BtVS season 1: The Witch

[shapinglight]

Well, I watched it, and before I post my scattershot impressions, I'm afraid I just have to say that cheerleading is silly. Very, very silly.



That said, the episode sort of acknowledges this, first by making most of the cheerleaders, including the head one (who looks way too old to be at school) horribly bitchy and second by Giles's rather scornful astonishment that anyone should go to the lengths that Catherine Madison has gone to just to be a cheerleader.

Buffy's final words to Catherine - "Oh, grow up!" - were never more well-deserved.

Anyway, I still think this is a great little episode - definitely the best written of the series (and thus the show) so far. Obviously, it doesn't have to work to establish the characters the way Welcome to the Hellmouth did, but it does do quite a bit to deepen them and explore further their relationships with each other.

We learn, for instance, that Giles has become quite fond of Buffy very quickly. He seems already to see himself almost in loco parentis, if his pre-credits attempt to ban her from cheerleading is anything to go by, though of course, he also already knows he will fail, as his wry acknowledgement of Buffy's "You're gonna stop me - how?" makes quite clear.
We get to see Joyce being apparently neglectful mum again by not being involved in every minute of Buffy's day, getting pissy when Buffy rejects her idea of helping with the school year book and then being cool mum at the end when she admits to Buffy she hasn't a clue how to connect with her. Buffy is obviously both relieved and pleased to discover her mum is happy to be the age she is and is in fact just normal.
Willow and Xander have some nice moments together too, as do Buffy and Xander, though probably Xander doesn't think so when he gets his 'Willow is just one of the guys' speech turned on its head when Buffy tells him he's 'just one of the girls.'
Poor old Xander (didn't find him so annoying in this episode, though his Buffy-crush is still irritating). So it begins and so it'll continue.

Other good stuff

Giles being all vehement and scary, and not at all Mr Stuffy Brit of the first two episodes. I think this was one of the things that made me start to realise this show was a bit out of the ordinary. He also looks incredibly sexy.
This is the first time Giles gets knocked out cold, though I'm pretty sure it's not the first time he's cast a spell, even though he claims it is. In fact, I thought he looked dead shifty when he said that, though that of course is with the benefit of hindsight.
The first time we see Giles's old Citroen too. Yay!
Elizabeth Anne Allen is very good as Amy. She's really scary when she's being Catherine-as-Amy at the end. Can quite see why all the other cheerleaders shrank away from her. Also, the show's been very consistent right the way through in its portrayal of the physical appearance of people doing magic - the all black eyes etc. Congrats to the continuity person.
Buffy is cute. Cute, cute, cute! She's like a little cuddly toy.

The episode also contains lots in the way of foreshadowing that isn't, if you want to look for it, and that's always fun; like for instance Xander checking the magic books out of the library. Maybe his spell-casting in OMWF isn't as out of left-field as all that? Willow's competence in the spell business is another thing, though I suppose it's just possible that this is deliberate, if Joss was thinking at all beyond season 1. Oh, and for the Spike obsessives among us (don't look at me like that!), Xander mentions a railroad spike.

See, foreshadowing.

All in all, lots of fun, and doesn't suffer from annoying vampire portentous-speak like the first two episodes. No Angel, but I don't really mind that.

Best line: Hard to choose, because there were quite a lot. Almost everything Giles says is dry and ironic. Will go with this exchange:
Giles: Why on earth would someone want to harm Cordelia?
Willow: Because they met her? :Looks shocked: Did I just say that?

Comments

[tx-cronopio.livejournal.com]

Good impressions!

Ah, S1, I am so fond of [most of] you.

[shapinglight]

Yes, me too. Could probably live without The Harvest and I Robot, You Jane but the rest are all good fun and very well written.

[tx-cronopio.livejournal.com]

Ah, I'm one of the three people alive who like I Robot, You Jane! I loathe The Puppet Show, though.

[shapinglight]

I like that, but only because of Principal Snyder.

[goodbyebird]

hehe yep, this is a good episode. Great banter, great characters, and Buffy being all perky and singing macho man is mucho fun :)

[shapinglight]

The music seems terribly clunky now, though, doesn't it? Can't remember the names of the songs or anything, but they sound very dated.

[gillo]

I rewatched S1 in December and agree with you. The show's not as subtle as it became later, but there's still depth - about adults' use of children to re-enact their youth, refusal to grow up, the ridiculous things young people will do to be one of the in-crowd and much more. And some very nice lines.

