Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Welcome to the Hellmouth (1x01)

[fajrdrako]

Friends have been urging me to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer for years. None of them could believe I didn't watch it and didn't love it - especially since I am a big fan of Joss Whedon's writing from Firefly and The Astonishing X-Men.

So why did I not watch Buffy? All sorts of reasons, the primary one being an aversion to David Boreanaz, the secondary one being that the show was full of anorexic young girls weeping - or at least, that was the impression left on me after seeing dozens of Buffy music vids at various conventions over the years. I'd been told about the stories and characters, and I knew some plot points and developments, some of which made sense and most of which didn't. I already knew I was crazy over Spike and I really like Giles.

Finally a wonderful American friend sent me the DVDs of first season to watch, taking away my last excuse not to watch them ("I don't have any episodes") - and I settled down to see 1x01, "Welcome to the Hellmouth".

So. My thoughts:

1. The biggest surprise: I liked Buffy herself. I've never found Sarah Michelle Geller particularly attractive, but as Buffy, she has personality and charm. She has some of the traits of Veronica Mars, despite reminding me of Olivia Newton-John. This was important, since I feared I would have the same kind of problem with her as with David Boreanaz, just less acutely. Not so. I would venture to say that Buffy, as seen so far, is terrific. You can't imagine what a relief that is.



2. The DVD starts with "Seize the moment", and the phrase comes into the first episode. I love the line - it heads my New Year's resolutions. Yes! And I liked the way it was used in the story - Buffy's words of wisdom which lure Willow to her (near-) doom.



3. I liked the opening scenes with Darla and her victim-friend. I liked the way we were set up to think Darla was the victim, while it was the boy who ended up as prey. I didn't expect that. My hopes rose for the general quality of the show. Clever, smart, and with a certain self-referential humour that still took itself seriously.



4. Was that a glimpse of G'Kar among the opening credits?



5. The introduction of Cordelia. More of a cliché - do such girls really exist? Oddly, I didn't recognize Charisma Carpenter, whom I know well from Veronica Mars. She was so young.



6. Despite giving the impression of being petite, Sarah Michelle Geller has really huge breasts.



7. I don't like Buffy's mother. At all.



8. I fell in love with Willow pretty much on her first line.



9. Xander: too geeky to enjoy so far, too much a caricature, but he may grow on me. He reminds me of Logan Echolls on Veronica Mars - not that he's anything like the "obligatory psychotic moron" Logan started out as, but that he's an initially unprepossessing character whom (I suspect) will grow in stature. Or significance. Or something.



10. The Principal gave me the creeps. He was like a salesman. I hope he is a vampire and will be staked. Soon. I loved Buffy's stunned expression as he talks to her.
    
    But this marks the point at which I pretty much fell in love with the whole show: when the principal points out that Buffy burned down the gym.
    
    Okay, I'm easy, but how could I not adore that?



11. In the classroom scene, the teacher is talking, the bell rings, and everyone leaps up and runs out. Isn't that awfully rude? Was it badly cut? Do high school students in the States really act like that?



12. James Spader: spot on. But who is John Tesh?



13. Ah - Giles. Yes, of course I love him. What a lovely voice. What a cute smile. Is that a cage in his library? Of course, the whole Watcher thing reminds me of Highlander and of the Telamasca, which is not a bad thing in either case. Clearly Joss Whedon is another writer who steals from all sorts of sources, right, left, and centre, but he knows good material and takes what's good from it.



14. Is the girl's name really Aphrodisia? (Note to self: Steal that for my next pseudonym.)



15. Willow has a cute smile, too. I am smitten. "He was the curator at some British Museum, or the British Museum, I'm not sure." Awwww.



16. "I gotta book," said Buffy. What does that mean? And then, "What's the sitch?" which I would guess means, "What's the situation?" These people talk funny.



17. Good Cordelia line: "I don't want to interrupt your downward mobility...."



18. Good Buffy line: "I was afraid that I would have last month's hair."



19. Neiman Marcus: a department store, right? (I thought it was in New York, but that's probably because I think all good department stores are in New York.)



20. Buffy asks, "How bad an evil can there be here?" Why didn't Giles answer her? Isn't he her mentor? Maybe he figured he had already told her (he tried) and she hadn't listened, and wouldn't listen again. It does sound like famous last words in any case; Buffy shouldn't be so stupid.



