djbrown

Alright, so I've never watched an episode of 'Buffy', but the good old Tivo is ready to start picking them up from the beginning in the next day or so. Is this a series that starts slowly and picks up steam a few episodes in, or is it great right from the beginning?

das Monkey

A little of both. The first eps aren't first season TNG hokey, but they're not third season B5 brilliant either. The style of humor and the basic mentality of the show are there from the beginning, and I certainly find the first season very enjoyable, but they don't really hit their full stride until the second season. It starts off solid and picks up steam and hits greatness fairly quickly.

Welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride.

das

Patman

Buckle up!

djbrown

The two shows you mentioned, provided I deciphered the abbreviations correct (The Next Generation and Babylon 5), are both sci-fi shows that I do not watch (the last "sci-fi" show I watched was "V" some ~ 20 years ago). Is Buffy considered to be a sci-fi show, or is it more of a drama/comedy mix with some supernatural elements thrown in?

For reference sakes, I watch shows like CYE, Monk, The Shield, Friends, Frasier (still), Ed, Boomtown, CSI, Without a Trace, Joe Doe, 24, Lucky, and some reality (Survivor, Amazing Race), Sopranos, and countless others I'm omitting. But I'm not into watching (or at least haven't in the past) Smallville, Babylon 5, Star Trek in any incarnation, Firefly, etc...

Chew

Much more the latter. I don't consider Buffy to be sci-fi at all.

das Monkey

It's not sci-fi, but it is what would be classified as "genre" television, in that it's not made to appeal to everyone on the planet. You have to approach it with some imagination and immerse yourself into the world it creates. I randomly picked TNG and B5, but Buffy does compare to B5 pretty well, in that character devlopment is essential, the stories are grand in scope, and the plots and themes take place across large episode arcs.

To place it in terms of your list, it has the character development of The Shield, the witty dialogue of Ed, and the offbeat humor of CYE. It's hard to classify it, but "a drama/comedy mix with some supernatural elements" is a decent enough description. The overall premise of the show is presenting the real challenges of life against the backdrop of a supernatural setting (e.g. the first few seasons follow the theme that "high school is hell" ... literally). In fact, the themes are actually more realistic and more relevant than most of your standard dramas.

Anyway, you don't need to be a sci-fi geek to appreciate the show. Its strength is in the writing and the character development and some of the best acting from a female lead that television has ever seen (yeah, I know ... she's a teen idol ... you'll see). If you can get past the stigma associated with a "genre" show with a silly name (which you've already done by deciding to watch it in the first place), then you're ready for this show.

Let me know when you're ready to start B5.

das

djbrown

I should've mentioned that I enjoy Alias quite a bit as well, which seems to fit the "character development, long story arcs" criteria pretty well

I asked in the first place cause I tried the same thing with "Dawson's Creek" earlier this summer and didn't stay with it too long. Dunno, just wasn't my cup of tea. Buffy seems to have a much larger following however.

_tony_

what channel is it airing from the beginning on? i just might try gettin into it too.

costanza187

I can tell you this much, it's gonna be awesome!

djbrown

FX network. Two a day, either at 5/6 PM CST the day before or at 6/7 AM the following morning. My 145 hour DTivo is snagging the ones each morning.

http://www.fxnetwork.com/Sched/FullS...vampire+slayer

Welcome to the Hellmouth is the first episode.

das Monkey

Alias is a much better comparison than Dawson's Creek. Buffy is much stronger on the comedic side and has better dialogue, whereas Alias probably excels in the action department and is a bit more consistent from episode to episode, but they're comparable in terms of well drawn dynamic characters and intriguing storytelling.

das

Youth N Asia

Season one is good for the kind of show it is. Season 2 and 3 is where the show hits its stride.

nny

Another thing to mention is season 1 is only 13 episodes. So if you don't like season 1, it won't be too long till you're into season 2.

If you don't like it from the beginning and are thinking about stopping watching it, try to catch the last 3 episodes of season 1 and the first episode of season 2. Imo, that's a really good run of episodes.

Doughboy

I thought it was great right from the beginning, although it certainly got better in its 2nd and 3rd seasons. Believe me, I was the last person who ever thought a TV series based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer would be a success. I saw the movie when it first came out and was really pissed about those 90 minutes I would never get back.

