A review by Mikelangelo "MikeJer" Marinaro
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After just finishing all twelve season one episodes and looking back on my reviews, I've pretty much come to the conclusion that while this season is certainly flawed, it's still pretty entertaining. Also Buffy is cute, quirky, and at times very sexy (just thought I'd throw that in, heh). The episode scores vary wildly and that just goes to show that the writers were searching to strike the right balance. While I am pleased that the cliché topics were hit upon early and then pretty much dropped in subsequent seasons, it doesn't help save this season for mediocre plotting. I suppose part of my evaluation comes from my experiences in showing friends this show from the beginning. Most people can see that there is a lot of good underneath the often corny exterior and poor special effects. Unfortunately, some cannot. I'm frankly very surprised that the show got picked up for a second season. While I whole-heartedly believe that the show deserved to be picked up (because the dialog and the character development were still spot on), I'm surprised the network executives saw the potential as well.
What I really want to talk about is the character interaction; it is simply fantastic. The dialog is sparking all over the place and the characters grow on you so fast and heavily that you feel like you've known them your entire life. That's very difficult to do and I don't recall that ever happening before in any other shows I've watched. All the characters are witty and intelligent (though with varying degrees of both) and when the main characters are talking to each other you feel like you're right there with them. The dialog is obviously an integral part of why the characters have this snappy wit. Aside from a few clunky lines in the first group of episodes, the show had a remarkably refreshing method of speech. I've never seen a show before or since (with the exception of Whedon's own Firefly) that had such an intrinsic and unique speech pattern.
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Another thing that separates this show from the masses is character growth. In only twelve episodes the characters grew and evolved more than some shows do in the entire course of the series. Let's start with Buffy Summers. She arrives in Sunnydale trying to escape her past. She felt she'd done the Slayer 'thing' and was ready to move on and go back to a normal life. Of course life on the hellmouth isn't going to help that wish in the slightest. By the end of the season she's went from running away from her destiny, to accepting it in a light, fun way, to briefly trying to run away from it again (Prophecy Girl [1x12]) and then coming back to it in a serious, accepting way. Oh yeah, then she dies for that acceptance. How many other shows can say that of their main character after the first season? None others that I know of, that's for sure. All of this development sets her character up for the big season ahead. When S2 begins her character is right where she left off, not forgetting everything that happened. She's not the same person she was in the first episode.
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I could go on some more about how much depth and development the main character got, but what's almost even more impressive is the amount of depth and development all the other characters got. Willow goes from being a shy computer nerd to a slightly less shy computer nerd. We learn about a lot of her fears in Nightmares (1x10) and she even stands up and fights in Prophecy Girl (1x12). Before the show started she would have been screaming and running away in a fevered panic in the same situations. While I admit her computer skills are ridiculously convenient for plot purposes and also completely unrealistic, her ultra cute mannerisms and dialog more than make up for it.
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Xander also had quite a bit of development. He got a crush on Buffy right from the start and developed a jealousy problem every time a guy started to get close to her. It's really good to see this problem didn't go away over the course of the season, but only get worse. After Buffy reveals to the group that Angel is a vampire in Angel (1x07), Xander is the first one to jump up at the thought of killing him. Xander's jealousy is a massive flaw in his character that defines many of his actions in future seasons (the famous "kick his ass" [2x22] line being a prime example). All of what's to come from him began right here, in these beginning episodes.
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Giles, who begins the show as the staple British guy, who's only there for stuffy exposition scenes in Welcome to the Hellmouth (1x01), gets a surprising amount of development himself (though we see a lot more as the series progresses). Instead of staying a caricature Giles develops a paternal bond with Buffy by season's end. He genuinely cares about her well-being, and not just from the standpoint of being her Watcher. This is clearly displayed in Prophecy Girl (1x12) when he is willing to defy prophecy to spare Buffy her destined death. He also has some spark with the new Computer Science teacher, Jenny Calendar. They fight and argue over books vs. computers but Ms. Calendar is shown to have obvious affections for him from the get-go, and it's almost obvious that Giles gets some satisfaction from their debates.
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Next is Cordelia, who has undergone tremendous change. Admittedly this change really began in Out of Mind, Out of Sight (1x11) when Buffy saved her face from being disfigured by the invisible girl. In this episode we see a whole new side to Cordelia. She confesses to Buffy that even though she's incredibly popular it doesn't mean she never feels alone. In Prophecy Girl (1x12) we see her talking with the group more and willing to hang out around them when none of her friends are watching. This development is not forgotten and is also picked up right where it left off in S2.
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Then there's Angel, the vampire with a soul. It's amusing to me that I like his S1 character more, now that I know his history, than I did when I watched it for the first time. Knowing what I know, Angel's love interest and actions with Buffy are perfectly understandable and believable. Once his vampire heritage is revealed, the Buffy and Angel relationship really commences and already has a solid foundation below it.
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While I'm talking about characters, I might as well mention the big villain for the season. The Master is what I consider to be an 'OK' villain. He had some great moments, but overall I found him to be pretty lackluster and at times far too corny. Also, his makeup is really inconsistent. In some episodes he looks terrifying while in most he looks goofy. I suppose as a first half-season villain he served his purpose. I think if he'd been written consistently less corny and also had a lot more screen time he could have been a better villain, but that's all speculation. I liked his character considerably more in Prophecy Girl (1x12) though.
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Overall I must say I'm extremely pleased with the first season. It's not all delicious but when you look back at the season from a character development perspective it's impossible to deny the depth to which all the characters possess after so few episodes. Also worth mentioning is the hefty serving of foreshadowing in most of the episodes. Some of the foreshadowing was hinting at events and actions to come later in the season, but a few began to plant the seeds that would flourish in future seasons. On the negative side, the slow "creepy" scenes only work half of the time and get old quickly. Those are wisely dispatched in S2. Also, there are way too many people that just appear for one episode. This is once again done away with in S2. My only other complaint is the music; it is terrible. The reason why it is terrible is because it's trying to be corny and B-movie like which is ultimately not what 'Buffy' is about. I am incredibly pleased to state that Mutant Enemy (the company behind 'Buffy') got a new composer, Christopher Beck, for the show's second season. This marks a gigantic improvement in quality in the music and sound department. Every single complaint I have with this season is rectified in S2. This is the worst and my least favorite season of 'Buffy,' though it still has a ton of merrit. You can tell Mutant Enemy knew what they were doing and got on track for what would be a successful seven year run.
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- P (100): None
- A (90-99): 2 episodes
- B (75-89): 4 episodes
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- C (60-74): 3 episodes
- D (45-59): 1 episode
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65
/100
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C |
A season with many problematic episodes. Although many of them struggle, there are a few standouts that show what the series is capable of.
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72
/100
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C+ |
As a whole, the season has several moments of solid entertainment, but many aspects are severely lacking. There is a ton of room for growth and/or improvement. Not poor, just mediocre.
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