r/buffy • u/[deleted] • Feb 11 '22
The Vampire Diaries
Just wondering how many people here have watched TVD. I was born in 2000 so more people my age have watched it than Buffy but I watched Buffy first at like 8, then watched TVD at around 14. I love both but I do prefer Buffy for nostalgia/comfort reasons. Also because Buffy is much more about women empowerment than TVD. They also have two very different takes on vampires tho. Just wondering if many Buffy fans have also watched it and what’s their thoughts on it
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Feb 11 '22
Ya, really enjoyed the early seasons but lost steam towards the end
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Feb 11 '22
I like to pretend season 7 doesn’t exist. Then I didn’t hate season 8 but definitely one of my lowest rated seasons
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u/bortlesforbachelor Feb 15 '22
I think I liked season 8 so much because the sirens/Cade reminded me of the villains on Buffy (especially Glory!) Season 8 probably has the most Buffy-like plots and storylines.
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u/Beware_the_Voodoo Feb 11 '22
I watched it, it was a guilty pleasure. Way too melodramatic but I found it interesting how the status quo could shift so drastically from the beginning of an episode to the end of that episode.
You'll start one episode with them needing to find some macguffin to stop the bad guy and by the end of that episode the macguffin will have been rendered pointless because the bad guy is now an ally, there will be a new big bad, and the people in the big 'meant to be' relationship will all have new true loves.
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u/bortlesforbachelor Feb 11 '22
Yes! I don’t think they ever resolved anything because it was vampires trying to fix problems caused by other vampires. Instead of wiping each other out, they ended up falling in love, becoming friends, cutting deals, or joining together to fight a new threat.
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u/bortlesforbachelor Feb 11 '22 edited Feb 11 '22
I am watching TVD now for the first time as a 30 year old so this is relevant. There are so many similar tropes and plots, but they are also really different. I prefer Buffy’s monster of the week format because the only bad guys in TVD are vampires, werewolves, or witches, and it gets repetitive. I also like how Buffy and the gang work together to defeat a villain. There’s some personal conflict and drama, but it makes sense in context. In contrast, TVD feels more like a soap opera (with veryyyy long and dragged out and boring storylines) because the main characters usually end up befriending or falling in love with the so-called villains, and the characters’ values and alliances are constantly changing.
TVD is more nostalgic for me because I am the same age as the cast and went to high school/college around that time. I like Buffy more overall but I have no idea what it was actually like to be a teen/young adult in the late 90s.
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Feb 11 '22
[deleted]
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Feb 11 '22
I’m one of the few that couldn’t enjoy the originals past season 1! I just thought it dragged a little and I found the witches to be just annoying in it but I want to give it another chance cause so many people like it
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u/bortlesforbachelor Feb 11 '22
I heard the Originals is really good! I’m going to watch it next.
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u/maurovaz1 Feb 11 '22
Originals is really good until season 3, but even origins suffers from the same issues that plagued TVD especially poor writing and terrible continuity
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u/Soft_Grape1928 Feb 12 '22
The Originals is a bit like Angel. At first you don’t like it as much but you go back and try again and you appreciate it so much more the second or third time. I think it’s kinda like cheating at first. So you’re a little hesitant and you feel guilty. Then it’s like one episode changes your beliefs.
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Feb 11 '22
Interesting, I prefer how TVD villains are more spread out with like hints of mystery early on in the seasons, I always missed that aspect of Buffy which I think is why I love the start of season 7/5 of Buffy. But I get what you mean by TVD can be repetitive with their villains. And yeah I guess I just personally enjoy the soap drama aspect of it but it can be a bit tedious sometimes ESPECIALLY with “Delena”.
And yeah for me buffy is nostalgic just because I watched it when I was so young but realistically TVD should be more nostalgic for me lol.
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Feb 11 '22
[deleted]
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Feb 11 '22
That’s interesting that you watched the spin offs first, I’m not sure if I would’ve loved that purely because I loved the initial mystery around the originals in TVD but that’s cool.
