Rewatching Buffy from the Beginning [Throwback Thursday]

I love writers and I love good stories. One writer that has captivated my imagination for years is the über-talented Joss Whedon. I hear his name associated with a project and I simply MUST know more. However, it wasn't always that way. It began with the story of a high school girl starting in a new school, wanting desperately just to get along without making any waves; it started with Buffy Summers who had the unfortunate burden of being the Vampire Slayer.

Dani, author of the GeekGirl's Manifesto, and fellow contributor to Word of the Nerd, organized a virtual viewing party for us as she gets ready to read Season 8 of BtVS in graphic novel form (Buffy fans, you need to read this!). I am using the time to read my new book The Psychology of Joss Whedon before his version of The Avengers hits theaters this May.  It's a great opportunity to share insights about the show and just geek-out, in general.

For fellow Buffy fans, I hope you join the conversation, for others, perhaps this will intrigue you enough to give the old show a shot! I present to you our reactions for the first two episodes, as collected and transcribed by Dani: 

For the next few weeks some of the lovely ladies from Word of the Nerd, are going to join me as we complete a re-watch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Joining me this week are Becca, Nicole and Corinne.

Episode 1: Welcome to the HellMouth

DANI: Okay...the first thing that jumped out at me on the rewatch is that the first guy to die (I have to look up his name) went on to have a regular recurring role on 'CSI-Miami'. So, for some people, being vamp bait in BtVS is not the career equivalent of being a red shirt on Star Trek. *lol* Besides that, I love a series that starts quickly and a vamp bite within the first 2 minutes counts as 'fast'. And the writing. I love the fact that the 'quips' start flying so early in the series.

BECCA: The actor who died is Eric Balfour who went on to die in many more movies & tv shows.

DANI: All that aside, I've always found 'The Master's' main henchman to be annoying. And it strikes me as funny that after he is killed off in this season, he reappears in a later episode as another vampire. Talk about being type-cast. The poor only guy ever plays bad guys (the BtVS equivalent of the red shirt actor curse, perhaps?)

...Girl Power as an Archtype

NICOLE: 

Thinking of episode 1 there were a number of things that struck me. The first was that one major theme of the entire show was made clear from that very first vamp bite - girls can be powerful, too. I know it is almost cliche to bring up such a thing when talking about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but it seems to me that the first scene was designed to make us think the girl was going to be the typical horror story victim, and them - WHAM! - she's a monster! So that scene really was a huge one-two punch: 1. there will be action, 2. females are powerful. I loved that.

DANI: You are so right about the opening sequence and the idea that the female would be the victim. It does set the tone for the rest of the show, really.

...Angel's Fashion Sense

DANI: Oh yeah...and WTF is up with that 'shiny' satin/velvet coat they put on Angel in Ep 1??? Are we going for vampire kitsch here or what?!

NICOLE: I'm cracking up over here about Angel's jacket! I had to go back and check it out after reading Dani's comment! It really IS shiny! How did I miss that? And... what was costume design thinking?? I'm desperately trying to remember the styles of the late 90s to see where that fits, but I can't figure...

...YA Novels Related to the Series

CORINNE: Did anyone ever read the YA novels that came out for the series?

NICOLE: I did not read any of the YA novels, but I did get started on season 8 in the comics and I read FRAY, as well. I didn't know there were YA novels!!

CORINNE: The YA novels were really good. Amazon has a few used. Christopher Golden was one of the writers, I can't recall the other woman that wrote for them. They did a 3 or 4 part series on Dark Willow too that expounded on some stuff that she might have done between scenes in the series. The books tried to keep a good handle on what was going on in the series and gave fans a chance to see old characters from the show and movie return. Pretty cool.

...The Bronze and Music in the Show

NICOLE: I also was wondering when I watched this episode whether or not Buffy was the first teen show to set up the whole "regular hang out with music" place. I'm sure it wasn't, but the inclusion of the Bronze and the new music in every episode seemed to flow very naturally for me in this series. I hadn't remembered that it started all the way back in episode one. 

DANI: I noticed something similar, only my issue is more with the fact that I never saw a place like that when I was in highschool. And even if there was one (I went to HS in Orlando, and heaven knows that city is big enough) I wouldn't have been allowed to go out to a club like that. That said, the music forms a kind of linking 'net' throughout the series as a whole, often showcasing up-and-coming bands of the time, while using songs that speak to the actions/emotions of the characters.

