's mind, and it stirs up that old jealousy. That to me is well thought out, plus continuity is the awesomestestesting one two three.

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

Yeah, it really does appear you have missed the point of the show if you cite those three as the clever ones.

To me, Fear, itself, is funny, with a few twists.
Clever would be how the show maintains a strong mythology that it rarely forgets, continous over 250+ episodes.

The continuity of these shows is rivalled by none. The single episodes are great, personally the idea of managing to entertain people while being a catalyst to a whole season through a musical episode, or the way you can empathize with an ex-demon trying to understand the concept of life and death, or making the viewer so deeply care about the bad guys that we want them to come back so much(Spike, Dru, Darla).

The fact that even minor characters are so well written that they themselves are discussed at length for years after they appeared in the show.

So, yeah it really does deserve is placing at number 1.
I hope one day a TV show is made thats better, because then that TV show will be worth watching too.

 

[Lyri]

the writing for this show has no equal among other shows at the time of its original airing...or even since then. no show has touched me the way the writers for this show have.

but, as amazing as the writing is, i have to agree with everyone that it's the continuity that makes it so unique...things like trapping Katherine Madision in the cheerleading statue, and then, almost a year later, havinf Oz notice that the eyes of the statue follow you wherever you go...the writers are trusting the fans to make the connection between the episodes ('The Witch' and 'Phases') even though they were written by two different people (well, three, technically)

also, in the ep 'Gone' when Buffy goes to the offices of the social worker, as she's leaving, she's whistling her song 'Going through the Motions' from OMWF.

it's things like that that make this show clever and special for me...because Joss and the rest of the writers trust their fans to make connections between episodes that take place year apart, or even ones on different shows, as mentioned above.

 

[Chasing Cordy]

I'm not sure why you think those episodes you referenced are 'clever writing'.

Fear, Itself - The ending was obvious.

Out of mind, out of sight - Good idea, weak delivery.

So you're trying to tell me that when you saw "fear, itself" on the original broadcast, you knew there would be a three-inch demon at the end? Or what the three-inch demon represents?
You BtVS fans must be politicians 'cause you dish out some serious crock!

Just the fact that "Fear, itself" is not truly resolved until the very last sentence of the episode makes it all the better.
In "Witch" it was resolved as to the change midway through the episode and you had another half to go until the end.
I could go on and on...

 

[watcher1006]

The writing of the series has gotten due praise from many quarters, but I think something needs to be said about the combination of innovative writing and production concepts that made TV history. Such as:

1. S4 "Hush" - main action section without dialogue
2. S5 "The Body" - whole episode without music
3. S6 "Once More With Feeling" - a whole episode about music

Think of the contrast between "The Body" and OMWF! I remain in awe at how daring this series was.

 

[Schillaci]

So you're trying to tell me that when you saw "fear, itself" on the original broadcast, you knew there would be a three-inch demon at the end? Or what the three-inch demon represents?

Ok, it seems you missed some things when you 'watched' Buffy. So I will introduce you to this most audacious technique often employed by the Buffy writing staff. I will call it 'subverting the obvious', I'll call it that because the specific name eludes me at the moment. This concept is often used in Buffy, perhaps overused sometimes. It is even used in the first episode, it might be the first scene, I'm not sure. When Darla and the boy are in the school, and she pretends to be worried, then wham, she's a vampire.

They use this viewer manipulation in 'The Witch', (that great episode you referenced) when Giles is coming down on Buffy for joining the cult, and then BIG REVEAL, she joined cheerleading squad!

Clever, eh?

You BtVS fans must be politicians 'cause you dish out some serious crock!

Totalitarian dictator, actually.

Just the fact that "Fear, itself" is not truly resolved until the very last sentence of the episode makes it all the better.
In "Witch" it was resolved as to the change midway through the episode and you had another half to go until the end.
I could go on and on...

Please don't, I might be forced to pull out my bastinado.

OK, so you want an episode that is actually clever writing?

Let us look at Tabula Rasa. You're thinking, 'huh, it's funny, but clever? I don't think so'.

Consider this

Consider, Willow wants to remove Buffy's painful memories. She does so, but what happens? It takes away everything that Buffy is. She is no longer Buffy, because without pain we would be not be human. Pain often defines us, shapes us, (ok, sometimes breaks us) pain is how you grow. It is one of the most constant things in life, and it is necessary.

 

[Chasing Cordy]

It seems to me like people need to have a certain mindset to watch BtVS episodes. Kind of like right-handed vs. left-handed or good in math vs. good in reading.
Everyone always claims it's a great show and applauds to metaphors thrown in while clapping on just common epsiodes.
My idea of clever is: Witty, tricky writing with the ability or desire to take the viewer down one road then without warning place them on another path.
In the "Fear itself" episode, that final movement from one path to another doesn't take place until the final line.

The "Tabula Rasa" episode has none of that. Just standard Willow uses magic to fix something.
Apparently, concepts are clever to Buffy's fans and not the actual writing. Does that sound right?

 

[Black Eye Guy]

No! It's that fact that both of them work together to make Buffy what it is, I mean The whole deceive the viewer thing, is as old as time, it is done in almost every medium, Books, Films, TV. And yes it's always entertaining, But what makes Buffy great is that while it has that effect, It also has so much more!

 

[What happened to good TV?]

'concepts are clever to Buffy's fans and not the actual writing. Does that sound right?'

You hipocrite.

'Marcie is invisible not because of a magic spell, a witch's potion, or by accident. She can't be seen because...oh you know why.
BRILLIANT CONCEPT!!!!!!
The whole theory behind that episode tops even my favorite--Fear, itself.

"Fear, Itself" is one heck of an episode as well.'

You seem to have pointed outr episodes where you felt there was a 'BRILLIANT CONCEPT!!!!!!' when the fact is there were better and more cleverly written episodes. As ALL the post state above! Read em and weep.

Basically you are saying you like something, simply put, with a twist at the end. That basic and predictable narrative has nothing to do with the quality of writing in the show. If you only like things that 'take you down one path but at the last second go down another' then you are closeminded and lack the ability to actually appreciate good television.

As everyone who actually watches the show and is capable of taking something from it, deeper than the twist at the end, the writing in Buffy is genius. Particularly the ones that have already been metions which broke the mould, Hush, Restless, Once more with feeling, The Wish, and The Body all perfect examples of the callibre at which the buffy writers were at.

In my opinion the writing dramatically improved as the series went on. Perhaps as the writers themselves had more practice and more time to work out the characters ect.

Chasing Cordy Out of mind out of sight was a good episode but the writing wasn't great. Watch it again and then watch any of the episodes other people have mentioned(Not far itself) and you'll see for yourself, regardless of the fact that theres a twist!

 

[FahrbotDrusilla]

The "Tabula Rasa" episode has none of that. Just standard Willow uses magic to fix something.

It's more... Willow uses magic to fix something and screws everything up worse than it already was instead. It's actually one of the two episodes in season 6 that I think actually IS brilliant. (I'm not past saying I hated that whole season and i am a Buffy fan)

Apparently, concepts are clever to Buffy's fans and not the actual writing. Does that sound right?

The writing is clever, unlike in lets say, CHARMED

 

[BuffBuff]

i have to say that the writing in the show is probably the best there's ever been on television, IMO. the concepts are great. granted there are some eps with weak delivery and lame storylines (mostly those are the stand-alone episodes), but i mean, to convey so many metaphors in the show for so many different issues, that's just great writing!! like your boyfriend "losing his soul and turning evil" after sleeping with him. i mean, the show obviously has awesome writing and concepts for us to have watched the show so much, and still be talking about it 3 years after the show has ended.