orangerful (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
orangerful) wrote2012-05-26 11:14 pm
orangerful) wrote2012-05-26 11:14 pm
Entry tags:
#BuffyRewatch 1.01-1.04
So, it was a quiet night tonight, didn't feel like doing much of anything after ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
maybedeadcat went home so I figured I would put in disc 1 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and start the rewatch!
1.01 Welcome to the Hellmouth
So, yeah, I can't remember the last time I watched this from episode 1. It's been over a year, at least. For those of you that don't know, I didn't start watching BtVS until the season 4 summer reruns. I saw season 1 for the first time on FX when the reruns started up and then my friend bought me the DVD set, which came out around the same time.
So, yeah, pilot episodes are always interesting. You can see the lack of budget when it comes to everyone's hair, make-up, clothes etc.. But I think the story is strong enough that the show survives. You can hear the actors learning to speak like Joss & Co write. There's some really weird "teen speak" that I'm SO glad they drop (the most painful scene is in the locker rooms right before the two random girls find the dead body).
Of the Scoobies, I think Alysson Hannigan is the winner of this episode. Her acting is probably the best thing. Nicholas Brendan and Sarah Michelle Gellar come in second.
Speaking of costumes -- Buffy's skirt is way too short. I don't think we see her in a skirt that short when slaying is eminent again. It's pants during the episodes, then short or dress at the end. I'll have to pay attention and see if I'm making that up or not. Xander is wearing a really ugly combo of a dark blue tank top with a somewhat sheer dress shirt on top. Just no. Willow dresses the way I did in Middle School (I raided my grandma's closet...don't ask).
I find it amusing the one pop culture reference that survives are the Starbucks jokes. 10 years later, everyone knows how small a "one Starbucks town" must be.
I'm glad that Luke is only the villain for a few episodes. His faux scripture quoting gets old fast. I understand it's all about working the metaphor of New Buffy vs. Old World Vamps. But it's a bit over the top to the point of ridiculousness.
Joyce & Buffy are still one of THE BEST mother/daughter relationships ever put on TV. Even in these early episodes, they manage to have a dynamic that is so honest and true.
1.02 The Harvest
I wonder how far apart the shooting was for this episode from the pilot. It appears that Willow's hair is more brown than red. Though it might be the lighting (Joss talks about his inability to light things in the commentary).
Random but I swear the sunglasses Buffy is wearing are in style now. Everything old is new again.
LOL I think I found the exact moment when Giles realized he should just toss the Slayer Handbook in the trash:
GILES: As long as there have been vampires, there has been the Slayer. One girl in all the world --
BUFFY: He loves doing this part.
GILES: (speeding up) All right: They hunt vampires, one Slayer dies, the next is called, Buffy is the Slayer, don't tell anyone. I think that's all the vampire information you need.
It really is impressive how much is being imparted in these scenes without feeling like it. The conversation flow is normal, Willow & Xander are in the place of the audience, totally clueless, while Giles and Buffy lay out the vampire lore that applies to this world. Really well done.
And here is the mantra for the series -- Buffy denies her slayerness, then embraces her slayerness, then pushes her friends away, then embraces there help. That's who the show rolls, for 7 years, but it works every time.
Sarah's fighting stance is not quite right yet. I think it's due to the clunky jewelry and her manicured nails. She stands like...well, a girl.
Harmony, yay! Stoner guy WTF?
"Did we win?" -- the motto of Whedonverse heroes.
1.03 Witch
I've always liked this episode. I think it's because it really starts to get into the "high school as hell" metaphor. Plus, we've established the Scoobies and Buffy's role and we can just jump right into having fun. Like Giles disapproving of her trying out as a cheerleader.
Also - AMY! Wow, besides Buffy and Simpsons, how many other shows can you think of where very minor side characters stick around for the entire run? I mean, wow.
See, she has pants on in this episode. Very pastel pants. Wow.
Willow's face when Buffy calls Xander "one of the girls" is so priceless. Seriously, Allyson Hannigan = win.
Joyce: You’re 16. I think there is a biological imperative that i can’t understand you because I’m not 16.
1.04 Teacher's Pet
Okay, not one of the best episodes BUT, like all Buffy episodes, there's so much going on that will carry over into the next episode, be it major plot points or just little relationship building things, you can't count it out completely.
One of the smartest things the Buffy writers did -- make the "Xander has a crush on Buffy" arc only last 2 seasons. By Season 3/4, he treats her more like a sister than someone he is attracted to. I mean, he still thinks she is hot but their friendship is based on more than his crush.
