The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

So I feel like it's time for me to revisit Buffy and I thought it would be a lot of fun to do it as a group. I know it's well loved on here and hopefully we can get a good group going.

A lot of vampire shows have come and gone, but nothing has ever held a candle to Buffy. I find myself missing the Scooby gang and needing to get back into the Buffyverse.

So this is how I thought it would work. We will watch two episodes a week one on Thursday and one on Monday. Of course you don't have to watch the show on those days, but to keep the thread in some kind of order those would be the days when we switch the conversation to the next episode.

If you've never seen it before I highly suggest you watch along with us. You don't know what your missing.

We don't have to wait until Thursday to start talking about the first episode; you can go ahead and watch now, but we will wait until Monday to go to episode two.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

You guys should watch the show at the same time and do commentary. I almost asked Honeykid if he'd watch the entire series of Sex and the City with me and do commentary at the same time. I thought it would be epic.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

I'm contemplating. Have never watched a minute of this show but have heard a lot about it over the years.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

Never seen the show, but I might give it a watch and follow along.

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I've always wanted to watch the series from beginning to end. I only remember bits and pieces from when my sisters were so into it, when it was running. I might join, if I can find a good place to watch.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

It's on netflix swan.

You guys that haven't seen it really should join. Once you get into season 2 you are hooked. It's a great show.

People that have watched it and don't want to watch it again can join in the conversation from memory but I want the conversation to remain episode specific.

People are welcome to do commentaries in this thread as well as long as it's the correct episode.

I'll probably watch the first one tonight.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

My grandparents had a dog for a long time named Buffy. It died recently so they got a new dog and its name is Angel. I'm sure they don't even know what the Buffy and Angel shows are, but it makes me think of that.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

So I decided to jump right in or I may have just not. The first episode is just what I thought the show would be. I am going to try to let myself get into the characters and not be critical straight off though. I don't want to be the one in the group who nit-pics and makes fun of the show. I am going to embrace the cheese. So I people watched. Hey that's the girl from How I Met Your Mother, the guy for Six Feet Under, and the guy from Bones. I'm allowed to think Buffy is cute since Sarah Michelle Gellar is my age in real life, right?

I think once people start talking, I can get into the camaraderie of it. I am the guy that has seen every episode of 90210, so I am not above some high school schlock. Let the games begin.

It gets better, it really does. The second season is when it really starts to get good. Only 12 episodes in the first season so we get to the good stuff soon.

It's funny to see someone do it all backwards. The first time I saw Bones, it was "There's Angel!" , and "Why does Willow have to be in this sucky show?"

By the way depending on how much this has grown or if it takes off, I may do an Angel re-watch club when we get to that part of Buffy.

I've already been rewatching! We'll see what I can add to the epi discussions though.

Newbies, if you were like me, you may feel a bit 'meh' by the end of season one. KEEP GOING.
Over the seasons you will witness some of the best character development in TV history, some of the most fun and surprising and scary and tragic individual shows ever aired (eg. "The Body" during which I cried several times and still think it one of the finest portrayals of mundane death and the aftermath of grief and confusion ever crafted, "Hush" which is amazingly scary in some scenes and also hilarious in some of its non-verbal character exchanges, and its conceptual opposite "Once More, With Feeling" is just plain brilliant, plus I must note the superb Lynchesque "Restless") as well as the overall arcs that are truly memorable and even heartbreaking (in a good way).

There is just no way to easily convey how nuanced and imaginative the show becomes over the seasons (I'd say season 4 is where it starts to really shine though there are lots of earlier episodes that are great and lay the necessary groundwork for later seasons to have their impact) but it does, and it's remarkable and glorious.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

Season 4? Really? I remember seasons 4 and 7 as the worst of the programme. Season 3 is the peak of Buffyness. :yup:

BTW, sean, is that proper 90210 or the new remake?

Yay, glad your joining Deadite. I'm excited that three people who have never seen the show might be joining in. There is nothing like watching Buffy for the first time.

Remember that we will move to the next episode every Mon. and Thursday so make sure you watch the next episode before coming in here on those days. I don't want anything to be spoiled for you. I was going to wait one week the first time before moving on, but I think everyone can get the first episode in by then. The first episode is in two parts but we are only doing the first part and will do the next one Thursday.

