I May Be Dead, But I'm Still Pretty: Buffy S1 Re-Watch!

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I've just gotten someone new to start watching Buffy (engel_j_ackles), so I've been watching along with her and Kimmy. Here are some random-ish thoughts I had on the episodes in Season 1. This is not meant to be a major exploration of the season, but some fun stuff and things I noticed. Otherwise this would be another huge blog. Feel free to discuss anything in the comments!

What are your favorite things about Season 1?

Welcome to the Hellmouth, rating 8.8
I love how Buffy makes an extra effort to be nice to Willow after Cordelia was so nasty to her. I find it odd that Cordelia would be so nice to Buffy right away. Usually the popular kids don't talk to new kids at first. Angel's first appearance and Buffy saying "I *really* didn't like him." It's interesting that Angel is the only vampire that doesn't have vampface all the time. The others never go back to their regular faces even when they are not killing, except for Darla but mostly she's in vampface.

Buffy: (holds up outfit to mirror) Hi! I'm an enormous slut! (holds up a conservative dress) Hello! Would you like a copy of 'The Watchtower'? (lowers the dress) I used to be so good at this.

Cordelia: What is your childhood trauma?

The Harvest 8.6
For some reason, this episode didn't seem as good on this watching. Buffy tells Xander and Willow about being the Slayer. We learn more about the Master and his rituals. Willow shows off her hacker skills. Xander shows off getting in the way. More nasty Cordelia. Willow getting back at her by getting her to delete the computer program project.

Cordelia: (to Willow) Excuse me? Who gave you permission to exist? Do I horn in on your private discussions? No. Why? Because you're boring.

The Witch 8.9
We see some of the lack of communication between Buffy and Joyce, but at least it's better than Amy's relationship with her mom. Giles does magick for the first time. This episode introduces Amy who we see again here and there, all the way through season 7.

Teacher's Pet 8.7
A lot of people don't like this episode, but I think it's fun. Xander reveals he loves Buffy under influence of teacher's martini. That whole scene with him being so nervous at the teacher's house is probably my favorite scene.

Cordelia:I don't know what to say, it was really, I mean, one minute you're in your normal life, and then who's in the fridge? It really gets to you, a thing like that. It was... let's just say I haven't been able to eat a thing since yesterday. I think I lost, like, seven and a half ounces? Way swifter than that so-called diet that quack put me on. Oh, I'm not saying that we should kill a teacher every day just so I can lose weight, I'm just saying when tragedy strikes, we have to look on the bright side. You know? Like, how even used Mercedes still have leather seats!

Never Kill a Boy on the First Date 8.7
Nice to see Angel getting jealous over Owen. Source of one of the greatest lines: Hello salty goodness and Cordelia getting interested in Angel. Buffy's first realization that being the Slayer means she doesn't get to be normal girl anymore and have a normal social life.

The Pack 8.8
I like this episode better everytime I watch it. Xander is really great in it. Love the slo-mo scene where the hyena people are prowling around the school grounds. Poor Principal Flutie....I'll miss him.

Buffy: I think something's wrong with him.
Willow: Or maybe there's something wrong with me.
Buffy: What are you talking about?
Willow: C'mon. He's not picking on you. He's just sniffing you a lot. I don't know, maybe three isn't company anymore.

Buffy: It's bad, isn't it.
Giles: It's devastating. He's turned into a sixteen-year-old boy. Course, you'll have to kill him.
Buffy: Giles, I'm serious.
Giles: So am I. Except for the part about killing him. Testosterone is a great equalizer. It turns all men into morons. He will, however, get over it.

Angel 9.7
First time Angel takes off his shirt! (Roar from the crowd!). Clearly that was the most important thing. We get the first dose of backstory including Angel's pesky curse...really sets things up for the future story arcs and the flashbacks. I am constantly impressed that all the canon that is set up here is used in later episodes of both Buffy and Angel, and not contradicted. Especially regarding Darla and the Master, which we don't hear about again until Angel S2.

First time we see how great a character Darla is. She is the first vampire besides the Master that seems to have a background and any level of intelligence.

Buffy throws Angel out the window when she thinks he bit Joyce, rather than staking him. This is when we know she will never kill him no matter what. If she doesn't immediately kill him after thinking he killer her mom, she never will.

