The March of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, part 1
In which I reflect on the greatest show evah!
Welcome to the Hellmouth / The Harvest
1. Darla is the best. If I had actually bothered to watch this when it was on the air, I would have been hooked by her opening sequence. Thank you for upending expectations right from the start, BtVS.
2. The Master is ridiculous, but I love that about him.
3. Giles is so keen (in both senses, really) and everybody is so adorable. Or funny. Or both.
4. Speaking of senses, Buffy's fashion sense is stronger than her vampire-sensing ability. "Carbon dated" outfit, indeed. This comes up a lot over the course of the show.
5. Angel appears to have a sense of humor, although he's using it to "neg" Buffy. Not nice, Angel. But what happened to the funny? We don't really see it again until Season 2, if I'm remembering correctly.
6. The world is saved and Buffy gets to do gymnastics and decapitate somebody with a cymbal. I'd say everything is just about perfect.
7. Except for poor Jesse and the doorman at the Bronze. How come they couldn't at least mention Jesse after this?
The Witch
1. Amy makes her first appearance, and it's a doozy. The metaphor of parents living through their children went deep and dark.
2. This also marks the first appearance of drunk!Buffy! Who is doubly adorable. She's a macho, macho man! She also tells Xander he's one of the girls, which...well, he may not like it, but I do. It's nice to not have the heroine immediately assigned a romantic goal.
3. Joyce gets to have her own life, which is a nice counterpoint to the operative metaphor, but also makes for an actual character. She's Joyce, not just "Buffy's mom".
Teacher’s Pet
1. Ms. French is a super fun villain! Bug sandwiches!
2. I still miss Dr. Gregory, supportive guy who sees past the surface. Of course he had to die. *sobs*
3. Xander's fantasy cracks me up and it's wonderful that he immediately becomes the damsel of the piece. But not as damsel-y as blowhard guy!
4. They defeat their enemy with science! Also bladed weapons. But mostly science. ♥
Never Kill a Boy on the First Date
1. This episode sends the show veering in the wrong direction, IMHO. Exhibit A: the Annointed One. Need I say more?
2. Exhibit B: What was so terribly, awfully wrong about Owen Thurman being let in on the secret of the supernatural? He doesn't seem to be in any more or less danger than any of the series regulars, present and future. Is his fascination with Emily Dickinson indicative of some issue with his character that I missed?
3. Exhibit C: Angel being jealous of Owen seems...premature. If he's planning on being boyfriend material, why isn't he around every week? If he's not planning on being boyfriend material, he should just kick back and respect Buffy's choices. Actually, he should respect her choices regardless of their relationship status. Jeez. Feminism 101, people.
4. Pork and beans vamp is pretty scary, and I do like Buffy's relief that Giles is okay.
What do you all think?
This entry was originally posted at http://rebcake.dreamwidth.org/46225.html. Please comment here or there using OpenID.
Welcome to the Hellmouth / The Harvest
1. Darla is the best. If I had actually bothered to watch this when it was on the air, I would have been hooked by her opening sequence. Thank you for upending expectations right from the start, BtVS.
2. The Master is ridiculous, but I love that about him.
3. Giles is so keen (in both senses, really) and everybody is so adorable. Or funny. Or both.
4. Speaking of senses, Buffy's fashion sense is stronger than her vampire-sensing ability. "Carbon dated" outfit, indeed. This comes up a lot over the course of the show.
5. Angel appears to have a sense of humor, although he's using it to "neg" Buffy. Not nice, Angel. But what happened to the funny? We don't really see it again until Season 2, if I'm remembering correctly.
6. The world is saved and Buffy gets to do gymnastics and decapitate somebody with a cymbal. I'd say everything is just about perfect.
7. Except for poor Jesse and the doorman at the Bronze. How come they couldn't at least mention Jesse after this?
The Witch
1. Amy makes her first appearance, and it's a doozy. The metaphor of parents living through their children went deep and dark.
2. This also marks the first appearance of drunk!Buffy! Who is doubly adorable. She's a macho, macho man! She also tells Xander he's one of the girls, which...well, he may not like it, but I do. It's nice to not have the heroine immediately assigned a romantic goal.
3. Joyce gets to have her own life, which is a nice counterpoint to the operative metaphor, but also makes for an actual character. She's Joyce, not just "Buffy's mom".
Teacher’s Pet
1. Ms. French is a super fun villain! Bug sandwiches!
2. I still miss Dr. Gregory, supportive guy who sees past the surface. Of course he had to die. *sobs*
3. Xander's fantasy cracks me up and it's wonderful that he immediately becomes the damsel of the piece. But not as damsel-y as blowhard guy!
4. They defeat their enemy with science! Also bladed weapons. But mostly science. ♥
Never Kill a Boy on the First Date
1. This episode sends the show veering in the wrong direction, IMHO. Exhibit A: the Annointed One. Need I say more?
2. Exhibit B: What was so terribly, awfully wrong about Owen Thurman being let in on the secret of the supernatural? He doesn't seem to be in any more or less danger than any of the series regulars, present and future. Is his fascination with Emily Dickinson indicative of some issue with his character that I missed?
3. Exhibit C: Angel being jealous of Owen seems...premature. If he's planning on being boyfriend material, why isn't he around every week? If he's not planning on being boyfriend material, he should just kick back and respect Buffy's choices. Actually, he should respect her choices regardless of their relationship status. Jeez. Feminism 101, people.
4. Pork and beans vamp is pretty scary, and I do like Buffy's relief that Giles is okay.
What do you all think?
This entry was originally posted at http://rebcake.dreamwidth.org/46225.html. Please comment here or there using OpenID.