Aw, good ol Buffy.
This is my tribute to BTVS - would have done so sooner if I wasn't out of town...
I watched, I laughed, I cried, I loved. BTVS changed my life as weird as that sounds. I know that most people would say it changed theirs in some form or another but it always sounds weird when I say it out loud. Because come ON it's a freaking television show!
Ah...but it was NEVER just a tv show to us was it?
I always find it hard to put into words, and how to express my gratitude for what this show gave me, I mean without repeating what everyone else is saying and just trying to be honest.
It all started with my mom randomly picking up Buffy the Vampire Slayer: the movie from the library for some reason. But at the time I watched it...it was funny and corny and even though it wasn't what Joss had envisioned, I still sort of loved it. I mean I DO own the dvd people. I think maybe it had potential, this alternate universe where a cheerleader gets to KICK SOME ASS. She owned it. She was stronger than any of the men around her and it was just..comforting. It was campy, I realize this but it was highly amusing and I guess that's all you need when you're something of a 12 yr old.
Fast forward to the revival of this into a tv show. I can't remember how long it was between the movie and the show - I don't think it was much longer, in fact it might just so happen to be the same year it premiered, I can't really remember. I'm not sure how I found out about the tv show, but a friend mentioned it to me, and I sort of shrugged it off. I do, however remember that my very first full episode was Teacher's Pet, then I cannot remember which S1 episode came next, but I remember being slightly scared hahah. Anyway I didn't pay too much attention during S1, but then for some reason I decided to catch up on S1 in the reruns and not having to suffer through too much of a lay period between S1 and S2. But watching S1 all together and in order really did me in, I loved the show and was anticipating S2.
Let's just fast forward through all those other details because bottom line is that I'm a BTVS, Buffy and B/A lover for life. This show was funny, campy and yet devastating with amazing character development and rich captivating story lines. Hello S2! I think that's probably when it turned into full blown obsession because I was absolutely spoiler free and then I found Spoiler Slayer because I wanted...no..NEEDED to know what happened to Buffy and Angel after Becoming. I remember reading spoilers up until Faith, Hope and Trick just enough to tide me over and ensure that Angel, would indeed be back that season. Because HELLO HOTTIE. Hahah.
I'm not sure when I realized that I loved Buffy, the character as intensely as I do now, it seems almost in retrospect because I underestimated my unwavering love for her when people were hating on her in S7. Actually I thought I'd become active online in 2003, but I think it was actually 2002 because I had participating in those S7 analytical conversations. Hmm. But I digress.
The thing about Buffy is that I really identified with her, I saw a lot in myself in her. Just in the way she was so strong and so almost.. unintimidating until you got to meet the REAL Buffy. I had some good BTVS friends in elementary school but because I was skating so much - try 5 days a week, 6 in the winter that I'd always felt like an outsider. Like if people just looked at me they wouldn't realize what I was truly capable of. Gone through my entire life with people underestimating me, physically, when I'd always believed in myself. So it was as if that was my life she was leading, obviously no to the world in peril extent, but the fact that I was more than meets the eye and that underneath all of it, we were all heroes in our own ways. We worked hard, we made the sacrifices we had to to get where we wanted to be. So that went on for a long while having friends but never truly having friends outside of school, or skating, there was no medium. I was always missing school for competitions and I never rode the bus home with all the other kids because I was always picked up to go to practice...little things like that, but they made all the difference. So I suppose that's why Buffy (and the show) was so important to me. Also for the fact that for one hour a week, only that world existed and nothing else mattered, I would live vicariously through the life of Buffy.
I mean really, I'll admit, I'm still not truly convinced that demons, monsters and vampires don't actually exist :P
So even though the last two years of BTVS was pretty horrible for me to watch, I endured and it scared me to think....what would I do now? What would I invest myself in (other than school and skating because that WAS my life), something odd to think about, that I wondered how my favourite show ending would impact my life. LOL it really is kind of sad. But luckily I faithfully watched the reruns on SPACE and YTV for a number of years.
