I've been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix.  I saw the series when it was first on from 1997 to 2003, missing some episodes now and then; later, watching the whole series on library DVDs and missing some episodes due to terrible condition of a few of the discs.  Videotapes get made fun of these days; they're antiquated, one has to rewind which involves waiting, one of the worst conditions inflicted on humanity, so God (Steve Jobs) invented the iPhone.  But videotapes have at least one advantage over DVDs: if you drop a videotape--protected by an outer plastic shell--the tape isn't harmed.  Drop a DVD and scratches and dinks appear, causing stoppages during play, skips, pixilation flowerings like abstract paintings.  Library DVDs get checked out by a variety of people, some of whom don't realize it's damaging to touch the disc's playing surface.  Add drops to that to carpets, rugs, and hard floors all across town and what happens is the condition of the library Buffy the Vampire Slayer set I tried to watch a few years ago.
     Now, Netflix provides through an iPad screen a beautiful, clear vision of the show I've decided is my favorite of all shows. 
     The writing, the characters, the action scenes, the acting, amount to a perfect example of what a TV show can be if a creative genius (Joss Whedon) is left alone to make the show he needs to make, with a lead actress, Sarah Michelle Gellar playing Buffy, who combines old style Hollywood screen charisma with modern full spectrum acting ability.  The show is Shakespearean in the sense that it depicts a full range of experience, mingling comedy with darkness, as in life.  A complete range of dramatic styles is on view.  Whedon even wrote a musical episode with all the actors doing their own singing and dancing, and it wasn't incongruous since the musicality afflicting them came from a meddling and stylish singing demon.
     This month I've gotten two visits on this blog from the Netherlands.  Hello, and thank you.  One of my favorite bands, Clan of Xymox, comes from the Netherlands.  I've been mesmerized by their moody, beautiful layered music since I first heard them in 1990. 

                                                                          Vic Neptune