The Never Ending Discussion Thread...

[Veverka]

Starting off with Welcome to the Hellmouth...
To me, it's ten out ten... not coz it's perfect, but coz it sets everything up wonderfully, opens the whole storyline by the Darla=apparent damsel=evil subversion, and goes from there...
Please discuss!!! (Should I mention that I stole this from the forum formerly known as BWFs...???!!!:roll:

[RockWild]

For a first episode it was actually really strong and introduced the concept of the series very well. From the start you got a sense of the story, the mythology and the characters, which is hard to do in just 45 minutes.

There are very few brand new series that hook me with the first episode. Most series take at least a season to really get me interested enough to say that I'm a fan. Buffy had me right from the start and since that time I think only Lost has got me hooked as quickly. That says a lot about how good the pilot was.

[Cinderela]

High on my list, too! I was immediately drawn to the whole "girl power" vibe in that show. I'd say 10 also, just because I couldn't stop watching!

Hooked me right from the start and kept me hooked all the way to the bitter end!

[LRae12]

for a series premiere, it was pretty good. Of course, Alias tops my list for series premieres, but I'd give it a 7/10. I loved/hated Cordy right off the bat with her snippy 'Willow, good to know you've seen the softer side of Sears' remark...:D

[omri]

For a first episode it's really good. But i didn't like how angel was acting. kinda bugs me. the way they put the whole season in buffy's dream was really cool...
7/10.

[tangent]

ooh love this thread missed it sooo much.

Welcome to the helmouth is a nice solid if unspectacular ep. It's a little heavy on the exposition which is a necessary evil but the characters are all introduced well and we get a good understanding of who everybody is.

The only real bug bear for me is, as has been said, Angel. He just isn't angel in these first eps. He's too light, too humorous but of course we know this will change.

overall 7/10

[redrevo]

WTTH was certainly better than about half of the rest of the season, introducing the characters well and starting out with an actual plot. I liked Giles as the stuffy guy who always liked making his little speeches, and Buffy ignoring the whole thing and using common sense coupled with rampant humor.

Yes, Angel's little lead-in about Buffy being short was a bit too light for the dark and broody guy we later see, but the whole part where Buffy turns the cliche on its head by realizing Angel is following her and kicking him in the back of the head was great. In retrospect I also liked how we get to see some of the dark-and-broody with Angel's line ("I know what you want. To kill them. To kill them all.") and how Buffy doesn't fall for the aforementioned dark-and-broody guy - until later, groan - with the gem: "Sorry, that's incorrect, but you do get this lovely watch and a year's supply of turtle waxWhat I WANT is to be left alone!"

8/10

[bazza]

WTTH set up Btvs perfectly. Characters were introduced very well and straight away was I was able to see where each of the characters would end up. The explanation of the overall plot by Giles summed it up perfectly and was very easy to understand. I found the quotes to be amazing right from the first episode to the very last both the humorous (which were very creative and used very well) and the serious quotes.

Angel did seem to be very OOC compared to rest of the series but maybe Joss wasn't at the time sure how he'd fit into it later on.

Overall a great opening: 8.5/10

[LRae12]

Hmmm....well I think enough time has passed, we could move onto The Harvest?

I give it a 7/10. It really was a great counterpart to the series opening. I admit, that the first two episodes run together in my mind a lot, so I have a hard time remembering which parts were from WTTH and which were from The Harvest.

But as I vaguely recall, this was the episode with Xander & Buffy searching for Jesse in the sewers. I think it was also the episode where whe see Buffy leaping over the school fence in a single bound. Which must have been something they decided she wasn't going to do often, because I don't ever remember seeing her do that again in the series.

I really liked the ending of the episode, though, with Giles stating "The earth is doomed". It was a great lead off into the rest of the series. :)

[vampmogs]

Well Buffy jumped a great length in Lie To Me as well so it wasn't completely radical for her to do such a thing :)

I liked the Harvest, I thought we got a better insight into our characters and it really set up the Scooby dynamics, with Willow being the brains, Buffy being the brawn and Xander being the human who has no super powers to speak of. We also see the first signs of the Bangel romance and an understanding between the two, Buffy's first saving of the world, Xander's first acknowledgment that he hates vampires and a great deal more about the mythology of the show.

