Gris
Undead
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2019
- Messages
- 18
It's been ten years since I last watched Buffy. I was 14 when I discovered this amazing, cool, dark, witty show that I loved so much. It was part of a time of self discovery and growth and I cherish it for that. It's something I know I adored but time passes and you move on. Or so I thought?
When I read that Buffy was getting a reboot I asked myself "does this still interest me?". I no longer cared about it but was curious enough to search it and the more I read the more I had this feeling of nostalgia, of re-discovering something so precious to me. So here I am, back in the boards and challenging myself to watch all Buffy's seasons.
Let's start with season 1:
The first episodes do a great job introducing the series and overall I enjoyed it. I do remember not loving season 1 that much so I had that in consideration. I mean, it's a mixed bag: I do think there are some good episodes and the essence of Buffy is already there. The characters are themselves and I felt like I was re-encountering old friends. I am excited for what is about to happen next but maybe because I still remember that the best is yet to come. You just have to get through those awful stand alone episodes. And don't get me wrong, I like stand alone adventures type of series like Doctor Who, I think it can open up endless possibilities of good, creative or risky ideas and explore them. But these stories are just bland, not all that inspired, cliché and/or boring. They are just forgettable and if I didn't know what was coming, I'd probably lose my interest in the series? I don't know, I can't ever watch it with fresh eyes again, I already love these characters so I'm easily engaged.
One thing I was surprised was I liked Buffy as a character more than I expected. She was never my favourite, I learned to love her little by little but I always thought season 1 Buffy was a little shallow and dull, the kind of protagonist you expect. Which in a way she is, but maybe because I know what she'll go through I actually sympathised more with her this time around. Despite the "blond pretty white girl" look stereotype, she felt human, strong and relatable.
Angel, on the other hand, has a pretty shacky performance on his first appearances. It does get better as we see a little bit more of him on episode 7 "Angel" but he's not there yet. I know he'll feel a lot more like himself on season 2, or so I'm expecting.
Willow, Xander, Giles. The gang feels exactly how I remembered, except Xander's obsession with Buffy. I get that he likes her and she does not like him back, but she doesn't owe him anything. Sometimes he's just too pushy and that was kind of disappointing, specially since he's all protective and looks down on other guys when he's only doing it for his own selfish reasons. Grow up, Xander!
Finally, the bad guy. Well, the Master must be the most boring Buffy villain ever. He's not that bad, just... the most obvious. We don't know anything about him, who he is and what drives him. He's just an ancient vampire who wants to open the Hellmouth... because of reasons. I get that evil monsters do evil things but this guy has zero personality or charisma. Maybe I sound a bit harsh but I don't think season 1 is bad. There is definitely some bad writing but the essence of the show resides in its characters and their stories, so I will always have a good time watching them. In the end, the Master isn't really important, Buffy accepting her death prophecy and beating it is. But, of course, when the rest shines as well, it will shine brighter.
Season 1 of Buffy is good on its own but what it opens the doors to is even greater. How do you feel about season 1? And have any of you had a similar experience watching it after a long time? What changed and what surprised you the most?
I also thought about ranking episode by episode, but there's already a thread about it, maybe I'll post there. The bad award goes to "Teacher's Pet" (although there were a lot of contenders) I just hate this episode so much, I can't say anything good about it. My favourite episode of the season is "Prophecy Girl".
When I read that Buffy was getting a reboot I asked myself "does this still interest me?". I no longer cared about it but was curious enough to search it and the more I read the more I had this feeling of nostalgia, of re-discovering something so precious to me. So here I am, back in the boards and challenging myself to watch all Buffy's seasons.
Let's start with season 1:
The first episodes do a great job introducing the series and overall I enjoyed it. I do remember not loving season 1 that much so I had that in consideration. I mean, it's a mixed bag: I do think there are some good episodes and the essence of Buffy is already there. The characters are themselves and I felt like I was re-encountering old friends. I am excited for what is about to happen next but maybe because I still remember that the best is yet to come. You just have to get through those awful stand alone episodes. And don't get me wrong, I like stand alone adventures type of series like Doctor Who, I think it can open up endless possibilities of good, creative or risky ideas and explore them. But these stories are just bland, not all that inspired, cliché and/or boring. They are just forgettable and if I didn't know what was coming, I'd probably lose my interest in the series? I don't know, I can't ever watch it with fresh eyes again, I already love these characters so I'm easily engaged.
One thing I was surprised was I liked Buffy as a character more than I expected. She was never my favourite, I learned to love her little by little but I always thought season 1 Buffy was a little shallow and dull, the kind of protagonist you expect. Which in a way she is, but maybe because I know what she'll go through I actually sympathised more with her this time around. Despite the "blond pretty white girl" look stereotype, she felt human, strong and relatable.
Angel, on the other hand, has a pretty shacky performance on his first appearances. It does get better as we see a little bit more of him on episode 7 "Angel" but he's not there yet. I know he'll feel a lot more like himself on season 2, or so I'm expecting.
Willow, Xander, Giles. The gang feels exactly how I remembered, except Xander's obsession with Buffy. I get that he likes her and she does not like him back, but she doesn't owe him anything. Sometimes he's just too pushy and that was kind of disappointing, specially since he's all protective and looks down on other guys when he's only doing it for his own selfish reasons. Grow up, Xander!
Finally, the bad guy. Well, the Master must be the most boring Buffy villain ever. He's not that bad, just... the most obvious. We don't know anything about him, who he is and what drives him. He's just an ancient vampire who wants to open the Hellmouth... because of reasons. I get that evil monsters do evil things but this guy has zero personality or charisma. Maybe I sound a bit harsh but I don't think season 1 is bad. There is definitely some bad writing but the essence of the show resides in its characters and their stories, so I will always have a good time watching them. In the end, the Master isn't really important, Buffy accepting her death prophecy and beating it is. But, of course, when the rest shines as well, it will shine brighter.
Season 1 of Buffy is good on its own but what it opens the doors to is even greater. How do you feel about season 1? And have any of you had a similar experience watching it after a long time? What changed and what surprised you the most?
I also thought about ranking episode by episode, but there's already a thread about it, maybe I'll post there. The bad award goes to "Teacher's Pet" (although there were a lot of contenders) I just hate this episode so much, I can't say anything good about it. My favourite episode of the season is "Prophecy Girl".
