As someone who just finished watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the first time, I have some strong feelings about the show. They’re mostly about how much I love Rupert Giles and how hot I think Spike is. All important thoughts, I know. Still, it is a show that I wish I watched as a young vampire-loving teen because it does feel so important to who I am. I love it dearly, even the parts of it that don’t hold up so well today.
So now that I am fully aboard the Buffy train, I have to say that I am not happy with the Honest Trailer for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is the point, of course, as Honest Trailers are beloved for ripping pop culture a new one. But this trailer targets aspects of the show in a mean way and credits Joss Whedon for things that are not entirely his doing. Especially when he’s not as involved later on in the show’s run.
The trailer focuses on dunking on Joss Whedon which, to be fair, is more than apt. But Whedon was not the only person who worked on Buffy. Writer/Producer Marti Noxon played a major role in the series and the issues that the trailer brings up. Still, it feels like the trailer is picking on low-hanging fruit, like how poorly it aged. Granted, this is from a girl who just watched Buffy for the first time but hey, I’m being honest here.
Buffy isn’t perfect, but don’t dismiss it
I don’t think this Honest Trailer set out to be mean, or meaner than other Honest Trailers. But it does feel a bit dismissive of the real impact that Buffy the Vampire Slayer has had (and continues to have) on young viewers, particularly on young women. If I had written this piece when I paused Buffy based on my feelings about Whedon, I probably would have laughed and agreed with it. But learning about Noxon’s involvement, finishing the series, and coming to terms with my own love and admiration for it really changed how I viewed Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a whole.
Yes, I’m aware I was late to the Buffy train and my defending the show against the Honest Trailer probably feels a little weak but hear me out: I am not someone who would ever defend Joss Whedon. The show Buffy the Vampire Slayer still does, despite the odds, work. We get to see this girl who just wants to be a girlie girl try and live her life in the midst of sleeping with hot vampires and hanging around with her friends who are witches, demons, and … Xander. Oh, and she kills a bunch of baddies AND saves the world twice? It’s literally my dream life.
Not going to lie though, Honest Trailers did really nail the plot device with the Hellmouth. That part got me good. And they did leave the terrible CGI hanging, huh?
(featured image: 20th Century Fox)
