11.09.01
I have a confession to make regarding my viewership and intense love of the program Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
I saw it a couple of times, a few years ago, and I didn't really cotton to it.
The first episode I saw, "The Puppet Show," was a strangely campy nightmare about a demon eating people at a talent show and an animated ventriloquist's dummy that was really a demon hunter, or something along those lines, because I don't think I made it all the way through the episode. I call it a nightmare, because that's what it felt like I was watching -- one of my worst nightmares being forced to watch really really crappy television, considering that I like television watching so darn much and all.
I was willing, however, to give it another try. Everyone was telling me positive things about the show, and that I'd love it so very much. I watched again, this time catching the episode entitled "Teacher's Pet." This time, the plotline centered on a hot science teacher chick, who was really a praying mantis, and how she was looking for young male virgins to boink and then eat, and that the slayer and pals had to stop her from eating some boys.
Oh, good God.
Perhaps not cottoning to it wasn't strong enough of a sentiment.
I thought it sucked ass.
Fast forward a few years, to the time period following the Columbine shootings. I heard somewhere that the WB had shelved an episode of Buffy, "Earshot," that too closely paralleled real life, but that they were going to show it that summer since a suitable amount of time had passed. Now, I really hate watching television reruns, and not having anything better to do, I tuned in that summer to the WB's tuesday night lineup, since I hadn't seen any of the shows therein.
All summer long, highlights of season three were being run, and you know what, they were pretty good. The characters were interesting, the dialogue and plot content well-written, and the stories intriguing. I caught the gist of the plotline, and got all emotionally invested.
And when the fourth season started, I was there to watch it all the way through. Same with the fifth, and now the sixth.
So, when I heard that FX was going to run all of the episodes of Buffy in serial, I knew I couldn't miss that. I'm now caught up through episode 43, and have seen everything from 51 on. I've even seen every episode of the spin-off, Angel, except the one that has Wesley getting mistaken for Angel, which I have somehow missed every time it's been on.
I've laughed, I've cried, I've shouted at the television, and I've danced around like a fool.
Thank you Joss Whedon, for giving me the opportunity to love Buffy.
"I may be love's bitch, but at least I'm man enough to admit it."
-- Spike, Lover's Walk
