Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2444 in VHS
• Released on: 2001-06-11
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Number of discs: 3
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 3
• Running time: 528 minutes

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

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'.

Customer Reviews

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The 'different monster a week' episodes are long gone with this season. Individual episodes lack focus and the big story arcs are privileged: Buffy's mum, Dawn&Glory, the whole Spike/Buffy thing etc, which are all excellent attention-grabbers. The characters have grown up and have grown-up concerns - we never see them in class this time round and the fact that they're at Uni is almost irrelvent. As 'Buffy' has always had school/college/growing-up experiences as a backbone and the various demons are usually metaphors for these, season 5 has a different angle, a different 'feel', which was perhaps necessary to prevent the series becoming stale. It does seem to have lost a bit of sparkle though - the big promises of season4 are disappointingly brushed aside, i.e. Tara's 'big secret' is inexcusably dull. It does see the welcome departure of galoot Riley, who's never felt like he's a comfortable part of the Buffyverse - compare with Dawn's effortless joining of the crew: in just a few episodes you feel she's always been there. Willow is woefully underused, though Xander, Anya, Spike and Giles are given ample airtime, so you can't complain. There's only one episode on this box-set that represents quality Buffy and that's 'Fool for Love', the Spike-centred one. Worryingly, this season is the least funny to date - with all the po-faced, heart-wrenching misery that the writers delight in, the trademark Buffy humour seems to have got lost. Criticism aside, 'Buffy' is still intelligent, essential viewing and as fans will know, 'Buffy' on an off- day is still 134 times better than most of the stuff on TV.

Return of the Buffinator
After the slight disappointment that was Season Four, Buffy the Vampire Slayer returns for its fifth, and possibly best season.

It's all change this time, and the first episode makes this clear. Buffy fights a famous vampire - Dracula, an idea that works and only smells slightly of fromage - Xander asserts, after a hilarious bug-eating phase, that he is no-one's butt-monkey, and a new cast member appears. Devoted fans know that's somethings up already.

Thankfully, it's all change for the good. Relationships become more and more complex; Riley-haters will watch with glee as his relationship with Buffy becomes strained; Spike fans will watch with even more glee as his relationship with Buffy changes; and those that thought Adam was a poor uber-bad guy after the amazing but quirky Mayor will be pleased with the new Glory. Sadly, though, the best news concerning Glory comes in the next boxed set.

There is, of course, much more than this. In fact, in order to properly review this season, we have to look at Season Four episodes, which darkly hinted at what was to come, ample evidence of Whedon's genius. Equal in terms of evidence is the bringing of gritty realism to this season; Buffy will need to fight powers that not even she can properly face, both supernatural and all-too-natural. At times, it does become more like a drama than a sci-fi/horror show, and I would be remiss if I didn't point out the distinct lacking of vampires in later episodes.

Save of course, Spike, who didn't enjoy much of the limelight in the previous season, save for his dastradly role in the closing episodes. Not so this time; Spike plays a greater and greater role in this season, coming to a head once again in the closing episodes, but fighting with a different motive this time around. Those who felt Spike needed more attention will like Fool For Love; it is, in effect, devoted to the Bleached Big Bad.

Riley is no more Mr Nice Guy either. In fact, while Spike sort of makes his way up into the good guy camp, Riley rather goes the other way. Whedon does, of course, make sure that everyone, including the fans, are deeply effected by this. Even I, an ardent opposer of Angel's replacement, was shocked at the culmination of Riley's sub-plot. It's heart-wrenching stuff people.

This boxed set does have a flaw, though. Once you watch it, you have to buy the next one. But trust me, you want to. The end to this season can be missed by no-one...

JK

This season is yet to disappoint which it won't
Season five kick starts with the best opening episode yet. Buffy Vs Dracula is great,especially with Xanders jitteryness and Giles losing his shoe.More great episodes follow like The Replacemant (starring Nicholas Brendons twin brother Kelly),Family,Fool for Love (recommended for Spike fans) and Triangle Season five is yet to disappoint which hopefully it won't. In season five is much more revealing about each character and we see the characters continue to grow as adults.Even though they are known as the Scooby Gang they are becoming a family.Also we get to see a character leave the series which leaves us with a smile on our face.That's if you too find Riley a big pathetic annoying lug. When i first heard about Buffy having a little sister on the show i thought oh god they've spoilt it,but it's dealt with very well.Don't let it put you off the series.She is the main storyline in the show and most episodes leave you with a question about her and the bad guys of the season.Buy the box set as it is very hard to wait another week to find out what happens next and with a certains channels reputation with the shows schedule it's gonna be alot longer than a week for some episodes.