Xander I'm not saying anything, I have nothing to say.
Giles: Does this, uh, Angel have, um, a tattoo behind his right shoulder?
Buffy: Yeah, it's a, it's a bird or something.
Xander: Now I'm sayin' something. You saw him naked?

Buffy: Oh! Um... No, Mom, this is Mr. Giles.
Joyce: Oh, the librarian from your school! (confused) What's he doing here?
Giles: Uh, I-I just came to pay my respects, wish you a speedy recovery.
Joyce: Boy, the teachers really *do* care in this town.

Buffy: Can a vampire ever be a good person? Couldn't it happen?
Giles: A vampire isn't a person at all. It may have the movements, the
memories, even the personality of the person it took over, but it's still a
demon at the core. There is no halfway.
Willow: So that'd be a no, huh?

I Robot You Jane 8.2
The opening scene with the monks seems to be a bit too similar to Season 5 opener. Great arguing between Giles and Miss Calendar, then they work together. The conflict between the old ways and modern ways will be revisited in Season 4 with The Initiative. Nice to see a Willow-centric episode. I love the last scene when they are discussing their bad relationships so far, and how true it turns out to be.

Buffy: I can just tell something is wrong--my spider sense is tingling.
Giles: Your spider sense?
Buffy: Pop culture reference...sorry.

Buffy: Hey, did you forget? The one boy I've had the hots for since I've moved here turned out to be a vampire.
Xander: Right, and the teacher I had a crush on? Giant praying mantis?
Willow: That's true.
Xander: Yeah, that's life on the Hellmouth.
Buffy: Let's face it: none of us are ever gonna have a happy, normal relationship.
Xander: We're doomed!

The Puppet Show 8.0
Maybe my least favorite episode of the season this time around. I could barely concentrate on it. I know it deserved better though. Cordelia's horrible singing! First appearance of Snyder. I have always hated him but he doesn't even start off trying to be nice. Highlight of course is the bit at the end where they do their scene from Oedipus...

Great prophetic line from Synder:

Snyder: My predecessor, Mr. Flutie, may have gone in for that touchy- feely relating nonsense, but he was eaten. You're in my world now. And Sunnydale has touched and felt for the last time.

Nightmares 8.7
When i first watched this,i kept thinking the boy Buffy saw was the Annointed One, since they have a very similar look. Finally i realized i was wrong, buti was confused for part of the episode.Buffy's nightmare about her dad telling her how she was such a disappointment to him was really heartbreaking. I loved how all their nightmares blended together and happened at once near the end. Vamp buffy! For the first time, the villian was a regular human, with no special powers. Willow's pea green tights were possibly the scariest things in this ep.

Willow: When Buffy was a vampire, you weren't still, like, attracted to her, were you?
Xander: Willow, how can you...? I mean, that's really *bent*. She was... grotesque.
Willow: Still dug her, huh?
Xander: I'm sick. I need help.
Willow: Don't I know it.

Out of Mind, Out of Sight 8.5
Bitca Cordelia goodness. Interesting to see her maybe at her most self-absorbed and also possibly at her nicest in all of Buffy. Great episode to compare her later character development in Angel. Giles starting to trust Angel and his information. We find out that Buffy was popular enough to be May Queen at her old school. And of course, the FBI men taking Marcy away to be in an invisible assassin!

Buffy: I think I speak for everyone here when I say, "huh?"

Cordelia: This is all about me. Me, me, me!
Xander: Wow, for once she's right.

Prophecy Girl 9.7
Too many good things in the episode, and my favorite of the season. Xander listening to country music, the music of pain. The Master telling Buffy he likes her dress. Cordelia driving her car through the school. We see her helping out and it smooths the transition for her to be part of the group in S2. Xander being the one to bring Buffy back, not Angel. When the Master finally dusts, his bones are still there, whereas all the other vamps dusted completely. Well, I guess that is important, but it's not really explained.

Buffy: I may be dead, but I'm still pretty. Which is more than I can say for you.
Master: You were destined to die. It was written.
Buffy: What can I say? I flunked the written.

Xander: Hey, I hear there's a dance at the Bronze tonight. Could be fun.
Cordelia: Yeah!
Willow: Buffy?
Buffy: Sure. We saved the world, I say we party. I mean, I got all pretty.