Buffy S1, Please tell me it gets better! (1 Viewer)

[Stacey_B]

Sounds good....I'll watch through S2. I don't mind the story right now, I keep getting the sense you guys think I don't like it, it's fine...it's just not earth shattering like I thought it was 'supposed' to be. I'll wait longer though and see what happens...

As for Smallville....? Well, I've looked at it a million times in the past, considered it but I didn't think the whole superman thing was really me. I haven't heard anything really about the show though. I am pretty much a WB whore though cause we can't get it up here for some odd reason. Almost every one of my Tv on Dvd is from the WB. Smallville is the only one I haven't really looked at too closely, should I give that a watch?
Stacey

 

[Jaime_Weinman]

Season 1 is great. Yes, it's cornier than the later seasons, but there's something to be said for the relative lack of angsty romance (oh, how wonderful it is to have episodes that are free of Angel and/or Spike and/or any other designated superhunk) and the absolute focus on what the show is really about: Buffy and her pals, Xander, Willow, and Giles. Plus Joss Whedon rewrote every script himself in this season, which means that the dialogue is consistently great.

I prefer seasons 2 and 3, but I'd take the best season 1 episodes (like "Nightmares," "Prophecy Girl" and the hilarious "The Puppet Show") over almost anything from the over-angsty, under-Xandered season 5. "Buffy" was a mix of humor and horror, and season 1 got the mix about right; it was a huge surprise and critical darling at the time because it dared to be funny without being campy, and to play the horror seriously, plus to make every episode a metaphor for the problems of high school life (eg Xander starts hanging out with the bad kids = Xander literally becomes an animal). Yay season 1.

 

[TedT]

Gets way, way better. Season 5 is the worst. Easily. Every single episode was a bummer. Big time bummer. Glad I stuck around for Season 6 which was great.

Season 1 was more like the X-Files, but with more upbeat people in it and more unexpected twists.

Season 2 is where Buffy becomes a soap opera, where relationships begin and continue from episode to episode.

 

[Daryl Stovall]

I discovered Buffy midway through Season Two. I think it was around the first airings of Innocence and Surprise. Needless to say It became my all time favorite show along with Angel. (Babylon 5 is a close second)

 

[Rob Gardiner]

I just spent the weekend with a friend who is a big BUFFY fan and to get me hooked, she showed me a couple eps from season 4 or 5 (I'm not sure) and I loved them! The folks in the Buffytastic thread in the TV Programming forum tell me that the first season is more "monster of the week" style but that the later seasons rely on character moments that build up slowly over time. I think I'll enjoy the show overall, but I'm glad I was shown an example of the "greatness to come" rather than starting right at the beginning, before the show had fully formed.

To repay the favor, I showed my friend a couple episodes of Deep Space Nine, season 6's IN THE PALE MOONLIGHT and season 7's TAKE ME OUT TO THE HOLOSUITE.

 

[Paul_Scott]

?

i dunno if you got you're numbers mixed up, but season 6 is usually the one cited by most people as being the 'long bummer'.
personally, i loved it.
i wasn't able to catch it very well when it was first broadcast, and i heard plenty of bad things about it since then, so i wasn't even planning on picking it up.
it came closer to the release date when i started to read some posts that were not only positive, but enthusiastically so- and the things that they were complimenting the season on were things that sounded interesting to me, so i gave it a shot after all.
it just may be my favorite of the run.
and that was coming after season 5 which had floored me also.
and season 3 with the introduction of Faith...
there is some extremely dynamic, character driven storytelling in these seasons- and all the more amazing because it is sprung from what looks like a totally disposable one-joke premise-
high school hot-bod teen is actually a 'night stalker'.

just watched "What's my Line?" parts 1 and 2 this morning.
was great to see Kendra again, and also some of the casual dialogue was chilling, knowing what is to come later on in that season.

 

[LeonaB]

I loved Season 1 of Buffy and I adored Season 2. Some of the best television, IMO!

Season 3 left me cold and by the end of it, I quit watching the show.

To each his own, I guess....

 

[TedT]

Too realistic.

I understand the need for "touching", "sad" episodes. There just has to be a balance. Season 5 had absolutely NO balance between "sad" and "not sad" episodes. Season 6 had A balance.

If I was to give it a rating, Season 5 would be 95% "bummer", 5% "not bummer". Season 6 would be 45% "bummer", 55% "not bummer".

 

[DaveGTP]

I think I'm gonna trust the folks saying the later seasons are better. Like I said, I'm willing to give it a chance through S2. B5 doesn't really pick up steam until S2 - although at least it foreshadows/hints that it is going somewhere.

For those that insist S1 is the greatest, if you keep insisting that - you're gonna frighten me away.

 

[Ric Easton]

In the beginnig, I watched it sporadically with my wife (who never missed an episode). Season 3 is where things really started jelling for me and I was pretty happy with the show thru season 5. After that, I felt it went downhill. Though I thought season 6's musical episode was the best. I really had doubts that they would be able to pull that one off.

I was also a big fan of Angel and thought it eventually became a better show than Buffy!

And B5 Rocks!

Ric

 

[Andrew Bunk]

I bought Seasons 1-4 of Buffy (and Season 1 of Angel) blind last year based on the feedback here. I thoroughly enjoyed all of it. Angel S1 started off a little slow to me, but got a lot better.

