Discovering Buffy / A - F
Anonymous
I'm a student and an administrative assistant in The City University School Of Law. If it weren't for a close friend of mine I would have never watched BtVS because I thought the movie was kind of weird, not so bad but not impressive enough to watch a show. I knew a little about it because of my friend and he would always say how brilliant the show was. He actually was away at school at the time and asked if I would be able to tape the show for him and so on October 2, 2001, I watched the season six premiere of BtVS "Bargaining" which left me wanting more and more after. Seeing Buffy resurrected by her friends after sacrificing her life in for her younger sister in the previous season made me realize how deep and smart this show really is. Learning how to deal with our everyday life fighting demons which we do. Getting betrayed or losing a friend or a family member are the problems that Buffy and the gang had to deal with. The only difference is it's supernatural. The two good things that BtVS had that many shows didn't was well-written honest dialogue that fit each character wonderfully and of course a great cast to portray them. I have now caught up and know every episode since I started purchasing the DVD's (Which are great.) Any person of any age would enjoy a little BtVS fix. It's great entertainment and just simply amazing in every way. Thank You for the past 7 years.
I'm a student and an administrative assistant in The City University School Of Law. If it weren't for a close friend of mine I would have never watched BtVS because I thought the movie was kind of weird, not so bad but not impressive enough to watch a show. I knew a little about it because of my friend and he would always say how brilliant the show was. He actually was away at school at the time and asked if I would be able to tape the show for him and so on October 2, 2001, I watched the season six premiere of BtVS "Bargaining" which left me wanting more and more after. Seeing Buffy resurrected by her friends after sacrificing her life in for her younger sister in the previous season made me realize how deep and smart this show really is. Learning how to deal with our everyday life fighting demons which we do. Getting betrayed or losing a friend or a family member are the problems that Buffy and the gang had to deal with. The only difference is it's supernatural. The two good things that BtVS had that many shows didn't was well-written honest dialogue that fit each character wonderfully and of course a great cast to portray them. I have now caught up and know every episode since I started purchasing the DVD's (Which are great.) Any person of any age would enjoy a little BtVS fix. It's great entertainment and just simply amazing in every way. Thank You for the past 7 years.
Adams, Melanie
My name is Melanie Adams, I am a Lab Technician at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.
I happened upon Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS) by accident. In October 1998, I was 21, in my apartment flipping channels. When I first came to BtVS, I kept right on going. I had seen the movie (well most of it, I couldn't bear to sit through the whole horrible thing) so I didn't think the TV show would be any better. As there was nothing else on, I switched back. I remember thinking how different it was from the movie. So I faithfully watched that third season and into the fourth (and arguably the best) season. A friend had the first season DVD's that he let me borrow. (I was genuinely shocked that a guy a few years older than I was, admitted to being a fan.) Watching the commentaries I understood why the movie and TV show differed so much. From the DVD's and reruns on cable I was caught up on the history of Sunnydale and the Scoobies. Now I have a small group of friends who are avid BtVS fans, just last night we watched the series finale *sob* together.
My name is Melanie Adams, I am a Lab Technician at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.
I happened upon Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS) by accident. In October 1998, I was 21, in my apartment flipping channels. When I first came to BtVS, I kept right on going. I had seen the movie (well most of it, I couldn't bear to sit through the whole horrible thing) so I didn't think the TV show would be any better. As there was nothing else on, I switched back. I remember thinking how different it was from the movie. So I faithfully watched that third season and into the fourth (and arguably the best) season. A friend had the first season DVD's that he let me borrow. (I was genuinely shocked that a guy a few years older than I was, admitted to being a fan.) Watching the commentaries I understood why the movie and TV show differed so much. From the DVD's and reruns on cable I was caught up on the history of Sunnydale and the Scoobies. Now I have a small group of friends who are avid BtVS fans, just last night we watched the series finale *sob* together.
Aguilar, Amy
My name is Amy Aguilar, and I am a co-owner of a handbag business, a consultant to a charitable foundation, and a new mom. Towards the end of Season 2, I started watching the show (mostly because my boyfriend thought SMG was hot), and I saw enough to be intrigued. What initially attracted me was the idea of a woman as a hero--and that the show took that concept seriously.
My boyfriend's roommate had all the episodes on tape, but because he loved the show so much he was afraid to let me borrow the tapes. As a result, I had to watch them at their apartment when no one was watching TV. With three guys and one TV, this usually meant in the early hours of the morning. Luckily I was in graduate school then and it was between semesters. Within two weeks I had watched all of Seasons 1 and 2 and was completely hooked.
My name is Amy Aguilar, and I am a co-owner of a handbag business, a consultant to a charitable foundation, and a new mom. Towards the end of Season 2, I started watching the show (mostly because my boyfriend thought SMG was hot), and I saw enough to be intrigued. What initially attracted me was the idea of a woman as a hero--and that the show took that concept seriously.
My boyfriend's roommate had all the episodes on tape, but because he loved the show so much he was afraid to let me borrow the tapes. As a result, I had to watch them at their apartment when no one was watching TV. With three guys and one TV, this usually meant in the early hours of the morning. Luckily I was in graduate school then and it was between semesters. Within two weeks I had watched all of Seasons 1 and 2 and was completely hooked.
Amadis-Noel, Aeri
My name is Aeri Amadis-Noel, and I am a writer, model and layabout. I'm also a cubicle monkey for a major newspaper by day. I discovered Buffy during its first season, and watched it quite often. I was a bit skeptical at first because I really didn't like the movie at all---but I'm one of those people who loves bad TV and will sit through Lifetime movies just to make fun of them. Buffy surprised me. It was good and only continued to get better. Buffy was the most character driven, well-rounded, witty and entrancing shows ever to grace the airwaves. Often times, it was one of the only things worth watching at all. There's a hole in my TV schedule that will never quite be filled.
My name is Aeri Amadis-Noel, and I am a writer, model and layabout. I'm also a cubicle monkey for a major newspaper by day. I discovered Buffy during its first season, and watched it quite often. I was a bit skeptical at first because I really didn't like the movie at all---but I'm one of those people who loves bad TV and will sit through Lifetime movies just to make fun of them. Buffy surprised me. It was good and only continued to get better. Buffy was the most character driven, well-rounded, witty and entrancing shows ever to grace the airwaves. Often times, it was one of the only things worth watching at all. There's a hole in my TV schedule that will never quite be filled.
Anglin, Laura
I was about 27 and in law school when Buffy began. I started watching it because it one of my nearest and dearest friends had immediately glommed onto the Heroic Librarian. Alas, in my pre-cable days, all I could discern was movement on a screen. In my second year of law school, we scraped together enough money to get cable in time for an encore performance of School Hard. I was transfixed. The metaphor was easy - I loved law school as much as anyone could, as much as anyone could love Sunnydale High. The undead stalk both halls. Dead heroes and (mostly) departed powers scattered traps and boons in both mythic landscapes. Foes and allies are clearly defined and constantly undermining their categories. Heroic librarians. It was more true to my life than my life usually was. I kept watching Buffy through the bar examination and three clerkships at my state Supreme Court. Similar patterns beat in Sunnydale and in the Washington Temple of Justice -- getting the spells right; making hard choices with incomplete knowledge; the constant temptation of the dark; regret for the casualties wrecked by our best efforts.
I was about 27 and in law school when Buffy began. I started watching it because it one of my nearest and dearest friends had immediately glommed onto the Heroic Librarian. Alas, in my pre-cable days, all I could discern was movement on a screen. In my second year of law school, we scraped together enough money to get cable in time for an encore performance of School Hard. I was transfixed. The metaphor was easy - I loved law school as much as anyone could, as much as anyone could love Sunnydale High. The undead stalk both halls. Dead heroes and (mostly) departed powers scattered traps and boons in both mythic landscapes. Foes and allies are clearly defined and constantly undermining their categories. Heroic librarians. It was more true to my life than my life usually was. I kept watching Buffy through the bar examination and three clerkships at my state Supreme Court. Similar patterns beat in Sunnydale and in the Washington Temple of Justice -- getting the spells right; making hard choices with incomplete knowledge; the constant temptation of the dark; regret for the casualties wrecked by our best efforts.
Arial, Danielle
My name is Danielle Arial and I graduated university over two years ago. It was just after Christmas of my second year, when my housemate Liz brought home the first boxed set of Buffy. I laughed out loud and continued to ridicule the show (that up to that point I had never seen). Liz chastized me for knocking something that I'd never seen, so we sat down and started watching. By the end of the premiere, we were both hooked. But we had a few problems: it was the middle of the third season, and we didn't have cable. For two and a half years we had Liz's mom or her boyfriend tape Buffy. When the tapes would arrive, we would sit and watch them all in one shot - approximately 4 hours of Buffy. When SPACE started airing reruns, we had people tape those also, so we could catch up. I've watched the tapes over and over again, all seven seasons. I've wrote several papers essays in university, attended Wilcox's lecture at the Pop Culture Conference in Toronto last year, and have converted dozens of people who, foolishly like me, ignored the show for so long.
My name is Danielle Arial and I graduated university over two years ago. It was just after Christmas of my second year, when my housemate Liz brought home the first boxed set of Buffy. I laughed out loud and continued to ridicule the show (that up to that point I had never seen). Liz chastized me for knocking something that I'd never seen, so we sat down and started watching. By the end of the premiere, we were both hooked. But we had a few problems: it was the middle of the third season, and we didn't have cable. For two and a half years we had Liz's mom or her boyfriend tape Buffy. When the tapes would arrive, we would sit and watch them all in one shot - approximately 4 hours of Buffy. When SPACE started airing reruns, we had people tape those also, so we could catch up. I've watched the tapes over and over again, all seven seasons. I've wrote several papers essays in university, attended Wilcox's lecture at the Pop Culture Conference in Toronto last year, and have converted dozens of people who, foolishly like me, ignored the show for so long.
Atnight, J. C.
I'm a Information Systems Professional. I enjoy hobbies like gaming (not gambling), reading, music, movies, shooting (guns) and half a dozen others I rarely I have time for anymore. I'm unmarried but have a long time significant other. As to demographics, I just turned 40, Southern WASP.
I liked the movie well enough, especially the infamous death of Paul Rubens' character. ("Oh Oh...") I discovered the movie because I sooner or later get around to watching just about every vampire movie made, even the bad ones, because some aren't. Bad that is. I have an inexplicable fondness for horror movies, especially vampire movies. I also like wierd wordy humor, such as Monty Python and Dennis Miller. So I guess was predisposed to like the show. Thing is I had no idea there WAS going to be a show. At the time the Buffy TV show started I didn't have cable, and I really wasn't watching much TV. (I have cable now, and I mostly watch Discovery Channel and such, except for Buffy and Angel.) I turned on the TV one night and flipped through all seven channels of network-a-rific goodness looking for SOMETHING that wasn't completely without virtue, and found the second episode of Buffy in progress. I stopped, a bit puzzled and eventually figured out what I was seeing. I was pleasantly surprised such an off beat movie had become a TV show, and figured I was watching something that just wouldn't last long. I found myself laughing and enjoying the show quite a bit. So I tuned in next week, the week after I was telling all my friends about this great new show. A couple of years later, other folks are telling me. Hey, I already knew already. :-) So that is how I discovered Buffy. I've been watching faithfully all these years and I'm going to miss it. I'm rather amazed at how much fuss it is getting here at the end of things, most folks I know wouldn't admit to watching it.
I'm a Information Systems Professional. I enjoy hobbies like gaming (not gambling), reading, music, movies, shooting (guns) and half a dozen others I rarely I have time for anymore. I'm unmarried but have a long time significant other. As to demographics, I just turned 40, Southern WASP.
I liked the movie well enough, especially the infamous death of Paul Rubens' character. ("Oh Oh...") I discovered the movie because I sooner or later get around to watching just about every vampire movie made, even the bad ones, because some aren't. Bad that is. I have an inexplicable fondness for horror movies, especially vampire movies. I also like wierd wordy humor, such as Monty Python and Dennis Miller. So I guess was predisposed to like the show. Thing is I had no idea there WAS going to be a show. At the time the Buffy TV show started I didn't have cable, and I really wasn't watching much TV. (I have cable now, and I mostly watch Discovery Channel and such, except for Buffy and Angel.) I turned on the TV one night and flipped through all seven channels of network-a-rific goodness looking for SOMETHING that wasn't completely without virtue, and found the second episode of Buffy in progress. I stopped, a bit puzzled and eventually figured out what I was seeing. I was pleasantly surprised such an off beat movie had become a TV show, and figured I was watching something that just wouldn't last long. I found myself laughing and enjoying the show quite a bit. So I tuned in next week, the week after I was telling all my friends about this great new show. A couple of years later, other folks are telling me. Hey, I already knew already. :-) So that is how I discovered Buffy. I've been watching faithfully all these years and I'm going to miss it. I'm rather amazed at how much fuss it is getting here at the end of things, most folks I know wouldn't admit to watching it.
B., Shirin
My tale is a long one, but I will give you the quickie version. I am more than happy to furnish you with details and write the tale in a more printable mode, if you like.
Since the days of Barnabas Collins, I have had a passion for vampires: so much so that when I bat flew through my window in Grad school all I could do was bare my neck and cry "Bite me!" while my roomate tried to shoo it out with a broom.
Over a year ago, I began writing my own Vampire novel, because I felt that there was more to being Undead and Immortal than wandering around from party to party whining about how difficult it was to be rich and young forever. I also like a little more sex and violence in my stories. At any rate, I had seen BTVS a few times early in the morning on FX (exercising to the blond in sunny resorts got boring, and there isn’t much else on at that hour)…and found it mildly entertaining.
A year ago, I found myself in a wheelchair, confined to my Mother’s home. I spent a lot of time reading, a lot of time on the phone – and a lot of time with the T.V. Days and nights of pain and insomnia and drugs made me, perhaps, a little less lucid than I could have been, and I allowed my thoughts to wander to some scary, dark places best left unexplored. I managed to find shows to watch 23/7 (there is nothing on from 05-06:00), and wound up with 4 hours of Buffy FX repeats every day, plus the occasional episodes I found on other channels.
Originally, I looked to Buffy for ideas for my own novel, and I was saying as much to a close friend of mine at work…who has been watching the show since its onset, and has taped every episode. He began to send me 6-7 episodes at a time, commercial-free, twice a week. The next thing I knew, Mom and I were glued to the VCR. I watched the first 6 seasons in as many weeks – and was hooked. I’d like to add that, although I’ve seen every M*A*S*H and Star Trek ever made, I have never in my life been addicted to a T.V. show. I stopped watching the “X-Files” when they got to be “soapy”. Never before have I altered plans, or made plans, around television (except, of course, the Super-Bowl). I was so addicted to BTVS that I considered leaving my job at NASA and volunteering to work for Joss Wheedon – in any capacity – just to be a part of the Buffyverse. It is rare that movies can surprise me – and Buffy has never failed to do the unexpected. The witty dialogue, the music, the characters, the philosophy, the art…but, then, you already know all that. For a time there I was Buffy dancing because there was nothing to sing about…I have laughed and cried…and I managed to live through a year of unbelievable misery – in part because there was always something in BTVS that I could relate to. People are quick to resist the idea that a T.V. show can be anything other than shallow nonsense, but I have discovered in the past months that there is a large group of closet Buffy fans amongst the NASA engineers at JSC. I have met fans everywhere: from people who make collection calls to folks in bars to wealthy Carribean merchants – from artists to computer geeks. From teenagers through 40-year-olds like me to my 78-year-old mother, who is nearly blind but catches more from the music and dialogue than I do from the visuals.
Although I have traveled and held many jobs and done much in my life, I was raised in a very sexist, Orthodox Jewish household, where “woman’s lib” and “female empowerment” were ideas to be scoffed at. Advanced degrees and a brain were merely assets to be used in making men’s lives happier. Yet with BTVS I learned to say “Penis” without blushing (too much), and have come to realize that women can be strong as women, not just as people. I am so glad that my God-Daughter has a better roll-model than ‘Wonder-Woman’ or ‘Charlie’s Angels’ to grow up with.
