Product Description

As Buffy acompanies Dawn on her first date at the new Sunnydale High, Giles continues Willow's magic education in England. But while Buffy is surprised to be offered a guidance counselor job, Willow is shocked to experience a horrific future vision of the Hellmouth.

Willow returns to Sunnydale and Giles soon follows with word that the Watcher's Council has been destroyed. Determined to make one last stand, Buffy and her allies gather for the upcoming battle, yet nothing can prepare them for The First and his robed Bringers, who are killing all the Potential Slayers- and anyone else who gets in their way.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3243 in DVD
• Brand: GELLAR,SARAH MICHEL
• Released on: 2006-05-30
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 6
• Dimensions: .80 pounds
• Running time: 990 minutes

Customer Reviews

She saved the world - a lot
From 1997 to 2003, Joss Whedon gave his audience some of the best episodes aired on television. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER showcased an empowered young girl saddled with the unintimidating name of Buffy Summers, who, with the help of her high school friends and her stuffy mentor Giles, faced sundry monsters and saved the world - a lot. Along the way, she managed to leave an indelible impact on our pop cultural consciousness.

Before its series debut, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, based on its promotional push on TV, seemed slated to be a straight-out horror series starring an erstwhile typical high schooler who battles vampires and demons. But, fairly quickly on, this unassuming little show, thanks to Whedon's intense and witty, pop-culture savvy yet very literate writing, met and surpassed the viewer's expectations. Whedon created compelling stories and characters who grew on the viewers; for seven years, we watched them strive to maintain a normal life as they navigated thru high school, college life, and then to adulthood, all the while frequently facing down supernatural threats. Which brings us to Season 7.

Possible SPOILERS follow: Here in the bittersweet and melancholy finale season, Joss Whedon attempts to provide closure to the show and also to bring it full circle to its origins. The opening episode "Lessons" has Buffy escorting Dawn, for her inaugural school day, back to good, ol' Sunnydale High, which has just been rebuilt on top of the old one. This, by the way, means that the Hellmouth is very much alive and again active. Somehow, Buffy is offered a job as a school counselor at Sunnydale High by the enigmatic principal, Robin Wood (24's D.B. Woodside). Back in England, Willow, under the tutelage of Giles and a benevolent coven of witches, has been recovering from her turn to the dark side (Season Six) and receives a horrifying glimpse of the future for Sunnydale. Meanwhile, Spike is found dwelling in the Sunnydale High School basement in a bonkers state of mind, influenced by his new soul and possibly also by...something else. Lessee, who's left? Anya is again a Vengeance Demon, though her heart isn't really in it. And Xander is still fixing windows...

The season's major story arc involves the return of the First Evil, the original and the source of all evil. The First's return is made possible by the instability caused by Buffy's having died and consequently being resurrected (again, Season 6). Very early on, we get a hint of the season's Big Bad as various Sunnydale denizens spout the ominous warning: "From beneath you, it devours." This season also increases the scope of Buffy's world even more as most of the Watcher Council are annihilated and Giles is forced to seek out Potential Slayers (who are also being killed off one by one by Bringers, no-eyed, murdering servants of Caleb and the First) and bring them to Sunnydale for protection. Now, more than ever, Buffy's leadership skills and methods are tested and even questioned as several of the Potentials prove to be uncowed and contentious free thinkers. Buffy has never been forced to deliver as many bracing, rallying speeches as she has been this season, which attests to her foe's overwhelming level of menace.

Because the First cannot enter our world in a corporeal form and can only assume the identities of dead people, this is an opportunity for a callback of Buffy's past uber-foes. For one last time, we get to enjoy cameos of the Master, Drusilla, the Mayor, Adam, Glory, and two of the Nerd Trio. Pretty neat. Besides the First, Buffy faces two despicable and truly hard-to-kill villains, who are themselves minions of the First: the Turok-Han, an early caveman type of vampire (thus, even more sturdy than contemporary vampires) and Caleb, the frightening, mysoginistic preacher who convincingly beats Buffy senseless in several encounters.

As ever, the writers do an amazing job. The episodes are obviously action-packed. But, underneath the surface, the show is laden with metaphors and symbolisms. Themes of isolation, the isolation of a leader, female empowerment, sacrifice, friendship, and humanity are touched on in great depth. This season is also about the quest for redemption. Most of the members of Buffy's Scooby gang, ironically, at one point or another, were evil or have turned evil in the past: Willow, Spike, Anya, Faith, Andrew...All these characters are trying to find their way back to atonement; it won't be easy.

