Question If Buffy season 1 spanned 22 episodes, what stories would you add in?

[Mr Trick]

Joss only ever did this with The Mayor in s2/3, and that was only oblique references to him. Otherwise he never used what you'd describing to foreshadow a 'Big Bad'.

But okay, I guess what you're saying is that Spike comes into town, lurks about a bit for no real reason that I can see, and then goes off for a few months, only to reappear with a sick and weakened Dru in 'School Hard', all so you can have a few minutes of foreshadowing? (And show Angel up?)

That's still kind of lame, illogical and breaks the flow of S2 for me, but whatever. Apparently some people can't live without Spike.

Think it might be that some people have a different view than you actually. I do see where you are coming from with your angle on it, but I also think it could have worked, and would it really have hurt S2 that much to have teased Spike a bit at the end of 1?

 

[white avenger]

, but whatever. Apparently some people can't live without Spike.

I don't happen to be one of them. I, and quite a few others here happen to be Spike FANS, not Spike fanatics, and it is as much our right to be so as it is for others to be fans of Angel, Faith, or Willow. Using Spike for one brief moment in the Season finale hardly seems to me to be anything more than a literary device foreshadowing the next Season. Doubling the number of episodes in Season 1 presents the possibility of introducing new characters, fleshing out events that were rushed over due to too few episodes, and foreshadowing events that will take place in later Seasons, such as the one that you mention, plus Buffy leaving town at the end of Season 2, which ties directly into why she is in LA at the beginning of the next Season; a certain dream conversation between Buffy and Faith about the number of days before a certain ball of green energy will be transformed into Buffy's rather irritable kid sister, just to mention a few.

 

[The Bronze]

Well I'm not sure you could squeeze 10 episodes in after Prophecy Girl and before When She Was Bad so I'm going to assume you mean 10 episodes before the finale. I actually love Season 1 so I'd try to keep the tone similar. More MOTW episodes and getting even more time to know our scoobies better. I think an episode showing us the problem parents would have been nice.

I'd have liked to have seen more of Darla. Really build her up as a threat before Angel stepped in. Possibly some Giles flash backs would have been nice. If not Ripper then just some of his experience with the council.

I wouldn't have introduced Spike earlier. I think School Hard was the perfect introduction.

 

[thetopher]

I don't happen to be one of them. I, and quite a few others here happen to be Spike FANS, not Spike fanatics,

I never called anybody a fanatic, maybe perhaps just a little unoriginal in their thinking.

and it is as much our right to be so as it is for others to be fans of Angel, Faith, or Willow.

I disagree. I'm not suggesting putting Faith into S1 for example- because it wouldn't work and it messes with the shows continuity. We're looking for cool ways to play around with plots lines and explore existing characters. Willow, Xander. Angel, Darla, Giles- all of whom are in S1 and who aren't fleshed out enough.

Using Spike for one brief moment in the Season finale hardly seems to me to be anything more than a literary device foreshadowing the next Season.

You wanted Spike to save Angel from getting staked and then step out of the shadows all menacing-like. That doesn't seem like a brief moment. I sounds like fan-pandering.

Here's what would happen; Spike does his cute, little trick and then disappears back into the shadows. Buffy asks Angel who that was and Angel says that it was Spike. 'That guy has killed two slayers.'
Cue alarm bells from the good guys and preparations are made for his eventual return.

We get no shock, no menace, no 'holy shit this guy's badass', just some guy who announces himself months before any confrontation. By the time he actually shows up Buffy isn't intimidated, she's bored, and therefore kicks his ass on parent-teacher night. 🙂

Doubling the number of episodes in Season 1 presents the possibility of introducing new characters,

Yes, not introducing existing characters earlier.
There's so much more scope for fresh ideas (which is how this thread started off as) and all you can say is 'bring this guy in earlier for no obvious payout'- especially compared to what we got.
Imo it's lame.

foreshadowing events that will take place in later Seasons, such as the one that you mention, plus Buffy leaving town at the end of Season 2, which ties directly into why she is in LA at the beginning of the next Season; a certain dream conversation between Buffy and Faith about the number of days before a certain ball of green energy will be transformed into Buffy's rather irritable kid sister, just to mention a few.

The only foreshadowing that resembles anything like this was the Mayor thing- nice and vague and helped build menace/suspense towards the upcoming season. Buffy leaving town was a shocking cliffhanger- not foreshadoweing as you assert.
Buffy/Faith was cryptic and really only made sense in hindsight.
I've seen nothing suggested in the proposed Spike introduction that don't hugely lessen his impact in the following season.

I wouldn't have introduced Spike earlier. I think School Hard was the perfect introduction.

Exactly. Why mess with perfection?
Spike is a full-on, punk rock kickass brawler who roars into town like he owns the damn place- and now certain Spike fans want to turn him into some hand-rubbing Machievellian type.
I know which I prefer and I sure am glad that that's the version we have. 🙂

 

[Bexray]

I feel as though I would have enjoyed a few flashbacks, of Buffy in LA and of Sunnydale before Buffy arrived. Since Giles was aware of her arrival, I think it would have been cool to see him anxious about when she was going to come, musing over his books and fighting off the vampires alone (and getting KO'd a few times) until she came.

