Rank the S1 episodes

[VisionGuy]

The title is pretty self-explanatory. What is your ranking of the S1 episodes from best to worst?

1. "Prophecy Girl"
2. "Angel"
3. "Out of Mind, Out of Sight"
4. "Witch"
5. "Welcome to the Hellmouth"
6. "The Pack"
7. "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date"
8. "Nightmares"
9. "The Harvest"
10. "I, Robot...You, Jane"
11. "The Puppet Show"
12. "Teacher's Pet"

[kimothyschma]

1. Prophecy Girl
2. Angel
3. Welcome to the Hellmouth/The Harvest
4. Witch
5. The Pack
6. Nightmares
7. The Puppet Show
8. Out of Mind, Out of Sight
9. Never Kill a Boy on the First Date
10. Teacher's Pet
11. I Robot, You Jane

VisionGuy, if you liked Passion of the Nerd's reviews, you may also like the "Dusted" podcast by StoryWonk. They're currently in Season 4 and Season 1 of AtS and they rank each episode at the end of each discussion. I had my little list already ready from following along with them.

[VisionGuy]

I'm not into podcasts but I have heard good things about "Dusted", so I'll keep that in mind. Thanks.

[TimeTravellingBunny]

With ratings on the 1-5 scale (it helps that I did this once for my embarrassingly unfinished rewatch with reviews)

1. Prophecy Girl (4.5)
2. Out of Mind, Out of Sight (4.0)
3. Angel
4. Nightmares
5. The Pack (3.5)
6. Welcome to the Hellmouth
7. The Puppet Show (3.0)
8. Witch
9. Never Kill a Boy on the First Date
10. The Harvest (2.5)
11. I Robot, You Jane
12. Teacher's Pet (1.5)

[Stoney]

I'm going to have to think about S2 and 3 more carefully but S1 felt more straightforward (although I kept changing my mind where The Harvest would go and if I like The Pack or Welcome to the Hellmouth more. If it wasn't for the fact WttH is the first ep The Pack would probably have won, catch me on another day and they'd be the other way around!).

1. Prophecy Girl
2. Out of Mind, Out of Sight
3. Nightmares
4. Angel
5. Welcome to the Hellmouth
6. The Pack
7. Witch
8. Never Kill a Boy on the First Date
9. The Puppet Show
10. The Harvest
11. I Robot, You Jane
12. Teacher's Pet

[Andrew S.]

1. "Prophecy Girl" -- 9/10: The first truly emotional resonant episode of the series, and the first sign of what the show could be besides a campy, fun high school horror show.
2. "Out of Mind, Out of Sight" -- 8/10: Fleshes out Cordelia's character a great deal, explores her in comparison to Buffy, who also gets some good material here.
3. "Angel" -- 8/10: Expands Angel's (still extremely flat) character, and there's hella Bangel feels.
4. "The Pack" -- 7/10: Underrated as hell. Great material for Xander and Willow, and great performances by Brendon and Hannigan. There's still a lot of typical S1 camp holding it back.
5. "Witch" -- 7/10: The episode's premise is genuinely creepy, and I like the guest actors. Drunk Buffy was adorable.
6. "Welcome to the Hellmouth" -- 7/10: Solid introduction to the series and its characters.
7. "Nightmares" -- 6/10: The nightmare sequences were hit and miss. I feel like this could have been a standout episode of the series if it had been done in a later season, like a scarier version of "Restless".
8. "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date" -- 6/10: Typical S1 cheesiness, Owen was lame and Cordelia felt shoehorned into the episode. But Giles had a really good showing here.
9. "The Harvest" -- 5/10: The character interactions are great, but the episode is bogged down by the lame villains and slow pacing.
10. "The Puppet Show" -- 4/10: Funny as hell (the Scoobies doing Oedipus, Cordelia's singing, Snyder, etc.), but the dummy plot is SOOOO bad.
11. "I Robot...You Jane" -- 3/10: I don't think I need to explain.
12. "Teacher's Pet" -- 3/10: I think I'm being very generous with the score.

[buffylover]

This is super fun! I'm going to rank the episodes that I enjoy watching.

1) Prophecy Girl
2) I Robot, You Jane (I truly do find this episode really underrated. The metaphor of self-esteem that confidence that rejection that loneliness. And Jenny! )
3) Witch
4) Out of Mind, Out of Sight
5) Nightmares
6) Angel
7) Welcome to the Hellmouth
8) The Harvest
9) The Puppet Show
10) The Pack
11) Never Kill a Boy on the First Date
12) Teacher's Pet

Moving on to season 2 if I can find it.

[Stoney]

Moving on to season 2 if I can find it.

It's here - http://www.buffyforums.net/forums/sh...he-S2-episodes. I don't think I ever did that one actually, so I need to do it too!!

[a thing of evil]

Prophecy Girl Pretty much perfect, some of the tightest BtVS writing.

