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Buffy The Vampire Slayer: 5 Times It Proved To Be The Best Vampire Series (& 5 Times It Fell Short)

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David

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Jun 4, 2020, 6:54:10 PM6/4/20
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Buffy The Vampire Slayer: 5 Times It Proved To Be The Best Vampire Series (&
5 Times It Fell Short)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is iconic and helped change genre television. But
is it the best vampire show? Here is why it was and why others are.

BY KAYLEIGH BANKS
1 DAY AGO


In the past twenty years, the television industry has seen an increase in
the number of supernatural-themed shows. A lot of writers have decided to
centralize their stories around characters who are either werewolves,
ghosts, aliens, demons, or witches. However, none of these have proven to be
as popular as the vampire genre.

One show that was responsible for this trend was Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
When Buffy was on the air, the show had been praised by critics and fans for
its progressive storytelling. It wasn't surprising that it became one of the
most popular teen dramas. However, with the likes of True Blood, The Vampire
Diaries, and The Originals now existing, does it still reign supreme as the
best vampire series?



10
Fell Short: The Make-Up

Whether it's because of their sex appeal or the fact that they look human,
many people prefer the look of the vampires in TVD to those in Buffy. It's
safe to say that Whedon's vampires are probably the ugliest creatures you
will ever see. They are depicted to have razor-sharp teeth, pronounced brow
ridges, and yellow eyes.

It has been mentioned that the make-up artists took inspiration from
reptiles to give them more of a demonic look. However, since most vampire
narratives tend to go down the morally grey route now, fans seem to like it
better when the creatures appear more human.


9
Best: Humanizing The Vampires

One of the best things Buffy does better than the others is humanizing the
vampires. In most fiction, vampires are portrayed as heartless monsters who
have no signs of redemption. Every one of them was aligned with evil.
However, Buffy managed to challenge this portrayal by exploring the more
humane side to the creatures.

Despite being one of history's worst vampires, Angel showed he could be
remorseful and selfless. Spike also proved that he was capable of feeling
human emotion, showing he could be compassionate and altruistic. It's sort
of a formula that has been replicated in The Vampire Diaries, The Originals,
and True Blood.


8
Fell Short: The Vampire Clichés

One element some of the other shows wasted no time in getting rid of is the
vampire cliches. While Whedon did try to remove cliches, such as vampires
sleeping in coffins, he did reinforce the vampire stereotype by making them
unable to walk in the sun, fear holy relics, and hang out in graveyards.

Considering vampires are meant to be able to blend into society easily, all
these things undermined their status. Like The Vampire Diaries, it would
have been interesting to see how Buffy would have handled daywalkers.
Especially when it would have made it harder to spot them.


7
Best: The Romances

The vampire-human love triangle is a formula that has been engrained in
supernatural shows since forever. TVD had the infamous Stefan/Elena/Damon
triangle, True Blood had Bill/Sookie/Eric, even The Originals had a few.
However, none of them had anything on the infamous Angel/Buffy/Spike
triangle.

Although the relationships weren't healthy, Whedon used the romances to
explore the humane side to the vampire slayer. However, unlike Sookie and
Elena, Buffy didn't allow these relationships to define her, which is why
they were more of a subplot than the main story. The fact that they weren't
always front and center meant fans would never get bored either.


6
Fell Short: The Villains

Although Spike, Drusilla, and Angelus are worthy villains, they are nothing
compared to the big bads found on The Vampire Diaries or True Blood. If they
went head-to-head with 'The Originals,' they wouldn't stand a chance. The
Mikaelsons are too powerful. They certainly wouldn't be able to outsmart
Katherine Pierce either.

Even if fans thought they were ruthless and violent, they were nothing
compared to Russell Edgington or the Vampire Authority. Buffy has to take
the loss on this one...


5
Best: The Characters Arcs

When it came to Buffy, all characters went through a huge transformation.
Buffy went from a young, optimistic teenager to a mature and experienced
warrior. Willow goes from a shy and harmless girl to one of the most
dangerous witches of all time.

Even Spike managed to change his bad-boy persona when he sacrificed himself
to save Buffy and the Scoobies. By the end of the series, everyone was
completely different from the person fans met in the beginning.


4
Fell Short: The Flashbacks Scenes

Looking back in hindsight, some fans will agree that the flashbacks didn't
exactly contain the best origin stories. The Vampire Diaries and True Blood
have all used flashbacks as a tool to fill in the crucial backstories. This
has ranged from their participation in several wars, how they transitioned,
all the way to monumental events.

However, all the flashbacks did in Buffy was illustrate how violent and
ruthless Angel and Spike could be - which had already been established at
this point.


3
Best: The Partnerships

Another element of Buffy fans preferred over the other television shows was
the group dynamics. Out of all the vampiric shows, Buffy was the only one
that was deeply rooted in friendship. No other show has been able to match
the Scooby gang's chemistry, with them naturally playing off of each other.

The group has also shown themselves to be a powerful unit, with each member
proving their importance in different areas. Although they got into a few
fights, the Scoobies managed to pull themselves together and come out
stronger. The show wouldn't have been the same without them...


2
Fell Short: Monster Of The Week Episodes

There is nothing wrong with the monster of the week episodes, but if someone
just wanted to watch a show solely about vampires then Buffy isn't the show
to watch. Despite Buffy's trade involving her slaying vampires, most of the
plots didn't involve the blood-sucking monsters.

On several occasions, fans have seen her take on cyborgs, lizard creatures,
poltergeists, and demons. They have also seen the gang take on zombies and a
couple of witches. If someone just wants a show that focuses primarily on
vampires, they are best watching the likes of Angel or Dracula.


1
Best: Strong Female Leads

One of the reasons why Buffy remains the best vampire series is because it
has strong female leads. In the likes of Dracula, The Vampire Diaries, and
True Blood, women tend to be depicted as helpless femme-fatales that
constantly need rescuing from a Big Bad.

However, Buffy was one of the first shows that subverted this convention.
Not only did Whedon turn into Buffy a female Van Helsing, but he also
ensured the supporting female characters could hold their own as well.
Willow and Tara became powerful witches, Anya was a strong demon. Even
Cordelia and Dawn proved they could hold their own.




David

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