Becoming a Cookie

At the end, Buffy left 2 holes behind her - a massive crater that was once the beleaguered town of Sunnydale, California; and a gaping hole in the television landscape. There has never been a show like Buffy and there will likely never be another one like it. Its fan base was a cross-section of humanity, rendering the demographics of age, race, gender, education and social status irrelevant. Although I have been on the receiving end of many a cocked eyebrow after revealing that I was ardent fan of the show, I am and always have been proud to be a part of that fanbase. I feel sorry for those individuals who dismissed the show based only on its admittedly silly title. My advice to them - do your best to catch the show in syndication, or better yet, buy the DVDs. Buffy is a classic, a television show whose underlying themes will remain relevant long after we have forgotten most of what passes for good TV today.

As evidence of the power and relevance of Buffy, I point you to the numerous tribute articles and reviews that have been posted at slayage.com in the past 2 days. For your reading enjoyment, here are 3 of my favorites:

Buffy Rides Off Into the Sunset (NYTimes)
A Hole in Our Hearts (Salon)
Analysis: Bye-Bye Buffy (UPI)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of the best television shows ever made. And I'm going to miss it. If you can narrow them down, I'd like to hear what some of your favorite moments or episodes were - and I'll respond with some of mine.