Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 1

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Season 1
Region 1 Season 1 DVD cover
Showrunner	Joss Whedon
Starring	Sarah Michelle Gellar Nicholas Brendon Alyson Hannigan Charisma Carpenter Anthony Stewart Head
No. of episodes	12
Release
Original network	The WB
Original release	March 10 (1997-03-10) – June 2, 1997 (1997-06-02)
Season chronology

The first season of the American supernatural drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer originally aired between March 10 and June 2, 1997, on The WB. Conceived as a mid-season replacement, the season consists of twelve episodes, each running approximately 45 minutes in length, and originally aired on Mondays at 9:00 pm ET.

Plot

Teenager Buffy Summers is the Slayer, a lone young woman chosen in each generation to be bestowed with mystical powers to fight vampires, demons and the forces of darkness, beings descended from the "Old Ones", the evil inhabitants of Earth before humans, who hope to rule Earth once more. Prior to the events of the season, Buffy's Slayer responsibilities caused her to lose her friends and be kicked out of her old school, Hemery High, for having burned down the gym, leading her and her mother Joyce to move to Sunnydale, where Buffy hopes to have a fresh start free of the Slayer role.

Her plans are complicated by Rupert Giles, Sunnydale High's librarian and her new Watcher, the Slayer's guardian and mentor, who reminds her of the inescapable presence of evil in the world that only she has the ability to fight. Unbeknownst to Buffy, Sunnydale is built atop a Hellmouth, a portal to demon dimensions that attracts supernatural phenomena to the area. Buffy meets two schoolmates, Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg, who resolve to help her in her Slayer responsibilities. Together with Giles, they form the "Scooby Gang", and decide to take a combined approach to fighting demons, rather than the Slayer acting alone as is traditional.

The Scoobies also receive help from Angel, a vampire cursed with a soul, whose motives are not entirely clear at first. There is romantic tension between the group due to Buffy's burgeoning attraction to Angel, Xander's unrequited crush on Buffy, and Xander's own obliviousness of Willow's affection for him. The Scoobies distrust Angel at first but warm to him as the season progresses, while Giles comes to genuinely care for the other Scoobies and realizes that he must take an active presence in fighting demons and cannot simply rely on books and theoretical knowledge. The Scoobies often clash with popular student Cordelia Chase, who attempted to befriend Buffy on her first day, but Buffy objected to her treatment of the other Scoobies. Over the season, Cordelia becomes aware of the supernatural world around her and becomes a reluctant ally to the Scoobies, revealing a more intelligent side to her seemingly vapid personality.

Although the season contains several standalone episodes, there is season-long story arc which focuses on the Master, an ancient vampire who recognizes Angel as having been a great evil prior to being cursed with a soul. The Master commands a cult of vampires known as the Order of Aurelius and is trapped in another dimension by mystical forces.

The Master plans to kill the Slayer to regain his former power and open the Hellmouth. Buffy learns of a prophecy involving her death at the hands of the Master. Just as the Master begins his plot, Buffy finally confronts him. The Master bites Buffy and leaves her to drown. Buffy is saved by Xander and confronts the Master again. After a final standoff, the Master is impaled and killed by a piece of wood after falling through a skylight, leading Buffy to accept her responsibilities as the Slayer with help from her friends.

Cast and characters

Main cast

• Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
• Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
• Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg
• Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase
• Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles

Recurring cast

• David Boreanaz as Angel
• Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers
• Mark Metcalf as The Master
• Andrew J. Ferchland as The Anointed One
• Ken Lerner as Principal Flutie
• Julie Benz as Darla
• Eric Balfour as Jesse McNally
• Robia LaMorte as Jenny Calendar
• Mercedes McNab as Harmony Kendall
• Armin Shimerman as Principal Snyder
• Brian Thompson as Luke
• William Monaghan as Dr. Stephen Gregory

Guest cast

• Elizabeth Anne Allen as Amy Madison
• Dean Butler as Hank Summers
• Robin Riker as Catherine Madison
• Musetta Vander as Natalie French/The She-Mantis
• Clea DuVall as Marcie Ross

