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[frelling_tralk]

Gateway episodes: Buffy The Vampire Slayer


So if you’re a late-comer to Buffy, and want to know whether you’ll actually enjoy the show, which of these standalones should you give a shot? Start with “Earshot,” the 18th episode of Season 3. Seasons 1 and 2 of Buffy relied a bit much on excessively campy bad guys—fish monsters, a ventriloquist’s dummy, a giant man-eating insect, a robot—who served as narrative crutches clumsily telegraphing real-world evil. The bad guys of Season 3, on the other hand, embody villains we all know: adolescent alienation, romantic jealousy, teenage insecurity, high school frenemies, parents who just don’t understand.

Do people consider Earshot a good choice, or do you prefer to go earlier than season 3? (That would be me! I hate introducing newbies to a really late episode in a show as it spoils a lot of what comes earlier, so I try to choose the earliest classic episode that I can). Which episode do you generally consider the perfect episode to introduce newbies to Buffy? Do you have more than one?

Heh someone recommended Ted in the comments, and someone else responded with "You do want people to watch the show, right"? :P


ETA What was your first episode of Buffy, and did it win you over right away and make you want to see more?

Comments

[sabotabby]

The first Buffy episode I ever saw was "Becoming Pt. 2" and my friends were all bawling their eyes out, and I was like, "What?" Somehow, I got into the show anyway. Part of it was that I actually liked the movie and was willing to give the series a go on that basis.

I'm one of those people who needs to watch TV in order, so I'd start with the first one. Otherwise, I might say something like "The Puppet Show," as "Hush" and "Once More With Feeling," brilliant as they are, are approximately a million times better after you're familiar with the characters.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Heh yeah that would be an odd one to watch for the first time I'm guessing! My intro to Buffy was kind of a strange one. I watched the movie and thought it was fun, mostly the first half when she's finding out about the vampires and training, it was really the climatic dance that I found the cheesiest from what I remember, although it's been years since I watched now. So anyway I was curious about the show and started watching the pilot, then I was so unimpressed at Cordelia being snotty to Willow, this will sound weird now but I remember that I thought it seemed like something cheesy like Sabrina The Teenage Witch with steteotypical characters like bitchy mean girl and shy sidekick, so I switched off then. Later on I saw Inca Mummy Girl and didn't like that one much either, then finally I watched Halloween and I was hooked from then on and crazily obsessed with Spike and Drusilla at around that time, so clearly they were the hooks to get me into the show :D

And yeah I'm the same with preferring newbies to watch in order and as unspoiled as they can, so I always hesitate in recommending an episode that's too far along

[mcjulie.livejournal.com]

I think Spike and Drusilla are great hooks for vampire fans. I couldn't get my husband interested until season 2. He still has a huge crush on Drusilla. And Buffy's mom.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

I LOVED Drusilla back when I first started watching. Spike as well of course, but Drusilla was just so fascinating to me. I remember being on the edge of my seat during the opening teaser from Lie To Me, and with her torture of Angel during What's My Line as well, there was so much more about her past and how she got went insane that I wanted to know about.

Then I introduced my sister to the show and she found Dru incredibly annoying and grating :/