I'd like to see more of Willow at home with her religious parents and I think a bit more Jesse would have been cool, again in flashback form, to be able to empathise with the character slightly more.

 

[Mr Trick]

I feel as though I would have enjoyed a few flashbacks, of Buffy in LA and of Sunnydale before Buffy arrived. Since Giles was aware of her arrival, I think it would have been cool to see him anxious about when she was going to come, musing over his books and fighting off the vampires alone (and getting KO'd a few times) until she came.

I'd like to see more of Willow at home with her religious parents and I think a bit more Jesse would have been cool, again in flashback form, to be able to empathise with the character slightly more.

In later flashbacks the Buffy LA thing could have worked as long as it didn't take up too much time and they could have made it relievent to a storyline at the time.

Willow at home would have been a must.

 

[HyperionWitch]

I don't know about a full 10 additional episodes, or any major plot ideas. But for one off type episodes, assuming the overall season plotline develops and end's the same regardless. Have a Cordelia focused episode. Of the main cast and high profile recurring characters, personally while I think she finished the season strong, a bit more mid season development wouldn't have hurt her. Don't know if I would use Harmony much in a Cordelia focused episode, but it might have been nice to see the character of Aura again. We see her a bit in one early episode, she's mentioned but not seen later on, and early Angel season 1 she's not seen but heard attempting to call Cordelia. Even if it's just a bit part and not a major plot point or anything, it would be nice to develop at least one other Cordette besides Harmony.

Another Willow focused episode in addition to "I Robot, You Jane" wouldn't be bad either, depending on what or when it's set in the season, maybe further developing the student/teacher relationship between Willow and Jenny Calendar a bit more. That and/or possibly bringing in Amy Madison for a second episode, even if she isn't used in such a centralized role as "Witch".

 

[Mr Trick]

I don't know about a full 10 additional episodes, or any major plot ideas. But for one off type episodes, assuming the overall season plotline develops and end's the same regardless. Have a Cordelia focused episode. Of the main cast and high profile recurring characters, personally while I think she finished the season strong, a bit more mid season development wouldn't have hurt her. Don't know if I would use Harmony much in a Cordelia focused episode, but it might have been nice to see the character of Aura again. We see her a bit in one early episode, she's mentioned but not seen later on, and early Angel season 1 she's not seen but heard attempting to call Cordelia. Even if it's just a bit part and not a major plot point or anything, it would be nice to develop at least one other Cordette besides Harmony.

Another Willow focused episode in addition to "I Robot, You Jane" wouldn't be bad either, depending on what or when it's set in the season, maybe further developing the student/teacher relationship between Willow and Jenny Calendar a bit more. That and/or possibly bringing in Amy Madison for a second episode, even if she isn't used in such a centralized role as "Witch".

All great ideas, and lets face it Willow deserved a better episode than IRYJ to focus on her character😀

I guess one good thing about a 22 episode season one is that they would have had room for both character-cetetric shows and more episodes with the Master featured.

 

[sosa lola]

Episode 1: Welcome to the Hellmouth
Episode 2: The Harvest
Episode 3: The Nest ( Buffy deals with a huge nest of vampires + Xander mourning Jesse's death, checking up on his parents who are confused and horrified about Jesse's disappearance+ Jesse's mother begging Xander to tell her the truth, but he keeps it from her until she comes face to face with one of the nest vampires and Xander saves her. He'll tell her then about what happened to her son. Jesse's parents decide to leave Sunnydale for good. A flashback with Jesse giving Xander the skateboard as a birthday present + Xander deciding never to ride that skateboard again.)
Episode 4: The Witch
Episode 5: Sweet Sixteen ( Willow's birthday, but her parents are away on business. Xander decides to throw her a big birthday party at her empty, parent-less house, kids they don't know start crashing poor Willow's house. Some evil does something nasty. Angel shows up to save the day which leads to Buffy finally seeing him in a new light and developing a crush on him.)
Episode 6: Teacher's Pet
Episode 7: Never Kill A Boy On the First Date
Episode 8: The Hunters (Buffy asks Giles how the people in Sunnydale managed to stay alive with the Hellmouth being there. They soon discover a group of hunters with a female watcher living in Sunnydale for the past 10 years protecting the citizens from evil. The female watcher recognizes Giles and is shocked at how much he'd changed - but we don't learn about Giles' past at this point. Just bits and pieces that suggest that he wasn't always stuffy. The Ripper stuff are saved for S2. The hunters get on with their lives now that a slayer has arrived to Sunnydale.)


Now my brain is fried. I'll continue my vision of a 22 episodes S1 later.

