El final de Buffy ha provocado la publicación de muchas despedidas. Aquí ofrezco algunas extraidas de medios americanos (quienes se despiden primero, claro). Empezamos con la CNN:
Buffy was, in fact, a tightly written show about a group of believable characters struggling through adolescence, fighting their own demons. Their demons just happened to be more leather-skinned and fangy than most. Quick, glib dialogue (think «M*A*S*H»), dark humor, and Jackie Chan moves from a five-foot blonde marked the show as something new. The finale to the show, finishing its seventh season, will air at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday on UPN.
«What’s neat about ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ is that on one level it appears to be pure pop culture; hot-looking girl runs around killing things, kicking, screaming, it’s all good,» says Lynne Edwards, a professor at Pennsylvania’s Ursinus College. Edwards teaches a course on «Deconstructing Buffy,» wrote the essay «Slaying in Black and White: Kendra as Tragic Mulatto in Buffy the Vampire Slayer,» and describes herself as «addicted» to the show.
«But at another level, for those of us who were kind of nerdy in high school,» she continues, «we get the literary references, like saying that a girl is so late she makes Godot look punctual.»
Salon también tiene algo que decir:
Not many people can create a cult phenomenon, and few of those set out to do it from the start, so fans of Joss Whedon’s «Buffy the Vampire Slayer» may be forgiven for suspecting the writer/director of possessing superpowers rivaling those of his famous heroine. It would be exaggerating to say that his statements are studied like the utterances of the Oracle of Delphi, but let’s just say that after seven years as the genius behind the Buffy universe, Whedon has learned to measure his words carefully.
The Boston Herald se centra en los puntos fuertes de la serie:
«Buffy» became a cult sensation, WB’s highest-rated series to that point. It put the network on the map. There may have been some truth in the stereotype that its most loyal fans resembled Buffy’s best friend Willow (Alyson Hannigan) – brainy, cybersavvy, slightly repressed young women interested in the occult (i.e., hunky vampires) and empowered by the slayer’s courage. But there were guy fans, too; Buffy was the latest in a long line of karate-kicking hot chicks on TV, going back at least to Emma Peel on «The Avengers.»
The show’s greatest strength, though, was neither gender politics nor sex appeal but the lifelike camaraderie among the outcast «Scooby Gang,» their interlocking crushes and friendships, loyalties and rivalries – all of which came into play, for better or worse, when it was time to battle the latest Big Bad. In the heyday of «ER» and «Friends,» it was the TV home of many outsiders. Whedon dared a dialogue-free episode and a musical.
No Emmys arrived, though. For all the great reviews and Entertainment Weekly shoutouts, the Buffster never quite got the mainstream respect she deserved. «Dawson’s Creek» drew bigger numbers for WB. The buzz subsided. «The Sopranos» became the show everyone wanted to talk about at work the next day. And after season five, «Buffy» moved over (down?) to UPN.
The Village Voice destaca la tristeza del final:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer leaves the air this week, and I haven’t felt so sad to see a series end since my childhood, when the finales of MASH and The Mary Tyler Moore Show had my friends and me weeping our farewells. The only good thing about the demise of Buffy (and the likely cancellation of its nearly as endearing spin-off Angel) is that I’ll no longer feel compelled to convince nonbelievers of its virtues. I understand why people wrote it off as a cult geek-show: low-budget sets, B-movie ghouls, and hot teenage chicks kung-fu fighting in graveyards do not usually signify top-notch drama. Despite the cheesy trappings, Buffy was not only one of the funniest, smartest, and sassiest shows on television in the last decade—it was also the most mournful.
The Daily Herald destaca el lugar de Buffy en el panteón televisivo:
Whatever happens, «Buffy» has already sealed its place in the pantheon. I can think of few dramas that have been more consistent («The Sopranos»), a few more that have been as emotionally powerful («Northern Exposure,» «Hill Street Blues»), a few more than have been as daring («The X-Files,» «The Twilight Zone») and none that has been better at creating its own universe, staying true to its tenets and yet applying its stories to real-world concerns.