Yeah, not much to say about this episode really. Giant bugs are silly plot devices. The entire show is based on jokes about how horny high school aged boys are. Which they are. But would they let themselves be lured to the house of a creepy bug lady? Oh right, it's "pheremones"...uh huh, sure. :)
maybedeadcat went home so I figured I would put in disc 1 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and start the rewatch! 1.01 Welcome to the Hellmouth
So, yeah, I can't remember the last time I watched this from episode 1. It's been over a year, at least. For those of you that don't know, I didn't start watching BtVS until the season 4 summer reruns. I saw season 1 for the first time on FX when the reruns started up and then my friend bought me the DVD set, which came out around the same time.
So, yeah, pilot episodes are always interesting. You can see the lack of budget when it comes to everyone's hair, make-up, clothes etc.. But I think the story is strong enough that the show survives. You can hear the actors learning to speak like Joss & Co write. There's some really weird "teen speak" that I'm SO glad they drop (the most painful scene is in the locker rooms right before the two random girls find the dead body).
Of the Scoobies, I think Alysson Hannigan is the winner of this episode. Her acting is probably the best thing. Nicholas Brendan and Sarah Michelle Gellar come in second.
Speaking of costumes -- Buffy's skirt is way too short. I don't think we see her in a skirt that short when slaying is eminent again. It's pants during the episodes, then short or dress at the end. I'll have to pay attention and see if I'm making that up or not. Xander is wearing a really ugly combo of a dark blue tank top with a somewhat sheer dress shirt on top. Just no. Willow dresses the way I did in Middle School (I raided my grandma's closet...don't ask).
I find it amusing the one pop culture reference that survives are the Starbucks jokes. 10 years later, everyone knows how small a "one Starbucks town" must be.
I'm glad that Luke is only the villain for a few episodes. His faux scripture quoting gets old fast. I understand it's all about working the metaphor of New Buffy vs. Old World Vamps. But it's a bit over the top to the point of ridiculousness.
Joyce & Buffy are still one of THE BEST mother/daughter relationships ever put on TV. Even in these early episodes, they manage to have a dynamic that is so honest and true.
1.02 The Harvest
I wonder how far apart the shooting was for this episode from the pilot. It appears that Willow's hair is more brown than red. Though it might be the lighting (Joss talks about his inability to light things in the commentary).
Random but I swear the sunglasses Buffy is wearing are in style now. Everything old is new again.
LOL I think I found the exact moment when Giles realized he should just toss the Slayer Handbook in the trash:
GILES: As long as there have been vampires, there has been the Slayer. One girl in all the world --
BUFFY: He loves doing this part.
GILES: (speeding up) All right: They hunt vampires, one Slayer dies, the next is called, Buffy is the Slayer, don't tell anyone. I think that's all the vampire information you need.
It really is impressive how much is being imparted in these scenes without feeling like it. The conversation flow is normal, Willow & Xander are in the place of the audience, totally clueless, while Giles and Buffy lay out the vampire lore that applies to this world. Really well done.
And here is the mantra for the series -- Buffy denies her slayerness, then embraces her slayerness, then pushes her friends away, then embraces there help. That's who the show rolls, for 7 years, but it works every time.
Sarah's fighting stance is not quite right yet. I think it's due to the clunky jewelry and her manicured nails. She stands like...well, a girl.
Harmony, yay! Stoner guy WTF?
"Did we win?" -- the motto of Whedonverse heroes.
1.03 Witch
I've always liked this episode. I think it's because it really starts to get into the "high school as hell" metaphor. Plus, we've established the Scoobies and Buffy's role and we can just jump right into having fun. Like Giles disapproving of her trying out as a cheerleader.
Also - AMY! Wow, besides Buffy and Simpsons, how many other shows can you think of where very minor side characters stick around for the entire run? I mean, wow.
See, she has pants on in this episode. Very pastel pants. Wow.
Willow's face when Buffy calls Xander "one of the girls" is so priceless. Seriously, Allyson Hannigan = win.
Joyce: You’re 16. I think there is a biological imperative that i can’t understand you because I’m not 16.
1.04 Teacher's Pet
Okay, not one of the best episodes BUT, like all Buffy episodes, there's so much going on that will carry over into the next episode, be it major plot points or just little relationship building things, you can't count it out completely.
One of the smartest things the Buffy writers did -- make the "Xander has a crush on Buffy" arc only last 2 seasons. By Season 3/4, he treats her more like a sister than someone he is attracted to. I mean, he still thinks she is hot but their friendship is based on more than his crush.