With Buffy, I guess I had it in my mind that S1 was just kind of a "prologue", so I was forigiving of its shortcomings. It was still fun TV, but S2 really got me interested in what was happening with the characters. S3 just kept it going. I wasn't as crazy about S4 (mostly because I find Riley extremely annoying), but I thought S5 was great. Even if there were a lot of downers, The Body and Forever are absolutely heart-wrenching and unforgettable.
I braced myself for S6 as I had heard a lot of negative comments, but I enjoyed it. As much as I loathe the Jonathan character, I found the trio to be quite amusing (especially all the Star Wars banter).

Looking forward to seeing S7 and S4 of Angel.

 

[Joe6pack99]

Stick with it....Buffy picks up mid way through season 2.

As a big fan of Buffy i got into Angel and have seen every episode from both shows and now can say imho Angel is the better show.

 

[Bryan Tuck]

Just in case you haven't had enough people chiming in, I would also say stick with it. Seasons 2 & 3 featured some pretty creative writing, and as everyone has said, the show kept redifining itself as it went along. I think Season 3 is probably the best season, episode for episode. I don't think they ever reached that level of consistency again, but even with the lows of Seasons 4-7, the highs were pretty high. (...if that makes any sense). The Season 6 finale was particularly moving, considering that year's dark subject matter.

Been meaning to check out Babylon 5; I watched it every once in a while during its original run, and sometimes on SciFi, but I never got a really good sense of the arc. It seemed like it was pretty good, but I wasn't sure what all was going on. May have to look into that. I'm a big DS9 fan, so I'm sure I'd like B5, too.

 

[MarkHarrison]

I guess I'm one of the few who actually likes season 1. I don't think it's better than later seasons, but it's certainly different. All the characters were so young and innocent. I have a hard time comparing it to later seasons since it just has such a different feel to it. Those were the happy days.

Anyway, I wouldn't give up if season 1 doesn't seem special. If you didn't get into season 2 or 3, then I'd say give it up. But season 1 doesn't really represent the series that well.

 

[Dave Mack]

Interesting. I have a very good friend who shares ALOT of my tastes and he saw how hooked I was and wanted to see what all the hubbub was. I posted a thread asking for advice on what eps: to show him first and most fans here tended to say, "Start from the beginning..." Even though I thought the show improved later, I showed him the 1st 2 eps.. He wasn't thrilled. He thought it was just ok and honestly didn't feel compelled to see any more. I was bummed.
Now ANOTHER friend who has WAY different tastes from me quite often was also curious, so I showed him some epsrom S5 and S6 and he LOVED them. Has since seen SEVERAL more.

If you watch the later ones which are certainly more adult, with better production values and better acting and DO get hooked (like my sis...) then going back to the beginning is a hoot watching it evolve.
When Buffy did premiere 8 seasons ago, it WAS groundbreaking in alot of ways. Now on TV, it seems anything goes.

Stick with it. Read some reviews from say, TVGuide if you're a bit hesitant. Most critics LOVE the show. There is even a book, "Fear and Loathing in Sunnydale" of thesis written bvy philosophers and professors with PHD's!!!

This is all just my opinion. If you guys were here in town, Icould have you hooked by the end of the nite.


D

 

[Stacey_B]

Well, since I actually skipped watching "The Pack". I'm at work now and I'm thinking of sitting down to watch it before the night is over. I can't go on without having seen all the episodes. At the time I saw the Eps. 'Angel' and knew it would have story arc. I couldn't help but skip ahead to something more interesting.

I'm waiting to see if DDD is going to have it's usual 20% Thanksgivingish sale. If they do I'm going to pick up the other Volumes of Buffy (3-6) and Angel (1-4?). You guys have convinced me...it's worth it. I'll stick it out and hell, if it doesn't work out I can always sell it right?

You make a good point with how far back Season 1 came out, I tend to forget that. Makes me kinda wish I could've seen it back then!

I was considering just picking up Angel S4 and Alias S3 this next Tuesday, just to be ahead of the game. Pick it up on opening day sales, ya know?

Stacey

 

[Phil_La]

Could someone recommend a few good episodes to start with that won't spoil the storyline too much? I've only seen bits and pieces of a few episodes.

 

[Ryan_Guah]

Stacey, I see you've already gotten a ton of help, so the only thing I can offer is that Season 1 is the worst of any Buffy season. Seasons Two and Three, to me, are the best seasons, and you'll fall in love with the Angel/Buffy love story very soon in Season 2. It takes center stage. Just hang in there!

 

[Joel C]

The Pack is one of my favorite Season One episodes. And I'm sure you'll enjoy the last one.

 

[MaraKM]

Stacey_B I hope you've given "The Pack" another try. While I suppose that, plot-wise, most of the season 1 episodes are stand-alones, you'd be missing out on the character development by skipping episodes. "The Pack" is a good Xander episode. And there is a definite arc to season 1--Joss figured the odds were good that the show would be cancelled, so he made the first season self-contained, so that the fans would have some closure.

The thing I loved about Buffy was the multi-level stories, the way that the supernatural horror element would be used as a metaphor for a more basic emotional horror. Like "The Witch" - take away the supernatural aspect, and you've got Lifetime-movie-of-the-week story of a parent trying to re-live their glory days vicariously through their child.

Another strength of the show was Joss Whedon's ability to do the unexpected. In "The Pack" for example, who wasn't shocked that the hyena-kids not only ate the pig but a recurring character?
. "The Pack" was probably the episode which made me realize that no one on the show was safe.