SFGate (dedicado a San Francisco, no a la ciencia ficción) comenta qué hacía de Buffy una serie diferente:
«Buffy» was different. One of television’s finest examples of a cult hit, the series — created by the supremely talented Joss Whedon — was clever on many levels and never catered to simplicity or safe predictability. Monsters substituted neatly for real-life demons — especially for the core teen viewers who believe that they are alone in a complicated world. «Buffy» was smartly written, a wink-wink to the intelligentsia that got past the title and embraced the concept. It managed, over seven seasons, to be pop-culturally savvy and teen-speak sophisticated and led, not followed, the entire way. An amazing feat, although Whedon has missed out on the mainstream applause given to peers such as Aaron Sorkin, David E. Kelley and Steven Bochco.
That «Buffy» never won an Emmy represents a tragic lack of vision that has been discussed here many times. No need to rant about that now. This is all about appreciation, ultimately, for a series so deftly able to cover so many emotional bases. «Buffy» could be simultaneously funny, scary, touching, sad and sexy in a single episode. Whedon started out coyly writing about teenage isolation or alienation, but he quickly expanded to embrace issues of death, spirituality, corporate greed, naked ambition, unchecked ego, sexual orientation, fear of the larger world and, in a strand that ran through seven seasons, the beautiful, ever-changing bonds of friendship.
TV Gal en Zap2it empieza declarando dos obras maestras:
First of all, I’m not going to even try to pick one moment from «Once More, with Feeling» (Nov. 6, 2001) or «The Body» (Feb. 27, 2001). Those two episodes were so absolutely perfect that I declared them masterpieces and took them out of the running. Still, I agonized over the list until I realized, wait a minute, it’s my column, who’s to say it can’t be 15 favorite moments?
¿Quién podría negar que son obras maestras? Señala a continuación los 15 mejores momentos de la serie:
1. Angel Loses His Soul in «Surprise» (Jan. 19, 1998)
2. Buffy and Angelus Fight in «Becoming, Part 2» (May 19, 1998)
3. Buffy Dies in «The Gift» (May 22, 2001)
4. Buffy Tells Spike She Was in Heaven in «After Life» (Oct. 9, 2001)
5. Snow Falls in «Amends» (Dec. 15, 1998)
6. Spike Tells Buffy He Has a Soul in «Beneath You» (Oct. 1, 2002)
7. Giles Returns in «Two to Go» (May 21, 2002)
8. The Unforgettable Final Moments of «The Wish» (Dec. 8, 1998)
9. Buffy and Spike Have Sex in «Smashed» (Nov. 20, 2001)
10. Xander Saves the Day in «Grave» (May 21, 2002)
11. Willow Decides to Go to UC Sunnydale in «Choices» (May 4, 1999)
12. Xander and Willow Kiss in «Homecoming» (Nov. 3, 1998)
13. Willow and Oz Say Goodbye in «New Moon Rising» (May 2, 2000)
14. Willow and Tara Float in «Family» (Nov. 7, 2000)
15. Buffy and Faith Battle in «Graduation Day, Part I» (May 18, 1999)
Y un comentario sobre como Buffy puede llegar a convertirse en parte de la vida de una persona.
Never once did the show suck. Never once was I watching mindless escapist entertainment as I watched it. It was consistently thought provoking. I was always moved by it. I’ve cried at twelve different episodes. Next week, that number will have increased by one.
Good or bad, Buffy The Vampire Slayer is a part of me. I haven’t spent a day in the past seven years of my life without thinking about it. These are strong words with truth to them.
This is a shorter article than usual because I’m speechless. Buffy is a major part of my life, and as it dies out, so does an important piece of me.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Buffy The Vampire Slayer is the best television show ever created. But it transcends television. It’s too important. Buffy The Vampire Slayer is the one thing, the one constant that has affected my life more than anything else. Buffy is life. And life is about to end.
Y para terminar, el anuncio que los fans de la serie pagaron para incluir en el número de hoy de The Hollywood Reporter. Dice:
«Into every generation a salayer is born»
In every generation there is one show
That stands above all other.
In this generation «Buffy the Vampire Slayer» is that show.
Buffy fans worldwide wish to extend a sincere
Thank you
For seven of the best years television has ever seen
Y sigue con los nombres de todos los responsables.
Soy una nena, he llorado recopilando estos fragmentos. «No es más que una serie de televisión», me repito. Pero no es cierto.
(vía WHEDONesque)
[Estoy escuchando: Rest in Peace de Original Television Soundtrack en el disco Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More With Feeling [Musical Episode Soundtrack] (02:45)]