We are getting close! Welcome to the fourth installment of Christine's
Top Five Favourite Television Shows of All Time. Well, so far, because this
list is only shows that have finished their television run, since that is the
only fair way to judge. We are at number two this week, which is probably
really obvious…
Buffy the Vampire
Slayer!
This is the first show on my list that I actually ever
watched as it was airing, because I briefly started watching season six after
my friend recommended it. I loved it; it was first time I had watched an “adult”
television show that had this blonde girl (like me!) was the boss and taking
charge. I believe Star Trek: Voyager
was airing at this point, so Buffy was not the first woman leader I had seen,
but Captain Janeway never seemed that feminine. And I watched Sailor Moon obsessively while growing
up, so I had seen some girlie heroines, but that was a kid’s show anyway. Buffy felt like proof that I could be a
girl, but still have adventures and save the day.
And then Smashed
aired and my parents stopped letting me watch it.
I came back to the show after college (which I reminisce on
in this post), and even though I was now older than Buffy, I still loved what
it was showing: a girl (or woman) who could be in control of her life, and
could make the right decisions. I needed that then, and still need it
occasionally.
But beyond what the show means…it is also very entertaining.
The episodes can be hilarious (see: Band
Candy, Something Blue); they can
be scary (see: Hush, Spiral); they can be heartbreaking (see:
Surprise/Innocence, Becoming Parts 1 and 2, Wrecked). For a how that can seem
somewhat superficial on the surface—girl fights vampires—it is surprising how
strongly the show can hit you. This is mostly due to the fact that, in the
first season and a half, Joss Whedon really does an excellent job investing you
in the characters, so that when things start going to the hellmouth, you really
are invested. Maybe Whedon starts his shows slow (I certainly think so), but
that is because you need to be invested in order to be effected.
The show is serialized as well, but what I particularly love
is how far along the clues are planted. Who would have guessed when we meet
Willow that she would become the Willow of Two
To Go? But the clues were there all along, in The Wish and Something Blue.
Dawn is foreshadowed back in Graduation
Day. We meet the Big Bad of season 7 back in season 3. Really, this is
Harry Potter level planning, and it is so satisfying to see these small hints
from previous seasons come back. It makes rewatching the show as fun as
watching it at first.
So yes. Buffy! I
love this show. Go and watch it if you haven’t already!
5.
4.
3.
2.
Number 1 is next week...if you know me at all you'll know what it is. ;)
5.
4.
3.
2.
Number 1 is next week...if you know me at all you'll know what it is. ;)
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