Rating: 
Summary: The long run
Review: This is a great offer for people who just have not been able to get their seasons, and are eager to do so. I can barely imagine the experience of having four seasons of Buffy being sent at one single time. It is really a long run to keep up just before ordering season 5... but it is worth the effort; well, because it won't be an unpleasant effort. These boxs have the same things the original realeases had.
The first four years of the adventures of the slayer show the growth of the characters and their relationships. In season 1 the viewer witness stand alone episodes (with the exception of the season opener two-parter). The best definition for this season is given by Giles in the second episode: they will face not only vampires, but all sorts of creatures and dangers... and it will be something new every time. Well, it is a good definition of the series, but in particular for its first year. That's when the self-contained stories kept changing devils and enemies each week. Except for the master, but he is only a present danger in the season finale "Prophecy Girl". One could say that year one stablishes the characters (Buffy, former cheerleader turned into a slayer, comes to Sunnydale after getting expelled from her former school in L.A.; she meets an odd british librarian, who turns out to be her watcher, a couple of freaks: Xander, the clown-wanna-be and Willow, the nerd... and then, of course, there is Cordelia, her nemesis in the high school social life arena) and the directions the show can take (vampire, non-vampire stories). That is why there are so many elemental stories in this season (some work well, some don't). The high points of this season are beginning and end, particularly: "Wellcome to the hellmouth", "The Harvest" and "Prophecy Girl". There are episodes like "I, Robot, you Jane" that don't work too well, but there is allways something that one can enjoy. In the aforementioned episode, one has to cherish their final moment, when they joke about being doomed in their relationships, and their laughs become a somewhat odd mourning sound. "The Pack" stands out as one of the most entertaining hours of that season, while Angel sets wonderfully the background of the vampire with a soul, who Buffy seems to be in love with.
The second year revolves more around a very pivotal story arc in the series: her relationship with Angel, and how he loses his soul after spending a night of happiness with her. There are still many stand alone episodes, but this season works a little harder to embrace more complex stories. The high points of this season are: "When she was bad", "School Hard" (Spike and Drusilla are introduced), "Surprise", "Innocence", "Passion", "Becoming I and II", and among the stand alones: "Bewitched...", "Phases" and "I only have eyes for you". The extras in this box are out of this world. Three great featurettes explain the monsters, the make-up and the sets of the series. I particularly enjoyed the Bestiary.
Season 3 has Buffy mourning after killing Angel and leaving Sunnydale. She lives in L.A. she returns by the second episode to Sunnydale in order to try and get her life back on track. Xander and Cordelia grow closer, as do Willow and Oz... but the two former friends begin to experience an attraction. Buffy tries to find her way back to a love life, but Angel's return from beyond holds her back. This is something that Spike (in a brief come back to the series in this season) underlines and will lead to the heartbreaking season finale, when Angel and Buffy break up and he leaves town. A new slayer appears (after Kendra's death in Becoming) and takes the wrong way. Late in the season she finds her place, which she was unable to find in Buffy's side, next to the big bad of the season (the major). The season ends with an epic battle between the graduating class and the major-snake. The high moments of this season are "Graduation day I and II", "Faith, hope and trick", "Beauty and the beasts", "The Wish", "The Zeppo" (most entertaining as were allways the episodes devoted to Xander), "Doppelgangland", "Earshot".
The fourth season presented Buffy triying to adjust to her new life as a college student. This is a time for exploration and finding a new voice, for each character. Spike returns, but he is captured by a group of government commandos who delve into the paranormal. He has a chip inserted in him, which prevents him from harming humans. Buffy finds a new love interest, the trustworthy Riley. But as Buffy interests herself in the initiative, she begins to uncover dark agendas within the organization, which leads to a moral breakdown in Riley, while a big bad makes his appearance, Adam: a cyborg/monster/human, who Buffy is unable to defeat by herself. By the end of the season a new epic battle takes place inside the initiative, but that is not the season finale. "Restless" shows in a wonderfull and strange way, the journey of the characters through dreams. The high points of the season are: "The harsh light of the day", "Superstar", "Something blue", "Hush" (the emmy nominated silent episode), "Primeval", "A new man" (Giles becomes a demon), "Restless".