9/10

[Cinderela]

The Master was a little over the top for me in this episode. I wasn't too crazy about the whole "Harvest" plot, it seemed a little overdone, IMHO. It felt like Joss needed go really GRAB the target audience and this ep did a good job of that.

And, it did a great job of setting up all the characters in their roles, so

8/10

[freakybunny]

The Harvest was IMO one of those episodes that you could kind of forget after awhile but when you see it, your remember everything. David's acting was... how can I say this?... In it's early stages lol, but so were alot of the others.
I enjoyed the story very much and loved it when Xander went to the sewers with Buffy and she told him this story about this vamp and then he had that flashlight... I didn't like Luke though...

7.5/10

[LRae12]

hmmmm...........I think enough time has passed to move onto Witch

I give it a 5/10. Wasn't super horrible, but not one of my favorites. The funny Buffy cheering capades was memorable, and it's fun to go back and watch this episode and to see how cheesy the show was in the first season, to see Willow who was just so different from how she ended in the series. Fun, classic episode. :)

[Maria]

Oh yes I had so much fun watching Witch. To this day, I still laugh when Buffy throws that cheerleader up and away like a rag doll :lol: This is also where Amy was introduced as shy. Knowing the future now as we do it's a bit sad to also see these cheesy times. Who knew brownie-loving Amy would end up like her evil mother. Who knew too that Cordy the bully would someday become a higher being. Although I enjoyed her more in these early times. She was at least real. Now I must admit I cringe when Buffy sings Macho Macho Man. I loved the scene between Buffy and Joyce when Buffy asked her if she would like to be 16 again, and Joyce says no. I'd give this 7/10.

[Jenni Lou]

5/10. Completely mediocrity, which is more than I can say for most of s1. However, a cool part of the ep is the introduction to Amy and it's always neat when there are recurring characters perpetually on the periphery but never quite all that recurring. I love how she just sort of popped up here and there of the years, even for her literal two second cameo in Something Blue. :lol:

[basakbangel]

It's a great opening but not ten out of ten, IMO. Yes, It sets up everything in once and that's the thing that most of the writer can't so "Congrats" for that. Not ten but maybe 9 :D because of the story line and title.

[LRae12]

I guess Teacher's Pet is up next...

I give it a 4/10. The total cheesey-ness of it, the predictability of the teacher being a preying mantis was not very original. But it was funny seeing the horny teens go gaga over the teacher, even if it has been done soooo many times. Plus it's fun to go back and see how different SMG, AH, and NB looked in the early eps.

[Moscow Watcher]

Interestingly, David Greenwalt was immediately found perfect Cordelia voice. Her scene with crisis counselor is priceless.
I think Greenwalt has always been the best Cordy writer.

[Pandora's_Box]

I'll say 1/10, I'm gonna use an honest scale and don't give 3 or 4 to crappy episodes. Here the storyline is dumb, the visual effects really bad like Ms French turning her head, Xander's reaction when Buffy warn him "You're jealous" the thing we've heard a hundred time in other TV shows, the fourch vampire, why is he here. I give one point because the whole virgin stuff is funny and because unlike some Buffy eps, not that boring.

[BlasterBoy]

Definitely time to move on! :) To Never Kill A Boy On The First Date....

First off, nice title :rolleyes: Next off, it was okay, I guess. I think it had a very lame plot, though. the anointed one is one of the most idiotic characters, ever, and the plot of finding the evil guy was stupid. And, in the end, the anointed one does not do anything, really :(

I liked some of the dialog, a lot, and it had some very classic lines, such as, "If the apocalypse comes, beep me." :lol: :roll: Sometimes, you gotta love Buffy!

But, really, the plot drew me away and kept me annoyed and rolling my eyes the whole time. It wasn't terrible, but really did not impress me....

Never Kill A Boy On The First Date - 6.5/10

[Pandora's_Box]

Still in my honest notation way, considering my favorite episode would have a10/10 and the worst 0/10, I'll give NKABOTFD 2.5/10, nice title I agree and a fresh spirit, this really is about dating and the scenes with Owen are funny. But like pretty much every season 1 ep, the storyline is really bad, the whole anointed guy is so...annoying, the action scenes are cheap, the diretion is weak, the vampires look stupid, the music and sounds are terrible. The problem about the ep is probably the fact that it's a season 1 ep. And not about financial issues but about main characters being insignificant (can you say Willow!) and the writing being too childish and easy. But as I said, the good stuff is the dating thing and the scooby good lines...The conclusion of the ep. with Giles "Your calling...blah blah blah...When they told I'll be watcher....blah blah...hard to be alone....) being pretty insignificant.