There I’ve prattled on long enough, after saying I’d keep this short. It’s hard not to go and on about something that has meant so much to me. Even in the last episode, which I watched with trepidation, I discovered words of wisdom to live by: that I am cookie dough, and that I have strength I never realized. [Although I still say she loves Spike.] Although I have not yet figured out where I am going next, I have considered going back to teaching. And if I do, I will be inspired by Mrs. Saffioti-Hughes and others like her, and will add a “Buffy Appreciation Day” to my “Grateful Dead Appreciation Day” in all my future mathematics classes.
My tale is a long one, but I will give you the quickie version. I am more than happy to furnish you with details and write the tale in a more printable mode, if you like.
Since the days of Barnabas Collins, I have had a passion for vampires: so much so that when I bat flew through my window in Grad school all I could do was bare my neck and cry "Bite me!" while my roomate tried to shoo it out with a broom.
Over a year ago, I began writing my own Vampire novel, because I felt that there was more to being Undead and Immortal than wandering around from party to party whining about how difficult it was to be rich and young forever. I also like a little more sex and violence in my stories. At any rate, I had seen BTVS a few times early in the morning on FX (exercising to the blond in sunny resorts got boring, and there isn’t much else on at that hour)…and found it mildly entertaining.
A year ago, I found myself in a wheelchair, confined to my Mother’s home. I spent a lot of time reading, a lot of time on the phone – and a lot of time with the T.V. Days and nights of pain and insomnia and drugs made me, perhaps, a little less lucid than I could have been, and I allowed my thoughts to wander to some scary, dark places best left unexplored. I managed to find shows to watch 23/7 (there is nothing on from 05-06:00), and wound up with 4 hours of Buffy FX repeats every day, plus the occasional episodes I found on other channels.
Originally, I looked to Buffy for ideas for my own novel, and I was saying as much to a close friend of mine at work…who has been watching the show since its onset, and has taped every episode. He began to send me 6-7 episodes at a time, commercial-free, twice a week. The next thing I knew, Mom and I were glued to the VCR. I watched the first 6 seasons in as many weeks – and was hooked. I’d like to add that, although I’ve seen every M*A*S*H and Star Trek ever made, I have never in my life been addicted to a T.V. show. I stopped watching the “X-Files” when they got to be “soapy”. Never before have I altered plans, or made plans, around television (except, of course, the Super-Bowl). I was so addicted to BTVS that I considered leaving my job at NASA and volunteering to work for Joss Wheedon – in any capacity – just to be a part of the Buffyverse. It is rare that movies can surprise me – and Buffy has never failed to do the unexpected. The witty dialogue, the music, the characters, the philosophy, the art…but, then, you already know all that. For a time there I was Buffy dancing because there was nothing to sing about…I have laughed and cried…and I managed to live through a year of unbelievable misery – in part because there was always something in BTVS that I could relate to. People are quick to resist the idea that a T.V. show can be anything other than shallow nonsense, but I have discovered in the past months that there is a large group of closet Buffy fans amongst the NASA engineers at JSC. I have met fans everywhere: from people who make collection calls to folks in bars to wealthy Carribean merchants – from artists to computer geeks. From teenagers through 40-year-olds like me to my 78-year-old mother, who is nearly blind but catches more from the music and dialogue than I do from the visuals.
Although I have traveled and held many jobs and done much in my life, I was raised in a very sexist, Orthodox Jewish household, where “woman’s lib” and “female empowerment” were ideas to be scoffed at. Advanced degrees and a brain were merely assets to be used in making men’s lives happier. Yet with BTVS I learned to say “Penis” without blushing (too much), and have come to realize that women can be strong as women, not just as people. I am so glad that my God-Daughter has a better roll-model than ‘Wonder-Woman’ or ‘Charlie’s Angels’ to grow up with.
There I’ve prattled on long enough, after saying I’d keep this short. It’s hard not to go and on about something that has meant so much to me. Even in the last episode, which I watched with trepidation, I discovered words of wisdom to live by: that I am cookie dough, and that I have strength I never realized. [Although I still say she loves Spike.] Although I have not yet figured out where I am going next, I have considered going back to teaching. And if I do, I will be inspired by Mrs. Saffioti-Hughes and others like her, and will add a “Buffy Appreciation Day” to my “Grateful Dead Appreciation Day” in all my future mathematics classes.
Bailey, Kerry
I work in film and television development in Los Angeles and had heard rumblings from friends about "the greatness" of BtVS since season 1 -- but each time I dismissed the praise and thought to myself, "I can never trust THIS opinion again." Years later, my British friend Tom came to visit L.A. and insisted that we stay at home one evening instead of doing something touristy so that he could watch BtVS. It was a season 5 episode where Glory had Dawn, Tara's mind was all scrambled, and Joel Grey was.... wait a second, JOEL GREY??? O.K. so I didn't understand WHAT was going on in the story, but it was enough to get me watching. Then, at the end of the episode, the title character died. My first episode and the star dies. COOL!!! I caught up watching reruns on FX and entire seasons on DVD with Tom filling in all of my questions via internet Instant Messaging along the way. (Incidentally, it is Tom's theory that whichever season was the first that a fan watched is their favorite. Season 6 is most definitely the tops for me.) Now, if you'll excuse me, I just realized I have some grovelling to do with some friends I haven't spoken to in a VERY long time.
I work in film and television development in Los Angeles and had heard rumblings from friends about "the greatness" of BtVS since season 1 -- but each time I dismissed the praise and thought to myself, "I can never trust THIS opinion again." Years later, my British friend Tom came to visit L.A. and insisted that we stay at home one evening instead of doing something touristy so that he could watch BtVS. It was a season 5 episode where Glory had Dawn, Tara's mind was all scrambled, and Joel Grey was.... wait a second, JOEL GREY??? O.K. so I didn't understand WHAT was going on in the story, but it was enough to get me watching. Then, at the end of the episode, the title character died. My first episode and the star dies. COOL!!! I caught up watching reruns on FX and entire seasons on DVD with Tom filling in all of my questions via internet Instant Messaging along the way. (Incidentally, it is Tom's theory that whichever season was the first that a fan watched is their favorite. Season 6 is most definitely the tops for me.) Now, if you'll excuse me, I just realized I have some grovelling to do with some friends I haven't spoken to in a VERY long time.
Barnes, Kathryn J.
I'm 29 years old, and hold degrees in English and Mathematics. I work at a community college where I teach and support faculty and students in distance education. For me, the addiction began with Earshot. When I first heard that there was going to be a series based upon the movie, I scoffed-- no way could that movie be adapted into a series. Occasionally, I had watched parts of episodes, and, while I still didn't watched regularly, I was no longer scoffing. I work in Littleton, less than 2 miles from Columbine High School. Few people in Littleton were unaffected by the tragedy, and the emotions and reactions were varied and complex. By some curious coincidence, I happened to tune in when Earshot was first aired. It was the first episode I had seen from beginning to end, and was the first (and only) show that captured the complexity of such an event. The powerful scene in the clock tower resonated in a way that I'd never encountered with a television program. From then on, Buffy was appointment television for me. No series has ever affected me more. I love the characters like members of my own family.
I'm 29 years old, and hold degrees in English and Mathematics. I work at a community college where I teach and support faculty and students in distance education. For me, the addiction began with Earshot. When I first heard that there was going to be a series based upon the movie, I scoffed-- no way could that movie be adapted into a series. Occasionally, I had watched parts of episodes, and, while I still didn't watched regularly, I was no longer scoffing. I work in Littleton, less than 2 miles from Columbine High School. Few people in Littleton were unaffected by the tragedy, and the emotions and reactions were varied and complex. By some curious coincidence, I happened to tune in when Earshot was first aired. It was the first episode I had seen from beginning to end, and was the first (and only) show that captured the complexity of such an event. The powerful scene in the clock tower resonated in a way that I'd never encountered with a television program. From then on, Buffy was appointment television for me. No series has ever affected me more. I love the characters like members of my own family.
Barrett, Lizzie
I am a 22 year old student in Edinburgh, Great Britain, where I am about to graduate with an MA in History of Art and English Literature.
I first caught Buffy on terrestrial TV in the first season (Out of Mind, Out of Sight) when I was about sixteen/seventeen (1997/1998). I didn't think that much of it, and never pursued it until I saw the second half of Band Candy in the summer of 2000 when I was nineteen. I found it really funny, and when Lover's Walk made me cry, I knew I was hooked, and spent most of that summer borrowing other people's videos of the show. I have been watching and writing about Buffy ever since, and will be sad to see it go.
I am a 22 year old student in Edinburgh, Great Britain, where I am about to graduate with an MA in History of Art and English Literature.
I first caught Buffy on terrestrial TV in the first season (Out of Mind, Out of Sight) when I was about sixteen/seventeen (1997/1998). I didn't think that much of it, and never pursued it until I saw the second half of Band Candy in the summer of 2000 when I was nineteen. I found it really funny, and when Lover's Walk made me cry, I knew I was hooked, and spent most of that summer borrowing other people's videos of the show. I have been watching and writing about Buffy ever since, and will be sad to see it go.
Bast, Adrianna
My name is Adrianna Bast, I am 24, I have an Associates Degree of Arts and Sciences, a BA in Anthropology and a Certificate in Death Investigation. I am currently working as an office slave in Wisconsin, I have aspirations to either head off to Law school or grad school.
I think I am the only person on earth whose Buffy fandom started with the movie. I loved the movie. It was one of those cult movies that I got addicted to thanks to channels like USA and TNT which often played it, very late at night, perfect for my developing adolescent brain. Consequently this could have been blamed on my love of Luke Perry at the time, but I digress.
Then the series started. I watched the first season pretty religiously. The second season I watched occasionally, then the only Buffy I caught was on late night Fox reruns. I dropped out. I loved Buffy, but I just stopped watching. My best friend though, she never stopped, so I think I can blame her.
Eventually I misplaced my social life and started spending an increased amount of time with my TV. Thanks to FX, I caught pieces of season 5, then season 6 started and I was hooked! Season 6 was sort of how I felt my life was going at the time (lost, no direction, feeling very nihilist), so it connected with me. I could relate to Willow's magicks addiction, Xander's commitment fear, Spike's unrequited love, Buffy's self-imposed suffering, Anya's love of capitalism. Plus bonus: Musical!
Then I started to backtrack. That darn best friend mentioned DVDs, and had coupons! So I went out and bought Seasons 1-3 and spent the next 2 months glued to my TV. Then I got 5 on VCD, and 6 on VHS, and half of Season 7 on VCD, then I taped every episode of season 7, then I started watching Angel, and got hooked to that too so I had to buy those DVDs as well. Now, well, now I have spent far too much time and money on Buffy and the Scoobies, Angel and the Fang Gang to ever give them up! Plus, who would want to? I'm a lifer, I've even gone to a convention, I read Slayage religiously, I have all the scholarly Buffy books, I read the paperbacks, even the ones for kids, I have comic books, trading cards, and I have even entered the world of fanfiction (as well as played around with a couple of scholarly papers of my own). I am proud to say that now I am spreading the gospel of Buffy and creating new addicts in all my unconverted friends. I can't wait to see what Joss does next, heck I might even buy the Firefly DVDs just cos I know they are gonna be good, if his hands have touched it, you know its gotta be good!
My name is Adrianna Bast, I am 24, I have an Associates Degree of Arts and Sciences, a BA in Anthropology and a Certificate in Death Investigation. I am currently working as an office slave in Wisconsin, I have aspirations to either head off to Law school or grad school.
I think I am the only person on earth whose Buffy fandom started with the movie. I loved the movie. It was one of those cult movies that I got addicted to thanks to channels like USA and TNT which often played it, very late at night, perfect for my developing adolescent brain. Consequently this could have been blamed on my love of Luke Perry at the time, but I digress.
Then the series started. I watched the first season pretty religiously. The second season I watched occasionally, then the only Buffy I caught was on late night Fox reruns. I dropped out. I loved Buffy, but I just stopped watching. My best friend though, she never stopped, so I think I can blame her.
Eventually I misplaced my social life and started spending an increased amount of time with my TV. Thanks to FX, I caught pieces of season 5, then season 6 started and I was hooked! Season 6 was sort of how I felt my life was going at the time (lost, no direction, feeling very nihilist), so it connected with me. I could relate to Willow's magicks addiction, Xander's commitment fear, Spike's unrequited love, Buffy's self-imposed suffering, Anya's love of capitalism. Plus bonus: Musical!
Then I started to backtrack. That darn best friend mentioned DVDs, and had coupons! So I went out and bought Seasons 1-3 and spent the next 2 months glued to my TV. Then I got 5 on VCD, and 6 on VHS, and half of Season 7 on VCD, then I taped every episode of season 7, then I started watching Angel, and got hooked to that too so I had to buy those DVDs as well. Now, well, now I have spent far too much time and money on Buffy and the Scoobies, Angel and the Fang Gang to ever give them up! Plus, who would want to? I'm a lifer, I've even gone to a convention, I read Slayage religiously, I have all the scholarly Buffy books, I read the paperbacks, even the ones for kids, I have comic books, trading cards, and I have even entered the world of fanfiction (as well as played around with a couple of scholarly papers of my own). I am proud to say that now I am spreading the gospel of Buffy and creating new addicts in all my unconverted friends. I can't wait to see what Joss does next, heck I might even buy the Firefly DVDs just cos I know they are gonna be good, if his hands have touched it, you know its gotta be good!
Beaulieu, Ann
My name is Ann Beaulieu and I am a 39 year old mother of four who is an admitted, Buffyaholic!
I started watching towards the end of season 3, I was pregnant and on bedrest and looking for something to watch. I found Buffy and I have to admit my lust for David Boreanaz had a lot to do with my viewership! I have watched since then and when the show started on FX I watched day and night to see what I had missed. My husband was thinking about an intervention! I will miss the show very much but am very glad we still have Angel and James M on Angel to go on! I think there are many more stories to tell.
My name is Ann Beaulieu and I am a 39 year old mother of four who is an admitted, Buffyaholic!
I started watching towards the end of season 3, I was pregnant and on bedrest and looking for something to watch. I found Buffy and I have to admit my lust for David Boreanaz had a lot to do with my viewership! I have watched since then and when the show started on FX I watched day and night to see what I had missed. My husband was thinking about an intervention! I will miss the show very much but am very glad we still have Angel and James M on Angel to go on! I think there are many more stories to tell.
Berger, Diane Harris
I am a married mother of four (ages from 24 to 15), public school teacher, ex-English major. I was visiting my two college-aged sons in Austin. The elder was watching a show on t.v., while the younger and I wanted to watch a basketball game. The elder won out. The show was BtVS, the episode, "The Gift". Much explanation ensued. I was immediately interested in the the character of Spike, particularly. I went home and started catching up on the FX re-runs, while watching the current season at the same time (season 6, somewhere during re-runs, around "Double-Meat Palace", I think). I found myself soon to be totally immersed in the Jossverse, and will greatly miss Buffy in the future. I'm glad Angel is going on for at least one more year.
I am a married mother of four (ages from 24 to 15), public school teacher, ex-English major. I was visiting my two college-aged sons in Austin. The elder was watching a show on t.v., while the younger and I wanted to watch a basketball game. The elder won out. The show was BtVS, the episode, "The Gift". Much explanation ensued. I was immediately interested in the the character of Spike, particularly. I went home and started catching up on the FX re-runs, while watching the current season at the same time (season 6, somewhere during re-runs, around "Double-Meat Palace", I think). I found myself soon to be totally immersed in the Jossverse, and will greatly miss Buffy in the future. I'm glad Angel is going on for at least one more year.
Bernard, LaDonna
I am a 33 year old Accounting Technician for the federal government, and a staff-sergeant in the Louisiana Army National Guard, and a mother of two toddler girls.
First, I saw the movie, it wasn't really that good. I liked movies/stories with vampires in them, my first was "Love at First Bite with George Hamilton. So when the show premiered I watched it, then I watched the next show, missed a couple, then I saw the show where Buffy and Angel kiss and her cross burns him. I was like "wow, that was intense". Going to college at night made it hard, but I tried to watch it faithfully after that. I think it changed nights in the second season, I missed more episodes, saw a preview that Angel and Buffy had sex and he went all evil, I was like "What?, isn't that the way it always goes?". Season Three I scheduled no classes on Tuesday nights. I have been faithful to Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. ever since. Good thing I met my husband at school on a Monday night (mid-season three).
