Why Spike ruined “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”

Tue, 13 May 2003 19:00:00 +0000

A once-good show becomes a bad one through the unexpected popularity of a posturing, vaguely thuggish minor character in a black leather jacket. In television, as in life, events tend to repeat themselves. First there was "Happy Days," where a charming show about growing up in the '50s was revamped to focus on the Fonz. And now there's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which has been all but destroyed by the Fonzie of our time: Spike.

As "Buffy" comes to an end, its fans are debating where to place the blame for the mediocrity of this season. Was it the introduction of a team of Slayers in Training, all of them so annoying that fans were happy to see some of them get killed? Was it the overemphasis on irrelevant new characters like Kennedy and Principal Wood? Was it the decision to build the season around a villain (the First Evil) who can't touch anything or do anything at all except talk and talk and talk? Well, that's part of it.

Worst episode ever

Mon, 24 Jan 2000 17:00:00 +0000

Milhouse: We gotta spread this stuff around. Let's put it on the Internet!
Bart: No! We have to reach people whose opinions actually matter!

-- From "The Simpsons" episode "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken," 1998

After 10 years, "The Simpsons" remains one of the most critically acclaimed shows on TV. You'll find it on the "best" list of almost every TV critic, along with words of praise for staying irreverent and funny after all these years.

But if you turn to alt.tv.simpsons, the show's Internet discussion group, it's as if a different show is being talked about. New episodes are routinely panned and held up as evidence that "The Simpsons" has been vulgarized and cheapened. For example, the reviews for this season's opening episode (the one with Mel Gibson) include phrases like "a weak offering of recycled themes," "not many laughs" and, best of all, "I think Homer was hired as a script consultant for this episode." (These reviews are available in capsule form in the indispensable Simpsons archive.)

Salon.com > Jaime J. Weinman

Why Spike ruined “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”

Worst episode ever