Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Fifth Season
March 2004 Reviewed by: Rad Bennett Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

When I reviewed Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Fourth Season last October, I strongly urged readers to watch it from the beginning. Start with the first season and go from there. Since I was unable to catch the original broadcasts, I have stuck faithfully to the path with the DVD releases, avoiding the temptation to sample re-broadcasts of subsequent episodes. My vigilance has been amply rewarded by this fifth season, which was devastating in its impact. Producer-writer Josh Whedon loaded every role with so much development that it is impossible not to note the growth of each character over five years. The same actors have played their parts throughout the series, so the growth and development seem even more natural.

The season opens with Buffy fighting Dracula, who has sought her out in Sunnydale, having heard of her powers. The tag to this episode suddenly introduces us to Dawn, a kid sister we never knew Buffy had. Dawn narrates the second episode as she reads entries in her diary. Dawn becomes a regular and an important part of Buffy’s family. The vampire Spike, now neutralized by a chip implanted in his head, starts to become alarmingly good and falls in love with Buffy in a big way. Buffy’s boyfriend, Riley, begins to realize that he is playing second fiddle to the slayer’s career and takes off. And Buffy gains a new enemy in Glory, a god who has come to earth to inhabit a human body. Glory proves one of Buffy’s most formidable enemies and torments her for most of the season.

But the biggest news for me was that in the middle of the season, Buffy’s mother, Joyce, dies. And on a show where death is always around the next corner -- death from vampire or demon -- Joyce dies of natural causes. The episode that deals with the actual death is called "The Body" and it is one of the most powerful pieces of television I have ever seen. It examines death, grief, and our conventions surrounding the death of a loved one, in a way not usually encountered. It does not hurt a bit that by this point in the season, and in the series, all of the actors work hand in glove and each has become a thorough professional. There are performances in this segment that will make one weep.

As Buffy became more famous, better film stock was used to shoot the show. The fourth season looked good, but the fifth is even better. Everything here is of movie quality. The colors are rich and deep, the focus crisp and clean. Dark scenes have proper contrast and are never murky. The sound is robust and clean, but I feel the surrounds are still not used enough, either to startle or create atmospheric effects.

There are copious extras. Many episodes have commentaries. For others, you can view the original script. There are several mini-documentaries throughout the six-disc set. These generally focus on some particular aspect of the season. There is an overview of the fifth season, and a section of outtakes, as well as a still-frame gallery. I would say the show has almost been given its due. Fair enough, since Buffy the Vampire Slayer is television that is as good as it gets.

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