BtVS season 1: Never Kill a Boy on the First Date

[shapinglight]

On with the re-watch, and today it was a good one.



Never Kill a Boy on the First Date might have one of the most unwieldy titles in the history of TV episode titles but it's a good episode and lots of fun too. We learn loads more about Buffy herself, though admittedly some of that is with the benefit of hindsight. We also see further developments in the Giles/ Buffy relationship.

As far as the plot itself goes, it's an arc episode, since it contains the Master and his band of not very merry vampire religious fanatics (they're like a bunch of born again anti-Christians, and Andrew Borba would've been a perfect recruit if he'd survived his encounter with Buffy). The vampire minions may still be very annoying but the Master himself has lightened up a little, though he still hasn't quite found his wicked sense of humour – and though the episode advances the season arc nicely, I still found myself wishing Spike and Dru would hurry up and arrive.

The mislead with Borba/Colin the Anointed One is clever and the scenes in the funeral home are fun. Giles has some spectacularly good lines and Buffy still looks very pretty and sweet, though her little-girl mini-dresses are awful! Joyce, what were you thinking?!!!

Angel is still mostly in cryptic mode, though he does snap out of it at one point when Buffy introduces Owen as her date. The look Angel gives Owen (and that actor is wa-ay too old to be a schoolboy) manages to be not just jealous but quite threatening. With hindsight, we (or I) can almost hear Angel saying, there was a time I used to eat little boys like you for breakfast. However, then he spoils it by just looking dumb – and why on earth doesn't he go and help Buffy this time? I guess we have to assume Angel really is that scared of the Master.

Xander's crush is still ongoing, and still irritating, but not as bad as in Teacher's Pet, and Willow is just cute.

As usual in BtVS, the best part of the episode is the interaction between the characters and what we learn about our heroine, here through the medium of her brief relationship with Owen. On the face of it, it's hard to understand what Buffy sees in Owen (and even harder to see what Cordelia sees in him, unless it's just that he's good-looking and he's a challenge because he's not interested in her). He really doesn't seem like her type. He's broody, he's morbid, he keeps himself to himself – hmm, who does that remind me of?

Okay, so I guess with hindsight, we can see that Buffy is attracted to mysterious, handsome older boys who don't have any friends. In other words, like many teenage girls, she loves the romantic broody stereotype, although when she's actually out on a date with Owen, she's obviously bored by his self-absorbed morbidity.

Certainly, compared to Angel, Owen is a safer option if Buffy wants to indulge her inner romantic. However, her attraction to him then meets the brick wall of her Slayerhood, as she realises there is no way she can have a relationship with Owen and keep him safe from harm.

In other words, despite Xander's wishful thinking and attempts to promote himself as a prospective match, she can't date ordinary boys.

This is a hard lesson for Buffy to learn, and her interaction with Giles in this episode all revolves around this realisation. Giles wants her to concentrate on her duty, but in face of her desperate wish to have a normal teenage life, he caves and permits her to go on her date with Owen. In spite of the rather long-sufferingly sarcastic way he talks to her, he's obviously deeply fond of her already and wants her to be happy.

Their last little conversation together where he tells her about his own boyhood wishes for his life (to be a fighter pilot, or possibly a grocer, rather than a Watcher) and how they also came to nothing in face of inescapable duty and then goes on to praise how well she's doing as a Slayer is very sweet.

Poor Buffy – and poor Giles too.

Other stuff

The vampire minions shrinking back from Giles's little crucifix are rather silly, mostly because of the daft growling noises.
Xander's tweetie-pie watch! Heh! Likewise, Willow clocking Owen brooding for forty minutes straight. :Is impressed: That's practically up to Angel standards.

Best lines:

Loads to choose from

Buffy, after Cordelia has barged her out of the way to sit with Owen: Boy, Cordelia's hips are wider than I thought.

Giles: When I said you could slay vampires and have a social life, I didn't mean at the same time.

Comments

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

her little-girl mini-dresses are awful!

I like them!

I guess we have to assume Angel really is that scared of the Master.

Interesting isn't it? Maybe The Master has used thrall on him ... do you feel a fic coming along those lines?

[shapinglight]

I like them!

You like them? Really? Somehow or other, they seem to make her look shorter, don't you think, or is it just that Owen is terribly tall?

As for a Master thralling Angel fic, can't really say I feel one coming on. How about you? It could be interesting.

[elisi]

With hindsight, we (or I) can almost hear Angel saying, there was a time I used to eat little boys like you for breakfast.
This had me giggling a *lot*!

Really like your thoughts here. Wrote a long review of my own, when I did my re-watch - mostly comparing it to 'First Date'. :)

[shapinglight]

Thanks for the link, Elisi. I'll have a read of that some time. Also, I hope the comic arrived okay?

[elisi]

Oh yes it arrived! I happily devoured it all, and am now pondering how to turn my general squee into something approaching serious meta. Dunno if I'll be able to... ;)

[shapinglight]

I hope you can. It would be nice to know what you think.

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

He's broody, he's morbid, he keeps himself to himself – hmm, who does that remind me of?

And, at the same time, he's a poet and he is clearly attracted to the darker side and powerful women... :)

[shapinglight]

I don't know if Owen's a poet himself, he just reads poetry, I think. But maybe I'm remembering it wrong?

[gillo]

Owen never really seemed interesting enough to be a contender - we were already too invested in Xander, I think.

I remember the point she pushed the vamp into the cremation chamber as a galvanising moment for me. This was a show in which the unthinkable could happen - and was fun. I was hooked from the first episode, but this nailed it. Yet it wasn't a particularly brilliant episode in other respects - especially by comparison with what was to come. I've been rewatching S4 - I disliked the arc, but by heavens there were some fabulous episodes that season.