[shapinglight]

There are some great lines. I paused the DVD at one point and ran to get a notebook, because I was afraid of forgetting them all when I wrote my review.

[mere-ubu.livejournal.com]

OMG, the cheerleader whose hands ignite has to be at least 30. For realz!

Buffy is cute. Cute, cute, cute! She's like a little cuddly toy.

Every time I watch an early episode, I'm struck how round and adorable she is. There should be a Buffy Season One doll.

[shapinglight]

OMG, the cheerleader whose hands ignite has to be at least 30.

Yes, probably. I also think that her stuntperson is actually a man, though I could be wrong. It might be a woman wearing a weird sort of rubber hat.

There should be a Buffy Season One doll.

Oh, yes! She'd be so sweet.

[lusciousxander.livejournal.com]

Oh, and for the Spike obsessives among us (don't look at me like that!), Xander mentions a railroad spike.

See, foreshadowing.

To the popularity of Spander fanfic. lol

Giles: Why on earth would someone want to harm Cordelia?
Willow: Because they met her?

Hee. I love Willow. You're right, lots of great lines: "...instead you enslave yourself to this cult." "For I am Xander, king of cretins. May all lessers cretins bow before me." "We're right behind you, only further back."

If I'm not mistaken, this is the first official getting-knocked-out for Giles. The first of many. He pulls off the slapstick pretty well with the constant getting thrown about and knocked unconscious.

[shapinglight]

See, foreshadowing.

To the popularity of Spander fanfic. lol

Heh! Really? Not that it surprises me. Slashers can make mountains out of the tiniest molehills.

This is indeed Giles's first official being knocked out. Good thing he has a hard head, isn't it?

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

One of my favourite pieces of foreshadowing (well, OK, not really, but it's one hell of a coincidence): You know the cheerleader who ignites? The one who makes Willow yell "That girl's on fire!"? Her name is Amber and her coach is named Benson...

[shapinglight]

OMG! That's spooky!

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

The funny thing is, with Buffy's try-out routine? That girl didn't have a chance in hell of making the squad -- any squad -- unless it was a truly laughably unskilled squad. She was bad. (So, okay, I was a cheerleader for 7 years, participated in Nationals, and won All-American at camp my senior year, which was so long ago as to be cringe-worthy when I do the math and realize how old I am. Anyway, the point being, I'm probably a tough judge, but one of my primary points of side-splitting laughter in the episode is just how horrendously, stupendously awful the try-outs were and how awful Buffy in particular was. (That and the episode depended on stereotype rather than noticing that talent at jumps, gymnastics, acrobatics, and dance is involved.)

Did I mention that Buffy was really, really, really bad at it? :)

[shapinglight]

Eh dear. I guess I should have realised saying cheerleading was silly on an LJ where lots of Americans would read it wasn't such a good idea. I do appreciate that it certainly wouldn't be silly if you were very involved in it. And I also appreciate that a great deal of skill is involved. I guess it's just that all the razzamatazz attached to American sports, which includes cheerleading, is just so alien to me.

Anyway, I'm quite prepared to believe that Buffy's cheerleading, and the others', is awful. I suppose what Eliza Dushku etc do in in Bring It On is more like the real thing? Was pretty impressed with that when I saw it.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Oh, no offense taken. I wasn't criticizing. What BtVS showed is the common perception/stereotype. I wasn't reacting to the 'silliness' comment. There is an inescapable base level silliness to the concept, but I had fun doing it. And as a "team sport" thing, I think it was a good experience (teen girls however bring drama with them no matter what. Heh). However, Dushku's Bring It On is far closer to reality. The finals competition in the movie is pretty much what Nationals are like.

[shapinglight]

I didn't think you were offended exactly, though I was a little worried you might be slightly miffed. Am glad you're not.

I think the showbiz elements of cheerleading make it difficult for outsiders like myself to see it as a sport, even while understanding there's a lot of skill involved and of course this episode did rather reinforce that notion. However, having seen Bring It On, I did realise there was a lot more to it, including that boys do it too. I had no idea of that until I saw that movie.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Oh, it is frivolous, silly, and pointless. And no one ever calls it a sport except the cheerleaders themselves (and the doctors who treat the injuries). Also, it's usually seen as hopelessly 'girly' (or in boy's cases often unfortunatly categorized as 'kinda gay'). That said, it was a heck of a lot of fun and I wish I was 1/100th as in-shape now as I was back in those days.:) Don't we all?

