WARNING: IF YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BUFFY, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" aired their first episode on March 10, 1997. The show was created by the very talented man, Joss Whedon. The cast that included Sarah Michelle Gellar who portrayed Buffy, James Marsters who portrayed Spike, David Boreanaz who portrayed Angel, and many more talented actors and actresses brought the beloved characters to life as well. For many fans, this show wasn't just any show. Not only was it entertaining, but it was very empowering for many reasons that I will explain.
Let's begin!
Even if you've never seen Buffy, most everyone knows that the show is based off of Buffy Summers, the vampire slayer. Today, we have many powerful women on many sitcoms such as "Empire," "X Files," "Bones," "Game of Thrones," "Nikita," and of course "Orange is the New Black." "Buffy" was made in the 90s though! Audiences weren't used to seeing women kicking ass! They were used to being the damsel in distress and being saved by the masculine and handsome man. One thing I love about Buffy, is that she is NOT a damsel in distress! And it's not just because she has her Slayer powers!
One of my favorite episodes of "Buffy" is when Giles (her Watcher) has to take away her powers for a test of her true inner strength. She must fight a very old and very deadly vampire WITHOUT her powers. She will either die or she'll defeat the vampire and have her powers returned to her, thus passing the test. Well not only does she pass the test, but she saves her mother from said vampire. This episode proved that, yes, the powers did help her in being the Slayer, but her true strength lied within herself. She doubted herself from the very beginning but she managed to defeat evil by just being Buffy.
Season 5, episode 16 will always be my favorite episode. The entire episode was so raw and real. The episode starts with Buffy coming home and calling to her mom (whom she assumes is upstairs) asking her if she wants Buffy to pick Dawn (Buffy's little sister) up from school. She soon discovers her mom on the couch, unresponsive. Sadly, Joyce (Buffy's mom) died of a brain aneurysm, which was a result complication from recent surgery that Joyce had to have.
What I love about this episode was that in almost every episode, Buffy is the strong woman. She is the voice of reason. She always knows what to do, no matter what crisis is happening. That is until she discovers her mothers body on the living room couch. Buffy calls 911 and explains to the 911 operator that Joyce "is cold" and Buffy even asks "Should I make her warm?" After the paramedics arrive and announce that Joyce is deceased, Buffy is in complete shock.
The most heartbreaking thing is that she is in denial at first. The paramedics ask Buffy where the body is, where Buffy corrects them by saying that its not a body, it's her mother. Before the paramedics leave, they tell Buffy "not to move the body." Soon, Giles shows up and shakes Joyce trying to wake her up. Buffy exclaims "We're not supposed to move the body!" and after she says it, you can literally watch her go from denial to realization that her mother is dead.
This episode shows that even the strongest of people don't have to be strong all the time. Buffy tries to stay strong for Dawn (Dawn has a breakdown at her school once Buffy delivers the sad news) but instead forces the fear and sadness down and almost ignores it until it bubbles over a few episodes later. If you're a fan of Buffy and have not seen this episode, watch it. But grab Kleenex before you do. The entire episode was directed in such a raw way. And of course there's Anya's speech about Joyce, which was my favorite part out of the entire episode.
Anya is a former vengeance demon so she doesn't understand mortal things, like death. She asks Xander and Willow questions like "Will we see the body?" and "Will they cut the body open?" Willow finally yells at her, telling her that she's asking inappropriate questions. Anya doesn't know how to act in this situation and gives the most heartbreaking speech:
Onto less sad things shall we!
Another thing I loved so much was the risk Joss took by putting in a lesbian couple! This was a HUGE risk in the 90s but it definitely paid off! Me being bisexual, I've always loved Willow and Tara. Willow and Tara are both witches and they met during college. During the time, Willow didn't consider herself gay. She had never had feelings for a girl before until Tara. I've actually heard people say that they didn't support gay/lesbian couples, but they still loved Willow and Tara! They're so sweet and supportive it's almost impossible not to love them!
This was a new and important thing when episodes aired of Willow and Tara being a couple. I know it certainly meant a lot to me that a gay couple was on tv, because growing up being taught that being gay is wrong, this certainly helped me. Sure they had their arguments like any other couple, but Joss showed a deep and true love between them that was nothing short of beautiful and, dare I use this pun, magical.
Speaking of love:
I'm using Spike and Buffy as an example, because the case I'm making doesn't involve Angel. Sorry Angel lovers!
Spike started off on the show being "the big bad". He killed for the thrill of it and had no remorse. He came to Sunnydale to kill yet another Slayer (he has a talent for killing them as it is revealed) But instead of killing her, he actually falls in love with her! Now of course it wouldn't be realistic if the directors made Buffy immediately jump into his arms and claim her love for him too. At first, Buffy was appalled by the idea of Spike loving her.
Personally, I have no idea why. I mean him and Joyce always got along!
*cough cough* Erm moving on!
Throughout the seasons, Spike proves to Buffy that he truly loves her. He tries to fight on the good side and be less evil, but at first it has no effect on Buffy. That is until Spike does the ultimate thing for her. He literally goes through hell to get his soul back.
Once he has his soul back, he temporarily goes mad with guilt from all of the deaths that he has caused over the years.
Soon enough though, Buffy slowly falls in love with Spike in return.
The reason I love this couple so much is because it gives hope to all of the "Spikes" of the world. No, not murderers! I'm talking about everyone who believes that they don't deserve love or that love will never find them. Spike changed his entire being for the better, just for Buffy.
Also, come on who cried when Spike cried over Buffy's dead body? That was so heartbreaking to watch!
I could go on and on about all of the ways Buffy has improved my life. This show taught me that women CAN be as strong as men and that women DO NOT need a man to live a happy life!
This show has shown multiple times that no matter how strong you are, it's ok to break. You can't be strong 100 percent of the time. Just cry and breakdown. You're not any less stronger. (The picture below is Buffy's reaction after she called Joyce "the body" for the first time.)
It showed me that if you're a girl that likes girls, or a guy that likes guys, your love isn't any less beautiful compared to any heterosexual couple. Chemistry is Chemistry!
It also showed to me that no matter who you are and what mistakes you've made in your past, the right person will love you for all of you. Not just your nice side, but your flawed side as well.
If you've never seen Buffy, I highly suggest that you give it a try! This article would be SO much longer if I explained every single reason why this is such an amazing and timeless show. I was raised with this show and am proud to say that I've learned how to be strong from Buffy at such an early age. I will now end this article with my favorite Buffy gif!