Through BTVS I discovered fandom, I discovered that there were people...almost more obsessed than I (now that's CRAZY!), I've met some people that would eventually become some really important people in my life. It's not just the show itself but what I got out of it, the friendships that were formed, realizing that ya, we had more than just a tv show in common. There have been some ups and downs in this fandom, but I wouldn't EVER change it for the world. There's just too much to cherish, too many memories that will stay with me for a very very very long time.
Episode analysis, character discussions, spoilers, relationships, fanfic all that stuff is worth it. Because I was so invested I don't know if I could ever be as invested in a show as I did this one. I mean really, truly I believe this was one of the BEST television shows to ever grace our screens. Literally. Buffy the most giving, generous, witty, beautiful inside and out, and truly flawed character. Yet, she was perfect. She was truly a role model, a hero for many of us girls who have at times felt a little alone in the world.
Nothing could ever take the place of this show.
I look back and I think...canadiangirl_86 is one of my best friends who I can talk to about anything, without fear of retribution or judgment in anyway, and although all of you guys are just so darn great, it's a completely different ballgame to have a person like that in real life. So solely based on that, it makes all of this worth it :)
So that's that. So much more I could be saying but it can't even do it justice. In my mind, BTVS is just untouchable. Just like in the article last week, there are some good shows, even great shows out there right now but I need to watch a couple of different shows to get everything that Buffy did in a single show. *sigh* I miss BTVS so so much, I miss the anticipation of new episodes week after week.
Ok now for some questions: when did you realize that BTVS was something special, Buffy? B/A (or whatever your fave ship is)? Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine! S/I gutted me. Completely threw me for a loop and I realized that ya this show had it all. Becoming, period. Buffy, Angel, B/A? Masterful. Can you tell that S2 is my all time favourite season?
Also, sorry if this completely over the top and cheesy, but I just can't help myself! Such a good damn show man. And now...I'm spent.
This week will be a Buffy week I haven't spent much time being fandomy other than making headers. This shall change!
I watched, I laughed, I cried, I loved. BTVS changed my life as weird as that sounds. I know that most people would say it changed theirs in some form or another but it always sounds weird when I say it out loud. Because come ON it's a freaking television show!
Ah...but it was NEVER just a tv show to us was it?
I always find it hard to put into words, and how to express my gratitude for what this show gave me, I mean without repeating what everyone else is saying and just trying to be honest.
It all started with my mom randomly picking up Buffy the Vampire Slayer: the movie from the library for some reason. But at the time I watched it...it was funny and corny and even though it wasn't what Joss had envisioned, I still sort of loved it. I mean I DO own the dvd people. I think maybe it had potential, this alternate universe where a cheerleader gets to KICK SOME ASS. She owned it. She was stronger than any of the men around her and it was just..comforting. It was campy, I realize this but it was highly amusing and I guess that's all you need when you're something of a 12 yr old.
Fast forward to the revival of this into a tv show. I can't remember how long it was between the movie and the show - I don't think it was much longer, in fact it might just so happen to be the same year it premiered, I can't really remember. I'm not sure how I found out about the tv show, but a friend mentioned it to me, and I sort of shrugged it off. I do, however remember that my very first full episode was Teacher's Pet, then I cannot remember which S1 episode came next, but I remember being slightly scared hahah. Anyway I didn't pay too much attention during S1, but then for some reason I decided to catch up on S1 in the reruns and not having to suffer through too much of a lay period between S1 and S2. But watching S1 all together and in order really did me in, I loved the show and was anticipating S2.
Let's just fast forward through all those other details because bottom line is that I'm a BTVS, Buffy and B/A lover for life. This show was funny, campy and yet devastating with amazing character development and rich captivating story lines. Hello S2! I think that's probably when it turned into full blown obsession because I was absolutely spoiler free and then I found Spoiler Slayer because I wanted...no..NEEDED to know what happened to Buffy and Angel after Becoming. I remember reading spoilers up until Faith, Hope and Trick just enough to tide me over and ensure that Angel, would indeed be back that season. Because HELLO HOTTIE. Hahah.