I am a 33 year old Accounting Technician for the federal government, and a staff-sergeant in the Louisiana Army National Guard, and a mother of two toddler girls.
First, I saw the movie, it wasn't really that good. I liked movies/stories with vampires in them, my first was "Love at First Bite with George Hamilton. So when the show premiered I watched it, then I watched the next show, missed a couple, then I saw the show where Buffy and Angel kiss and her cross burns him. I was like "wow, that was intense". Going to college at night made it hard, but I tried to watch it faithfully after that. I think it changed nights in the second season, I missed more episodes, saw a preview that Angel and Buffy had sex and he went all evil, I was like "What?, isn't that the way it always goes?". Season Three I scheduled no classes on Tuesday nights. I have been faithful to Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. ever since. Good thing I met my husband at school on a Monday night (mid-season three).
Blecher, Eve
I am a 19-year old university student from Melbourne, Australia. At the beginning of this year (2003), hanging around during my summer holidays I caught a Slayerfest on Fox. I think it was season four and five, and I didn’t get off the couch for two days. Needless to say I was hooked. Over the last four months I’ve caught up on almost every episode except a few from season two, and the end of season seven which hasn’t screened yet here in Australia. I’m studying Media and Communications, so my Buffy addiction fits in perfectly with my course. I’ve read all the critical stuff I can get my hands on and this semester I wrote three essays on Buffy that I actually enjoyed writing! I regularly visit Buffy websites and participate in forum discussions. Never before has a TV show been a part of my life like Buffy has. There are too many reasons to list here why that is so, but one of the main ones was the writing and the portrayal of young adult characters that were, for me, so true to life. It was so refreshing to hear dialogue coming from the mouths of characters my age that didn’t make me cringe- Dawson’s Creek and the like this was not. I love that Buffy was a show that treated the people watching as intelligant viewers who could keep track of intricate backstories. Buffy was an intelligent, funny, sad and most of all unique show that I will be devastated to see come to an end, but when it does at least we will have our DVDs and Angel to get us through.
I am a 19-year old university student from Melbourne, Australia. At the beginning of this year (2003), hanging around during my summer holidays I caught a Slayerfest on Fox. I think it was season four and five, and I didn’t get off the couch for two days. Needless to say I was hooked. Over the last four months I’ve caught up on almost every episode except a few from season two, and the end of season seven which hasn’t screened yet here in Australia. I’m studying Media and Communications, so my Buffy addiction fits in perfectly with my course. I’ve read all the critical stuff I can get my hands on and this semester I wrote three essays on Buffy that I actually enjoyed writing! I regularly visit Buffy websites and participate in forum discussions. Never before has a TV show been a part of my life like Buffy has. There are too many reasons to list here why that is so, but one of the main ones was the writing and the portrayal of young adult characters that were, for me, so true to life. It was so refreshing to hear dialogue coming from the mouths of characters my age that didn’t make me cringe- Dawson’s Creek and the like this was not. I love that Buffy was a show that treated the people watching as intelligant viewers who could keep track of intricate backstories. Buffy was an intelligent, funny, sad and most of all unique show that I will be devastated to see come to an end, but when it does at least we will have our DVDs and Angel to get us through.
Boorman, Danielle
I have a B.A. in anthropology and I am currently working on my Master's in Library Science.
I discovered Buffy back when I was in High School. A friend of mine had convinced me, against my better judgment, to watch the premiere of a new TV series called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I had no desire to see it. At the time I was an avid reader of fantasy and horror novels but the thought of sitting through a show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer seemed painful. How good could it be if it was called that? I didn't like camp. I didn't like teen dramas. I wanted something that meant something; and that's found in books not on TV - right? However, I agreed to watch the first episode with her - and then the second, and third, and fourth, etc. I have watched the show devotedly since the very first episode. And while I have certainly found the show painful to watch at times, it has been the empathetic pain of a person watching her friends hurt, not the pain of sitting through a bad show.
I have a B.A. in anthropology and I am currently working on my Master's in Library Science.
I discovered Buffy back when I was in High School. A friend of mine had convinced me, against my better judgment, to watch the premiere of a new TV series called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I had no desire to see it. At the time I was an avid reader of fantasy and horror novels but the thought of sitting through a show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer seemed painful. How good could it be if it was called that? I didn't like camp. I didn't like teen dramas. I wanted something that meant something; and that's found in books not on TV - right? However, I agreed to watch the first episode with her - and then the second, and third, and fourth, etc. I have watched the show devotedly since the very first episode. And while I have certainly found the show painful to watch at times, it has been the empathetic pain of a person watching her friends hurt, not the pain of sitting through a bad show.
Bonita, Lisa
How I discovered Buffy? Hmm, good question. Well, considering I loathed the movie, and demanded my 6 bucks back, I wasn't very enthused about a TV show carrying the same name. To make matters worse, I'm not very much into the vampire gore and mythology. Never seen blade, nor the original Dracula. Saw Lost Boys, liked it, but hey, it had hot guys in it, so that's not saying much.
Anywho, I was flipping through the channels one night, and BAM... hot guy. That would be David Boreanaz by the way. The episode was title Angel, and well, David was very lickable and slurp worthy in that ep, hence I didn't change the channel, and to my surprise, I watched the entire ep, and I loved it. I kept tuning in for the remainder of the season, but it wasn't until mid season 2, that watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer every Tuesday nights at 8 pm, became a ritual for me. It was very weird and strange, but my life seriously was planned around this show. I think I even blew off my Aunts wedding cause a new ep of Buffy was airing that same night.
Yes, I know. I have gross emotional problems, but hey, your the one who asked me the question so, you're more of a sicko than I am.
How I discovered Buffy? Hmm, good question. Well, considering I loathed the movie, and demanded my 6 bucks back, I wasn't very enthused about a TV show carrying the same name. To make matters worse, I'm not very much into the vampire gore and mythology. Never seen blade, nor the original Dracula. Saw Lost Boys, liked it, but hey, it had hot guys in it, so that's not saying much.
Anywho, I was flipping through the channels one night, and BAM... hot guy. That would be David Boreanaz by the way. The episode was title Angel, and well, David was very lickable and slurp worthy in that ep, hence I didn't change the channel, and to my surprise, I watched the entire ep, and I loved it. I kept tuning in for the remainder of the season, but it wasn't until mid season 2, that watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer every Tuesday nights at 8 pm, became a ritual for me. It was very weird and strange, but my life seriously was planned around this show. I think I even blew off my Aunts wedding cause a new ep of Buffy was airing that same night.
Yes, I know. I have gross emotional problems, but hey, your the one who asked me the question so, you're more of a sicko than I am.
Bowman, Matthew
My name is Matthew. I live in Southeren California and am a student at Los Osos High School. I am 16 years old. When I was younger maybe 6 or 7 I walked into a video store and went straight to the Horror section. As a child I was always fascinated by vampires. So one day I picked up the Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie and fell in love with the concept, but was dissapointed by everything else. When I was 10 I saw the trailer for the Buffy series and was so excited, and on March 3, 1997 I became a Buffy fan. To this day I have remained a loyal and avid fan of all things Buffy. My Tuesday nights for the past seven years involved taking a shower, getting tons of snack foods, and watching my one hour of happieness. I don't know how long I will remain a fan, but everyday I am still watching the episodes that changed my life, and changed TV.
My name is Matthew. I live in Southeren California and am a student at Los Osos High School. I am 16 years old. When I was younger maybe 6 or 7 I walked into a video store and went straight to the Horror section. As a child I was always fascinated by vampires. So one day I picked up the Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie and fell in love with the concept, but was dissapointed by everything else. When I was 10 I saw the trailer for the Buffy series and was so excited, and on March 3, 1997 I became a Buffy fan. To this day I have remained a loyal and avid fan of all things Buffy. My Tuesday nights for the past seven years involved taking a shower, getting tons of snack foods, and watching my one hour of happieness. I don't know how long I will remain a fan, but everyday I am still watching the episodes that changed my life, and changed TV.
Brasure, Eric
I am a graduate student in the film studies program at the University of East Anglia. On a Sunday evening in January 2002, I was home in front of the television, trying to find something to watch. The local UPN affililate had been rerunning older episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Sundays at 8PM, and I happened upon the episode "The Freshman" just as it was beginning. I had been vaguely aware of the program, but had never considered watching it; I had the impression that it was just another silly teen drama. I was drawn into the opening teaser, without realizing what I was watching. When the opening credits came on and I discovered that it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I was quite surprised and yet continued to watch. That one episode turned me into a devoted Buffy fanatic, and I've never looked back.
I am a graduate student in the film studies program at the University of East Anglia. On a Sunday evening in January 2002, I was home in front of the television, trying to find something to watch. The local UPN affililate had been rerunning older episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Sundays at 8PM, and I happened upon the episode "The Freshman" just as it was beginning. I had been vaguely aware of the program, but had never considered watching it; I had the impression that it was just another silly teen drama. I was drawn into the opening teaser, without realizing what I was watching. When the opening credits came on and I discovered that it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I was quite surprised and yet continued to watch. That one episode turned me into a devoted Buffy fanatic, and I've never looked back.
Bridle, Edward M.
I am a 43-year-old archivist with interests in history and folklore, working in a University library. I had never seen the Buffy movie (a failing which has since been corrected), but had heard the name, and supposed that it might be something like 'Fearless Vampire Slayers' - light and quirky. One evening, flipping through the television guide, I saw the name again, as the title of a new series, and, being in the mood for something light and quirky, turned to that channel. It was 'Welcome to the Hellmouth,' and I have religiously watched every Buffy episode since. A couple of years later I started to go out with a very sweet lady, and one evening quite early in the relationship she asked, very shyly and tentatively, whether I would mind terribly if she turned on the television so that she could watch 'Buffy.' (I had been wondering whether she would be offended if I left early, for the same purpose.) Imagine our mutual delight at discovering we were both fans of this wonderful show!
What caught me, I think, was the show's combination of imagination and realism - the monsters may be imaginary, but the issues are very real, and are dealt with, in emotional and learning terms, realistically. Beyond that, however, 'Buffy' influenced the way the world looks, in the sense that it re-mythologises the mundane, allowing one to imagine the heroic as a genuine possibility in contemporary Western youth culture. (This may have been made easier for me by the circumstance that I was living at the time in a provincial University town whose name ends in '-dale', with a large teenage population, and the sort of nightlife that makes you nervous to go out alone after dark. The character of Giles, as you might expect, led to immediate self-identification!)
I am a 43-year-old archivist with interests in history and folklore, working in a University library. I had never seen the Buffy movie (a failing which has since been corrected), but had heard the name, and supposed that it might be something like 'Fearless Vampire Slayers' - light and quirky. One evening, flipping through the television guide, I saw the name again, as the title of a new series, and, being in the mood for something light and quirky, turned to that channel. It was 'Welcome to the Hellmouth,' and I have religiously watched every Buffy episode since. A couple of years later I started to go out with a very sweet lady, and one evening quite early in the relationship she asked, very shyly and tentatively, whether I would mind terribly if she turned on the television so that she could watch 'Buffy.' (I had been wondering whether she would be offended if I left early, for the same purpose.) Imagine our mutual delight at discovering we were both fans of this wonderful show!
What caught me, I think, was the show's combination of imagination and realism - the monsters may be imaginary, but the issues are very real, and are dealt with, in emotional and learning terms, realistically. Beyond that, however, 'Buffy' influenced the way the world looks, in the sense that it re-mythologises the mundane, allowing one to imagine the heroic as a genuine possibility in contemporary Western youth culture. (This may have been made easier for me by the circumstance that I was living at the time in a provincial University town whose name ends in '-dale', with a large teenage population, and the sort of nightlife that makes you nervous to go out alone after dark. The character of Giles, as you might expect, led to immediate self-identification!)
Briggs, Kate
I now oversee the Introduction to Psychology classes at the University of Minnesota. But when I first started watching BtVS, I was a graduate student in Psychology. I had seen the original movie and enjoyed it. The first episode of BtVS I saw was "Out of Sight, Out of mind' on May 19, 1997. My daughter, who was 13 at the time, was watching it. All her friends at school were watching. I routinely monitored what my children watched on TV, and would watch with them. (I would use this quality time to drive them crazy by instructing them in 'media literacy'.) At first I didn't have a clue what was happening, but I loved the episode--the whole 'Have a nice summer' curse in the yearbook and Cordelia made me laugh. The story idea was so fresh, clever and unexpected. And it was emotionally true, which was amazing, since most TV programs are not. So I went out of my way to see the season finale and the re-runs over the summer. My daughter and I have watched ever since.
I now oversee the Introduction to Psychology classes at the University of Minnesota. But when I first started watching BtVS, I was a graduate student in Psychology. I had seen the original movie and enjoyed it. The first episode of BtVS I saw was "Out of Sight, Out of mind' on May 19, 1997. My daughter, who was 13 at the time, was watching it. All her friends at school were watching. I routinely monitored what my children watched on TV, and would watch with them. (I would use this quality time to drive them crazy by instructing them in 'media literacy'.) At first I didn't have a clue what was happening, but I loved the episode--the whole 'Have a nice summer' curse in the yearbook and Cordelia made me laugh. The story idea was so fresh, clever and unexpected. And it was emotionally true, which was amazing, since most TV programs are not. So I went out of my way to see the season finale and the re-runs over the summer. My daughter and I have watched ever since.
Brodson, Diane
I am a librarian, a tree-hugging, animal-loving, single parent, who sincerely wishes Buffy had been available as a role model for my daughters when they were growing up. When my 21-year old daughter and 50 year-old best friend raved so much about the show, I began watching Buffy in the middle of the first season. Since then, I have managed to record every episode.
There is more truth in Buffy, more life and love, than in almost any other TV show. (Too bad that Firefly was canceled....) OK, I'll say it: Whedon is to modern story-telling what Shakespeare is to literature.
I will miss Buffy as I would miss my daughters if they moved away.
I am a librarian, a tree-hugging, animal-loving, single parent, who sincerely wishes Buffy had been available as a role model for my daughters when they were growing up. When my 21-year old daughter and 50 year-old best friend raved so much about the show, I began watching Buffy in the middle of the first season. Since then, I have managed to record every episode.
There is more truth in Buffy, more life and love, than in almost any other TV show. (Too bad that Firefly was canceled....) OK, I'll say it: Whedon is to modern story-telling what Shakespeare is to literature.
I will miss Buffy as I would miss my daughters if they moved away.
Brody, William
I'm a 35-year old soldier in the U.S. Army, and I first started watching Buffy - however intermittently - in Korea. Admittedly, I, like many of my fellow viewers, could not get past the title of the show, dismissing it as shallow, juvenile entertainment. So, naturally, I did what most guys do when we aren't in the thrall of ESPN: we watch shows starring "hot chicks with super powers"; namely, BtVS, with occasional detours into the brain-dead worlds of "Charmed" and "V.I.P." Then, an odd thing occurred: even though I hadn't watched the entire season (or any of the seasons, frankly), I became fascinated with the Spike & Buffy romance, the mysterious identity of Buffy's sister, her fractured relationship with Angel, the Glory story arc, and on and on. I regretted missing shows even though I obviously had more important things to do. Nevertheless, when I came to Ft. Lewis, WA, a neighbor and his roommate watched the first three seasons of Buffy in a single weekend. Of course, I dropped in to see a little myself. Instantly, I knew I had to follow suit, so I borrowed his DVDs, finishing them in a week, only to watch Season One again over a three-night period.
Having joined the military after September 11, I enjoyed watching a show about a strong yet vulnerable heroine who, despite her isolation and concomitant heartbreak, chooses again and again to overcome evil, often putting others before herself. Being refreshingly and appealingly imperfect, she managed to maintain her integrity throughout each trial. Buffy, for me, has put a fresh face on the mythical hero's journey, updating old tales without seeming trite or cliche. I have not been quite this involved in or attached to a television program since "Northern Exposure", "Twin Peaks", and "China Beach"; and I never would have imagined a whole school of thought having developed around it. Buffy is definitely "Shane" with high heels and kung-fu moves. And like a Stephen Soderbergh film, I actually feel smarter from having watched BtVS.
