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| Writer: | Joss Whedon |
| Director: | John T. Kretchmer |
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| - | Review |
"Welcome to the Hellmouth" [1x01] was so effective because the focus was on introducing the characters. It favorably succeeded in accomplishing that goal. Now that the characters are well introduced we want a good plot to see them in action. That is what this episode should have accomplished. Instead we get a corny plot with corny acting. Aside from a handful of good lines, some good mother/daughter scenes, and more explanation on the vampire mythology this show adopts, all we get is a rudamentary plot that moves slowly.
The biggest flaws in this episode are its often stilted dialog, awkward camera work, and pacing. Lines like Angel's "Well I'll be damned" don't help the cause at all. The scene towards the end when Luke falls to his death is all slow-mo and has weird music playing, this just doesn't work for me. Another major problem is the excessively slow pace. From Buffy taking forever to find Jesse to the long scene at The Bronze, I unfortunately wanted this episode to end almost near the beginning.
The positives in this episode once again come back to the characters. Aside from the corny villains, who actually get better lines later on this season, the dialog (some of it) and character interaction (most of it) once again succeed. The outline of the plot isn't so bad, it's unfortunately the execution of that outline where the episode suffers. One thing to take note of here is that Darla comes across as completely out of character and excessively one-dimensional, corny, and weak here. This is fortunately rectified in this season's "Angel" (1x07).
| - | Minor Pros/Cons (+/-) |
| Pros: | |
| + | Buffy's "flip" over the fence. |
| + | Buffy's entire speech with Xander in the sewers. |
| + | Jesse gets staked! |
| + | Buffy making fun of the dumb Luke and staking him. |
| Cons: | |
| - | The Jesse fake-out was poorly executed. |
| - | The Master is still pretty boring. |
| - | Quotes |
| XANDER: | You've done some beheading in your time? |
| BUFFY: | Oh, yeah. There was this time I was pinned down by this guy that played left tackle for varsity... Well, at least he used to before he was a vampire... Anyway, he had this really, really thick neck, and all I had was a little, little Exact-O knife... You're not loving this story. |
| XANDER: | No, actually, I find it oddly comforting. |
| - | Score |
| 45/100 | D- |
Everything that a 'D' is only slightly worse. One or two character moments, some humor, or slight nuggets of relevance just barely keep it from outright failing.
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| - | Screencaps |
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| - | Comments (12) |
| 1. | LatoyaMay 1, 2007 (Tue) | |
| I thought that Buffy talking about beheading was hilarious. It was very consistent for Buffy to get grounded by her mom for her slayer related activities. Having to sneak out of her bedroom window every night to kill demons and stop apocalypses. It is very sad that Buffy--a very ethical goody two shoes--is letting her mom think she is a trouble making delinquent because she knows she won't believe the truth. When she first told Joyce her secret she put her in a mental institution against her will for 3 weeks. The second time she told her (actually staking a vamp in front of her!) she kicks her out of the house. Poor Buffy. |
| 2. | MarieMay 11, 2007 (Fri) | |
| This episode was lacking in some departments, but I definietly wouldn't say I wanted it to end as soon as it started. I have watched this episode several times and have enjoyed it each time. The plot is a little slow, but I think that is in order to make the show seem more realistic. I don't think I would be able to find out where Jessie is before Buffy does. The character dialogue and characters again keep the show interesting. |
| 3. | buffyholicOct 3, 2007 (Wed) | |
| I don´t even notice the slow pacing because I´m having so much fun with the episode. Yes, Luke is corny but I love the scoobies and I love the dialogue. The dialogue is what makes this episode so damn enjoyable. It´s nice to see them all cute and carefree here. |
| 4. | AustinOct 4, 2007 (Thu) | |
| Yeah the "good old days" feeling really gets you durring a S1 rewatchad |
| 5. | AndrewDec 26, 2007 (Wed) | |
| My biggest problem with this episode is the zero emotional reaction to Jesse's death, conversion to vampiredom, and staking. I mean, OK, so Buffy had only known him for a day or so and was probably pretty much used to that sort of thing by then, but Xander and Willow really ought to have reacted in some way. |
| 6. | MichaelAug 3, 2008 (Sun) | |
| I disagree with Andrew. They take time to deal with Jesse's death. Xander's reaction is pretty well-acted. They definitely could've taken more time to show this rather than the constant and annoying sequences with Buffy wandering around dark hallways, with scary music playing in the background. I think you're being slightly harsh on this episode ;) WTTH is definitely the better of the two because it is more about the characters than the fairly lame Harvest storyline, but this episode still was not downright BAD. I'd give it more like a 55/100 myself. I've been rewatching S1 though and trying to be a little less harsh on these episodes because of the obvious circumstances of the crew not having enough $$/resources to create the amazing kinds of episodes they do so later on. |
| 7. | Rob in MichiganFeb 18, 2009 (Wed) | |
| I have to say that I think you're too harsh on this one, too. Although there are some harsh moments, for a season premiere it did what it needed to do. And, yes, the Scoobies forgot about Jessie's death awfully fast which is a definite negative. On the positive, was Buffy's beating the vampires in the Bronze, especially the way that she uses her brain to trick "The Vessel".
Angel blows, frankly. David, uh, was awkward, sure. But, for the most part, it worked well. And, we get a sense of who the characters' are right off the bat. And, we like them. I like this as a departure from Buffy, the Movie and the start of the series. I'm pretty sure that I'd see this in the C range, but it's good for a "we need to explain who the main guys are and what the setting is" and the shock of Jesse being killed was a good twist. |
| 8. | SeleneJul 20, 2009 (Mon) | |
| Major pro in this episode? Willow throwing the holy water in Darla's face to get her off Giles. Score one for the computer nerd! |
| 9. | KateAug 12, 2009 (Wed) | |
| And yes, this episode sucked. At least it wasn't F!!! hehe. |
| 10. | EmilyAug 31, 2009 (Mon) | |
| I'm on my sixth rewatch of Buffy here....and decided to read- and comment on- your reviews again. You really do a great job of reviewing and helping me understand the show, Mike. Did you ever notice how Xander says, after he kicks the trash can, "I don't like vampires. I'm gonna take a stand and say they're not good." I don't know if Joss meant this as a foreshadowing, but in all 7 seasons, Xander has unqualified, complete dislike of all vampires- including Angel and Spike. Seems to me like he took this stand and never wavered once- even when he was proven otherwise. |
| 11. | Mr. ValentineFeb 5, 2010 (Fri) @ 4:16pm | |
| I never really liked the first season. To me most of the episodes looked like bad acting. But, hey.. they were still growing into their roles. |
| 12. | Smallprint84Mar 2, 2010 (Tue) @ 4:07am | |
| Yeah, the first season wasn't much great, but still it is needed for the series to understand it. What I like about S1 and 2 a bit that it looks like a big hommage to B-horror films. So unique for a tv-show. But indeed the show starts really with S2.
Plus, I find the opening credits of S2 one of the coolest ones. I think they should have kept this audio version for the rest of the seasons. The bassline and drums is so badass, the opening with the organ, like a old vampire flick and its a bit faster. And that scream in the middle, haha. |
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