...Continuity Issues
NICOLE: The only other comment I can think of about episode 1 is: I hope when they first aired the show they started it off with a two hour special and did not leave people hanging for a whole week to see what would happen to Buffy!! I started watching the show in season 2 or 3 (I forget which one), so I had the benefit of flying through the first season on the wonderful technology of VHS tape borrowed from my friend.

CORINNE: I noticed the time/continuity issue as well. I wonder if it had something to do with the fact that Whedon was unhappy with how campy they ended up making the movie and maybe the series was his chance of a 'do-over' since he was acting as the showrunner/exec producer?

CORINNE: I remember when I first saw this ep thinking okay the movie ended with her graduating high school and the series is starting with her being a sophomore, yeah I can live with that. 

...On Willow, Xander and Cordy

 DANI: I was such a Willow in HS, so I'm sure that is why I can completely appreciate the whole 'high school' is hell thing that Whedon was going for -- and it works for me. I spend most of my time wanting to throttle Cordy. And actually think in the early episodes that Xander is cute in a 'geekily endearing' sort of way. 

CORINNE: Oooh Angel and Xander, drool!

Episode 2: "The Harvest" (AKA: Welcome to the Hellmouth - part 2)

Did you find Xander and Willow's reactions believable or not?

DANI: I liked the 'mini-history of vampires' Giles gives near the start of this episode. In many ways I think it points to the later 'book-sessions' that the Scooby-Gang has to find out info -- while at the same time playing up the stunned reactions from Xander and Willow. I think Willow's reaction was very believable (I would have reacted similarly). I love this exchange:

Willow: "I think I need to sit down."Buffy: "You are sitting."Willow: "Oh. Good for me."

NICOLE: I almost addressed this in my discussion of episode 1 since Xander had the weird eavesdropping in the library discovery of Buffy's slayer status. I'm happy I waited. I find them believable BECAUSE Xander has had a little more time to mull this over than Willow. He confronted Buffy with it in ep 1 with the appropiate "this girl is crazy" type of reaction. Then, both Xander and Willow were in a situation WITH Vampires where they actually saw one turn to dust BEFORE Giles tried to explain them away as if they were a normal part of everyone's lives. Had they not had these experiences, I would have expected a lot more laughing, skepticism and, ultimately, avoidance of the library.

Angel's random 'pop in/give cryptic message/vanish' act -- Does that annoy anyone else?

DANI: I can SO understand where Buffy is coming from when she complains about him doing this. The fact that Buffy complains about his 'Mr. Cryptic' routine makes me wonder if it is intentional. In many ways, Angel is doing the same sort of thing that Giles does -- popping up with doom and gloom warnings, then leaving her to do all the hard work. Kind of like Angel is the 'Anti-Giles' (non-father-figure), but does the same sorts of things that Giles does.

NICOLE: I think, in the beginning episodes, the mystery of Angel was laid on a bit too thick. In hindsight, it all made sense, but going through the motions it felt a bit annoying. Like DUDE WHO ARE YOU?! It seems evident that he is interested in Buffy (estowing her with gifts), but one has to wonder... is he some sort of creepy stalker?!

What do you think of 'The Master'?
DANI: I like the idea of him as a plot point, because the first 'baddie' needed to be something that would galvanize the group. But at the same time, I find it kind of funny that he has so many 'Nosferatu' qualities similar to the first vampire movie -- minus the fluffy eyebrows and huge ears. That said, I think his 'finger of death' trick at the end of the episode was completely cheesy and totally paying homage to Nosferatu.

NICOLE: Without a doubt, Master = Nosferatu. Also, I think the Master was the opportunity for Whedon to demonstrate the level of campiness he is willing to accept. It is obvious that the Buffy movie came from Whedon, but someone made a caricature of it. Whedon can be hilariously funny, and then there are times his humor rides the line of corny (which is fine with me). I think they both have their place and he (and his writing team) do a great job of balancing it all with the horror elements of the show. In my opinion, the Master is one tool for this purpose in the first season.

So that's it for now.
Fellow fans, what are your thoughts about the first two episodes?
For those who have never seen BtVS, did you just miss out on it, or were you avoiding it?
What show from your past would you like to get nostalgic with and re-watch?
**this last question is important... I have plans in the works here!

Don't forget to check out all of these lovely ladies at their respective websites, or to  see more of us all in one place, come check out Word of the Nerd!