21. "The Sleeper will wake." It's kind of fun, having a Sleeper awakening, in the same week in which I saw an episode of Torchwood called "Sleeper" and the Sleeper, of course, awoke. Since all my favourite TV shows are borrowing from each other and inspired by each other and playing mix and match with good words and phases, sometimes it seems as if everything is one huge beautiful crossover.



22. A brilliant line: "Slut. Watchtower." Hee! I like the sartorial choice that Buffy actually makes. Good dress sense, that girl, and she looks good in blue.



23. Angel. Huh. No, I don't like him at all, but he isn't quite as awful as I feared or remembered. I think I can bear to watch him. Maybe, like Owen Harper, he will grow on me.



24. And Angels says: "You gotta be ready." I laugh aloud.



25. And just as I was thinking uncharitable thoughts about how Angel isn't exactly in Captain Jack Harkness's league, he comes out with a great line:

    Buffy: Who are you?
    Angel: Let's just say... I'm a friend.
    Buffy: Yeah, well, maybe I don't want a friend.
    Angel: I didn't say I was yours.

    Have I mentioned yet that I've fallen in love with this show?
    
    I also love it when Angel tells her, "You are standing at the mouth of Hell." It should be so dorky, but it gave me a bit of a pleasurable chill. Was it his delivery? Or the ambience?



26. When Buffy climbs the pole to jump down on Angel, she reminded me of River Tam. This is good. I wouldn't want a wimpy Slayer.



27. In general, the exposition is rather deftly done. Never too much at once, and we're fairly quickly given the terminology and the set-up of Buffy's world. Without confusion.



28. Good Buffy line to Giles: "You're a textbook with arms. I get this." Yeah, I love Giles. I like the whole conversation about whether Buffy can or can't see and identify the vampire in the building.



29. Compared to the stuff I've been talking about, the vampires themselves really do seem hokey. Too bad. Though I like Darla's line, "I got hungry on the way." Seems odd that she, of all people, should be the one to remind me of Jayne Cobb.



30. Who is DeBarge?

Comments

[sizequeen.livejournal.com]

In the classroom scene, the teacher is talking, the bell rings, and everyone leaps up and runs out. Isn't that awfully rude? Was it badly cut? Do high school students in the States really act like that?

Yes, that exactly how it happens. It's Pavlovian. There's no point in talking to them once the bell rings.


James Spader: spot on. But who is John Tesh?

John Tesh used to host the AMerican entertainment news show alled Etertainment Tonight. he is also a performer of truly awful misic. Think Enya without the talent.



Is the girl's name really Aphrodisia? (Note to self: Steal that for my next pseudonym.)
Yes, that's really her name.


"I gotta book," said Buffy. What does that mean? And then, "What's the sitch?" which I would guess means, "What's the situation?" These people talk funny.

"Booking" means running. Example; He realy booked out of class! yes, "sitch" is short for situation.


Who is DeBarge? An r&B singing group from the 80's who sandg the popular hit "Rhythm of the Night."

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It's Pavlovian. There's no point in talking to them once the bell rings.

Perhaps my memories of high school are coloured by the rosy glasses of time, but as I recall, we at least waited for the teacher to say we could leave. Or finish his last sentence and say, "See you tomorrow".

Think Enya without the talent.

That's ... truly scary.

I can tell that this show will be a cultural education for me - American lore of the 1990s!

Thanks for the explanations. Greatly appreciated.

[msp-hacker.livejournal.com]

In the classroom scene, the teacher is talking, the bell rings, and everyone leaps up and runs out. Isn't that awfully rude? Was it badly cut? Do high school students in the States really act like that?

Yes. Totally and absolutely. I was slower to leave, but I had to check I had everything multiple times.

"I gotta book." I've gotta go. Where the book came in, I have no idea.

Neiman Marcus, snazzy up-scale department store chain. Like Bloomingdales?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the explanations! I love knowing these things, which makes it strange, I suppose, that I don't know them already. But you can't know everything about everywhere.

Do people still say, "I gotta book", or is it one of those phrases that had its day, and went away?

[skywardprodigal.livejournal.com]

One thing: high school students totally act like that. High school in America is tough.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

And rude!