Seanc, you said you watched 90210. Did the high school look familiar? It's the same one.

Uh, no. The third season was good; season 4 was where it went from good to great. Most of the most widely beloved and acclaimed epis are from later seasons, basically 4 onward. Claiming Buffy "peaked" at season 3 is wildly inaccurate but you are quite welcome to your sad little opinion.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

My sad little, but correct, opinon. :p As with most high school set works, once/should they carry on beyond the high school years, they're never as good. More acclaimed episodes, yes. Some of the best episodes are from season 4 onwards, but Buffy's never the sme programme once they leave high school. But we'll have a good time talking about all that in the months to come. :)

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You're correct, it isn't the same after season 3; it's different. That's why it's such an awesome show: It evolved and was ambitious, even if it put off some people (like you apparently) who mistakenly think it would've been a better series if left to stagnate in high school hijinks. Sorry haters but Buffy was epic precisely because it continually re-invented itself and wasn't content to feed zombie viewers their formulaic fix. Every season had relatively weaker epis, but the series overall wouldn't have reached its highest highs were it not for taking risks and challenging viewer expectation.

Season 4? Great? Those words don't belong in the same sentence...Adam was a terrible Big Bad, I flat out LOATHED Riley...Season 5 was a massive step up from that. Season 2 is where the show got great. :yup:

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

Season 5 is great. My favourite one after season 3. Couldn't stand Adam and Riley, either.

Nope, the Initiative stuff was pretty cool and was logical to expanding the show's reality beyond the hermetically sealed universe of "scooby gang vs latest evil" in the first three seasons. 4 was the season where uncertainty ruled as everything was in transition, and contained some of the most creative epis in the series thus far. It's easy to superficially nitpick stuff like Riley (I always felt meh about him myself) and "Big Bad" Adam (big bad isn't the point anyway) but that also misses the greater scope of 4 which yes was a bridge to the great stuff in season 5, but as well 4's own fantastic individual epis like Hush cannot be dismissed by any true BTVS fan. And as far as I'm concerned every "weaker" element of 4's arc is vindicated by the sublime Restless which was like a quiet epilogue to all that had gone before as well as foreboding of next season.

Well have to agree to disagree, Deadite, cos I hated Restless, too. :D

Hush is great, and I like Beer Bad, which seems to split Buffy fans I know 50/50 and the wonderful Pangs.

That's the first time I've ever had a Buffy fan say they liked The Initiative. Not that I know a great many fans, but it's just odd to hear it. When I said Adam, I was referring to the whole Initiative thing. Anyway, I guess we should stop all this, as we're starting to get into stuff that those who've not seen it won't be aware of. Don't want to ruin it for them.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

It's cool, I stopped paying attention after "I hated Restless". ;)

Yeah, there is a general Buffy thread. I really want this to be episode specific.

Anyway, watched the first episode. Welcome to the Hellmouth

It's been long enough since I've seen the first season that I've forgotten some of it. It was nice to see the gang again. They look so young. Everytime, I watch the first episode I ponder what the show would have been had Katie Holmes gotten the part of Buffy. I'm just glad she didn't. Sarah is Buffy.

The show starts out with you thinking a teenage girl is in a lot of trouble and then she turns out to be the big bad. This ain't no helpless girl show. I love it.

Cordelia is the ultimate love to hate her girl. "Nice dress, Willow. Glad to see you've found the softer side of Sears" The dialogue in Buffy is fantastic.

Felt very nostalgic about hearing someone getting the "wiggins" again.

Then there is the Bronze. It so reminds me of hanging out at Bogarts as a teenager.

There's a lot of good stuff in the first episode and it introduces the characters rather well. I'm really excited about watching this all again.

I will be joining this. I think Buffy season 4 to season 7 is some of the best TV I have ever seen. I really want to talk about things within the show but don't want to spoil anything for anyone. The only thing I will say is "The Body" is one of best episodes ever made with "Once more with Feeling" a close second.

There was a remake? JK, original though.