The extras are wonderfull in all seasons... the audio commentaries are as entertaining as one can see in TV to DVD. I particularly enjoy Joss Whedon's commentaries (Restless is wonderfull). The featurettes are very entertaining. Buffy speak, in the season 3 box is very good. In season 4, pretty much all featurettes are very insightfull and entertaining (featurettes on Hush, Spike, Oz, the music of the series, etc). By viewing these seasons in such a long run, one can pick the changing moments of the series, and understand their importance later on, such as, Willow's encounter with her vampire persona leading her to believe that her vampire version is gay... or the First's appearance in season 3's Ammends. But the most entertaining thing has to be having the emmotional path of the characters until that moment compiled in "Restless".
Rating:
Summary: A Collectors Item To Own
Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer has sparked a generation in television since the begining of the show. Its fan base has grew over the past few years (and is still currently growing) massivly. I am a true Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan just like anyone else. and Let me just take this moment to say that these past 7 years (actually 6 1\2 years) had been the best. After watching the show over and over I'd started to be very obsessed with the show. (like the show had put a spell over me or something) and I still am. Anyway enough about how I feel, what matters is how you (thats right, YOU) that major Buffy fans and viewers feel about owning this spectacular DVD collection. The first four seasons had made many changes for the rest of the seasons, the show started to mature and started writting episodes that deal with every day life, and the stuff humans go through and I think Joss really proved himself on that. When you order this collection you'll be owning 78 out of the 144 episodes of the series. The first season deals with Buffy moving to Sunnydale trying to start a new life (along with her mom Joice),meeting her friends and watcher and having to deal with saving the world at the same time.The master is the BIG villan in this season who had been living underground since the earthquake in 1938. Episodes like "Witch" deals with another issue that did not invole any vampires in the episode. What Joss wanted to tell the viewers is that Buffy will face other types of demons not just vampires. In the episode "Never Kill A Boy On The First Date" Buffy gets asked out by a guy she likes, at the same time the master creates a plan to get the anointed one to help him kill the slayer after he has sent vampires on a killing streak he tells them kill 5 people and out of their ashes the anointed shall rise. Buffy must go to the Mourge to stop them from their plan from working meanwhile Owen (Buffys Date) decides to come along. That episode was really one of the best of the season. In season 2 Buffy starts getting into a relationship with Angel. Where at the end of the season when having sex Angel looses his soul. Some other new characters appear on the show like Spike and Drusilla (Who are bad-ass vampires) Oz (Who is a wearwolf and dating Willow) and Kendra (Who became the slayer after Buffys quick death in season 1). When Angel turns bad (He's the Big villan in season 2) he starts tourchering Buffy, and her freinds and then sadly kills Mrs. Jenny Calender. In the last episode of season 2 Buffy must finally confront Angel for the last time for a battle. She must risk Angel's life from stopping him from sending the whole earth to Hell. In season 3 it's Buffy and her freinds senior year of high school where they face the same issues teens go through. In the middle of the season Mayor Wilkons III (The BIG villan in this season) comes to town planning to have an assention on Graduation Day. Another character comes to Sunnydale named Faith who was the chossen one after Kendra died at the end of season 2. Faith is more free harted then Buffy is and they become two different people. A new character also comes on the show named Anya who is a 1100yr old vengance demon who then falls for Xander. Torwards the middle of the season while on patrolling, Faith accidentily kills a human that makes Faith go to a darker place torwards the end of the season. The Mayor and Faith starts forming a bond at the end of the season and when it comes time for Buffy to face her she stabs her leaving Faith in a coma. When Graduation Day finally comes Buffy gets the whole senior class to help her stop the assention. At the end of the season Angel leaves Buffy (and moves to LA to start a new life, Cordilia also goes with him)Buffy leaves the councle which meant that Wesley left Sunnydale. And in the middle of the season Giles got fired by the concle which meant that he is not Buffys watcher anymore. In season 4 it was all about collage and maturing. In the beginning of this season Oz leaves Willow and then she forms a bond with a which named Tara. An episode called "Hush" was a major hit that it got nominated for an Emmy. (Hush was the silent episode). Also in this season Buffy starts adjusting to collage life and being away from home. Spike also returns in this season but he has a chip implanted in his head by the anitiative. (which leads me to say another new character comes on the show) Buffy starts seeing this new guy named Riley they form a relationship towards the middle of the season. They both need to come to grips with who they are. They both have power because hes part of the anitiative. Towards the end of the season a demon Character named Adam is created by Proffeser Walsh to kill the slayer. This season didn't have a particular villan in it but the last episode of this season delbt with everyone getting killed in their dreams and Buffy meeting the first slayer. So you see this is why you must buy this set of DVDs it's a great deal. Alot has happened in those 4 seasons and it's a great time to buy it to catch up.
