I tend to forget how much I actually like Season 1. Everytime I rewatch though, it reminds me how much I LOVE the show. It's a little clunky at times, because the show hadn't really gotten its rhythm down, but it has so many funny and creepy moments. You can also really see the characters and their relationships with each other start to develop. I mean, it is what made most of us fall in love with show to begin with 🤷
I recently rewatched season 1 and I was reminded how great it is. Every episode has great character work and there's always at least one great line. Plus, even with the danger, everyone was much happier which I appreciate.
I actually prefer season 1 to seasons 3 and 5, which are fan favorites. I love how you described the later seasons of Buffy as being more of a supernatural drama, and season 1 (and 2) as being more horror focused. I think that's a great way to put it. I'm a huge horror fan, which is why I started watching Buffy to begin with, and I think it's why I enjoy season one so much.
It is definitely the campyest of all of the seasons which is not everyone’s cup of tea but hot take I say season 6 is the best. For those who have never seen it be prepared for a roller coaster of emotions 🖤.
I do love the first season; I think the high school setting and characters are perfect for the somewhat hammier tone than the rest of the series and I have a special fondness for Buffy: The High School Years. The show's really good in the sense that it does get darker as they get older, the way you're problems become a bigger part of you as an adult than as a teen. As dark as the early seasons can get at times there's a lightness there because these are kids getting battered down by the world for the first time and they've still got the resilience to come up laughing and go to the Bronze after; unlike later seasons where all 3 of them are more prone to wallowing in their issues or having a harder time getting back up. I love so many episodes like Buffy's crush on Owen the secret adrenaline junkie, the hilarious tableau at the end of the Puppet Show or the way the 3 of them laugh about how their loves lives are doomed and suddenly stop laughing as they realize its true. There's a lot of good stuff going on character wise that you really miss if you only watch the later seasons.
This was soo good! I actually love season 1 so much, yes it's corny is some areas, but it's so nostalgic and definitely hits all the right chords when it comes to the 90's and teen media. I was only 9 when it came out and remember instantly being obsessed.. I rewatch the full series now every few years and honestly look forward to season 1's nostalgia.! great video essay!
I just finished rewatching S1 a few days ago and I never really hung out with the fandom back in the day, either in person or online so it's a surprise to me to hear people suggest skipping it, which annoys me slightly. S1 set a lot of the groundwork for the series and established the characters.
_Witch_ still has one of my favourite cold opens, with Giles berating Buffy for joining a cult, then the camera panning to her in her cheerleader outfit.
I never saw buffy season 1 as bad, just that some of the rest were better. not all of them ofc. however, I think buffy as a standalone season is just decent, and what makes it god-like is the overall story arc. some of the first episodes in some of the seasons are boring, but when tied together with everything else, seems perfect. etc. etc. season 1 was a setup for an insane show to come. it was an expectations-breaking setup, but a setup nonetheless, and setups are almost always seen as less exciting.
I always start from the beginning when I rewatch this show. This season actually gets better on each rewatch when I know where each of the characters will end up and I see little details in their writing and/or performances that will eventually become core parts of their character. Great video. Thank you for reminding us that Season 1 is not only good but, at times, great.
I agree! I remember watching when it first aired, and I was hooked from like the 3rd episode. While I do remember thinking at times that I wished the story focused on The Master a bit more, but I never walked away from any episode thinking “Eh, that wasn’t very good…” Some are definitely better than others, but I always had a great time just “hanging out” with the characters. It wasn’t until relatively recently that I discovered that people dislike it enough to skip it entirely (or watch just the bookend episodes, and #7). Honestly, that took me by surprise! So far, everyone I’ve shown this show to watched and loved every episode of season 1. There will be no skipping in my house!!! 😁
Season 1 of Buffy has always been my favorite yeah of course every series has some weak episodes tell me what Sirius doesn't yeah the pack was a little off the edge so was teacher's pet then let's not forget out of mind out of sight but after you get through those few hang up episodes then it's all down Hill from there than angel the episode truly makes up for the season so does prophecy girl ❤ Buffy the vampire slayer I'll watch it still till today
I love LOVE season one! Prophecy Girl was my favorite ep ever until Graduation Day Part II took that spot for me. Quick story. We got our own The WB station here officially on January 1st, 1999 and the first episode of BTVS I ever watched on it after work? Prophecy Girl. It was also the first show I EVER watched on our brand new The WB station. I was hooked and became a Buffy fan from that day. Ty for the vids and you do a great job! Keep it coming please and remember, Buffy flunked the written!