Good. I was a big fan of the original. :):up: I recorded almost all of them from the tv when they were broadcast over here. Had a huge crushes on Shannen Doherty, Kathleen Robertson and Tiffani Amber Thiessen.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

I liked Garth, Thiessen, and Marcil myself. The girl that played Claire was cool too. 90210 was cool to watch when I was in high school, I skipped a few seasons and then my wife loved it so I got back into it and caught up. I actually got into watching the repeats with my mom a few years ago as well. Addicting guilty pleasure for sure.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

I just went through the whole series again last year, so I don't think I can do it all again so soon. Meanwhile, Honeykid hates Restless, which is one of the most brilliant episodes of any television program ever made. Honeykid's ridiculously poor taste in just about everything continues to astound MoFos around the world!

This last time through, season 2 started to feel a little long in the tooth, and wasn't as fun as I recalled it being. Season 5 kicks ass, because Glory is so damn funny, and so are her lil minions. Season 3 has some top notch episodes, like the brilliant Dopplegangland. The cast really gels in season 3, and Faith is pretty entertaining, while the mayor cracks some good lines in his wry way. I liked season 4 more this time around, even though Riley is a tool. Beer bad is still a lame episode, but there are a lot of strong episodes in season 4 when considered as a whole.

Nah, it's like the last few episodes of Angel, season 2... Only worse. :p

Glad your joining us. One thing people can do when they really feel like they want to talk ahead is revive the other Buffy thread and do it there.

I tend to be very forgetful so I want experience this "fresh" as possible. Once we hit season four, I've seen more of those episodes recently.

Don't forget everyone. Episode 2 season 1 Thursday. If you fall behind you can always catch up. I don't mind people talking backwards. ;)

I'll join. I was thinking of rewatching Buffy anyway, because i only watched up to episode 2 or 3 of season 6 a few years ago before losing interest.

Glad to have you aboard, Camo. I think Seanc and I are the only ones to have watched the first episode. Everyone else may want to go ahead and watch the first and second episode as tomorrow is the day we move on.

I'll watch both of them now.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

Watched The Harvest since I know I won't get to it tomorrow. Only an hour and a half into the series but I have a couple thoughts. Looking forward to everyone starting to chat about it.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

So what do you mofos think of the Master? I've heard him called one of the lamest villains of the series but I personally loved his look and personality. He's really a perfect minor villain to get the ball rolling, closer to a small-time ganglord with aspirations to bigger things, foreshadowing the Mayor's wry evil.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

I really liked The Master. It's classic. A head vampire with a Nosferatu look. It's Buffy The Vampire Slayer, after all. It'd be odd if the main villain was a werewolf or a dragon or something.

I'm going to watch the two-parter in one go, so I'll try and watch them over the weekend.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

The second episode did not do anything for me because it was mostly action based. I kind of expect the show to be character driven and I hope I am right about that or I don't know that I will make it through.

I am interested to see a lot more of Buffy and Angel's interactions. I think that will be the relationship I end up caring about.

I've always thought The Master was a good Buffy villain. Not my favorite, by far, but good.

Sean, it is character driven. I've never castes for the second episode for it being mostly action either. Honestly, Buffy may not be for everyone, but if you don't at least watch the second season, you'll never see what Buffy can be.

I agree with this. The first season while i still enjoy it, plays out more like a teen show with action thrown in, but from the second season on it focuses more on relationships and character development. Stick with it until at least the second season Sean, you won't regret it ;) . Saying that one of my favourite episodes, Nightmares, is in the first season.

I liked The Master too, and perhaps naively thought he'd be the main villain throughout the series him being The Master and all :p .

I rewatched the first two episodes and it reminded me of how flawed but brilliant Buffy is. Like when Buffy asks Zander where the vampire would've took Willow, Zander instantly knows as if it's common for guys to take girls to a creepy room at the back of a graveyard :laugh: . I have no idea why but when Zander said "it's cool, Buffy's a superhero" it cracked me up. Can't wait for the next episode and hope more people join in.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

I started episode 1 and all I can say right now is I LOVE Willow. Alyson Hannigan is awesome.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

She is. She always was. Cordelia, Willow, Xander and Buffy. That's how I like my Buffy characters.

