BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER

SEASON FIVE

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 2 out of 5

Because of: witchcraft, homosexuality, violence, sensuality

Rated:

The fifth season of Joss Whedon's hit series starts out in excellent form as Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) encounters the most infamous of vampires, Count Dracula. Having heard of the showy slayer who remains undefeated in the history of all things hellish, Dracula has come to Sunnydale to turn Buffy to the side of dark minions that prowl the night. Black caped and beset with "showy gypsy magic," Dracula rapidly wins over the awe of Buffy's stellar slaying team, made up of wisecracking Xander (Nicholas Brendon), witch Willow (Alyson Hannigan), and their significant others, Anya (Emma Caulfield), a pagan goddess trapped in helpless human form, and Tara (Amber Benson), Willow's mentor in the field of magic and lover.

After taking on Dracula in his sinister castle on the outskirts of town, Buffy introduces us to this season's pivotal point, the younger sister we never knew existed. Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) behaves as though she's been a part of their lives all along, and everyone else responds the same way. Photographs of her fill the house. No one can ever remember a time when she wasn't there. And like two sisters, Buffy and Dawn are constantly at one another. It's bad enough to have a slayer in the house, Dawn complains, much less an attention-stealer. She is tired of being overlooked in her big sister's wake. Little does she know that she's "The Key," a force field of energy protected by monks, who have given her into the slayer's safekeeping to protect her from Glory (Clare Kramer). This drama queen in her spiked heels and lip gloss isn't anything like the villains Buffy has encountered before: she's way worse. While Buffy contends with this new foe and deals with her mother's sudden illness, her watcher Giles (Anthony Head) takes over management of The Magic Box, the local magic store.

Rendered non-dangerous to humans via a helpful little government-issued chip in the back of his brain, Spike (James Marsters) lives for nothing more than the day he can take Buffy's life. But as the two are constantly thrown together, he discovers something worse: he may be falling for the blonde bombshell. In the meantime, her army-escapee boyfriend Riley (Marc Blucas) begins to wonder if he's an ideal foil to Buffy's power, and a final twist will throw Buffy's entire world out of whack. This time it isn't the result of vampires, demons, or the forces of darkness. It's real. It's messy. And it hurts.

Buffy is a show that is constantly changing. Just when you think you have it figured out, the tables turn and present you with a dramatic new theme to ponder. Enemies become friends. Friends become enemies. Throughout her trials, Buffy remains the same spunky gal willing to tackle the forces of evil every night to keep the rest of civilization safe. What might have been an enormous flop (bringing in Dawn) transformed the series into one of an emotional journey. The audience accepted Dawn's presence because this is the world of slayers, where anything is possible. We don't bother to question anything, because it all makes sense. As the characters get older, varying degrees of worldly behavior seep into the storyline. Buffy and Riley have an openly intimate relationship, often showing them cuddling and/or sleeping together. Their relationship is sometimes graphic. Xander and Anya are also sexually involved. Sex is discussed frankly on numerous occasions. Even Spike is shown taking a tumble with another vampire, as well as indulging in sensuous foreplay with Drusilla in a series of flashbacks.

The show also begins to explore "alternative" options, such as the lesbian relationship between Willow and Tara. Because this ran on network television, this relationship is alluded to strongly but is rarely exploited. Dialogue constantly references that their friendship is romantic. The two girls room together, are shown cuddling, exchange fond looks and mild banter, and dance together. In "The Body," Tara comforts a distraught Willow and kisses her on the lips. Both characters are portrayed as extremely likable, and their relationship completely normal. While tolerance of alternative lifestyles is necessary in our modern times, it is never right. A female robot designed to please her scientist boyfriend shows up in Sunnydale. Impressed with how realistic she is, Spike orders one of Buffy. The two are shown taking several "tumbles" together. Language involves heavy British slang and profanity (bloody, shag, soding, etc) as well as mild abuses of deity and general American expressions.

Violence involves heavy combat, men being mowed down by demons, punching, kicking, fighting, and the occasional dismembering. Buffy and her friends are subject to all manner of physical and emotional violence, sometimes with gruesome results. Vampires attack and bite people; one "club" downtown features them as attractions, where humans can go get a high while being drained. Varying amounts of sci-fi religious theology come into play: Glory is a god from another dimension, trapped in human form. She sucks the mental powers of individuals by placing her fingers into their brains. Witchcraft of the Bewitched variety is involved. Tara and Willow often use spell books, recite chants, and cast spells. Rarely is it presented in a realistic light, and has dark consequences. Dawn attempts to resurrect the dead, only to be told that it's dangerous and the person never returns as they were: sometimes things go terribly wrong. More interesting yet is the season finale, which is an unintentional Christian parallel of the sacrificial shedding of innocent blood in order to save another. The show has wonderfully snappy writing, genuinely light-hearted and humorous episodes, and a devastating twist that leaves the slayer reeling, but audiences might not want to forge through the obvious subtext of making the occult and homosexuality acceptable in a world already fraught with noticeably absent religious influence.