Editing Buffy the Vampire Slayer (section)

==Premise==

===Characters===
{{Main|List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters|List of Buffyverse villains and supernatural beings}}

[[Buffy Summers]] (played by [[Sarah Michelle Gellar]]) is the "[[Slayer (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Slayer]]", one in a long line of young women chosen by [[destiny|fate]] to battle evil forces. This mystical calling grants her powers that dramatically increase physical strength, endurance, agility, accelerated healing, intuition, and a limited degree of [[precognition]], usually in the form of [[prophecy|prophetic]] dreams. She is known as a reluctant hero who wants to live a normal life. However, she learns to embrace her destiny as the vampire slayer.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tribute.ca/news/photo-galleries/sexiest-female-superheroes-and-supervillains/buffy-summers-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-1997-2003/ |title=Buffy Summers – Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003) – Sexiest Female Superheroes and Supervillains |website=Tribute.ca |language=en |access-date=June 12, 2017 |archive-date=September 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922051232/https://www.tribute.ca/news/photo-galleries/sexiest-female-superheroes-and-supervillains/buffy-summers-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-1997-2003/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |url=https://www.laweekly.com/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-is-a-role-model-for-the-resistance/ |title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a Role Model for the Resistance |last=Barlow |first=Eve |date=March 11, 2017 |work=L.A. Weekly |access-date=January 18, 2022 |archive-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119045506/https://www.laweekly.com/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-is-a-role-model-for-the-resistance/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Buffy receives guidance from her [[Watcher (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Watcher]], [[Rupert Giles]] ([[Anthony Head|Anthony Stewart Head]]). Giles, rarely referred to by his first name (it is later revealed that in his rebellious younger days he went by "Ripper"), is a member of the [[Watchers' Council]], whose job is to train and guide the Slayers. Giles researches the supernatural creatures that Buffy must face, offers insights into their origins, advice on how to defeat them, and helps her train to stay in fighting form.

Buffy also receives help from the friends she meets at Sunnydale High School: [[Willow Rosenberg]] ([[Alyson Hannigan]]) and [[Xander Harris]] ([[Nicholas Brendon]]). Willow is originally a [[Wallflower (people)|wallflower]] who excels at academics, providing a contrast to Buffy's outgoing personality and less-than-stellar educational record. They share the social isolation that comes with being different, and especially from being exceptional young women. As the series progresses, Willow becomes a more assertive character and a powerful witch, and realizes she is a [[lesbian]]. In contrast, Xander, with no supernatural abilities, provides [[comic relief]] and a grounded perspective. Buffy and Willow are the only characters who appear in all 144 episodes, with Xander appearing in 143.

The cast of characters grew over the course of the series. Buffy first arrives in Sunnydale with her mother, [[Joyce Summers]] ([[Kristine Sutherland]]), who functions as an anchor of normality in the Summers' lives even after she learns of Buffy's role in the supernatural world ("[[Becoming, Part Two]]"). Buffy's younger sister [[Dawn Summers]] ([[Michelle Trachtenberg]]) is introduced in season five ("[[Buffy vs. Dracula]]"). [[Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Angel]] ([[David Boreanaz]]), a vampire cursed with a soul, is Buffy's love interest throughout the first three seasons. He leaves Buffy after realizing he will never be able to give her a normal life. He goes on to make amends for his sins and to search for redemption in his own spin-off television series, ''[[Angel (1999 TV series)|Angel]]''. He makes several guest appearances in the remaining seasons, and is present in ''Buffy''{{'}}s final episode.

At Sunnydale High, Buffy meets several other students besides Willow and Xander willing to join her fight for good, an informal group eventually tagged the "Scooby Gang" or "Scoobies". [[Cordelia Chase]] ([[Charisma Carpenter]]), the archetypal shallow cheerleader, reluctantly becomes involved. [[Oz (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Daniel "Oz" Osbourne]] ([[Seth Green]]), a fellow student, rock guitarist and werewolf, joins the group through his relationship with Willow. [[Jenny Calendar]] ([[Robia LaMorte]]), Sunnydale's computer science teacher, joins the group after helping destroy a demon trapped in cyberspace during season 1; she later becomes Giles' love interest. [[Anya Jenkins|Anya]] ([[Emma Caulfield]]) is a former vengeance demon called Anyanka who specialized in avenging scorned women; after losing her powers she became Xander's lover, then joined the Scoobies in season four.

