So, I'm watching Buffy right now for the first time. I don't plan on rushing through the entire show, but I do want to finish Season 1 pretty quickly, as I'm not too impressed with it, and I'm sure it gets better as the show goes on.

 

So far, I keep thinking they're rushing everything way too much. Buffy's secret was revealed in the pilot episode to her friends and she's already slaying things left and right. I already have a few questions, and hopefully they'll be answered at some point:

 

(1) Am I supposed to like or dislike her mother? Is her mother even an important character?

 

(2) Everything she is slaying is not a vampire. In the last episode I watched, she slayed an insect disguised as a substitute teacher. Why are there characters other than vampires involved?

 

(3) Is the implication that these creatures are everywhere in every town or are they gravitating toward the area where she lives for some reason?

 

I'm also curious what the peak of the show is. What seasons? I really like Buffy, Willow and Angel, but at this point, Xander is boring me and he's way too self-deprecating.

 

I will continue posting as I watch more. Right now, I've only watched the first four episodes.

(1) Am I supposed to like or dislike her mother? Is her mother even an important character?

 

Her Mother is her mother. It's ok to dislike her, her job is to get in the way of Buffys slaying and it's annoying but somewhat necessary. She gets more important in Season 2.

 

(2) Everything she is slaying is not a vampire. In the last episode I watched, she slayed an insect disguised as a substitute teacher. Why are there characters other than vampires involved?

 

Because they're on the mouth of hell, which attracts all sorts of bad things.

 

(3) Is the implication that these creatures are everywhere in every town or are they gravitating toward the area where she lives for some reason?

 

There are creatures like those in every town, but yeah, they gravitate towards the area. Think of it as a hot spot. Angel showed what life was like outside of Sunnydale.

 

I'm also curious what the peak of the show is. What seasons? I really like Buffy, Willow and Angel, but at this point, Xander is boring me and he's way too self-deprecating.

 

Most people will say Season 2 and 3 are their favourites and are the peaks, and while they are good, I say Season 5 was the best. In terms of storytelling and continuity and whatnot, Season 5 tops it. Plus, the closest you will get to crying will probably be in Season 5.

It picks up around episode 12 of season 2 with the end of season 2 being one of the best episodes ever. Season 3 is really strong. Season 5 is really good but there are some brutal episodes (not in a bad way) during that season.

 

Xandor gets better with time. He'll get past the comic relief eventually.

 

Season 4 is a low point though. Someone else wrote for awhile and she was working out her dating issues with the storylines and Buffy wasn't Buffy.

(1) Am I supposed to like or dislike her mother? Is her mother even an important character?

 

Her mother is pretty much as Rudo said. I was kind of indifferent to her in Season 1 but grew to like her more in Seasons 2 and 3.

 

(2) Everything she is slaying is not a vampire. In the last episode I watched, she slayed an insect disguised as a substitute teacher. Why are there characters other than vampires involved?

 

Hellmouth and the fact that evil nasties are drawn towards the hellmouth due to the unseen energy coming from it. (Just like a person may be drawn towards another area for an inexplicable reason).

 

(3) Is the implication that these creatures are everywhere in every town or are they gravitating toward the area where she lives for some reason?

 

Again...Hellmouth. You'll learn in future seasons that demons are everywhere in the world, not just California.

 

I'm also curious what the peak of the show is. What seasons? I really like Buffy, Willow and Angel, but at this point, Xander is boring me and he's way too self-deprecating.

 

Season 5 has some of the best episodes of the series and is just fantastic storytelling as Rudo pointed out. Season 3's one of my favorites just because of the arc and the multitude of great personalities. Season 2's arc is awesome if you can get past the many "filler" episodes. Season 4 has some amazing episodes however it suffers from a somewhat rushed plot and the need to force Buffy into a relationship.

 

Season 1 gets better around episode 6 on (The Pack is a guilty favorite of mine).

 

As far as the rushing thing goes...: Keep in mind that they were a mid-season replacement on the WB and had only 12 episodes to basically crunch a season into. They also had no idea when Season 1 finished if they would even get picked up for a second season.

I'd be curious to see your opinions on the episodes you watch (and if ya have any questions concerning them). I got into Buffy relatively late (Season 5) but I spent a good 1-2 months before the premiere researching my ass off and on anything/everything. I managed to catch up during the FX repeats before the DVDs got released.

 

A couple notable sites...

http://www.abovethehellmouth.net/ A godsend as far as transcripts from the shows.

 

http://www.justinleader.com/annotatedbuffy...fyepisodes.html Unfortunately only goes up to Season 3's "The Wish" but it's neat seeing interpretations and possible hidden meanings within the episodes.

I actually watched Buffy exclusively through the DVD releases. Same with Angel. I actually think the first 3 seasons of Angel were better than Buffy but that's more a preference thing.