[selenspuffy]

"Never Kill a Boy On the First Date" is a great, dramatic episode. Also it shows us that Buffy's boyfriends are always going to be unusual, always related to some magical or demionish sources, etc like that. Therefore, it's7/10 imo

[Moscow Watcher]

I like this episode too. The biggest surprise for me was Owen's reaction. Instead of being aghast at demons and vampires, he is clearly fascinated with them. I see an interesting theme continued in Lie To Me.


Also it shows us that Buffy's boyfriends are always going to be unusual, always related to some magical or demionish sources, etc like that.

Or poetic. :)

[Tigger96]

I give NKABOTFD 6/10...it clearly showed the conflict Buffy will always struggle with of trying to have a normal life and be the slayer at the same time. She showed maturity by turning Owen down once it became clear that he wanted to be "Danger Man". I enjoyed the early lightheartedness of the ep and seeing classic Cordelia (dissing on Buffy's actions with Owen, which were perfectly tame, and then turning into a vixen when Angel walks through the door).

[spuffylove147]

I'll give NKABOTFD 6.5/10, it's not all that special but it's not bad either. I think all the Angel stuff is hilarious along with the Cordelia stuff. Though I really don't get Owen, I mean I know Buffy wants a normal life but with that guy? I would've kicked him to the curb before he was into danger. He was just kind of lame, I don't know he's so not her type, I just don't get it.

Beyond not getting Owen, it was pretty funny, and i like that the annointed one was the kid, evil children are creepier than evil big tough guys, because well, duh.

[selenspuffy]

I think that's enough for NKABOTFT , lets move on and go with The Pack, I think it's a strange one..(eating the principal etc:D) It is sometimes fun to watch but also boring, only 5/10 from me!

[Pandora's_Box]

I'm gonna give it a 2.5, basic plot, one of the heroes becoming a bad guy, Smallville, Charmed...There's stories like that in every SF show, so no point for originality. But the episode is still some interesting with some good lines and a good job from Nicholas Brendon, and Job's Eyes sequence, probably the first really esthetic scene of the show. Plus Flutie being eaten is kinda cool. But as I already said, still a season 1 ep with all the problems it brings, the major one for me being that main characters are so boring or/and clichés, well except Xander here, but just because of the hyena...

[alexa]

Ooo the Pack rocks. It's so different, and the music is also pretty entertaining. Kinda love the sexy moment between Buffy and Xander, Nick can play evil so hot! (re-Vampire Xander.. gimme a piece). LOL don't know what's wrong with me but anyway I'd give it a 8/10.

[Tigger96]

The Pack is so fun, and for a S1 ep, pretty good. It's always fun to see one of the good guys go bad, and they were able to carry a few jokes from that one to a few other eps...I'd give it at least a 6/10.

[Moscow Watcher]

The Pack is a promise of things to come. :)

The episode reflects Joss' fascination with twisted sex and darkness. And his eagerness to give titular characters longer moral leeway than supporting players.

"You want danger, don't you - you like your men dangerous..." was prescient enough but "the more I scare you, the better you smell" was... well... a revelation. It's something you don't expect to hear on a teenage show. I suppose it was direct Joss contribution.

But, besides the highlights of season 1 the episode features it's absolute nadir: Buffy seeing her accidental killing of the zookeper as something normal. Every time when Joss starts to talk about morality of BtVS, I can't keep from remembering the scene. Every time when I watch Bad Girls\Consequences, I can't forget that, when Buffy found herself in a similar situation, the writers swept the issue under the rug.

So kudos for Nicholas Brendon for his great acting and boo to Matt Kiene & Joe Reinkemeyer who wrote the script.

[Yosso]

The Pack

In my opinion this is the first real quality episode of the show, I absolutely adore this episode!

The whole bully/predator metaphor was so well done in this episode. Mean Xander, though not really 100% him was great. I loved the Xander/Willow friendship themes in this episode, Hyena!Xander really ripping into Willow was so harsh and heart melting :(.