Loved this! You should compare the best episodes of this season to those in season 7, and then the same for the worst. It could be a neat way to look into character development and whatnot
I love season 1. I actually got upset a couple of years ago by an article that recommended people skip season 1 entirely or only watch Prophecy Girl. Season 1 is integral for laying the foundation for the characters, and the amount of character work you miss out on by skipping it? Just depressing. Personally I don’t think there’s any skippable episodes (though Where The Wild Things Are comes close haha).
@@NelidaUtuwatu It’s definitely my least favorite season, story arch, and bad guy. But all the episodes that aren’t bogged down by the Initiative and Adam are so good. Something Blue, Hush, Fear Itself, Who Are You, Restless, and that’s not even all the bangers from that season.
It’s just fantastic, season one and two are my faves and so nostalgic. Back in the day I stopped watching when Dawn came into the show. Now when I’ve watched it back I can put up with later seasons but the style and vibe of the first few will always have my ❤
Season 1 is my second favorite season, I love the horror vibe, the big bad, and how much Buffy reminds me of Spider-Man (trying to balance personal life with responsibility)
I got into buffy because my friend lent me the first disc of her season 1 boxset, so i just watched the first 4 episodes repeatedly until I finally could watch it on netflix! It’s such a good start to the show, I don’t know how people suggest to skip it!
I totally agree! Earlier this year I started watching people's first time watch reactions and each of them mentioned how they got a bunch of comments saying season one is the worst and you just have to get through it. Despite the Buffyverse series being in my top 10 favorite tv shows, I've never really been IN the fandom or interacted much with other huge fans of the show, so I didn't realize how many people I guess don't care for the initial season. I think it's good, especially as a mid-season replacement, and sets everything up really well- the mixed tone of the show, subverting expectations, establishing the characters, etc. I think maybe some people get caught up in the next seasons or their favorite season(s) and want to get into the meat of the show. I also think people underestimate the charm of the beginning of the show and visual effects of the time, maybe thinking that newer viewers will see it as too cheesy, low-budget, and actually bad... I just started my first full rewatch of Buffy last week and I'm watching with a friend who has never seen the show. She's really unfamiliar with it but loving it and the few episodes we've watched so far! I'm SO excited to get to the next season but I'm still enjoying watching S1!
I so agree with it being underrated. Really there is only 3 episodes I don't like in this season, being Teachers Pet, Never Kill A Boy On the First Date, and Nightmares. Hell I Robot, You Jane isn't as bad as people say it is. Like yeah it's ridiculous, but it's fun. And sometimes you need fun in a TV Show as heavy as Buffy.
This was amazingly done. I'm on my 5th rewatch, and every time, I remember how much I loved it, especially the earlier seasons. While Season 5 & 6 have a lot of my favorite moments and angles (Dawn, Glory, Spike, etc.), it's exactly the point where the show becomes less fun, and more dramatic. The earlier seasons, on top of building the characters into living, relateable people, also contain some of the best and most quotable moments. Huge fan of it all, and again, extremely well done video.
3:53 Compared to vampires that came after him in both series the Master was generic. "I want to get out of this church I'm stuck in and open the Hellmouth." Especially since opening it became the sole motivation of some one off demon villains later on.
Very well done video! Whenever someone says Buffy season 1 is hard to get through I don't get it at all. I love this season so much and no one I ever showed this to (and there's a lot of people) got bored and always had fun!
Great video Man, finally an accurate take on buffy season 1! Dude you have to do a video for all seasons of this show. Good insight. Only thing I would add is that, season 1 just wouldn't have worked if the actors weren't as good. The consistency and commitment of the core cast and the big bad was paramount to success
Love your channel, you speaking this love of the show with your whole chest and I love that! I've been trying to hate Buffy but I was obsessed with it during its day, and every time I see any clips from the series I fall in love with it all over again! It was truly groundbreaking and awesome on so many levels, and thank you for making these videos. You got a subscriber for whatever other series you want to tackle too.