When Buffy and Angel start overlapping each other, I plan on watching both at the same time.

 

I'm also not going to watch these straight through. There is so much stuff I have on DVD that I haven't watched. After I finish Buffy, I'm moving to a different show's first season and then I'll eventually get to Buffy Season 2. It's the only way I'll ever catch up.

Besides the storyline explination the reason there are different monsters is because early on almost all of the monsters were used as metaphores for situations you go through in high school.

 

The overbearing and controlling mother is a witch.

 

The girl everyone ignores is invisible.

 

The gang of mean kids are a pack of animals.

 

The monsters serve a greater purpose in the message of the story than just being villains. There's only so much you can do with vampires so from the beginning they decided to get creative.

I've finished Season 1.

 

HQ was right that the show improved quite a bit about halfway through the first season. There are things that still annoy me, but there are also a few things I'm liking about it at this point that I hope happen even more.

 

In some ways, Xandor recently summed up my problems with the show thus far perfectly -- no matter what bad thing comes up, Buffy will kill it and all will be well by the end of the show. I'm ready for some danger, some consequence, some really ugly things to start happening that have long-term effects on the characters. I want to see Charisma Carpenter's character get more focus. She started becoming a little more meaningful in the last few episodes of Season 1, but I still think there's more to her than we know so far. I want to see Willow get tired of being so nice all the time and develop a mean streak. I want to see her friendship with Buffy tested. I want to see if Xandor has any courage at all when push comes to shove. Season 1 was all exposition, so they've at least done a good job in getting me wanting some more heavy-duty storylines to take place involving the major characters.

 

"Nightmares" and the finale were just really strong episodes. My problem is that the show still feels so childish and I'm hoping it takes on a more mature theme as it goes on, something that expands beyond Buffy's bad fashion/accessorizing jokes. I'm looking for sex and drugs and heartbreak. The good thing is that I have a feeling it's all on the way. I've read no Buffy spoilers. I know absolutely nothing that happens on this show, the direction any of the characters take. All I know is that it supposedly gets great for a few years and then really bad toward the end.

It'll definitely be coming in Seasons 2 and 3 (some fabulous episodes in 2/3 revolve around heartbreak).

 

Season 2: Extremely solid, really catching steam around episode 13 on (with episodes When She Was Bad, School Hard, Halloween, What's My Line 2 Parter, and Ted being the standouts of the first half).

 

Season 3: Awesome from episode 2 on (with a few subpar episodes but generally an amazing season).

 

Season 4: Some great episodes mixed in with a decent plot.

 

Season 5: Very similar to mixing Season 2 and 3 (great plot, great episodes, a few subpar mixed in).

 

Season 6: Similar to season 4 with a slightly stronger plot (although kind of backlashed against by many for understandable reasons).

 

Season 7: Some solid/great episodes and characters but the annoying things really grated along with a limp towards the finish.

About everything you want to see happens in seasons 2 and 3 for the most part.

I've now watched the first disc of Season 2. I do see an improvement from Season 1 on a lot of things, with bitchy Buffy in 2.1 being especially awesome. The club scene where Cibo Matto is performing while Buffy does everything she can to manipulate Xandor while trying to make Angel jealous is probably my favorite scene on the show so far, and it was the first time that we saw Buffy being the chosen one really have any type of effect on her. Maybe it's foreshadowing for later, but I could really see her at some point having a major conflict within herself over being a slayer. We haven't seen any real examples yet of major sacrifices she's had to make because of who she is, but I imagine that's coming in a big way. At this point, the show is still a little too cheeseball, but she's a teenage girl slaying vampires, so that's to be expected.

 

Also saw the introduction of Spike as a character on the next to last episode I watched. I like him, more than Angel I think, and I'm anxious to see where things go there. I'm also just waiting on something to give between Willow and Xandor that changes things, but it hasn't happened yet. Willow actually repeated dialogue from Season 1 about how she can either obsess over Xandor forever or move on with her life, but she hasn't decided yet. Just that line sort of bored me with that whole little plot because it shows that nothing has really happened yet. But it's still early, and my expectations are still high for the rest of the show, based on the positive words I've heard.

 

Also, in Season 2, what grade is Buffy? I've been trying to figure that out, but they haven't said.

You make me wanna go back and watch Buffy WITH you, Loss. I haven't watched any since the last season came out on DVD and I haven't watched any particular season since they came out, either. I usually bought, watched, waited for the next season to drop. Now I wanna go back and take'em all in again.

Also, in Season 2, what grade is Buffy? I've been trying to figure that out, but they haven't said.

She graduates in season 3, so she's a Junior at this point. You might have missed it, but she was a freshman when she got kicked out of her LA school for burning down the gym (a reference to the movie?) and that facilitated her move to Sunnydale.

