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next_to_normalQuite a while back, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
snickfic posted about her season 1 rewatch, and there was talk about "The Pack" being the first really effective episode of the series. And that got me to thinking.
It seems pretty generally accepted that season 1 is in a different category than the rest of BtVS - Buffy with training wheels, almost. It doesn't get much fandom love. Full series rewatches usually begin with a grumble about slogging through season 1 in order to get to the good stuff. I've even heard plenty of people suggest NOT starting at the beginning in order to get new viewers hooked on Buffy, or at the very least, assuring people, "Just keep watching! It gets much better, I promise." It's shorter, it's campier, the metaphors are really anvilicious, the monsters are really cheesy (okay, that doesn't totally change), and it features less of the long-term arcs and emotional character moments that become the touchstone of the show.
But where, exactly, does the "real" BtVS begin? What's the first episode that makes you sit up and say, "THAT'S the show I know and love!"
[Poll #1494098]
snickfic posted about her season 1 rewatch, and there was talk about "The Pack" being the first really effective episode of the series. And that got me to thinking.It seems pretty generally accepted that season 1 is in a different category than the rest of BtVS - Buffy with training wheels, almost. It doesn't get much fandom love. Full series rewatches usually begin with a grumble about slogging through season 1 in order to get to the good stuff. I've even heard plenty of people suggest NOT starting at the beginning in order to get new viewers hooked on Buffy, or at the very least, assuring people, "Just keep watching! It gets much better, I promise." It's shorter, it's campier, the metaphors are really anvilicious, the monsters are really cheesy (okay, that doesn't totally change), and it features less of the long-term arcs and emotional character moments that become the touchstone of the show.
But where, exactly, does the "real" BtVS begin? What's the first episode that makes you sit up and say, "THAT'S the show I know and love!"
[Poll #1494098]
