Going back to Buffy the Vampire Slayer feels like digging into an old box of memories, where you forgot how much you loved them. It has that specific kind of nostalgia that hits in the best way. The outfits, the music, the high school angst mixed with supernatural chaos all come flooding back. I grew up on this show, and it still holds up way better than I expected.
What makes Buffy special is the characters. Yes, the monster of the week format is fu,n and the lore gets surprisingly deep, but it has always been about the people. Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles, you watch them grow, mess up, and fight through things that feel way more real than just demons and vampires. The show excels at capturing those emotional moments, particularly when it focuses on the characters and their relationships. Some of the story arcs are genuinely heartbreaking and still have the same impact years later.
That said, not every season is perfect. The middle stretch loses some steam, especially around seasons four and five. The entire Initiative storyline never really landed for me, and I must say, Riley has got to be one of the most forgettable and frustratingly dull love interests I have ever seen on television. He just kind of exists. There is no spark, and not much depth; somehow, he manages to make every scene feel flatter than it should. I know they were trying to give Buffy someone different from Angel, but Riley honestly felt more like filler than a real romantic lead.
Even with that slump, the show finds its rhythm again. The later seasons get weird in a good way, and from start to finish, some episodes are nothing short of iconic. Hush, The Body, Once More with Feeling, there is really nothing else like them. The show was not afraid to try bold things, and it usually pulled them off.
If you watched Buffy when it first aired, it is definitely worth revisiting. And if you never have, it still feels surprisingly fresh. It is funny, dark, emotional, a little clunky at times, but always full of heart. Just be prepared to power through the Riley era. It gets better.
