Happy 10th Anniversary to BtVS!!
Mar. 10th, 2007 04:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
caliente_ukI'm insanely busy today, but I couldn't let the day go by without marking it in some way.
I've seen this done by others on my flist, so I'm going to have a go at it myself.
TEN REASONS WHY I LOVE BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER:
1. I'm going to be very predictable here, but number one for me will have to be Spike. I love the whole show and the majority of the characters, but Spike is without a doubt the character I love the most. I will be forever grateful to Joss for creating this wonderful and complex character who somehow seemed to take on a life of his own. To see how far he came from the evil Spike who loved Dru in S2, to the Spike who became a Champion and helped save the world in S7, really was a sight to behold. I wouldn't have missed a minute of it.
There isn't anything I could write that could even begin to show the depth of feeling I have for Spike. All I will say (as dramatic as it sounds) is that he saved me. When thngs in my RL got so bad that I didn't think I could carry on, Spike was there to lift me up. He (and Buffy) gave me something to believe in. He really was (and still is!) the only thing that kept me sane. I honestly don't know where I'd be today if it hadn't been for Spike and Buffy.
Which leads me straight into...
2. Buffy. Where there is Spike, there will always be Buffy for me. You won't see any Buffy hate here. :) I couldn't love the show as completely as I do if I didn't love Buffy. My love for her hasn't quite reached the obsessive heights of love that I have for Spike, but it's pretty damn close. She will always be my hero. In fact, the Buffy of the later seasons is the one I relate to the most. The Buffy who had the weight of the world on her shoulders, who had been broken by life...but always managed to keep on going. The Buffy who had to keep strong for those around her, even when it was almost too much to bear. She was so battle worn and weary by the end of season 7 that my heart broke for her. She really did save the world a lot!
3. Spuffy. Okay, I know you could say that I've already covered Spuffy in my comments above, but they really do deserve an entry all of their own. They are, after all, the main reason why I continue to seek out fanfic in this fandom. I love Spike on his own and I love Buffy on her own, but together they are pure dynamite.
It never even occurred to me in the beginning that Spike and Buffy could ever be together as a couple. He was pure evil and she was the heroine who was supposed to kill him. Only she never quite managed it, no matter how many times she tried. And then Spike started to grow and change and although I'd loved him from the start, by S5 he had completely stolen my heart. Then came Fool for Love...and that was it. Myobsession with love of Spuffy was born and I've never looked back.
I'm not saying that I wouldn't have liked some things to have been different along the way (of course I would), but on the whole I was happy with the Spike/Buffy story we got. When I think of how far Spike and Buffy came from Spike's first appearance in S2, to the pain and heartache they had caused each other by the end of S6 (and I truly believe they were both equally to blame for the heartache of S6), to the love and trust they had for each other by the end of S7, my Spuffy heart can't help but be happy. From pure evil in S2 to Champion by the end of S7. What a journey it was! And I wouldn't have missed a second of it. The story of Spike and Buffy touches me in ways that no other love story ever will.
4. The Scooby Gang. This is where my love of the show started. Buffy, Willow, Xander and Giles. They just worked so well together, right from the start. Others were welcomed along the way...Cordelia, Oz, Tara and Anya...and I loved them all. I liked how they grew and changed during the course of the show. And I can honestly say that my love for Xander was even stronger by the end of season 7. That was the season in which I finally saw him grow up.
And Giles...oh Rupert Giles, how I love thee. Buffy's mentor and father figure. Did I always agree with how he was written? No. But he was never meant to be infallible. I never saw any of his actions throughout the show as "out of character". He made mistakes as we all do...and he paid dearly for them. But he came through for Buffy in the end. I would have hated for the show to have ended with them estranged from one another.
Willow...dear, sweet, innocent Willow. I loved that about her in the early seasons. Only she wasn't sweet and innocent by the end of the show, was she? She'd become "Dark Willow" and had even killed a man, but I still loved her. I know there are lots of people who hated it, but I loved Willow's role in "Chosen". She was finally in control of her magic enough to use it for good. What a way to end the show! :)
5. Angel. I couldn't have this list without including Angel. While I loved him more on his own show, he was still an integral part of the early seasons. Who could ever forget when Buffy first found out he was a vampire, or when she had to send him to hell? Or S2 when Angelus made his first appearance? He was so deliciously evil. And of course Spike/Angel. I'm not really into slash, but there's no denying the on screen chemistry between the two of them. They just bounced off each other so well, especially in AtS S5. ;) And let's face it, without BtVS there never would have been an AtS. Something else to be thankful for!