In Buffy's senior year at high school, she meets [[Faith (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Faith]] ([[Eliza Dushku]]), another Slayer called forth when Slayer [[Kendra (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Kendra Young]] ([[Bianca Lawson]]) was killed by vampire [[Drusilla (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Drusilla]] ([[Juliet Landau]]) in season two. Although Faith initially fights on the side of good with Buffy and the rest of the group, she later joins forces with [[Richard Wilkins (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Mayor Richard Wilkins]] ([[Harry Groener]]) after accidentally killing a human. She reappears briefly in the fourth season, looking for vengeance, and moves to ''[[Angel (1999 TV series)|Angel]]'' where she voluntarily goes to jail for her crimes. Faith reappears in season seven of ''Buffy'', after having helped Angel and his crew, and fights alongside Buffy against the First Evil.

Buffy gathers other allies throughout the series: [[Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Spike]] ([[James Marsters]]), a vampire, is an old companion of Angelus (Angel) and one of Buffy's major enemies in early seasons, although he and Buffy later become allies and lovers. At the end of season six, Spike regains his soul. Spike is known for his [[Billy Idol]]-style [[peroxide blond]] hair and his black leather coat, stolen from a previous Slayer, [[Nikki Wood]]. Nikki's son, [[Robin Wood (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Robin Wood]] ([[D. B. Woodside]]), joins the group in the final season. [[Tara Maclay]] ([[Amber Benson]]) is a fellow member of Willow's [[Wicca]] group during season four, and their friendship evolves into a romantic relationship. Buffy becomes involved personally and professionally with [[Riley Finn]] ([[Marc Blucas]]), a military operative in "the Initiative", which hunts demons using science and technology. The seventh and final season sees [[geek]]y wannabe-villain [[Andrew Wells]] ([[Tom Lenk]]) side with the Scoobies after initially being their captive/hostage; they regard him more as a nuisance than an ally.

''Buffy'' featured dozens of major and minor recurring characters. For example, the "Big Bad" (villain) characters were featured for at least one season (for example, [[Glory (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Glory]] is a character who appeared in 12 episodes, spanning much of season five). Similarly, characters who allied themselves to the group and characters who attended the same institutions were sometimes featured in multiple episodes.

===Setting and filming locations===
{{Main|Sunnydale}}
[[File:Torrance High School.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Torrance High School]] was used for the fictional Sunnydale High School (2008)]]

The show is set in the fictional California town of Sunnydale, whose suburban [[Sunnydale High|Sunnydale High School]] sits on top of a "[[Hellmouth]]", a gateway to demon realms. The Hellmouth, located beneath the school library, is a source of mystical energies as well as a [[wikt:nexus|nexus]] for a wide variety of evil creatures and supernatural phenomena. Joss Whedon cited the Hellmouth and "[[High school (North America)|high school]] as [[hell]]" as one of the primary metaphors in creating the series.<ref>Yovanovich, Linda, "Young Blood", ''Smgfan.com'', originally from ''OnSat'' (July 14, 1997), Whedon said: "[High school as hell] was always the basis of the show. When they said, 'Do you want to turn it into a show?' The character was not enough alone to sustain it. But you know when I thought of the idea of the horror movies as a metaphor for high school, [I said] okay this is something that will work week to week."</ref>

Most of ''Buffy'' was shot on location in [[Los Angeles]], California. The high school used in the first three seasons is actually [[Torrance High School]], in [[Torrance, California]], the same high school used for ''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]''.<ref name="torrence">"[http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/b/buffy.html Buffy the Vampire Slayer film locations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225538/http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/b/buffy.html |date=March 3, 2016 }}", ''Movie-locations.com''</ref> The show was initially very dependent on location shooting, because the production budget allowed for few permanent sets to be built.<ref name="autogenerated1998">{{cite video |title=Designing Buffy Featurette |medium=dvd |year=1998 |publisher=20th Century Fox Home Video}}</ref> In the first season this was limited to the interior of Sunnydale High (the library, hallways, and classrooms), Buffy's bedroom, and the Master's underground lair. Starting in the second season, more permanent sets were built, including the full interior of Buffy's house, Angel's mansion, and Giles's apartment, as well as extensions to the high school set (the addition of a dining hall and commons area).<ref name="autogenerated1998"/> A driveway area near the gated entrance to Fox Studios was transformed into a graveyard.<ref name="autogenerated1998"/> In the third season the Sunnydale "Main Street" was constructed on the backlot, which would be a staple location for the rest of the series.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Watcher's Guide Vol. 2: Interview with Production Designer Casey Meyers |author=Nancy Holder |year=2000 |pages=355–56}}</ref> When the show transitioned to college in the fourth season, the hallway sets from Sunnydale High were remodeled to appear as the interior hallways of UC Sunnydale.<ref>{{cite video |title=Designing Buffy Season 4 Featurette |medium=dvd |year=2000 |publisher=20th Century Fox Home Video}}</ref>

