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Buffy ep by ep; rewatch and reviews

S

saturn5

Fleet Captain
Fleet Captain
All 255 eps of Buffy/Angel whilst awaiting Dollhouse season 2 on DVD. Please read, chip in or ignore as you see fit.
Lets start off where it reallystarted with Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry back in 1992.

The Movie

The Good
Kristy is lovely, perhaps even more so than SMG, especially in her nightie. Love the scene where she rides the motorbike and some of the valleytalk. Principal Murray is also funny as is the 'What time is it?' gag. Love the idea that 'PMS is our secret weapon'
Paul Ruebens is good especially his death scene. And that's pretty much it

The Bad
Personally I think both Merrick and Lothos are way over the top. The Buffy/Pike relationship lacks credibility although it's interesting to think about Buffy/Oz? Angel is sorely missed. Kristy's lovely but nowhere near as good an actress as SMG. The finale is also not up to much. It's an OK film but it lacks verve

The Other
Quite a cast, double Oscar winner Hilary Swank, Ben Affleck, Ricky Lake etc. Reputedly Seth Green has a small role but I've never spotted him. You can certainly see the beginnings of the Buffy characters here;
Pike=Oz
Jennifer=Cordy
Kimberly=Harmony
Andy=Xander
Cassandra=Willow (although she dies!)
Murray=Flutie
No Ford from 'Lie to Me' though. The only characters to cross from the movie to the series are Buffy, Joyce, Hank and Merrick (in flashback in Becoming pt2). Joyce's 'What time?' line to Buffy is also repeated there but in a very different context. Joyce remarks to Buffy in 'Fear Itself' that she's not the social butterfly she used to be and also in WTTH that she's read parenting books.
I saw Luke Perry in 'When Harry Met Sally' with AH and he was very good (and certainly still a hit with the girls). A shame we never see Pike again in the series although he does return in the comics. I don't really think the romance between him and Buffy works, we sorely miss Angel/Spike. If you look at the video cover it has both him and Kristy, by the time it comes out on DVD it's just her.
Buffy later describes her pre-Slayer personality as Cordelia-like and she is. Ironically Merrick quotes Corinthians about putting away childish things but it's by clinging to her non-slayer life that Buffy is the most successful Slayer ever. She does recall the memories of past Slayers just as Dana does in Damaged so this is presumably something shared by all Slayers
Buffy says she aims to graduate, go to Europe, marry Christian Slater and die. By the end of Angel she's done 3 out of 4 (wouldn't it have been cool if they got the Immortal to be played by Christian Slater?)
Now of course if Normal Again is real then Buffy's delusion starts at the point she 'meets' Merrick and ends at the final scene of Chosen (the Buffy comics her dreams and/or perhaps she writes them for a living?). On the plus side although none of her Sunnydale characters exist it means that folks like Cassandra she based them on are still alive so she still has her Scooby-Gang and both parents when she gets out of the asylum. And she can always find a new Faith and Angel/Spike and name her daughter Dawn.
Lots of continuity changes. Vamps don't dust and can fly. Buffy doesn't miss the heart first time out as she later claims. It's much more overtly christian with the Slayer clearly god's instrument. Buffy has a built in vamp-detector which is alluded to in the series but not so strongly.
More cruelty to cats!
Good soundtrack from the Divinyls, they also did 'I touch myself' which Buffy recalls listening to in 'Lie to Me'

Questions;
Merrick says he is reincarnated but is that just him or all Watchers?
Do Faith and co all have the birthmark Buffy had removed?

I'll give it 7 out of 10 just for the sake of nostalgia
 
It was o.k. It was definitely a lot more "campy" than the TV series, which set up some rather different expectations for the TV show which kept me away from it (the show) for a long time- until a friend showed me it and I fell in love with the Buffyverse though I think that they were already on season 5-6 by the time I even started watching the show (and then I started on Season 2 episodes). I recall that when I first heard that they were making a series based on the movie, I rolled my eyes and swore I would never watch it. Boy, did I deprive myself of an excellent show, particularly when it hit its stride in Seasons 2-3.
 
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WTTH


The Good; Great opening scene, straight from every slasher flick ever but with a Joss twist. Brian Thompson is an excellent villain with a real sense of menace about him as anyone who saw him on the X-files can tell you. He plays a very similar role in the excellent Fright Night pt2. The Master is pretty OTT but like Darth Vaders first appearance in Star Wars you really get the sense this is the baddest guy in the universe and no mistake.