[nina-ds.livejournal.com]

Neiman-Marcus is a Dallas export. It is by far the Ritziest of department stores, much more even than Saks. If you're familiar with Frasier, one of my favourite off-point exchanges was:

Niles: Maris is visiting the Holy Land.
Frasier: I thought she was in Dallas.
Niles: She is. It's the birthplace of Neiman-Marcus.

I hate Neiman-Marcus and its conspicuous consumption, but that exchange about my hometown makes it almost all worth it!

BTW, they sell Texas-shaped tortilla chips. I'm from Texas. I eat tortilla chips. But WTF?

"The Sleeper Awakes" is definitely a line from Dune (the novel, although it's also very sexy coming with Jürgen Prochnow's soft Bavarian accent). I'm sure that all SF that refs it must be ripping it off at some level.

[puritybrown.livejournal.com]

Actually, that phrase "the Sleeper awakes" predates even Dune; The Sleeper Awakes is a novel by H. G. Wells, originally published in 1899. (BTVS may be directly referencing Wells; or Herbert may have been ripping off Wells and been ripped off in his turn by writers who weren't aware of his source. Happens all the time.)

[devohoneybee.livejournal.com]

I think "book" from from "book time" as in make the scheduled (booked) time. But I could be completely making that up in my brain. In any event, that doesn't explain much, but Buffyspeak (about which several books have, literally, been written), often shortens established phrases, using one iconic word for the whole phrase.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I liked the way Buffy used "vague" as a transitive verb.

[teenygozer.livejournal.com]

One thing I found interesting about the show when I bought the DVDs and re-watched first season: it wasn't shot nearly as well as I remembered it! Apart from the pilot, the first season is shot very inexpensively, totally on a shoe-string. Fortunately it got very sophisticated visually and the special effects got way better as it grew in popularity and they were given more $$$ to shoot it with as time went on. But the scripts were always spot-on when Joss was in charge.

I never liked Buffy's mother, either, but then I never understood why they had to hide who Buffy was from her. It seemed to me that a lot of her insufferableness was born of simply not knowing who and what her daughter *was*, and thinking she was just some average high-schooler.

Wikipedia is gonna be your friend during future episodes! The American pop culture chit-chat goes on from the pilot and gets *MORE*.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

I never liked Buffy's mother, either, but then I never understood why they had to hide who Buffy was from her. It seemed to me that a lot of her insufferableness was born of simply not knowing who and what her daughter *was*, and thinking she was just some average high-schooler.

Well, remember, Buffy is not your usual slayer. More to come. So much of what Buffy does as The Slayer changes the history of Slayage and its attending lifestyle. The Slayer lineage and attending customs are broken apart bit by bit by Buffy and friends. And Mom... handles some things later on remarkably well.

Nieman Marcus is known here as "Needless Markup", if that gives you a sense of the kind of department store it is.

Fajr, - always happy to help with any Americanisms or customs that seem odd. Glad to know you're watching *and enjoying*. It's always disappointing to have hopes for a friend and a show and finding they don't click.

Another thing to remember - this was mid-nineties - so anone they remind you of now, well -- BTVS been there, did that, ripped up the t-shirt for a tourniquet. :D

[teaphile.livejournal.com]

I started out not liking Buffy's mom (I still cannot watch the first episode of season three because of her) but I came to love her about halfway through season three.

I hate the John Travolta voice Boreanaz has going on in season one.

Everyone becomes less cliched, even Cordelia, who manages to become a great, well-rounded character without losing her essential cattiness (at least, not until Angel season four)

*sigh* Giles. His relationship with Buffy is one of the best things about this show.

BtVS is a masterpiece of working themes, reflecting them in every storyline, throughout seasonal arcs. I'm still finding bits I hadn't noticed before.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

So there's hope for me yet with Buffy's mom - I'll try to keep an open mind. Obviously Buffy likes her, so that's a point in her favour.

John Travolta voice? I'm not sure what that means... can't recall what Travolta sounds like. I rather liked Angel's voice in episode 1. It was possibly the only thing about him that I did like.

I think Cordelia will be fun. I don't usually like catty characters but she has a certain style. Amendment: I usually only like catty characters if they are very clever. Cordelia is borderline, but gets a few points in her favour so far, and it's only the beginning.

