Charisma Carpenter Movie:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 1 [Region 2] Reviews:
HOOKED! BUFFY AND ANGEL FAN FOR LIFE!
2006-05-25 - I will start off by stating that when I first heard about BTVS I was not interested.This is when it was aired on TV. I thought the movie was soso and questioned why any station would want to do a series. I watched the first season of buffy starting in Janury 06. My nephew actually wanted this for X-mas and when he was finished I found myself bored and asked to borrow it to pass the time. Well guess what I was hooked! and I got my little sister hooked too. The stories where great! and I love SMG, I can not see any other female having played Buffy and Angel, My GOD! he's was soooo sooo fine! Just yummy. Anyway I will say that I went on to buy the entire 7 seasons of Buffy and all 5 of Angel. Yes for the folks that are not aware, buffy had a spin off called Angel. Angel started the same year BTVS season 4 aired. I am telling you get them all. I finished both series by the end of March 06. Yes, it was like every freaking free minute it was either Buffy or Angel. I tell you without going into major detail about each detail I will say that BTVS and Angel were one of the best shows on Televison!!! period. I can honestly say I am glad I go from one season to another becasue I think I would have lost my mind if I had to wait it out!When I finished season 1, I was like my God, how did I ever doubt this series. All I can say is I wish the series and went on longer............

BUY IT, WATCH IT, LOVE IT, RECOMMEND IT.

Reconsidering the First Season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
2006-01-22 - Having had a couple of years to mull over the final episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and how it fulfilled Joss Whedon's mission statement for the series, I have been reconsidering the show's first season in terms of how it set the foundation for everything that was to come. If you have seen the original theatrical movie version of "BtVS," then you have probably noticed how the words are clearly Whedon's, but the tone is not. Given a rare opportunity for a second chance to realize his vision, the first season establishes the following points for contemplation. You will note that they are based more on comparisons to the theatrical film than the series finale, because that ended up being the more pertinent analog:

(1) The most important factor that gives the television series more depth than the movie is clearly the character of Angel (David Boreanaz), although the creation of the Scooby Gang is huge as well. But even more impressive than the fact that a vampire with a soul is in love with the Slayer is the fact that Joss Whedon holds off on this revelation until the seventh episode ("Angel"). For the first six episodes Angel was Mystery Guy, Stealth Guy, Cryptic Guy, and then in the first truly memorable moment of the series, Buffy learns the truth as Angel's face morphs in her bedroom. Creating these star-crossed lovers is where this television series start an operatic story arc that culminates in "Becoming: Part II," the show's zenith.

(2) Related to this is the Master (Mark Metcalf) story arc that defines the first season. Each subsequent season of Buffy has similarly been defined by a pair of story arcs, usually dividing the season in half: Season 2 starts with Spike & Dru and then Angelus takes over in the second half. Of course, this helps set up the thrilling season finales each year as the Master/Angelus/Mayor/Adam/Glory meets their fate. But it also means that throughout the season things are brewing and building. In other words, the order of the episodes matters.

(3) As Joss Whedon has often told us, the subtext of "BtVS" is that High School is Hell. I was surprised that over half the episodes from the First Season dealt primarily with the horrors of going to high school, as opposed to expanding the Buffy mythos. Living up to the unreasonable expectations of parents ("Witch"), having a crush on a teacher ("Teacher's Pet"), school cliques ("The Pack"), meeting someone on the internet ("I Robot, You Jane"), facing your worst fears ("Nightmares"), being ignored by everybody ("Out of Mind, Out of Sight"), and even just trying to go out on a date ("Never Kill a Boy On the First Date") are dealt with in Season One.

(4) The final obvious strength of the show would be the characters and the actors playing them. Willow (Allyson Hannigan) might by the all-time best Best Friend, and watching the character grow over the years has been fascinating. Poking fun at the pomposity of Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) never grows old, but I have to admit that I think Xander (Nicholas Brendon) is the [punch line] of way too many jokes. Then again, one of the show's masterstrokes is that Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), who represents everything about high school that the others hate, gets dragged into being a member of the gang. It is also clear in retrospect that Joss Whedon's knows how to use the characters and acting talent he stumbles across. Elizabeth Anne Allen (Amy Madison), Robia LaMorte (Jenny Calendar), and Mercedes McNab (Harmony) are all introduced in first season episodes and brought back for even greater fun in future episodes.

Watching the first season episodes of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" makes it clear that the show certainly started strong. Yes, there are some efforts that could be a lot better: my groaner is "Teacher's Pet" although others have problems with "Witch," "I Robot, You Jane" and "Out of Mind, Out of Sight." But all of those episodes suffer in part because they are the farthest removed from the core of the Buffy mythos. But the "Welcome to the Hellmouth/The Harvest" pilot, "The Pack," "Angel" and "Prophecy Girl" are first-rate efforts, and that's a third of the initial season right there. However, as soon as you watch "When She Was Bad," the first episode from Season Two, it is clear that the show had gotten a LOT better. So I would really give Season One 4.5 stars, which rounds up on the strength of Sarah Michelle Gellar's performance and especially her "I don't want to die" speech in "Prophecy Girl." Killing Buffy only makes her stronger.