I adore all these "silly" episodes, but I think this is a step above "Teacher's Pet". Georgia is right that it starts out slow (we find out everything about Moloch in the beginning, including how to defeat him, and it takes half the episode for Buffy to get up to speed), but the dialogue is absolutely wonderful ("We're literary!" "It's your best hair ever!" and so many more), it's affecting (whereas Xander was merely seeking validation from "Ms. French"), and I have to disagree about the robot looking silly…that's the point, how out of place Moloch is in the modern world. I absolutely LOVE that he gave the robot ram's horns. And not only is Ms. Calendar a fun character, but this is a mission statement from Joss Whedon. Remember, there was resistance to the idea of a supernatural series in the oh-so-modern 1990s, and this is Whedon's way of addressing it. "What, you think bad old science made the magic go away?" He's saying that you can be "realistic" and still tell fantasy tales. Just like how they're determined not to rely on other cliche monsters in the non-vampire episodes, but to invent their own. No werewolves or zombies or whatever…we had a witch, but aside from that it's been Giant Praying Mantis and Hyena Possession and now Internet Demon. Hit or miss on the execution, but points for staying outside the box, IMO. Yes, some people bag on these "minor" episodes, but part of that is that they are episodes about Xander (1.04, 1.06) or Willow, rather than Buffy, and some people are only here for Buffy (or Buffy's romantic life, in some cases). Not I. Willow is my favorite character and Xander is the runner-up. I love Buffy just fine, but I don't need her to be the focus of every episode. She'll have her moments…it's her name in the title, after all…but let the others have theirs, too.
Buffy's mom can't be terribly bright (she should have watched to be sure that "community college student" Angel really left, and it's a bit odd she never sensed his being in the house during the ensuing day), but I can't blame her for not going "Darla is a vampire!" Remember, Mom never saw Darla's vamp face. As far as she knows, she was getting Darla some food, she felt a pain in her neck, and she passed out. "I had an accident, I guess" is a far more likely assessment than "Damn, that bitch bit me!" As for who inspired whom, here's the chronology: first came the original four "The Vampire Diaries" books then there was the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" movie (with no Angel or similar character), then this series, then the "Twilight" novels (Stephanie Mayer was a big fan of this series and it's probably no coincidence that Bella Swan has the same initials as Buffy Summers) and then around 2009 we had the Twilight films and The Vampire Diaries TV show and more TVD novles from L.J. Smith, all pretty much together. David Boreanaz, who plays Angel, was 27 at the time of the filming. So…yeah.
It's true that Xander and Willow's lives "didn't need saving before Buffy came" but that's the wrong way around. Buffy is here because the Hellmouth has started to become more active, not vice versa. "There's a reason you're here, and a reason it's now" -Giles to Buffy, "Welcome to the Hellmouth". Whatever force is responsible for Buffy becoming the Slayer, from "God" to "some pervert who goes around injecting girls", might well have manipulated her arrival in Sunnydale, too. Remember, both Giles and Angel knew she was coming.
I love that Buffy calls Marcie a "thundering looney", clearly a sign that Giles is rubbing off on her, which is nice, it shows a modicum of respect that she would emulate him.
The way I’d give my left arm to getting watch Buffy for the first time again 🥰 Buffy ran so that pretty much every genre show could walk (and yes, I meant that backwards lol)
Although this school is populated by once-off students, as you discuss, we actually did see our first re-occurring student in this episode. Adam (name from the end credits), the guy who was talking music before Xander steals his hot dog, is the same guy who was chatting to Cordelia in the 2nd episode, right before Willow tricks Cordelia into deleting her program. An early draft of the script has been available online; Adam had a bigger part in that early version. But so it goes.
Giles being a 3rd generation Watcher is a bit of an allegory for Joss Whedon himself, who is a 3rd generation TV writer. (Unlike his father and grandfather, he's been able to move into films, of course.) I'm surprised we made it through the reaction with no mention of the, er, questionable wardrobe. Season 1 costumer Susanna Puisto was known for having to make do on an extremely tiny budget, but that shirt on Xander looks like it's straight out of the charity shop, and Willow's outfit isn't much better, IMO. And yes, we have a lot to learn about Giles. His first name, for a start. (We don't know Buffy's mom's name, either, but since she only talks to Buffy, that's not much of an issue.)