Giles. His relationship with Buffy is one of the best things about this show.

How wonderful. I look forward to this.

[devohoneybee.livejournal.com]

see the Slayage website (www.slayage.tv though the site seems to be down at the moment) if you are interested in info on Buffy scholarship (I kid you not...). For example, Slayer Speak http://www.amazon.com/Slayer-Slang-Buffy-Vampire-Lexicon/dp/0195160339

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the links! I'll check them out.

[megaloo13.livejournal.com]

Do high school students in the States really act like that?
Sadly, in some cases they really do.

You recapping all the good lines and parts you like best are really making me want to re-watch all of season one now. *resists urge to procrastinate from studies*

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

You recapping all the good lines and parts you like best are really making me want to re-watch all of season one now.

Oh, please do! I'd love to have more friends to discuss it with as I go. I can tell that there's going to be a lot there that will be worth discussing.

(is there a way to bribe you? entice you? seduce you? encourage you?)

a few more brief things:

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

"Is that a cage in his library?" - yes, for rare books he doesn't want the students touching. And... other things.

"I liked the opening scenes with Darla and her victim-friend. I liked the way we were set up to think Darla was the victim, while it was the boy who ended up as prey. I didn't expect that."

Joss stated when making the original movie that his whole idea was to take the standard "petite blonde girl alone in the woods runs screaming while being hacked to death by sexist plot points" and turn it into "petite blonde girl alone in the woods opens a can of whup-ass on sexist plot points". That's been the driving force behind all of Buffy.

GIRL POWER!

one very very last thing: slang: 'to book"

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Derived from "book in" and "book off" signing into work and signing out of work - "Gotta book" == "I must sign out".

*loves her OED*

[jkluge.livejournal.com]

"Gotta book" means "gotta move, gotta get goin', gotta leave." Neiman-Marcus started in NY, I think (I see that I was wrong -- it started in TX), but has been all over the States for years. Kids leaving when the bell rings, even if the teacher is still speaking, seems to be the way of things these days. It wasn't commonplace in Catholic high school when I went in the early 70s, but was sometimes accepted in public high school then because you had maybe 3 minutes to traverse a half-mile (literally) to your next class in the large schools and could get demerits for being late.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I can remember well being late for class because a teacher had kept us over time in the previous class. Then the teacher of the second class would give us hell because we were late and it totally *wasn't fair* but no one ever said high school was fair.

So: no wonder the kids bolted, if they could.

But it still looks rude.

Yay!

[judymoe.livejournal.com]

Always good to have another Buffy fan around. :)

I never got the 'Angel is sooo hawt!' thing, and don't think David B. is at all attractive. He does grow as an actor later (thank goodness!), and I grew to really like his show. If you stick around that long (heh), have another fan lend you the Angel DVDs during Buffy season 4.

I think the idea of 'watchers' must have just been floating around in the ether, since the original Buffy movie came out the same year as the Highlander series. Isn't that where the whole watcher thing came up in Highlander mythos?

Buffy's mom makes some bad choices, but she's a good mom. I grew to love her.

I always adored Willow.

I love, love, LOVE Xander. He grows on you. He likes to act like he's dumb, but there's a fun and interesting brain at work in there.

Mmm, Giles.

There isn't one character on that show that you won't at one time (at least) want to smack.

Buffyspeak is something you sort of get the hang of and understand after a while.

- "Cow me." = "Please pass me a hamburger."

- "Thanks for the Dadaist pep talk. I feel much more abstract now."

Etc.

dargie, glinda_north and I are rewatching Buffy and Angel, and it's lots of fun. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Re: Yay!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Always good to have another Buffy fan around.

Always good to find a new, worthwhile fandom! And how nice to have a large set of friends who are already into it, to encourage me and to talk to.

don't think David B. is at all attractive

That's the basic problem. I don't like his looks at all.

Re the Watcher: I don't know if it was created independently in Highlander and Buffy, or if there was some influence there - Joss Whedon no doubt knows/talks to other creators in the business. But my first experience of an individual and group known as "The Watcher" and "The Watchers" is from 1960s Fantastic Four comic books - the Watcher was an alien watching the people of Earth from a base on the moon.