But, yeah, compared to the real thing (example randomly chosen off YouTube) Buffy's attempt was laughable.

[shapinglight]

Blimey, that was impressive, especially the bit without the music. It's a wonder to me that anyone actually watches the sport with that going on. Very, very entertaining.

Yes, completely see what you mean about Buffy's laughable efforts now.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Oh, no one does that the entire game. It's sort of a 'fill in the blank time' sort of thing at basketball or football.

[shapinglight]

Oh, I see.

I was wondering while watching the episode whether the cheerleaders were going to dance through the whole basketball game. I suppose the players were just warming up?

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

That was just an old clip from 1992's NCA cheerleading national championship competition. In that particular forum, it really was just about the cheerleading. There are state, regional, and national levels of just cheerleading competitions (sort of the same as in ice skating or gymnastics) like in the Dushku movie.

[shapinglight]

Oh, okay. It's a while since I watched it.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

And I feel like we've carried the convo way further into specifics than I had intended. I had really just been shallowly commenting "LOL! Buffy sucked!" >:)

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

Giles does rock in the first series, I do agree. :-) *has a thing for britts*

[shapinglight]

He's lovely. I need a season 1 Giles icon.

:Rummages:

I know I have one somewhere.

[elisi]

This was the first episode of Buffy that I ever saw, and I still remember liking it very much, and being impressed with the clever twist.

Buffy is cute. Cute, cute, cute! She's like a little cuddly toy.
I *know*! ::pinches her cheeks::

[shapinglight]

I thought I'd managed to upload a season 1 Buffy icon, but now I see it's a season 3 one. Will have to try again when I get home.

[kassto.livejournal.com]

Well, we've just finished season 1, and I have to say there is a hell of a lot more foreshadowing than I realised. I know someone on LJ wrote an essay somewhere once in which she analysed season one as laying out all the important themes and issues of the entire show.

But cheerleading is weird, though I did really enjoy Bring It On. And SMG, NB and AH just grab their roles by the scruff of their teeth right from the word go. SMG in particular, since she is it. So vital for her to be right. And yes, the Giles' role of loving father figure really starts to show quite quickly. Another couple of episodes further on, you'll see Giles introduced to Hank Summers and I kept expecting sparks to fly. From Giles anyway. The real father vs the ``real'' father.

[shapinglight]

Well, we've just finished season 1

Do you mean you and your children? Did they like it?

Re: the foreshadowing. It's hard to know how deliberate it is. It's certainly possible that Joss was confident enough of being renewed to think beyond the 12 episodes of season 1. It's certainly fun looking out for it, though.

[kassto.livejournal.com]

Yeah, me and the kids. A lot of it goes over their heads. They don't like it as much as Dr Who.

The thing I am finding is a brand new appreciation of the wit and snap of the dialogue, of all the wonderfully ironical juxtapositions (dialogue saying one thing, overlapping the next scene which either shows completely the opposite, or totally trivialises something that was shown as big and portentous — and it happens all the time, such great writing) an appreciation too of Xander's huge inferiority complex — the only strengths he has to hold on to are his wit and his loyalty - and how brilliant the casting was.

A new appreciation too of Cordelia, how she made the witty bitch her own (``is it possible to have too much character,'' she asks herself — fabulous — a great comic actress, who of course was given great comic lines); and what an inspired pairing putting her and Xander together was. Just inspired.

[shapinglight]

Yes, I'd pretty much agree with all of that, and there isn't a show to match it on TV at the moment.

Doesn't mean there aren't other great shows, just that they're great for different reasons.

[missus-grace.livejournal.com]

I'm so shallow. This is what I got out of this episode:

1. Xander's railroad spike comment. Very foreshadowing!
2. Giles saying it was his first casting. Either the continuity got lost, or he was fibbing like you say, or he was talking about the first casting of that particular spell. But can't believe Giles went through his Ripper phase and Watcher training without casting any spells.
3. And I wonder what happened to the closeness they shared with Amy. I'm sure turning into a rat for several years could help someone go 'round the bend, but it was so convenient for her to come back and be seductively evil in Season 6.