This season has to be the one with the most recurring characters in it. Principal Wood and the Potentials are introduced. Season 7 also marks the return of Andrew, Faith, and, in one episode, Angel. With the glut of additional characters, the core Scoobies are given short thrift here, although Dawn does shine in "Potential" and Xander proves his worth in "Potential" and "Dirty Girls." One episode, "Selfless," really focuses on Anya and paves the way for her eventual return to the fold. Only Spike seems to maintain copious screen time throughout the series. The camera, of course, is ever on Buffy Summers.

The arrival of the Potentials does usher in a freshness to the series as it simultaneously takes the spotlight away from the Scoobies. The take-charge Kennedy (Iyari Limon), the feisty Rona (Indigo), and Amanda (Sarah Hagan) prove to be welcome additions to the cast, while the non-English speaking Asian Potential drops some instant funnies. "Conversations with Dead People" reintroduces Andrew (the very good, very funny Tom Lenk) as a possible good guy, while "Dirty Girls" marks the welcome return of sexy Faith (Eliza Dushku) as her encounters with Spike provide some of the high points of the season. The awesome Nathan Fillion, by the way, is scary good as Caleb.

The Special Features provide episode commentaries by various cast and crew members on "Lessons," "Selfless," "Conversations with Dead People," "The Killer In Me," "Lies My Parents Told Me," "Dirty Girls," and "Chosen." Disc 3 has the featurette "It's Always Been About the Fans." Disc 6 offers up four more featurettes (the 36-minute long "Season 7 Overview - Buffy: Full Circle"; "Buffy 101- Studying the Slayer" - various television critics talk about the show's influence; "Generation S" - interviews with the Potentials actresses; "The Last Sundown" - a look at Joss Whedon's top 10 favorite Buffy episodes and some of his thoughts about the series); an outtakes reel (not that funny); "Buffy Wraps" (the wrap party with cast and crew, but where was Sarah Michelle Gellar?); and for those who care, a DVD-ROM Willow Demon Guide.

Years ago, Joss Whedon wanted to shake things up by turning topsy-turvy the cliche of the hapless, little blonde damsel needing a hero to come to her rescue. Seven years of quality television has proven that audiences will accept a tiny girl being capable of slaying monsters while remaining quintessentially feminine. So, above all else, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER is meant to be a feminist allegory. But, for those who aren't into that, there's still so much that this season has to offer: an us against the world mentality, superlative action sequences, shivery horror/fantasy elements, witty repartees, heartfelt dialogue, gripping, dramatic stories, and great acting. And, of course, great, iconic heroes in Buffy Summers, Spike, Faith, and crew. Five stars for one of my all-time favorite shows EVER.

Oh, yeah, and I like the slim set collection.

A fitting end for a magnificent series
As a huge "Buffy" fan, I was both nervous and excited when I received the Seventh Season DVDs in the mail: nervous, because it was the final season - what if it wasn't good? And excited, because it WAS the final season, and traditionally, much happens during the final year of a TV show. I'd read reviews claiming that the season was terrible, so I began the season expecting to be a little disappointed.

But I wasn't. The first five episodes were terrific. They made me feel like I was back in the good ol' days of "Buffy", in the early seasons. "Lessons", the season opener, was great and filled with Joss Whedon's trademark wit (although he wrote the episode, he didn't direct it). "Him", while not the most brilliant episode, was very enjoyable (particularly a sequence towards the end of the episode, with some terrific music and editing). "Conversations with Dead People" was a great episode, thanks to numerous intriguing storylines and a fine script (not to mention a great performance by Jonathan Woodward as a talkative undead college student).

From there, it all went downhill.

Out of nowhere, the show's footing disappeared. The "Potential Slayers" were introduced, a group of whiney girls whom do nearly nothing for the storyline. For something like seven or eight episodes, we're forced to endure the training of the Potentials. Those eight or so episodes are some of the worst - and by far the hokiest - that the show has produced. The show's major comeback was the seventeenth episode, "Lies My Parents Told Me". It was a very interesting, cool, well-written episode, in which Principal Wood attempts to murder Spike for a crime he committed long ago. From there on, the show improved, but it still wasn't like it used to be.

The finale - "Chosen" - was one of the greatest episodes of the show. Written and directed by Joss Whedon, it's filled with great Whedon dialog, humor, and action. Whedon gives the show the dramatic, explosive, and very fitting ending the show so rightly deserved.