I'm glad I'm not alone in my enthusiasm for this show, although I have wondered if perhaps I need professional help.
I'm a 35-year old soldier in the U.S. Army, and I first started watching Buffy - however intermittently - in Korea. Admittedly, I, like many of my fellow viewers, could not get past the title of the show, dismissing it as shallow, juvenile entertainment. So, naturally, I did what most guys do when we aren't in the thrall of ESPN: we watch shows starring "hot chicks with super powers"; namely, BtVS, with occasional detours into the brain-dead worlds of "Charmed" and "V.I.P." Then, an odd thing occurred: even though I hadn't watched the entire season (or any of the seasons, frankly), I became fascinated with the Spike & Buffy romance, the mysterious identity of Buffy's sister, her fractured relationship with Angel, the Glory story arc, and on and on. I regretted missing shows even though I obviously had more important things to do. Nevertheless, when I came to Ft. Lewis, WA, a neighbor and his roommate watched the first three seasons of Buffy in a single weekend. Of course, I dropped in to see a little myself. Instantly, I knew I had to follow suit, so I borrowed his DVDs, finishing them in a week, only to watch Season One again over a three-night period.
Having joined the military after September 11, I enjoyed watching a show about a strong yet vulnerable heroine who, despite her isolation and concomitant heartbreak, chooses again and again to overcome evil, often putting others before herself. Being refreshingly and appealingly imperfect, she managed to maintain her integrity throughout each trial. Buffy, for me, has put a fresh face on the mythical hero's journey, updating old tales without seeming trite or cliche. I have not been quite this involved in or attached to a television program since "Northern Exposure", "Twin Peaks", and "China Beach"; and I never would have imagined a whole school of thought having developed around it. Buffy is definitely "Shane" with high heels and kung-fu moves. And like a Stephen Soderbergh film, I actually feel smarter from having watched BtVS.
I'm glad I'm not alone in my enthusiasm for this show, although I have wondered if perhaps I need professional help.
Brown, Randall
I am a 34 year-old musician and writer for the Knoxville News Sentinel in Knoxville, Tenn. I saw the movie "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" when it came out, and though I enjoyed it, I didn't pursue the series until season three, when a good friend told me I might enjoy it because it was "darker" than the movie ever got. So I did and was hooked pretty quickly.
I am a 34 year-old musician and writer for the Knoxville News Sentinel in Knoxville, Tenn. I saw the movie "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" when it came out, and though I enjoyed it, I didn't pursue the series until season three, when a good friend told me I might enjoy it because it was "darker" than the movie ever got. So I did and was hooked pretty quickly.
Brugman, Jennifer
I am an assistant editor at the Academy Spirit newspaper at the United States Air Force Academy.
When I graduated from college in 1998, I returned to my parents' house in North Dakota for three weeks before coming to Colorado to begin my job. I was bored out of my mind. There was nothing to do in that small town and I had already seen all the television episodes that interested me. While surfing for something, anything to watch, I stumbled upon the first half of the season 2 finale.
I immediately became intrigued with the complexity of the characters, particularly Xander and Willow. I couldn't wait to see the end of the finale a week later. When the finale ended with Buffy killing Angel and going off to California, I could identify with her sense of loss and displacement. I was hooked.
Over the summer, I moved to Colorado and didn't know anyone. I watched Buffy on Tuesday and Wednesday night reruns. All that angst and displacement mirrored how I felt living in a new environment. Since that time, those characters and this show have been like companions I could return to whenever I felt lost.
I am an assistant editor at the Academy Spirit newspaper at the United States Air Force Academy.
When I graduated from college in 1998, I returned to my parents' house in North Dakota for three weeks before coming to Colorado to begin my job. I was bored out of my mind. There was nothing to do in that small town and I had already seen all the television episodes that interested me. While surfing for something, anything to watch, I stumbled upon the first half of the season 2 finale.
I immediately became intrigued with the complexity of the characters, particularly Xander and Willow. I couldn't wait to see the end of the finale a week later. When the finale ended with Buffy killing Angel and going off to California, I could identify with her sense of loss and displacement. I was hooked.
Over the summer, I moved to Colorado and didn't know anyone. I watched Buffy on Tuesday and Wednesday night reruns. All that angst and displacement mirrored how I felt living in a new environment. Since that time, those characters and this show have been like companions I could return to whenever I felt lost.
Buehler, Kim
I am a civilian employee of the U.S. Army with an M.A. degree in Art History and am currently pursuing an M.B.A. I watched my first episode, mostly out of desperation, on a rainy Saturday afternoon. The episode was The Pack, and although I didn't think the episode represented the finest in TV achievement, the characters and dialogue intrigued me enough to watch again the next week. I rapidly became hooked and was delighted when FX started showing two nightly episodes in sequence from the first season. The growth of the mythos and characters, the amazing mix of classical and contemporary references and the creation of original linguistic signatures underlay writing and acting intelligence rarely seen on television. I started telling friends and co-workers about this great show I'd recently discovered, only to find out that others had been secretly enjoying Buffy all along-they were just too embarrassed to admit it!
I am a civilian employee of the U.S. Army with an M.A. degree in Art History and am currently pursuing an M.B.A. I watched my first episode, mostly out of desperation, on a rainy Saturday afternoon. The episode was The Pack, and although I didn't think the episode represented the finest in TV achievement, the characters and dialogue intrigued me enough to watch again the next week. I rapidly became hooked and was delighted when FX started showing two nightly episodes in sequence from the first season. The growth of the mythos and characters, the amazing mix of classical and contemporary references and the creation of original linguistic signatures underlay writing and acting intelligence rarely seen on television. I started telling friends and co-workers about this great show I'd recently discovered, only to find out that others had been secretly enjoying Buffy all along-they were just too embarrassed to admit it!
Bullock, Jennifer
My name is Jennifer Bullock, an Advertising graduate from San Jose State University.
I discovered Buffy during it's first season. I'm not sure which episode it was, but a few had already aired. I was sitting at the dining room table, working on a project for school. I turned on the tv, wanting some background noise. I flipped through several channels, finding nothing interesting to watch. My mother saw my frustration and mentioned that "That Buffy The Vampire Slayer show is on..why not try that?" She had read in the paper/seen some news clips regarding the new series and she thought it was good enough to try it out. So I did, and I was hooked. It took me a few more episodes but I feel into it .. and I've loved it ever since. Around the end of the second season, my mother took her own advice, and we're both huge fans of the show.
My name is Jennifer Bullock, an Advertising graduate from San Jose State University.
I discovered Buffy during it's first season. I'm not sure which episode it was, but a few had already aired. I was sitting at the dining room table, working on a project for school. I turned on the tv, wanting some background noise. I flipped through several channels, finding nothing interesting to watch. My mother saw my frustration and mentioned that "That Buffy The Vampire Slayer show is on..why not try that?" She had read in the paper/seen some news clips regarding the new series and she thought it was good enough to try it out. So I did, and I was hooked. It took me a few more episodes but I feel into it .. and I've loved it ever since. Around the end of the second season, my mother took her own advice, and we're both huge fans of the show.
Burgess, Rebecca
My name is Rebecca and I'm simply an addict of the show. I have aspirations to go to graduate school in film and pop culture studies someday. I even have my thesis topic picked out...
However, that's not the point. The point is I have the Chicago Cubs to thank for my addiction to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The first episode I ever saw was the first airing of The Witch (Season 1, Episode 2). It had been pre-empted to midnight because of a Cubs game and I happened upon it as I was flipping channels. That was it, there was no great fanfare or announcement from on high, although there should have been, considering from that moment on Tuesdays at 7 became a sacred time. I've taped every episode, followed the mythology, read some of the books, and I've managed to drag others into the Buffy universe along with me, kicking and screaming. No other show has ever entered my consciousness like this one. I have my other addictions, but I wouldn't have those if it weren't for the extraordinary derring do and grace of our heroine and her friends. Sydney Bristow would not exist if it weren't for Buffy Summers. So, thank you to Joss, the writers, the cast and the crew for creating a world in which I could dwell for an hour or two every week.
My name is Rebecca and I'm simply an addict of the show. I have aspirations to go to graduate school in film and pop culture studies someday. I even have my thesis topic picked out...
However, that's not the point. The point is I have the Chicago Cubs to thank for my addiction to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The first episode I ever saw was the first airing of The Witch (Season 1, Episode 2). It had been pre-empted to midnight because of a Cubs game and I happened upon it as I was flipping channels. That was it, there was no great fanfare or announcement from on high, although there should have been, considering from that moment on Tuesdays at 7 became a sacred time. I've taped every episode, followed the mythology, read some of the books, and I've managed to drag others into the Buffy universe along with me, kicking and screaming. No other show has ever entered my consciousness like this one. I have my other addictions, but I wouldn't have those if it weren't for the extraordinary derring do and grace of our heroine and her friends. Sydney Bristow would not exist if it weren't for Buffy Summers. So, thank you to Joss, the writers, the cast and the crew for creating a world in which I could dwell for an hour or two every week.
Burr, Vivian
I am a Principal Lecturer in psychology at the University of Huddersfield, UK.
My daughter (who is the same age as Buffy) watched it from the start, so I was kind of aware of it in the background but, like many, just assumed it was a shallow teen soap and didn't really give it much attention, though I think I absorbed a lot of the storylines without realising it. I think I changed my mind about it being shallow when I saw Angel kill Jenny Calendar. I thought 'Hold on, don't shows like this always have a happy ending?'. By Season 4 (2000-2001 on terrestrial TV in the UK) I was watching it a bit more attentively, mostly because my daughter seemed to be around at that time in the evening and we were having dinner. Then she finished at school and took a year out before going to Uni. While she was away I missed her of course, and found myself watching Buffy as a symbolic way of being with her, and found that I was actually enjoying it. So I really got hooked in season 5, and it was then that I felt the urge to write about Buffy academically. And the rest, as they say, is history!
I am a Principal Lecturer in psychology at the University of Huddersfield, UK.
My daughter (who is the same age as Buffy) watched it from the start, so I was kind of aware of it in the background but, like many, just assumed it was a shallow teen soap and didn't really give it much attention, though I think I absorbed a lot of the storylines without realising it. I think I changed my mind about it being shallow when I saw Angel kill Jenny Calendar. I thought 'Hold on, don't shows like this always have a happy ending?'. By Season 4 (2000-2001 on terrestrial TV in the UK) I was watching it a bit more attentively, mostly because my daughter seemed to be around at that time in the evening and we were having dinner. Then she finished at school and took a year out before going to Uni. While she was away I missed her of course, and found myself watching Buffy as a symbolic way of being with her, and found that I was actually enjoying it. So I really got hooked in season 5, and it was then that I felt the urge to write about Buffy academically. And the rest, as they say, is history!
Campbell, Tracy
My name is Tracy Campbell, I’m a female, 27 year old Theater director living in Anchorage, AK. When Buffy first got going. I heard about it on the internet, but didn't get WB so I ignored it. I tried watching some Buffy in syndication, but it never quite clicked. I brushed the show off as a "vampire/horror-thingy" and since that's not my cup of tea, I ignored BtVS some more. Then I heard about Buffy: The Musical and I felt this was a show I shouldn’t ignore. I knew my little sister was a big Buffy fan, so I asked her if I could try watching a few episodes she had downloaded. An evening with my sister turned into an all-night marathon of Season 1. I was hooked and I wanted to catch up as fast as possible. I devoured episode guides, I borrowed snowy tapes of tapes from friends. When the DVD’s started coming out I gobbled them up, eager to fill in any blanks in my Buffy-experience. The key to my Buffy-love was watching the first couple episodes in order. Buffy led me to Angel, Fray and my favorite television show ever, Firefly. I love
Joss Whedon’s mind.
My name is Tracy Campbell, I’m a female, 27 year old Theater director living in Anchorage, AK. When Buffy first got going. I heard about it on the internet, but didn't get WB so I ignored it. I tried watching some Buffy in syndication, but it never quite clicked. I brushed the show off as a "vampire/horror-thingy" and since that's not my cup of tea, I ignored BtVS some more. Then I heard about Buffy: The Musical and I felt this was a show I shouldn’t ignore. I knew my little sister was a big Buffy fan, so I asked her if I could try watching a few episodes she had downloaded. An evening with my sister turned into an all-night marathon of Season 1. I was hooked and I wanted to catch up as fast as possible. I devoured episode guides, I borrowed snowy tapes of tapes from friends. When the DVD’s started coming out I gobbled them up, eager to fill in any blanks in my Buffy-experience. The key to my Buffy-love was watching the first couple episodes in order. Buffy led me to Angel, Fray and my favorite television show ever, Firefly. I love
Joss Whedon’s mind.
Carter, Abe
I was a 36-year old accountant living in Atlanta when Buffy began.
I've always been a fan on the horror and fantasy genres, especially vampires. As a kid my favorite show was Dark Shadows. Nevertheless I wasn't planning to try Buffy - to me it just sounded silly. Somebody told my partner that the premiere had been good so we watched the next episode, The Witch. I thought it was cute but didn't get hooked on the show until the first season closer, Prophecy Girl. Season 2 really began my obsession with the show and I have never missed an episode since that time. I'll always maintain that Buffy is one of the best things ever to appear on tv.
I was a 36-year old accountant living in Atlanta when Buffy began.
I've always been a fan on the horror and fantasy genres, especially vampires. As a kid my favorite show was Dark Shadows. Nevertheless I wasn't planning to try Buffy - to me it just sounded silly. Somebody told my partner that the premiere had been good so we watched the next episode, The Witch. I thought it was cute but didn't get hooked on the show until the first season closer, Prophecy Girl. Season 2 really began my obsession with the show and I have never missed an episode since that time. I'll always maintain that Buffy is one of the best things ever to appear on tv.
Casey, Kerry
I am a senior in high school, born and raised in the suburbs of Washington, DC.
I was introduced to Buffy by my parents during 7th grade. Dad had watched it from the beginning, and eventually my Mom joined him. One day she got me to sit down and watch a tape of it with her - it was "I Only Have Eyes for You" - and I've been hooked ever since. The show captures perfectly the feelings of growing up, and puts it in a context that makes all the drama seems less ridiculous than it often does in real life. Just as many fans look askance at what has become of Buffy and her friends in the past few years, I look at myself and all the kids I've grown up with and wonder how we've changed so much. But I'm glad I got to grow up with Buffy.
I am a senior in high school, born and raised in the suburbs of Washington, DC.
I was introduced to Buffy by my parents during 7th grade. Dad had watched it from the beginning, and eventually my Mom joined him. One day she got me to sit down and watch a tape of it with her - it was "I Only Have Eyes for You" - and I've been hooked ever since. The show captures perfectly the feelings of growing up, and puts it in a context that makes all the drama seems less ridiculous than it often does in real life. Just as many fans look askance at what has become of Buffy and her friends in the past few years, I look at myself and all the kids I've grown up with and wonder how we've changed so much. But I'm glad I got to grow up with Buffy.
Castaldo, Annalisa
Although I had actually enjoyed the movie, I did not start watching Buffy from the beginning. I never pay attention to new shows; waiting for friends or the media to grab my attention and get me involved in a show. In this case, a good friend of mine began insisting that I would love Buffy and I finally sat down to watch an episode, which turned out to be "Beauty and the Beasts." Immediately, I fell in love. I was fascinated by the sharp and witty dialogue, and the fact that a show aimed at teens would both reference "Call of the Wild" and take the time to discuss the nature of the soul. Most of all, I thought the characters were fantastic; they were more realistic (even while fighting monsters) than any other teenagers I'd seen on TV. I immediately rented the few Buffy videos that were out and started reading up on the show, while Tuesday nights became untouchable. By now, I've incorporated Buffy into my teaching and written about the show.