Buffy was great in this episode, standing up to Xander, for Willow. The pack eats Herbert, the school pig mascot... some things you can only get away with in Buffy! The whole pack hyena supernatural element was a nice new interesting touch, not vampires, but not as cheesy as praying-mantis-biology-teachers either. The zookeeper wanting to be a hyena person was an unexpected twist. The Buffy/Xander near rape scene, very intense, though I wish the episode had gone deeper with that, it could have been a good complication for the Buffy/Xander relationship back in S1. However since these are the early days and the real meaty darkness doesn’t come till later it’s not surprising that it didn’t.

And Xander makes up for his meanness by saving Willow. This episode was great, it made me absolutely hate the hyena's in so many different ways, vulnerable Willow was heartbreaking to watch :( the volleyball scene especially. Yet this was a great way to firmly establish the Xander/Willow friendship which has to be the core reason I adore this episode so.

So far definitely the best season one episode yet.

8/10

[spuffbeste]

Let's continue with ''Angel'' I think it is quite important episode for Buffy. Because she had the first kiss and then she found out that Angel's a vampire!! IMO, it's 7/10

[Tigger96]

Well, I'd have to give "Angel" a 7/10 also...I enjoyed the ep, learning the truth about Angel, and the drama that entailed. Plus, I've always been a suceker for the starcrossed-lovers theme, so this whole thing just makes me root for them more.

[selenspuffy]

Angel was an nice ep, the Buffy&Angel kiss was important..that was the first:) enjoyed it..Learning the truth about Angel was cool:D! I'd give 7/10 also..

[potterfanatic]

ANGEL kind of weirded me out, though I'll admit that it's ok (5/10) it had one fundamental flaw, Angels personality changed to damn easily. It barely took one minute alone with Darla before he was willing to slash Buffys throat out and then it took about one minute with Buffy for him to turn back. the only really great thing about this ep was seeing a vamp with guns, other than that it was a fairly average ep (Which for this series still means its good)

[atrixa]

I much prefer The Pack to Angel. Angel introduced a main character and all, but I find that The Pack is more fun to watch. I love that Pig!

[electroGwen]

7/10 for Angel, though I agree with potterfanatic on Angel quickly changing persona. The pack I will give 5/10. I like going back to watch Angel, not so much with The pack, but it had good songs and Xander being evil. Oh and SMG's outfit at the end I luv. She looks very pretty in it.

[potterfanatic]

See I prefer the Pack to angel (The Pack gets an 8/10) because what I love about it is the ending. When Xander turns god again within seconds he see's Willow in danger and rushes to her rescue, even though he's unarmed. And Xander saying straight out "Nobody hurts my willow" is so damn sweet that I cna't help but well up with tears

[Tigger96]

ANGEL kind of weirded me out, though I'll admit that it's ok (5/10) it had one fundamental flaw, Angels personality changed to damn easily. It barely took one minute alone with Darla before he was willing to slash Buffys throat out and then it took about one minute with Buffy for him to turn back. the only really great thing about this ep was seeing a vamp with guns, other than that it was a fairly average ep (Which for this series still means its good)

Now, see, I had always felt that Angel's personality change w/ Darla was just an act. He was just acting tough and maybe thinking he could go back to 'playing' the tough guy. As we learn (much later, mind you), Darlla has always had an amazing pull over Angel, and maybe part of him still longed for it, cuz what he saw in himself w/ Buffy scared the crap out of him and he didn't know how to deal with it. This would be the first relationship he'd ever had since his soul was returned and he didn't really know the limits of that. Heck, he'd gone vamp-face just kissing the girl. He loved her and he was probably deathly afraid of what he would do if they got closer, so he let Darla taunt him into 'playing the game'. However, once he was back in Buffy's presance, he couldn't maintain that facade cuz he loved her. And once he started talking about himself and his desires, the fact that he wanted to kiss Joyce, that blood-lust will never go away for him, he's a vamp. And once they'd started talking, he realized that the game-playing just wasn't for him...he desperately wanted Buffy to understand him, as much as she could as a human.

So, that's my take on his split-second personality changes....