Yeah, not much to say about this episode really. Giant bugs are silly plot devices. The entire show is based on jokes about how horny high school aged boys are. Which they are. But would they let themselves be lured to the house of a creepy bug lady? Oh right, it's "pheremones"...uh huh, sure. :)
no subject
One of the smartest things the Buffy writers did -- make the "Xander has a crush on Buffy" arc only last 2 seasons
YES! Writers of other series need to take note of this. Sometimes crushes are dragged out way to long.
no subject
I find it amusing the one pop culture reference that survives are the Starbucks jokes. 10 years later, everyone knows how small a "one Starbucks town" must be.
Seriously! Although sometimes I love seeing things that haven't survived. There's an episode where Buffy has a pager, and it's adorable in a nostalgic way. But it is rather great that we still have Starbucks! I don't think Starbucks is really going anywhere, although I don't know if it's... quite the rage it used to be. But it was also the only semblance of a"teen hangout"(seriously, what is with teen hangouts in teen shows/books?) I ever had, unless you count the mall food court, so maybe it's more that once I left high school and it stopped being a summer afternoon treat, it wasn't as big of a deal. But I think it also was the only Starbucks in town for a while, so.
I recapped "Witch" a while back, I think... I should find it. (I tried recapping the entire series, but you know, time consuming.) One thing I liked about it was that it actually portrayed cheerleaders way more realistically than most teen series do. You're also right that it definitely establishes the "high school as hell" metaphor quite well.
One of the smartest things the Buffy writers did -- make the "Xander has a crush on Buffy" arc only last 2 seasons.
YES. So many shows *cough Friends cough* have that play out the entire series until they finally get together. But Xander grew up and they instead formed a wonderful friendship. The same is true with Xander and Willow - they always loved each other, but it was completely platonic. Xander even saves Willow from herself.
no subject
"If the world comes to an end, beep me!" LOL yeah. I'm always surprised by how well Buffy holds up, probably because she hangs out with her friends all the time and they don't rely on phones as much. Season 7, Dawn has a cell phone for school and it's an flip phone, but you only see it a couple times. (and honestly the computers look ancient but don't we all assume schools would still have ancient computers? LOL)
The thing I love about "Buffy" is that the writers avoided bowing to fan service or trying to be too clever. I have had this conversation so many times. I was a HUGE X-Files fan pre-Buffy. But I feel like when Chris Carter+Co. saw The Internet and could SEE how fans were trying to solve the puzzles, they freaked out and instead of just staying with their original plan, they set out to make things super complicated and ended up screwing up the whole show. And when they ran out of ideas, they had Mulder and Scully get together (I had stopped watching by then, I NEVER was a 'shipper)
But I've read interviews with Joss and Jane and the Mutant Enemy team and they would read the online forums, be impressed by the fans who were solving the season arc puzzles...and then do it anyway. And no matter how much fans wanted certain couples on the show, they didn't give in. Yes, they had Spike and Buffy in Season 6 BUT (if you listen to commentary) they talk about how it was meant to be a prime example of an abusive relationship and how disturbing it was to read fans try to justify the behavior, no matter how bad they made it.
I love and adore this show. I have an entire bookshelf of academic Buffy books and I've read most of them LOL. There's just SO MUCH THERE!
no subject
Exactly.
But I've read interviews with Joss and Jane and the Mutant Enemy team and they would read the online forums, be impressed by the fans who were solving the season arc puzzles...and then do it anyway. And no matter how much fans wanted certain couples on the show, they didn't give in.
... a fan once told me Joss DID give into fans, and meant it as a good thing. Weird. But I always figured if they did, Dawn would've been killed off and stuff, so I can believe it. I like that they didn't give in. I think she was just trying to sell me on the idea that Buffy was better than fandoms where she didn't like the direction canon took.
I love and adore Buffy too, despite what I just said. I do think they could've done things differently, but honestly, even the things most people complain about are fine by me. I didn't like how Willow became evil, but to be totally honest with you, even in season two she sometimes took magic too far. She got into it to finish Jenny Calendar's work more or less, and so that right there gave her this association with magic being something you do to fix problems and tie up loose ends. I do wish they'd worked more with that and less with magic being a metaphor for drugs, but apparently that was also Alyson Hannigan's idea.
(Cordy icon here because it seems apropos.)
no subject
When Season 6 initially aired I remember being really mad and confused by Willow's turn to the dark side. But then when I did my rewatch from Season 1, the hints were there and I felt so foolish for not seeing the warning signs. And WOW did that ring true with some IRL stuff that happened (my ex became an alcoholic about 6 years into our relationship) so while I hated it the first time, I've come to appreciate the metaphor.
LOL oh yes, I always figured Dark Willow's line about Dawn being whiny and annoying was meant for the fans who had suffered through two seasons of her Tweenage years. I felt they did better with her in Season 7. And really, being the younger sister to the Slayer would be rough!