[shapinglight]

1. Xander's railroad spike comment. Very foreshadowing!

Hee! I should have realised this comment wouldn't have gone unnoticed by Spander fans. We slash fans are so good at seizing on the tiniest shred of evidence.

I'm sure Giles was fibbing. He looks dead dodgy when he says that.

As for Amy, I think they set up her going evil-ish in season 6 quite well myself. After all, as early as season 2 she's using her powers for the wrong reasons, ie. interfering the teacher's mind to make her think she's handed in her homework. Season 6 Amy doesn't seem too much of a stretch to me.

Unlike season 8 Amy, who I can't get my head round at all.

[kathyh]

I rewatched Season 1 a while ago and I remember being very impressed with how good this episode was.

Buffy is cute. Cute, cute, cute! She's like a little cuddly toy.

Young, slightly chubby Buffy was just adorable. It was a real shock to see how young they all looked in Season 1.

[shapinglight]

I love that icon. So funny.

and I remember being very impressed with how good this episode was.

It is, isn't it?

They do look young. Apart from Cordelia, I can actually believe they're only 16.

[molly_may]

This is not only one of my favorite S1 episodes, it's one of my favorite high school episodes. I thought the theme of the mother trying to recapture her youth through her daughter was cleverly handled, while at the same time being witty and well-paced.It also does a lot to further Buffy's relationship with Giles. Plus, Elizabeth Anne Allen and the actress who plays her mother are both terrific.

So basically, I love it for all the reasons you've already stated.:)

[shapinglight]

So basically, I love it for all the reasons you've already stated.:)

Yes, it's great, isn't it? In fact, I agree with you that it's one of the best of the high school episodes, on a par with later classics from seasons 2&3. Wonder what happened to the writer, Dana Reston? I can't remember whether he/she wrote any more episodes.

[yourlibrarian]

I'm afraid I just have to say that cheerleading is silly. Very, very silly.

Pointless is an even better word for it. Which, I suspect, is why modern cheerleading has turned into a competitive sport with increasingly dangerous stunts. I agree with the above poster though who said the level of skill demonstrated here was...I can only guess that all the good cheerleaders got eaten quickly in Sunnydale. How Buffy, who had been one, and had beaucoup gymnastic skills could be so awful is hard to fathom.

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

How Buffy, who had been one, and had beaucoup gymnastic skills could be so awful is hard to fathom.

Wasn't this after she'd had the spell put on her?

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Seriously! I mean, wasn't she supposed to have been a cheerleader in L.A. prior to coming to Sunnydale? I'm sorry, but I didn't buy it. I really sorty of laughed my ass off at just how cringeworthily bad she was... and she was supposed to have superpowers. Hee!:)

[shapinglight]

Which, I suspect, is why modern cheerleading has turned into a competitive sport with increasingly dangerous stunts. I agree with the above poster though who said the level of skill demonstrated here was...I can only guess that all the good cheerleaders got eaten quickly in Sunnydale.

Heh! You're probably right that they all got eaten. And I know what you mean about the stunts now, having watched the film clip that shipperx linked to. My hair stood on end watching it. Not sure I'd be happy to see my teenage son or daughter being tossed bodily through the air like that.

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're re-watching!
It's still good!

[shapinglight]

It is. I'm very pleasantly surprised.

[madame-meretrix.livejournal.com]

i always really liked this ep, because it was the first time they fight something other than a vampire. i liked how it expanded their universe.

and yeah, Willow's line about Cordelia was excellent. They really start to flesh out the characters more, too. and SMG! man, when i went back and rewatched the series the first time, i was struck by how healthy she looked in the early years. she really ended up being skinny by the end. s6 was almost painful, because it looked like all the female actresses were competing to see who could get thinner.

but in season 1, Buffy is totally adorable, yeah.

[shapinglight]

i always really liked this ep, because it was the first time they fight something other than a vampire. i liked how it expanded their universe.

Me too. Also, when I first watched it, it was especially welcome after the first two episodes because the vampires didn't make a very good first impression.

she really ended up being skinny by the end. s6 was almost painful, because it looked like all the female actresses were competing to see who could get thinner.

True. She lost a lot of weight (not that she was big to start with) in season 2, but I suppose that went quite well with the teen-angst Angel/Angelus storyline. She did seem to pick up again in seasons 3&4 then gradually got skinnier and skinnier, until by season 7 she was skeletal.

And it aged her a lot. Wonder if anyone dared tell her that?