The whole no breath thing never made any sense. Just ignore it ;) You've made it through season one, which is iconic and fun, but also really campy and low budget. The show starts to get really good halfway through season 2, which you will be reminded of by a comment saying "THIS is when the show really gets good!" by some random watchers underneath every single episode :D
Yes, the show's determination to make the monsters relevant to the "High School is Hell" theme took a rather odd turn here. David Greenwalt (the co-executive producer) comes up with a nice metaphor about teenage boys talking a big game, but actually being terrified of women and sex itself. So they seek guidance (the seductive "older woman") and are easy marks for predators. But while a preying mantis is known for killing its mates, executing that concept was a bit dicey, I agree. You were discussing the case of Mary Kay Letourneau, a scandal of the times. An even darker story was that of Pamela Jean Smart, who allegedly groomed HER younger lover for more nefarious purposes. Smart's story was fictionalized into the 1995 film "To Die For", with Nicole Kidman (arguably her best performance), Joaquin Phoenx, and Matt Dillon. Of course, the classic "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me" film is "The Graduate" (1968), which made Dustin Hoffman a star. Buck Henry, who wrote the screenplay for "The Graduate", also adapted the novel about Smart into "To Die For", 27 years later. Some people judge Xander harshly here, but it's just the pheromones. I mean, even Giles ("she's lovely") appears to have gotten a good whiff…
"[Catherine] is trapped in her glory days, literally." Bravo! I don't think I've ever heard anyone sum it up so well. Joss Whedon said that this was one of the more important episodes of the series, because it was necessary to show that the series could be more than vampires. As odd as it seems nowadays, in the 1990s, no supernatural series were succeeding, so "vampires, vampires, vampires" didn't seem like much of a pitch to the networks. (Whilst L. J. Smith had already written the "Vampire Diaries" books at this point, that series didn't go on air until after this one ended.) So when one of Whedon's friends suggested the idea of "The Hellmouth" as a reason why the vampires are HERE, specifically, Whedon realized that it would also attract all the other sorts of creatures needed for the series to succeed. Whedon, as creator and showrunner, would always polish up the scripts early on, but he put extra work in on this one. He and his co-executive, David Greenwalt, came up with the body switch twist, and thought they had done so much of the work that they should get credit for the script, not the original writer, Dana Reston. So they went to the Writer's Guild arbitration panel, which is *excruciating* , because you literally go through the script line by line, all "I wrote this, but I didn't write that", and then they tott it all up and come up with the decision. In the end, Whedon and Greenwalt lost, and were so burnt out by the process that they never tried that again. So, while *Buffy* may be undefeated, her creative team was not. :)
With regards to episode 2, Jesse had indeed lost all attachment to Xander. (When he calls Xander "buddy", it's sarcastic.) A cut line from the script has him saying "Cordelia's going to live forever; you're not.", so he was only interested in his lust-object, not his former friend. As for the lack of reaction at school, remember that Cordelia says (in the computer class scene) that it's a Friday, so by the time everyone is back at school on Monday, they've had plenty of time to rationalize things. "A bunch of sickos cosplaying and pretending to be vampires" is far more likely to be the explanation rather than "OMG, vampires!".
As annoying that is that Buffy can't tell her mother she's the Slayer, there are considerations there. In the States, the legal age of majority is 18, rather than 16, as it is in Britain. Buffy is not a legal person in the eyes of the law and, conversely, her mom has a legal responsibility to care for her. ("Duty of care", as the UK expression has it.) So Buffy can't vote, and she needs her mother's permission to take a job, or rent an apartment, and if she stops attending school, her mother might be cited for it. Which means that telling her mom would have three possible outcomes, all poor. • If her mother thinks Buffy is lying to her, relations will be strained, and her mom won't be as willing to let Buffy go "hang out with her friends" or whatever. Meaning it will be more difficult to leave the house and do her duty. • If her mother thinks Buffy is delusional, then she'll be subject to mental health treatment, and if the "delusions" (she's trying to kill people because she thinks they're vampires! That's serious!) persist, Buffy might even be confined, for her own (and others') safety. • And if Buffy DOES drag Mom along to the cemetery and prove that there are vampires. Mom will move Buffy out of town, pronto. Let Mr. Giles send somebody else's child out to risk her life, my girl is going to be safe! So that's not good, either. So it appears that until Buffy is 18 (or gets legal independence, as some minors do), telling her mother seems unlikely to be a help. Difficult as things may be. ********************* Good eye on spotting "Watch Your Step" next to Angel at the end; you're the first I've seen do so. Assuming that's not a coincidence (which do happen), what can it mean? Does it mean that Angel can't be trusted, as theorized? Does it mean that Angel is imperiling himself if he gets involved? Or is it a general metatextual warning to the audience, that danger lies ahead? This first series, unlike the others, was filmed entirely in advance of airing, so they had time to go back and do re-shooots (Sarah Michelle Gellar, looking back, felt she had played the "Prepare me!" scene in Episode 1 a bit too angrily, and Joss Whedon [creator] agreed, so they re-shot it.) or add small scenes if there was run-time available. The scene with Angel and the box was one of those. (Others included Cordelia chattering at her crowd, the Master poking his minion's eye, and the scene where Willow tries to convince Xander to go to class. [If you look closely, you can see that Nicholas Brendon [who plays Xander] has a different haircut by then, and they've combed it down to try and match the rest of the episode.]) ******************************* You're right about the likability of the characters. A strength of the series is that they work to convince that the characters are good people and good friends, rather than merely assuming that being the protagonists and commanding most of the screen-time will give them favor with the audience. The strength of this series is in its characterization, IMO.