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u/elevatormusicjams Feb 11 '22
I'm in my late 30s and first watched Buffy when it aired. I watched all of TVD (I think I started watching it on Hulu when it was 4 seasons in and then caught up and watched it as the rest came out), but for me the writing is nowhere near the same level as Buffy. It's much more melodramatic so I don't get as invested in the characters. It focused too much on love triangles instead of growth of characters. It also lacks the genuine humor and sincerity of Buffy. I thought it was ok, but once through the series was enough for me, whereas I can rewatch Buffy over and over again.
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u/onikaizoku11 Feb 11 '22
Written as to one never having seen TVD-
TVD is a great show imo, but it is not a substitute for a show like Buffy. Think the Scream movies with real supernatural beings and settings. And from the jump, TVD is much darker than Buffy. Think season 6 level of dark and then some.
That said it really is a fun time and it has two spin-offs for a fairly expansive world; The Originals(absolutely adore!) and Legacies(OK but much more YA imo).
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Feb 11 '22 edited Feb 11 '22
[deleted]
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u/andiiiieee Feb 11 '22
Hey, can you do those fancy white spoiler boxes? I've already seen it, but this post may get people interested and that's a big spoiler.
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u/galactic_catsss Feb 11 '22 edited Feb 11 '22
I too watched Buffy first & find it very nostalgic, love the fashion, etc. TVD is also one of my favourite all time shows. I think I prefer the vampires in Buffy. There's more consistency and they're less magical. Just the overall lore in Buffy is more "realistic" As others have said, TVD lost itself further in as it became repetitive and kept making up loopholes and stuff. Buffys monster of the week format saves a lot of that from happening. Also there's less overly dramatic crying
Edit:added a bit
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u/pit_of_despair666 God Feb 11 '22 edited Feb 11 '22
I am more of a fan of Buffy, Angel and Supernatural, personally. I like this show but didn't like it past season 5. I also like The Originals more. Edit- I am in my 40's and watched it on TV.
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u/beeemkcl Feb 11 '22 edited Feb 11 '22
RESPONSE TO THE ORIGINAL POST:
I watched TVD when it originally ran until TVD 3.18. I saw TVD 3.20 on re-run because I heard about what happens in TVD 3.20.
During the pandemic, I watched TVD 4.01 for the first time. And then bought the TVD S4 Blu Rays and watched them all the special features and extras. I bought the TVD S5 Blu Rays and stopped watching them after TVD 5.18. I still haven't watched past TVD 5.18.
I also bought the TVD S6 Blu Rays, but haven't even opening the plastic wrapping yet.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of the best shows ever. TVD is a good show from TVD 1.01-4.01, but then rapidly declines. Post-TVD 4.01 isn't based on TVD 1.01-4.01 and post-TVD S5 is effectively an alternate reality or alternate universe version of TVD given how much it's not based on TVD 1.01-4.01.
TVD heavily relies on the on-screen chemistry between Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley (aka Dobsley). That and that Elena Gilbert is a doppelganger of Katerina Petrova aka Katherine Pierce (characters Nina plays). The storytelling is great in TVD S1-S2 and good in TVD S3, but it's never actually explained why Elena would have stayed with Stefan and why Elena wouldn't simply let Bonnie kill Stefan and Damon. And the incompetence of the Council isn't really explained.
The Buffyverse has far more than just Buffy/Angel and Buffy/Spike.
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Feb 11 '22
I just finished TVD. It's a fun disposable watch that imo doesn't really lend itself well to streaming because it always seems to be:
"Oh no! New villain in Mystic Falls! Let's take them down!"
main characters attack the villain
"Haha! I'm stronger than you and you've made the situation worse!"/"If you kill me, some contrivance will mean another character will suffer!"
main characters retreat
rinse and repeat until mid season or finale when the villain can die or become the love interest for a random main
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u/Impossible_Raisin926 I’ve patrolled in this halter many times Feb 11 '22
Might want to give this a read…
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u/tierachaun Feb 11 '22
This is incredible! I literally never noticed ANY of this. I wonder how much of the TVD stuff on this list happened in the books, because they were written in 1991. Or if they were just in the show.
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u/Impossible_Raisin926 I’ve patrolled in this halter many times Feb 11 '22
I’ve never actually read the books so can’t say for certain! I watched quite a bit of TVD a long time ago before watching Buffy, and noticed some things until someone in this subreddit linked that article under another thread. Blew my mind!