Although I had actually enjoyed the movie, I did not start watching Buffy from the beginning. I never pay attention to new shows; waiting for friends or the media to grab my attention and get me involved in a show. In this case, a good friend of mine began insisting that I would love Buffy and I finally sat down to watch an episode, which turned out to be "Beauty and the Beasts." Immediately, I fell in love. I was fascinated by the sharp and witty dialogue, and the fact that a show aimed at teens would both reference "Call of the Wild" and take the time to discuss the nature of the soul. Most of all, I thought the characters were fantastic; they were more realistic (even while fighting monsters) than any other teenagers I'd seen on TV. I immediately rented the few Buffy videos that were out and started reading up on the show, while Tuesday nights became untouchable. By now, I've incorporated Buffy into my teaching and written about the show.
Castlewitz, Rachel
Hi there! I am a student at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois. Around February of 1997, I started to see advertisements for Buffy on the WB. I was only 8-years-old at the time and it looked horrible. But as an avid watcher of the WB, I would continue to see these ads until the show finally aired. On March 10th, 1997, the show just happened to be on and I was unbelievably bored that night. My first show was in fact the series premiere, "Welcome to the Hellmouth." I have followed the series watching every episode since. Around when the 6th season began, I introduced all of my friends to Buffy and they instantly loved it. That's when the Buffy parties started. Starting with "Entropy", we had Buffy parties every single Tuesday after school. Our last Buffy party was this past May. We will pick up with parties in October when Angel begins its 5th season. I have come from being an 8-year-old incessantly watching this show to making Buffy part of my friends and my own life. Now as Buffy said in Graduation Day part 2, "If someone could just wake me when it's time to go to college, that'd be great."
Hi there! I am a student at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois. Around February of 1997, I started to see advertisements for Buffy on the WB. I was only 8-years-old at the time and it looked horrible. But as an avid watcher of the WB, I would continue to see these ads until the show finally aired. On March 10th, 1997, the show just happened to be on and I was unbelievably bored that night. My first show was in fact the series premiere, "Welcome to the Hellmouth." I have followed the series watching every episode since. Around when the 6th season began, I introduced all of my friends to Buffy and they instantly loved it. That's when the Buffy parties started. Starting with "Entropy", we had Buffy parties every single Tuesday after school. Our last Buffy party was this past May. We will pick up with parties in October when Angel begins its 5th season. I have come from being an 8-year-old incessantly watching this show to making Buffy part of my friends and my own life. Now as Buffy said in Graduation Day part 2, "If someone could just wake me when it's time to go to college, that'd be great."
Chan, Janice
I am a 51 year old female who has always favoured the science fiction/ fantasy genre, whether it be in the form of books, television or films. I had seen the original Buffy film and was less than impressed despite Donald Sutherland and Luke Perry. Around the same time I was watching "Forever Knight", a Canadian television show about a vampire cop with, not a soul, but a conscience, and Buffy didn’t compare favourably. A few years later when Buffy the television series premiered, I thought I would give it a go, as I do most science fiction/fantasy programmes. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't resemble the film much beyond the premise - it was much better written and acted - but I also had a computer class the same night most weeks so my viewing wasn't consistent. Then the season 2 episode "School Hard" aired and that was it. I became a loyal fan and viewer, taping the shows when I couldn't be home to watch them. The characters of Spike and Drucilla really appealed to me. I continued watching even into season 3 when my favourite characters disappeared - I was an addicted to anything Joss Whedon by then, also watching "Angel" when that show appeared, as well as the late, lamented "Firefly".
I am a 51 year old female who has always favoured the science fiction/ fantasy genre, whether it be in the form of books, television or films. I had seen the original Buffy film and was less than impressed despite Donald Sutherland and Luke Perry. Around the same time I was watching "Forever Knight", a Canadian television show about a vampire cop with, not a soul, but a conscience, and Buffy didn’t compare favourably. A few years later when Buffy the television series premiered, I thought I would give it a go, as I do most science fiction/fantasy programmes. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't resemble the film much beyond the premise - it was much better written and acted - but I also had a computer class the same night most weeks so my viewing wasn't consistent. Then the season 2 episode "School Hard" aired and that was it. I became a loyal fan and viewer, taping the shows when I couldn't be home to watch them. The characters of Spike and Drucilla really appealed to me. I continued watching even into season 3 when my favourite characters disappeared - I was an addicted to anything Joss Whedon by then, also watching "Angel" when that show appeared, as well as the late, lamented "Firefly".
Chapman, Kae
I am a secretary in "claims quality assurance" (read: internal affairs) at a huge insurance company.
I had seen ads for Charmed, and tuned in early to have a look. I caught the last half of the Angel episode in which Doyle dies. Hooked, I have watched ever since. Knowing about my Angel habit, a friend was astounded that I had never seen Buffy. She kept after me until I finally relented, and picked it up in the middle of the Glory/Key arc. Thank goodness for that friend, and for two daily episodes on FX!! I caught up in time for the beginning of season 5. For the past three years, friends and family have known not to dream of calling or visiting on Tuesday evenings. Next week will be deeply weird . . .
I am a secretary in "claims quality assurance" (read: internal affairs) at a huge insurance company.
I had seen ads for Charmed, and tuned in early to have a look. I caught the last half of the Angel episode in which Doyle dies. Hooked, I have watched ever since. Knowing about my Angel habit, a friend was astounded that I had never seen Buffy. She kept after me until I finally relented, and picked it up in the middle of the Glory/Key arc. Thank goodness for that friend, and for two daily episodes on FX!! I caught up in time for the beginning of season 5. For the past three years, friends and family have known not to dream of calling or visiting on Tuesday evenings. Next week will be deeply weird . . .
Chapman, Susan
I am an English teacher at a comprehensive school in Mid Wales. I had always been interested in fantasy but never in horror. However, in my previous job, many of the students were interested in vampire narratives. Therefore I had to read them too and discovered what I had been missing. Later I did an MA in Cultural Studies and investigated interpretations of vampire mythology in popular culture, especially the Vampyre Society and the Dracula Experience in Whitby. By now I had discovered that vampires were a rich resource for the imagination.
I had heard about the movie but I did not actually get to see it until much later, and very disappointing it was. I did, however, make an effort to watch the TV series when it appeared on BBC. From the opening when moment Darla killed her victim, I knew that this was something special. Since then I have missed episodes only in the direst circumstances - like being out of the country.
So I have to thank my former students at St Joseph's College in Bradford, for example, Fiona Celli, for introducing me, however indirectly, to Buffy. Thanks girls!
Coen, Deborah
I owe my discovery of BtVS to my favorite author, the incomparable Terry Pratchett. Members of an internet news group that I used to frequent, Alt Fan Pratchett, would occasionally refer to Buffy with obvious interest and admiration. The show was never discussed in any depth, at least not that I saw, because the group is mostly British and they didn't want to be spoiled by the *Merkins* more up to date knowledge of the show. But it was clear that Buffy was held in high esteem by the group, and while I was skeptical I was also somewhat curious because I actually respected those people. So eventually I started checking it out, when I remembered to watch it, that is.
Up until then like so many others I had held the show in disdain because of its silly title and because of its focus on cute and perky high school students who I assumed I wouldn't be able to relate to (I am in my forties). Surely It was just some silly, stupid, inane show that wouldn't interest me in the least.
It wasn't love at first sight. It was more like mild, cautious interest at first sight. I can't even recall the first episode I ever saw although it must have been sometime during the first half of S5. But my current obsession was a long time growing. It was a while before I remembered with any reliability when it was even on. I think I had to follow the show for a while and get to know the characters and the dynamics between them before I started to get seriously drawn in.
The timing of "Intervention" and my love of this episode suggest that it may have been a turning point in my interest but I can't say with any certainty what episode, if any, finally did it for me; marked a boundary between a reasonable liking for the show and an all consuming passion. By the end of S5 I considered myself an enthusiastic fan but it wasn't until I saw the Musical that I realized just how brilliant this show was. It was the Musical that finally inspired me to seek out more information about the show on the Internet. And it was the overwhelming and mind boggeling volume and variety of sites I discovered and the opportunity to read reviews, analyses, and join in online discussions that really put me over the top and quite frankly, changed my life.
I owe my discovery of BtVS to my favorite author, the incomparable Terry Pratchett. Members of an internet news group that I used to frequent, Alt Fan Pratchett, would occasionally refer to Buffy with obvious interest and admiration. The show was never discussed in any depth, at least not that I saw, because the group is mostly British and they didn't want to be spoiled by the *Merkins* more up to date knowledge of the show. But it was clear that Buffy was held in high esteem by the group, and while I was skeptical I was also somewhat curious because I actually respected those people. So eventually I started checking it out, when I remembered to watch it, that is.
Up until then like so many others I had held the show in disdain because of its silly title and because of its focus on cute and perky high school students who I assumed I wouldn't be able to relate to (I am in my forties). Surely It was just some silly, stupid, inane show that wouldn't interest me in the least.
It wasn't love at first sight. It was more like mild, cautious interest at first sight. I can't even recall the first episode I ever saw although it must have been sometime during the first half of S5. But my current obsession was a long time growing. It was a while before I remembered with any reliability when it was even on. I think I had to follow the show for a while and get to know the characters and the dynamics between them before I started to get seriously drawn in.
The timing of "Intervention" and my love of this episode suggest that it may have been a turning point in my interest but I can't say with any certainty what episode, if any, finally did it for me; marked a boundary between a reasonable liking for the show and an all consuming passion. By the end of S5 I considered myself an enthusiastic fan but it wasn't until I saw the Musical that I realized just how brilliant this show was. It was the Musical that finally inspired me to seek out more information about the show on the Internet. And it was the overwhelming and mind boggeling volume and variety of sites I discovered and the opportunity to read reviews, analyses, and join in online discussions that really put me over the top and quite frankly, changed my life.
Cogswell, Kathleen
I was hooked on the first episode, I do not have a real story, but Buffy represents strength, power, beauty with an innate sense of humor to me.... Wouldn't it be cool to slay evil?
I was hooked on the first episode, I do not have a real story, but Buffy represents strength, power, beauty with an innate sense of humor to me.... Wouldn't it be cool to slay evil?
Collinson, David F.
I am a theoretical nuclear physicist who was working on a university-based archive of science software when my mother had a serious head injury. After almost a year in hospital, she was well enough to come and live with my family, and I left full-time work to become her carer. Time was often heavy on my hands, so I rekindled my childhood interest in fantasy and science fiction in all media: books, films and TV. Genre television seemed pretty pathetic until I came across Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the Spring of 2000, Season 4 was being shown on Sky, and shortly after I watched Season 3 on the BBC. It was amazingly nerd friendly : clearly written and acted by nerds, but willing to take on the issues of deep emotion nerds usually avoid. Sarah Michelle Gellar absolutely nailed the clueless little heart-breaker who happened to be able to kill monsters. The only problem was her Government Issue boyfriend Riley, but when I saw "Something Blue" I was sure he was just a placeholder for the wry, dry, bleached vampire Spike. I still think Gellar/Marsters are the hottest couple on screen since Christie/Sharif, and I hope to see them together again soon, on the small screen or the big one. Buffy has certainly changed my life in one way: seeing SMG juggling in "Hell's Bells" inspired me to pick up my balls again, and I can now keep them up in the air longer than I could twenty years ago!
I am a theoretical nuclear physicist who was working on a university-based archive of science software when my mother had a serious head injury. After almost a year in hospital, she was well enough to come and live with my family, and I left full-time work to become her carer. Time was often heavy on my hands, so I rekindled my childhood interest in fantasy and science fiction in all media: books, films and TV. Genre television seemed pretty pathetic until I came across Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the Spring of 2000, Season 4 was being shown on Sky, and shortly after I watched Season 3 on the BBC. It was amazingly nerd friendly : clearly written and acted by nerds, but willing to take on the issues of deep emotion nerds usually avoid. Sarah Michelle Gellar absolutely nailed the clueless little heart-breaker who happened to be able to kill monsters. The only problem was her Government Issue boyfriend Riley, but when I saw "Something Blue" I was sure he was just a placeholder for the wry, dry, bleached vampire Spike. I still think Gellar/Marsters are the hottest couple on screen since Christie/Sharif, and I hope to see them together again soon, on the small screen or the big one. Buffy has certainly changed my life in one way: seeing SMG juggling in "Hell's Bells" inspired me to pick up my balls again, and I can now keep them up in the air longer than I could twenty years ago!
Cook, Cynthia A.
After 20 years as a Gestalt therapist in private practice in New York City, I am currently coordinator of a training center for therapists and organizational consultants in Wellfleet, MA. I have presented at Gestalt conferences around the country on women's issues and body-based therapy. I have long-standing commitments to feminism and women's spirituality, and have taught "Self-Blessing: The Daughter's Journey" and "The Goddess: Her Relevance and Significance for Modern Women."
The first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer I ever watched was "Killed by Death," in Season Two. I was immediately intrigued by the combination of imagery from fairy tales, contemporary horror movies and ancient mythology, all focused on a female subject. Working evenings made it hard to watch the show regularly, but by midway in Season Three I was taping it. In BTVS I found a breathtaking synthesis of ancient and modern themes of female identity and power that engaged me in a deeply personal way. From the maiden's descent to the underworld to girls' loss of voice in adolescence, BTVS tapped into and transformed these narratives (and us watching, as well) in a powerful and moving creative act. Buffy has even become a character in my dreams!
After 20 years as a Gestalt therapist in private practice in New York City, I am currently coordinator of a training center for therapists and organizational consultants in Wellfleet, MA. I have presented at Gestalt conferences around the country on women's issues and body-based therapy. I have long-standing commitments to feminism and women's spirituality, and have taught "Self-Blessing: The Daughter's Journey" and "The Goddess: Her Relevance and Significance for Modern Women."
The first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer I ever watched was "Killed by Death," in Season Two. I was immediately intrigued by the combination of imagery from fairy tales, contemporary horror movies and ancient mythology, all focused on a female subject. Working evenings made it hard to watch the show regularly, but by midway in Season Three I was taping it. In BTVS I found a breathtaking synthesis of ancient and modern themes of female identity and power that engaged me in a deeply personal way. From the maiden's descent to the underworld to girls' loss of voice in adolescence, BTVS tapped into and transformed these narratives (and us watching, as well) in a powerful and moving creative act. Buffy has even become a character in my dreams!
Cook, Hans F.
I'm a 33-year old librarian living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As a long time sci-fi fan, as well as a fan of a lot of cult TV (The Prisoner, Twin Peaks, etc.) it took me a long time to accept Buffy as a serious show. I've been dismayed over the last decade about just how much juvenile and/or cheap sci-fi series have been out there. For the longest time I dismissed Buffy as being in the same category as Xena, Dark Angel, and 99% of what passes for genre entertainment on TV these days.
Over the years I heard many people talk about how clever this show was, telling me I should give it a chance. From season 3 to 6 I probably caught one or two episodes a year, and while I generally admired what I saw I didn't get hooked. My thinking was, "I watch enough TV as it is, and while this show may be clever it's been too long since I had any teen angst of my own to identify with the show".
Needless to say, I finally did get hooked. I think it was when I caught the season six finale last year and was impressed with the complexity of the storyline. I knew I wanted to know more about those characters and how they got to that point in their lives. Since then I've caught up with the reruns on the Space channel and of course watched Season Seven. I've now seen most episodes in season 3 to 7 and am slowly catching up on the earlier ones. I am looking forward to seeing season five of Angel (and watching all the back episodes of that show once I'm caught up with Buffy).
I may even buy the Firefly DVD when that shows up...
I'm a 33-year old librarian living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As a long time sci-fi fan, as well as a fan of a lot of cult TV (The Prisoner, Twin Peaks, etc.) it took me a long time to accept Buffy as a serious show. I've been dismayed over the last decade about just how much juvenile and/or cheap sci-fi series have been out there. For the longest time I dismissed Buffy as being in the same category as Xena, Dark Angel, and 99% of what passes for genre entertainment on TV these days.
Over the years I heard many people talk about how clever this show was, telling me I should give it a chance. From season 3 to 6 I probably caught one or two episodes a year, and while I generally admired what I saw I didn't get hooked. My thinking was, "I watch enough TV as it is, and while this show may be clever it's been too long since I had any teen angst of my own to identify with the show".
