Rating: 
Summary: most excellent
Review: I've seen the Buffy episodes over and over again. I bought the first season sight unseen and ordered the second season the second I knew it was available. The price is right--20+ episodes for a very reasonable price. I felt like the price was a gift to the fans. Unlike the Star Trek: Next Generation or X-Files boxed sets which are regularly priced over a hundred dollars, the owners of the Buffy franchise priced this set so that just about anyone can afford to own it. Thank you. Please continue to keep the prices reasonable as you release the rest of the seasons.The series is excellent. They explore interesting ideas and events by allowing the demons to represent those problems and Buffy solves the problem by slaying them. Every episode doesn't have a pat ending and the restrained quality of the entire acting company adds to the series. I am 45 years old so the series appeals to more than just to teens and young adults.
Rating:
Summary: Season 2
Review: I believe that Season 2 is the best season. The characters develope throughout this season. Relationships grow closer. This season is filled with emotions, but still with it's funny twist on things. It is true that many people think that the title is stupid, but look past the title, watch the episodes and you will know what people like about "buffy."
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST SEASON OF BUFFY - A GREAT PLACE TO START!!
Review: Like another reviewer said, I also got hooked on watching BtVS with the season 2 finale "Becoming" Pts. 1 & 2. I just happened upon it and taped it while watching it, and was so blown away by the end of pt. 2, that I called to my husband, "Come here, you HAVE to watch this." He was speechless at the end of the episode. Well, we spent all summer watching Season 2 reruns and getting caught up with the storyline, and we've been hooked ever since! Even if you haven't ever see Buffy, Season 2 is a great place to start!!! I waited FOREVER for Season One to come out on DVD, and I can't wait to get this one either.
For heavens' sake, people, BUY THIS DVD NOW!!!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best TV shows ever made
Review: Building on the first season, this second season is often seen as the best by many long-standing fans. This is perhaps a wise choice as it is season two that really proved to the critics that 'Buffy' was not just some ordinary science-fiction drama. Through use of metaphor the show has transcended its apparent limits. For instance, a boyfriend turning 'evil' after the heroine sleeps with him and puberty being shown as being literally monstrous. If it were merely the show's intelligence that was standout then it certainly would be interesting to watch. However season two manages to combine various elements to prove once again that 'Buffy' is one of the best TV shows at the moment. This season has a distinctly gothic theme in accordance to its knowing nods to its several references. Yet maybe it is the pop-culture heavy dialogue and references from sources as broad as Humphrey Bogart to 'The Exorcist', that make this show so original. With its intelligent themes it has won over the critics whilst its solid stories and clear knowledge of what being a teenager is like have endeared it to countless people from all age groups. In a particularly clever device, school is literally hell. One thing certainly worth noting is the acting though, which is never less than excellent. It would be pointless to reel off names, yet Sarah Michelle Gellar brings a real vulnerability to her role as the slayer and is perfectly complemented by David Boreanaz as both her loving boyfriend and ironically her worst enemy. Also worth noting are the several new characters that appear in the second season such as Oz (Seth Green), Spike (James Marsters), Drusilla (Juliet Landau) and Kendra (Bianca Lawson). Whilst obviously centring around Buffy, the show does well to manage to progress all of its other characters as well. For instance, all of the main stars have an episode which is revolves around them, notably Xander with 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered' and Willow and Oz in 'Phases'. With a winning formula of absolutely laugh-out-loud comedy, the programme has also managed to stage tragedy and drama effectively as well. Whilst the many comic episodes are superb, the pivotal and overwhelmingly tragic episodes are what really impress. Yet what is even more impressive is the fact that each of these episodes remains distinct and outstanding in its own right. In particular, 'Passion' is devastating after an effective and genuinely scary build-up of tension. The mid-way episode 'Innocence' has such a tenderly moving and upsetting final scene that it manages to evoke tears without death or injury. Season two manages to go out with a bang too, with a two-part finale which promises the end of the world. Under many directors this could well have been reduced to just a cheesy plot, yet writer and director Joss Whedon manages to create a real glimpse at the horrors of adolescence and has mastered all of the themes that seen synonymous with the genre, especially friendship and love. Season two is a showcase for a show that not only has unerring popularity yet is also unerringly brilliant, witty and intelligent.