Many fans advise S1 is good. The problem is today's pop culture viewers tendancy to judge based off shows being older and not CGI heavy, combined with repeat viewers of BtVS knowing the show gets better. Not that S1 itself is actually bad.
i never understood why people don't like it, some ofmy favourite episodes are in s1, the pack, the invisible girl, those are the ones i think about first when i think of buffy
Great tv series always have the question what season is the best. To me I love them all because it brings me back to a time when tv was fun. Love your channel and videos!
For me not really. I love Season 1 don’t get me wrong but I love it purely for nostalgic reasons. Looking at it objectively Season 1 has not aged well, and many episodes are way too cheesy and campy for new people especially in todays age to get through. I’ve known many people who try to get into Buffy and they struggle big time with the first season, and don’t really get into it until Season 2 hits. The effects and filler episodes is hard. I think it’s the weakest season of Buffy. Even the strongest episode of the season (Prophecy Girl - which for the most part is a decent episode) gets demolished in quality by episodes to follow in Season 2 and later seasons.
@@racheldoesfandom “Right now a man in Beijing is transferring money to a Swish bank account for a contract on his Mother’s life. Good for him”. Don’t get gold like that in Nightmares 😂
Even though season 1 is the weakest seasons in the series it still has some good episode like prophecy girl plus it has one of the best villains the master
People say the same thing about Stargate SG:1. I never understood it. Sure it's not as good as season 2, but it's not bad. Some weak episodes. But what show doesn't?
Season one was great. The only season I didn't much care for was six. Season six had some good episodes (e.g. Seeing Red), but it also had several horrendous episodes (e.g. Once More with Feeling is the worst episodes in the entire series, also one of the worst episodes in the history of TV and I could do without all of the Dawn centric episodes) and many that were blah. I thought the first three seasons were the best. The show started drifting off in season four and by season six it was mostly ugh, granted with a few gems like the afore mentioned Seeing Red. Willow’s character arc is one of the best character arcs in television. But overall Buffy is an excellent series which I rewatch about once a year (except OMwF, which i have never watched in full - I just can't tolerate that episode).
4 eps into S1 here and I think S1 is garbage. I know it must and will surely get better as it became the biggest genre franchise show on the planet until Dr Who reclaimed its mantle circa 2006 for the following 10 years.
I appreciate the effort to boost Season 1 of Buffy but sorry its still the worst IMO and I tend to skip most of the episodes upon rewatch. Not to say it doesn't have its charm and good episodes but the Master is not an entertaining villain to me and too many of the episodes are just forgettable and lack some of the emotional weight of later seasons
I tend to forget how much I actually like Season 1. Everytime I rewatch though, it reminds me how much I LOVE the show. It's a little clunky at times, because the show hadn't really gotten its rhythm down, but it has so many funny and creepy moments. You can also really see the characters and their relationships with each other start to develop. I mean, it is what made most of us fall in love with show to begin with 🤷
I recently rewatched season 1 and I was reminded how great it is. Every episode has great character work and there's always at least one great line. Plus, even with the danger, everyone was much happier which I appreciate.
I actually prefer season 1 to seasons 3 and 5, which are fan favorites. I love how you described the later seasons of Buffy as being more of a supernatural drama, and season 1 (and 2) as being more horror focused. I think that's a great way to put it. I'm a huge horror fan, which is why I started watching Buffy to begin with, and I think it's why I enjoy season one so much.
It is definitely the campyest of all of the seasons which is not everyone’s cup of tea but hot take I say season 6 is the best. For those who have never seen it be prepared for a roller coaster of emotions 🖤.
