Part 5: Buffy vs. Dracula

[SpikedBuffy]

We will begin discussing season five's premiere episode Buffy vs. Dracula

Discussion start date: June 24, 2006
Discussion end date: July 1, 2006

Come on guys... let's keep the discussion rolling! We can do it!


Well, i'm iffy on this episode. While it is not my favorite opener, there are some very good parts. I would have to say Xander's part of slave would be the best. Eating the bugs and what-not.

I will say though, that when I first saw this episode... and Dawn arrived, I was seriously confused. Now when I rewatch it, I'm like, good to know what's going on now! :)

[Black Eye Guy]

Yeah I agree this episode is iffy as a season opener, I did like the opening scene after the disconnection of the group then to see them back together at the start of season 5. I also liked that it started off the very Slayer theme for the season.

And yes Nick Brendon was excellent as a Renfield type character, His line about being a butt monkey was excellent. And Giles with the 3 vampire women was classic, where he goes back to get his show, lmao!

[Bored of the Dead]

Personally, in the context of Buffy the Vampire Slayer this episode is one of my faves.
For me, the entire 4th season was great(forget Sunday), it really was, and number 3 was excellent, but for two years by this point, we'd met Vampires that posed no real threat.
Yes Buffy would get stronger and kill them quicker but I loved a Vampire that was a match for that 'witch'.
It seemed right that the last Vampire that Buffy would face, the last one that posed a significant risk and got a full episode dedicated to them(please, my mind is blank, if there are more forgive me:) ) that it should be the most famous Vampire ever.

I loved the feel, the writing and the acting in that episode, and that little twist at the end, I had no idea what it was but i was thoroughly excited by it.

In comparison to other season openers, its better than some, weaker than others,,,,but it got me hooked for another year.

[Lyri]

it's the ending of this episode that really does it for me. the Dawn revelation was excellent. i remember sitting watching this and going...WTF! Dawn was such a big shock...and yeah, it is nice watching it back now and knowing what's going on.

the acting in this episode was good...i love Dracula and Xander's butt-monkey character was great. Giles wanting to back for his shoe was really funny.
Riley's part was kinda small in this ep...as it was for most of the eps he was in this season, maybe foreshadowing that he wouldn't be around for much longer.

this isn't my fave season opener, but it does rank highly.

[Spirit_Of_Fred]

i wasnt the biggest fan of it as a season opener, but i liked the funny stuff. even if it was just trying-to-be-funny-but-not-funny or pathetic funny, i still liked it, whatever the funny. i think there were definetely episodes i liked better though. maybe i just dont like season openers. there was only one that i really loved right off, and that was season 6. the rest took a couple more times to like, or i still dont like them.

im not sure what i think of dracula being in it. it was kind of cool, but kind of weird. i also liked the dawn ending, which very much lead up to the next episode. and yeah, everything else you guys said about nick i agree with too. darn my slow replying!!!!

[SpikedBuffy]

Maybe the kicker is that we know Dracula still isn't dead. We know he couldn't be staked, and we saw him all misty at the end. Maybe we don't like it because of the lack of 'closure' :)

[Wash&ZoeAlways]

I liked this episode because it was so different from the regular season opener. I thought that it set up the season really well, with the idea of the origin of Buffy's power. I was not a fan of Dawn at all, but it was an interesting introduction for her character. I also liked that the group was back together and that all of the couples were already set up in this first episode. Plus, lots of hysterical quotes to choose from.

[Joamna]

I really didn't like Dracula, I think it's the actor that annoys me, I don't think he's very good at all. I did like the concept of bringing him in though, just not how it played out. And I'm glad that Freddie Prinze Jr didn't do the part, there was some rumour about that he was suppose to do it right? But that might have been even weirder. Though that might have brought some tension into the Dracula/Buffy scenes..

I love the introduction of Dawn. I've always liked her character, and the way they just introduce her and not explain why she's there for several episodes is so cool.. I was so shocked when seeing her there for the first time..

[Wanabee-slayer]

Yeah I didn't really like Dracula either. And I kind of find it hard to beleiev that Joyce would have invited him in I mean if his paleness didn't give it away I think his accent or clothing would have.

And the Dawn intor is always good. At first I was kinda confused but looking back on it I think it was clever. It was the writers way of saying well this is normal Buffy's always had a sister didn't you know kind of thing.