Throw Faith and Giles in and we're agreed ;) .

I don't have much to say after the second episode other than now it's all set up and bring on Witch. It's a great episode.

One thing you guys that have never seen it should pay attention to is how ridiculously bad they disguise Buffy's stunt doubles. It's almost like a running gag that they do on purpose. Does anyone know if they did?

Luke is, in some ways, scarier than the master. I guess it's that big, dumb, strong and blindly devoted thing. :)

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Witch is a great episode. I think it's that and The Pack were the ones that had me in the first season. They're still two of my favourite episodes.

Don't forget that we will start talking about the third episode tomorrow. I think everyone is in for a treat with this one, so make sure you watch!

We are still just starting so feel free to jump in if you want to.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

Witch was not bad, definitely my favorite to date. I liked the switch-aroo. Also like the beginning of Xander's infatuation of Buffy. Still depending on you guys to keep me going but I am not hating it.

I have to watch Witch tonight, so I'll be back.

Glad your liking it a bit more, Seanc. In a way, I am thinking that maybe you should watch one episode from a future season, maybe 3, just so you can see what lies ahead. I think it would either be motivation for you to stick with it or maybe decide it isn't your thing. I really want it to be your thing. :D

It takes me awhile to get the hook from shows. It's frustrating because I have to devote a lot of time to a show before I know if I'm going to like it or not. I thought Buffy was flat out stupid at first.

I'll be back after I watch Witch.

Finished Witch. I really love this episode and I think they did a couple of smart things. Firstly, I think it as smart not to make the show completely about vampires. It leaves room for a lot of fun stuff to happen and keeps it from being too narrow in scope.

Secondly they give us a stand alone (somewhat) episode right after setting up the season one plot thus giving breathing room to the characters and some levity to the viewers.

Also, I've always really like witches.

I thought the "bad" version of freaky Friday was fun. The one thing that I appreciate about the first season of Buffy is that it takes common everyday school problems and shows what might happen if you added the occult to the situation. The overbearing mother who wants to live life vicariously through her daughter is old hat. But what happens if that mom is a witch and really could live life through the body of her daughter. It put things in a fun fresh perspective.

Watched the first three episodes today, so I'm all caught up. I think it's been at least 7 years since I last saw season 1 and I was surprised at how familiar it all was. I'm expecting later episodes in the season to seem less familiar, as they're lesser episodes to me, but it felt as if I'd watched this just a couple of weeks ago.

As someone who watched this from the start, the first thing which always strikes me is how young they all look. Well, all except Giles, as he's the bloke from the coffee ad. :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9GyFnNUJvU

It's now all pretty standard stuff, but it sets the first season up well and,right from the start, you can hear just how good the dialogue is. Even before they become characters you love and care about, they're characters you love to hear. There were times during all three episodes where I wished I'd been doing a commentary, as I mentally quoted some of the dialogue.

While the first two episodes tell the story and set up the season, introducing all the main players and giving a quick at-a-glance thumbnail sketch of each of them, Witch is still a really good episode which shows the audience that there's a little more to this than a 'monster of the week', PG-13 teen drama and the ending of Witch is still one of my favourites. That last shot of the eyes wildly darting about and the muffled voice really is the stuff of nightmares.

It may be shallow, but it should be noted just how good Charisma Carpenter looks in Witch. ;)

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

Ok. I've watched it (the series) nine times, but I HAVE been hoping my tenth time would be *special* so I'm in. Have the next few days off so I can catch up. Prepare for thoughts. Lots of them.

I'm glad your joining us. It will be nice to get a bigger group. Are
the other people that signed up still in? I don't want people to get too far behind and we are supposed to watch the next episode tomorrow.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

Are you back SD? :eek:

We're going to go ahead and watch the next episode. 4 episodes at 40 minutes each is still not too much to catch up on. If anyone out there wants a "slow down and let me catch up" rest period in the future, just let me know.

The fourth episode is "Teacher's Pet" and it's Zander centric. It's not one of my favorite episodes, but there are a couple of things I do like about it; Zander centric means lots of Zander humor and Buffy's relationship to one of the teachers lets us further in to her compassionate and vulnerable side.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

I quite like Teacher's Pet. It's the flustered, bumbling Xander that makes me laugh every time.