Production

Series creator Joss Whedon served as executive producer and showrunner, and wrote three episodes: the two-part premiere and the finale, the latter of which he also directed. Whedon also received a "Story by" credit for the episodes "Nightmares" and "Out of Mind, Out of Sight". David Greenwalt joined the series as co-executive producer because 20th Century Fox wanted an experienced television producer as Whedon had never run a television series before. Greenwalt wrote three episodes, one of which was based on a story by Whedon. Two pairs of story editors, Rob Des Hotel & Dean Batali and Matt Kiene & Joe Reinkemeyer, wrote three episodes between them. Staff writers Ashley Gable and Thomas A. Swyden wrote two episodes, one of which was based on a story by Whedon. Dana Reston wrote a single episode as a freelance script. The only director to direct more than one episode was Bruce Seth Green, who directed three episodes.

Whedon says that "Rhonda the Immortal Waitress was really the first incarnation of the Buffy concept, just the idea of some woman who seems to be completely insignificant who turns out to be extraordinary." This early, unproduced idea evolved into Buffy, which Whedon developed to invert the Hollywood formula of "the little blonde girl who goes into a dark alley and gets killed in every horror movie." Whedon wanted "to subvert that idea and create someone who was a hero." He explained, "The very first mission statement of the show was the joy of female power: having it, using it, sharing it."

The season was shot throughout 1996, with the idea first visiting through Whedon's script for the 1992 movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which featured Kristy Swanson in the title role. The director, Fran Rubel Kuzui, saw it as a "pop culture comedy about what people think about vampires." Whedon disagreed: "I had written this scary film about an empowered woman, and they turned it into a broad comedy. It was crushing." The script was praised within the industry, but the movie was not.

Several years later, Gail Berman, a Fox executive, approached Whedon to develop his Buffy concept into a television series. Whedon explained that "They said, 'Do you want to do a show?' And I thought, 'High school as a horror movie.' And so the metaphor became the central concept behind Buffy, and that's how I sold it." The supernatural elements in the series stood as metaphors for personal anxieties associated with adolescence and young adulthood. Whedon went on to write and partly fund a 25-minute non-broadcast pilot that was shown to networks and eventually sold to The WB Television Network. The latter promoted the premiere with a series of History of the Slayer clips, and the first episode aired on March 10, 1997. Whedon declared in June 2003 that the non-broadcast pilot would not be included with DVDs of the series, stating that it "sucks on ass."