Rating:
Summary: The operatic second season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
Review: I do not consider it hyperbole to talk about the second season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" as scaling operatic heights, culminating with the glorious aria of "Becoming, Part 2," which I still relentlesly tout as one of the ten best dramatic hours on television I have ever seen in my life. I have watched a lot of television and have been teaching classes about this topic for over half my life, so I believe I can make a pretty convincing case. We witnesses the potential of this series in Season 1, when creator Joss Whedon held off on the revelation that the mysterious Angel was really a vampire, who just happened to have a soul and loved the Slayer, until half way through the abbreviated first season. In Season 2, we find out just how far true love can go wrong. Love continues to be a very painful thing for the Scooby Gang, as Cordelia ("Some Assembly Required"), Xander ("Inca Mummy Girl") and Joyce ("Ted"), find out. Then again, prospects look much better for Willow ("Phases"), although we never really do take the Cordelia-Xander romance ("Go Fish") to be anything more than a cosmic joke, which does offer up the delightfully twisted "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" as the exception that proves the rule (footnote: Buffy spends most of the episode as the Buffy rat because Sarah Michelle Gellar was hosting SNL that week). Of the off-arc stories, "Halloween" and "Ted" are clearly the best of the bunch. But when it comes to romance, Buffy and Angel are truly on the road to hell paved with the best of intentions. It is clear in the season premier episode, "When She Was Bad," that things are different. When Buffy dances seductively with Xander, taunting him with her sexuality, the ante has been upped considerably. The pivotal point in the season comes with episode 13 (of 22), "Surprise," when Buffy unknowingly undoes Angel's curse on the night of her 17th birthday by making love to him. Why the gypsies put in the Faustian (in the Goethe sense) escape clause via the moment of true happiness and contentment is debatable, but the galvanizing effect on the show is truly impressive. When Angelus brutally slays Jenny Calendar in "Passion," leaving her body in a grotesque display for Giles to discover in his bed (while opera music soars in the background), it is the symbolic Hellmouth of the show opening up. The audience is shocked into realizing how bad things can get, only the worst is yet to come. Giles's anger buys him one shot at Angelus, but Buffy has to rescue him. They turn on each other in anger, and Buffy actually slugs him to the ground before they collapse weeping in each other's arms. Buffy tells him, "I can't do this alone," but this proves to be most ironically incorrect. Clearly Whedon constructs each season around two half-season story arcs. The first half of Season 2 heralds the arrival of Spike and Dru, and the quick departure of "The Annoying One." Of course now we look back and are amazed at what James Marsters has done with the role of Spike, but at this point it is Juliet Landau's ditzy psychotic vampire who provides the flair of the dark side. Whedon brings the first half to a climax in "What's My Line?," the show's first two-parter, where we are introduced to Kendra the Vampire Slayer. It seems Buffy's brief moment of death at the hands of the Master in "Prophecy Girl" has some long reaching implications we only begin to appreciate at this point. But with the return of Angelus everything changes. Spike and Drusilla are trying to reassemble the Judge, a grotesque who cannot be killed "by any weapon forged." Then everybody learns the truth about not only Angel's transformation but also Jenny's betrayal. Thus begins the deadly game of cat and mouse between Angel and his former allies, which culminates in the two parts of "Becoming." Both parts of "Becoming" are written and directed by Whedon, and represent the apex of his work on the series. When Angeleus opens the portal to Hell, only his blood can close it, but things are not going to be that easy for Buffy. The dramatic culmination contains the best fight sequence (with swords) in a show that prides itself on innovative staging of its fights, and is an ultimately emotionally shattering experience captured beautifully by Sarah Michelle Gellar's slow dissolve into tears while the haunting Sarah McLachlan song "Full of Grace" is played. Joss Whedon had set this moment up from the first episode of the series. It is a payoff usually reserved for the final episode of a series and not simply the end of the second season. "Becoming" is truly an astounding accomplishment in the history of dramatic television and when you watch the entire second season again you can appreciate how brilliantly this shattering conclusion is set up. The original theatrical film was a teaser, the first season on television was an appetizer, but the second season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was epic and once you see this, whether again or for the first time, you are not going to want to stop here. It is especially nice to see that the extras have gone up a couple of notches for the Season 2 DVD collection which is clearly priced to be accessible to BtVS's loyal fans. Yes, we all appreciated having the entire first season, just like our Buffy brethren across the sea, but certainly we expected more goodies from Whedon and crew, especially given the high quality of "The Watchers Guide," the show's official companion volumes. Clearly there is a lot of thought put into this show, which means any and all insights and looks behind the curtain are greatly appreciated.
