🧛‍♀️ BigSaltyDog Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Ultimate Salty Crush? 🧂❤️

 

🧛‍♀️ BigSaltyDog Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Ultimate Salty Crush? 🧂❤️

Review No. 2 – Why Buffy Summers Was Impossible Not to Like

There are some television characters you remember because they were entertaining.

There are others you remember because they were funny.

And then there are characters who somehow become part of your television memories for years afterwards.

For me, Buffy Summers is firmly in that last category.

Played brilliantly by Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy wasn't simply another character in another supernatural television series. She became one of those rare characters who managed to combine action, comedy, romance, drama and a fair amount of emotional pain — all while looking remarkably good doing it.

And yes, I'll say it again:

Buffy was a bit of a soft crush. 😍

There, I've admitted it.

No need to call the Slayer.

What exactly is a soft crush?

A soft crush isn't necessarily about wanting to marry somebody or being completely obsessed with them.

Sometimes you simply see somebody on television and think:

"She's lovely."

That's pretty much where Buffy comes into the BigSaltyDog story.

There was something about SMG's portrayal of Buffy that made her incredibly likeable.

She was attractive, certainly, but it was the whole package that made the character appealing.

She had confidence.

She had humour.

She had attitude.

She could be sarcastic.

She could be vulnerable.

And when the vampires came knocking, she could quite literally knock them straight back out again.

That's quite an impressive combination.

Buffy wasn't your typical superhero

One of the cleverest things about Buffy the Vampire Slayer was that Buffy didn't behave like a traditional superhero.

She still had everyday problems.

School.

Friendships.

Family.

Dating.

Heartbreak.

Growing up.

Trying to figure out what she wanted from life.

The fact that she happened to be the Slayer was almost an additional complication.

Imagine being a teenager and having to worry about homework while simultaneously knowing that there could be a vampire waiting around the corner.

Most teenagers complain about exams.

Buffy had to worry about exams and the undead.

Talk about pressure.

The confidence was part of the attraction

One of Buffy's most appealing qualities was her confidence.

Not perfect confidence, either.

Real confidence.

She could be uncertain and still stand up for herself.

She could be frightened and still fight.

She could be upset and still do what needed to be done.

That made her much more interesting than a character who simply walked around being tough all the time.

And let's be honest — confidence is attractive.

Buffy could walk into a room with that unmistakable attitude that suggested she already knew she could handle whatever was waiting for her.

Then somebody would probably discover that she actually could.

The fashion deserves a mention

Now, this is where the 1990s and early 2000s come roaring back.

Buffy's wardrobe became part of the character.

There were casual outfits, dresses, jackets and the sort of fashions that immediately transport you back to the era.

Some have aged better than others!

But somehow SMG could make even fairly ordinary clothes look stylish.

And that contributed to the character's appeal.

Buffy didn't have to wear some ridiculous superhero costume to be recognisable.

She could look like an ordinary young woman — right up until she started chasing a vampire through a graveyard.

That's probably one reason the character worked so well.

She looked approachable.

Then she kicked somebody through a wall.

😂

The humour made her even better

Another reason I enjoyed Buffy was the humour.

The show could be surprisingly funny considering that the basic premise involved vampires, demons and death.

Buffy herself often had some brilliant one-liners.

That sarcastic personality helped keep the show from becoming too dark.

And SMG was particularly good at delivering those moments.

She could look completely serious while saying something hilarious.

That combination of comedy and action gave the show its own identity.

It wasn't just a horror programme.

It wasn't just a teenage drama.

It wasn't just a romantic series.

It was a mixture of everything.

And somehow it worked.

Then came the emotional side

Behind the jokes and vampire fighting, Buffy could also be surprisingly heartbreaking.

The character experienced loss and difficult situations that forced her to grow up quickly.

She wasn't protected from the consequences of her decisions.

Sometimes she got things wrong.

Sometimes she hurt people.

Sometimes people hurt her.

And sometimes there simply wasn't a happy ending.

That emotional side made the character feel much more real.

You could admire Buffy for being strong while also understanding that being strong doesn't mean everything is easy.

The Scooby Gang

Of course, Buffy couldn't do everything alone.

That's where the famous Scooby Gang came in.

Willow, Xander and Giles were absolutely crucial to the show.

Giles was the wise mentor who seemed permanently exhausted by the teenagers around him.

Willow developed enormously throughout the series.

Xander brought plenty of humour.

And Buffy was the person who usually ended up putting herself in danger while everybody else tried to figure out what was happening.

Together they created one of television's most memorable groups of friends.

Their friendship also gave the series its heart.

Why the crush remained a "soft" one

There's a difference between appreciating an actress and turning something into an unhealthy obsession.

For me, Buffy is firmly in the fun television crush category.

You watch the show, you see SMG as Buffy and think:

"Yep, she's gorgeous." 😍

Then five minutes later she's fighting a vampire and you're thinking:

"I'd better stay on her good side." 😂

It's harmless, nostalgic and part of what makes revisiting older television shows enjoyable.

And there's something quite nice about admitting that.

We all had television characters we fancied when we were younger.

Some people fancied rock stars.

Some fancied film stars.

Some fancied characters from television programmes.

For BigSaltyDog, Buffy can proudly sit in that category.

Would Buffy still work today?

That's an interesting question.

Television has changed enormously since Buffy the Vampire Slayer first appeared.

Special effects have improved.

Streaming has changed how shows are made and watched.

Characters and storytelling have evolved.

But the basic idea behind Buffy remains remarkably strong.

A young woman who is expected to face impossible challenges while trying to maintain some sort of normal life?

That still works.

The combination of humour, friendship, action and emotion still works.

And Buffy herself remains memorable because she was never simply defined by being the strongest person in the room.

She was defined by how she responded when things went wrong.

The BigSaltyDog verdict 🧂🏆

So, after another extensive investigation by the highly professional BigSaltyDog review department, the verdict is in.

Buffy Summers remains officially Salty-approved.

🧛‍♀️ Vampire-fighting ability: 10/10

😂 Sense of humour: 10/10

💪 Strength and determination: 10/10

❤️ Likeability: 10/10

😎 Style: 9/10

😍 Soft-crush factor: Definitely!

And perhaps that's the biggest compliment I can give the character.

Buffy wasn't memorable simply because she was beautiful.

She was memorable because she had personality.

She was funny, brave, stubborn, caring, occasionally annoying, occasionally reckless and sometimes completely overwhelmed.

In other words, she felt human.

Except for the vampire-slaying superpowers, obviously.

And that combination is exactly why Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy remains such an iconic television character.

So yes, I'll happily admit it:

Buffy was one of my television soft crushes.

No shame.

No apology.

Just a bit of nostalgic BigSaltyDog appreciation. 😎🧂

And if a vampire happens to turn up while I'm writing this?

I'm not fighting it.

I'll be hiding behind Giles. 😂

⭐ BigSaltyDog Rating: 5/5 Stakes

Beautiful, funny, powerful, memorable and just the right amount of dangerous.

Buffy Summers — the Slayer with serious Salty appeal. 🧛‍♀️❤️🧂