'BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER' Season 1 dvd challenge! (1 Viewer)

[Wendy_L]

Over the weekend I watched: The Puppet Show, Nightmares, Out of Sight, Out of Mind and Prophecy Girl. All good episodes especially PG. One of my favorite season finales. Excellent episode.

Ok, so now we go onto Disc 1 and Disc 2 of Season 2. Enjoy.

 

[Scott-S]

Want to start a new thread for season 2?

Hopefully we can keep the new thread about the show and not the packaging, format, etc.

 

[Johnny S]

I still haven't finished last weeks homework, but don't you worry... I'll do it tonight.

 

[Scott_F_S]

Hi, gang. A Buffy/Angel fanatic from a few years back. I'm not participating in this challenge, have moved onto other things. But I still do enjoy reading this thread.


If I recall correctly, if you look closely in the episode Nightmares, there is a tombstone with Buffy's name on it that has even a different birth date for her.

I don't think they actually settle on her true age until into the second season.

Also, in the case of Angel S2's aspect ratio, Whedon did indeed intend it as a widescreen presentation but the WB wouldn't agree. So the result was that the show was shot in a widescreen format, which Whedon intended to release on DVD because he wanted the theatrical feel. But it was composed in such a way that it would work at WB's favored 4:3 without looking cropped. So the presentation you get on DVD is indeed correct according to Whedon's intent, though the sort of crowded middle-of-the-frame/wide open sides-of-the-frame composition was a compromise to the network.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

The Puppet Show

This one is WIERD! But it's also fun, it has that certain Puppet Master feel to it that I appreciated. I've always found ventriliquist dummies to be really creepy, and this is coming from a guy who has a full-size Chucky doll standing in the corner of the room lol.

It's a fairly gruesome episode, too, when Buffy drops that brain on the floor and it's all squishy looking, a bit like Jello, it makes me gringe.

Nightmares

This is probably one of the trippiest eps in the series, indeed the sight if that EXTREMELY spooky lookin' clown chasing Xander will always be stuck in my head. It amazing to see how much stronger Buffy gets during the course of the series, in later seasons that coach/monster would've been a piece of cake for her.

Out of Mind, Out of Sight

I could identify with the girl in this episode, I was never called on in class or hung out with any of the "cool" kids and was most likely immediately forgotten after high school ended.

True, most of that was by choice, I never cared about being cool, but I can understand how it feels to be "invisible" in high school and this ep took that to an extreme level. Cordelia garnered some sympathy from me here, it showed that she, too, suffers from peer pressure from her "friends", i.e., her accepted group.

It was funny seeing Harmony here knowing what she'll become later lol.

Prophecy Girl

This is our first season finale for the show and it is a doozy! So much heart, so much mayhem and so many honest perfromances from the cast thus far. Buffy's line..."I'm 16 years old...I don't wanna die." is heart-wrenching in it's poignant honesty. Her confrontation with the Master harkened back to the likes of Dracula and Nosferatu, where he seemingly takes utter control of Buffy...but he seriously underestimated this slayer.

Favorite line...

Master...
"Your dead, it was written."

Buffy...
"What can I say, I flunked the written."

Classic episode, and it set the bar high for season finales to come.

 

[Ruz-El]

I have to agree with you John on Prophecy Girl. A incredabley strong finsh to the season. I wonder if Joss had a feeling this was a last chance kind of thing, and just went totally balls out on the episode. I have no idea, I haven't watched any of the extras. It was also nice to see the quality stay high on the Season 2 opener.

 

[Kevin Grey]

One thing about Buffy S1- since it was a midseason replacement they had filmed the entire season before it even started airing IIRC. So they didn't have any idea if they were going to get a Season 2. In that respect, Prophecy Girl seemed designed to be a satisfying series finale, if necessary.

 

[Simon Massey]

The Puppet Show:star::star:
Not much to recommend this episode for me. It is one of those episodes which is ok to watch but instantly forgettable and has little rewatchable value. I had to give it at least 2 stars though because it is better than the last episode . No real theme to the episode though just a standard monster-of-the-week type episode. The dialogue feels a little flat, but a highlight was Armin Shimerman as Snyder. Great character.

 

[Simon Massey]

Nightmares:star::star::star:
Am interesting idea about facing your unspoken fears, this has some great moments. I always felt Sarah Michelle Gellar was better at playing "tortured soul" then "wise-cracking heroine" and here she seems more comfortable and is able to develop her character a little more.

Out of Mind, Out of Sight :star::star::star:
These are the kind of shows that Buffy does so well for three seasons. A strong clever concept for monster-of-the-week (invisible enemy) coupled with a theme related to school to which a lot of us can relate to. Until the final third of the episode, you have sympathy for the antagonist, and it would probably have been a stronger episode had she not turned into a "total looney" (Buffy's words, not mine) I also don't like the tendency of some episodes in the first season to end on a cheap final scene - The Witch, Teacher's Pet and this episode all did a similar thing. The FBI angle was completely unnecessary and should have been cut.

 

[Simon Massey]

Prophecy Girl:star::star::star::star:
Great episode which Whedon directs with a little cinematic flourish to try and make the episode a little more "epic." Sarah Michelle Gellar is great in this episode as she learns her fate and then decides to go down fighting. I did wonder whether her story arc in this episode was an intentional metaphor for dealing with a terminal illness - the way she deals with the discovery of knowing she is going to die and how she finds the determination to confront it and fight back. In any event, she seems to have discovered her character from this point on.
My only gripe is the score which seems just a little "tacky" especially with the use of the main theme as the three walk forward in "hero" mode. Poor.

 

[Simon Massey]

I think its worth doing one of these at the end of each

Season One Summary

Welcome To The Hellmouth :star::star::star:
The Harvest :star::star:1/2
The Witch :star::star::star:1/2
Teacher's Pet :star: 1/2
Never Kill A Boy On The First Date :star::star:1/2
The Pack :star::star::star:
Angel :star::star::star::star:
I Robot, You Jane :star:
The Puppet Show :star::star:
Nightmares :star::star::star:
Out of Sight, Out Of Mind :star::star::star:
Prophecy Girl :star::star::star::star:

Overall this was a fairly good start to the series. The main arc episodes following the pilot were the standout episodes - Angel and Prophecy Girl - although Never Kill A Boy On A First Date was a let down largely because the main story of Buffy trying to go out on a date overshadowed the discovery of the Anointed One. Speaking of which, this character was pretty much wasted especially since the idea of him being a child was an interesting concept but I think it became clear it was never going to work.

The monster of the week episodes were a mixed bag, but even the worst had their moments. I think it became clear that the show was stronger with these episodes when used as metaphors for things we could relate to (Out of Mind, Out of Sight, The Witch) rather than simply being standard monster episodes (Teacher's Pet, I Robot, You Jane).

Its interesting because in hindsight it is easy to see how this series laid the template for the future seasons as Whedon took the best elements of the season that worked - overarching story for the season ; metaphor-laden monster of the week episodes - and ran with it.

I thought both all of the leads pretty much settled into their roles very quickly with the exception of Sarah Michelle Gellar who I thought took a little time to get into the role. Mind you it wasn't until the fifth episode that we really had a focus on her character. I also liked the way Robia La Morte gradually became part of the group over the course of the season.

Anyway its time to catch up on Season 2 now!!!