6. Once More, With Feeling. I'm a huge fan of musicals, so to have my favourite show do one was a dream come true. This is, without a doubt, my most rewatched episode of the show. I adore it. It could have been a disaster, but instead it turned out to be a classic. How could anyone not love it?
7. The Fanged Four, or The Scourge of Europe, or whatever else you like to call them. Angel, Darla, Dru and Spike. I loved what we got on screen with the four of them, but what I love most about them is the endless story possibilities we've been left with. I find them fascinating to watch, and fascinating to read about. Even though my heart belongs to Spuffy, I also love the Spike/Dru dynamic. I love the fact that he was devoted to her for so long. An evil vampire capable of love. Who'd have thought it? :)
8. Okay, this is a purely personal one, but I couldn't leave it out. *g* Spike's Bedhead of Redemption. Need I say any more than that? Guh!
9. The Writers (including Joss, Jane Espensen et al). Where would we be without the writers? Okay, so we didn't always like what they gave us, but without them (and Joss in particular) there never would have *been* a Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There never would have been a Spike or an Angel. So I can't have a list like this and not include them. But I owe a special thank you to the wonderful writers who gave us the Spuffy relationship and Spike's redemption arc. You made me very happy!
10. The complete ensemble cast. To everyone who was ever a part of the show, from Buffy and Spike, Anya and Xander, Angel and Cordelia, Giles, Willow, Oz and Tara to Clem, Glory and yes, even Doc, I say a huge thank you. The show wouldn't have been what it was without each and every one of you. From the bottom of my heart I thank you. What a rollercoaster of a ride it was!
Of course, there are many other reasons why I love BtVS. Joyce, all of S6, FFL, Punk Spike...the list could go on and on.
One of the main reasons to be grateful for BtVS, though, is that it brought me to all of you. Without it, I would never have been part of a fandom that has given me so much. So for that I am eternally grateful. Thank you!
*raises glass to fandom*
I've seen this done by others on my flist, so I'm going to have a go at it myself.
TEN REASONS WHY I LOVE BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER:
1. I'm going to be very predictable here, but number one for me will have to be Spike. I love the whole show and the majority of the characters, but Spike is without a doubt the character I love the most. I will be forever grateful to Joss for creating this wonderful and complex character who somehow seemed to take on a life of his own. To see how far he came from the evil Spike who loved Dru in S2, to the Spike who became a Champion and helped save the world in S7, really was a sight to behold. I wouldn't have missed a minute of it.
There isn't anything I could write that could even begin to show the depth of feeling I have for Spike. All I will say (as dramatic as it sounds) is that he saved me. When thngs in my RL got so bad that I didn't think I could carry on, Spike was there to lift me up. He (and Buffy) gave me something to believe in. He really was (and still is!) the only thing that kept me sane. I honestly don't know where I'd be today if it hadn't been for Spike and Buffy.
Which leads me straight into...
2. Buffy. Where there is Spike, there will always be Buffy for me. You won't see any Buffy hate here. :) I couldn't love the show as completely as I do if I didn't love Buffy. My love for her hasn't quite reached the obsessive heights of love that I have for Spike, but it's pretty damn close. She will always be my hero. In fact, the Buffy of the later seasons is the one I relate to the most. The Buffy who had the weight of the world on her shoulders, who had been broken by life...but always managed to keep on going. The Buffy who had to keep strong for those around her, even when it was almost too much to bear. She was so battle worn and weary by the end of season 7 that my heart broke for her. She really did save the world a lot!
3. Spuffy. Okay, I know you could say that I've already covered Spuffy in my comments above, but they really do deserve an entry all of their own. They are, after all, the main reason why I continue to seek out fanfic in this fandom. I love Spike on his own and I love Buffy on her own, but together they are pure dynamite.
