Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favorite show of all time, so fangirling will happen. I have strong opinions on a lot of the characters. Spoilers may occur. (I feel a little silly since it's been cancelled for ten years, but you never know.) I'll be focusing less on plots of individual episodes than characters, lines, whatever catches my attention really. I have seen all the episodes, but only once and I know I've forgotten a ton of stuff.
On to the episode!
Our first introduction to one of my favorite female characters ever, Buffy Summers, is through these three words: "I'm up, mom!"
We quickly meet Xander and Willow. Xander is skateboarding and Willow explains the library as "Where the books live." Quickest character development ever.
Our introduction to Sunnydale, home of the most insane high school in the country, is the principal ripping up Buffy's school files and then taping them together again. I can't.
"Xander. Is me. Hi. Maybe I'll see you at school, since we both go there."
Cordelia shares her book with Buffy and proceeds to be nice for about two minutes. I think, "Oh, I might not hate her!" but then.... "No wonder you're such a boy magnet!" Poor Willow baby.
I love that the show sets up the library to be creepy since pretty soon the gang will be hanging there every spare second. But you can practically see the tumbleweeds blowing through the room-- does ANYONE come in here? Ever? Sunnydale High.
Giles introduces himself as Mr. Giles, and I hope he enjoyed hearing it out loud because he'll never be called it again. Then he pulls out this bestseller.
Buffy and I make a similar face.
One scene later we get....
The first dead body of the show! Reaction of a student: shrill screaming like any normal person.
Awww, Eager! Willow is adorable.
And she totally has a crush on Giles.
Xander's friend Jesse is totally adorable. And I can't fault the boys for their insta-crush on Buffy.
What kind of school/town/anything just leaves their dead students lying on the locker room floor only covered with a blanket? Ladies and gentlemen, presenting Sunnydale High School.
"You are the Slayer." *cue dramatic music*
Buffy and Giles are having a bantery little conversation about the roles of a Slayer and a Watcher and it's all fun and games until suddenly we are hit with this speech:
"Prepare me for what? For getting kicked out of school? For losing all of my friends? For having to spend all of my time fighting for my life and never getting to tell anyone because I might endanger them? Go ahead. Prepare me." Yikes. Joss Whedon is giving us a teaser that he is not afraid to pull out the big guns emotionally.
I love that the library is so abandoned Giles and Buffy can have a conversation about vampires and the fact that Xander is in the library at all is a shock. Sunnydale High.
Dang, these vampires are ugggly.
An interesting choice given that they're usually portrayed as sex symbols (no, I'm not talking about Edward. Dracula, my friends, was no hundred-year-old virgin.)
Dang, gurl, you are fantastic and don't let anyone ever tell you different.
ANGEL'S FIRST INTERACTION WITH BUFFY IS GETTING KICKED OVER. I am such a huge fan of this.
Buffy asks, "What do I want?" And Angel tells her she wants to "Kill 'em all." I think he's been watching a little too much Pokemon.
Our heroine now enters The Bronze for the first time.
Oh, this club.
"Life is short. Tomorrow you might be dead." --Inspiring speeches by Buffy
"You think is my idear of a party?" I forgot that Giles was British.
Buffy's first impression of Angel: "I really didn't like him." Hehe.
When Cordelia wants to make a call on her cell phone she has to literally pull out the antennae first. Haha! Nineties.
I'm sure I'm not the first to say this, but the Master looks an awful lot like Voldemort.
Sunnydale apparently has an ice cream bar! I now understand Willow going with the vampire guy.
"If we don't find her there's going to be one more dead body in the morning." Sarah Michelle Gellars is an intense and incredible actress and she's not afraid to show it.
When there's a fight you can almost see Buffy snap into her zone. All the insecurity or denial of her identity fade out of focus and the sassiness makes an entrance. "Are you sure? We're talking violence, strong language, adult content...."
And we're left with a "To be continued". Wheeedon!
Episode Tallys
Shattered windows-- 1
Body count--2
Times Joyce caused me to facepalm-- none yet
Buffy hair porn:
And I leave you with Truly Atrocious Outfits by Willow:
Really solid first episode, it makes me excited for all the character growth yet to come.
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