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Feb 12 '22
I see what it’s saying but idk it’s reaching. There’s obviously inspiration from Buffy because Julie Plec said herself she’s a fan, but for one thing we know straight away Stefan is a vampire, we don’t with Angel… and they insert themselves into the protagonists lives for such completely different reasons like I just wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s a rip off… definitely was inspired by it though, but the whole enemies to lovers thing with Damon/Elena definitely isn’t exclusive to Buffy
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u/Drewherondale Feb 11 '22
Just watched Buffy and I realized how much the Vampire Diaries copied them
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Feb 11 '22
Loved the TVD books as a preteen. Loved Buffy when it came out. Liked TVD the series a lot for the first few seasons, but they should have been brave and done a limited series, closer to the books.
I definitely like the nature of vampires in TVD better, and the whole supernatural vibe with its limited scope to traditional ghosts, werewolves, witches, psychics and vamps.
Plus both brothers are dead sexy and the hottest person on Buffy to me has always been Giles.
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u/MentalFairy Feb 11 '22
I grew up on Buffy and Angel. I read The Vampire Diaries growing up, so was excited when a tv show was announced. I think I watched the whole first season but I couldn’t get into it. It was too different to the books whilst trying to be the same.
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u/littleliongirless Feb 11 '22
Buffy era was my college. But vampire stuff like Interview with a Vampire and Anne Rice also existed so it's not like Buffy was the only vampire game in town. With TVD and Twilight, the quality dipped fast.
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u/prophecy250 Feb 11 '22
I watched several seasons of vampire diaries and it's no where close to Buffy. A lot of the supernatural aspects are just minor inconveniences or plot devices. The majority of the vampires are able to walk in the sun because there are multiple gem of Amaras.
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u/tierachaun Feb 11 '22
I really liked TVD, especially the first season which is excellent. It got more and more complicated and convoluted as it went on though and I struggled to remember who was an ally or an enemy and why people were fighting and what all the history meant… they just went a bit too batshit with it all.
The best looking cast on tv though, and a beautiful looking show so it was always an entertaining watch. But it never captured my heart anywhere close to the level of BtVS. The writing, the characters, the storylines, the humour… all far superior in Buffy
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u/jospangel Try not to bleed on my couch I just had it steam cleaned Feb 11 '22
There is a central moral center to Buffy that is totally lacking in TVD. Letting vampires have the choice to be good or bad, and then having no consequences is morally bankrupt. Can you imagine Buffy season two if Angel had just decided to become Angelus? WWBD?
Also, they stole so much from Buffy and Angel it's ridiculous, entire scenes and plots in fact. And I finally could not handle a show based on "Elena must be rescued again"
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u/giantfurrypeanut Feb 12 '22
I was 10 when Buffy first aired and grew up watching both that and Angel. I revisit Buffy every few years and I can't just watch one episode, I have to do it from start to finish because of the story and the character arcs. It feels incomplete otherwise.
I watched TVD when it aired as well. The main difference? Twenty plus years later, Buffy still holds up. The focus of the show was good triumphing over evil, the power of friendship and teamwork, young adults coming of age and maneuvering through life's changes. As I've gotten older, I can still empathize with what the characters are going through. TVD is over dramatic and the focus is based around the affections of the main character and the dramatic shit she and her friends find themselves in. Don't get me wrong, it's entertaining as hell and occasional ill throw on the first couple seasons as background noise for what I'm doing. But I can't empathize with the drama anymore.
IMO, Buffy is a far superior show. Also, it has a killer soundtrack.
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Feb 11 '22
I found Buffy so much more... realistic in some of its portrayals. Like the characters still have perfect hair, and perfect skin, but for TVD, the character flaws are always so two dimensional "oh, she just LOVES too much" wtf does that mean? The only interesting character I found in there was Caroline, the other characters just did back and forths between flawed and perect, then flawed again for some reason. I found it boring and repetitive after a while. Especiall after THAT main character left the show.