It never even occurred to me in the beginning that Spike and Buffy could ever be together as a couple. He was pure evil and she was the heroine who was supposed to kill him. Only she never quite managed it, no matter how many times she tried. And then Spike started to grow and change and although I'd loved him from the start, by S5 he had completely stolen my heart. Then came Fool for Love...and that was it. My
I'm not saying that I wouldn't have liked some things to have been different along the way (of course I would), but on the whole I was happy with the Spike/Buffy story we got. When I think of how far Spike and Buffy came from Spike's first appearance in S2, to the pain and heartache they had caused each other by the end of S6 (and I truly believe they were both equally to blame for the heartache of S6), to the love and trust they had for each other by the end of S7, my Spuffy heart can't help but be happy. From pure evil in S2 to Champion by the end of S7. What a journey it was! And I wouldn't have missed a second of it. The story of Spike and Buffy touches me in ways that no other love story ever will.
4. The Scooby Gang. This is where my love of the show started. Buffy, Willow, Xander and Giles. They just worked so well together, right from the start. Others were welcomed along the way...Cordelia, Oz, Tara and Anya...and I loved them all. I liked how they grew and changed during the course of the show. And I can honestly say that my love for Xander was even stronger by the end of season 7. That was the season in which I finally saw him grow up.
And Giles...oh Rupert Giles, how I love thee. Buffy's mentor and father figure. Did I always agree with how he was written? No. But he was never meant to be infallible. I never saw any of his actions throughout the show as "out of character". He made mistakes as we all do...and he paid dearly for them. But he came through for Buffy in the end. I would have hated for the show to have ended with them estranged from one another.
Willow...dear, sweet, innocent Willow. I loved that about her in the early seasons. Only she wasn't sweet and innocent by the end of the show, was she? She'd become "Dark Willow" and had even killed a man, but I still loved her. I know there are lots of people who hated it, but I loved Willow's role in "Chosen". She was finally in control of her magic enough to use it for good. What a way to end the show! :)
5. Angel. I couldn't have this list without including Angel. While I loved him more on his own show, he was still an integral part of the early seasons. Who could ever forget when Buffy first found out he was a vampire, or when she had to send him to hell? Or S2 when Angelus made his first appearance? He was so deliciously evil. And of course Spike/Angel. I'm not really into slash, but there's no denying the on screen chemistry between the two of them. They just bounced off each other so well, especially in AtS S5. ;) And let's face it, without BtVS there never would have been an AtS. Something else to be thankful for!
6. Once More, With Feeling. I'm a huge fan of musicals, so to have my favourite show do one was a dream come true. This is, without a doubt, my most rewatched episode of the show. I adore it. It could have been a disaster, but instead it turned out to be a classic. How could anyone not love it?
7. The Fanged Four, or The Scourge of Europe, or whatever else you like to call them. Angel, Darla, Dru and Spike. I loved what we got on screen with the four of them, but what I love most about them is the endless story possibilities we've been left with. I find them fascinating to watch, and fascinating to read about. Even though my heart belongs to Spuffy, I also love the Spike/Dru dynamic. I love the fact that he was devoted to her for so long. An evil vampire capable of love. Who'd have thought it? :)
8. Okay, this is a purely personal one, but I couldn't leave it out. *g* Spike's Bedhead of Redemption. Need I say any more than that? Guh!
9. The Writers (including Joss, Jane Espensen et al). Where would we be without the writers? Okay, so we didn't always like what they gave us, but without them (and Joss in particular) there never would have *been* a Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There never would have been a Spike or an Angel. So I can't have a list like this and not include them. But I owe a special thank you to the wonderful writers who gave us the Spuffy relationship and Spike's redemption arc. You made me very happy!
10. The complete ensemble cast. To everyone who was ever a part of the show, from Buffy and Spike, Anya and Xander, Angel and Cordelia, Giles, Willow, Oz and Tara to Clem, Glory and yes, even Doc, I say a huge thank you. The show wouldn't have been what it was without each and every one of you. From the bottom of my heart I thank you. What a rollercoaster of a ride it was!
Of course, there are many other reasons why I love BtVS. Joyce, all of S6, FFL, Punk Spike...the list could go on and on.
One of the main reasons to be grateful for BtVS, though, is that it brought me to all of you. Without it, I would never have been part of a fandom that has given me so much. So for that I am eternally grateful. Thank you!
*raises glass to fandom*