Let's just say: When you want to know how Will is feeling right now the best Episode to go back to is 3x3. In that episode they really set up quite well Wills story for this season
18:12 No they are not. Not at all in fact. A huge amount of young girls have crushes on older men - teachers, trainers, whoever. There is literally no difference between the genders in that regard.
Buffy didn't drink any vampire blood so no, she wouldn't come back as a vampire. To trigger the transformation the vampire has to drain the human almost entirely but not completely and then feed her some of his blood. Only then is the transformation triggered. Besides - Buffy didn't even die from the bite, she only fell unconcious...and then drowned because her face landed in the water. 22:03 The Anointed is a vampire. Of course he stays a vampire even after the master died.
They didn't know if they were getting renewed back then. Actually that's true for almost all the seasons. The only time they knew there would be a new season was in Seasn 6. So all the seasons have a really nice closure to them in case that was the last episode. That's more than almost all other shows did up to this date.
Buffy's "I feel stronger." remark was more about her being freed from the shackles of the prophecy, She's died, and been brought back from death, so that prophecy holds no more power over her. As for the quick resolution to the Master, I do chalk that up to the show not knowing if they would ever be anything more than this 12 episode mid-season fill in for a different show that got cancelled. It would have been nice to see where they could have taken the Master as an ongoing antagonist to Buffy. However, let's just say, this show makes the best of no longer having the Master as part of the plot. Just as Buffy is freed from the limitations of the prophecy with her brief death, this show's overall story is now freed from having to keep the Master in a place of story prominence.
Buffy didn't die from the bite - the Master didn't take enough, a vampire needs to nearly drain a person. And the victim doesn't come back unless they have drunk a little vampire blood in return. Buffy, in episode 1 - "they have to suck your blood, then you have to suck their blood - it's a whole big sucking thing."
So...I don't think the idea of the class full of invisible kids was to rehabilitate them. I got the impression that they were all being trained to become assassins. I suppose the very chilling aspect of that would be that not only are all of those kids invisible, but they all also have no qualms about committing murder.
There's 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' for younger viewers. And then there was 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' from a few years ago which followed the comics and was pretty much full-on horror. It also happened to be really good - check it out if you haven't seen it.
“In order to become a vampire, first they suck your blood , then you suck their blood, it’s like a whole big sucking thing. Mostly they’re just going to kill you.” Buffy episode 1
The first series is a little ropey. It takes a bit to find it's feet - but trust me it turns into one of the wittiest, smartest and most groundbreaking programmes ever made. You're going to love it.
I love season 1 tbh but the later season are definitely better . But I really think it's a amazing start ♥️ wish emma the best ❣️ hope u watch the rest of the show on ur own . There is a reason why Buffy is on the top tv show lists ❤ again wish u the best ❤
Yes, the Master's death is anticlimactic, especially compared to the later boss battles, but like many things that's because of the limitations of being the first season. Later seasons have better budgets for effects and longer filming schedules; also longer season runs means better established story arcs, though that has nothing to do with the previous statement, just throwing it out there
I guess there aren’t too many worse things that can happen to you than death and she was clearly afraid of it. Maybe she got over that after dying and over done with it.
the most ironic part of her confrontation with The Master is if she hadn't come to stop him... he couldn't have escaped. he needed her blood to get out. but also ironically when Buffy came back his blood made her stronger and immune to his hypnotic powers (which is how he killed her the first time).