[aquaesulis]

There're some really good points there - Angel off-balance by his feelings for Buffy, torn by his whole past with Darla, tormented by the blood-lust denied by his soul. Plus I don't think the writers had quite settled into his character at that stage!

'Angel' gets a 7/10 for me too - but a huge bonus point for the vampire! reveal - I never saw that coming when I first watched it!

*happysigh* I really have to watch the whole lot from the beginning again, and what a great excuse to!

[alexa]

Angel is the first episode of Buffy that really got me into the show.
First of all, David shirtless.
Sarah/David chemistry.
Sweet kiss after funny moment then... hazzah! Angel is a vampire! :eek: But how can he be good!? :p
Buffy walks in to see Angel standing over her bleeding mother.. cut to: Angel flying out of the window. Awesome!!
LOL ok, so I don't think this episode measures up quite like later episodes, but it's a good intro to the show.. and is probably responsible for my bangel-ness.

8.5/10

[Illyrian]

I did like the way Angel came out from where the window was, but did Buffy throw him out or did he jump out?. But he didn't fly through the window, more of a desperate measure to leave the building, with a touch of the plummeting thing at the end, and the landing skills of a dying duck.

[vampmogs]

I did like the way Angel came out from where the window was, but did Buffy throw him out or did he jump out?. But he didn't fly through the window, more of a desperate measure to leave the building, with a touch of the plummeting thing at the end, and the landing skills of a dying duck.

I always took it as Buffy throwing him through the window, or striking him which sent him through the window. I don't think it was Angel jumping out the window, as you said he had the landing skills of a dying duck if that was the case, and we know Angel's more graceful than that. :)

[Alfie]

I liked Angel as an episode, just hated the ending with Darla and the guns; it seemed so out of no where.

[Veverka]

Yeah, that's a good call, we so rarely see guns in the show, too, but I guess it was such early days that maybe the gun ethos hadn't been fleshed out yet?

[skinless]

but I guess it was such early days that maybe the gun ethos hadn't been fleshed out yet? Yeah I think thats the case cuz as Im doing the rewatch, Multiple times over seasons 4-6 she states that those things dont help or that "Guns, Never Useful" so It might not be til later that that is pointed out.

[LPeerson]

The 'No Gun' rule on Buffy was pretty funny, but good.
If they would have talked about it over and over, it would have taken away the free-wheeling fun of the show. I mean, come on...Buffy says guns are 'Never Helpful' but she just lets Xander stand around getting beat up over and over again? I think that poor kid would have found guns helpful. But they would have ruined the show.
I do like how they toyed with the concept. They introduced The Initiative, but still really didn't want guns on the show, so they gave them Super-Tazers and had them catch the monsters alive for experimentation. Haha!
Also, the 'No Gun' rule did build to the only scary moments of season six, when Warren catches everyone off guard with his pistol, and Willow catches everyone off guard with her wacky skinless-Warren spell.
So, yeah, no guns...but if they ever make a movie they should show that poor Xander is the lone human fighting monsters, and has payed the price. He already lost an eye, he should show up in the movie with a bazooka arm, or something.

[urbanlegend23]

Angel (7/10)
-This episode would get a higher rating had it not gone so drastically wrong in the final act. Darla and the guns was really lame. The rest of the episode was good - not all that memorable to me personally though.

[buffylives.]

Ive never been a fan of Angel.
Bored me really as not that much took place and the death of Darla was completely pointless.

Actually i think Darlawas completely pointless.
3/10

[buffylives.]

Yeah, that's a good call, we so rarely see guns in the show, too, but I guess it was such early days that maybe the gun ethos hadn't been fleshed out yet?

Does anyone rememver when Riley gave Buffy a gun?

She had no clue how to use it and kept shooting everything?

[urbanlegend23]

Ive never been a fan of Angel.
Bored me really as not that much took place and the death of Darla was completely pointless.

Actually i think Darlawas completely pointless.
3/10


Darla as a character was definitely not pointless. She was pretty boring on Buffy's first season, but her storyline in Angel was fascinating and it's when she became an integral part of it that Angel got really great, IMO.