I forgot about this. I'll watch Witch and Teacher's Pet tonight.

Hi, honeykid! Yeah, I'll probably be around a bit more than in the last few years, anyway. :)

So, on to it (and no, I sure won't be writing this much every time) :
Welcome to the Hellmouth - oddly NOT the pilot and not rehashing what was covered in the (terrible) movie by the same name, but we still get started at what feels like a beginning. Whedon immediately sets to work establishing where we are, what the rules are in this universe, and who we'll be hanging out with.

In the commentary on this series, Jane Espenson talks about how each season deals with a different aspect of power: the pluses and minuses, the loss and regaining of it... Season one is about accepting that you have it. Buffy has no doubt that she has power, having gone through everything she did back in LA, but she *really* doesn't want it. Which is awesome on two fronts: 1. It makes this a superhero/fish out of water story, with all the humor and awkwardness of the latter putting a fresh angle on the former. And 2. it opens the door to Buffy teaching her friends how to be more powerful and sharing what makes her special, which is also refreshing.

Another HUGE element of this show is the language, and Whedon hits the ground running there. The dialogue is snappy and funny and has its own quirky efficacy, such as Willow's description of when she tries to talk to boys: "...it's hard for me to say anything cool or witty or at all". These characters have strong, differentiated voices, despite the fact that the wit level in Sunnydale seems universally well above average.

And although the genre is doomed to suffer from an insurmountable need for suspension of disbelief, there is an effort to remind us that this world is very, very like our own. The first shot of a classroom has a teacher going on about millions dying in a plague and how people went on, made some changes in how they did things, but got on with their lives. We're going to see a lot of that in this town, so it's interesting that that notion is right there at the outset.

The Harvest - Still a heapin' helpin' of exposition going on here. It's in small doses, but we are getting the rules of being a vampire, how they're made, what it's like to be one (Jesse's speech about how he feels liberated from his insecurities and part of everything is enticing, but the bumpy face and subjugation to the Master are serious downsides). Interesting point by Giles that the vampire is not the person they formerly were, but the thing who killed that person. We're going to return to the notion of how that "thing" retains some of the former person, as well as to what degree it's ok to distance one's self by labeling someone a "thing". Big difference, watching this show, between suspension of disbelief and disengaging one's brain. Do the first. Do NOT do the second. :)

I don't think i enjoy Witch as much as Godoggo or HK, but it is one of the highlights of the first season. Godoggo, SD and HK pretty much covered everything this episode was about. One thing i liked about it is that it's the first example of Buffy examining her own life and relationships (mother-daughter in this case), from the lessons she's learning in her latest paranormal adventure. Another good thing this reminds me of is that some of the minor characters clearly got filed away in an imaginary cabinet for possible future use. Overall good episode, it's my third favourite of the first season.


I hadn't actually heard of the unaired pilot until you mentioned it SD, is it available to watch anywhere?

For whatever reason i can't remember Never Kill a Boy on the First Date. After looking up what was next, i read the short description of it and i'm drawing a blank :shrug:. I must have skipped it the last time for some reason, not complaining though brand new episode for me :D.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

The pilot had a different Willow. :eek: Just imagine.

The reason Buffy's first season is 12 episodes is because it was a replacement for 7th Heaven. There was a choice between the two pilots and they went with the wrong one. :D

Yeah you're right, who the hell is this Riff Regan :mad:. I actually feel quite bad for her i google image searched her, and there is like two photos of her the rest are of Alison Hannigan and one of Linda Blair in The Exorcist and a random bald guy for some reason :laugh:.

What's 7th Heaven?

Camo, here you go: Unaired Pilot on YouTube.

Thanks. No idea why i didn't try Youtube before asking lol.

Maybe that wasn't what it was called. I'm sure it was something like that, though.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

There was definitely a show called 7th Heaven.

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But wasn't that really successful? I don't think it was shown over here, but I'm sure I've heard of it before. Whereas Buffy replaced a show that was new and only ran until December or something like that.

