DVD Review - Buffy The Vampite Slayer, Season 7

While it doesn't achieve the overall highs of seasons 2 or 3 and the individual high points may not comes as quickly, Season 7 is most definitely not the last gasp of an aging franchise and had Whedon not been over extended, there was clearly more to mine from this neighborhood of the Buffyverse. D.B. Woodside's Principal Wood was an intriguing character and it's a shame his time on the series was so limited. As evidenced by his time here and on the superb 24, Woodside is an accomplished actor that gave the series a needed jolt of masculine energy. His scenes with Spike (James Marsters) as well as with Eliza Dushku's Faith added depth and spark to episodes that otherwise might have been a little too overloaded with whining, 15 year-old "evil bait." Not only that, as the creators of the season have since mentioned, season 7 is really the culmination of Buffy's journey from a very powerful girl under the (at least partial) control of male authority figures to a strong, independent woman and a hero, as opposed to a heroine. The theme of Hero vs. Heroine is one that has occupied Joss for the entire run of the series and here Joss has made his final statement. Over the years Buffy has severed her ties to the (mostly) male Watcher's Council, severed the official teacher/pupil relationship that she had with Giles and even her wayward father is really never mentioned anymore. Now, in season 7, Buffy has defied the will and control of the ancient group of men who created the slayer line (by the forced merging of girls with demons, BTW) and has spread the wealth, literally. While from a fan's point of view it was painful to see the series end, it was nice to see Whedon et. al. treat their title character with the respect she had earned.

The season also offered the writers their last chance to put in any of the randomness and whimsy that we've come to rely on from the series.

From the ever-reliable Giles, returning to Sunnydale:
"Sorry to barge in. I'm afraid we have a slight...apocalypse."

To Mr. malaprop, Spike:
"No need to thank me, I'm just the one who beat him off!....Repelled him would perhaps be the better phrase. Demon." - Spike after saving Anya

And of course, Willow's unintentional raunch:
"This goes beyond anything I've ever done. It's a total loss of control. And not in a nice, wholesome 'My girlfriend has a pierced tongue' kind of way'!"

And of course, the complete non sequitur Whedon always wanted to use:

Spike (waking from a dream): "I'm drowning in footwear!....Weird dream."

Special attention must be paid to the cast, however. Many ensembles, while in the evenings of their series, have given in to the temptation to sit back and play out the string, as it were and this lazy acting comes through. Not so with the Scoobies, however. The strong acting that was there virtually from the start, continued to drive this series to the end. Without Sarah Michelle Geller, Marsters, Dushku, Alyson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendon, Charisma Charpenter (whose character continued to develop on Angel), Emma Caulfield, Michelle Trachtenberg,

David Boreanaz, Kristine Sutherland and of course, Anthony Stewart Head, et al. and their steadfast portrayal of the unreal as the real (well, as real as can be with vampires, demons and a French monkey with pants), BTVS might not have picked up the following it did and develop into one of the most creative and memorable series in the history of television.

Extras on this set are better than average but as usual, not enough. However, I must confess that I doubt there could ever be enough extras enough to satisfy the hungry throng of Buffy addicts of which I am a proud member. That said, there are several that deserve to be paid special attention for better or for worse.

First of all (and I am as tired of writing this as you are of reading it so I'll stop now): WHY no re-mastered 5.1 sound? I know it's expensive and the mastering of the Dolby Digital 2.0 sound on these discs has been, by and large, quite good, but the fact is, this is a loud show. Having to rewind discs from tie to time to make sure I catch all the dialog is actually pretty irritating. The cast and crew commentaries are, by and large, quite good, although the continued absence of most of the cast is a glaring omission. The reasons for these absences are debated endlessly online but the bottom line is, while it's great hearing Whedon, Noxon, et. al. discuss the episodes, a few inputs from Gellar, Hannigan et. al. might be nice. That said, this collection has more cast members doing commentaries than any before and they're mostly fantastic. Director Nick Marck, writers Espenson and Goddard and cast members Danny Strong (Jonathan) and Tom Lenk (Andrew) weigh in on "Conversations With Dead People" and the result is hysterical. This is non only one of the best episodes of the season but also one of the top hours of the series. Jonathan and Andrew are two of the most interesting characters Whedon has created (the latter figures rather importantly in this season and again in Angel season 5) and it's nice to hear the actors discuss their roles here. They also work well with the director and writers and the legendary Buffy/Angel on-set camaraderie shines through, here. This is also a perfect example of how talented people working together can craft a brilliant piece of work at the last minute. Apparently there was virtually no script shortly before shooting began and the episode was in fact written by four separate writers, each taking different characters. Espenson in particular points out a very telling aspect of Buffy's character that has been with the slayer since the beginning. To paraphrase, she points out that Buffy has an inferiority complex about her superiority complex. Explains a lot, doesn't it? The other prime example as to why the cast should have been cajoled into appearing on more commentaries comes in the form of Brendon's commentary (with Goddard) on "Dirty Girls." If not taking yourself or what you do for a living too seriously is to be considered a virtue, Brendon's a near-saint.

Apart from the commentaries, the extra that's going to appeal most to the legions of Buffy fanatics is the featurette entitled "The Last Sundown." On this, Whedon let's us know his 10 favorite episodes. Naturally, most of them are those he's written and/or directed, but the so what? He's the boss! I won't ruin the suspense for you, but you can probably guess most of them, anyway. Other extras include perhaps the lamest outtakes reel in this history of the idea. More of a "random clips" reel. The featurettes are pretty good this time. "Buffy: It's Always Been About the Fans" is a needed tribute to the people who made the show the phenomenon it is, while "Generation S" seems like a half-baked attempt at justifying the teenage "potentials" that crowded up the Summers house this season. The Season 7 overview is a nice way for the creators to discuss what they were trying to do and "Buffy Wraps" might actually bring tears to the eyes of the failthful. Of course, the glaring absence of Ms. Gellar is a big downer. Honestly, I don't care it's because she chose to skip the various commentaries and featurettes, wasn't asked or was too busy. Someone should have made sure that Buffy was actually in some of the extras on the DVD of the show that bears her name.

To puchase this DVD from my affiliate, please click here: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Seventh Season

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