[shapinglight]

we were already too invested in Xander, I think.

Heh! I wasn't. I never liked him much, which is making this month's calendar post quite problematic to write. However, it's certainly true that Owen isn't very interesting.

I remember the point she pushed the vamp into the cremation chamber as a galvanising moment for me. This was a show in which the unthinkable could happen - and was fun.

Ah, I think I had a similar moment when watching the next episode, The Pack. I couldn't believe poor old Principal Flutie actually got eaten.

Season 4 does indeed have some great episodes. In fact, I'm looking forward to re-watching the whole show now. If season 1 is so much better than I expected (and so much better than I remembered) the rest is going to be great.

[gillo]

making this month's calendar post quite problematic to write.

Well, in the big pic he can hardly focus, the top one shows him too legless to stand, the middle one he's trying to prop himself up against the wall while at the bottom Buffy's holding him upright. You see? Simple! *g*

Season 4 does indeed have some great episodes. In fact, I'm looking forward to re-watching the whole show now. If season 1 is so much better than I expected (and so much better than I remembered) the rest is going to be great.

I've been working my way through since December, since I've found it excellent comfoty watching (that ot

Top Gear

- both beat most daytime TV hollow, but

Buffy

has more depth than Clarkson by a long way.) I'm still seeing new stuff in every episode, or being reminded of forgotten gems - even in

Beer Bad

!

One of my flist, fajdrako, is watching

Buffy

for the first time, though she's already a

Firefly

,

TW

and

DW

fan. Her reactions are wonderful, and it's so hard not to spoil her as she's gradually being sucked in.

[shapinglight]

Well, in the big pic he can hardly focus, the top one shows him too legless to stand, the middle one he's trying to prop himself up against the wall while at the bottom Buffy's holding him upright. You see? Simple! *g*

Heh! Have to say, the thought did occur to me, but I shall probably adopt a slightly different tack.

Re: your first watch flister - I am now of couse waiting in fear and trembling to see how she'll react to season 6.

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

>>he spoils it by just looking dumb

That's the default setting.

[shapinglight]

Aww, he's not that bad, bless him.

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

It is a bit odd that Angel would be that scared of the Master when we later see in flashbacks that as Angelus he was more of a.... well... He mostly told him off, I'd say with the Master not answering back. Or is it the soul that is afraid of the Master? Hmm... That is one thing to ponder on... *ponders*

[shapinglight]

dwyld suggests that maybe Angel wasn't so much scared of the Master and afraid of bumping into Darla. However, he does seem pretty scared generally.

Odd. Maybe he had a nasty experience with the Master in between getting his soul back and coming to Sunnydale?

Someone should write a fic, though I fear it probably won't be me.

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

I have two theories regarding Angel, which both make sense to me. First, he likely was uncomfortable dusting vampires he had a relationship with. (In fact, that's true all through the series). He knows the Master, don't forget. Secondly, he probably figured that he shouldn't hang around Buffy too much least she finally cotton to what he was and dust him.

[shapinglight]

Secondly, he probably figured that he shouldn't hang around Buffy too much least she finally cotton to what he was and dust him.

There may well be something in that, though it's possible that rather than being afraid Buffy will dust him, he wants to make a good impression on her and win her trust before she realises he's a vampire, so feels it's best not to get too close.

Erm, which is pretty much what you said anyway.

[ex_peasant441]

I think with Angel we have to remember he was still only a few months away from eating rats and not washing for several years - you can see how much skinnier he was then ;o) - so it took a lot of time working with Buffy to both build up his physical strength and his courage to his former levels. So yes, I reckon he was afraid of the Master. Also of course he was probably even more afraid of running into Darla.

[shapinglight]

Also of course he was probably even more afraid of running into Darla.

Heh! Especially, given what Darla had taken to wearing.

I still think his fear of the Master seems a little excessive, given how cavalierly he treated him when he didn't have a soul. Maybe they had another encounter after Angel was souled and something nasty happened?

Or maybe Angel just has a healthy fear of religious fanatics?

[spikendru.livejournal.com]

Or maybe Angel just has a healthy fear of religious fanatics?

At least, the powerful ones who can fight back. Fighting back just totally messes up his well-known thing for nuns! *eg*

[shapinglight]

Fighting back just totally messes up his well-known thing for nuns! *eg*

Heh! Perfectly true.

[mrs-underhill.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's a good one! And starts a trio of series about Buffy's difficult personal life. Interesting, I didn't see parallels between Angel and Owen until your post, but they are so clear!
I loved Buffy, Owen and Giles' dialogue in the library, about Emili Dickinson etc. And Buffy admitted to wearing security blanket! No wonder she thought about it in 'Gone'. :)
Also here they excluded Owen from their company, but they'll later include other civilians into their group: Cordy, Ms.Calendar, Oz. Owen was pretty brave, if ruthless. And he wasn't stupid. I wonder why they decided not to give him a chance.

[shapinglight]

Interesting, I didn't see parallels between Angel and Owen until your post, but they are so clear!

I hadn't noticed it before either. I wonder if it's deliberate? I suspect it probably is.

I think the reason Buffy decided not to include Owen in their group was because she could see that, unlike Willow and Xander, he couldn't be trusted to know his own limits. He's an incipient (though rather unlikely) danger junkie.

[thatotherperv.livejournal.com]

oh, I didn't realize you were doing this with buffy now! yay. I always love to hear your thoughts, I'll have to come back to it when I have more than 3 seconds to rub together. *SMOOCH*

[shapinglight]

Hope you'll enjoy reading them. I'm really enjoying re-watching the eps- much more than I thought I would.