Am I completely sad for watching Buffy? Most people tend to answer with the affirmative. I only caught the show halfway through the third series, but it's become an absolute obsession -- I go into a mini depression if I miss an episode. Personally, I treat the Slayer series as a comedy, and whilst I have been struck by genuine pathos and emotion on occasion, my yardstick on an episode's worth is typically how much I laugh. Alas, I rather suspect that the show has peaked, with the characters all wanting to grow and 'mature', as opposed to sticking with the tried and tested. I can understand why actors want to start trying different things, but has the show really benefitted? I don't recall The Simpsons ever changing. My attitude to Buffy's new beau is best encapsulated by the section on the BBC's excellent site: "Riley, you big lug!" What a waste of space. A character with absolutely no contradictions and no dramatic tension. In other words, completely dull. He also introduced The Initiative, which I can't help thinking was another big mistake. It's one thing to suspend your disbelief in demons when they're being tracked by Giles, but quite another when Forrest is measuring their pheromone count with a device from Star Trek. Spike is currently the show's saving grace; am I the only one who thinks they gave the spin-off series to the wrong vampire?

With all this moaning, why do I still watch it? Even if I expect to be home by 6:45, I still dutifully set my VCR just in case -- the only programme that earns that distinction. I'd like to say because the first two series were consistently great, but I know that's not true. It's like asking why you support a team that's sitting at the bottom of the league, nothing but a pantomime of pain and disappointment. The truth is, Buffy has mythic stature, and no matter how shit individual episodes are, it keeps the dream alive. I guess we all want to save the world, kill the villan and come up with a clever put-down before going clubbing at The Bronze. Sarah Michelle Gellar is the James Bond for Generation Xers everywhere, and it's not because she's cute. You've put so much into BtVS that you can't give up on it, even if you end up watching with fingers crossed, hoping this episode doesn't suck as much as last week's. Besides, even now the show can still rock: "Pangs" and "Hush" deserve a place in everybody's Top Ten. I guess the moral is that great expectations lead to great disappointments.