Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 5 (Box Set 1) [1998]

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
The opening episode of Buffy's Fifth Season, "Buffy vs Dracula", is not just a crowd-pleasing inter-textual slugfest but also a signal that we will be spending time with illusion and the truth it sometimes conceals, sometimes presents. And suddenly Buffy has a younger sister, has always had a younger sister ... Michelle Trachtenberg as the moody, gawky Dawn achieves the considerable triumph of walking into an established stock company of well-known characters--Xander, Willow, Giles and so on--with the perfect assurance of a long-term member of the cast. Of course, nothing is as it seems; even Glory, the mad brain-sucking beauty in a red dress who is the villain of the year, turns out to be even more than she seems. Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy manages to convey heartbreak, self-involvement and real heroism as her relationship with her emotionally dense soldier boyfriend Riley hits the shoals and the blonde much-cheekboned vampire Spike starts to show an altogether inappropriate interest. In sidebars from the main plot--Dawn and her nemesis Glory--we see Xander cope with a cool sinister double, learn the true identity of Willow's lover Tara and uncover Spike's embarrassing pre-vampire past. Any doubts about this brilliant show's capacity to sustain itself are dissipated by this firecracker of a season. --Roz Kaveney

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Synopsis
More adventures of a demon kind with Buffy. The episodes include 'Buffy vs Dracula', 'Real Me', 'The Replacement', 'Out Of My Mind', 'No Place Like Home', 'Family', 'Fool For Love', 'Shadow', 'Listening To Fear', 'Into The Woods' and 'Triangle'.

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-04-19 rating:
A very good season..on the second watch
I'll admit that after the let down that was season 4, I didnt really know what to expect. I will also admit that to me no season of Buffy will never be as good as seasons 2 and 3, which were, on the whole, outstanding. The first time round season 5 left me a bit empty, Im not sure why but I did struggle at first with the introduction of Dawn and felt the season was a little flat at the beginning.

However on the second watch, this season is actually really very good. I loved Glory, one of the best villains in my opinion and the unfolding plotline over Dawn being the key was played so brilliantly by all but the real credit has to go to Michelle Trachtenberg who steals many of the scenes when it is revealed who she really is. There are some great episodes, the direction and writing of 'The Body' was haunting but very well done, as Buffy dealt with the loss of her mum.

Overall a good season, some inevitable poorer episodes but on the whole very watchable.

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review by: date: 2006-03-13 rating:
Buffy suddenly has a kid sister and other Season 5 oddities
Going into the fifth season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," the question was what sort of Big Bad could they come up with to top what we had seen so far. But by the end of the first episode the more immediate question ws how come Buffy and everybody suddenly think she has always had a kid sister? We do not find out that Glory is not a demon by the end of these eleven episodes that make up the first half of Season Five, but if you remember what the answer is you can see the little subtle hints that Glory is something different. When Buffy finally learns the truth about Dawn is certainly the emotional highlight of these episodes and the best one in this set, but nothing here is an outright classic episode of "BtVS":

Episode 1, "Buffy vs. Dracula" (Written by Marti Noxon, First aired September 26, 2000), finds the most famous vampire of them all is in Sunnydale and he has heard of a somewhat star struck Buffy. In fact, she falls under the Dark Lord's thrall, as does Xander, and Giles and Riley have to try and rescue them from Dracula's castle. If you think that is strange you should see the teenage girl poking around in Buffy's bedroom (4.5 Stakes).

Episode 2, "Real Me" (Written by David Fury, October 3, 2000), has everybody treat Dawn, Buffy's kid sister, like she has always been around. Meanwhile, Harmony has put together her own gang of vampires and has decided to take down the Slayer. Like that is going to happen (4.5 Stakes).

Episode 3, "The Replacement" (Written by Jane Espenson, October 10, 2000) finally takes advantage of the fact Nicholas Brandon has a twin brother as a demon named Toth fires a weapon that hits Xander and turns him into two people. The "real" Xander discovers that his double is doing a great job of stealing his life, including moving into a snazzy new apartment with Anya (4.0 Stakes).

Episode 4, "Out of My Mind" (Written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner, October 17, 2000), has Giles getting ready to re-open the Magic Box, but Buffy has bigger concerns when Joyce collapses. If that was not bad enough, Riley's heart is beating out of control and Buffy has to contact the Initiative when Riley disappears. Buffy goes to Spike for help since he knows the layout of the Initiative, but he sees this as a chance to get his chip out (4 Stakes).

