"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or "Another One Bites the Dust?"

In 1992, Joss Whedon wrote a little movie called Buffy the Vampire Slayer, starring Luke Perry and a girl no one had ever heard of named Kristy Swanson. It failed to wow most audiences (although I remember loving it as a ten year old girl). For those not in the know, it's about a teenage girl named Buffy who has been chosen to spend her life defeating vampires and other dark forces of evil. She is imbued with super-human strength and other abilities to aid her in this process. I haven't seen the movie in... Well, since I was ten years old, so you'll have to forgive me if I'm a bit fuzzy on this part. What I can tell you is that when the character and concept were picked up by the WB in 1997 for a show of the same name, there were more than a few raised eyebrows, mine included. After all, I was a mature fifteen year old by then and had no time for such fluff.

To everyone's surprise, the show was pretty damn successful. It starred Sarah Michelle Gellar (who was barely known at the time) and that's about it. It tenured seven seasons before being canceled, which is longer than a lot of higher profile shows with more serious subject matter.

Those of you who know me might be asking why I wasn't into it. Seeing as how I love vampires and all, you'd think this show would be right up my alley. There are several reasons. The first is that it was on the WB. It became popular during a time when my favorite channel was MTV. I only associated the WB with 7th Heaven, which isn't exactly the show to watch if you're trying to prove to yourself and the world how cool and hardxcore you are. The next is that I just didn't have time. I spent most of my weekends hanging out with friends and most of my week nights doing homework. The last (and most ridiculous) reason is that I watched the daytime soap All My Children with my mom when I was in elementary school. She would tape it while she was at work and then we'd watch it together after dinner. Why is this relevant? Let me explain.

In 1993, a new character was introduced on All My Children: Kendall Hart. She was unveiled as Erica Kane's daughter; the product of a teen pregnancy resulting from a rape. Kendall proved to be one of the most evil characters ever to grace the storyline of the drama. She lied, seduced, manipulated, and attempted to murder other characters on the show. She was a Grade-A BITCH and I hated her. Kendall Hart was played by none other than Sarah Michelle Gellar. See below:

So as you can see, my grudge against all things Gellar started at an early age. By the time I was in high school it had worn off to an extent, but just the thought of her left a bad taste in my mouth. I didn't want to see any of her movies or watch any stupid show she might be on, even if it was about vampires and I loved the movie when I was ten.

But my resistance is crumbling.

This is partially due to the mad fanbase the show has garnered in the last ten years. You can't google the word "Buffy" without pulling up a plethora of fansites dedicated to the fictional Slayer and her misfit group of friends. The show has inspired tons of fan created media including stories, videos, and art. Sign on to any social networking site and you'll find dozens of chat groups and forums dedicated to discussing all aspects of the show. After the series ended, a comic book was created to chronicle her antics in a new medium. There's even a spin-off show called Angel about one of the vampires from the series.

Even with all this build up, I had managed to distance myself from it and look down upon those who watched it with disdain. That is, until a month ago. My dear boyfriend, David, is a serious fan. He adores Buffy, bad jokes and cheesy special effects included. And it's not just him. His parents love the show as well, possibly more than he does. They all use to watch it together as a family. If that's not enough to make you puke, he decided that if I wanted to prove my love for him I'd give it a shot. Nausea aside, he did bring up a good point. Two years ago, I forced him to watch Arrested Development with me against his better judgment and now he quotes it more often than I do. I decided he's right and that it's only fair if I give Buffy the benefit of the doubt.

We started watching it a few weeks ago from the very first episode. Let me tell you, it's just as horrible as I always figured it would be. The plot is predictable and the acting is atrocious. The jokes aren't funny and the special effects are laughable, even for a low budget show on the WB. As we watched Season 1, I wondered how it ever could've gotten picked up for another season. But now that we're almost halfway through Season 2, I've noticed a change in myself. I've begun to look forward to watching it after dinner, and only watching one episode is never enough. The jokes are still bad, but I laugh anyway because they're awesomely bad. It's gotten to where I recognize that it's a really crummy show, but I'm enjoying the crumminess of it, reveling in how ridiculous it is. After a long day behind my desk at work, it's been nice to go home and turn my brain off and let Buffy and the gang take over for awhile.

So am I doomed to become one of the show's many fanatics? I still think not, though that remains to be seen - there are a whole six seasons left to watch. But I have developed a sort of fondness for it, and watching it has become a familiar safe haven after all the stress of real life. And when a show can do that for you, isn't that what makes it good?