 

Does FX even show Buffy reruns anymore? For that matter, does TNT show Angel?

On the Space channel in Canada they do two episodes of Angel back to back at night. I personally perfer Angel to Buffy. The storylines seemed more engaging and I think the acting is also better.

 

I really enjoyed Buffy up until the end of the 5th season I think. The 6th started to lose me and I don't think I've seen more than one or two episodes of Season 7, though I plan too if only for Nathan Fillion being on the show.

Fillion rocked as Caleb.

I've now watched the first disc of Season 2. I do see an improvement from Season 1 on a lot of things, with bitchy Buffy in 2.1 being especially awesome. The club scene where Cibo Matto is performing while Buffy does everything she can to manipulate Xandor while trying to make Angel jealous is probably my favorite scene on the show so far, and it was the first time that we saw Buffy being the chosen one really have any type of effect on her. Maybe it's foreshadowing for later, but I could really see her at some point having a major conflict within herself over being a slayer. We haven't seen any real examples yet of major sacrifices she's had to make because of who she is, but I imagine that's coming in a big way. At this point, the show is still a little too cheeseball, but she's a teenage girl slaying vampires, so that's to be expected.

 

Also saw the introduction of Spike as a character on the next to last episode I watched. I like him, more than Angel I think, and I'm anxious to see where things go there. I'm also just waiting on something to give between Willow and Xandor that changes things, but it hasn't happened yet. Willow actually repeated dialogue from Season 1 about how she can either obsess over Xandor forever or move on with her life, but she hasn't decided yet. Just that line sort of bored me with that whole little plot because it shows that nothing has really happened yet. But it's still early, and my expectations are still high for the rest of the show, based on the positive words I've heard.

 

Also, in Season 2, what grade is Buffy? I've been trying to figure that out, but they haven't said.

As far as the Xander/Willow relationship, things definitely give in Season 2 and Season 3 sort of ramps it up a bit more as well.

 

The serious turn starts happening in 2.08 "The Dark Age" IMO, ignoring 2.12's "Bad Eggs" but when you hit 2.13, it rockets forward.

 

Spike also becomes a crucial figure as Season 2 rolls on, so you should be happy if you like his character from the start.

My cable was out for a week last week so with no television, boredom caused me to randomly toss Disc Four from Buffy Season Six into my DVD player. By the time the week was over, I had watched the remainder of Season Six and all of Season Seven. I almost can't wait until Loss gets to all of this. Warren, Andrew & Johnathan, super Wicca Willow, Principal Wood, the Potentials...

 

Man, you've got a lot to look forward to.

My cable was out for a week last week so with no television, boredom caused me to randomly toss Disc Four from Buffy Season Six into my DVD player.  By the time the week was over, I had watched the remainder of Season Six and all of Season Seven.  I almost can't wait until Loss gets to all of this.  Warren, Andrew & Johnathan, super Wicca Willow, Principal Wood, the Potentials...

 

Man, you've got a lot to look forward to.

I thought Season Six kind of sucked although evil veiny Willow was fucking awesome and showed the tremendous evolution of the character throughout the series from being depressed at Xander's rejection to becoming all empowered and turning lesbian before becoming addicted to her powers, getting reigned in by her friends and lover before competely switching on everyone after her greatest lost and becoming the most powerful of them all and in turn kicking some serious fucking ass. Man, the way she dealt with Warren... that shit was awesome.

Man, you've got a lot to look forward to.

I hope so. Halfway through Season 2, the show has given me nothing.

Man, you've got a lot to look forward to.

I hope so. Halfway through Season 2, the show has given me nothing.

Seasons 3, 5 and 7 are my favourites. Call me odd.

Cam, I never even knew you were a Buffy fan. And we've known each other how long now?

5 years come Semptember I believe. Too long for it to have been good for either of us. I've got seasons 1-6, didn't get series 7 just watched it on TV, may get the big ass complete DVD box set at some point since I have them on tape right now. Eliza Dushku as an ass kicking bitch wearing leather pants that gets horny after beating the crap out of things... that's what I'm talking about.

I've been a fan of the show for years. For me season 3 was really awesome. I'd rank it with my top 20 or so shows of all times. I thought the chemistry of the characters really clicked throughout the years. I also thought Angel was a great spinoff show. I thought season 3 was the highpoint of that show also.

Interested to hear if you've made any progress.

 

I'm assuming you're up to 2.11 "Ted"?

 

As I said in an earlier post, Season 2 really picks up major steam in episode 2.13 "Surprise" and outside of a couple filler eps, it just rocks from that point on. The rocking pretty much weaves straight into and through Season 3 too.

 

You get relationship buildups, angst, and great acting in nearly every episode by one of the cast members at the very least.