Okay, I'm a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, but not a normal one. I've read all the comic books for both properties and seen the original movie that launched the phenomenon about three times over the years. And yet, for some reason I've never seen a full episode of either show.When Buffy first came out, I lived in a city that didn't have The WB. And by the time it was available to me I was already several years behind, and I hate coming into the middle of something. Then, for whatever reason, it has remained on my "to do" list over the years.
So where does that leave me for the Retro Squad Buffy/Angel week? I want to participate, but in a way I'm a newbie to the show. So how about you guys tell me a good episode to immerse myself into the world of the Buffy-verse? In fact, maybe one from each show? I'm hearing from the Squad that 'Hush' is a good candidate.
This should be fun, as it's kind of weird reading the new stuff as they come out in comics while only having the vaguest idea of what went on in the original series. I'll get to see how it all began (well, I saw that I guess with the movie but you know what I mean!) It'll be like, "Hey, that Dawn kid isn't nearly as tall as she is in the comics" and "Isn't Los Angeles supposed to be in hell?"
A "done in one" episode might be best, or some pivotal juncture that doesn't require having seen sixty-two priors to keep up. Fill up the comments with what you think is a good one to introduce someone to the series and I'll have my people contact your people to set up a time we can all sit down together and spend some quality time with "The Slayer."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
6-25-2008 @ 8:14PM
ryan said...
Since the series tells a long story, it's important that you watch them in order. You really don't want to see something out of context because you'll regret it later.
So to go around your question.... I recommend you watch Firefly first, and see how incredibly awesome that is from start to finish. Then you'll be excited enough about more Joss Whedon that you'll be able to cringe through the first season of Buffy.
Seriously, start at Buffy Season 1 Ep 1 and watch each season/episode in order, splicing in Angel episodes once they spin off.
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6-25-2008 @ 8:39PM
beth said...
A friend of mine just started watching the show without knowing anything at all about it after my raves. She started watching them on Hulu from the beginning in order. My other friend and I just laughed when she asked "who is this Angel person and why is he so mysterious?" I watched the first season episode "Angel" with her and she just had this stunned look on her face and asked me questions which I wouldn't answer because it would spoil if for her.
Imagine not knowing anything about the show and getting to watch it from the beginning in order and as fast as you can play them. Without anyones opinions or input to spoil the outcome they would be even more incredible. Made me jealous! I recommend watching in order from the beginning. Yes the first season is a little cheesy at times, but you need that background to go forward into the more intense seasons which you certainly will once you get through those episodes. And in retrospect that first season was classic and not to be missed.
And Angel episodes should be watched once you start season 4 of Buffy and alternate them because they have moments that don't make sense if you don't see them in the order in which they were originally aired.
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6-25-2008 @ 8:43PM
Blair Mitchelmore said...
I disagree with the above person on two points. Buffy and Angel, though to a lesser degree, were episodic in nature. They had ongoing arcs but they only intensified the show, the show didn't require the history to be good.
Secondly, don't splice episodes when Angel spins off. I recently went through an intense Buffy/Angel marathon where I watched both shows in their entirety over the course of about two weeks and I interleaved the episodes and it became a big burden in the later seasons when the shows did become more serialized and the momentum from each episode was broken by watching an episode from a different show.
I do think that you should watch both shows from the beginning, but there are some stand-out episodes in the Buffy-verse that require little to no understanding of the history. The musical episode, Once More With Feeling, is of course amazing and thanks to the expositional nature of the songs handles the back story for you. Hush, an episode which was played out without any dialogue also offers up a tidbit of the Buffy universe without bogging you down in continuity.
If you're looking for good mostly episodic Angel episodes, I'd check out the Smile Time episode from the fifth season where Angel becomes a puppet. Another excellent episode is an early one called "Are you now or have you ever been." There are many more amazing Angel episodes but Angel is more serialized than Buffy and suggesting you watch those episodes out of order would degrade the experience when you ultimately sit down to watch the whole series (But if you must, the may I suggest Epiphanies).
Hope my advice helps you gain a Buffy/Angel addiction as all people should.
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6-25-2008 @ 8:48PM
Blair Mitchelmore said...
I meant to say "Then may I suggest Epiphanies"
And because there are now more people suggesting you interleave Buffy and Angel episodes, I have to reiterate that it's a bad idea. It's great for the two or three episodes where there is some cross-pollination of stories, but it's never necessary. The worst that will happen is you'll see someone from Buffy show up on Angel or vice versa or there will be discussions of events which occurred on the other show which explain what you missed if there was something to miss.
Plus then you get the added benefit of getting a chance to reminisce about Buffy every time you see one of those cross-over moments.
6-25-2008 @ 8:50PM
Blair Mitchelmore said...
Dammit, OK the episode is called Epiphany, not Epiphanies...
6-25-2008 @ 10:09PM
steveo said...
Definately agree on "Once more, with feeling" as being one of the best. "Beer Bad" is another good one to watch as a 'one off' to get a sense of the Buffy humor.
6-25-2008 @ 8:50PM
AJ said...
Definitely start from the beginning but I would hate it if I asked for one episode and then people said start from the beginning. By default everyone should say "Hush" which is easily one of the best Buffy episodes ever and you don't really have to know anything, and in fact it was my first episode. Yeah if you don't want to start at the beginning (although I HIGHLY recommend it) watch Hush. And forget about Dawn just pretend you don't know she exists.