The bad; not much although it's early days yet. The one thing they could have improved upon is putting Eric Balfour in the opening titles, when you don't see him it's a big clue that Jesse isn't going to make it

Best lines; Instantly fell in love with Giles when he states that "You didn't hone". Also a good one from Xander when he recovers Buffy's stake "All I can think of is that you're building a really small fence"

Observations and questions; And here we have the REAL Willow although we'll never again see her so nerdy, from now on she dresses more like Cassandra from the movie. We also never see Buffy wear either her Jehovah Witness dress or her PVC number which is a shame on both counts. Nonetheless both Buffy and Cordy dress scandalously in these early eps, obviously going for the ratings. Darla is also lovely although she really does look too old to be a schoolgirl. But everyone looks SO young. SMG is a little more voluptuous and DB is a lot thinner and it suits both of them
We see Buffy's vamp sense again but it now seems more based on her fashion taste than cramps. Presumably Aura who has the dead guy in her locker is the same girl who calls Cordy in the Angel ep 'Rm w/a vu'? (Do the Cordettes stay constant or do they change over time?)
Cordy has a mobile phone! We won't see one of those again until season 1 of Angel and the Sunnydale Scoobies won't have them until season 7
Another point against Normal Again, Buffy doesn't want to be the Slayer and is trying to leave her past behind her. Presumably either the council or PTB arranged Joyce's job in Sunnydale? Buffy/Cordy fancy James Spader presumably for Pretty in Pink (although that's an 80s film when Cordy and Buffy would both have been toddlers). You wonder what they thought of him in S&M fest 'Secretary' although considering what both get up to in later seasons maybe that would be ok with them (or they'd like him MORE?). Still I guess Buffy is over her Christian Slater phase?
Who's John Tesch?
A strong opener that hints at great things to come but not overtly brilliant in itself, I'll give it 3/5
 
The Harvest

The Good;
Never suspected they'd turn Jesse and was shocked when they killed him (Xander bags his first vamp, it'll take Willow and Cordelia 2 whole seasons to kill their first). The fight at the end is terrific especially Buffy's trick and 'give me the Speilberg (such a shame that there are no more commentaries on season 1, roll on Buffy Special Edition DVDs). Love Willow's trick on Cordy and we have Harmony for the first time (here unnamed). Willow hacks for the first time.
Great scenes with the hand trying to pull Buffy back into tunnels (Xander saves her for the first time?) whilst the sun going down has never seemed quite so menacing not to mention Darla skipping along to the Bronze.

The bad;
The vamps seem affected by the all too common slow moving monster syndrome. Also all the bodies disappear from the Bronze at the end whilst considering they're supposed to be lifelong friends Willow and Xander seem to forget about Jesse awfully quickly. Also considering we later establish what a formidable vamp Darla is Willow seems to overcome her awfully easily with just a jar of holy water

Best line;
Willow; I need to sit down
Buffy; You are sitting down
Willow; Oh, good

Questions and observations; the vamps look slightly different to what we later see, their skin more mottled and talons more pronounced. We later see in The Wish that whilst the Harvest would have been bad it wouldn't have been the end of the world. Is it Cordy who bumps into Jesse and forces him onto Xander's stake? I must say I'd never seen the supposed gay subtext between the Master and Luke until it was pointed out by Joss but now it seems impossible to miss
8/10 solid Buffy
 
The Witch

The good;
Amy for the first time, yay! And even now she's still appearing in season 8. I always thought if Will died she'd have been a good replacement. Buffy looks sensational in her cheerleading gear, a shame we'll never see her in it again (and we won't see the costume again until Dawn digs it out in season 7). Willow gets more hands on with the axe and we have our first case of Wicca although it's a very dark variety. The African fertility statue gag is the first sign of the saucy humour Buffy and Angel will become famous for. Lovely scenes between Buffy and Joyce both at breakfast and in closing. I gotta say, I didn't see the twist at all.

The bad;
What happens to the poor girl whose mouth sealed up? Presumably all the aspects of Amy's mum's magic stop once she is defeated.

Best lines;
Willow; That girl's on fire!
Cordy; Enough with the hyperbole

Giles; Why would anyone want to hurt Cordelia?
Willow; Maybe they met her?

My favourite though;
Xander; I laugh in the face of danger. Then I hide until it goes away

Observations and questions; Presumably Amy mom dies properly when the school blows up and passes to the afterlife. Willow is already beginning to dress less nerdy. We see Giles' car for the first time, the Citreon whilst a design classic seems a weird choice for him, a classic Jag maybe more his style. Xander's Buffy obsession continues to grow. No Angel, you sometimes forget he's not in all the eps of season 1. At exactly what point do Amy and her mum swap bodies? Cordy hasn't passed her driving test yet but that changes by the end of the season
3/5
 
The Witch was the point in the show where I knew this was going to be a special series. Fantastic commentary on peer pressure, parental pressure, (is there a term for the Mom not being able to give up on her youth?) and not one but TWO zingers worthy of a Rod Serling script (the moment Buffy figures out Amy's in her Mom's body, and the great, great reveal of mom's fate).
 