Yeah...except Buffy never drank the Master's blood. Rewatch the scene - he drinks, he drops her in the water and he leaves. Buffy drowned in water, not blood. Buffy was stronger because she had faced her fear of dying, she'd gone to do her best, but she'd died anyways...but thanks to Xander doing CPR, she came back. She'd experienced the Master's power, but she was back - and she wasn't afraid anymore. She was determined and confident. Her fear had sapped her strength, had made her hesitate; now she was no longer afraid - she was totally pissed off, and that gave her strength, it gave her purpose, and it strengthened her will. Goodbye Buffy the Gray, hello Buffy the White.
@@ernesthakey3396 no but when the master drank from her his power was transfered from him to her...that is why when Buffy came back she quote "i feel... strong?" and was unsure why and on the roof was immune to his hypnotic powers. on the roof he tried to use the same hyponsis trick again but it didn;t work (not to mention buffy picked him and threw him over her head). i never said Buffy drank his blood, but buffy did gain his power...this is later even more evident when she faced Dracula because Dracula's hypnosis powers didn;t work on her either.
@@IDyce88 you said "his blood made her stronger" etc. His blood didn't enter her in any way. If you had simply said "some of his power transferred to her" that would have been a decent theory and I wouldn't have bothered to comment, just liked and moved on. Words have meaning, and you said blood. Maybe spirit, energy, etc., might have been better word choices, when the vampire lore is all about blood and you say blood then how else should we take it but literally as blood?
@@ernesthakey3396 her blood is how he escapes the underground prison, that's a different part of that episodes story, he drained some of her blood and that is how he broke out of that prison. Slayer blood is very powerful (as it is mentioned in both the lore and in a much later episode when Angel get's sick and the only cure is a Slayer's blood...remember?) The Master needed Buffy to come to HIM so he could escape...if she hadn;t come down there...then he couldn;t have escaped...DUH! that's the point. that's why he calls her the lamb...a sacrifial lamb, the blood of the lamb...as in you take the blood of the lamb. you might want to do research on history and occult...blood of the lamb...sacrifice rituals...that sort of thing. that's why when he drained her he said "oh god the power" because Buffy had such power in her blood...and why he could simply break through the shield keeping him in.
@@ernesthakey3396 it's always blood, blood is the most powerful transference...not energy. the point is this, Buffy SHOULDN'T have goen to the master because going there was what he wanted, he wanted her BLOOD, killing her was just a bonus...the blood set him free. What he DIDN'T realise was that when he took her blood he also made her stronger (as in immune to hypnosis powers) but he of course didn;t think she would come back to life.
Xander redeeming himself after acting like a jerk to Buffy was great, loved his speech to Angel. But why didn't Angel go to help Buffy himself? That trope of Xander insulting women and then redeeming himself and reasserting his feelings by saving their life has happened several times this season, for example in _The Pack_ when he treated Willow so nastily, but it comes off as a little contrived. This show is all about character development, and the characters start out as high school stereotypes: Xander the testosterone-addled adolescent boy, Cordelia the mean queen, Willow the shy nerdy doormat, and even Buffy the LA Valley Girl.
Season 2 will be in colour! Kidding, back in the '60s TV shows started in black and white for a season or 2 before making the expensive switch over to colour.
Prophecy Girl definitely the best episode of S1. Many who are new to the show complain about the special effects, but have to bear in mind this is 27yo show, and S1 did not have a massive budget, plus the writers were conscious of the fact they never knew if it would be recommissioned. Here you can really see the direction of the show changing, giving all the characters so far much more purpose. This incredible show just gets better and better, you will love S2. Some comic relief also, this show has the best one liners ever. The Master ' what do ya think, 5.1' and 'By the way I like your dress'. SMG'S acting is superb here. When she says 'I'm 16 years old I don't want to die' you really feel her anguish. Great enthusiastic reactions to S1, from mid season 2 onwards this show goes like a rollercoaster and never stops with some amazing episodes. S3 is just out of this world, S5 is just off the charts!
Keep in mind that Buffy isn't a show about a girl who fights monsters. It's a show about the horrors of being a teenager (high school = hell) and the pain of growing up. The writers frequently use the supernatural stuff to comment on what they are going through but it's not the main focus. "Vampires have no breath" is one of the dumbest plot devices this show did. You can see and hear them breathing. They pant when they've been running or fighting.
it's an awkward line, but angel doesn't have time to teach a college course on vampires. what he means to say is that vampires can't give life, in any way, in any context. putting your mouth on a corpse's mouth is not going to revive you.