Episode 5, "No Place Like Home" (Written by Douglas Petrie, October 24, 2000), is where we finally find out the secret of Dawn as a dying monk tells Buffy about the Key. The reason he is dying is that someone named Glory showed up and beat Buffy to a pulp. Buffy had used a spell trying to find out if magic was affecting her mom and discovered Dawn was not her sister, so while the mystery of Dawn is solved, the mystery of Glory remains (5 Stakes).

Episode 6, "Family" (Written & Directed by Joss Whedon, November 7, 2000), has Willow all excited about Tara's birthday, but then Tara's family shows up. They want her to come home before she turns into a demon. Tara's spell so that nobody will see her demon half backfires when Buffy and the Scoobies cannot see the demons sent by Glory (4.5 Stakes).

Episode 7, "Fool for Love" (Written by Petrie, November 14, 2000), is the somewhat continued on an episode of "Angel," as we get to see some key moments from Spike's past. When Buffy is almost killed by an ordinary vampire, she quizzes Spike about the two slayers he has killed. He takes great pleasure in telling her the details. Meanwhile, Joyce has to go to the hospital for test (4.5 Stakes).

Episode 8, "Shadow" (Written by Fury, November 21, 2000), refers to what has shown up on the scans of Joyce's brain and which requires emergency exploratory surgery. Meanwhile, Glory buys what she needs from Giles at the Magic Box to work a spell to create a snake monster that will search out the Key (4.5 Stakes).

Episode 9, "Listening to Fear" (Written by Kirshner, November 28, 2000), has everyone waiting for Joyce's surgery to remove a brain tumor. The tumor is affecting Joyce's brain and she insists Dawn is not her daughter. Meanwhile, Riley is hanging out in dives and letting vampires drink his blood (4 Stakes).

Episode 10, "Into the Woods" (Written & Directed by Noxon, December 19, 2000), finds Spike has learned Riley's secret and waits for the right moment to help Buffy find out the truth. When Riley gets an opportunity to join a black ops team hunting demons in Belize, he decides to leave Sunnydale convinced there is no reason to stay (4.5 Stakes).

Episode 11, "Triangle" (Written by Espenson, January 9, 2001), has Anya worried that Xander will leave her for Willow. So when Giles goes to England to consult the Watchers Council about Glory and leaves Anya in charge of the Magic Box, she and Willow have a fight and a spell ends up bringing Anya's ex-boyfriend, Olaf the Troll. This cannot be good (4.5 Stakes).

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review by: mfbrown5 date: 2003-02-06 rating:
Season Five Stormer
Season Five kicks off with an adequate opener which would have been all the better if it had only been written by Joss Weedon. The Season truly picks up from there,though,with the advent of Buffy's little sister,Dawn. This sorts out who was paying attention in Season Four,where clues larger than Glory's ego were given us. If you don't believe me, check out "Last Year's Girl" (Season Four) where Buffy and Faith are making up the bed. "So much to do before your sister comes". Also the final episode of Season Four, also in that bedroom, where Tara tells Buffy to "be back before Dawn".

The tension that is built up in the second half of the season is a masterpiece of planning and creation,with the tear-jerker last episode leaving true Buffy fans in a state of shock. Joss Weedon at his magnificent best. Buy it. Keep it. Revisit it at regular intervals and see more each time than you have seen before.

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review by: date: 2002-01-31 rating:
Compelling watch for avid Buffy fans
Each episode got better and better throughout the gift set. For avid Buffy fans this is gripping stuff, the coming of age of Willow and the gang facing the difficulties of "Glory" were heartbreaking at times to watch.

Bring on Season 6 already, I'm waiting with baited breath - still in shock from the finale - but can't wait to see what's next.


review by: jamiehenderson1 date: 2002-01-08 rating:
Continuity is the Key
Though some episodes (especially towards the end of the season) are less well structured than before, this is still a superlative season in which everything has been well thought out. There's barely a single plot hole to be found. Highly recommended episodes are all those penned by Whedon: the heartwarming 'Family', the lacerating 'The Body' (his most mature writing yet, and the best , if not the most enjoyable, episode of Buffy ever) and of course the finale, 'The Gift'. Willow's battle with Glory is also worth looking out for.
And there is one superb piece of continuity: did anyone else recognise Sandy, the vampire whom Riley picks up in Willy's Bar, in 'Family'? Go back to Season 3 episode 'Doppelgangland' and you'll see the human Sandy being bitten by none other than..Vamp Willow!

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