 

[Mr Trick]

Episode 1: Welcome to the Hellmouth
Episode 2: The Harvest
Episode 3: The Nest ( Buffy deals with a huge nest of vampires + Xander mourning Jesse's death, checking up on his parents who are confused and horrified about Jesse's disappearance+ Jesse's mother begging Xander to tell her the truth, but he keeps it from her until she comes face to face with one of the nest vampires and Xander saves her. He'll tell her then about what happened to her son. Jesse's parents decide to leave Sunnydale for good. A flashback with Jesse giving Xander the skateboard as a birthday present + Xander deciding never to ride that skateboard again.)
Episode 4: The Witch
Episode 5: Sweet Sixteen ( Willow's birthday, but her parents are away on business. Xander decides to throw her a big birthday party at her empty, parent-less house, kids they don't know start crashing poor Willow's house. Some evil does something nasty. Angel shows up to save the day which leads to Buffy finally seeing him in a new light and developing a crush on him.)
Episode 6: Teacher's Pet
Episode 7: Never Kill A Boy On the First Date
Episode 8: The Hunters (Buffy asks Giles how the people in Sunnydale managed to stay alive with the Hellmouth being there. They soon discover a group of hunters with a female watcher living in Sunnydale for the past 10 years protecting the citizens from evil. The female watcher recognizes Giles and is shocked at how much he'd changed - but we don't learn about Giles' past at this point. Just bits and pieces that suggest that he wasn't always stuffy. The Ripper stuff are saved for S2. The hunters get on with their lives now that a slayer has arrived to Sunnydale.)


Now my brain is fried. I'll continue my vision of a 22 episodes S1 later.

Some good ideas, don't think we've had a Willow birthday episode before.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

Have Ethan Rayne show up in the first season to cast doubt on the fatherly image of Giles. Have the Watcher's Council show up in some form and add pressure to Gile's life. Have the coven from Season 6 predict the rise of a powerful witch at Sunnydale High and when they say Amy Madison, they will say no, this is someone else you know. Show a bit more home life for Buffy, Willow, Xander, Cordelia and maybe a few of the others. Allude to the story of the Guardians long before Season 7. Start the story of the first slayer and how potential slayers are tracked and called.

 

[Tome]

Definitely more character centered episodes. S1 was packed with MoTW eps. I would have also continued on some threads left hanging by episodes like Teacher's Pet and Out of Mind, Out of Sight.

 

[Mr Trick]

Definitely more character centered episodes. S1 was packed with MoTW eps. I would have also continued on some threads left hanging by episodes like Teacher's Pet and Out of Mind, Out of Sight.

Such as? As long as those episodes are better than Teacher's Pet (wouldn't be hard) then maybe😀

 

[Buffy Summers]

Like, what happened to those eggs at the end of Teacher's Pet? What happened to the invisible girl?

 

[Taake]

Like, what happened to those eggs at the end of Teacher's Pet? What happened to the invisible girl?

Those eggs still annoy me!

The invisible girl, if anyone, would've been perfect to bring back in season four with the Initative and all...

 

[thetopher]

I guess Buffy must've killed the eggs off screen when they hatched (how long would it take giant Mantis eggs to hatch?). Even if they couldn't show it, it would've made a nice little throw-away line about something silly that Buffy had to do when we didn't see her- wacky Summer happenings about evil mantis-babies?

Unless, after a couple of years, the eggs were blown up when the school went kablooee at the end of S3.

 

[Somecallmejames]

I would have had a 2 or 3 episode long-flashback to Buffy's origin. I know we got flashbacks to it during season 2, and there is a comic of her origin, but I would have loved to have seen it in live-action, and accurate to the original script before it was re-written for some reason I will never understand.

I would also have had made a sequel to Teacher's Pet and Out of Mind, Out of Sight. The Teacher's pet sequel: Teacher's eggs, would be about the eggs hatching and the Scooby gang having to stop them all from eating everyone. The Out of Mind, Out of Sight sequel: Invisible assassin's, would deal with the invisible assassins, how they are responsible for various murder's and assassinations (like JFK) and how they got disbanded after the Scooby gang found out about them and stopped them (although maybe it would be a better idea to have it take place during one of the later seasons, so that Willow could use magic to turn them all visible again).

Also, I know this would almost defiantly not happen, but have Edward Cullen from Twilgiht arrive in Sunnydale and start stalking Buffy (and at the end, Buffy kills Edward). Something like this:

Maybe I'll write fanfiction based on these ideas some day.

 

[MarieVampSlayer]

I feel as though I would have enjoyed a few flashbacks, of Buffy in LA and of Sunnydale before Buffy arrived. Since Giles was aware of her arrival, I think it would have been cool to see him anxious about when she was going to come, musing over his books and fighting off the vampires alone (and getting KO'd a few times) until she came.

I would love an LA episode for Buffy with the actions leading to the destruction of the gym! I also agree with more Darla and a better Willow episode.

We could also have an episode where Giles talk about the last slayer that died before Buffy got activated. Buffy could be curious about her and Giles could explain the details of her last battle. It would be in line with the season and how a slayer's life is short and hard.