Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 1 Re-Watch Panel

In every generation there is a chosen one. She alone will stand against the vampires. She is the slayer.

And here at Tell-Tale TV, the general consensus is that she’s pretty amazing.

In fact, there are so many staffers on hand at Tell-Tale who are Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanatics that we decided to sit down and chat about the first season of the show together, talk all about the highs and lows, rate the Master as a Big Bad, and discuss who would win the MVP award.

The panelists are:

• Allison Nichols, Contributing Writer
• Lizzie Lanuza Saenz, Associate Editor
• Caralynn Lippo, Contributing Writer
• Christine Laskodi, Associate Editor
• Ashley Bissette Sumerel, Editor-in-Chief

What is your favorite moment from Season 1 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

Allison: One thing that still stands out is even after the battle at the Bronze during the Harvest, the next day life went on. It was a gang war, totally no blood sucking going on. I just loved how people rationalized it, and those moments in the seasons to come continued to be something that made me chuckle. I also really loved Buffy dragging her date, Owen, on a mission and him sort of being in love with all of it. It was amusing, and Giles’ astonishment with “you brought a date!” was hilarious. I can’t just pick one moment!

Lizzie: “Angel” was the moment that turned this show from, huh, I like, to wow, I love. And it wasn’t even because OF Angel, it was because of Buffy’s willingness to stake the guy she likes when she finds out he’s a vampire. It’s all resolved fairly quickly, but I always kind of remember this moment as the one where I realized Buffy was actually serious about this whole thing. She wasn’t going to let anyone stand in the way of doing what was right.

Caralynn: I was very much not into the first season of the show, the first time I watched and basically through every single re-watch, but there’s one moment that I always remembered that always cracked me up. It’s the closing credits scene of “The Puppet Show,” when Buffy, Willow, and Xander are forced to participate in the talent show so they do a dramatic reading from Oedipus Rex. They’re all just so not into it and Xander forgets his lines and Willow runs off the stage, horrified. It’s so funny. And I think I read somewhere that Willow running off was unscripted, which makes it even better. Here, I found the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vJcQnOLV70 Runner up: Xander at the library: “To read makes our speaking English good.”

Christine: Gosh, there’s so many to choose from! I’m going to go with that first fight from the Harvest, when Buffy reminds Luke that he forgot about sunrise, which is not for hours. But it distracts him long enough for her to stake him, Also, there was something telling and  memorable about Buffy’s cross burning Angel’s chest when they kissed in “Angel.”

Ashley: My first instinct is to say the moment when Buffy learns Angel is a vampire, and everything that surrounds that. It’s so key to the series, and for me, is one of the first moments that I really become invested in the show. But, that’s pretty much been said, so I’m going with the moment in the pilot episode when Buffy tells Giles why she doesn’t want to be slayer anymore, just after she found a victim of a vampire in the locker room.

What was the best episode of Season 1, in your opinion?

Allison: I really enjoyed “Welcome to the Hellmouth” and “The Harvest” (they were essentially a two parter, so I’m counting it as one ep. Fight me). It was a great introduction to the show, and we learned a lot about Buffy, being a slayer, and the war she unfortunately has to fight.

Lizzie: I’m gonna repeat myself and go with “Angel” because this is the episode that ups the stakes. When we’re in the middle of Season 2 and going all, how is Buffy so strong, how could she do this? all we have to do is look back at this episode to realize that we should have known all along.

Caralynn: I loved “Prophecy Girl.” The episode had everything: the first major Big Bad showdown of the series when Buffy came face to face with the Master, the first near-apocalyptic event being shut down by the Scooby Gang, Buffy kicking ass in a white evening gown and leather jacket. I just love it. It’s also the first episode that actually “gets real.” There are a lot of goofy moments in season one, but Buffy overhearing the prophecy that she’d face the Master and die, and her breakdown to Giles and Angel where she tells them that she’s 16 years old and doesn’t want to die, is SUCH a powerful moment.

Christine: I’m agreeing 100% with Caralynn. As classic as the episodes that Lizzie and Allison mentioned are, and as excellent, “Prophecy Girl” is when you realize HOW good this show is. Buffy’s emotional breakdown highlighted how incredible of an actress Sarah Michelle Gellar is and reminded us that while we think Buffy is invincible, the truth is that she’s sixteen, and she’s actually terrified.

Ashley: I’m going to agree with Allison on this one and say the two-part pilot episode. How could you not want to keep watching this show after seeing that premiere?!

What was the weakest episode of Season 1, in your opinion?

Allison: Oh god, the first season had some terrible ones. I really hated The Pack. It still makes me cringe. THE PIG DID NOT DESERVE THAT! Also, that scene between Hyena Xander and Buffy was all kinds of no.

Lizzie: It’s easier to pick the best one, since Season 1 was a bit shaky, in my opinion. I like Allison’s choice, but I’m going to go with “The Puppet Show” if only because …talent show. TALENT SHOW.

Caralynn: Oh my god, I loved “The Puppet Show”! *covers face with hands* Weakest episode by far was “The Pack.” Hyena Xander was terrible. TERRIBLE. Also, Flutie’s death led to Snyder who was the worst. Runner up: “Out of Mind, Out of Sight.” I don’t know why, I just thought that whole concept was silly. It was also the most painfully obvious metaphor in the “High School is Hell” episodes of the show (“Unpopular invisible girl ACTUALLY BECOMES INVISIBLE!” Groundbreaking).

Christine: Ha! I also loved “The Puppet Show!” But this one’s easy for me. “The Pack.” I just can’t stand that episode! There are SO many things wrong with it, from the eating of the pig, to the eating of the principal, to Xander basically trying to rape Buffy, and everyone just laughs it off at the end. Like, did they ALL just have selective memory loss? Xander did some seriously messed up stuff, and they just made it into a joke. Never sat well with me.

Ashley: I’ve got to go with “Teacher’s Pet,” because I mean, serious? A giant praying mantis? That was way to cheesy for me.

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