Needless to say, I finally did get hooked. I think it was when I caught the season six finale last year and was impressed with the complexity of the storyline. I knew I wanted to know more about those characters and how they got to that point in their lives. Since then I've caught up with the reruns on the Space channel and of course watched Season Seven. I've now seen most episodes in season 3 to 7 and am slowly catching up on the earlier ones. I am looking forward to seeing season five of Angel (and watching all the back episodes of that show once I'm caught up with Buffy).
I may even buy the Firefly DVD when that shows up...
Coppin, Lyndon
I am a 32 year old Australian male. I am a senior lawyer at a large Australian law firm currently working in Hong Kong. I have a Bachelor of Law with honors, a degree in English Literature and a minor post grad qualification. I have been a fan of Buffy since the early days of season one and have watched it with a passion ever since. I own Season 1 to 6 on DVD (and regularly re-watch them) and am eagerly awaiting the release of Season 7. I was one of a small group of hard core fans in my Australian office (the balance of the group were largely female including a wonderful Irish lawyer). An enormous disappointment is that Hong Kong is currently only airing Season 6 so I have been forced to down load as much of Season 7 as possible of the net and am in the process of watching it now. Over the years I have convinced my [now] wife that Buffy is worth the effort and she is now a dedicated fan - as a sign of my true nerdy fan-boy status I actually bought the "Sunnydale High School" T-shirt on line. The end of Series 7 - its not the end of a TV show, it's more like the death of a member of the family.
I am a 32 year old Australian male. I am a senior lawyer at a large Australian law firm currently working in Hong Kong. I have a Bachelor of Law with honors, a degree in English Literature and a minor post grad qualification. I have been a fan of Buffy since the early days of season one and have watched it with a passion ever since. I own Season 1 to 6 on DVD (and regularly re-watch them) and am eagerly awaiting the release of Season 7. I was one of a small group of hard core fans in my Australian office (the balance of the group were largely female including a wonderful Irish lawyer). An enormous disappointment is that Hong Kong is currently only airing Season 6 so I have been forced to down load as much of Season 7 as possible of the net and am in the process of watching it now. Over the years I have convinced my [now] wife that Buffy is worth the effort and she is now a dedicated fan - as a sign of my true nerdy fan-boy status I actually bought the "Sunnydale High School" T-shirt on line. The end of Series 7 - its not the end of a TV show, it's more like the death of a member of the family.
Cornelius, Michael G.
I made my discovery of Buffy in the same and eternal way I have made so many other important discoveries in my life - I was bored.
In the summer of 1998 I had just completed my MA in English and had moved to Kingston, Rhode Island, to begin my PhD program. Not knowing anyone, and not having the mental energy to do anything productive, my summer loomed long and dull, until, one Tuesday evening, still unpacking boxes and too poor to afford cable, I turned my television to some re-runs on a very fuzzy WB station.
I was familiar with the original movie and a fan of Anne Rice, but like many people over the age of twenty-one, I scorned the WB as the station of teen angst and sanitized family soaps. It took about thirty seconds of Buffy to convince me otherwise. The show was witty, stylish, well-acted and well-thought out, and I was hooked. But even more than production values, I found myself attracted to the show's overwhelming use of metaphor. Here I was, truly on my own for the first time, living alone in a strange part of the country, fighting my own set of demons - in my case, the phone company and the registrar's office. I felt powerless, and Buffy was inspiring, Buffy was empowering. Buffy helped me become my own version of a grad school slayer.
Now, as I wistfully watch the last episode, I reflect on how Buffy and I have grown and changed. I did slay grad school, and even made it on the job market. Now I'm an assistant professor of English at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, but I've hardly outgrown my all-time favorite television show. On the contrary, I use Buffy in class quite often. Teaching at a women's college, I have found that Buffy is the perfect character to connect with my young female charges. I learned that lesson during my teaching demonstration during my on-campus job interview.
The topic? "Women and Power in Medieval Literature: Or, Why There Were No Slayers in the Middle Ages." I'm just relieved we have slayers in this day and age.
I made my discovery of Buffy in the same and eternal way I have made so many other important discoveries in my life - I was bored.
In the summer of 1998 I had just completed my MA in English and had moved to Kingston, Rhode Island, to begin my PhD program. Not knowing anyone, and not having the mental energy to do anything productive, my summer loomed long and dull, until, one Tuesday evening, still unpacking boxes and too poor to afford cable, I turned my television to some re-runs on a very fuzzy WB station.
I was familiar with the original movie and a fan of Anne Rice, but like many people over the age of twenty-one, I scorned the WB as the station of teen angst and sanitized family soaps. It took about thirty seconds of Buffy to convince me otherwise. The show was witty, stylish, well-acted and well-thought out, and I was hooked. But even more than production values, I found myself attracted to the show's overwhelming use of metaphor. Here I was, truly on my own for the first time, living alone in a strange part of the country, fighting my own set of demons - in my case, the phone company and the registrar's office. I felt powerless, and Buffy was inspiring, Buffy was empowering. Buffy helped me become my own version of a grad school slayer.
Now, as I wistfully watch the last episode, I reflect on how Buffy and I have grown and changed. I did slay grad school, and even made it on the job market. Now I'm an assistant professor of English at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, but I've hardly outgrown my all-time favorite television show. On the contrary, I use Buffy in class quite often. Teaching at a women's college, I have found that Buffy is the perfect character to connect with my young female charges. I learned that lesson during my teaching demonstration during my on-campus job interview.
The topic? "Women and Power in Medieval Literature: Or, Why There Were No Slayers in the Middle Ages." I'm just relieved we have slayers in this day and age.
Cowherd, Len
I am an Industrial Trainer at a Technicolor site in Virginia. I first learned of Buffy from a fellow teacher at Computer Learning Center in Manassas back in 1997.
I am an Industrial Trainer at a Technicolor site in Virginia. I first learned of Buffy from a fellow teacher at Computer Learning Center in Manassas back in 1997.
Craig, Marilee
Marilee Craig of Redford, Michigan. I am attorney and started watching Buffy from the first episode. I got hooked because it was well written and although it dealt with some rather extraordinary subjects, it did so in a straightforward manner. The type of problem or issue was irrelevant, it was discussed and handled and any consequences that resulted from the problem were made plain. The writers never took the easy way out and let a character off the hook when their actions caused the problem. They made sure the character faced the issue, problem or threat and then corrected it or made amends to the people affected by it.
Honesty, justice, teamwork, hand work and trust were all a big part of the Scooby Gang. They proved time and time again that knowledge and friendship are not just words, but are the foundation for survival; be it high school or life in general. Although not everyone survived the final conflict, their actions showed that some things are worth dying for. I think Anya's death was the most telling, since her first reaction to the Mayors transformation was to run and hide. She could have done the same thing this time, but chose to take a stand and fight despite the impossible odds.
Marilee Craig of Redford, Michigan. I am attorney and started watching Buffy from the first episode. I got hooked because it was well written and although it dealt with some rather extraordinary subjects, it did so in a straightforward manner. The type of problem or issue was irrelevant, it was discussed and handled and any consequences that resulted from the problem were made plain. The writers never took the easy way out and let a character off the hook when their actions caused the problem. They made sure the character faced the issue, problem or threat and then corrected it or made amends to the people affected by it.
Honesty, justice, teamwork, hand work and trust were all a big part of the Scooby Gang. They proved time and time again that knowledge and friendship are not just words, but are the foundation for survival; be it high school or life in general. Although not everyone survived the final conflict, their actions showed that some things are worth dying for. I think Anya's death was the most telling, since her first reaction to the Mayors transformation was to run and hide. She could have done the same thing this time, but chose to take a stand and fight despite the impossible odds.
Cramer, Beth
Hi, my name is Bethany Cramer and I'm an 18 year old college student/librarian's assistant.
I've watched Buffy since the day it premiered for a variety of reasons. My mom had been reading in the TV guide when we saw the little description about the show before it premiered. The movie, although pretty bad, is enjoyable and we had always liked watching it. Plus, my family has always loved the horror genre and in particular vampires. The premise was appealing, and we knew this show was for us. On the day it premiered I was one of the people watching, and we still have that first night on tape.
Hi, my name is Bethany Cramer and I'm an 18 year old college student/librarian's assistant.
I've watched Buffy since the day it premiered for a variety of reasons. My mom had been reading in the TV guide when we saw the little description about the show before it premiered. The movie, although pretty bad, is enjoyable and we had always liked watching it. Plus, my family has always loved the horror genre and in particular vampires. The premise was appealing, and we knew this show was for us. On the day it premiered I was one of the people watching, and we still have that first night on tape.
Crenshaw, David W.
My name's Dave and I'm a professional photojournalist.
I started seriously watching Angel during season 2, when the Fang Gang went to Pylea (something about the ad that showed Angel completely surprised he wasn't on fire in the Pylean sunshine really caught my attention, "Does anyone else see how not on fire I am!?"). I had caught a couple of episodes prior to that, but it was the Pylean mini-arc that hooked me but good. I never watched BtVS because I was one of the six people in America that actually liked the movie with Kristy Swanson, and generally never liked the treatment my favorite movies got when turned into television series(es). Little did I know that Joss Whedon was behind it and so it was in good hands. Anyhow, a friend convinced me to watch, starting in early S6, telling me that as much as I'd come to like Angel I was sure to enjoy Buffy, because all the elements that I loved about Angel were present in both shows. Anyhow, I started watching, and admittedly it took a couple of episodes (all that intricate back-story to comprehend), but by the time Once More With Feeling rolled around, I was tuning into FX for the back episodes and buying all the reference materials I could get my hands on (The Watchers Guides, The Monster Book, etc.) to fill in the holes, and then when the DVDs came out in the U.S., I was in heaven.
My name's Dave and I'm a professional photojournalist.
I started seriously watching Angel during season 2, when the Fang Gang went to Pylea (something about the ad that showed Angel completely surprised he wasn't on fire in the Pylean sunshine really caught my attention, "Does anyone else see how not on fire I am!?"). I had caught a couple of episodes prior to that, but it was the Pylean mini-arc that hooked me but good. I never watched BtVS because I was one of the six people in America that actually liked the movie with Kristy Swanson, and generally never liked the treatment my favorite movies got when turned into television series(es). Little did I know that Joss Whedon was behind it and so it was in good hands. Anyhow, a friend convinced me to watch, starting in early S6, telling me that as much as I'd come to like Angel I was sure to enjoy Buffy, because all the elements that I loved about Angel were present in both shows. Anyhow, I started watching, and admittedly it took a couple of episodes (all that intricate back-story to comprehend), but by the time Once More With Feeling rolled around, I was tuning into FX for the back episodes and buying all the reference materials I could get my hands on (The Watchers Guides, The Monster Book, etc.) to fill in the holes, and then when the DVDs came out in the U.S., I was in heaven.
Cunningham, Emma
I am a sophomore at the University of Southern California. One fateful Tuesday night in 1997, I tuned in to the WB and caught the pilot for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was immediately hooked. After a couple of seasons, I stopped watching. I missed about two seasons in the process. I was brought back to Buffy mid-season 5 by my boyfriend at the time. He had been going on and on about how great Buffy was, and I started watching again—part nostalgically, part curiously, part reluctantly.
Then I stopped watching again, mid-season 6. My boyfriend and I had broken up so I had no one to share Buffy with. And season 6 didn't interest me much after “Tabula Rusa.”
Then I met Peter, classmate, co-worker, and now my roommate and best friend. I noticed one day that his away message on Instant Messenger contained song lyrics from “Once More with Feeling.” I mentioned it to him, and he was thrilled to have found another Buffyphile. Peter re-ignited my fascination for the show, and in the course of a day, I proceeded to watch the rest of season 6 and the first half of 7 that I had missed (thanks to USC’s broadband internet services and file-sharing programs). Since then, my interest in Buffy has never been greater, never been more obsessive.
I am a sophomore at the University of Southern California. One fateful Tuesday night in 1997, I tuned in to the WB and caught the pilot for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was immediately hooked. After a couple of seasons, I stopped watching. I missed about two seasons in the process. I was brought back to Buffy mid-season 5 by my boyfriend at the time. He had been going on and on about how great Buffy was, and I started watching again—part nostalgically, part curiously, part reluctantly.
Then I stopped watching again, mid-season 6. My boyfriend and I had broken up so I had no one to share Buffy with. And season 6 didn't interest me much after “Tabula Rusa.”
Then I met Peter, classmate, co-worker, and now my roommate and best friend. I noticed one day that his away message on Instant Messenger contained song lyrics from “Once More with Feeling.” I mentioned it to him, and he was thrilled to have found another Buffyphile. Peter re-ignited my fascination for the show, and in the course of a day, I proceeded to watch the rest of season 6 and the first half of 7 that I had missed (thanks to USC’s broadband internet services and file-sharing programs). Since then, my interest in Buffy has never been greater, never been more obsessive.
Da Ros, Giada
I’m 33, I’m Italian and I’m a law student. I have been writing, as a critic, a column about television on a weekly paper for nearly 12 years and my passion is American TV serial fiction, both daytime and night-time. I try to watch at least one episode of most, if not every, series, preferably the pilot, as I did with "Buffy". I liked it, and I thought it was very well done, but I decided not to watch it because I thought it was targeted to a younger audience than I was and it was more action-oriented than I generally like. Also everything I watch, I watch it with my sister, and at the time she was pulling against it. Soon though, every critic was raving about "Buffy". We realized we hadn’t understood the show and the key to read it. My sister and I negotiated: we would give the show a chance of 10 episodes to win us over. If it didn’t convince us, we would never have to watch it again. We selected the ones that were considered the best of the third season, (the one that was about to begin on AFN TV) according to Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide, and we read the critiques and discussed the show after every viewing. We started to crave it and to discover incredibly rich layers. We were never to miss an episode again.
I’m 33, I’m Italian and I’m a law student. I have been writing, as a critic, a column about television on a weekly paper for nearly 12 years and my passion is American TV serial fiction, both daytime and night-time. I try to watch at least one episode of most, if not every, series, preferably the pilot, as I did with "Buffy". I liked it, and I thought it was very well done, but I decided not to watch it because I thought it was targeted to a younger audience than I was and it was more action-oriented than I generally like. Also everything I watch, I watch it with my sister, and at the time she was pulling against it. Soon though, every critic was raving about "Buffy". We realized we hadn’t understood the show and the key to read it. My sister and I negotiated: we would give the show a chance of 10 episodes to win us over. If it didn’t convince us, we would never have to watch it again. We selected the ones that were considered the best of the third season, (the one that was about to begin on AFN TV) according to Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide, and we read the critiques and discussed the show after every viewing. We started to crave it and to discover incredibly rich layers. We were never to miss an episode again.
Dain, Abby
I work at a philanthropic foundation, have a degree in library science, and have watched Buffy since the first show. I'd never seen the movie and had no preconception of what the show might be like. Early reviews said it would be one of the best shows of the year so I gave it a try. I've never missed an episode and over the years lots of my friends and family have come to love Buffy as well.
I work at a philanthropic foundation, have a degree in library science, and have watched Buffy since the first show. I'd never seen the movie and had no preconception of what the show might be like. Early reviews said it would be one of the best shows of the year so I gave it a try. I've never missed an episode and over the years lots of my friends and family have come to love Buffy as well.
Dargie, Michael D.
I am the Visual Communications Manager for a multinational customer research provider, specializing in the measurement of in-brand customer interactions.
Although I can't remember the date my wife and I started watching Buffy I can remember that I was not at all enthralled by the idea. I had seen the movie in the theatres and felt that the best part was Paul Reubens death scene - the rest was passable entertainment, but certainly not worth any further investment of my time. A friend of ours had taped every episode of seasons one and two, in order, and continued to try and foist this tripe upon my wife and I. I resisted; my wife caved in and brought home the tapes. Still I resisted. She had watched all of season one in a few weeks and was having the most interesting conversations with our mutual friend about "Buffy this," and "Buffy that". I finally caved after one month of this. I have never written anything about Buffy before this ... nor do I frequent fan sites. My wife and I did, however, purchase every book about Buffy and continue to convert those who sneer at our choice of entertainment. As a final note, about two years ago I gave up TV... to this day Buffy is the only TV show I watch(ed).