LOL, they weren't rehabilitating the invisible kids. They were teaching them to be invisible government assassins. Go check out the textbook they were using. I don't think "The Pack" is a general favorite, maybe just a favorite for your viewers. Personally I have "Witch" at #2, and "Prophecy Girl" as #1. The rest are just ... growing pains throughout. It's a shame Emma's leaving.
I like _The Pack_ , just because that pretentious scene of the gang walking in slo-mo through campus to the guitar riffs reminds me so much of 1980s teen soap operas.
Fun and solid reaction. You are correct that there was little if any expectation there would be a Season 2 when the filming started . All of the episodes were finished when the show premiered and the shock at its success was startling The WB network renewed after episode 4 and production was needed because the e network wanted the show to begin in September 1997. One of the best ways to watch and appreciate BTVS is to think of the show not in episodes or seasons. Buffy is really an epic novel with 144 episodes. The first 12 are prologue to establish core characters to have foundation for the overall storyline. The scene when SMG says she’s only 16 a n d doesn’t want to die is a point when many Buffy fans think the show changes. Also, to become a Vanpire, the Vampire sucks enough blood to almost kill you and then has you suck the vampire’s blood. Then the Vampire finishes and kills you. Then the dead person will rise has a vampire. Buffy does not suck the Masters Blood and does not die from this biting attack. She dies from drowning for less than 2 minutes and is then recisictated by Xander using CPR. The prophecy has been fulfilled, The Slayer was killed but Buffy being saved is a critical part of the future. The reason Buffy is different is because she has triumphed over her greatest fear, dying. This was foreshadowed in Nightmares when fears were overcome by Xander( the killer clown) and the injured boy with his abusive coach. Buffy’s fear of death has been holding her back. She has not only faced but has conquered her greatest fear, dying. This has allowed her to become mentally stronger but one event does not fully change a person. This show has consequences, nothing b is simple, and the journey is just starting. Hope you are enjoying Season 2 .
That's the end of season one, everyone! Warning for everybody that didn't see the community post, this is Emma's last reaction to Buffy. Season 2 onwards will just be me, Georgia☺ Let us know, what are your top 3 episodes of the season? Do you agree with our picks? We are up to 2x08 over on Patreon for anybody interested in early access to uncut reactions! patreon.com/thecornerverse Buffy the Vampire Slayer - 2x01 "When She Was Bad" reaction: www.patreon.com/posts/uncut-buffy-2x01-101642435 Buffy the Vampire Slayer - 2x02 "Some Assembly Required" reaction: www.patreon.com/posts/uncut-buffy-2x02-104140467 Buffy the Vampire Slayer - 2x03 "School Hard" reaction: www.patreon.com/posts/uncut-buffy-2x03-105198247 Buffy the Vampire Slayer - 2x04 "Inca Mummy Girl" reaction: www.patreon.com/posts/uncut-buffy-2x04-106044714 Buffy the Vampire Slayer - 2x05 "Reptile Boy" reaction: www.patreon.com/posts/uncut-buffy-2x05-106837794 Buffy the Vampire Slayer - 2x06 "Halloween" reaction: www.patreon.com/posts/uncut-buffy-2x06-107435087 Buffy the Vampire Slayer - 2x07 "Lie to Me" reaction: www.patreon.com/posts/uncut-buffy-2x07-108402804 Buffy the Vampire Slayer - 2x08 "The Dark Age" reaction: www.patreon.com/posts/uncut-buffy-2x08-108842423
Looking forward to your individual journey into the Buffyverse. Quick comment to the beginning discussion. The government did not take her for rehabilitation but to train her to be a spy and assassin.The government wants to use their supernatural powers to kill and spy on the opposition.
Unfortunately, Cass wouldn't have been able to save Jo because Lucifer had him trapped in a ring of holy fire. Jo was SO into Dean in the early episodes. Dean was the one that put the brakes on back then. Crowley has some great lines. Looking forward to more Crowley. Great reaction! More soon I hope.
Jensen jokes about how he killed the acting in this episode, gave one of his best performances and then hated m Jared flies in for the day for his lucifer scene and steals the show lol. I think they both did amazing though