I really appreciate season 6 now as an adult
I do love the first season; I think the high school setting and characters are perfect for the somewhat hammier tone than the rest of the series and I have a special fondness for Buffy: The High School Years. The show's really good in the sense that it does get darker as they get older, the way you're problems become a bigger part of you as an adult than as a teen. As dark as the early seasons can get at times there's a lightness there because these are kids getting battered down by the world for the first time and they've still got the resilience to come up laughing and go to the Bronze after; unlike later seasons where all 3 of them are more prone to wallowing in their issues or having a harder time getting back up. I love so many episodes like Buffy's crush on Owen the secret adrenaline junkie, the hilarious tableau at the end of the Puppet Show or the way the 3 of them laugh about how their loves lives are doomed and suddenly stop laughing as they realize its true. There's a lot of good stuff going on character wise that you really miss if you only watch the later seasons.
Of course it is ❤
I always enjoyed Season 1. It was a lot of fun. Before it became a hit, it was one of TV Guide's 'Best Shows You're Not Watching'
This was soo good! I actually love season 1 so much, yes it's corny is some areas, but it's so nostalgic and definitely hits all the right chords when it comes to the 90's and teen media. I was only 9 when it came out and remember instantly being obsessed.. I rewatch the full series now every few years and honestly look forward to season 1's nostalgia.! great video essay!
I just finished rewatching S1 a few days ago and I never really hung out with the fandom back in the day, either in person or online so it's a surprise to me to hear people suggest skipping it, which annoys me slightly. S1 set a lot of the groundwork for the series and established the characters.
This kinda reminds me of how I loved "Stan Against Evil" for it's absurdity, humor, and campiness. No one else seems to like, or even remember it.😢
I remember!
Season 1 had some memorable moments like when Buffy became a cheerleader, Xander becoming a hyena, and a course a pretty solid series two-part opener.
_Witch_ still has one of my favourite cold opens, with Giles berating Buffy for joining a cult, then the camera panning to her in her cheerleader outfit.
"You don't like the colours?"
And the finale when she kills The Master. When she says she's 16 and not ready to die it was so sad.
I would love your review on Season 2 especially the phenomenon of the later half including Innocence, Passion and Becoming.
I love the first season of buffy, great video.
I never saw buffy season 1 as bad, just that some of the rest were better. not all of them ofc. however, I think buffy as a standalone season is just decent, and what makes it god-like is the overall story arc. some of the first episodes in some of the seasons are boring, but when tied together with everything else, seems perfect. etc. etc.
season 1 was a setup for an insane show to come. it was an expectations-breaking setup, but a setup nonetheless, and setups are almost always seen as less exciting.
I always start from the beginning when I rewatch this show. This season actually gets better on each rewatch when I know where each of the characters will end up and I see little details in their writing and/or performances that will eventually become core parts of their character.
Great video. Thank you for reminding us that Season 1 is not only good but, at times, great.
I agree! I remember watching when it first aired, and I was hooked from like the 3rd episode. While I do remember thinking at times that I wished the story focused on The Master a bit more, but I never walked away from any episode thinking “Eh, that wasn’t very good…” Some are definitely better than others, but I always had a great time just “hanging out” with the characters. It wasn’t until relatively recently that I discovered that people dislike it enough to skip it entirely (or watch just the bookend episodes, and #7). Honestly, that took me by surprise! So far, everyone I’ve shown this show to watched and loved every episode of season 1. There will be no skipping in my house!!! 😁
FINALLY! Season one getting the love it deserves ❤
Season 1 of Buffy has always been my favorite yeah of course every series has some weak episodes tell me what Sirius doesn't yeah the pack was a little off the edge so was teacher's pet then let's not forget out of mind out of sight but after you get through those few hang up episodes then it's all down Hill from there than angel the episode truly makes up for the season so does prophecy girl ❤ Buffy the vampire slayer I'll watch it still till today
I love LOVE season one! Prophecy Girl was my favorite ep ever until Graduation Day Part II took that spot for me.
Quick story. We got our own The WB station here officially on January 1st, 1999 and the first episode of BTVS I ever watched on it after work? Prophecy Girl. It was also the first show I EVER watched on our brand new The WB station. I was hooked and became a Buffy fan from that day.
Ty for the vids and you do a great job! Keep it coming please and remember, Buffy flunked the written!