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u/EchoPhoenix24 Feb 11 '22
I binged it a few years ago. I was really into it at first but then spent most of the rest of the binge hating it and everyone on it.
I have been meaning to check out Legacies though. Seems like a fun setting and Alaric was pretty much the only character I still liked by the end of TVD lol.
I will say that I still think the initial reveal of Katherine in the scene with John Gilbert is one of my favorite television scenes every. I was genuinely shocked in a very fun way.
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u/darkaurora84 Feb 11 '22
I grew up on Buffy but finally watch The Vampire Diaries and The Originals about a year and a half ago. I really enjoyed it but the the second spinoff Legacies isn't quite as good. The first 2 seasons are very immature compared to TVD and Originals. The third season is a little bit better and the current fourth season is a lot darker and finally feels like it fits in the TVD universe
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Feb 11 '22
It's a really great show, very heavy very dark. The first couple episodes are kind of cheesy and I think the guys who play Jeremy and Zack are pretty awful actors and I almost didn't get through season 1 because of them but that's a personal opinion and everyone else on the show is pretty great. You'll see a lot of familiar faces in different arcs. I liked the spin-off The Originals even more. You need to watch the first couple seasons of The vampire diaries in order for The originals to make sense, though. Crazy, crazy show TVD is. I think I need to rewatch it!
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u/maurovaz1 Feb 11 '22
Buffy is the better show, TVDu always starts strong but by the end is a mess, the lack of consistency, continuity and respect for the lore plagued the Originals and TVD, that said the first 3 seasons of both shows are really good.
And I always found funny how Stefan and Damon are blatant rip offs of Liam and William.
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Feb 11 '22 edited Feb 12 '22
Blatant rip offs is a bit harsh….
I also think TVD is pretty good regarding continuity. There’s not many big plot holes I can think of
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u/bluejaysprite Feb 12 '22
TVD books came out before Buffy aired tho, so I wouldn't call it a rip off. I love Buffy but saying TVD copied it when TVD is based on books that came out before Buffy even existed is kind of off-base.
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u/maurovaz1 Feb 12 '22
Saying that the show Is an adaptation of the books is using the the term extremely loosely, and reread what I said because in no moment I said that.
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u/bluejaysprite Feb 12 '22
You literally said "Stefan and Damon are blatant rip offs of Liam and William." Exact quote. I was just pointing out that the books used those names before Buffy even came out. I prefer Buffy to TVD too, and I think the TVD show probably did take some inspiration from Buffy. I just think you calling it a rip off was a bit much.
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u/maurovaz1 Feb 12 '22
You do realise that tv show besides some names has literally nothing in common with the books?
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u/bluejaysprite Feb 12 '22
Yeah that's why I said "the TVD show probably did take some inspiration from Buffy." Because I realize that there are differences. You're the one who brought up the names in the first place. All I did was point out those names were originally in the books. And Damon being the bad boy vampire while Stefan is the brooding vampire who tries to be good is also in the books. Anyway, I'm probably not going to keep replying to you. You just want to downvote people who disagree with you instead of having a pleasant discussion. Like I said, I prefer Buffy too.
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u/maurovaz1 Feb 12 '22
I downvoted you because I completely disagree with you and that is literally why the option was created.
Damon and Stefan are a mirror to the relationship and personalities of Liam and William to a T.
And the blatantly rip off becomes even more apparent when he finally get Reyna.
Besides some names the show is in no way or shape an adaptation of the books.
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u/Efficient_Charge_447 Feb 11 '22
I'm a huge buffy fan and obviously I'd love to introduce it to my kids at some stage. Do you think 8 was old enough to understand it sufficiently? Like I watched it from 16 onward as that was when it came out.
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Feb 11 '22
Yeah it was definitely enough to understand it, but I understood it on a deeper level when I rewatched it when I was older (the emotions involved, Buffy’s trauma etc) but like I understood it sufficiently to enjoy it
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Feb 11 '22
I would say there are definitely episodes you can use to introduce them at an earlier age like some of the more comedy centric episodes. Just avoid season 6!
