Essential 5: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Essential 5 will be a semi-frequent feature here on The Crooked Frame. The idea is that there are best of lists for pretty much everything, but very little in the way of a guide for what are the most important films/episodes in any given genre, TV show, movement, etc. I want to create a starting point for people who are interested in watching something, but don't know where to start. For example, as of a few years ago I had never seen a western, so when I decided to tackle the genre I looked all over for some sort of starting point. This didn't work out so well because some of the films which are most important to understanding the genre aren't among the greatest films. Consequently, I skipped over essential viewing like Stagecoach (1939) and The Great Train Robbery (1903) and missed a lot of what later westerns were responding to. I will present the films/episodes in the order I think they should be watched (usually chronologically) and give a little commentary (no spoilers). 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is often derided for its cheesy dialogue, melodramatic plots, and ridiculous bad guys but that's missing the point. Buffy embraces everything inherent in being a genre, horror, vampire, teen, romance, gothic, feminist show. It explores so many different serious things in such lighthearted yet truthful ways that it's impossible to dismiss it once you give it a chance. The show is, on one level, incredibly satisfying with its simple monster of the week plots and harlequin romance arcs, but underneath has a lot to say about modern feminism and genre among other things.

The first season has the occasional interesting moment and while I certainly can't call it good, it certainly has its pleasures. The place to start, though, is Season 2 Episode 13-14: Surprise/Innocence. This is where the famous Buffy/Angel relationship starts to get interesting, but more than that the story arc over these two episodes is incredibly metaphoric. The is Joss Whedon's (the show's creator and head writer) favorite episode and you can see why, his feminist agenda has never been more clearly stated.

The second essential episode is Season 3 Episode 13: The Zeppo. This episode is considerably more humor driven than the one listed above and thats why I chose to include it. It is a great example of an episode that probably isn't among the show's best exactly (though it's close) but which shows its comedic side perfectly. Part of whats great about Buffy is how it never takes itself too seriously (Twilight anyone).

The next three episodes should all be watched in the context of their seasons if possible but are enjoyable regardless. Buffy becomes less about monster of the week storylines and centers around season long story arcs. So if you aren't hooked after the first two (above) you should still watch these last three as they are probably the best of all the episodes, even if it is slightly out of context. If you are hooked though, I urge you to start again at season 2 episode 15 and watch it straight through.

I've chosen one episode from each of its 5 best season's unintentionally. So naturally the next one has to come from Season 4, it's Season 4 Episode 10: Hush. This is the first episode that the show does which initially seems like a writing exercise but which quickly becomes evolves into something memorable. The idea is that the monsters of this episode make everyone lose their voices. This means that the episode is about three quarters silent. Yet, it never becomes boring or slow. Whedon moves the action forward in a number of ingenious ways. The real reason that this is a great episode though is how it manages to move the story forward as well. It isn't an anomalous episode in the middle of a season but an important part of the whole story arc.

Season 5 Episode 16: The Body is completely different from anything that the show has done before. It really showcases the acting talent of Sarah Michelle Gellar (yes, she has some) and provides another example of how the show plays with television convention. This is a show unafraid to take chances, and it almost always succeeds. I can't talk about the plot at all without giving away something, so I'll leave it at that.

Season 6 Episode 7: Once More With Feeling is probably the consensus favorite episode of every Buffy fan. Its the musical episode, and it doesn't disappoint. While still fitting in with the rest of the shows episodes, it manages to accomplish the classic musical style in ways that many modern films cannot. Musicals work because they bring out the emotions which are usually internalized in a surrealistic way. This allows for things which are usually unfilmable to be easily understood. This episode takes full advantage of that, with each outbreak of song marking an important plot point or shift in the whole narrative of the show.