Buffy The Vampire Slayer

(S01E03) The writers wasted no time in showing the viewers that this show is not all about vampires. This hellmouth that Sunnydale sits over is like a big magnet for all things otherworldly and ghastly, though as we see in this episode, not everything that’s evil in the Buffyverse has to be nonhuman.

It’s fun looking back at these old episodes and still feel surprised at how Xander desperately tried to win Buffy over. It’s actually something that he seemed to never really get over, which is just one of the big reasons he hates Angel. I’d actually thought that Whedon planned for Xander to get Buffy in the end of the series, since I believe he said he sort of modeled Xander after himself. Buffy always yearned for a "normal" life, and here was Xander, right in front of her with no powers or mystical qualities to speak of.

This episode features the first time Willow works on spell casting, though very simple — heck, they mention all of the ingredients that anyone can easily obtain. What struck me odd was Giles mentioning this was his "first casting," since there are many, many times in future episodes where he contradicts this. It’s possible this was either an afterthought for the writers, or perhaps you could go so far as to think Joss lied to the gang so as to throw them off to his past dealings. I think I’ll go with the afterthought theory.

It was nice to see that Joss decided to venture back to the movie somewhat, dragging in Buffy’s thoughts of becoming a cheerleader again. I’d sometimes wondered if it would’ve been better to add that element to the story (Buffy being a cheerleader), though this episode clearly wants you to throw out the idea that Buffy will ever be a cheerleader in this show.

Some fans may not remember how early we are introduced to Amy, and it’s strange to see how nice she is to everyone, befriending Buffy quite a bit. Bu who would’ve thought that a mere mirror would be all it takes to destroy a witch? Fans of the show also get a treat in a much later episode, where Oz notices that the trophy statue has something ... odd about it.

Main points of interest in this episode:
- First appearance of Amy.
- First episode without a vampire (even Angel).
- First spell by Willow.
- Supposedly first spell cast by Giles (but contradicted in later episodes).

Quote of the episode:

Giles: "Well that’s the thrill of living on the hellmouth. There’s a veritable cornucopia of fiends and devils and ghouls to engage."
All: -Awkward Silence-
Giles: "Well pardon me for finding the glass half full."