When Noel Murray reviewed BtVS & AtS for the AV Club as a first-time viewer, he gave the episode Angel a grade A and called it "the first installment since the two-part pilot that really lives up to the series' premise." He also called it a "perfect episode" but regretted that he'd been spoiled for Angel's identity as a vampire by a featurette he'd seen previously.
I agree it's one of the essential episodes of S1 (actually, it's pretty damn necessary); and I do love Nightmares because it's the "skeleton key" to Buffy's psyche and dilemma, basically. I do agree that for me PG is the first GREAT episode.
I rather liken S1 in some ways to a better version of the movie - still playing around with "tone" and not quite committed either way, like they are still feeling their way around (is it a commentary on real life, on horror and high school movie tropes, both?) With PG they finally plunged right into the meat of the matter. Your 16 year old protagonist goes off to a lonely death? Shit just got REAL.
I do however have a bizarre fondness for The Hyena, the wonkiness of the rape "joke" aside: I mean, they ATE Principal Flutie! I did not see that coming. Also - Jonathan and the scariest dodgeball game EVER. (And dodgeball used to frighten the hell out of me in school.)
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rosecarmine
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Date: 2013-05-09 11:50 pm (UTC)http://www.avclub.com/articles/angel-etc,13034/
I agree it's one of the essential episodes of S1 (actually, it's pretty damn necessary); and I do love Nightmares because it's the "skeleton key" to Buffy's psyche and dilemma, basically. I do agree that for me PG is the first GREAT episode.
I rather liken S1 in some ways to a better version of the movie - still playing around with "tone" and not quite committed either way, like they are still feeling their way around (is it a commentary on real life, on horror and high school movie tropes, both?) With PG they finally plunged right into the meat of the matter. Your 16 year old protagonist goes off to a lonely death? Shit just got REAL.
I do however have a bizarre fondness for The Hyena, the wonkiness of the rape "joke" aside: I mean, they ATE Principal Flutie! I did not see that coming. Also - Jonathan and the scariest dodgeball game EVER. (And dodgeball used to frighten the hell out of me in school.)