Loved this! You should compare the best episodes of this season to those in season 7, and then the same for the worst. It could be a neat way to look into character development and whatnot
Season 1 makes for a great transition from the more comedic tone of the move to the more dramatic but still campy tone of the rest of the series.
Yeah it does
Season 1 is actually my favourite season for a lot of the reasons you mentioned.
I love season 1. I actually got upset a couple of years ago by an article that recommended people skip season 1 entirely or only watch Prophecy Girl. Season 1 is integral for laying the foundation for the characters, and the amount of character work you miss out on by skipping it? Just depressing. Personally I don’t think there’s any skippable episodes (though Where The Wild Things Are comes close haha).
I skip most of if not all of season 4. Hate that season 😂
@@NelidaUtuwatu It’s definitely my least favorite season, story arch, and bad guy. But all the episodes that aren’t bogged down by the Initiative and Adam are so good. Something Blue, Hush, Fear Itself, Who Are You, Restless, and that’s not even all the bangers from that season.
@RB-vo4gi actually true. Some of the ones I don't skip! 🥲
Season 1 of Buffy is a masterpiece from beginning to end even with the dated special effects.
It’s just fantastic, season one and two are my faves and so nostalgic. Back in the day I stopped watching when Dawn came into the show. Now when I’ve watched it back I can put up with later seasons but the style and vibe of the first few will always have my ❤
Season 1 is my second favorite season, I love the horror vibe, the big bad, and how much Buffy reminds me of Spider-Man (trying to balance personal life with responsibility)
I got into buffy because my friend lent me the first disc of her season 1 boxset, so i just watched the first 4 episodes repeatedly until I finally could watch it on netflix! It’s such a good start to the show, I don’t know how people suggest to skip it!
I totally agree! Earlier this year I started watching people's first time watch reactions and each of them mentioned how they got a bunch of comments saying season one is the worst and you just have to get through it. Despite the Buffyverse series being in my top 10 favorite tv shows, I've never really been IN the fandom or interacted much with other huge fans of the show, so I didn't realize how many people I guess don't care for the initial season. I think it's good, especially as a mid-season replacement, and sets everything up really well- the mixed tone of the show, subverting expectations, establishing the characters, etc. I think maybe some people get caught up in the next seasons or their favorite season(s) and want to get into the meat of the show. I also think people underestimate the charm of the beginning of the show and visual effects of the time, maybe thinking that newer viewers will see it as too cheesy, low-budget, and actually bad... I just started my first full rewatch of Buffy last week and I'm watching with a friend who has never seen the show. She's really unfamiliar with it but loving it and the few episodes we've watched so far! I'm SO excited to get to the next season but I'm still enjoying watching S1!
I just finished rewatching the series and I loved seasons 4-7❤❤
I so agree with it being underrated. Really there is only 3 episodes I don't like in this season, being Teachers Pet, Never Kill A Boy On the First Date, and Nightmares. Hell I Robot, You Jane isn't as bad as people say it is. Like yeah it's ridiculous, but it's fun. And sometimes you need fun in a TV Show as heavy as Buffy.
YESSSSS!!!! I love this season!!!! Thank you for this video!!!
This was amazingly done. I'm on my 5th rewatch, and every time, I remember how much I loved it, especially the earlier seasons. While Season 5 & 6 have a lot of my favorite moments and angles (Dawn, Glory, Spike, etc.), it's exactly the point where the show becomes less fun, and more dramatic. The earlier seasons, on top of building the characters into living, relateable people, also contain some of the best and most quotable moments. Huge fan of it all, and again, extremely well done video.
3:53 Compared to vampires that came after him in both series the Master was generic. "I want to get out of this church I'm stuck in and open the Hellmouth." Especially since opening it became the sole motivation of some one off demon villains later on.
The first season was amazing.
The fashion, top notch.
I love the first season.
Even though, season 5 was my favorite.
Very well done video! Whenever someone says Buffy season 1 is hard to get through I don't get it at all. I love this season so much and no one I ever showed this to (and there's a lot of people) got bored and always had fun!
Great video! Seeing the scenes from it makes me feel so nostalgic...
Perfectly said
100% agree with everything you had to say. I love season 1!