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6-25-2008 @ 8:55PM
StillBash said...
Watch ALL of them. There's no "episodes to watch" in Buffy. Angel is another story for Seasons 3 and 4 were so mediocre it hurt. But Buffy?
Come ON. There's NOTHING you should skip. If you start skipping Buffy episodes just skip the whole thing because you just don't like it.
I mean just remembering how Willow and the guy who later had an eyepatch... wow. Man I get shivers just remembering how I effing liked it that they were making out like that for a couple of months. And then Willow and T*** ... and Buffy and S****. And the musical episode. And Xander and A**** and then the death. And man season 6. Wow... seriously.
How can you skip ANYTHING from that show?
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6-25-2008 @ 9:03PM
Midnight13 said...
I think its nearly impossible to say watch this single episode, that's not the premire for any show. Would you tell someone to watch "Lost" from the third season finale simply because it was such a great episode? Would you tell a BSG fan to start watching it from the "stand-alone" movie "Razor"? Watch series from the middle of shows ONLY if you have to. Otherwise, rent/buy the DVDs and watch it from the start. Since BTVS and "Angel" both are complete and on DVD, you can got through both shows in just a couple of weeks I imagine.
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6-25-2008 @ 9:06PM
Jen said...
Ah.. I too suggest starting from square one with Buffy. And I agree, watch Firefly first - then Serenity. Then have a good cry that the show is no longer around... then start watching Buffy.
And yea, Hush is a good stand alone episode if you just want a taste.
A stand alone Angel ep.. eesh! "Hero" is great.. man. It gets me every time.
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6-25-2008 @ 9:20PM
Patrick said...
Hellooooooo???
The best episode ever was "The Body"
Geesh! Who can forget Anya's not knowing how to react and Willow's changing outfits and Buffy's saying... "Mommy?" Dawn getting the news in school and collapsing in the hall... and Xander punching out the wall.
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6-25-2008 @ 9:35PM
Carissa said...
I was going to weigh in, but you beat me to it Patrick. That was one of the best hours of television EVER. When Tara tells Buffy that you are never prepared for death....God...
Watch the entire series. It is that good. You won't be wasting your time, by any means.
6-26-2008 @ 7:27AM
moreartplease said...
While there is no doubt The Body is a great episode, I think it would be a poor episode to begin with. All of the emotional payoff you talk about is only relevant if you know who these people are and care about them.
6-25-2008 @ 9:23PM
Midnight13 said...
Alright, since most people are listing "Buffy" episodes I'll suggest an "Angel" episode. "Billy" from season three. "Angel" was always at its best when it was dark. It had some great funny episodes but the series was always supposed to be "Buffy"'s darker counterpart. "Billy" is a pretty dark episode and an intresting statement about misogymy. And I think it puts a great spotlight on then newcomer Winifred Burkle (Amy Acker).
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6-25-2008 @ 11:30PM
Blair Mitchelmore said...
I forgot about Billy. It really is good. Some of its power relies on understanding the past dynamics between the characters, but for the most part it's a standalone story, and a dark disturbing one at that.
6-25-2008 @ 9:27PM
Liz Lacy said...
Alright, despite the complaints, there are plenty of episodes you could watch as stand-alones and enjoy. Certainly some of the details of the banter will be lost on you, and I do recommend watching the whole thing eventually, but here are a few you could watch in a vacuum and (I think) still enjoy. I'll list them in roughly chronological order, for ease:
The Pack
Ted
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
Killed by Death
Band Candy
Gingerbread
Beer Bad
Hush
Superstar
Buffy vs Dracula
Help
Enjoy!
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6-25-2008 @ 10:35PM
Zarquon said...
I completely disagree with people who say you have to watch it from the beginning. Part of what made those shows so good (Buffy, more than Angel actually) was that they walked the line between episodic and serial. You can watch a single episode without being too confused, but the same episode also furthers the ongoing story.
Nonetheless, my recommendations lean more toward the stand-alone variety
Hush (already said many times)
Halloween (its like the Simpson's episode but came first)
Phases
Tabula Rasa
and all the one's Liz mentioned
I think Season 2 is particularly good for sampling.
As for Angel, I absolutely agree with Billy and Smile Time as good picks, though they are on seriously different ends of the spectrum.
Jason, let us know what you end up watching and what you think.
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6-25-2008 @ 10:37PM
Zarquon said...
"Part of what made those shows so good (Buffy, more than Angel actually) was that they walked the line between episodic and serial."
What I meant was that Buffy is more episodic. Angel is actually harder to sample.
6-25-2008 @ 11:17PM
simiandowntimeanalyst said...
I started watching on "Villains". I honestly do not think it matters where you start...it is all quite tasty.
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6-25-2008 @ 11:24PM
Cody said...
I started watching Buffy a few weeks ago, and I'm up through the end of season 2 now. The ratings on the imdb pages were a big help; if people rated the episode very low then I kinda fastforwarded through it and just tried to catch the highlights, but if it was rated very high I watched the whole thing. One thing I noticed is that all of the episodes from the first two seasons that contain the Buffy-Angel arc were very highly rated, and a lot of the monster-of-the-week episodes were rated much lower. So you can just figure out from the descriptions which ones have Angel in them and just watch those and probably not miss too much.
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