I'm not sure when I realized that I loved Buffy, the character as intensely as I do now, it seems almost in retrospect because I underestimated my unwavering love for her when people were hating on her in S7. Actually I thought I'd become active online in 2003, but I think it was actually 2002 because I had participating in those S7 analytical conversations. Hmm. But I digress.
The thing about Buffy is that I really identified with her, I saw a lot in myself in her. Just in the way she was so strong and so almost.. unintimidating until you got to meet the REAL Buffy. I had some good BTVS friends in elementary school but because I was skating so much - try 5 days a week, 6 in the winter that I'd always felt like an outsider. Like if people just looked at me they wouldn't realize what I was truly capable of. Gone through my entire life with people underestimating me, physically, when I'd always believed in myself. So it was as if that was my life she was leading, obviously no to the world in peril extent, but the fact that I was more than meets the eye and that underneath all of it, we were all heroes in our own ways. We worked hard, we made the sacrifices we had to to get where we wanted to be. So that went on for a long while having friends but never truly having friends outside of school, or skating, there was no medium. I was always missing school for competitions and I never rode the bus home with all the other kids because I was always picked up to go to practice...little things like that, but they made all the difference. So I suppose that's why Buffy (and the show) was so important to me. Also for the fact that for one hour a week, only that world existed and nothing else mattered, I would live vicariously through the life of Buffy.
I mean really, I'll admit, I'm still not truly convinced that demons, monsters and vampires don't actually exist :P
So even though the last two years of BTVS was pretty horrible for me to watch, I endured and it scared me to think....what would I do now? What would I invest myself in (other than school and skating because that WAS my life), something odd to think about, that I wondered how my favourite show ending would impact my life. LOL it really is kind of sad. But luckily I faithfully watched the reruns on SPACE and YTV for a number of years.
Through BTVS I discovered fandom, I discovered that there were people...almost more obsessed than I (now that's CRAZY!), I've met some people that would eventually become some really important people in my life. It's not just the show itself but what I got out of it, the friendships that were formed, realizing that ya, we had more than just a tv show in common. There have been some ups and downs in this fandom, but I wouldn't EVER change it for the world. There's just too much to cherish, too many memories that will stay with me for a very very very long time.
Episode analysis, character discussions, spoilers, relationships, fanfic all that stuff is worth it. Because I was so invested I don't know if I could ever be as invested in a show as I did this one. I mean really, truly I believe this was one of the BEST television shows to ever grace our screens. Literally. Buffy the most giving, generous, witty, beautiful inside and out, and truly flawed character. Yet, she was perfect. She was truly a role model, a hero for many of us girls who have at times felt a little alone in the world.
Nothing could ever take the place of this show.
I look back and I think...canadiangirl_86 is one of my best friends who I can talk to about anything, without fear of retribution or judgment in anyway, and although all of you guys are just so darn great, it's a completely different ballgame to have a person like that in real life. So solely based on that, it makes all of this worth it :)
So that's that. So much more I could be saying but it can't even do it justice. In my mind, BTVS is just untouchable. Just like in the article last week, there are some good shows, even great shows out there right now but I need to watch a couple of different shows to get everything that Buffy did in a single show. *sigh* I miss BTVS so so much, I miss the anticipation of new episodes week after week.
Ok now for some questions: when did you realize that BTVS was something special, Buffy? B/A (or whatever your fave ship is)? Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine! S/I gutted me. Completely threw me for a loop and I realized that ya this show had it all. Becoming, period. Buffy, Angel, B/A? Masterful. Can you tell that S2 is my all time favourite season?
Also, sorry if this completely over the top and cheesy, but I just can't help myself! Such a good damn show man. And now...I'm spent.
This week will be a Buffy week I haven't spent much time being fandomy other than making headers. This shall change!