The Jury's Still Out: Buffy vs. Traditional SciFi/Fantasy Standards

I have heard about Buffy before from various friends and family member and have heard a spectral variety of praise and criticism regarding the show. With no direct exposure, I have been thus unable to determine my own reaction. However, I have had some experience with other work by this creator, specifically extended exposure to Serenity - and vicariously to Firefly as well - and some minimal exposure Dr. Horrible. I have found each of these to fall into my realm of desirable and enjoyable entertainment.

In continuation, having had very little exposure to shows such as Buffy, and having some familiarity with shows such as Firefly, I was expecting some similar strain of show of a comparable quality. I was surprised – and somewhat mistaken. As per my initial impression of Buffy, it is less impressive than Firefly promises to be from all that all that I have heard about it prior to this course. I suppose it does not help that I am entering into the world of Buffy en media rez as opposed to right from the beginning. I have no concept of the character or plot development; of the interactions, both friendly and hostile, among the characters; the reasoning behind the location; or a clearly identifiable schema for determining friends, enemies, and those that fall in-between.

I have no clear opinion on the series as of yet; however, I do have some observations that may be noteworthy in the formation of my definitive opinion. The age of the protagonist implies that the series was created and geared toward a high-school-type audience; the fight-scenes are portrayed oddly, with the characters moving at times as if they have been sped up, and in an overly-dramatic and drawn-out style typical of a dramatic or adventure-type scene to prolong the tension. Personally, I could have done without the excessively loud make-out sessions between Buffy and Angel, but that is neither here nor there.

My hope is that I do not appear as an elitist by my comments; I have nothing against Buffy as of yet. I will admit, however, that, according to the level of knowledge about vampiric lore that I currently possess, this series rubs me about the same way that the Twilight saga with its sparkling vampires does, which does not promise success in procuring me as a fan of the series. I continue to remain open-minded, however, with the hopes that the character and plot development and character interactions will prove the series meritorious.