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Making a TV series out of the little-seen 1991 theatrical film Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a risky proposition, but executive producer Joss Whedon, a fledgling television network and a handful of dedicated actors gave it a try anyway. Suprisingly, the 13 episodes produced in 1997 were well received, and a full length, 22-episode season was given the go-ahead. Buffy made the jump to high-quality television in this season, and to the delight of fans everywhere, 20th Century Fox has released this second season on DVD. From now on, there's gonna be a little less ritual and a lot more fun.
REVIEWER'S NOTE: For review purposes, Fox only provided 2 discs of this 6-disc set. Therefore, 16 episodes along with several supplemental features will not be covered in this review. At a later date, I plan to acquire the entire set, and will complete the review then.
Season Overview
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2x01: When She Was Bad: The end of the first season of Buffy had
our heroic Slayer (Sarah Michelle Gellar) briefly killed by the Master, as Xander (Nicholas
Brendon) brought her back to life. Opening Season 2 we find that Buffy is still not
quite herself. She's even nastier than Cordelia as she snaps at her friends and spurns her
love interest Angel (David Boreanaz), the vampire with a soul. She has a good reason
to be off-kilter though, as the local vampires (along with the Anointed One) plan to resurrect The Master.
But it's Buffy's close friends who have more to be worried about, and they'll all need to
iron out their differences unless they want The Master back.
Episode rating: A- |
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2x02: Some Assembly Required: The Bride of Frankenstein gets an
update in this one. A grave robber is loose in Sunnydale, exhuming the bodies of recently deceased
young women. Initially, Buffy and the gang suspect some kind of demon, but it's really two Sunnydale
High students, Chris and Eric, performing the ghoulish deeds. Chris' older brother Daryl died recently, and
the pair was able to piece him back together. Now they need to create a female
companion for the hideous Daryl, and all it needs is a head. They just happen to have their eyes
on a certain Sunnydale High cheerleader.
Episode rating: B+ |
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2x03: School Hard: This episode introduces the second season's main villain, William the
Bloody (James Marsters), or, as he prefers to be called, Spike (named after his love for torturing people with
railroad spikes). Spike is a vicious English punk who's killed two Slayers already, and comes to Sunnydale along
with his childlike waif of a lover, Drusilla (Juliet Landau). This wouldn't be a big problem for
Buffy if only she wasn't juggling homework, Slayer training for the Night of St. Vigius, and
the upcoming Parent/Teacher conference. Instead of a normal gathering of parents and teachers, Spike and the
local talent take over the school on Conference Night, and Buffy learns just who she'll be
up against this year.
Episode rating: A+ |
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2x04: Inca Mummy Girl: Empada (Ara Celi), a foreign exchange student, is living with Buffy.
Actually, she's not really an exchange student. She's the titular mummy girl, and has killed Buffy's real
guest to absorb his life-force, thus becoming un-mummified. Empada re-assimilates into human form, and starts
a nice little romance with Xander. Buffy and Giles are suspicious naturally, and try to discover Empada's true
identity. Minimal "slayage" this time around, as we focus more on some of the secondary
characters. This episode introduces two new characters, Oz (Seth Green) and Jonathan (Danny Strong).
Oz will become more prominent this season and the next, while Jonathan is a minor character that appears in
a few episodes until becoming a member of the evil "Trio" in Season 6.
Episode rating: B- |
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2x21: Becoming (Part 1): Unfortunately, we've had to jump ahead 16 episodes, and
a lot has changed. Xander and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) have coupled up, as well as
Oz and Willow (Alyson Hannigan). Buffy and Angel have split and he no longer has a soul.
One regular character is dead, and there's a new Slayer in town, named Kendra (Bianca Lawson).
In this episode, we see the history of some of the older characters like Angel and Drusilla,
and how they became vampires. For the contemporary scenes, evil Angel is trying to resurrect
Acathla, which will signify the end of the world. Willow believes she can restore Angel's soul,
as her flirtation with magic begins in earnest. Look for indie film fave Max Perlich as
Whistler, a sort of "balancing" demon.
