GUILTY PLEASURE OR A CLASSIC

    

Today we witness hundreds of great TV shows that it's almost impossible to grasp them all. The actors, the critics and the public have proved that the form of a TV show can very often outbid the popularity of Hollywood movies. Recently there's been a mild vampire hysteria in pop culture, which made many people recall why watching  Buffy was more than a guilty pleasure.

A classic is classic not because it conforms to certain structural rules, or fits certain definitions...It is classic because of a certain eternal and irrepressible freshness.

-Edith Wharton

We will not discuss here how the myth of vampire creatures has developed through the pop culture, but long before Twilight there's been a not so successful horror movie, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The best thing that came out of this movie is the TV show with the same title. And we should be thankful for that.

You might be a fan of the show, you might have seen some of it, or you simply roll your eyes when you hear its title.

First thing: It's not about vampires. I mean, it is in a literal sense. But putting it in Sci-fi genre or any specific genre would be considered ignorant and lazy. The show equally carries the elements of drama, thriller, horror and sitcom. The fictional side of it is never arbitrary or unfounded, talking about parallel universes and mystical forces just to begin with.

The creator of this brave new world, Joss Whedon, is a perfectionist and a visionary. Nothing in the show seems to appear or happen for no reason. Even the number of the seasons, 7, is traditionally known to be the perfect magical number. 

Always succeeding to overcome the predictability and clichés, in fact, Whedon makes fun of the clichés, but he never makes fun of human ideals, presenting us all the modern demons this world never ceases to surprise us with. His humanist approach and brilliant mind is what makes this show one of the most original works of the TV production ever. And from wherever he drew his inspiration (popular culture, literature, art, music, theology, science, etc.) he proudly made a reference.

So yes, the director, the writers and the cast have together clearly created a classic. In addition to all of the above, the soundtrack made the show memorable too, placing the plot into a particular time and a particular generation.

As far as I am concerned, the first episode of Buffy was the beginning of my career. It was the first time I told a story from start to finish the way I wanted.
-Joss Whedon

Buffy: Does it ever get easy?

Giles: You mean life?

Buffy: Yeah. Does it get easy?

Giles: What do you want me to say?

Buffy: Lie to me.

Giles: Yes, it’s terribly simple.The good

guys are always stalwart and true, the bad guys are

easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hats, and, uh, we always defeat them and save the day. No one ever dies, and everybody lives happily ever after.

Buffy: Liar.

The main character, Buffy, is a young girl who proves to be a true fighter. From the start we have this strong feminist aspect of the show before feminism was even cool. The first season from today's perspective may seem unoriginal or naive, but don't let the outdated production fool you-it's the sweet beginning of everything. The characters are still a little shy, the plot and  the dialogues are just getting warmer, wait until you get surprised for the first time and then get use to that feeling. Already back then, the show predicted an age of cyber world's contradictions, and don't even  get us started on bullying issues, parent pressure and all that high-school drama. The 90's fashion? Still relevant.

Giles: A vampire in love with a Slayer...it's rather poetic...in a maudlin sort of way.

                       

If you dislike the show after you have finished watching second season, then this is not a show for you. Now you pretty much get what this is all about. The second season has introduced some key characters to the show, and this is where the show has proven to be a promising classic. It even mocks its own topic-the vampires, but never close to becoming a self-parody. The relationships between the characters get more complex, the plot starts to revolve around intimate topics such as love, trust, maturing, coming up with some killer conclusions. Sarah Michelle Prinze's performance has been so painfully good that at this moment you realise there's no way turning back to life B.B. (before Buffy).

Mr. Platt: Well, tell me more about this guy. The Bad Ending Guy.

Buffy: He was my first...I loved him, and then he...

Mr. Platt: ...changed.

Buffy: Yeah.

Mr. Platt: He got mean.

Buffy: Yes.

Mr.Platt: And you didn't stop loving him. Look, lots of people lose themselves in love. It's no shame. They write songs about it. The hitch is, you can't stay lost. Sooner or later, you have to get back to yourself.

Buffy: And if you can't?

Mr.Platt: If you can't...Well, love becomes your master, and you're just its dog.

Angelus: Spike, my boy, you really don't get it. Do you? You tried to kill her, but you couldn't. Look at you. You're a wreck. She's stronger than any Slayer you've ever faced. Force won't get it done. You gotta work from the inside. To kill this girl...you have to love her.

The season three continues the brilliance of the former season. The drama, the action, the surprises, the possibilities of the crazy and the impossible. Another appearance of the key character underlines the third season, kudos to Eliza Dushku. Director questions the sympathy spectators have for the characters. It's about the hard challenges and right moral choices in love and friendship. More than any other season, this one dramatically points out  the political and the corrupted side of the world we live in. But the director`s approval of forgiveness and belief in a better humanity never fails. The last episode symbolically closes one big chapter of the whole show, as of the life of characters as well, making them feel relieved for surviving their own adolescence.

Faith: When are you gonna learn, B? It doesn't matter what kind of vibe you get off a person. 'Cause nine times out of ten, the face they're showing you is not the real one.

Angel: Look, I'm weak. I've never been anything else. It's not the demon in me that needs killing, Buffy. It's the man.

Buffy: You're weak. Everybody is. Everybody fails. Maybe this evil did bring you back, but if it did, it's because it needs you. And that means that you can hurt it. Angel, you have the power to do real good, to make amends. But if you die now, then all that you ever were was a monster.

                           Angel: You still my girl?
                                    Buffy: Always.