I am the Visual Communications Manager for a multinational customer research provider, specializing in the measurement of in-brand customer interactions.
Although I can't remember the date my wife and I started watching Buffy I can remember that I was not at all enthralled by the idea. I had seen the movie in the theatres and felt that the best part was Paul Reubens death scene - the rest was passable entertainment, but certainly not worth any further investment of my time. A friend of ours had taped every episode of seasons one and two, in order, and continued to try and foist this tripe upon my wife and I. I resisted; my wife caved in and brought home the tapes. Still I resisted. She had watched all of season one in a few weeks and was having the most interesting conversations with our mutual friend about "Buffy this," and "Buffy that". I finally caved after one month of this. I have never written anything about Buffy before this ... nor do I frequent fan sites. My wife and I did, however, purchase every book about Buffy and continue to convert those who sneer at our choice of entertainment. As a final note, about two years ago I gave up TV... to this day Buffy is the only TV show I watch(ed).
Davis, Deborah
I am an intellectual property attorney in my mid-thirties and the mother of an 8-month old girl. I have always loved strong female role models; for example, I had a strong and positive response to Linda Hamilton's character in Terminator 2. Back in 1997 and 1998, my husband and I had to live apart for a while -- he was finishing his doctorate and I was working in another city. He had started watching Buffy and told me over the phone that it was a good show, that I should watch it. I remember attempting to watch it a couple of times. I saw the episodes "Ted" and "Band Candy," but without any context, the show didn't really do anything for me. Then some time later, Entertainment Weekly did a viewer's guide with an overview of the whole series, and I got interested. I started watching regularly at the beginning of Season Four, and was sucked in, way in, from that point on. I knew there was a lot of backstory missing for me, and it was to my great delight that FX started running the previous 3 seasons in syndication.
I am a regular viewer of Angel as well.
I am an intellectual property attorney in my mid-thirties and the mother of an 8-month old girl. I have always loved strong female role models; for example, I had a strong and positive response to Linda Hamilton's character in Terminator 2. Back in 1997 and 1998, my husband and I had to live apart for a while -- he was finishing his doctorate and I was working in another city. He had started watching Buffy and told me over the phone that it was a good show, that I should watch it. I remember attempting to watch it a couple of times. I saw the episodes "Ted" and "Band Candy," but without any context, the show didn't really do anything for me. Then some time later, Entertainment Weekly did a viewer's guide with an overview of the whole series, and I got interested. I started watching regularly at the beginning of Season Four, and was sucked in, way in, from that point on. I knew there was a lot of backstory missing for me, and it was to my great delight that FX started running the previous 3 seasons in syndication.
I am a regular viewer of Angel as well.
Davis, Lena
I'm 38 yrs old, I work at a university and study interior design.
I was recently separated from my husband in the fall of 2000, and had plenty of time on my hands. Also, my father died that fall. My friends had mentioned Buffy in the past, but I hadn't watched it. I didn't like TV and only watched one show religiously, Babylon 5, for its magnificent story. Now, with all this time on my hands, I decided to watch the rebroadcast episodes on FX, starting with the very first episode. I immediately connected with Giles, the father figure of the group. And I fell in love with the characters, and the story, and the hipness and reality of the entire endeavor.
I'm 38 yrs old, I work at a university and study interior design.
I was recently separated from my husband in the fall of 2000, and had plenty of time on my hands. Also, my father died that fall. My friends had mentioned Buffy in the past, but I hadn't watched it. I didn't like TV and only watched one show religiously, Babylon 5, for its magnificent story. Now, with all this time on my hands, I decided to watch the rebroadcast episodes on FX, starting with the very first episode. I immediately connected with Giles, the father figure of the group. And I fell in love with the characters, and the story, and the hipness and reality of the entire endeavor.
DeCandido, GraceAnn
It started with Giles.
Two members of my household were hooked from the very first show; I feared the whole monster/vampire business, so I demurred. However, at the beginning of the second season, when they assured me that it had a really yummy librarian, well, I had to try it.
I loved it, right away. Giles was stuffy, funny, smart, and wicked. He clearly loved the young people he worked with. He was the adult voice of reason, affection, and support, always.
I was a librarian for ten years, and a library journalist for twelve after that. Now I am a writer, editor and consultant for libraries. I wrote a cover article for American Libraries about Giles, one of the most pleasurable pieces of professional writing I have ever done.
It started with Giles.
Two members of my household were hooked from the very first show; I feared the whole monster/vampire business, so I demurred. However, at the beginning of the second season, when they assured me that it had a really yummy librarian, well, I had to try it.
I loved it, right away. Giles was stuffy, funny, smart, and wicked. He clearly loved the young people he worked with. He was the adult voice of reason, affection, and support, always.
I was a librarian for ten years, and a library journalist for twelve after that. Now I am a writer, editor and consultant for libraries. I wrote a cover article for American Libraries about Giles, one of the most pleasurable pieces of professional writing I have ever done.
Dinsmore, Kendra
am a 31 year old MWF Naval officer--Midwestern by birth, Texan by choice, and currently stationed in the Middle East. When I first heard about the movie, I was immediately intrigued by the unusual juxtaposition implicit in the title. I actually ended up liking the movie (I was apparently the only person in the entire theater who got the "Oh yeah? Clap!" joke) and was curious about the TV show when it was announced. My curiousity was further fueled by reports that the show was much better than the movie, and was in fact better than almost everything on TV at that time. However, my local cable company did not have WB, so I pretty much missed the first 4 seasons. (Not that I mind having missed the fourth season that much--as a real-life military member, the pseudo-military "Initiative" really annoys me. When you are willingly watching a show about a vampire slayer, and find yourself saying about something "This is so totally unbelievable", you know it's a bad plot device. But I digress.)
At one point, I went to Florida for a school, and managed to catch repeats of Becoming Part 2 and Anne. I was very confused, as from my reading I had thought that Angel was a good guy. :) However, I really liked the show, and even saved the Entertainment Weekly Buffy guide in hopes that someday I might actually see more episodes. Unfortunately, from there I went to another city where the local satellite TV company didn't have WB, either...they finally got it partway into the 6th season, just before "Once More With Feeling". My salvation came in the form of FX, which started playing repeats twice a day and allowed me to quickly catch up on the Buffy mythology. My husband got caught up in it as well, and soon we were hosting "Buffy night" at our house every Tuesday. As a side note, I've recently uncovered the presence of what I call the "Buffy Mafia" within the military--much like the fabled "old boy's network", but with a membership consisting solely of Buffy fans. It's a very effective network for getting things done, as there is sort of an intrinsic trust in knowing that "She's all right, she's a Buffy fan too." :)
am a 31 year old MWF Naval officer--Midwestern by birth, Texan by choice, and currently stationed in the Middle East. When I first heard about the movie, I was immediately intrigued by the unusual juxtaposition implicit in the title. I actually ended up liking the movie (I was apparently the only person in the entire theater who got the "Oh yeah? Clap!" joke) and was curious about the TV show when it was announced. My curiousity was further fueled by reports that the show was much better than the movie, and was in fact better than almost everything on TV at that time. However, my local cable company did not have WB, so I pretty much missed the first 4 seasons. (Not that I mind having missed the fourth season that much--as a real-life military member, the pseudo-military "Initiative" really annoys me. When you are willingly watching a show about a vampire slayer, and find yourself saying about something "This is so totally unbelievable", you know it's a bad plot device. But I digress.)
At one point, I went to Florida for a school, and managed to catch repeats of Becoming Part 2 and Anne. I was very confused, as from my reading I had thought that Angel was a good guy. :) However, I really liked the show, and even saved the Entertainment Weekly Buffy guide in hopes that someday I might actually see more episodes. Unfortunately, from there I went to another city where the local satellite TV company didn't have WB, either...they finally got it partway into the 6th season, just before "Once More With Feeling". My salvation came in the form of FX, which started playing repeats twice a day and allowed me to quickly catch up on the Buffy mythology. My husband got caught up in it as well, and soon we were hosting "Buffy night" at our house every Tuesday. As a side note, I've recently uncovered the presence of what I call the "Buffy Mafia" within the military--much like the fabled "old boy's network", but with a membership consisting solely of Buffy fans. It's a very effective network for getting things done, as there is sort of an intrinsic trust in knowing that "She's all right, she's a Buffy fan too." :)
Donaldson, Lorraine
I am a transgender activist, science fiction fan, and security guard in Ann Arbor, MI.
When I discovered Buffy in the spring of 1998 I lived in Mason, OH worked as a personal care attendant for a disabled woman and lived as a male. My friend Jack had been raving for a while about this great TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." I had seen the movie and was not impressed. I didn't even own a TV having decided that television was a vast wasteland. Jack was persistant and eventually I agreed to watch a few episodes out of morbid curiosity. Jack started from the beginning and I had to admit it was moderately entertaining. I didn't get hooked on Buffy until the episode "Out of Sight, Out of Mind." With that episode I was blown away by how Joss took Cordelia, the snide two dimensional schoolgirl bully and made her a realistic and interesting three dimensional character without invalidating her previous behavior. Since then Buffy has been my companion through geographic relocation, coming out of the closet, and gender transition. I still don't own a television, but I have faithfully gathered with friends to watch the slayer.
I am a transgender activist, science fiction fan, and security guard in Ann Arbor, MI.
When I discovered Buffy in the spring of 1998 I lived in Mason, OH worked as a personal care attendant for a disabled woman and lived as a male. My friend Jack had been raving for a while about this great TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." I had seen the movie and was not impressed. I didn't even own a TV having decided that television was a vast wasteland. Jack was persistant and eventually I agreed to watch a few episodes out of morbid curiosity. Jack started from the beginning and I had to admit it was moderately entertaining. I didn't get hooked on Buffy until the episode "Out of Sight, Out of Mind." With that episode I was blown away by how Joss took Cordelia, the snide two dimensional schoolgirl bully and made her a realistic and interesting three dimensional character without invalidating her previous behavior. Since then Buffy has been my companion through geographic relocation, coming out of the closet, and gender transition. I still don't own a television, but I have faithfully gathered with friends to watch the slayer.
Downey, Rebecca
As of two days ago, I'm a graduate of Dickinson College, where I majored in English and Women's Studies.
I didn't watch a single episode of Buffy until the middle of season five. I'm a life-long fan of vampire stories, but I had thought that both movie and series sounded stupid. (So wrong!) I stumbled into Buffy through the 11th Hour Message Board, where I had been posting insulting comments about another show. I read the conversations there and was impressed with the intelligent discussion and rabid adoration the show inspired. The first episode I watched was "The Replacement." A few episodes later, I was hooked. I checked online summaries to get the backstory and devoted my weekday evenings to catching up on the previous seasons on FX. Less than two years after I watched that first episode, the show inspired my honors thesis, "'Because it's Superman's Book You Moron!': Geeks, Metafiction and Feminsim in Buffy the Vampire Slayer." As a young woman stumbling through her college years and the experience of having to support myself completely for the first time, what I get out of Buffy is the notion that we can all be heroes in our own lives. I find inspiration in Buffy every single day.
As of two days ago, I'm a graduate of Dickinson College, where I majored in English and Women's Studies.
I didn't watch a single episode of Buffy until the middle of season five. I'm a life-long fan of vampire stories, but I had thought that both movie and series sounded stupid. (So wrong!) I stumbled into Buffy through the 11th Hour Message Board, where I had been posting insulting comments about another show. I read the conversations there and was impressed with the intelligent discussion and rabid adoration the show inspired. The first episode I watched was "The Replacement." A few episodes later, I was hooked. I checked online summaries to get the backstory and devoted my weekday evenings to catching up on the previous seasons on FX. Less than two years after I watched that first episode, the show inspired my honors thesis, "'Because it's Superman's Book You Moron!': Geeks, Metafiction and Feminsim in Buffy the Vampire Slayer." As a young woman stumbling through her college years and the experience of having to support myself completely for the first time, what I get out of Buffy is the notion that we can all be heroes in our own lives. I find inspiration in Buffy every single day.
Doyle, Anne E.
I am a professor of English at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts, where I , specialize in the teaching of writing.
Although I had seen the movie (which I found mildly entertaining), I wasn't drawn to watch the series BtVS until a colleague of mine at Bridgewater State College began regaling me (during the third season) with information about the series, while we were traveling together on college business. At about the same time, a professor of English at Utica College in upstate New York told me that she and her two late-teens daughters were devoted to the series and made a point of watching it together. Both women spoke enthusiastically about BtVS's vision of powerful women (Buffy and Willow) and their capacity to form strong bonds with others in a just cause. So I began to watch the series, at first sporadically, then with increased devotion. I caught up in the plot with the help of the women who had alerted me to the show, and i followed it faithfully up ro the end. Given that I was led to the series by two empowered women, I am not surprised that the final episode involved the empowerment of all potential Slayers. It was an uplifting end to a great series.
I am a professor of English at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts, where I , specialize in the teaching of writing.
Although I had seen the movie (which I found mildly entertaining), I wasn't drawn to watch the series BtVS until a colleague of mine at Bridgewater State College began regaling me (during the third season) with information about the series, while we were traveling together on college business. At about the same time, a professor of English at Utica College in upstate New York told me that she and her two late-teens daughters were devoted to the series and made a point of watching it together. Both women spoke enthusiastically about BtVS's vision of powerful women (Buffy and Willow) and their capacity to form strong bonds with others in a just cause. So I began to watch the series, at first sporadically, then with increased devotion. I caught up in the plot with the help of the women who had alerted me to the show, and i followed it faithfully up ro the end. Given that I was led to the series by two empowered women, I am not surprised that the final episode involved the empowerment of all potential Slayers. It was an uplifting end to a great series.
Duschl, Gretchen
I'm a 22 year old who just graduated with a degree in Psychology. I Became a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer the summer after the first season aired, but I knew about it when it first aired. I was a huge fan of the movie and had seen it numerous times. I definitely considered it to be something of a cult classic as I hadn't seen it in the theaters but later learned of it once it was on video along with a lot of my friends. My sister was the one that informed me of it being made into a TV show. Since I was one of the few people who actually liked the movie I was horrified that they were going to make a very awful, cheesy TV version of what I considered an awesome movie. It wasn't until the summer after the first season when the reruns started that I got to actually watch the show. My sister was watching them for the second time and I happened to sit in and watch "Welcome to the Hellmouth". I instantly loved it and never missed an episode since. It wasn't until later that I realized that the same person who wrote the movie also wrote, directed, and produced the show. The one and only Mr. Joss Whedon.
I'm a 22 year old who just graduated with a degree in Psychology. I Became a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer the summer after the first season aired, but I knew about it when it first aired. I was a huge fan of the movie and had seen it numerous times. I definitely considered it to be something of a cult classic as I hadn't seen it in the theaters but later learned of it once it was on video along with a lot of my friends. My sister was the one that informed me of it being made into a TV show. Since I was one of the few people who actually liked the movie I was horrified that they were going to make a very awful, cheesy TV version of what I considered an awesome movie. It wasn't until the summer after the first season when the reruns started that I got to actually watch the show. My sister was watching them for the second time and I happened to sit in and watch "Welcome to the Hellmouth". I instantly loved it and never missed an episode since. It wasn't until later that I realized that the same person who wrote the movie also wrote, directed, and produced the show. The one and only Mr. Joss Whedon.
Early, Frances
I am a U.S./women's/gender/peace historian who teaches history, women's studies, and peace & conflict studies courses at a small mainly undergraduate liberal arts university Mount Saint Vincent University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. My main research area concerns women/gender, war and peace in historical perspective, notably with regard to 20th-century North American society. I am originally from the United States; I moved to Canada in l969 and am a citizen of both Canada and the United States.