The Pack It's campy 80s horror flick in 90s teen drama, literally masterpiece.

Angel Dual-wielding schoolgirl Darla, what else do you want?

Welcome to the Hellmouth/The Harvest Fantastic introduction, iconic scenes, Willow in white tights etc

Nightmares Like Restless, except fun.

The Puppet Show Sid's awesome, deal with it.

I Robot, You Jane It's dated but I still like it!

The Witch It's alright, Buffy's cute.

Never Kill a Boy on the First Date It's OK.

Out of Mind, Out of Sight I'm a psycho, why won't anybody hang out with me?

Teacher's Pet I mean, I'm a certified lover of schlock so I do like it but other episodes are better.

[Stoney]

But it was the isolation and invisibility that sent Marcie over the edge. Before then she was just someone that everyone ignored or were openly cruel/dismissive of, a regular girl by all accounts being hurt and rejected, she wasn't supposed to have been shunned for being psychotic.

I think OOMOOS is one of the season's best for the layers it gave to Cordelia's character. The first season explored the social hierarchy of school so brilliantly and seeing some of the unspoken loneliness of fulfilling expectations and fearing irrelevance by one of the key people that had hurt Marcie I thought was excellent. If I ever find the time to do my second 20th anniversary fanart piece it is going to come from this ep.

[buffylover]

I think OOMOOS is one of the season's best for the layers it gave to Cordelia's character. The first season explored the social hierarchy of school so brilliantly and seeing some of the unspoken loneliness of fulfilling expectations and fearing irrelevance by one of the key people that had hurt Marcie I thought was excellent. If I ever find the time to do my second 20th anniversary fanart piece it is going to come from this ep.

Yesssssss!!!!!!!!

[Stoney]

Ha!

I have gotten as far as taking screen grabs and picking a quote, I just haven't started to put anything together yet. It may be some time, but I'll get there eventually.

[buffylover]

Ha!

I have gotten as far as taking screen grabs and picking a quote, I just haven't started to put anything together yet. It may be some time, but I'll get there eventually.

I completely agree with your post about 'OOMOOS' and I can not wait to see it! Remember Stoney their is absolutely no rush, please take your time! I'm doing my favourite shipment now, but it's going to take forever because I'm trying to do an illustration, traditional thing, but I think I let it loose on who is my favourite shipment in another thread.

[Andrew S.]

But it was the isolation and invisibility that sent Marcie over the edge. Before then she was just someone that everyone ignored or were openly cruel/dismissive of, a regular girl by all accounts being hurt and rejected, she wasn't supposed to have been shunned for being psychotic.

I think OOMOOS is one of the season's best for the layers it gave to Cordelia's character. The first season explored the social hierarchy of school so brilliantly and seeing some of the unspoken loneliness of fulfilling expectations and fearing irrelevance by one of the key people that had hurt Marcie I thought was excellent. If I ever find the time to do my second 20th anniversary fanart piece it is going to come from this ep.

I agree. "Out of Mind, Out of Sight" is the perfect example of what the show set out to do in its early stages, which was tell stories about universal high school themes using the supernatural to do it. The themes it explored were very relatable for me when I watched the episode for the first time. Like Stoney said, S1 excelled at exploring the social hierarchy of high school. I liked how the episode presented Cordelia -- normally the villainous popular girl -- as sympathetic, and Marcie -- the outcast who would be the hero in most other shows -- as the villain, while also holding Cordelia accountable for her bad behavior and also showing how much Marcie suffered.

Plus, I love what it does for Cordelia, one of my favorite characters. It was the first episode that expanded her beyond her stereotypical portrayal for most of the first season, and I always enjoyed it whenever the show explored the Buffy-Cordy connection. As someone who felt like an outcast in high school, it was a little groundbreaking to hear Cordelia Chase, queen of Sunnydale High, reveal that she often feels lonely even when she's surrounded by people. This same theme would come up in "Earshot" too. The episode has its flaws (I didn't like the Men in Black-type guys who took away Marcie), but by first season standards, "Out of Mind, Out of Sight" was definitely pretty great.

[Stoney]

Yes! That's the quote I'm going to use for the piece I'm planning to do and it was that contrast it revealed for the character, the way the show gave layering to Cordelia past the simple stereotype she had seemed to me up to then, that I loved too.

[vampmogs]

Ah, Season 1. I'm the first to admit that it has a lot of weak writing and some really cheesy and cringeworthy moments, but I have so many wonderful nostalgic childhood memories attached to this season. I can still remember watching WttH when it premiered and being so excited. S1 to me is summer nights, school holidays and fighting 'vampires' on my trampoline. 7 year old me was blown away by this show and I will always have a soft spot in my heart for S1.