The two finer characters introduced in the season - Principal Robin Wood, and Caleb, the Evil Preacher - really improved the episodes (although Wood seemed to disappear in some of the later episodes). As I love Joss Whedon's sci-fi/western show "Firefly", I thought it was fantastic to see Nathan Fillion (the star of that show) appear on "Buffy" as Caleb.

Willow never really shines in this season until the final episode (you can tell Whedon loves her). Sarah Michelle Gellar does her best to work with the weak material she's given, as do the rest of the cast members.

The really horrible thing about this season is that there's a point where you just stop caring. You watch the episodes because you have to to complete the series. But the season is worth purchasing, if only for the first seven episodes and the last five episodes.

TOP 5 OF THE SEASON

1. "Chosen"
2. "Lies My Parents Told Me"
3. "Conversations with Dead People"
4. "Lessons"
5. "Him"

THE DVDS: These DVDs are the same as the original releases, but with a reduced price and thin packaging.

Some great episodes, a not so great season story arc
Buffy season seven is the weakest season of the series, but it is still above average television. The strength of the season lies not in the season's story arcs, but in some of the individual episodes. For example, "Selfless" artfully examines Anya's past and present life and reveals that she feels like she has never quite fit in as a human, but she no longer has the killer instinct to continue on in her second incarnation as a vengeance demon either. "Conversations With Dead People" ranks right up there with "Hush" in its scariness. The only way that this episode could have been improved upon is if Tara was the face of the ghost speaking to Willow, but with actress Amber Benson unwilling to reprise her role that season, it was really beyond the show's control. "Storyteller" is hilarious as Andrew narrates a film about the Scoobies, and "Lies Your Parents Told You" is another fine showcase of James Marsters' acting talent as we finally learn the source of the "trigger" that the First Evil has been using to control Spike.

Now for what is not good about this season... The series strong point- the growth and interaction of the main characters- is crowded out by the arrival of the potential slayers in episode ten. Giles return, which should have been a boost to the series, just muddled matters even more since he in no way resembles the character we have come to know in previous seasons. Other reviewers have referred to him as "Pod Giles", and I have to agree this moniker fits his season seven persona to a tee. Once the mystery of the season's "big bad" is revealed- an evil force that can take on the form of any dead person but cannot interact with the world around it- there is really no place else to go with this storyline as we do not have in the "First Evil" a villain worthy of reflection such as season three's Mayor or season two's Angelus. Kennedy, Willow's new love interest, is not a convincing actress, and the two's relationship falls flat. Although I would expect Willow to eventually get over Tara's death and move on with a new love interest, I could not figure out why THIS is the person she would choose to move on with. The two have absolutely no chemistry. Spike's big decision to regain his soul and his success at doing so is apparently explained by Buffy to the other main characters offscreen, and we viewers are denied the depth of treatment that revelation should have received. By episode eighteen, when the final story arc is launched, it seems that the writers and actors are phoning in their performances as they know the show will not be renewed for another season.

Then there are all of the plot holes and inconsistency in the writing. For example, according to Giles, after visiting the oracle of Beljoxa's Eye, the First Evil has appeared on the scene because of the slayer herself - because she has died and returned. But Buffy died the first time at the end of season one. So why has the First Evil waited all of this time to appear? In "Showtime" the ubervamps appear almost impossible to kill, so why by the finale are even the potentials slicing through them like butter? At first we are told that the seal over the Hellmouth is not opened by Jonathan's death because there is not enough blood. Then why are only a few drops of Spike's blood sufficient to do the job? Why does D'hoffryn decline to kill Anya at the conclusion of "Selfless", even at her request, but in later episodes has his minions trying to kill her? And the list goes on. Gross inconsistencies in the storyline such as this just didn't occur in previous seasons.

Finally, "Chosen", Joss Whedon's series finale, is mediocre when compared to shows from other seasons that he has written that did not have the importance that this final episode should have had, with a couple of exceptions. I did think that Whedon found a clever way to set Buffy free to live a normal life without her having to abandon her duties. I also liked the scene the day of the final battle with Buffy, Willow, and Xander, the original scoobies, having a conversation reminiscent of the closing scene of "The Harvest", which was the second part of the two-part premiere from season one. As they carry on their superficial banter about shopping, Giles repeats the same line that he said in this same situation in "The Harvest" - "The world is doomed." This was a real treat for long-time viewers and did indeed bring us "back to the beginning" - which was the theme of season seven.