Early in the pandemic, a friend and I were looking for a way to have a social outlet while trapped at home. As we are both extroverts married to introverts, we figured that it would help us, and our partners. In the same convo, I discovered that she had never seen one of my top favorite TV shows of all time…Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And thus, an idea took hold. We would watch Buffy together but apart, she in Louisiana and me in Illinois, with the magic of Google video and “3…2…1…go!” timed tandem watches. Our watch began in March 2020…and we finally finished March 2023, all seven seasons. (Also, should be said that in the ensuing time period, she had a baby, so our initial method of marathoning several episodes in a row had to be shelved, but no matter, we did it!) This was only my second-ever rewatch and I remembered the main plot points, but there were plenty of times she pressed me for details on what was going to happen and I didn’t even have to feign ignorance, I was just as in the dark!
Midway through this re-watch, I came upon Evan Ross Katz’ book and thought it an opportune time to take my Buffy fandom to the next level. The first chunk of the novel follows the series and gives insider tips and behind the scene looks, but because I was doing a rewatch I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, which is why it took me 9 months to read. Once we finished the show, I finally dove into the last chapters about the show, plus all of his other reflections.
If you really like Buffy, you maybe should read this book. The structure is a bit all over the place and Katz, as a true super fan, is a bit gushing and self-indulgent plus he’s got clear biases about his favorite arcs/seasons, but you’ll have a clearer understanding of the show and its legacy having read it. Because it was written post Joss’ fall from his self-created feminist pedestal and the allegations made by Charisma Carpenter, you really get a 360 look at the show’s impact, and its complicated and flawed creator. He talks to most of the key actors in the show, most notably Sarah Michele Geller, who has remained absent from the comic-con circuit and only talked publically about Buffy in recent years. Of the main and supporting characters (Buffy, Giles, Xander, Angel, Spike, Faith, Cordelia, Dawn, Willow, Oz, Tara, Anya, Faith, Glory, Jonathan, and Andrew) the only people who don’t speak with him are Angel (David Boreanaz), Faith (Eliza Dushku) Dawn (Michele Trachtenburg) Willow (Alyson Hanigan), and of course Joss. He doesn’t shy away from sharing conversational details, even when the picture they paint is uncomfortable.
Could this book have used some heavy editing? Absolutely. Is it necessary that the first chunk is him rehashing the show? Debatable. This book is both a love letter to the show (its cast and creators) and an unflinching look at the imperfect environment that it took to create it, with young stars kept isolated, 20+ hour days, and SMG bearing a lot of responsibility while impossibly young.
