Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3671 in VHS
• Released on: 2001-08-20
• 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: 466 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The fifth season of Buffy is about illusions and the truth that they often reveal; it is also about the hard truth that there are some enemies it is impossible to fight. In the second half of the season, Buffy has a sister to protect, for all that young Dawn was originally a mystical pattern of energy. Buffy learns that Glory, the gibbering woman in a red dress who is looking for her Key, is a being too powerful to fight. Even being around Buffy and Dawn is dangerous for their friends, as Glory and her minions proceed by a process of elimination. The eventual confrontation when it comes is genuinely shocking in its outcome as well as depending in a variety of ways on what has happened earlier in the season; these are episodes which demand our full attention. Meanwhile, the vampire Spike's obsessed desire for Buffy takes them both to some very strange places and Willow and Tara have their love tested in the most gruelling of ways. And in the quietly upsetting episode "The Body", the cast produce their most impressive performances yet as they have to deal with another enemy they cannot fight. --Roz Kaveney

Synopsis
More adventures of a demon kind with Buffy. Features the episodes 'Checkpoint', 'Blood Ties', 'Crush', 'I Was Made To Love You', 'The Body', 'Forever', 'Intervention', 'Tough Love', 'Spiral', 'The Weight Of The World' and 'The Gift'.

Customer Reviews

Superb mix of drama & fun - Buffy has reached its maturity
Season 5 of Buffy is perhaps the best yet. This second half focuses almost entirely on the main story arcs of the year, with virtually no 'filler' episodes. With the exception of the lamentable "Crush", every one is Buffy at its classic best.

Be prepared for some heart-rending developments. Dawn's discovery of who she really is, the death of a major character in "The Body" and the epic five-part run-up to the finale all make for powerful television. Compared to this, I found the much-hyped ending slightly contrived at first, but it has grown on me during repeat viewings. If you don't know what happens, brace yourself for a shock.

With such heavy drama, some light-hearted fun needs injecting into the proceedings, and this is provided admirably by Glory. The brain-sucking devil-in-a-dress proves herself to be the best baddie to appear on the scene since Spike and Dru first rolled into Sunnydale. Speaking of the Big Bad, Spike has some great scenes with Dawn, and his crush on Buffy (whilst a questionable idea for a plot line) is handled much better here than in the first half of the season.

What this set demonstrates most of all is the maturity of the series. This is an altogether more confident Buffy, unafraid to handle difficult issues and mixing serious drama with comedy and gloriously (excuse the pun!) epic action. Great stunts and effects, top-notch acting all round (special mention for newcomer Michelle Trachtenberg), and gripping story lines. A winner on every level.

Buffy magic is back!
After the disappointing series four Joss proved with the first half of this series that this season was going back to it's mythical roots (just in time too!). The concluding half of this season proves that buffy certainly has come home. This box set contains some of the most emotional Buffy episodes since Angel turned into the big bad. The Buffy cast suffers several surprising fatalalities leaving the audience guessing how on earth Joss can top it all.....but he has promised a season six spectacular so don't be too disheartened. All the episodes are good, though some certainly stand out not only as buffy episodes but also as intensly moving television. Watch out specifically for 'The Body', 'Intervention', 'The weight of the world' and the finale and 100th episode 'The Gift'.

Truly a must see again and again and again (so must buy) series for any Buffy fan

Five alive!!!
Box one was a pure delight but somehow this set manages to be even better. Joss Whedon and Co. know how to treat us to an end-of-year finale and, it has to be said, that this season's is possibly the best ever! I'm not going to give away what happens but, believe me, it's something you never would have expected. Things spiral out of control during the final three or four episodes and there's a sense of mounting tension and fear that makes the final episode (and 100th, at that) a very satisfying conclusion indeed. While there a couple of duds (the majorly overrated Checkpoint and the disappointing Crush, which wastes a great opportunity to make use of a returning character), most of the episodes collected on these three videos are pure brilliance, with The Body head and shoulders above the rest. The death of a major character here results in a deeply moving and inventive adult piece of modern television. There are plenty more surprises - more characters dying or being brain-sucked, a brief but intriguing visit from Angel, a Buffy robot that causes much confusion, Spike's confession of love to the Slayer, and a wedding engagement! However, these are just a few of the brilliant developments thought up by the master (Whedon) and the eps can be appreciated truly in only one way - by buying them and watching them! So do so...