Keep 'em coming, I just watched the series again about a month ago. Amy, btw, is one of the hottest hotties on BtVS, IMO.
 
I've been going through this on Netflix after seeing this thread - kinda fun seeing the beginning again. I haven't watched Season 1 Buffy for quite a while, used to be on Syndication on one of the independent stations a few years back, but I was just thinking "Gee I haven't seen Buffy on in ages." then lo and behold... Netflix Instant Streaming to the rescue! All 7 seasons of Buffy and all 5 of Angel.

So far I've noticed that the early-mid 90s were a time of mini skirts and sheer blouses. Things I don't see as often on white women lately. I'm not trying to sound racist or anything, but the mini skirts and sheer blouses... seem to be worn by more of the black or Latino women in my area.

Honestly... I liked the mini skirts! I'm a leg man. :D

Its pretty interesting to see that in 7 seasons the show never really quite lost that "Joss" feeling, even in season 7 where it got a lot darker and less fun and Buffy became bitchier than ever. Although I never really quite realized just how similar in tone of voice and even look Anya and Joyce are. Like Anya and Joyce could have been sisters or something. Course Anya's a nymphomaniac and wisecracks like crazy but Joyce seems like a "what if Anya matured."

And DANG Angel looked young. I'm so used to seeing him in Angel or Bones.

Currently I'm watching Teacher's Pet - too bad they killed off that teacher early on. I kinda liked his character. Would have been nice to have someone other than Giles in Buffy's corner.
 
I think Elizabeth Anne Allen is gorgeous but this show has so many incredible women she doesn't really have an opportunity to stand out. As for Joycie, well if Band Candy is anything to go by maybe she WAS a nympho in her time (maybe it runs through the Summer's girls?)

Teacher's Pet

The good;
Sex raises it's ugly head in the Buffyverse and it's all the better for it. A lovely little bit between Buffy and her teacher (who is also in The Witch) and although a minor character you feel the loss for both Buffy and Giles (we know Buffy is a bright girl when she applies herself and here it's made clear that she's not just some blonde airhead). Angel's back although compared to what Buffy faces later this vamp is small change, he seems to talk it up rather unnecessarily, maybe it's just an excuse to see Buffy again. Some lovely humour around Xander and his teenage lust, especially love his Bronze fantasy.

The bad;
Really the She-Mantis itself, when you compare it to some of the monsters from the later seasons it really does look awful. This ep is really a filler ep, very much 'monster of the week', it's fun but if Buffy had kept up this sort of ep it would never have become the great series it is

Best line; Xander (looking at Miss French's cleavage) "It's a beautiful chest...I mean dress"

Questions and observations; Giles shows interest in a woman for the first time, if he hadn't I must say I thought he might be gay? Flutie takes everyone to see the counsellor, is that the same one Buffy goes to see in 'Beauty and the Beast'? In 'Doomed' Willow says she's always the one to find the bodies but actually it seems more often to be Cordy. The Sunnydale Police are also hunting the claw handed vamp, the last time they do anything useful in the history of the series. Maybe that vamp was an enemy of the Mayor's? This story is an interesting reversal of fictional norms, how often do you see the heroine racing to save the boys from losing their virginity to the villain and not the other way around? What happens the eggs? Presumably Buffy and co deal?

3/5 I think but that may be a little generous
 
One thing I'm still trying to figure out, when exactly did the "BUFFY" part of the main title card change from the sort of handwritten with chalk look to the more stylized BUFFY? Was it at the start of Season 3? I'm kinda cheating and tracking through some of Season 2. I always sort of thought the stylized Buffy the Vampire Slayer logo was with the show from the start, or at least from the time it got popular.
 
Never Kill a Boy on a First Date;

The Good;
Great misdirection, you really never figure who the annointed is whilst Vorba is a truly frightening figure. Cordy and Buffy fighting over Owen is FANTASTIC! The fight at the funeral home is also excellent. And how often do you see 'Emily Dickenson' in a US teen show? (almost impresses Giles) The lovely scene between Buffy and Giles at the end. Buffy's green and white dress doesn't make her look fat but does make her look like a brazen hussy. The changing scene with Buffy, Willow and Xander is also funny

The bad;
So, when a vamp disolves why do it's clothes disintegrate and the ring etc doesn't? I always thought the idea was when a vamp dies the body returns to a natural state of decomposition but that doesn't seem the case as even newly made vamps dust.