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Probably wasn't 7th Heaven then, 7th Heaven was pretty long running.

Yay! Some talk. I was starting to worry. I still have to watch Teacher's Pet which I will do tomorrow.

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You simply cannot judge the show based on the first season. It was all filmed at once and a mid season replacement. You can't really judge any show based on the first season alone me thinks. Although, I can't knock it too much cause it got me INTO the show.

For my thoughts on the show, CLICK HERE.

I'll take part in the discussions here, cause I always will chat about Buffy.


Side note - Should we talk about future episodes in this thread when there are some first time watchers?

No, we are keeping the conversation about the episode we are on or we can talk about the previous episodes. I want to make sure that it doesn't get spoiled for anyone and also I really want to keep the discussion focused and not become another thread where everyone argues about what season was best. (Which already happened ;) Also there is some stuff I've forgotten so I want to keep it fresh for me as well.

Every Monday and every Thursday we move on to the next episode. (We are currently on Teacher's Pet. ) Just to mention this again, I hate spoiler tags, so it's best for people not to read the thread until they've watched the current episode.

Glad to have to chatting along. The more Buffy fans the merrier. I didn't know that it was a mid-season replacement. I do remember reading that it was almost canceled. So glad it wasn't.

By the way SD, your write-ups are great. :)

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I was asking because some people have already talked about future baddies and the initiative and what not.

Yeah, it got off track for a moment. It's hard not to talk about what you know is coming, I've had to check myself a couple of times, but I would prefer people to not go further than the episode it's on. I don't mind if it's really vague, but it did get a little more specific than I would have liked.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

Yeah, we messed up a little. :o From now on, just the episode or episodes past. :) I'll watch Teachers Pet over the weekend. I've got a Sex & The City commentary to do, too, and I still owe Swan a Halloween commentary.

How does Angel compare to Buffy? I haven't watched any of Angel but i'd join the Angel club, even if it was just me and Godoggo. Is there a noticable dip or spike (see what i did there :p) in quality?

I love Angel, but it has a very different feel. Think supernatural noir. I don't think the quality is any better or worse, just different. When we get to the split, I'll probably do a rewatch club for it as well. If your going to do it right, you should watch both.:)

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

I prefer Buffy to Angel. Angel's more of a twenties thing than the more teen based Buffy.

Teacher's Pet So we are beginning to see the more personal Scooby drama that has nothing to do with the supernatural. Zander likes Buffy; Willow likes Zander and Buffy likes a vampire. O.k so it does a little bit.

I'm still not crazy about this episode, but it does give us a chance to know how funny Zander is and we start to see what makes him tick a bit (mostly teenage boy hormones. ;) )

The monster of the week is a pretty good idea too. A seductive teacher that is really a praying mantis. The episode in it's entire feels a little flat, but there are good moments.

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I never liked how they gave us a Twilight Zone twist ending that never came to be anything. But it is neat to see the start of the type of people Xander attracts. Running jokes within the series is great.

Yeah, it seemed like those might become monsters that we would run into on occasion. I also thought Blayne would become a somewhat reoccurring character.

I also love Buffy's fork guy bit. There was some good banter this episode.

Also the guys lying about being virgins. :D

Just letting you guys know I am still here and keeping up. Watched Teacher's Pet tonight. I don't have much to add except I am still waiting for more Angel. Seems like the best story line is still out there looming. Time will tell, for me, most of you guys already know.

Witch - nice twist on the Freaky Friday premise. The episode both makes fun of cheerleading and centers on it, which maybe undercuts the care factor a bit. Not that we should ever pass up an opportunity to make fun of cheerleading, just story-wise it weakens the impact a little. Also interesting that we're already branching out from vampires as the bad guys. This is cool, as it gives the series more room to grow, but it happens so early after the stuff with The Master that it feels like that ball got dropped.

Teacher's Pet - Agreed with Godoggo that it's a bit flat. That little scene where Buffy is held after class and the teacher gives her the pep talk is really sweet. That was all that was needed to make her (and us, at least a little) care about him before he's offed. I love the creepy bit where Buffy finds the dead guy's glasses before they know he's dead.

