The End As We Know It

‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’ Landmark Series to Legions of Fans, to End Production After Seven Acclaimed Seasons. After seven memorable seasons as one of television’s favourite and most critically lauded programs, 20th Century Fox Television and UPN announced today that BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER will end production in April

So it’s coming to an end. After months of speculation the show that many have come to love and to adore is finally coming to a halt. In a way I’m happy about it. Seven fantastic years we’ve had of the show but I can’t help feeling that if maybe there was another season made, then that would be the end of a ‘fantastic’ show and it would becoming a ‘good’ show. Already the show’s ratings started declining from Season 4. Why? I admit, Season 4 wasn’t the best but following that was Season 5 which in my eyes was Buffy at its best. In my opinion, the show slipped slightly after its move from the WB to UPN. Season 6 wasn’t the best season, although it brought to us episodes such as ‘Once More, With Feeling’, ‘Tabula Rasa’ and ‘Seeing Red’. The season finale let the season down on a whole. That’s what sticks in my mind when I think of the season just gone past. How good was the season overall, and how well was it brought to an end? I hear that Joss and Co. always end each season just as if the show were to end. Well that time has finally come. Season 7 on a whole has been average, only a few stand out episodes such as ‘Conversations with Dead People’, but yet nothing special. I just hope that the series climax is an unforgettable episode that sums up the achievement made in its previous years.

Buffy has come on leaps and bounds throughout its 7-year period. Although it hasn’t won all the recognition at award shows as it should have, it’s fan-base it huge and I’m certain it will continue to grow even after the show comes to an end. The episode standard is always high and people have come to expect a great hours worth of television when they tune in. Starting off right at Season 1, the show was only issued 12 episodes at the start. The creators and actors at that time didn’t expect at all for the show to be renewed for a 2nd season. Friends of Sarah Michelle Gellar, who plays the lead role of Buffy, were saying to her “Don’t worry, you’ll get another pilot again next year”. But after the first season finale, it got overwhelming ratings and great reviews about it. So onto Season 2 soon after, and the show not only needed to be at the same standard, but it needed to be much better to keep the viewers. And it certainly succeeded, as did Season 3 of the show. But then, for some unknown reason the viewers began to switch off. The ratings declined for Seasons 4 and 5, and the WB network no longer wanted to fund the show. So it was up to UPN to save the day. A new life for Buffy on a new network, everything seemed fine. But even with more money being funded into the show the ratings still didn’t really increase and during Season 7 Sarah Michelle Gellar told Entertainment Weekly that she is quitting Buffy to concentrate on her movie career.

In my opinion, like I stated earlier I am half happy that this decision was made. Don’t get me wrong, I love the show and will always continue to watch it as long as it is on air, but as I think the standard is slipping (and I’m sure many others will disagree with me) it is better to end the show while it is still on a high, rather than drag it on and on. Some speculation before the announcement was if Sarah were to quit, would there be a new lead role for the show? I am certainly very happy that this did not happen as in the end – how can you have a show called ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ without Buffy?

So come May 20th in the USA the final ever episode of Buffy will have been aired. Please Joss, let it be memorable and thank you for bringing us 7 years of such a fantastic show!

Thank you for reading. Thoughts? Comments?