We know Joss Whedon likes comics. Marvel comics were formative in my life, and probably in his.

Thank you for the words of encouragement about Xander.

There isn't one character on that show that you won't at one time (at least) want to smack.

Hee - just like real life, then!

"Cow me." = "Please pass me a hamburger."

LOL - that sounds like the Simpsons!

"Thanks for the Dadaist pep talk. I feel much more abstract now."

I love it.

dargie, glinda_north and I are rewatching Buffy and Angel, and it's lots of fun

Oooh, I wish I could join you. That would be such fun. Somebody give me a TARDIS or a Vortex Manipulator or a Transporter Beam, quick.

Does that mean I can talk to all of you about it? Where are you in the series now?

[liviapenn.livejournal.com]

There's actually a pretty cute SMG interview once where she says something about how even *she* didn't get a lot of the slang she was required to spout in S1. "What's the sitch? I don't even know what that means!!"

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

even *she* didn't get a lot of the slang she was required to spout in S1

Thank you for saying that. I am so relieved. I was feeling kind of dumb there for a bit. But - it's all part of the Buffy mystique. Like I wasn't supposed to understand the Chinese in Firefly, it was just part of the ambiance. I like that.

[kiyuchan.livejournal.com]

Regarding leaving class as the bell rings:

In HS I remember having very little time to get to some of my classes, especially considering the crowds in the hallways. If you didn't leave at the bell then it was easy to be late for the next class. I didn't even deal with the locker thing and this was the case with me in more than one semester.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Lovely icon there.

We had the same problem getting from one class to another on time; I rememer it well. It was especially bad if classes were at opposite ends of the school. But being rude to a teacher still wasn't an option. Which is not to say some kids weren't rude to teachers all the time, but most of us weren't - it wasn't a general thing.

[hedda62.livejournal.com]

Glad you're watching it and liking it!

Angel's not one of my favorite characters, but he does have some good lines - the whole show is just funny, balancing the angst and cheesiness perfectly (and I am all in favor of angst and cheesiness).

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

the whole show is just funny, balancing the angst and cheesiness perfectly (and I am all in favor of angst and cheesiness).

I am too. They're among my favourite things. The show is witty and it deals in classic/iconic/mythic/cult themes - that's just my kind of thing.

And it's not pretentious in the least.

[elebridith]

Yay! I knew it! :-)
Willow. Yes, you gotta love her. I connected instantly because she was ME years ago. Her character will go... very interesting ways, believe me. Ways I did NOT go, by the way! *grins*
Giles. Librarian = Love. Gotta say more?
Xander. Will get better!
Cordy. Has some of the best lines. Loved her!
I can't believe it - I'm not the only one who had an Angel issue! It's not that I didn't like him, he just never really clicked for me in the beginning. BUT - oh, he gets so much better. No, not spoiling anything, but the fact I saw the whole series with him as principal character is a clue! Let's just say there are certain parts of his character that are amazing!
Yep, Buffy talk. *grins* I tried watching one episode in the german dubbing and nearly ran screaming. You just can't translate that properly, I knew that and wanted to tolerate it, but the choice of voices especially for the girls - I couldn't tell them apart! *shudders* So I prefer the english original, even if I don't get all the references despite using subtitles...
One Buffy line I sometimes use is "Well, could you vague that up for me?" Cracked when I heard it first.
Happy watching!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yay! I knew it! :-)

Yeah, well, my friends have been urging me to watch for years. They all knew I'd like it. Eventually. I hate to be so predictable, but there you have it.

I connected instantly because she was ME years ago.

She is more like me than I am necessarily comfortable with. I guess I was somewhere between her and Hermione Granger. Only more opinionated.

Ways I did NOT go, by the way! *grins*

How... intriguing. I'd ask but it would be spoilers. We shall see.

Giles. Librarian = Love. Gotta say more?

I'm sure there are librarians whom I don't love, though I can't think of any offhand. It's a good first step.

I can't believe it - I'm not the only one who had an Angel issue!

He was a big conceptual hurdle for me to get over. I often stop watching shows because I don't like a character - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, for example, which I might have continued with if I hadn't hated the Ferengi guy so much. Actually, if I'd like the rest of it more, I probably would have persevered anyway... but he tipped the balance. (Along with Bajoran religious issues.) But I digress. Yes. Angel. I'm glad to hear he gets better.