It's subtle, but there's a parallel here between Buffy's interaction with a caring teacher and Xander attracting a female (of whatever species) that both of them are looking for normal human interactions and get disappointed in a big way, due to their situation on a Hellmouth. In terms of power, this is establishing why it's needed. In terms of character, we see people who want really basic things, but those desires are shot down. I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill with this, but I don't think these things happen randomly in the writing.

Time for the 5th episode Never Kill a Boy on the First Date.

I'll probably watch it tomorrow. This is one I don't remember too well.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

Buffy trying to date someone normal, but it turns out that he likes the danger. Buffy's life is full of danger and she doesn't want to introduce him to it because it could get him killed. She should be more focused on the Annoying one...oops, the Anointed One.

Another forgettable episode in my opinion. I'm waiting for Nightmares and Prophecy Girl to come up. Those are two episodes in season one worth remembering. I might even through in Out of Mind, Out of Sight in there too if it weren't the second to last episode.

The next episode is Xander centric.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

Watched Teacher's Pet and Never Kill A Boy On The First Date. The main connection I felt between the two episodes was Buffy's need (and enjoyment) of finding someone who was interested in her. First the teacher who, I think, is the first person to want Buffy to do well for her own sake. Giles wants her to slay, her mother wants her to behave, as much for herself as for Buffy's, Cordelia and Willow want a friend, for different reasons I'll grant you, while Xander just wants her full stop. Owen wants her for herself, too, but is far more interested once he catches a glimpse of what's beyond the schoolgirl. Sadly, not only is that not Buffy, it's not what she wants to be.

So, what did I like about Teacher's Pet? Well, let's start with the casting of Musetta Vander as the teacher. Beyond the obvious sex appeal, there's something animal about her appearance which works wonderfully She's dangerous from the moment you see her but you can completely see they any worries you had would be overcome by her sexuality and beauty. Poor old Xander never stood a chance... And neither would any other teenage boy.

I also liked that it pricked the usual teenage boy machismo and had Blayne turn out to be a virgin. So often the truth we all suspected at school. I also love that he threatens to sue, should they tell anyone. :D

I also liked the bug sandwich, but I'm not sure why. Something to do with her being a non-human monster, but still putting her food between two slices of bread.

Three quotes/exchanges that I really liked.

"Should I change or... "
"NO! it's the most beautiful chest.... dress I've ever seen"

"Your hands are really... serrated"

And, lastly, Giles.

"You were right all along... about everything... Well, no, you weren't right about your mother coming back as a Pekingese"


I don't really have a great deal to say about Never Kill A Boy On The First Date. I loved that we had more Cordelia and her disbelieve when the universe doesn't revolve around her. We are starting to see that, to her, Buffy's started to become weird like the losers she hangs out with.

I liked Xander looking in shame at his Tweetypie watch as Owen and Buffy did the "big hand, little hand schtick."

I like that they got the prophecy wrong and that it's a small child. Always evil. I got neg repped on the site when I joined for saying that the next Terminator (T3) should be a six year old girl with her two front teeth missing. A little girl beating the crap out of Arnie? That's how you get me in my seat to watch T3.

Only one quote that really struck me from the episode. Buffy all flustered in the library, talking to Owen about books and Emily Dickinson

"Oh, I think you can read"
"Thanks"

I don't care for Nightmares too much. But Out of Mind, Out Of Sight is one of my favourites of this season.

The Pack, next. Love The Pack. It's the one which cemented Buffy for me as a show I wanted to watch.

I'll leave the next episode to tommorrow so i can watch The Pack as well.

I like Never Kill a Boy a lot better than Teacher's Pet. I forgot how much funny dialogue is in this episode. Zander's bit about trying to cover up slaying with laying and to the mind of a teenager that just makes it worse; Buffy's one liner about the slayer button, even The Master proves himself to have a biting sense of humor. (Ha! See what I did there?)

This episode serves the purpose of showing us how far Buffy's duties remove her from a normal social life. The "I just want a normal life" is a very common theme among the teenage supernatural shows, but it's never handled as well as in Buffy. Everyone wants to be outstanding and special in some way but Buffy is really good at making us feel the sacrifices that come along with that specialness in a way where they really do feel like more than just the whining of a teenager that thinks everyone has it easier than him/her.