One evening in the fall of l997 when my daughter, Jasmine, was watching t.v. in the basement rec room, I came downstairs for something. I noticed a young attractive blond woman battling a kind of weird monster human on the small screen and thought: gee, this looks violent, maybe I'll check this out, and then, if warranted, discourage Jasmine from watching this show. (I have a specialty in peace history!) I settled onto the couch with my l3-year-old daughter, and within minutes I was drawn in. I soon realized that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a very clever program, one that took teenagers seriously and dealt with gender and identity in empowering ways. I was captivated by the image of a young woman cast as a just warrior. Within a couple of weeks I had a pen and notebook in hand while watching Buffy. My daughter didn't like that, so I started to tape Buffy and to take notes on second viewings. Before I knew it, I was writing a paper on Buffy, one I presented to the l999 Pop Culture Association meeting in New Orleans. Then this essay was published in Journal of Popular Culture (2001), and a friend and colleague and I got working on an anthology about t.v. women warriors (Buffy, Xena, Nikita, and Seven of Nine) that became ATHENA'S DAUGHTERS: TELEVISION'S NEW WOMEN WARRIORS. I don't remember writing the initial Buffy essay. It seemed to write itself. I've never relished an academic project more.
I am a U.S./women's/gender/peace historian who teaches history, women's studies, and peace & conflict studies courses at a small mainly undergraduate liberal arts university Mount Saint Vincent University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. My main research area concerns women/gender, war and peace in historical perspective, notably with regard to 20th-century North American society. I am originally from the United States; I moved to Canada in l969 and am a citizen of both Canada and the United States.
One evening in the fall of l997 when my daughter, Jasmine, was watching t.v. in the basement rec room, I came downstairs for something. I noticed a young attractive blond woman battling a kind of weird monster human on the small screen and thought: gee, this looks violent, maybe I'll check this out, and then, if warranted, discourage Jasmine from watching this show. (I have a specialty in peace history!) I settled onto the couch with my l3-year-old daughter, and within minutes I was drawn in. I soon realized that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a very clever program, one that took teenagers seriously and dealt with gender and identity in empowering ways. I was captivated by the image of a young woman cast as a just warrior. Within a couple of weeks I had a pen and notebook in hand while watching Buffy. My daughter didn't like that, so I started to tape Buffy and to take notes on second viewings. Before I knew it, I was writing a paper on Buffy, one I presented to the l999 Pop Culture Association meeting in New Orleans. Then this essay was published in Journal of Popular Culture (2001), and a friend and colleague and I got working on an anthology about t.v. women warriors (Buffy, Xena, Nikita, and Seven of Nine) that became ATHENA'S DAUGHTERS: TELEVISION'S NEW WOMEN WARRIORS. I don't remember writing the initial Buffy essay. It seemed to write itself. I've never relished an academic project more.
Elf, Amber
My name is Amber Elf, and I am a broadcasting student at San Francisco State University. I started watching Buffy during season three (with any regularity). I had seen a couple of repeats and enjoyed them previously, but was not able to fit it into my life at the time. Also, it was not a popular thing to like originally, and I am ashamed to say that it took a while for me to proudly claim viewership. I have been staying in the UK for the past year, and have snapped up all of the Buffy DVD's, and been loyally watching till the end. Sure am going to miss it. If it helps, I was 16 when I started watching.
My name is Amber Elf, and I am a broadcasting student at San Francisco State University. I started watching Buffy during season three (with any regularity). I had seen a couple of repeats and enjoyed them previously, but was not able to fit it into my life at the time. Also, it was not a popular thing to like originally, and I am ashamed to say that it took a while for me to proudly claim viewership. I have been staying in the UK for the past year, and have snapped up all of the Buffy DVD's, and been loyally watching till the end. Sure am going to miss it. If it helps, I was 16 when I started watching.
Elizabeth
I am a horseback riding instructor and freelance history writer in Youngstown, Ohio. One of my best friends has been a Buffy fan since I first met her, and that's how I was first exposed to the show's wit and wisdom. My friend was raving about Eliza Dushku and the character of Faith, so eventually I started looking around for information on the backstory there. I was quickly an admirer of the great dialogue, which is what made me start watching the show. I soon got attatched to characters and the strong ongoing storylines, as well as the stand-alone episodes. My husband was wary, of course, because of the title and the theme of the show, but he soon got as hooked as I am, and became a huge Angel fan himself. After the last episode of the season, we cancel our cable, since Angel is now our only "good" reason to have it now that Buffy has ended. Tapes, DVD's and books keep us busy through the summers.
I am a horseback riding instructor and freelance history writer in Youngstown, Ohio. One of my best friends has been a Buffy fan since I first met her, and that's how I was first exposed to the show's wit and wisdom. My friend was raving about Eliza Dushku and the character of Faith, so eventually I started looking around for information on the backstory there. I was quickly an admirer of the great dialogue, which is what made me start watching the show. I soon got attatched to characters and the strong ongoing storylines, as well as the stand-alone episodes. My husband was wary, of course, because of the title and the theme of the show, but he soon got as hooked as I am, and became a huge Angel fan himself. After the last episode of the season, we cancel our cable, since Angel is now our only "good" reason to have it now that Buffy has ended. Tapes, DVD's and books keep us busy through the summers.
Elliott, Lisa
I can't remember exactly, but it was when I was living with my sister in Marmion, Western Australia. She mentioned Buffy was on and could I watch it with her because it freaked her out a bit. By the end of that episode (must have been season 2) that was it; the obsession had begun. Mind you, I don't know if I could call myself obsessed because other than having lots of the shows on tape and buying the lovely Buffy postcard set they were selling a couple of years ago, I haven't really got into the merchandising part of it, which would allow me to class myself as an Obsessive Buffy Fan. I am in London at the moment and BBC2 is currently playing with the viewers who don't have Sky One and showing what is, sadly, our final ever season of Buffy intermittently. It is most frustrating. Prolonging the agony. My hope for the end is that she is reunited with Angel, if only for a moment.
I can't remember exactly, but it was when I was living with my sister in Marmion, Western Australia. She mentioned Buffy was on and could I watch it with her because it freaked her out a bit. By the end of that episode (must have been season 2) that was it; the obsession had begun. Mind you, I don't know if I could call myself obsessed because other than having lots of the shows on tape and buying the lovely Buffy postcard set they were selling a couple of years ago, I haven't really got into the merchandising part of it, which would allow me to class myself as an Obsessive Buffy Fan. I am in London at the moment and BBC2 is currently playing with the viewers who don't have Sky One and showing what is, sadly, our final ever season of Buffy intermittently. It is most frustrating. Prolonging the agony. My hope for the end is that she is reunited with Angel, if only for a moment.
F., Laura
I discovered Buffy about a year ago, just after I moved to Tallahassee, FL to begin graduate studies in Multilingual/Multicultural Education (TESOL). Anyway, I was 29 and probably alone quite a bit. I caught a few Buffy reruns after a very intelligent and literate friend informed me that Buffy was much better than Charmed, my then-favorite rerun series. After catching a few Buffy reruns here and there, I was instantly addicted -- but had to know the story from the beginning, so I bought available DVDs starting with Season I. I devoured those in 2 days. I'm still catching up on reruns and DVDs a year later.
The depth of the plot/plots and characters amazed me. I had no idea such an ingenious show aired on TV. Probably like so many others, I heard the name and thought it must be silly. Not only are the stories and characters SO developed, but it is done with a fabulous, intricate mix of humor, drama, action, adventure, horror, sci-fi.... need I continue? And it's done so well. My undergraduate studies were a mix of history, literature, and sociology -- mostly post Civil War American, in all areas. How could I not be intrigued and addicted???? The only question I have is simply, how on earth did it take me so long to catch on to such a delight?????? My only current-yet-feeble-excuse is that I lived abroad from '97-'99, and continued to pay little attention to pop culture until I was very isolated last year, in 2002.
P.S. I'm a 30 year old white female from Kentucky currently in graduate school.
I discovered Buffy about a year ago, just after I moved to Tallahassee, FL to begin graduate studies in Multilingual/Multicultural Education (TESOL). Anyway, I was 29 and probably alone quite a bit. I caught a few Buffy reruns after a very intelligent and literate friend informed me that Buffy was much better than Charmed, my then-favorite rerun series. After catching a few Buffy reruns here and there, I was instantly addicted -- but had to know the story from the beginning, so I bought available DVDs starting with Season I. I devoured those in 2 days. I'm still catching up on reruns and DVDs a year later.
The depth of the plot/plots and characters amazed me. I had no idea such an ingenious show aired on TV. Probably like so many others, I heard the name and thought it must be silly. Not only are the stories and characters SO developed, but it is done with a fabulous, intricate mix of humor, drama, action, adventure, horror, sci-fi.... need I continue? And it's done so well. My undergraduate studies were a mix of history, literature, and sociology -- mostly post Civil War American, in all areas. How could I not be intrigued and addicted???? The only question I have is simply, how on earth did it take me so long to catch on to such a delight?????? My only current-yet-feeble-excuse is that I lived abroad from '97-'99, and continued to pay little attention to pop culture until I was very isolated last year, in 2002.
P.S. I'm a 30 year old white female from Kentucky currently in graduate school.
Farmer, R.
I have been watching Buffy since I was nine years old. Now at the age of 16, I am still as passionate about the show as ever. I'm not the one to shed tears over a fiction TV sitcom but many tears have been shed on occasion while watching Buffy. It breaks my heart to hear about Buffy coming to an end although I am now also a dedicated Angel viewer nothing can surpass the reputation Buffy has created. No other show will match it. At times when my life has been strenuous the only thing that I can find relief in is in Buffy. I'm always watching it on UPN, FX, or reading the series books. I truly believe that the show has become a piece of my heart.
I have been watching Buffy since I was nine years old. Now at the age of 16, I am still as passionate about the show as ever. I'm not the one to shed tears over a fiction TV sitcom but many tears have been shed on occasion while watching Buffy. It breaks my heart to hear about Buffy coming to an end although I am now also a dedicated Angel viewer nothing can surpass the reputation Buffy has created. No other show will match it. At times when my life has been strenuous the only thing that I can find relief in is in Buffy. I'm always watching it on UPN, FX, or reading the series books. I truly believe that the show has become a piece of my heart.
Farrell, Glen
I am the leader of a manufacturing engineering group in Vancouver, Canada. My group consists of a half dozen engineers and we are collectively responsible for all technical aspects of $80m worth of product per year.
I moved to Vancouver from the east coast right around the time BtVS started. I was alone and job hunting at the time and discovered Buffy one night while channel surfing. The Buffinator got my attention but the show kept me tuning in. The continuous struggle for freedom, interesting characters, and occasional fall from grace earned my respect but the there was always some reference, witty remark, or underlying meaning that made me laugh. I hope Angle (a surprisingly good spin-off) remains true to its roots and keeps up the Buffy tradition for at least another season.
I am the leader of a manufacturing engineering group in Vancouver, Canada. My group consists of a half dozen engineers and we are collectively responsible for all technical aspects of $80m worth of product per year.
I moved to Vancouver from the east coast right around the time BtVS started. I was alone and job hunting at the time and discovered Buffy one night while channel surfing. The Buffinator got my attention but the show kept me tuning in. The continuous struggle for freedom, interesting characters, and occasional fall from grace earned my respect but the there was always some reference, witty remark, or underlying meaning that made me laugh. I hope Angle (a surprisingly good spin-off) remains true to its roots and keeps up the Buffy tradition for at least another season.
Fifarek, Aimee
I am a Systems Librarian at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
I never intended to become a Buffy fan. In early 1997, I was finishing my double masters in English and Library and Information Science. One night, my roommate and I stumbled upon the series premiere of Buffy. We both rolled our eyes. Neither of us could imagine that this show could be anything other than teenage trash. But with nothing else worth watching we kept it on. Within minutes we were hooked. I was especially entranced by the fact that a librarian played a central role. Both of us had worked in the library in college, and we knew someday someone would figure out that all the weirdness that goes on in libraries would make perfect fodder for a TV show. From then on I took every opportunity to extol the quality of Buffy, and created many converts. One of my colleagues jokingly forwarded me the call for papers for Fighting the Forces. But I had the last laugh when my article (which wound up in the second issue of Slayage) wound up on my vita, earning me points towards tenure. Thank you Buffy!
I am a Systems Librarian at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
I never intended to become a Buffy fan. In early 1997, I was finishing my double masters in English and Library and Information Science. One night, my roommate and I stumbled upon the series premiere of Buffy. We both rolled our eyes. Neither of us could imagine that this show could be anything other than teenage trash. But with nothing else worth watching we kept it on. Within minutes we were hooked. I was especially entranced by the fact that a librarian played a central role. Both of us had worked in the library in college, and we knew someday someone would figure out that all the weirdness that goes on in libraries would make perfect fodder for a TV show. From then on I took every opportunity to extol the quality of Buffy, and created many converts. One of my colleagues jokingly forwarded me the call for papers for Fighting the Forces. But I had the last laugh when my article (which wound up in the second issue of Slayage) wound up on my vita, earning me points towards tenure. Thank you Buffy!
Foote, Stephen
Having seen the movie, I had scoffed at the notion of a TV series, and so had duly ignored it. Then one night, I was flipping through the channels and happened upon the third season premiere episode, "Anne". The part I remember most clearly is where the demon has slaves lined up and asks who they are. The first guy says his name and the demon kills him. The next ones say, "nobody". Finally, he gets to Buffy. "Who are you?" he asks. She replies perkily, "I'm Buffy, the Vampire Slayer..... and you are?" I knew I was hooked.
Having seen the movie, I had scoffed at the notion of a TV series, and so had duly ignored it. Then one night, I was flipping through the channels and happened upon the third season premiere episode, "Anne". The part I remember most clearly is where the demon has slaves lined up and asks who they are. The first guy says his name and the demon kills him. The next ones say, "nobody". Finally, he gets to Buffy. "Who are you?" he asks. She replies perkily, "I'm Buffy, the Vampire Slayer..... and you are?" I knew I was hooked.
Forsyth, Kristina
I am a 43 year-old database manager. I read a lot, mostly science fiction and fantasy. I also read Internet newsgroups. One of the regular posters to rec.arts.sf.written had a never-ending supply of witty dialog quotes from BtVS in his sig line. I noticed these often enough to regret having missed the beginning of the phenomena. Luckily for me, I hadn't, really. I had missed two seasons, but the WB network ran a clever summer promotion and played repeats of the first season and the second season on different days of the week. I was entirely caught up in time for the third season, and haven't missed an episode since.
I am a 43 year-old database manager. I read a lot, mostly science fiction and fantasy. I also read Internet newsgroups. One of the regular posters to rec.arts.sf.written had a never-ending supply of witty dialog quotes from BtVS in his sig line. I noticed these often enough to regret having missed the beginning of the phenomena. Luckily for me, I hadn't, really. I had missed two seasons, but the WB network ran a clever summer promotion and played repeats of the first season and the second season on different days of the week. I was entirely caught up in time for the third season, and haven't missed an episode since.
Friedman, Lise
One night I flipped on the TV at 9 pm (my husband was putting the children to bed) and stumbled upon the first episode of Angel. I was hooked, and soon went searching for Buffy. By Thanksgiving I regularly watched both shows, usually taping Buffy to watch after the children went to bed. Then I got my daughter to watch with me, and we'd close the door on my son, too young at the time, to watch both shows. We spent a considerable amount of time tracking down the first seasons; this was before they were available on tape or DVD. But, ask enough friends, and you'll be surprised how many love Buffy, and how many taped the show. Now my son is an avid fan as well. What a great show to watch with your children. Although, sometimes I think we watch way too much, now the DVDs are available.
One night I flipped on the TV at 9 pm (my husband was putting the children to bed) and stumbled upon the first episode of Angel. I was hooked, and soon went searching for Buffy. By Thanksgiving I regularly watched both shows, usually taping Buffy to watch after the children went to bed. Then I got my daughter to watch with me, and we'd close the door on my son, too young at the time, to watch both shows. We spent a considerable amount of time tracking down the first seasons; this was before they were available on tape or DVD. But, ask enough friends, and you'll be surprised how many love Buffy, and how many taped the show. Now my son is an avid fan as well. What a great show to watch with your children. Although, sometimes I think we watch way too much, now the DVDs are available.