*grins* I tried watching one episode in the german dubbing and nearly ran screaming.

Oh my goodness. I would think translating that into any language would be impossible. It would give the TARDIS a nervous breakdown. It would break the Star Trek Federation's Universal Translator into little pieces. It would make a Babelfish babble.

even if I don't get all the references despite using subtitles...

There are so many good lines, I don't think it will matter if we fail to get a few. So far I've had more trouble with references than with language - "vague" as a transitive verb is easy to understand, but mentions of people I never heard of is trickier. Except that with modern online resources it's so easy to look things up - no problem. Less of a problem than if I'd watche it all a decade ago. Wikipedia, I love you.

One Buffy line I sometimes use is "Well, could you vague that up for me?" Cracked when I heard it first.

Yes. I love it.

Happy watching!

Thank you. Looking forward to more.

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

Oh. Okay. Looks like the dS watching may have to be postponed. *g*

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Looks like the dS watching may have to be postponed. *g*

You think? You think I can't handle three shows at once? Not counting Doctor Who, which is bound to start soon with series 4. So. Four shows. And counting.

And I'm all set to watch Due South too. My DVDs of the first two seasons have arrived from Amazon - in record time, they took ONE DAY to come. One day! That's impossible, with Canada Post.

Beulah wants to see it, too. Maybe tomorrow. (How many shows do we have time for? We still have an episode of The Sarah Jane Smith Adventures we haven't seen, too. And it's a good one.

[janne-d.livejournal.com]

Yay, you're watching Buffy!

1. I always liked Buffy. Always. I like the way she talks, the way she gets things done, her strength.

10. I love the scene with the Principal, when he starts taping her transcript back together, hee.

16. Ah, the Buffyspeak. People have written many articles on this. If I remember rightly, they were going to use more South California actual slang, than realised nobody outside would understand it - I think it only turns up in that little bit with Aphrodisia. So they basically made up their own style of talking instead. There's a lot of playing about with language.

23. Angel. Hmm - I liked what they did with him and the effect on Buffy more than I liked him for himself, if that makes any sense. Boreanaz does get better though.

26. A wimpy Slayer? Please, as if. I feel compelled to note that River Tam came out of Buffy, not the other way around - Joss has a total thing for girls who kick serious butt. And Buffy is the original. (And kicks a serious amount of serious butt). The fight scenes get better choreographed later on, btw - like someone else said, they didn't have a great budget in series one.

29. The vampires do get more complex as things go on. There are always the canon fodder types, but there are many more interesting ones. And I was quite fond of the Master's style.

I may have to rewatch them myself now - what's your schedule? *grins*

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yay, you're watching Buffy!

I am. [Blush]

I always liked Buffy. Always. I like the way she talks, the way she gets things done, her strength.

On the basis of one show - yes. I like her attitude. She doesn't judge people, but she thinks for herself and doesn't let herself be pushed around or influenced. Also the wittiness.

I love the scene with the Principal, when he starts taping her transcript back together, hee

Yes. It's... cute. In a good way. I like her manner through the whole thing. Trying to behave. Fearing the worst.

they basically made up their own style of talking instead.

I like that. I always like that, if it's well done. Elvish in Tolkien, the various jargons of Firefly, the style of A Clockwork Orange - when it's well done (as here), it's wonderful. And adds so much character to the work. Language being a whole dimension of the complete thing.

I feel compelled to note that River Tam came out of Buffy, not the other way around

Yes, understood. And River... doesn't have Buffy's personality of control, due to what was done to her.

The Master has a style?

I may have to rewatch them myself now - what's your schedule? *grins*

That would be great. (Grins back.) So far, I don't really have a schedule - whenI find the time - maybe two episodes per week? Since I like to think about them, and talk about them, as I go, I'm not going to be going very fast. (Unless I lose all self-control, but I wouldn't do that, would I? Nooo, not me.)

Part of the reason to do this is to have "stuff to watch while I'm doing exercises", but that doesn't work well on a first viewing, since you can't keep your eyes on the screen when doing (for example) headstands and Adho Mukha Svanasana. [No, I'm not currently doing headstands, but I'm working up to it.] And you can't take notes in those positions, either. So I'll probably be doing two watchings of each episode.