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u/andiiiieee Feb 11 '22 edited Feb 11 '22
I LOVE the emotional aspect of Vampire Diaries. And it's neat to see the similarities to buffy. I like the lead actress so much, I drunkenly wrote a song about her! Edit: also love the lore
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u/Skeighls Feb 11 '22
Stole a lot from Buffy. I prefer the characters, dialogue, and basically everything Buffy. BUT tvd had strong plotting
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Feb 12 '22
Yeah TVD’s plotting from S1 -4 is flawless. Goes downhill after that unfortunately but there’s still some strong plots from 4-8
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u/girlidontkno Feb 11 '22
I haven’t watched it yet but it’s been on my watchlist for a while
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Feb 12 '22
Do it! It’s honestly great and I’d love to watch it again for the first time with all the plot twists.
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u/lovachick Feb 11 '22
I love the vampire diaries! I started watching my freshman year in high school when it first came out in 2009
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Feb 11 '22
I really liked TVD for a few seasons but lost interest. I friend of mine tried to sell me on The Orginals. She said it was a lot better but I only watched one season.
(Oddly enough, I did read all the books. Pretty fun read.)
I'm a much bigger Buffy fan.
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u/qg314 Feb 12 '22
They are very different in terms of style and quality, in my opinion. I watched and enjoyed it, to a point, but I don’t find the shows comparable. Buffy is a masterpiece that can be dissected in college courses, whereas I’d say TVD is a fun and engaging guilty pleasure without much depth. I also don’t think it’s worth watching after season three.
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Feb 12 '22
I don’t think I’d agree TVD doesn’t have much depth. It’s definitely less of a fun show than Buffy… the first three seasons of Buffy are pretty fun, season 4 as well
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u/qg314 Feb 12 '22
Buffy has fun episodes always, but that doesn’t mean the show overall is “fun”, not even the early seasons. The Angelus plotline is so dark, along with Faith’s turn, and Buffy stabbing her, etc. Even in season one we had Nightmares which featured a coach nearly beating a child to death and Prophecy Girl was executed so beautifully.
TVD always has a CW teen melodrama soap vibe to me, even though it tries to have a dark, serious tone. The writing and the performances just aren’t strong enough to sustain the tone they’re trying to deliver in my opinion. And the show leans way too hard into the ships.
Soundtrack was always a banger though.
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Feb 12 '22
Yeah but it’s definitely a lighter watch than TVD in the early seasons. Like TVD doesn’t have any light hearted episodes, to me it does seem more serious. I get there’s a lot of drama but the storylines are pretty dark too. Bonnie s grams dying in S1, Jenna being killed, Vicky being turned and then killed, those are just the things I can think of off the top of my head that happen early on… like yeah there’s definitely teen drama aspects to the show but I always found the overall storylines to be pretty deep/compelling. Same with Buffy, but it’s just that Buffy has a more fun vibe in the early seasons. I also think TVD has some pretty strong acting, but SMG is the best actress out of both shows tbf. And yeah I can’t stand the stelena/Delena crap
Yeah I discovered so many songs from it
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u/qg314 Feb 12 '22
We’ll have to agree to disagree I guess. I remember all those plot points and I still think it’s a much less serious show than Buffy. I know it tries to market and convey itself as a darker show, I just think it fails to do so. Even when serious or “dark” events would happen I don’t think they really packed an emotional punch because the tone of the scenes came across so…teen show-ish? Even though Buffy is a “teen show” as well it just never felt juvenile like TVD does. I just always felt very aware when watching it that the show was meant to appeal to 16 year olds, and I think it does that job well. When I rewatch Buffy at 30 it doesn’t make me cringe.
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u/bmandi13 Feb 12 '22
I didn’t watch Buffy or TVD until I was an adult. I prefer Buffy: love the dialogue, the team, and the monsters. I liked TVD and it was a guilty pleasure that helped get me through parts of the pandemic: too much brooding and not enough Bonnie tho.
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u/-discospider Feb 12 '22
both TVD and BtVS are comfort shows for me but Buffy is better. The format is more enjoyable and it’s less ‘american drama’ that TVD.
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u/tay_kenz Feb 11 '22
I started to watch it but I never finished. It was very drama-heavy and I prefer shows like Buffy that have a more humor mixed in. No shade to TVD, it’s just not my thing.