I don’t watch a lot of TV, but when I get hooked on a show I buy the DVD’s and really dig in. Below I will document the shows I enjoy the most with general reviews and episode lists.
Buffy from the Season 1 Box Set
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
It is difficult for me to choose my favorite TV show of all time, but if someone pointed a gun to my head and forced me too I’d attack him mercilessly. Then I would say Buffy the Vampire Slayer is probably my number one. Buffy is an Emmy Award winning Comedy/Horror/Drama series that developed a fanatical cult during its run from March 10th 1997 to May 20th 2003.
Created by the great Joss Whedon and his production company Mutant Enemy Producitons, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a truly unique series that is difficult to classify into any particular genre. Television rarely takes chances on new ideas, so the fact that Buffy made it too the screen is miraculous.
Built on the single fundamental metaphor “High School is Hell”, The Slayer struggled to save the world from the forces of darkness without getting kicked out of school for cutting class. Here is my take on the seven wonderful seasons of Buffy, as well as some basic production information such as writers, directors and such.
Visit Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Angel From the Season 1 Box Set
Angel
If Buffy is on the list, I’m sure it is no surprise that I’m a huge fan of Angel as well. This Buffy spin off was created by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt and produced by Mutant Enemy Productions. The series ran for five years between October 5th 1999 and May 19th 2004 when it left the air with many unanswered questions and a lot of pissed off fans.
If Buffy shows us that “High School is Hell” then Angel details what struggles occur after graduation if hell spilled out all over the place. Angel himself is a vampire whose soul was returned to him by gypsies so he would feel the pain he has inflicted on others for 200 years. Tormented by this soul, Angel attempts to live with the guilt by “helping the helpless” in Los Angeles as a private investigator. The helpless are more often than not being victimized by the most evil construct imaginable; a law firm doing business as Wolfram and Hart.
Angel, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, tackled everyday problems using supernatural metaphors. The atmosphere of the show was darker however, and where Buffy could be counted on as a Knight in Shining Armor under any circumstance, Angel stumbled more than a few times. I’ll talk about the individual episodes in more detail.
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