Episode rating: A- |
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2x22: Becoming (Part 2): Season 2 ends with a bang, and sets up for events of
the next several seasons. Buffy is accused of murder, and must evade the police as she tries
to keep Angel from ending humanity. She finds a suprising ally in Spike, who only wants to escape
Sunnydale with Drusilla rather than see the end of the world. Complicating matters even further is Buffy's mom
(Kristine Sutherland), who finally learns of her daughter's duties as the Slayer. A major Buffy/Angel
swordfight ensues, as Willow continues to try to restore Angel's soul.
Episode rating: A+ |
| Buffy The Vampire Slayer (goofy title notwithstanding) remains one of the finest shows on network television, and it's a shame it's still ignored by many viewers, most critics, and forget about any Emmy Awards. While it's still enjoyable six seasons in, many ardent fans consider Season 2 to be the best. I'd have to agree on that point. The first season was good, but didn't advance the characters much. In this season, Willow, Xander, and Cordelia all become more than mere sidekicks. They become multi-dimensional and real, and this gives the show a new-found depth. Alyson Hannigan's Willow is especially given a chance to break out of her shell, taking the first steps towards becoming the forceful character she is today. Of course, I always liked the timid Willow too. I loved her Eskimo costume in episode 4. The forlorn look on her face as she feels invisible at the party says so much without her even uttering a word. |
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| Television is obviously quite different than movies. With movies, viewers get a few major characters, and usually one "star." Plots and characters have to be developed and resolved in a relatively short period of time, and things must be kept concise. Ensemble casts are practically unheard of. In television, where viewers will be tuning in every week, focussing on just one person will become boring quickly. You must have a deep supporting cast, and characters that can carry episodes that de-emphasize the leads. Joss Whedon does that admirably, and it was in this season that the minor characters were developed, with story arcs that would sustain the show for several years. Even the villains can be explored extensively, and that happens here too. |
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It's a real shame I was unable to see all of the episodes, as there are several excellent ones in this season. Spike is by far the best "big bad" Buffy has faced. No, he may not be as devastating as some of the other villains, but Spike is just COOL. Almost every line he utters is a classic. Even if it's a rather odd stretch in the writing that's allowed him to remain as a series regular, it's fairly obvious that Joss Whedon knew what a great character (and actor) he had, and couldn't make just a few Spike episodes and then kill him off. I just love the uncomfortable scene with Spike and Buffy's mom in the living room in episode 22. And Spike's lover, the wonderful Drusilla, steals every single scene she's in. She seems so timid and frightened, and it looks like a gentle breeze would knock her over, but don't be fooled by appearances. Drusilla's extremely evil side comes out big time in Episode 21. |
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Of course, you can't ignore the Slayer herself, portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar. Sarah really gets to shine a lot in this season starting with the first episode. We see how being a Slayer really affects Buffy, especially in her personal life. The conflict of her slaying duties with her attempt at a normal teenage life really comes out in Season 2. She struggles at school, struggles at home, and let's not even start on her relationship with Angel. This all comes to a head in the final episode of the season, and ends on a wonderful down-note. The troubles of a Slayer do not end in a neat little package, nor is there an annoying "cliffhanger" to cheat viewers into returning in the fall for the start of the next season. Life goes on, but not without paying a price.. |
Buffy The Vampire Slayer features extremely snappy and witty dialogue, which above all is its best facet. Along with Spike, some of the best lines come from Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), Buffy's Watcher. There are so many pop culture references and "in-jokes" that it's impossible to catch all of them the first time around (much like The Simpsons). Yet another reason this DVD box set is essential for any Buffy fan.
Image Quality
| Being a television production, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is naturally presented in the standard 4x3 ratio (although Buffy's spin-off show, Angel, is now broadcast in 16x9 widescreen). That ratio is preserved here, so don't expect any anamorphic enhancement. The picture itself is rather grainy and fuzzy (yet still better than FX reruns). I found the darker scenes to be a little too dark (like the end of School Hard), but the overall darkness of the show has annoyed me even on first-run episodes, so I'm guessing that's intentional. However, by the end of the season, we see a marked improvement in the picture quality with a lot less grain, so it's clear that the budget for the show has increased over time. Future season sets will then probably be more consistent with the look of disc 6 in this series, and not disc 1. |
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Sound
Despite a simple 2-channel mix (I'd LOVE this in 5.1 sound), the audio on this Buffy set is fantastic. The opening theme by Nerf Herder (did Joss Whedon intentionally pick a musical group named after a Star Wars reference?) sounds great, as do most of the bands that play The Bronze. The music is deep, with fabulous bass. Of course, even while attending these concerts, all of the characters can still carry on conversations without needing to even slightly raise their voices. But I digress. The dialogue itself is crisp and clear, essential since the witty well-written lines are half the appeal of the show.
