Poll!

[next_to_normal]

Quite a while back, 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]

Comments

[snickfic]

So, uh, I broke your poll, because despite my comments about "The Pack," my BtVS pretty much starts with "School Hard." It isn't even just because of Spike, exactly. To me the key difference between the show before and after SH is the very last scene: Spike kills the Annoying One.

To me, that was a sea change in the show. We'd just disposed of the last vestige of S1's stock horror villainy, and were moving into much more complex and interesting evil for our heroes to fight. Spike's comment could almost be taken as meta-commentary on the show: "From now on, we're going to have a lot less ritual and lot more fun around here."

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

Excellent point! That last line is killer, and is practically a mission statement. I'm still miffed that they had Spike say teevee instead of telly right after, but it doesn't really matter, in the grand scheme.

[gabrielleabelle.livejournal.com]

OMG! That's always miffed me, too! Geez, Spike. So Americanized. *shakes head*

[speakr2customrs.livejournal.com]

Spike's Americanisms never annoyed me half as much as his misuse of British expressions. It will probably seem like heresy to you but I always used to wish that they'd cast an actual British actor as Spike instead of James Marsters.

[next_to_normal]

That's it! Off my LJ!

Where's Gabs when I need a good spanking icon?

[gabrielleabelle.livejournal.com]

Never fear! I have come to deliver spankings in icon form!

[next_to_normal]

Thank goodness. I was afraid I'd have to shoot him. I think I need some icons in between "love and puppies" and "I like to kill people."

[next_to_normal]

Haha, that's okay. I will overlook your gross insubordination just this once, but only because you posted a new "Seraph" chapter and that makes me happy.

[snickfic]

Hee. I cannot tell you how tickled I am that I managed to suck you in mwah hah hah get you interested in Seraph.