The beginning of the season four and this whole new chapter is optimistic and light hearted.Very soon, the hidden fears and doubts characters have will come to the surface. The eternal confusion of those years where you have to define your life, learn to assimilate in a new surroundings and preserve your integrity. Talking about college, jobs, new relationships, old relationships. And even today there hasn't been a show that has brought up the subject of sexuality in such a delightful  way. James Marsters` kick ass performance gives to this season undeniably refreshing note. There's a constant battle between ''the old'' and "the new ideas''.  The show gets a whole new vibe with the scientific perspective of fighting ''the big bad'', with the conclusion that no technology could compete with the human soul. And no matter how powerful you are, you're powerless without friends. The end of the show announces in a David Lynch way all that there`s yet to come.

Spike: The point is, they were once a real powerful group. It's not a stretch to say they ruled the world. And when they broke up everyone blamed Yoko, but the fact is the group split itself apart, she just happened to be there. And you know how it is with kids. They go off to college, they grow apart. Way of the world.

In season five, the cast has been refreshed and you are yet to learn to appreciate these new faces. The director is questioning reality, or illusion of a settled life, settled relationships, settled home. He brings up true meaning of family. The season deals  with the feeling of loss, the subject of death, with more direct approach than ever, and this might be emotionally one of the most mature seasons of the show so far. On the other side, it's full of crazy twists, witty ideas and breathtaking performances. This is where the final condemnation of the misogynistic society and the overuse of technology happens to be. The character of Spike has again proven to be one of the wisest choices from the director and the writers, not only for this season, but for the show in general. Season five closes with thoughts of pure, unselfish love, which will stay the director`s favourite quest until the very end of the show.

Spike:You're not friends. You'll never be friends. You'll be in love till it kills you both. You'll fight, and you'll shag, and you'll hate each other till it makes you quiver, but you'll never be friends. Love isn't brains, children, it's blood...blood screaming inside you to work its will. I may be love's bitch, but at least I'm man enough to admit it.

Spirit Guide:You are full of love, you love with all your soul. It's brighter than the fire... blinding... that's why you pull away from it.
Buffy: I'm full of love? I'm not losing it?
Spirit Guide:Only if you reject it. Love is pain, and the Slayer forges strength from pain. Love... give... forgive. Risk the pain, it is your nature. Love will bring you to your gift.

The season 6 continues to intrigue the public emotionally with its presentation of life's struggles, keeping its warm and entertaining character. Since the huge demands have been put on the role of Buffy so far, now the inner fights of the other characters come into the limelight. Psychologically, season six deals with depression, addiction, anxiety, feelings of isolation. Sociologically, it condemns the rigid, bureaucratic system, as well as the restricted scholar system. Philosophically, it deals with our perception of the world, our role and people in it. This season might be one of the most challenging seasons of the show for many reasons. It was a brave attempt to bring the whole world of Buffy to the ground and it succeeded at its best.

Buffy: I touch the fire, and it freezes me

I look into it, and it's black

Why can't I feel?

My skin should crack and peel

I want the fire back.

Buffy: You must be so disappointed in me.

Rupert Giles: No. No, no, I'm not.

Buffy: But this is all my fault.

Rupert Giles: No. I don't believe it is. Do you want me to wag my finger at you and tell you that you acted rashly? You did. A-and I can. I know that you loved him. And... he... has proven more than once that he loved you. You couldn't have known what would happen. The coming months a-are gonna - are gonna be hard...I-I suspect on all of us, but... if it's guilt you're looking for, Buffy, I'm-I'm not your man. All you will get from me is-is my support. And my respect.

The final season is about the healing the old wounds, which is exactly what the characters needed. Some of the most touching scenes happen to be in the last season. Its about going to the core of their problems and the evil, in a literal sense of the word. You know those shows when they simply end and nothing is really explained, you just end up wondering why you spent all of your time watching all those episodes? This is not one of those shows.

The moral of the show is about overcoming personal issues in order to fight for a better world. It's about choosing to be strong and realising what kind of power we have within us. But there's never too much of moralization in the show . That's because the director never takes himself too seriously, he doesn't let his vision become pretentious. All of his characters, and I mean all of them, are primarily humans: they mock, they judge, they overestimate and underestimate themselves all the time. And what's the most likeable thing in them is that, no matter what happens, they stay together. I guess that puts Buffy into Sci-fi genre these days.

Spike: You listen to me. I've been alive a bit longer than you, and dead a lot longer than that. I've seen things you couldn't imagine, and done things I prefer you didn't. Don't exactly have a reputation for being a thinker. I follow my blood...which doesn't exactly rush in the direction of my brain. So I make a lot of mistakes. A lot of wrong bloody calls. A hundred-plus years, and there's only one thing I've ever been sure of. You. Hey, look at me. I'm not asking you for anything. When I say I love you, it's not because I want you, or because I can't have you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are. What you do. How you try. I've seen your kindness, and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you, and I understand, with perfect clarity, exactly what you are. You're a hell of a woman. You're the One, Buffy.

Anya: And they have no purpose that unites them, so they just drift around, blundering through life until they die, which they-they know is coming, yet every single one of them is surprised when it happens to them. They're incapable of thinking about what they want beyond the moment. They kill each other, which is clearly insane... and yet here's the thing. When it's something that really matters, they fight. I mean, they're lame morons for fighting, but they do! They never... they never quit. So I guess I'll keep fighting too.

Whistler: Bottom line is, even if you see them coming, you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. So, what are we, helpless? Puppets? Nah. The big moments are gonna come, you can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are.

A.B.

Love, Invitation to Inspiration