[melmel333]

definetly 8.5/10 . season 1 is one of my favorite seasons
yes, buffy/ angel kiss . which is aweeeesome . not to mention the end kiss with the song and the scar and amazingnesss.
darla was not pointless . get a clue. did u even watch the show angel?
i loved this episode cause it started to move in a new direction, making things complicatedddd and sensuuuaaaalll

mmmmm . such a yummy episode :)

[miscjj06]

I liked "Angel". I loved the line "I can walk like a man, but I'm not one" and I loved how she bared her neck to him. How can you not love that?

[urbanlegend23]

season 1 is one of my favorite seasons

Really? That's probably the first time I've ever heard that comment about S1...I'd say it's widely considered the show's worst (or I should say, least-great) year.

[urbanlegend23]

I, Robot - You, Jane (4/10)

The less said about this episode the better. I can't even remember it that well because I've probably only ever watched it twice, but it's pretty terrible for a BtVS episode. The robot at the end was laughably bad. Willow had a few good moments that begin to show Alyson's incredible range, but it's not enough to make up for the terrible monster-of-the-week story.

[N2NOther]

Even the worst episodes have good moments. The ending of I Robot with them realizing that all their relationships are doomed is comedic greatness.

[trueblue]

can we move on to the next one, if so..

The puppet show 5/10

me personally i think its a pretty poor episode, some funny moments with the scoobies, particularly shy willow on stage and the very last scene is pretty funny, oh and have to mention coredelia singing the greatest love of all and giles rection, classic, other than that its not the best there wasnt much point to the episode

[carousel_girl8]

The Puppet Show 4/10

I'm not overly keen on most of Season 1 but this is definately one of my least favourites. I quite like the final scene and Cordelia singing too but I think it is still very weak compared to most episodes of Buffy.

[Saro49]

I actually quite liked The Puppet Show. I mean its not anything special but not a lot was in Season One. It's not great but I think its the best episode in Season One that is not about moving the Master plot-line along besides maybe The Pack or Nightmares.

6/10

[urbanlegend23]

The Puppet Show (7/10)

They make a ventriloquist-dummy episode a lot less stupid than it had any right to be. There's some good comedy and surprising plot twists here.

[eveee]

The Puppet Show. (6/10)

I enjoyed this episode. It wasn't the worst. It wasn't the best. It was just.. Average. Cordelia singing, honestly, made me laugh so much I needed to go too the loo. Hah! And, the last scene did that to me aswell,
Because, When Willow runs off stage, Buffy and Xander move together, and I found that UBEEEEEER FUNNNNEH. Lol! (:

[urbanlegend23]

I love how Cordelia sings the same song again in Slouching Towards Bethlehem over on AtS. These little character continuity moments make watching shows like BtVS & AtS all the more entertaining.

[watcher1006]

I appreciated how the writers turned around idea of the ventriloquist dummy with a mind of its own and made him a good guy.

Cordelia wouldn't be around to sing in OMWF but she sang for us before anyone else on the show did.

And yes, agreed, the closing credits sequence of this episode with Buffy, Xander, and Willow performing the piece from "Oedipus Rex" and Willow running off the stage is SO funny. :roll:

[Bloodsucker]

True, that was really hilarious - especially because we had read the Greek original in school and because our school has changed the German version of this play. That made it even more funny to me than it would have been otherwise - because I just knew it so well.

[becky119]

The scene from Oedipus was hilarious. In the behind the scenes with Joss he said that the network wanted to know if he could make the play more tame...something along the lines that 'although it was Shakespeare, maybe they could pick something else'. Ridiculous for many reasons, including the fact that Oedipus is not Shakespeare but a ridiculously old Greek play. Silly networks.

Nightmares

This episode I thought was one of the more well done episodes in the first season. The whole idea of people's nightmares coming true is really entertaining. Some of my favorite parts include Giles getting lost in the stacks; Willow being thrown on stage to sing for Madam Butterfly and freaking out; Xander being chased by the crazy clown; and my all time favorite part was when at the end of the episode Willow asks Xander if he still was attracted to Buffy when she was a vampire and he says something along the lines of 'no, of course not. yes, i'm a sick, sick man' I just found that hilarious.

[urbanlegend23]

Nightmares (8/10)
-One of the better episodes of the first season, that gets into the characters' fears - with interesting results. Loved Buffy with her Dad, the clown, Vamp!Buffy, Willow singing - lots of great moments here. I feel the episode is let down a little by the little kid and the abuse story, which was just a cheesy metaphor.

