The Best of Buffy

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of the greatest shows of all time. It perfected the monster of the week format while still running a greater storyline underneath. It has some great characters and character development. And of course it has some big gaping flaws because Joss Whedon’s personality did in fact seep into the show. So I will be discussing all of it season by season in the simplest way possible. I am trying this thing where I talk about the things that I love but not in such an in depth way that they become homework for me. So in a very broad strokes way this is my Best of Buffy article for season 1.

Now the first season of the show is much shorter than the seasons that follow. That is not unusual for pilot seasons. The network was unsure as to whether it would be successful until it was. So the first season is only 12 episodes.

The Big Bad: The Master

Our first overarching storyline involves The Master. A super old, and powerful vampire. That apparently was also the sire of the Darla, Druscilla, Angel, Spike bloodline.

The first season is really a great thesis for the series. It is a little cheesy and very, very 90s but in the best way possible. Every vampire that gets slayed goes poof in a cloud of dust. It's not great CGI but it isn’t terrible either. Sarah Michelle Gellar was such a perfect casting choice and she looks so adorable in season 1.

The library the scooby gang meets in is iconic and we get to see the classic balancing wanting a normal life and fulfilling her destiny kind of story. In fact that is what season 1 focuses on a lot. Episodes 1, 5, 7, and 12 all center on Buffy grasping for some semblance of a normal life. That’s literally almost half of this very short season.

The Bronze is such a great story device. The kids have a fun gathering place, free from adults. And it also provides a great gathering place for all the bad guys to eat the poor little teenagers. It's often used as a trap or a place for a bad vampire to take over. It's real convenient.

Our supporting characters are incredible. Best friend Willow played by baby Alison Hannigan is that best. She is cute, sweet and the most loyal best friend there ever was. Then we have Xander, a Joss Whedon insert that is creepy and sucks. And the mentor, Giles played by the incredible Anthony Stewart Head who guides our Buffy through her destiny.

The monster of the week format works so well for this show. Things always come back to The Master but the show is also so good at using the weekly demons to reflect the struggles teenagers go through as they go through puberty and navigate high school. My favorite of these is Episode 11, Out of Sight, Out of Mind. A young girl who is constantly overlooked and treated like she is invisible, actually turns invisible. She then uses this newfound power to torment the girls that tormented her. It is such a great episode of television and it really shows how beneficial the monster of the week format is as a storytelling structure.

The first season does a great job of setting up the rest of the show. The characters and their relationships are all very well established. As is the show's structure and pace. And it sets the tone of the show and it maintains that tone throughout (most) of the rest of the show.