[ceruleancat.livejournal.com]

I like reading your take on it from the very beginning. See how it builds from the start.

I started Buffy from S3 E2 I think, and after a few S3 eps, another channel started airing S1, followed by S2. I got the first three seasons interlaced rather than sequential, and the development of the show and characters was very evident. (Originally, S1 was a filler on the network after some other show was cancelled, so the season was done quickly, on a tight budget, and not knowing if there would be S2.)

The biggest surprise: I liked Buffy herself. I've never found Sarah Michelle Geller particularly attractive, but as Buffy, she has personality and charm. She has some of the traits of Veronica Mars,

Buffy and Angel were never my favourite characters, but most (recurring) Buffy characters develop and grow on you. Even her mom has good moments. (Of course they all have annoying moments too, some of which are IC, and for others I get angry at the writers.)

If you compare Buffy to other shows most of the Buffy cast did before and after, it's amazing to see what Joss managed to get out of them.

The Principal gave me the creeps. He was like a salesman. I hope he is a vampire and will be staked.
You want spoilers?

But this marks the point at which I pretty much fell in love with the whole show: when the principal points out that Buffy burned down the gym.
Joss uses the Buffy movie as background, although not completely. He always said he hated how his script for that was botched up.

Ah - Giles. Yes, of course I love him. What a lovely voice. What a cute smile. Is that a cage in his library?
Oh, Rupert! Need I say he was my favourite character from the moment he appeared on the screen? Yes, he has a lovely voice. Anthony Head sings.
It is indeed a cage. Cages are useful. I always wondered it that was already installed there when he arrived or if he had it put in.

Of course, the whole Watcher thing reminds me of Highlander and of the Telamasca, which is not a bad thing in either case. Clearly Joss Whedon is another writer who steals from all sorts of sources, right, left, and centre, but he knows good material and takes what's good from it.

I'm not sure who used the watcher concept first, Buffy or HL. It is in the Buffy movie, which was probably written before the end of HL S1. (I don't know Telamasca.)
In general, I found it interesting how Buffy reminds you of other shows and characters, most of which come later and were influenced by Buffy. And Joss obviously references others, as well as himself. The trick, of course, is to incorporate it smoothly into the borrowing piece, which he usually does very well.

Willow has a cute smile, too. I am smitten. "He was the curator at some British Museum, or the British Museum, I'm not sure." Awwww.
I love Willow and I love that line. And we never get to know which it was.

Buffy asks, "How bad an evil can there be here?"

Just you wait, Henry Higgins, just you wait...

the vampires themselves really do seem hokey. Too bad.

Mostly, I agree. And demon makeup is not the show's strength (although some vamp-faces are creepy - e.g., Spike and Dru). But they often improve if they have any lines.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

like reading your take on it from the very beginning.

Good!

I'm sure there are no shows ever that don't have glitches where you don't like somethng the characters do, or say, or the way something is written. I'm still recovering over my anger with the Doctor in Doctor Who for things he did in "The Last of the Time Lords". And yes, I still love him, but the desire to smack him is strong. (Not to mention the desire to scream at him, "Just take Martha to bed, damn you, how can you be so mean to her?" But I digress.)

You want spoilers?

No. Really. No. Even if I sound sometimes as if I do. No. I already know more than I'm happy about and I'm trying to minimize the damage.

[Joss] always said he hated how his script for that was botched up.

He wrote the movie too? I didn't know that.

Need I say he was my favourite character from the moment he appeared on the screen?

What fine and discerning good taste in characters you have. Yes. He's... perfect.

I'm not sure who used the watcher concept first, Buffy or HL.

Well, Marvel comics, actually, about 30 years later, except that their Watchers were aliens watching all of humanity. But... similar principle. It's with HL, Anne Rice and Buffy that the concepts become alike.

[raissad.livejournal.com]

John Tesh -- I think of him more as the American Yanni. Joyce Summers has a character arc. She gets better. Btw, here's the latest Heroes graphic novel:

http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/novels/index.shtml?novel=70

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think of him more as the American Yanni.

A perfect description - I get him from that at once.

Thanks for the Heroes link.