Great video Man, finally an accurate take on buffy season 1! Dude you have to do a video for all seasons of this show. Good insight. Only thing I would add is that, season 1 just wouldn't have worked if the actors weren't as good. The consistency and commitment of the core cast and the big bad was paramount to success
This will shock you- I've NEVER seen it! I need to!
@@supertenor2767 😯😯😯 Yes you do!
Love your channel, you speaking this love of the show with your whole chest and I love that! I've been trying to hate Buffy but I was obsessed with it during its day, and every time I see any clips from the series I fall in love with it all over again! It was truly groundbreaking and awesome on so many levels, and thank you for making these videos. You got a subscriber for whatever other series you want to tackle too.
I concur! 🧛🏼
I like all of Buffy's seasons
_If the apocalypse comes, beep me._
Many fans advise S1 is good. The problem is today's pop culture viewers tendancy to judge based off shows being older and not CGI heavy, combined with repeat viewers of BtVS knowing the show gets better. Not that S1 itself is actually bad.
i never understood why people don't like it, some ofmy favourite episodes are in s1, the pack, the invisible girl, those are the ones i think about first when i think of buffy
Great tv series always have the question what season is the best. To me I love them all because it brings me back to a time when tv was fun. Love your channel and videos!
It’s one of my favourite seasons of the show ❤
For me not really. I love Season 1 don’t get me wrong but I love it purely for nostalgic reasons. Looking at it objectively Season 1 has not aged well, and many episodes are way too cheesy and campy for new people especially in todays age to get through. I’ve known many people who try to get into Buffy and they struggle big time with the first season, and don’t really get into it until Season 2 hits. The effects and filler episodes is hard. I think it’s the weakest season of Buffy. Even the strongest episode of the season (Prophecy Girl - which for the most part is a decent episode) gets demolished in quality by episodes to follow in Season 2 and later seasons.
Rachel < 3 I really so much agree with you
Great video! I love season 1 ❤
The best season in my opinion
I agree it’s a solid and watchable debut season. But Rachel you forgot your fave episode I… robot, you … Jane 😂
🤣🤣
@@racheldoesfandom “Right now a man in Beijing is transferring money to a Swish bank account for a contract on his Mother’s life. Good for him”. Don’t get gold like that in Nightmares 😂
❤❤❤
Rachel have you ever thought about doing videos on chris or wyatt from charmed 🤔
Even though season 1 is the weakest seasons in the series it still has some good episode like prophecy girl plus it has one of the best villains the master
There’s this rigid orthodoxy in this fandom. It’s a hive mind that ALWAYS tells new reactors that “Season 1 bad.” It isn’t.
Sarah Michelle Gellar was so incredibly beautiful in Season 1. Later, she lost too much weight, and it hurt her looks a bit.
Great videooo
People say the same thing about Stargate SG:1. I never understood it. Sure it's not as good as season 2, but it's not bad. Some weak episodes. But what show doesn't?
Season one was great. The only season I didn't much care for was six. Season six had some good episodes (e.g. Seeing Red), but it also had several horrendous episodes (e.g. Once More with Feeling is the worst episodes in the entire series, also one of the worst episodes in the history of TV and I could do without all of the Dawn centric episodes) and many that were blah. I thought the first three seasons were the best. The show started drifting off in season four and by season six it was mostly ugh, granted with a few gems like the afore mentioned Seeing Red. Willow’s character arc is one of the best character arcs in television. But overall Buffy is an excellent series which I rewatch about once a year (except OMwF, which i have never watched in full - I just can't tolerate that episode).
Season 1 IS good.
It's just not amazing, like the rest of the show.
4 eps into S1 here and I think S1 is garbage. I know it must and will surely get better as it became the biggest genre franchise show on the planet until Dr Who reclaimed its mantle circa 2006 for the following 10 years.
I appreciate the effort to boost Season 1 of Buffy but sorry its still the worst IMO and I tend to skip most of the episodes upon rewatch. Not to say it doesn't have its charm and good episodes but the Master is not an entertaining villain to me and too many of the episodes are just forgettable and lack some of the emotional weight of later seasons