Average Rating: 
Rating:  - "The music of pain." (or at least adolescence)
For a first time screenwriter, Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was a good effort for a feature film. I thought for sure the series was going to tank. When I started watching halfway through the first season, I quickly found that I was wrong. "Buffy" simply blossoms on television. I've been hooked ever since.For the first time, Whedon has provided us with all the terrors of high school (remember those?) in a horror genre setting. Not only that, but he provides a confident, cool FEMALE character to trounce the bad guys. Whether you're a fan of the genre or a teenage feminist, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) provides a niche for the unpopular misfits in high school, but looks upon them as heroes. Were you as uncomfortable as Xander (Nicholas Brendon)? As geeky as Willow (Alyson Hannigan)? As quick with an aphorism as Oz (Seth Green)? The series proves that high school is indeed survivable no matter who you are, even if you're cliquish Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter). And in the end, the more unpopular you were - possibly the more important you were to your teenage community. Mix in your favorite teacher (or librarian) played by Anthony Stewart Head (who should play "Doctor Who" after he's done with "Buffy") to be the requisite horror genre British pseudo-scientist, and Buffy's single mom (Kristine Sutherland) and you're all set to go with the most intelligent sci-fi TV series possibly written for this age group. (The next closest thing being the intelligent, yet non-sf "Freaks & Geeks".) I'm not kidding. It's amazing how quickly these characters grow in the first season and their responses remain true to life despite the extraordinary situations they're thrown into. Creator Joss Whedon has become one of the most talented writer/directors working in the industry today, despite the fact that "Buffy" is most of what he's been doing for the last five years. As far as what you get in this box set, you're in for a treat. This is the full first season, not just the half previously released on VHS; including the season finale "Prophecy Girl" - where we see just how heroic Buffy really is, despite her adolescence and fear of death. Also present throughout the series are teenage issues of emotional/sexual conflict ("Teacher's Pet") and problems with acceptance ("The Pack"). Specific highlights also include Whedon's commentary for the two part premiere as well as the first appearances of Angel (David Boreanaz) and Jenny Calendar (Robia LaMorte). Remember, Buffy's not JUST about vampires. In fact I think it's safe to say that vampires are secondary to the emotional undercurrent of the show, if not a particular episode's plot. Forget "Felicity" and shove off of "Dawson's Creek", this is the one for the adults.
Rating: - Intense, Funny, Heartfelt! Televisions Best Show!
One of the best written, directed, and acted television shows finally comes out on DVD with its enitire first season. Each episode is brilliantly crafted and headed by the phenomenal Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers. Her strength, her wit, her sexiness all come through. She is one of the best young actresses on tv today. Other cast members include the incredibly witchy Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia. Never has anyone been better at throwing one line insults as her. Alyson Hanigan is perfect as Willow, charming, innocent, and sweet, and its amazing to see Willow then compared to now, and see what a wondeful journey her character has gone through.Its all because of Alysons brilliant acting. Anthony Stewart Head is excellent as Giles, Buffys Watcher, and Nicholas Benden as Xander provides the show with its comic relief. David Boreanaz is perferctly mysterious as Angel, and his scenes with Buffy are very intense.Once again this is a superior show that only gets better and better.
Rating:  - Welcome to Sunnydale! We've been dying to meet you.
For anyone who's come in late to the Buffy phenomenon, this DVD set is a great bargain. These episodes pick up from the movie (and, frankly, make it unnecessary for anyone other than completists), and set up the Buffy show nicely.Who was Xander's and Willow's friend before Buffy arrived? Was Cordelia REALLY that mean before she went soft on Xander? Who were Willow and Xander infatuated with? And what was the deal with Angel? The first season sets up the rules for the Slayer (although some, like her ability to sense vampires, have gone by the wayside), the school years (including two very different principals, with the later being played by the actor famous for fan-favorite Quark on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"), Buffy having to maintain a secret identity, and the non-story arc episodes, including a very chilling episode, "The Pack," in which Xander falls in with a very, very wrong crowd. This is only a half-season, as Buffy was originally a mid-season replacement. That's OK, as the overall story arc, about the Master being trapped beneath Sunnydale and attempting to get free and conquer the world, isn't the best the show had to offer (certainly not as good as season three's double threat of Faith and the Mayor). The Master as a character is a little campy and not quite as scary as Joss Whedon seemed to have wanted him to be, and the prosthetic teeth the actor wears makes him sound like an angry mole rather than the main vampire in the Buffy series. (For fun, try and trace all the prominent vampires' lineage in the show -- you'll see they all end up at the Master eventually.) Some justifiably famous episodes are present in this DVD, including the season ender "Prophecy Girl," which includes some of Sarah Michelle Gellar's best acting in the series, and the growth of the character from the somewhat unsure of herself and overwhelmed novice slayer into the more confident pro she would become. And, of course, the events of this episode also set up a major surprise in season two ... Unfortunately, the DVD collection isn't as good as the episodes included. The added features are mostly the interviews made when half of these episodes were released on tape a few years ago, along with rather unimpressive publicity photos and a script. Further, the first episode, "Welcome to the Hellmouth," is not as the show was originally aired, which included a voice-over and some graphics telling the history of the Slayers. For fans who have read the excellent "Watcher's Guide" companions to this series, this absence will be a little confusing, and it's baffling in any case. If Joss thought this material was some that he wished he hadn't put in the original episode, it would have been appropriate to put it on the DVD as an "original opening credits" feature. The final DVD also has a lengthy Universal Studios ad tacked onto the beginning, which is absolutely maddening. I wouldn't have minded if the DVDs had included ads for the DVD of the movie, or of future upcoming Buffy DVDs, but why do I care about this other junk? In any case, this DVD set is a steal for Buffy fans, and is essential viewing for fans of one of the best television shows of all time. Buy it now!
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