Rating: 
Summary: What's Good is Good, But What's Awful...Well...
Review: Buyer beware. I purchased this box set for its value and convenience. The complete first four seasons of Buffy in one shot? What a great deal, right? However, right in the middle of Season 3, when Faith is on the run and the Mayor is gearing up for his big day, I put in disc 5 from the season, and suddenly, I've got a menu for episodes from Season 5!!!! That's not even part of the set!!!! What is up with this? I have just written to amazon.com requesting exchange/refund information, but what a downer! This is a major glitch and probably not limited to just my disc.
Rating:
Summary: Sex , Violence , Drama, Comedy, Sex.Did I mention the sex?
Review: This is one of the best television series in the world (though I might be biased).
I watched it straight through seven wonderful years, and like the rest Buffy
fanatics, was sad when the show was over.
Buffy is a young women that is a Vampire Slayer.
She hunts and kills demons, and vampires a like. The great thing
about the series, is how it covers the gray areas in real life issues.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has some of the best acting that television
has ever seen.
I highly recommend getting the gift pack. It's totally worth
the money, and you will be entertained for hours on end.
Rating:
Summary: disc screw up in season 3
Review: I bought this set, each season packaged seperately, and am on disc 5 of the third season. However, this disc doesn't contain episodes from that season. It is from season five!!! How can I get the right disc?
Rating:
Summary: VERY GOOD SHOW>>>HOWEVER
Review: This show is very good Ihave seen seasons 1-7 and truly love the show. However, does this set contain the four seperate seasons in each of there packaging. Or is it one giant box with all the disks in it. I ask this question due to the fact that I wish to order the set and give one of the seasons to a friend as a holiday gift, and it makes no sense if i where to give him that season already open. Please help I need toknow before I purchase it and find out its only one box set.
Rating:
Summary: Philosophy meets TV
Review: As an instructor of philosophy, I consider Buffy to be the best, most intellectual television writing I've seen.
Rating:
Summary: All in one package
Review: From all appearances, there are no new materials added into this package. This is seasons 1-4 presented in a single package at a reduced rate for those BtVS fans who haven't yet invested in the individual packages that have been available for some time. For those of us who already own seasons 1-4 as sold seperately, purchasing this set would just duplicate what we already have -- unless they come in a nice slipcase to contain all four seasons, but there's no mention of it. For the rest of you, this is 88 hours of viewing pleasure. Okay, each episode is closer to 45-50 minutes (and okay, one or two of the episodes were turkeys), but when you add in the multitude of suplementary videos, as well as the commentaries that mean some episodes get to be viewed twice (and you're doing yourself a major diservice if you don't at least listen to Joss Whedon's commentaries), you're probably over 100 hours. Where you going to get that sort of deal elsewhere? For the price of one season of Star Trek, you can have four seasons of BtVS. And lets be honest, wouldn't you rather watch Buffy?
Rating:
Summary: Best show in last 10 years.
