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Fanfiction has always been a dirty word.  Maybe because a lot of fanfiction is actually very dirty.  Maybe because a lot of it is complete rubbish.  Let’s face it: as much as Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans love the show, it’s always been a bit of a leap to go from Joss Whedon’s snappy, witty and smartly written TV drama to a format generally believed to be badly written, hurried, ill-conceived and generally very poor.  Actually it’s a bit of a leap for most to go from Whedon’s series to any related Buffyverse tales, whether in story or comic book form.  Those that don’t, though, are starting to seriously miss out.  When I first heard that a group of Buffy fans from the fanfiction community had gotten together to produce a Buffy radio drama I couldn’t contain my laughter.  With the best will in the world, how could a bunch of amateurs hope to pull off something remotely credible, let alone worthwhile?  None of the original cast, no established scriptwriters and not even a proper soundstudio.  “Very quaint,” I thought, and promptly tuned in for comedy value.

Twelve episodes later, I’m on the brink of writing to Whedon, begging him to canonise the series and to give the team money and a proper studio to produce an official radio drama that would, undoubtedly, sell like hotcakes and be a worthy jewel in the Buffy crown.  Not for my benefit, mind, as I’m now open-minded enough to head on over to the Buffy Between the Lines website and have my fill of this excellent show for free, but for those out there who are too driven by traditional media to give this a chance, thinking that something can only be worthy if they’ve succumbed to the marketing and paid for it.  Let us instantly revise our swift categorisation of fanfiction as complete rubbish, then: Buffy Between the Lines (BBtL) is an essential item on any Buffy fan’s agenda, combining all the hilarious wit and humour alongside tense, involving drama and fascinating characterisation of Whedon’s original series.  In short, it’s a superbly written triumph that’s beautifully acted across the board by its cast of amateur Buffy aficionados.

The first trick is in the premise, an idea that you’d dismiss out of hand if you thought of it yourself (yet so clever you’d probably never think of it), but on reflection, so perfect you’d kick yourself for doing so.  Tabitha Grace Smith and her Between the Lines crew decided to set their version of Buffy between seasons five and six, telling the story of the period between Buffy’s death and eventual resurrection.  That’s right: Buffy without the titular Vampire Slayer, the star of the show, the main attraction.  Well, why not?  Whilst she’s many viewer’s favourite character (and mine), the show always took its peripheral characters very seriously, drawing a character arc for Willow that many find more intriguing and persuasive than Buffy’s, and creating in Xander a male figure with whom non-macho-minded males could seriously identify. Buffy Between the Lines goes one step further than Whedon ever could, designing and planning a whole season of drama based around these characters, showing us key developments such as Willow growing from powerful to superpowerful, emerging as a witch powerful enough to bring back the dead; Dawn’s attempt to adjust to life, no longer having a role as “the Key” and no longer having any family; Spike’s increased Buffy-less integration with the Scooby gang; and, of course, the continuing saga of Xander and Anya’s possible wedding.  There’s a wealth of material to mine, but it would still take some serious talent to pull it off.

Fortunately, Buffy Between the Lines has this talent, first and foremost in it’s staff of disgustingly proficient writers.  Each of them truly deserve high praise as each of the individual 12 episodes that make up the season are well written in and of themselves, but two standout for special praise.¹  Emma Rawlin, writer of episodes 4-6 has crafted an especially fine trio that allow the Buffyverse to breathe in its new home, the radio, in ways it never could on the television screen, dispensing almost entirely with any villain of the week in favor of a number of excellently drawn character studies.

First and most unusually, the BuffyBot is given her own amusing and touching arc in “Ctrl-Alt-Delete.”  “She’s All That” focuses on problems of integration in the newly restructured Scooby gang, in particular Dawn’s feelings of alienation (which feel genuinely real here) and her growing closeness to Spike, but also tensions between Anya and Willow and questions of leadership.  Finally, “Followed Footsteps” attends to a particularly well drawn and well portrayed villain, Javert, who it turns out was sired by Spike and has personal problems of his own.

Secondly, Tabitha Grace Smith not only writes individual episodes but, as the series’ own “Joss Whedon,” had to attend to every aspect of the show and to pull the whole season together.  The structure of a season of the Buffy TV show is excruciatingly complex. Characters have to develop at the right place in the right way (in interesting ways), and individual scripts have to do this whilst presenting an imaginative and interesting adventure every week, all while maintaining a thematic coherence for the season.  I can’t praise Smith highly enough for an ambitious and successful season plan that, barring a jerky opener, hits the right notes all the way until its dramatic and interesting conclusion, providing a wealth of surprise and suspense — in particular there’s a painful, but appropriate death in this series – whilst managing to include those lighthearted notes when needed, such as the delightful episodes wherin we learn that Willow has a frogphobia or when Xander turns into a woman.

As difficult a task as refining an entire series of original Buffy scripts is, it would seem to be a piece of cake compared to finding actors to satisfactorily replace those we’ve come to know and love from the TV.  Yet, somehow, a cast of actors has been assembled that, through the course of the series, go well beyond adequacy.  One would naturally prefer to be hearing the dulcet tones of James Marsters, Alyson Hannigan or Anthony Stewart Head, but it’s safe to say that I enjoyed the performances here so much that I ultimately didn’t miss them.  Whilst soundalikes have for the most part been picked, Tabitha Grace Smith has also wisely prioritised actors with a great sense of the character’s personality.  For instance, Chris O., who plays Xander, is a dead ringer for Nicholas Brendon; Brian Brown and Nick Edwards, who play Giles and Spike, respectively, are not quite so note-perfect but each makes the role his own, really getting to the heart and soul of the characters.  The cast for this show is huge, as many bit parts and peripheral characters have been written in, which helps to keep things interesting and allows for the “oooooh my favourite character” factor; particular nice, for instance, are cameos from characters from Angel and a little segment on how “the Trio” came into existence.  It’s impossible to mention all of the good performances but I especially enjoyed Kim Butler’s BuffyBot, which she has made all too human; Smith’s portrayal of Anya is wonderfully sarcastic and Andrew Ball’s D’Hoffryn is note perfect and very funny, whilst Alex Winter’s Ethan is so uncanny in both voice and spirit it was a necessary shame he only turned up in one episode.  Finally, facing the biggest challenge of them all was Paul Maki, who had the unenviable task of portraying the season’s villain, Javert. He rose to it easily, creating a completely believable bad guy who is both super smooth on the outside and utterly insecure on the inside, copying nothing from previous Buffy villains and making it all his own, managing to sit very nicely beside classic characters such as Spike or the Mayor.

Good though it is, is Joss Whedon’s Buffy Season Eight comic, appearing  only once per month really ever going to satisfy the serious fan’s appetite? Buffy Between the Lines can more than adequately take away the pain and fill up that gap in your life where Buffy should be.  Actually, if it weren’t for issues of continuity and familiarity with the canon, Buffy Between the Lines should be listened to by any lovers of quality drama out there.  No, it’s not produced in a “serious studio;” no, it doesn’t have big name talent attached or corporate backing to market it. Buffy Between the Lines studios has proven that maybe, in the Internet age, those things really don’t matter anymore, provided you have talent, commitment, and the dedication to see a project through. After this, fanfiction will no longer be thought of as a dirty word.

Buffy Between the Lines is currently airing its second season.  Check  out the latest podcast episodes and catch up with the first season at:

http://www.buffybetweenthelines.com/

Read the Playtime interview with Tabitha Grace Smith and Kim Butler here.