[becky119]

Out of Sight, Out of Mind 9/10

This is another episode of the first season that I felt was really well done. The whole idea that you would literally turn invisible from lack of being noticed is something that I could easily relate to. I think quite a few people have felt ignored during high school...so I'm sure lots of people could relate. In watching the bonus features Joss said that the scene where Marcy looks at her hand beginning to turn invisible before her very eyes was modeled after a picture that he drew in school of the same thing happening. I also really liked how when Cordelia and Buffy are talking about being lonely Cordelia shows a softer side to herself. Then again, there are some great quotes from this episode like "People who think their problems are so huge craze me. Like the time I sort of ran over this girl on her bike, and it was the most traumatizing event of my life, and she's trying to make it about her leg! Like my pain meant nothing...! " Very entertaining. I think the end of the episode was also great--I always wished that somehow that would work itself back into the series.

[Saro49]

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind

In Joss Whedon's writing metaphors are currency and this is a perfect example of a high-school-is-hell episode. While the show moved on to different techniques this is one of the closest episodes to the original mission statement of a horror manifestation of regular high school dramas. Having said that I find the character of Marcy badly done and even though I understand her pain I thought it was a bit much playing her as a cartoonish super-villain. I also think that Cordelia's supposed softer side was not that interesting and was a bit hackneyed but all in all I really thought this was a solid episode and exactly what the show would have stayed at if Innocence had not occurred.

7/10

And I apologize for the lengthy post but I really have been dying to take a crack at this one.

Prophecy Girl

Well here is the episode that changed everything. Joss loves it, it's a fan favorite and it laid the groundwork for the now well known Buffy finale formula. However it has more holes than swiss cheese. I like the episode as a whole but I find that so much of it is weighed down by little detractions. From the moment Buffy dies things start going a bit iffy. The team up between Xander and Angel is really just dull and their tension feels incredibly forced (later on in the show this gets a lot better) than we have the revival of Buffy that is just so stupidly handled. She dies and for some reason when she wakes up she is a lot stronger. I can kind of deal with that but the moment the theme music gets going and we get the long action walk back to the school I cringe harder than any other moment in the Buffyverse. I find the presence of Cordelia an incredibly see-through attempt to justify her place in the credits and the monster in the library is pretty underwhelming.

But saying all that I don't hate this episode and even if it has it's problems it's impact on the series cannot be under-appreciated. The concept of prophecies and fate are dealt with properly for the first time and it should be noted that it is here that the groundwork for much of ATS is being laid. Buffy's quitting speech is fantastic and is the first time in the show that SMG really proves she is an amazing actress. The same has to be said for Alyson Hannigan who sends shivers down my spine when she confronts Buffy with the stress that the hell-mouth causes her. One other minor thing is that after re-watching this you notice how consistent this is with When She Was Bad because at the end Buffy truly does seem shaken.
I'd like to give this episode more for how important it was for the series but I'm just scoring the episode, so:

7.5/10

[urbanlegend23]

Out of Mind, Out of Sight (8/10)
-They do a lot more with the "invisible" storyline than most shows - obviously, this is BtVS after all! There are some flaws in the episode but overall it's probably the strongest of season one, after the finale of course (which blows any other episodes from S1 outta the water). I sympathised with the character, and loved the premise. It was well-executed. The final scene is also a cool hint towards the Initiative storyline.

[becky119]

Prophecy Girl 6/10

I agree that this episode is really not as great as everyone seems to think it is. Of the finales of all the seasons, this one I think is the worst.

There were parts that I really liked though. When SMG was doing the quitting scene and she rips off the cross that Angel gave to her--that just got to me. I also think that she did really show us that she could act in that scene. I really liked her dress along with how everyone was commenting on it.

One thing that I really didn't like was when Buffy died. First of all, the master bites her, but it's just for a second, he doesn't drain her, so why does she drown? She wasn't held down. And if she's going to just end up drowning, why does he bite her at all. My biggest problem with this is later in the series it is made to seem that Angel is the first one to ever bite her.

I think that when she is walking back to the high school to fight the master and the theme music plays and she's like, "Oh look, a bad guy" all like she doesn't care...that was just poorly done.

It was a good way to wrap up season one, but in no way was my favorite.