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BtVS is all about characters. That's why the first section of the review is a break-down of the characters in each episode. In fact, I usually won't delve into the plot too much (except to mention any plot holes or anything to that effect). There are several excellent review sites that go deeply into the stories. I'm primarily interested in the people in the show and how they develop.
Guest stars don't get their own sections. The rule I used is that I'll give a character a section if they become a cast member at one point. So, for example, when Spike rolls into town in S2, even though he's not a regular at this point, he gets a section. Because he will be a regular in S4. Likewise, when Oz returns at the end of S4, he has his own section because he was previously on the cast.
(Sidenote: Yes, Tara gets her own section. She does get an opening credit spot in her final episode, "Seeing Red".)
For any given episode, a character may have the equivalent of an essay written about them or they may have only a couple sentences. It's all dependent on their part in the episode and if it developed their character any further.
2. Plot/Bad Guy/Arc:
I'll briefly go over each of these. As mentioned, I'll comment on plot holes and the like, but I won't go too much in depth. And I'll identify the baddie of an episode because good villians are what makes the show interesting.
In the arc section, I comment on whether a particular episode advances the season's arc or not. If it does, I might make some notes as to the direction the arc is going.
3. Overall/Best Moment
Overall is just where I round up my opinion. It's usually a short section, although I do on occassion use it to discuss an aspect of an episode that doesn't fit in any of the character sections. I'll hand out a special performance award. This doesn't go to the best actor in an episode, necessarily. Instead, it goes to the actor who had to do some strange or unusual bit of acting or who just plain amused me.
I rate episodes on a 1 through 10 scale, 10 being the highest. I'm a pretty harsh rater, though. 5 is an average episode. As such, you'll see a lot of episodes getting 5s and 6s. Those AREN'T bad scores. Those are just around average for Buffy. And average for Buffy is far better than the best of most other shows.
9 and 10 are scores reserved for episodes that pack an emotional punch (in other words, they have to make me cry at some point). I don't hand those out too often, so take notice of the episodes that earn them.
The Best Moment section is just where I point out the most important scene. It may not be the best scene of the episode. But it is the scene that has the strongest impact (You'll find that Buffy/Giles scenes tend to get this honor most of the time).
4. Spoilerific:
If you haven't seen the entire series, it's not recommended that you read the reviews unless you want certain surprises ruined. I often refer to future events and episodes in reviews to draw parallels or to point out where a particular story is going. I usually manage to be fairly vague, but still. I don't wanna ruin your viewing experience.
5. Subjectivity:
You'll read a lot of opinions in these reviews. They're all mine. I'm just telling you my impression of what happens. I often try to look at things from other viewpoints, but I still have my own way of looking at things. It may or may not agree with the way you see things. That's cool. A lot of BtVS is open to interpretation (what, exactly, a soul is, a lot of Buffy's decisions, the entire Buffy/Spike relationship). It's always refreshing to hear about what someone else thinks.
6. Season One?
You'll notice there are no S1 reviews. That's simply cause...er...I don't have S1. Sorry. Once I get it, I'll add those reviews to the site. For now, enjoy what I do have.
7. Quotes?
Unlike most review sites, I'm not going to bother listing quotes for an episode. It's a given that any BtVS episode will have a large number of humorous quotes. Those have been written down and passed along numerous times. I'm not gonna bother doing it again.
8. Me?
Just to give you an idea as to who I am. I'm a 23-year-old sci-fi/fantasy fan. I watched Buffy after having seen Firefly on DVD. So I'm definitely a late-comer to the Buffy-fandom. I watched all the seasons on DVD in marathon-style. I've since rewatched them several times to the point where, like a true geek, I have episodes pretty well memorized.
This site came about as a result of my frustration over the lack of any really in-depth review sites for Buffy. I started writing them primarily for my own amusement and for my friends. I started out simply emailing the reviews to my friends for fun, but then I decided to go ahead and put up a website for it. I've since found some lovely review sites that offer excellent analysis of the series (Find them in the links section). But it can never hurt to have another opinion out there.
9. Feedback?
I love to hear what other people think about the show. Whether you agree with me or disagree with me. I don't care. Feel free to let me know. I don't mind debating issues with you, either, if you feel the need to take me to task for my opinion over something.
Email me if you want.
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