Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 2 - Review

SEASON 2

This is the season where Buffy really hit its stride and told some really great stories as well as developed all the characters in interesting ways. It's also a bit of an anomaly in Buffy; it managed to take the silly tone of Season 1 and blend it with the more somber tone of the later seasons. You can probably chalk this up to just being a transitional season bridging the campiness and seriousness but I firmly believe that this mixture works best for the series. That's probably the main reason this is my favorite season of the show; well that, and the fact that the villains are fantastic.

Spike and Dru injected a much needed "cool" villain that could really affect the lives of the Scoobies. The Master was a more traditional bad guy who just lived in a cave and indirectly tried to kill the group, but Spike and Dru really made things happen and managed to be likable in their villainy. But the real highlight of the season is David Boreanaz as Angel. He has certainly came a long way from his slightly stiff performance in the pilot; once he goes evil in Innocence, you can see that untapped potential he's been storing up. He absolutely shines as Angelus, making him so intensely evil and reveling in it. But there are also a couple times when he gets to dial back like in I Only Have Eyes for You and the end of Becoming Part 2; these contrasting points are what make him such a great actor. You can hardly tell it's the same person because he seems to get so lost in the Angelus performance. While Buffy does have a couple other memorable Big Bads, Angelus is certainly the most powerful and also the one that relates closest to our heroine.

Speaking of heroes, all four major characters get their moments to shine. Buffy's standout episode is certainly Innocence, and Sarah Michelle Gellar's performance in that one is stellar. Willow shows tremendous growth in her dating Oz and beginning to stand up more for herself and her friends. Xander begins to evolve from his comic relief status and deliver some really great performances as well, especially his speech to Willow while she's in a coma in Becoming Part 2. And perhaps the unsung member of the season, Giles, while in the background for a lot of the season, gets two big big episodes. The Dark Ages reveals a lot about Giles past and makes him a more interesting character, while Passion forces him to deal with the death of Jenny and even confront Angel in a really great moment from Anthony Stewart Head. Even Cordelia and Oz, who up to this point were mostly foils, get fleshed out. Their development comes moreso later on, but it's nice to see a foundation here.

This is a season full of highlights, so it's hard to pick the best few. But here are my top five: Passion, Innocence, Becoming Part 2, Lie to Me, and The Dark Ages. There really aren't any bad episodes this season; even the sillier ones like Reptile Boy and Go Fish have some really memorable moments, or are otherwise just fun romps. Most of the episodes have a solid metaphor to back them up, or at least a strong drive in character or plot. It's an incredibly solid season and even though some of it doesn't quite shake that Season 1 cheesiness, I find it works in the show's favor. Season 3 is remarkably less cheesy for the most part, and forges ahead, further defining the show in tone. But Season 2 is the sweet spot: not quite cheesy, not quite serious, but still a lot of fun.

*****