Best line; (after Cordy knocks the cup over) "Boy, Cordelia's hips are wider than I thought!" OOOOOOOHHHH!
The classic; "Bite me!"
Cordy upon seeing Angel "Hello salty goodness!" (which are also her first words as an amnesiac in Spin the Bottle upon sighting Angel/Liam)

Observations and questions;
We never see Owen again although he appears in a lot of the establishing shots of Sunnydale High. I guess the show only has room for one brooding loner guy? Check out Willow's expression when she and Xander pretend to be a couple. Also Willow digs Owen which is more grounds to assume she's bisexual rather than just lesbian. Someone actually borrows a book from the library? Giles must have had to sit down with shock. Being a Watcher seems to run in famillies

Good ep, 3 and a half out of 5
 
Well I think Willow always sort of liked "boys" and I suspect she still liked Xander - but after Tara she got more into the "I like girls" thing... or maybe just certain girls. Of course, watch Seasons 1-3 of Buffy and she and Buffy are very close, hell the two of them peck each other on the cheek and I think Buffy even says "I love you Willow" but not in romantic way, sort of the sisterly way.

I suspect this... and we can blame Dawn for this... Willow and Buffy were like the sisters each other never had and they had a sort of special bond. When Dawn got into the picture, Oz was gone... and now there's Dawn who was sort of retroactively Buffy's sister all along. So it stands to reason that since Buffy had a little sister, she didn't get that overly sisterly with Willow. And thus because Willow didn't have that deep sisterly bond that you can kinda see in Ss1-3... that Willow was slightly more open to being with other women because she wanted that sisterly experience... and it seemed like half the wicca we saw were lesbo or at least bi.

- Back on topic...

It IS kind of interesting on how much the characters are growing in a short amount of time. It didn't take the big 3 a whole lot of time to bond and also become useful to each other.
 
Nick Ryder said:
Well I think Willow always sort of liked "boys" and I suspect she still liked Xander - but after Tara she got more into the "I like girls" thing... or maybe just certain girls. Of course, watch Seasons 1-3 of Buffy and she and Buffy are very close, hell the two of them peck each other on the cheek and I think Buffy even says "I love you Willow" but not in romantic way, sort of the sisterly way.

I suspect this... and we can blame Dawn for this... Willow and Buffy were like the sisters each other never had and they had a sort of special bond. When Dawn got into the picture, Oz was gone... and now there's Dawn who was sort of retroactively Buffy's sister all along. So it stands to reason that since Buffy had a little sister, she didn't get that overly sisterly with Willow. And thus because Willow didn't have that deep sisterly bond that you can kinda see in Ss1-3... that Willow was slightly more open to being with other women because she wanted that sisterly experience... and it seemed like half the wicca we saw were lesbo or at least bi.

- Back on topic...

It IS kind of interesting on how much the characters are growing in a short amount of time. It didn't take the big 3 a whole lot of time to bond and also become useful to each other.
Click to expand...

Ah but you forget, Willow jumped on the San Francisco skytrain long before Dawnie showed up! And I think Dawn was the little sister to all the Scoobs, that's why the monks made her as they did, she was deliberately constructed to be the most precious thing in the world so everyone would instinctively seek to protect her.

THE PACK

The Good;
Love Buffy and Giles training, you get a genuine sense of menace when Willow is taken hostage for the first time. You' don't see the twist of the zookeeper, he seems so rational although I'm baffled as to what exact power he hoped to gain from the hyena spirits (then again I don't really understand why the Mayor wished to be this big snake?). Great acting from Nic Brendon showing the first of his range (in truth neither Nic nor David are that good actors in season 1 but they grow better)

The Bad;
The story is pretty stupid, reminds me of an obscure old series called 'Big Wolf on Campus'

Best Line;
Giles; Xander is becoming a teenage boy, you'll have to kill him of course

Questions and observations;
The first time someone is imprisoned in the library book cage but by no means the last. Xander trying to force himself on Buffy is unusually disturbing, for a feminist symbol she seems to get sexually assaulted a lot (but maybe that's the point?). Another Buffy cliche is a Scooby going evil (by the end of season 7 I think the only characters never to have gone bad were Tara and Giles?). Jennifer Sky plays one of the pack and she was very good as Amarice in Xena (so you can link Buffy to Xena in one if you're ever playing 'Six degrees of Bufferation'). No Cordy (there really isn't room for her) and no Angel. At this point of course he's not a fighter, he really is just cryptic warning guy but of course that really kicks in during the next ep
6/10
 
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