Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Incredible (spoilers below)
The second season continued one what was successfully started in the first season. The second season is a lot more ambitious (remember, the first season only had twelve episodes, unlike the rest which had 22). The story arcs in the second season are brilliant. The romance between Angel and Buffy reached gothic heights with Surprise/Innocence (Surprise is astonishing). When Angel turns bad, David Boreanaz manages to do a sensational job of acting the transition (the episodes "Passion" and "I Only Have Eyes For You" are incredible in detailing this, and Buffy's reaction). Willow's romance with Oz is wonderful, and Giles attachment to Jenny Calendar a welcome addition. This show still manages to be surprisingly funny (as seen in Halloween, and Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered) and packs a wallop (the two part season ender, Becoming I & II, are essential viewing for any Buffy fans. They are incredibly moving). Yes, there are some clunkers (Killed by Death, Bad Eggs), but they are more than redeemed. My favourites are: Becoming I & II, Surprise/Innocence, I Only Have Eyes for You, Passion, School Hard, When She Was Bad, and Lie To Me For a show set in high school, the writers have neatly side-stepped making a caricature of Anthony Stewart Head's librarian/Watcher Giles. His befuddled sexiness is immensely appealing. Alyson Hannigan's performance as wallflower Willow blooming into a witch (her growing powers are smartly charted by writers all the way through season six) is strong, and having the animosity between Xander and Cordelia boil over into lust was a masterstroke. Finally, we have to give the star her due. Sarah Michelle Gellar proved with this season that she's actually a capable actress, both with comic timing (Halloween) and pathos (Surprise/Innocence). The second season was an immense improvement over the first season (a solid debut) and the quality continues. In my mind, the second and third season need to be bought together (or at least both bought). Story arcs introduced in the second season are wrapped up in the third season. Buy this set, you won't be disappointed.
Rating:  - Pure Brilliance
Buffy the Vampire Slayer has, over the past six years, become a near-obsession with me. I own the first season on DVD, and am excited to hear that second season is in the works. The filming techniques and acting can only get better, in my opinion. Season two flows much better than the first season, drawing away from the slightly choppy filmography, and some of the best characters that have ever been on the show are introduced, including my favorites, Spike, Angelus, and Oz. The underlying storyline really takes off at the beginning of the second season, and comes to a tear-jerking climax in the two-part finale, "Becoming, I and II." Joss Whedon's baby is pure brilliance, and I can't wait for the later seasons to be released.
Buffy is a show that the teen audience can really identify with. Even though Buffy is a superhero and must stop the apocalypse numerous times, she's also trying to live a normal teenaged life. Unfortunately it keeps getting interrupted by her sacred duty. Her character is a role model to young women, showing them how to be strong and brave, albeit under unusual circumstances. The simple epitaph on her headstone at the end of Season Five read, "She saved the world a lot." And she did. In these circumstances I am glad the movie was a complete flop, because otherwise the amazing cast members that have been introduced to us over the years would still be out bartending or walking dogs for a living.
All hail the creativity of Joss! (Just kidding.) Thanks, Joss, for changing pop culture with your cult t.v. show. We appreciate it.
Rating: - Worth the wait!
Overall, this set is fantastic. If you're already a fan of Buffy, then you know that the second season was one of best for the series. This is the season for the big Buffy-Angel drama. The commentaries are pretty cool, and this time around Marti Noxson and David Greenwalt got to play too. The featurettes are neat, and nice and long.This set is a bit improved over the first season set. The menus are visually nicer, and easier to navigate. They added some pretty cool 3D digital images for the DVD menus. The sound is great, but in a couple of places the picture is *very* grainy, almost like VHS taped off of broadcast, not what you'd expect from DVD made from the original masters. Like last season, they didn't include the short "Previously on Buffy..." montages at the beginning of each episode. In the first season this was jarring in terms of the musical scoring, but with this set it was *much* improved. Most of the time, I didn't notice at all. For some episodes they included the "She is the slayer...the one girl in all the world... " intro, but for others they didn't. I don't know what the rhyme or reason was for including or skipping it. Overall, it was definitely worth the wait. An improvement in every way over owning a VHS box set. Now we just have to wait 6 mos. for season 3!!
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