[star-momma.livejournal.com]

In the classroom scene, the teacher is talking, the bell rings, and everyone leaps up and runs out. Isn't that awfully rude? Was it badly cut? Do high school students in the States really act like that?
That is precisely how it goes down, yep.

James Spader: spot on. But who is John Tesh?
Used to be a host on Entertainment Tonight and has also produced some of the most horrifying softsational piano music ever. Think Kenny G but more evil. And with a bigger chin.

"I gotta book," said Buffy. What does that mean? And then, "What's the sitch?" which I would guess means, "What's the situation?" These people talk funny.
You go the second on your own, and the first means leave. "I gotta book" = "I gotta get going/leave".

Neiman Marcus: a department store, right?
Yeppers.

Angel. Huh. No, I don't like him at all, but he isn't quite as awful as I feared or remembered. I think I can bear to watch him. Maybe, like Owen Harper, he will grow on me.
While I do not share the general public's view that he's uber hot, I do really like the char. He'll grow on you, I promise. So will Xander. Xander is love :) He just takes awhile to get used to people enough to not have constant foot-in-mouth. But he's awesome in the end, I swear it.

I'm glad that you've gotten into the show, and I hope you enjoy the ride!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Think Kenny G but more evil. And with a bigger chin.

My goodness. That's far scarier than the vampires.

I do really like the char. He'll grow on you, I promise.

Good! I'm already past the initial hurdle. I liked his first scene, actually. I think I'll be all right with him. (I hope.)

awesome in the end, I swear it.

Oooh, good!

I hope you enjoy the ride!

I think I will.

[anaross.livejournal.com]

Buffy: Who are you?
Angel: Let's just say... I'm a friend.
Buffy: Yeah, well, maybe I don't want a friend.
Angel: I didn't say I was yours.

--

That last line is kind of prescient. :)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Much to anticipate...

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Wonderful! I knew (hoped) you'd love it! Mind, it's so long since I've seen it, I've pretty well forgotten season 1!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I knew (hoped) you'd love it!

Everyone who knows me says that... [g]

I've pretty well forgotten season 1!

It was back in the dawn of time when everyone was young and innocent.

[beck-liz.livejournal.com]

You're watching Buffy! I was a major fan for years, despite the fact that after awhile a good proportion of the fandom drove me crazy. ;-) You won't have to deal with that, though. Buffy is my favorite character on the show, and that doesn't change, although she does try my patience some.

Was that a glimpse of G'Kar among the opening credits?

Really? You mean, his actor? I'll have to check that out.

Angel. Huh. No, I don't like him at all, but he isn't quite as awful as I feared or remembered. I think I can bear to watch him. Maybe, like Owen Harper, he will grow on me.

He gets better. Eventually. Actually, I like him much better in Bones than I ever did in either BtVS or Angel, and I ended up liking him well enough in both.

This is good. I wouldn't want a wimpy Slayer.

*snort* Trust me, Buffy is nowhere near a wimpy Slayer.

As to the vampires, as others have said, they get more interesting and less one-dimensional.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I was a major fan for years, despite the fact that after awhile a good proportion of the fandom drove me crazy. ;-)

That's fandom for you.

You won't have to deal with that, though.

Many of my favourite people are Buffy fans and only too happy to discuss it with me. So it's all good.

I like him much better in Bones than I ever did in either BtVS or Angel

Eee! I could only stand about half an hour of Bones. Once. Never again. He was part of its lack of appeal.

they get more interesting and less one-dimensional.

Good!

[monsieureden.livejournal.com]

Well it is about time (!!!!!!!). :) ;)

I love this show. I really want to own it entirely on DVD. Really / really. It ran from my high school freshman year til when I graduated from college (perfect timing) and I hardly knew a classmate who didn't watch it.

Yes, when the bell rings we bolt. In high school, you usually get a mere few minutes between classes. Things to do, lockers to run to on various floors, and people to socialize with!!

I love Xander. But I love Giles and Spike more. Willow is great and gets more interesting. I'll be intrigued to hear your commentary on her character in later seasons.

Giles *sigh*. Ultimate librarian.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Well it is about time (!!!!!!!). :) ;)

Um. Yes. Well. I'm slow sometimes. I've still never seen Citizen Kane.

Ultimate librarian.

A god among librarians. Truly.