The Cordelia/Buffy rivalry is also furthered. I think that Cordelia, especially in season 1, is a constant reminder of the Buffy that could have been. In a lot if ways they are a lot alike.

Also it brings focus to Buffy's love life. Given how difficult dating Owen proved to be,it's almost as if Buffy is really limited to either Zander or Angel.

Like HK, I love that the anointed one is a child. In my mind there is nothing creepier than a creepy child.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

Someone used the word "forgettable" and yeah, omg, so very much so. This show gets interesting on Monday for this rewatch. Never Kill a Boy and The Pack both really bore me. They're more stand-alone stories with little depth. If the show had been all like this, I don't think it would have seen a second season. If it's your first time through, hang in there: things are about to get better.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

Finally watched Never Kill A Boy On The First Date. Is it wrong I hoped Owen was dead because the guy playing him is the worst actor ever. I want more Angel guys. How long do I have to wait?

P.S. IMDB says to spell Xander with an X, lets get some uniformity going here.;)

I forgot to move on to the next episode Thursday. I think we can fit it in before Monday. It's called The Pack and it's one I don't care for very much.

Seanc, the episode after that is titled "Angel" ;)

It's Xander because it's short for Alexander.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

I was spelling it with an X cause of the name Xavier. Then I saw a couple people spell it with a Z so I had to check. I really could have seen either way.

Completely forgot about this again :rolleyes: . I'll watch episode 5 and The Pack, and give my thoughts tomorrow before episode 7.

It was probably me who spelled it with a Z. I already knew it was supposed to be Xander, but one of my friends goes by and spells it Zander so it was subliminal.

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

SeanC, how much about the show as of right now, do you know? Do you know what's up with Angel? Do you know future baddies or relationships?

I am a rookie so I know nothing. I never even knew Angel was a spin off of Buffy until watching the pilot. I have never seen any of that show either. I just find him the most intriguing character thus far. Maybe I am under his spell like Buffy or maybe I am jealous because I can not pull off a wife beater under a leather jacket like him.

Me too. I always spell it with a Z because of my friend. His full name is Zander. It's not short for anything.

Ummm.... Would you like to rephrase that? :D

No, trust me, I can't. :)

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

I'll either watch The Pack today or have a double bill tomorrow.

Today we should be on the 7th episode entitled "Angel" This also means we are halfway through the first season.

I finished "The Pack" it's probably my least favorite episode of the series. Once again it takes normal everyday high school problems and throws the supernatural at it. This time it's school bullies who literally become "a pack" Xander ( happy Seanc? :p) gets thrown in with them too due to an exhibit at the zoo they were not supposed to see. This has always bothered me. Xander progresses into possession just as rapidly as the mean kids. Given that we are supposed to see parallels between high school cliques and pack behavior Xander's involvement muddies those waters a bit. Since Xander did not already exhibit those behaviors that the mean kids did, wouldn't he be able to resist a little more or at least question and feel bad about his behavior a bit? If the show was trying to show that we all have that side to us by including Xander, I don't think they delivered that message successfully. The Pack is an example of how much the storytelling wasn't up to par compared to future seasons

Will be back with "Angel."

Re: The Buffy Re-Watch Club
 

Angel - this is where this show starts to take off, if you ask me. This is the first episode where everyone starts to seem comfortable and focused. GREAT chemistry between Buffy and Angel. And we start getting the great back-story on Angel and Darla and who he was before (and before that).

A word about Kristine Sutherland (Buffy's Mom): Awesome. Hearing these lines, I can't help but think how easy it would have been to go Edie McClurg with this and make Mom a caricature. Because KS makes Joan vulnerable and sweet and intelligent (if befuddled), she stays fresh and relevant. Working counter to types and avoiding cliches is a lot of what gave this show legs.

Two fun little call-outs in this episode made me smile: Darla's attack on Buffy reminds me of Pris in Blade Runner - another great example of a femme fatale. And The Master's line to the Anointed One about "with power comes responsibility". Need I explain? :D