Supplemental Material
Unfortunately, several supplements were unavailable to review. In particular, three of the mid-season episodes have full audio commentary, but I don't have access to those episodes yet.
Still, disc 6 has its share of bonus material. Joss Whedon provides an introduction to the final two episodes, but these should be viewed AFTER each episode, not before. It would have been nice to have these intros on all of the episodes, something I hope will be done on future season releases.
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The featurettes are 3 behind-the-scenes documentaries. The first, Designing Buffy is a tour of the Buffy sets. Some interesting bits here, in particular Spike and Drusilla's factory lair. The second feature, A Buffy Bestiary, is the best one. It's relatively long, and discusses the various villains Buffy meets in this second season. Several cast members (except Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan) provide some interesting commentary. Needless to say, you won't even want to consider watching this until viewing all the episodes. And finally, we have Beauty and the Beasts, an examination of the make-up techniques used in the show. Some of this may seem old hat for those of us who've seen other make-up artists profiles, but this is still interesting, especially considering that these effects are used for a weekly television program. The sum of these featurettes is more than an hour long, so almost anything you want to know about Buffy's second season is here. These featurettes and interviews were done around the time these shows were airing. |
Next up is the Art Gallery, a collection of stills and sketches. Most of the stills are promotional shots, it's the Monster Sketches that are most interesting. A section of Set Designs and Blueprints are available, but unless you actually plan on becoming a set designer (or an architect), you can probably skip 'em.
We get a section of trailers too. The TV Spots are standard WB advertisements that appeared during commercial breaks of their fine programming lineup (What? No Michigan J. Frog spots?). Season trailers for Angel and Buffy Season 2 are included, as well as 2 UK spots. To be honest, none of these trailers are anything special. I guess they don't have the magic of trailers for theatrical releases.
Last up are the cast and crew biographies, which are fairly standard. This isn't the most extensive set of extras, but it sure is a lot better than those included with the first season. I do hope that future season sets improve even more in terms of supplements.
Final Thoughts
It's never too late to become a Buffy fan. I missed the first few seasons, but with these box sets released by Fox, it's real easy to catch up. I can't recommend these DVDs enough. I realize a lot of horror fans may be turned off by the "hipness" of the show, especially being a WB production (the show now airs on UPN), as well as the comical and almost cartoonish nature of the monsters. But you don't tune in to Buffy to be scared. You watch for the extremely well written scripts, smart dialogue, and top-notch acting. Season 2 more than delivers in all areas. Season 3 (and Faith!) can't arrive soon enough for me. 47954">
Rating
Season - A
Image Quality
Disc 1: C
Disc 6: B+
Sound - A-
Supplements - Inc.
Technical Info.
DVD
- Fox Home Video
- DVD Released 6/11/2002
- MSRP $59.98
- Running Time - 22 shows @ 40-45 minutes each
- Color
- Region 1, NTSC
- Not Rated
- Full Frame 1.33:1
- 6 Discs, Dual Layered
- 15 Chapter Stops/Episode
- Dolby Digital English 2.0 Surround
- Dolby Digital French 2.0 Surround
- English and Spanish subtitles
DVD Status - IN PRINT
Supplements
- Featurettes: Designing Buffy, A Buffy Bestiary, and Beauty and the Beasts
- Commentary on select episodes
- Select Scripts
- Joss Whedon episode introductions (Episodes 21 and 22)
- Art Gallery
- TV Spots
- Angel Season 1 Trailer
- Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 2 Trailer
- UK Trailer
- Cast and Crew Biographies
Other Pictures
[Back cover]
[Full view - 50 kb]
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