Some of the exterior shots of the college Buffy attends, UC Sunnydale, were filmed at [[UCLA]]. Several episodes include shots from the Oviatt Library at [[CSUN]].<ref name="CSUN WIKI">Various authors, "[[California State University, Northridge#Film and television shoots]]", "California State University, Northridge: Film & Television Shoots".</ref><ref name="BUFFY CSUN">CSUN Oviatt Library Website, "[http://library.csun.edu/About/InMedia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130011841/http://library.csun.edu/About/InMedia|date=January 30, 2016}}", "Oviatt Library In The Media"</ref> The exterior of the Crawford Street mansion where Angelus, Spike, and Drusilla lived was [[Frank Lloyd Wright]]'s [[Ennis House]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-angels-house-has-been-saved/ |title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Angel's House Has Been Saved |publisher=TV Series Finale |first=Trevor |last=Kimball |date=August 23, 2007 |access-date=January 16, 2017 |archive-date=March 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320145415/https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-angels-house-has-been-saved/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Format===
''Buffy'' is told in a [[Serial (radio and television)|serialized]] format, mixing complex, season-long storylines with a [[Villain of the week|villain-of-the-week]] conflict revolving around Buffy and her friends as they struggle to balance the fight against [[supernatural]] evils with their complicated social lives.<ref name="FtF-Intro2">{{cite book |last1=Wilcox |first1=Rhonda V. |title=Fighting the Forces: What's at Stake in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' |last2=Lavery |first2=David |date=April 2002 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-7425-1681-6 |pages=xix |chapter=Introduction |access-date=October 15, 2020 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=amKx_wH-PDYC&q=buffy+forces+introduction&pg=PR17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320145406/https://books.google.com/books?id=amKx_wH-PDYC&q=buffy+forces+introduction&pg=PR17 |archive-date=March 20, 2023 |url-status=live |no-pp=true}}</ref> A typical episode contains one or more [[villain]]s, or supernatural phenomena, that are thwarted or defeated by the end of the episode. Though elements and relationships are explored and ongoing subplots are included, the show focuses primarily on Buffy and her role as an [[archetype|archetypal]] [[hero]]ine. Gellar described the show as "the ultimate metaphor: horrors of adolescence manifesting through these actual monsters. It's the hardest time of life."<ref name="Guardian 21 July 2018">{{cite news |last=Thorpe |first=Vanessa |date=July 21, 2018 |title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer to be remade 21 years after first episode |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jul/21/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-to-be-remade-21-years-after-first-episode |url-status=live |access-date=July 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220030442/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jul/21/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-to-be-remade-21-years-after-first-episode |archive-date=December 20, 2019}}</ref> Each season's storyline is broken down into season-long narratives marked by the rise and defeat of a powerful [[antagonist]], commonly referred to as the "[[Big Bad]]".

While the show is mainly a [[drama]] with frequent [[comic relief]], most episodes blend different [[genre]]s, including [[Horror film|horror]], [[martial arts]], [[Romance film|romance]], [[melodrama]], [[farce]], [[fantasy]], [[supernatural]], [[Screwball comedy film|comedy]], and, in [[Once More, with Feeling (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|one episode]], [[musical comedy]].

In the first few seasons, the most prominent monsters in the [[List of Buffyverse villains and supernatural beings|''Buffy'' bestiary]] are [[Vampire (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|vampires]] based on traditional myths, lore, and literary conventions. As the series continues, Buffy and her companions fight an increasing variety of [[Grimslaw demon|demons]], as well as [[List of Buffyverse villains and supernatural beings#Ghosts and spirits|ghosts]], [[Werewolf|werewolves]], [[List of Buffyverse villains and supernatural beings#Undead|zombies]], and [[List of Buffyverse villains and supernatural beings#Dangerous mortals|unscrupulous humans]]. They frequently save the world from annihilation by a combination of physical combat, [[magic (paranormal)|magic]], and detective-style investigation, and are guided by an extensive collection of ancient and mystical reference books. <!-- The passage contained in the following wiki code comment field was part of the article text, but do not present well when reading before subsequent sections, so they are removed until more appropriate position (further along) within the article is identified. --><!-- Hand-to-hand combat is chiefly undertaken by Buffy and Angel, later by [[Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|Spike]], and to a far lesser degree by Giles and Xander. Willow eventually becomes an adept [[Witch (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)|witch]], while Giles contributes his extensive knowledge of [[demonology]] and supernatural lore. -->