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Since the first season only had 11 or 12 episodes, I figure that it must have been a mid-season replacement show, like for example, "The Dukes of Hazard", and like that old oddly successful show, the first (half) season is a bit rough looking. The sets aren't as nice as what we see in later seasons. Some of the lighting in is not as good as it could be. Sometimes characters are hidden by shadow when they didn't need to be, even for effect. Some of the early episodes focus more on the horror movie aspect of the series, unlike the 2nd and third season that focus more on season long plots, the characters and their life experiences and their emotions. Sure the show is about vampires and other monsters, but that would have gotten old very quick. The way the show broke out of the horror movie mold made it great, and it was able to do so because it had great characters with great actors playing them. However, we don't see much of that in the first 4 episodes (first DVD disk.) | |||
| Welcome to the Hellmouth | This show did a very good job of introducing the characters, explain why they associate with each other, and introduce a major plot line and a villain for the first season. It also does a very good job of making us want to watch more of the show. The pilot makes a good first impression. | ||
| | The second half of the pilot is a little long on explanation, but has a nice finish. | ||
| This show is important for giving Buffy something other to fight than vampires, but the witch seemed relatively uninteresting to me. Nevertheless, the remainder of the show somehow drew me in. | |||
| Again important for giving Buffy something other to fight, but the monster hardly seemed real and I didn't like the way Xander was dismissive and argumentive over Buffy's concerns. This show was also a little more gross and creepy than most, especially in the final shot. I did, however, like the MOE joke, especially since Xander's long bangs makes it a visual double entendre. | |||
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Buffy has trouble integrating the slaying and dating. Her first date in Sunnydale goes badly. I liked her new boyfriend, Owen, who reminds me of Riley from seasons 4 and 5. | |||
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Xander and a few other classmates experience animal possesion. This could be Never Kill A Boy on the First Date part II. Except for the abscense of Owen, this follows the same patern of humor and chase scenes, although the chase scenes are a little more cool in this episode. | |||
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Buffy finds out that Angel is a vampire. Darla plots to kill Buffy. At last, a first season show with some emotional depth to it, even if it just Angel brooding and Buffy making googly eyes at Angel. | |||
| An ancient demon takes over the internet. This show introduces Miss Calendar who is obviously a future love interest for Giles. I thought that this would be a pretty lame premise, but it is actually not bad. | |||
| Weird occurences and natural disasters point to the apocalypse. Giles reads a prophecy predicting that the master will rise and the slayer will die. When Buffy hears of the prophecy she tries to quit being a slayer, but changes her mind when people she knows start dying. Eventually all hell breaks loose, literally, at the school library. Meanwhile Xander asks Buffy for a date and is rejected. Later he risks his life to save Buffy. I am not sure why I didn't give this show a "10" because it has the emotional drama, comedy and action that make "Buffy, The Vampire Slayer" great in the later seasons. It very a good show but still not one of the best. |