But "Welcome to the Hellmouth" caught me completely off-guard. The writing, acting, and tone were perfect. A complete 180 from the piece of crap movie. One word of warning though. Give the character Angel a few episodes to grow on you. At first he seems like a bad Luke Perry clone, but there's a lot more to him than meets the eye.

Youth N Asia

Season one's actually 12 episodes. It's not a bad season, but they rush a little.

Dr. DVD

In terms of story and pacing, it is almost advisable to look at Buffy seasons one thru three as one large story arc. Three is not only the best Buffy season IMO, but some of the best written TV drama in history. However, for three to be effective, you have to watch seasons one and two as backstory.

In terms of what to be prepared for, well, don't get too attached to characters that seem like they might be there for the long haul. I won't get specific with names and episodes, but about the time you decide a supporting character is one of your favorites, they're gone.

slop101

You're lucky, because Buffy comes accross much better when watching it at you're own pace through the dvd sets than at the whim of the network.

mwj

I envy someone who gets to watch Buffy and have it be completely fresh. Seasons 1-5 are great.

Josh-da-man

The earliest shows of BTVS -- the first three seasons -- come off as "Beverly Hills 90210" co-produced by Hammer Films and Marvel Comics. Granted, I despised BH90210, but the preceding statement IS a compliment.

The first season is a good enough start, but it has a light-hearted tone to it that will go away in the second season. There is also a pretty morbid undercurrent to it that really contrasts with the wise-cracking and general tone that is put forth.

If you're going into the series cold, there is also a pretty big surprise plot twist in there. Expect the unexpected.

The second season is where the show really finds it footing. There's a point in the second season -- you'll know it when you see it -- where the show goes from being good, light-hearted fun to absolutely brilliant.

After the second season, there will be no question as to whether or not you want to continue.

As to how the show compares with the movie, it's night and day. The Buffy of the series is a very different character than the one in the movie. She's essentially the "popular" girl at her school. She's the prom queen and the cheerleader, and you know she's going to go to college, join the best sorority on campus, and marry a doctor or lawyer. But somewhere along the way, she's had her life taken away from her and she now bears the weight of the world on her shoulders.

The series doesn't exactly follow the same continuity as the movie, as there are a lot of differences, so seeing the movie is not necessary to enjoying the series. Joss Whedon claims that the series picks up after his original script for the movie, and not the movie that was actually produced.

costanza187

I like to watch the movie every few months just for a good laugh.

BizRodian

I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say this. If you're anything like my this is what you can expect: utter joy for the first three seasons, then a slow downward spiral until you hit rock bottom with disapointment for the seasons after that. Which turns you into a bitter person who no one likes.

Hopefully, you'll fare better then me.

mookiemeister

Many people consider 2nd and 3rd season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to be the best two seasons of the show.

DRG

Just to add my two cents... season 3 is great, but season 5 I love the most. It's got that epic quality.

zerotl

Good thing I found this thread, I tivoed 1 eps a couple of weeks ago, I think with that guys spike in it, but was totally lost, now that I get to start it from the beginning, it'll be cool. But the timeslot sux. I can only record the 6:00Am one because 6PM is reserved for my simpsons double dose fix.

So my question, looking at the schedule @ the fx site, I am confused, if I just keep recording the daily 6:00 AM show, will I catch the whole season? Or I need to also catch the ones at night?

das Monkey

• Quoth zerotl •<HR SIZE=1>So my question, looking at the schedule @ the fx site, I am confused, if I just keep recording the daily 6:00 AM show, will I catch the whole season? Or I need to also catch the ones at night? <HR SIZE=1>

Yeah, that schedule is a bit confusing. Note that "The Harvest Pt 2" is not Part 2 of an episode call "The Harvest" but simply Part 2 of "Welcome to the Hellmouth" ... kind of misleading there.

Anyway, it appears they show two eps each night at 6 and 7pm ET and then repeat them at 7 and 8 am ET the next morning, so if you want the morning eps, you'll need to be getting 2 per day.

As always, a list of the episodes, their order, and their names can be found here: http://www.epguides.com/BuffyTheVampireSlayer/

das