1. Prophecy Girl -- In my Top 10 episodes of the show. I absolutely adore this episode and love everything about it. This episode also perfectly encapsulates why I love Buffy's character so much and why she will forever be my favourite. It's also when The Master turns into a legitimately cruel and amazing villain ("You're the one that sets me free. If you hadn't come, I couldn't go, think about that...")
2. Angel -- SMG and DB are so 'effing hot in this episode and I can see why they were such a powerhouse couple back in their teen heartthrob days. A really pivotal episode that elevates the show, the shot of Angel after he dusts Darla and walks away is truly stunning, and the final Bangel moment is
3. The Pack -- This episode was kind of a game-changer. I don't think anyone really expected that this show could go to the dark places that it would and in this episode Buffy is nearly sexually assaulted and Mr Flutie is eaten. The scene where Xander humiliates Willow is also gut-wrenching.
4. Welcome to the Hellmouth -- The vampires are cheesy as hell and it has all the general problems of S1 but it's actually a pretty solid pilot episode.
5. The Harvest -- Much of the same as WttH but I find Buffy far more likeable in this episode and the Buffy/Joyce scene is great ("I get it, if you don't go out it'll be the end of the world. Everything is life or death when you're a sixteen year old girl!")
6. Out of Mind, Out of Sight -- It gives much needed depth to Cordelia and the idea is really great. However, I find the Secret Agent Guys a really strange addition.
7. The Witch -- I'm really fond of this episode. The way witchcraft is portrayed (cauldrons and black cats) doesn't really mesh with the rest of the series but it's really fun. And, again, the idea behind it is superb.
8. Nightmares -- It's ok but I can't help but wish we'd had this episode take place in S2 or S3. It suffers from a lot of S1's weak writing and Buffy as a vampire, in particular, was a wasted opportunity that I'd have loved to been explored later on when the show found its groove.
9. Never Kill A Boy On The First Date -- Owen is very dull and the vampires are all incredibly lame but there's some nice character moments and one very iconic line ("If the apocalypse comes, beep me!")
10. The Puppet Show -- Um, yeah. Cordy signing was funny, I guess? Whenever I watch this episode I feel like I'm watching an episode of Goosebumps and it has a certain 90's charm but that's all I can say about it.
11. Teacher's Pet -- Another episode that reminds me of Goosebumps and I must say that I find the whole premise pretty perplexing. Is it really that big of an issue that a 16 year old boy is a virgin? Really? When I was 16 I think most people in my year were still virgins
12. I Robot You Jane -- One of my least favourite episodes in the series. The only redeeming thing about it is that it introduces us to Jenny Calendar but everything else is just horrid ("You're jacked in" *sigh*).

[a thing of evil]

@Stoney
What completely breaks this episode as far as I'm concerned is

the fact that Willow exists. Willow was bullied quite severely and yet managed to not go full school shooter. Taking that into account, it's really hard to have any sympathy for Marcie.

[vampmogs]

Willow had Xander and Jesse whereas Marice had no one. Marice was so invisible to her classmates (pun intended) that even social outcasts like Willow or Xander had never noticed her before. They made a point of emphasising that in the school yearbook scene where even they had left meaningless messages to someone they had no recollection of.

And in all fairness, whilst Willow may have not turned violent in S1, her bullying did play a role in why she ends up turning dark by the end of S6 ("Let me tell you something about Willow: she's a loser. And she always has been. Everyone picked on Willow in junior high, high school, up until college with her stupid mousy ways and now - Willow's a junkie") so she and Marice are more alike than you'd think.

[TimeTravellingBunny]

Willow had Xander and Jesse whereas Marice had no one. Marice was so invisible to her classmates (pun intended) that even social outcasts like Willow or Xander had never noticed her before. They made a point of emphasising that in the school yearbook scene where even they had left meaningless messages to someone they had no recollection of.

And Willow also did not spend months being literally invisible. In fact, no other character we know did (not counting the kids we 'saw' at the end of the episode, since we never got to know any of them), so it's impossible to actually provide a legitimate parallel that would somewhat justify the "well, other people have had it bad, too!" argument. Marcie wasn't violent or vengeful before she turned invisible.

And in all fairness, whilst Willow may have not turned violent in S1, her bullying did play a role in why she ends up turning dark by the end of S6 ("Let me tell you something about Willow: she's a loser. And she always has been. Everyone picked on Willow in junior high, high school, up until college with her stupid mousy ways and now -
Willow's a junkie") so she and Marice are more alike than you'd think.

It's interesting that Willow gives Faith a speech in season 3 (Choices) that is basically a variant of the 'well other people had it bad, too' argument:


Willow: It's way too late. You know, it didn't have to be this way. But you made your choice. I know you had a tough life. I know that some people think you had a lot of bad breaks. Well, boo hoo! Poor you. You know, you had a lot more in your life than some people. I mean, you had friends in your life like Buffy. Now you have no one. You were a Slayer and now you're nothing. You're just a big selfish, worthless waste.

Which sounds somewhat ironic in the light of the end of season 6.