Rating:
Summary: "Buffy" Comes Of Age
Review: With the features-packed DVD of "Buffy" Season 2 due to hit our mailboxes any month now, it's time for a look back at the episodes that arguably turned the show from closet-watching fascination to cult phenomenon. Season 2 was "Buffy"'s first full-length run of 22 episodes, up from 12 the previous spring. David Boreanaz (Angel) joined the cast full-time, and in his first episode, "When She Was Bad", it's clear that his feelings for Buffy have not gone away during the season hiatus. The romantic tension between the leads is intense in the season premiere, with Buffy challenging Angel to a fight (which would come back to be very important later), and Xander and Willow nearly kissing. "School Hard" introduced the season's recurring villains, Spike and Drusilla, the "Sid and Nancy" of the vampire world. Spike hunts down Buffy through dark school characters, and Principal Snyder drops the first hint of the dark Sunnydale conspiracy of silence. "Inca Mummy Girl" and "Reptile Boy" are two fun monster shows. David Greenwalt, later the driving force behind the "Angel" show, will give audio commentary to the latter story, and this is anticipated to provide a great glimpse of how he's influenced both shows. "Halloween", "Lie To Me", and "The Dark Age" explore the characters of Giles, Angel, Spike and Drusilla much more thoroughly, each showing scary glimpses of their dark pasts. The first of these stories introduces the recurring warlock Ethan Rayne, an old "friend" of Giles. The second features Jason Behr, who appeared in every WB teen series ever. "What's My Line?", a two-parter, here with audio commentary by executive producer Marti Noxon (another huge cog in the "Buffy" wheel), introduces the notion of the "second slayer", sends the Buffy/Angel romance to a new level -- and features a surprising coupling between two other regulars. It's the first of the season's three two-parters, and you'll be impressed to know that this is the weakest of the three. "Ted" is notable for Special Guest Star John Ritter. At the time, this bit of casting was seen as a triumph for the show, just getting attention in the national media. He's a great psychopath, Jack Tripper-style. "Surprise"/"Innocence" is the next two-parter, presented with Joss Whedons commentary. "Innocense" moved "Buffy" from Monday nights to Tuesday, getting out of the "Seventh Heaven" shadow and anchoring its own night on the WB. Buffy and Angel have their moment of true happiness; Xander and Cordelia give Willow a moment of true unhappiness, and suddenly Spike and Drusilla are no longer the only villains. These two hours are among "Buffy"'s greatest achievement. "Phases" is a funny werewolf show, moving Seth Green's popular Oz into the inner-circle Scooby Gang. "Bewitched, Bothered and Wildered" is Xander's comic Valentine's Day nightmare, with another appearance by Amy the teen witch. "Passion" revels again in "Buffy"'s ability to kill off regular characters. Many BtVS fans name this their favorite episode of all time. The season ends with a final two-parter, "Becoming", and when part two aired, the four-month hiatus until Season 3 began, became unbearable. These two hours show, via flashback, the origins of Drusilla, Angel, and Buffy. The Buffy/Angel "forbidden romance of all time" comes to a shocking conclusion, and Spike comes to a sudden decision about his loyalties. Pay special attention to his fight with Buffy at the beginning of Part Two. Five years gone by, he's still with us. The final episode changes every basic premise of the show, and if you haven't seen it before, you'll be left stunned. Indeed there's barely a rotten episode in the bunch, with only a couple of the 22 hours you won't watch more than once. With a sixth disc full of production featurettes, and hours of commentary from the production time -- and at an extremely reasonable price for a 6-disc set -- this is the must-buy DVD set of the year.
Rating:
Summary: We can all agree on the second season
Review: Most everyone who I know that watches BTVS feels that the second season is the best, and I couldn't agree more. The scope and sequence of the shows is truly amazing, from episode one in which Buffy sports a nasty 'tude in dealing with the Master, to the last episode where Buffy must make a heartbreaking decision about Angel. What happens in between these shows is an expansive list of entertainment: the introduction of Spike and Drusilla; Zander falls in love with an Incan mummy; Buffy attends a fraternity party only to find out something evil lurks in the basement; the first Buffy Halloween episode; Giles's past comes back to haunt him and his friends; the original second slayer, not Faith, but Kendra, is introduced; Angel's past is revealed; Oz is exposed as more than human; Zander getting more than what he bargains for in the Valentine's Day episode; Angel loses his soul, becomes evil again, and kills one of the characters on the show; that bad, blue dude, the Judge, is assembled and plans to destroy the world. I haven't even mentioned "Some assembly required", "Lie to me", "Ted (with John Ritter)," "Bad eggs," "Killed by death," "I only have eyes for you," or "Go fish."
Those who love BTVS will undoubtedly buy this collection, but for those people who only "like" the show (or by god don't even really watch BTVS), do yourself a favor and buy this one set. It's the best season of one the best shows on television.
Rating:
Summary: A must have for "Buffy" viewers everywhere!
Review: For anyone who knows anything about "Buffy," the second season is the absolute best - hands down. If you are a new "Buffy" fan and have never seen the second season, this is a must have. I've literally been counting down the days until it's release!
Rating:
Summary: Simply, the BEST TV show season ever made
Review: its true, guys, simply the best stuff around. and this DVD set is a blessing for us all who missed it. The Buffy series is great, and after 6 years, it still is, and even if the current season 6 is really amazing, i dont know if i would have been into the series the way i did had it been the first season i saw, and if it had been, after seeing season 2, i dont know if i'd like season 6 so much. the reason: neve have i seen a series which, in the blink of an eye, changed dramatically from comedy into drama so brilliantly executed. Surprise and innocence will remain in my mind as one of the greatest story twists ever made in all history, as well as Becoming will be forever the best ending i ever saw, truly a masterpiece season, these few episodes justify the price since, im honest, they got deep within me. be smart, BUY this thing if you want to live, or if you want a TV series which makes you feel something special.
Rating:
Summary: Ah Buffy Memories
Review: I am so excited this is finally up for pre-order! The first episode of Buffy that I saw was the season finale "Becoming I/II" and I have been hooked ever since. This is perhaps the best Buffy season ever, with great characters (Oz, Spike, Drusilla, Angelus), great plots and some of the saddest moments in Buffy history, with episodes like "Surprise/Innocence," "When She was Bad" and of course the incredible "Becoming I/II." We also see Willow experience love and experiment with magic for the first time. It will be great to see all the episodes in order and hopefully the extras on this disk are much better than the Season 1 DVD, which were kind of disappointing. Can't wait for Season 3!
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