In an attempt to further understand the writing phenomenon of Joss Whedon, I have decided to attempt to watch the entire run of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Yes, dear reader, I am serious. So far, I’ve made it one whole episode and was so overcome with feeling, that I had to write about the experience.

Y’see, Whedon has a strong following. This is unusual for a writer of television. He is in elite company with the likes of J.J. Abrams and… the writer of that show… about the… stuff.

Anyway, I’ve reviewed a Joss Whedon thing before and it wasn’t pretty. Since then I’ve gained a new respect for him because of Firefly and Serenity. They’re good pulpy sci-fi, but not exactly high art or strong science. His newest venture Dollhouse is teetering precariously on the verge of cancellation and each new episode makes me wonder if it wouldn’t be for the best. Sure, it achieved some semblance of decency in the first season, but there was enough bad stuff in there that execu-producer + series star Eliza Dushku had to plead with people to keep going past episode 6 because “that’s when it starts to get good”.

So it is with a healthy heaping of dubiousness that I approach the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series. I was one of the few people who liked (and remembers) the original throw-away movie. What I did not know was that Whedon wrote that original template for the show. With a great cast, I always felt it was an under-appreciated bit of comedy. Even better, it didn’t take itself too seriously, but managed to create tension and a bit of horror.

Sarah Michelle Gellar is no Kristy Swanson. She presents a pretty faithful depiction of 1990s 2000s California without going overboard on valley-girl-isms. There are glimpses of dialogue and I know enough about some of the characters to know that they get to enjoy some serious development over the length of the show. So I’m going to be a little forgiving of the weak action sequences. Maybe they’ll get better!

I think I’ll watch another.