Buffy the Vampire Slayer Love
I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Why BtVS? Because it has soul. The emotions are raw and painful. The entire Buffyverse is a metaphor of demons everyone faces. Whedon doesn’t sugarcoat life and love. The characters are real enough to believe that they live on after the final episode of the series. I think this series has taught me more about life–and accepting life for all it is–than any other TV show.
I used to think BtVS is too painful to watch. Good times end, friendships change, dark times roll in and devastate all relationships involved. In the end, the characters live on. No promises for the future–just the promise of what is.
It’s a terrific depiction of life.
If I could create something half as good or as touching, I’d be happy with it. This begs the question: Is it possible to write something powerful and meaningful if you’ve never felt the pain of loss or the pain of change in your life? Or if you can’t empathize with others’ problems and feelings–no matter how trivial they seem compared against Rwandan genocide?
“Whedon doesn’t sugarcoat life and love” – indeed. And yes, I do believe you need to have experienced suffering on some level to be capable of this kind of expression.