Review: Never watched the show when it was on. I heard all good things but thought it was another xena or such. Was I way wrong, I netflixed first season first disk, after that went out and bought all the seasons available. My wife and I sat and watched 3-4 a night. The show is addictive, and the constant self-referencing makes you feel like you're in on a secret. I was most surprised by the acting ability of the cast. When angel went bad in season 2 it was truly a breakthrough.
Rating:
Summary: amazing show, fantastic bargain!
Review: Forgive me for coming across biased, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of the best series ever to grace television. For some reason, a stigma stuck with it that it was a kid's show, and watching it was a guilty pleasure of adults, but mark my words, there are more adult fans of Buffy out there than kids and teenagers. I remember watching my first episode of Buffy seven years ago. I was against it from the beginning because I had watched the movie and Kristen Swanson looked more, well, 'Buffy-ish' because of her physical build. Sarah Michelle Gellar was so tiny, I couldn't fathom the show taking off as an action show like its predecessor movie. After that first episode, I realized that Buffy wasn't just an action show. Action took a second seat to the drama. There was also lively dialogue, wit, intelligence, charm, and very funny comedic bits. Basically, here's the plot: In each generation, a slayer is born and that slayer is always a girl. She's basically a superhero, and she hunts vampires, demons, evil-doers, etc., until she dies and the next slayer is called into action. A slayer is overseen by a 'watcher,' who is essentially a guide/tutor/mentor/trainor to the slayer. Buffy Summers is this generation's slayer. (I'm not going to delve too much into detail about backstory, because I'm sure the other reviewers have and will do a much better job of it.) The absolute genius behind the success of Buffy is it's one of those spectacular shows where you feel like you're in the middle of the drama- right in the thick of the action with the characters. Even with the dialogue's rapier sharp wit, you never feel as if the show is talking down to its audience; they assume you know what they're talking about. All this leads to the show possessing what I call a terrific quality of inclusion, which when combined with the drama makes a very, very, very gripping show. What I absolutely loved about Buffy the Vampire Slayer is you take away whatever you want from the show. If you're only looking for some butt-kicking action, it's definitely got that. If you're looking for drama, it has plenty of that. If you want comedy, it has lots of that. It's also both simple and intelligent at the same time, where a twelve year old can have a blast watching Buffy and a 45 year old academic could sit right next to the twelve year old and take away just as much enjoyment, if not more. This show has so many layers that it's amazing. It was as deep or as shallow as you wanted it to be, and I've never seen any other show do that. I noticed that Buffy has always provided quality entertainment that defies age groups. It's so diverse, yet so true to its own style and mythology that it's absolutely mind boggling how the writers and producers managed to pump out season after fantastic season- and it never got old! Buffy offers fantastic acting. I've never seen such a talented and capable group of actors (with such incredible chemistry with each other). Whether they're singing, dancing, fighting, doing comedy, drama, or action, they can do it all, and they make a very believable group of best friends who rely on each other to survive impending doom and apocalypses. Buffy also offers stellar writing. There are actually Buffy dictionaries out there are compiled of 'slayer slang.' I seriously wonder if each and every writer on that show are linguists, because the things they do with the English language are just spot-on perfect for the scenes and hilarious, at times. Also, rarely is anything really corny on the show. They don't write up stories full of molding, ancient plot devices. There's definitely levity in the show in the form of irony, sarcasm, and comedy, but the drama and darkness written in the show is very adult, smart, and fascinating. It's really not a kids show, when you think about it, and 13 is the absolute minimum age I'd let a kid watch Buffy. I loved the witty humor, I loved how Buffy both tugged at my heartstrings yet offered cerebral stimulation, but on days when I was out of it and just wanted mindless entertainment, it gave me that, too. I've personally seen fans of Buffy from 10-50 years old comprised of both men and women who loved Buffy. I wanted a character I could relate to and I got her. Others wanted different things from their entertainment, but that was the absolute genius and beauty of Buffy: it offers everything, but never forced anything down throats, so you take away only what you want. It was only as realistic or fantastic as you wanted to be, and at this price for the set of the first 4 seasons, you're cheating yourself out of a heck of deal if you don't consider it.
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