Episodes

See also: List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	1	"Welcome to the Hellmouth"	Charles Martin Smith	Joss Whedon	March 10, 1997 (1997-03-10)	4V01	4.59
A vampire named Darla, a member of the Order of Aurelius and a servant of The Master, murders a student and stuffs him in a locker. Buffy Summers arrives in Sunnydale hoping to have a fresh start free from her Slayer responsibilities. Popular yet vapid cheerleader Cordelia Chase attempts to befriend Buffy, but Buffy is repulsed by Cordelia's dismissive treatment of outcasts Xander Harris, Willow Rosenberg, and Jesse McNally. Buffy meets her new Watcher, Sunnydale High's librarian Rupert Giles, who warns Buffy that an increase in supernatural phenomena in Sunnydale in recent years is an indication of a forthcoming demon uprising. A mysterious figure named Angel, claiming to be a friend, offers guidance and warns about a "Harvest". That night, at a nightclub called The Bronze, a group of vampires led by Darla attempt to kidnap Willow and Jesse. Buffy manages to kill one of the vampires and scares Darla off, rescuing Willow, but a stronger vampire named Luke corners her.
2	2	"The Harvest"	John T. Kretchmer	Joss Whedon	March 10, 1997 (1997-03-10)	4V02	4.59
After escaping from Luke, Buffy regroups with Giles, Xander, and Willow. Following up on Angel's cryptic clue, Giles and Willow investigate the Harvest in books of demon mythology while Buffy and Xander venture into the sewers in search of Jesse. To their horror, they discover that Jesse has been sired into a vampire and only narrowly escape him. Giles and Willow have discovered that Sunnydale is built on a Hellmouth, a portal to demon dimensions, and that the Harvest is an event where a "vessel" of the Master drinks the blood of several victims to increase The Master's strength. Realizing that the Harvest will take place that night at The Bronze, the gang prepares for battle. Buffy is forced to navigate her fractured relationship with her mother Joyce, who is oblivious to Buffy's Slayer role and believes her to be delinquent. At The Bronze, Buffy interrupts the Harvest and kills the vampires, infuriating The Master. The following day, Giles worries that Buffy and her friends are ill-equipped for the fight ahead of them.
3	3	"Witch"	Stephen Cragg	Dana Reston	March 17, 1997 (1997-03-17)	4V03	4.63
At try-outs for Sunnydale High's cheerleading squad, one entrant spontaneously catches fire. Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles investigate. Another hopeful, Amy, stumbles during practice, knocking over Cordelia, and does not make the team. Soon after, Cordelia becomes disoriented and loses her sight. Buffy narrowly saves her from being run over. Buffy suspects that Amy may be a witch, causing these and other incidents in an attempt to make the cheerleading team. Buffy spills a potion on Amy and it turns blue, indicating recent use of magic. Amy realizes what is going on and casts a spell on Buffy that threatens to kill her if left unreversed. Arriving at Amy's home, Giles and Buffy confront her "mother", but quickly realize that Amy's mother Catherine, a witch and former cheerleader herself, has possessed her daughter's body. Giles works to reverse the spells, and is able to just before Catherine kills Buffy. After the spells are reversed, the two fight, and Buffy is able to reflect a spell back on Catherine, who is apparently killed. Restored to her original body, Amy and Buffy become friends, while Catherine is shown to be trapped inside a cheerleading trophy.
4	4	"Teacher's Pet"	Bruce Seth Green	David Greenwalt	March 24, 1997 (1997-03-24)	4V04	2.98
Shortly after a conversation with Buffy, Sunnydale's science teacher Dr. Gregory is attacked and goes missing. At a party, Angel appears and warns Buffy that somebody is coming. A substitute teacher, Miss French, arrives, and Xander and other boys at Sunnydale, including Blayne, are immediately smitten. Arriving at the class, Buffy notices that Dr. Gregory's glasses have been left abandoned. Later, Cordelia stumbles upon Dr. Gregory's headless corpse. Buffy investigates the death of a homeless man, suspecting it may be connected, and confronts a vampire she finds in the park. The vampire flees, encounters Miss French and is frightened by her, while Buffy watches. Buffy deduces that Miss French is a giant praying mantis. Buffy tries to warn Xander, but Miss French has released pheromones that seduce Xander. He goes to Miss French's house, where she drugs and imprisons him alongside Blayne, intending to use them to fertilize her eggs. Buffy and Giles track down the house, with the help of the vampire she met in the park earlier, and are able to kill Miss French in time to save Xander and Blayne. Under Dr. Gregory's desk, some mantis eggs hatch.
5	5	"Never Kill a Boy on the First Date"	David Semel	Rob Des Hotel & Dean Batali	March 31, 1997 (1997-03-31)	4V05	4.09
After slaying a vampire, Buffy and Giles find a ring that they link with a prophecy of the Anointed One, who can free the Master from his prison. Buffy arranges a date with a student named Owen, but Giles believes that the prophecy will be fulfilled that evening. The two wait at the graveyard, but see nothing. That evening, a bus crashes and five people die after vampires attack it. Giles connects the crash to the prophecy, but Buffy decides to leave with Owen. Giles visits the funeral home, and is cornered by vampires. Angel warns Buffy about the Prophecy, but she dismisses the warnings until Willow and Xander show up. Owen follows the three to the funeral home, and Buffy leaves him with Xander and Willow. However, they run into a victim of the bus crash, now a vampire. Buffy, Giles, and Owen subdue the vampire, before Buffy forces him into a furnace. The next day, Owen asks for another date, but Buffy refuses, fearing for his safety should they stay together. Giles and Buffy take comfort in believing that they stopped the prophecy, but the real Anointed One, a young boy, meets the Master in his underground lair.
6	6	"The Pack"	Bruce Seth Green	Matt Kiene & Joe Reinkemeyer	April 7, 1997 (1997-04-07)	4V06	3.42
At the zoo, four students sneak into the hyena habitat. Xander follows, hoping to rescue them, while Buffy and Willow are stopped by a zookeeper. The four students and Xander are possessed by the hyenas' spirits. The spirits cause the group to act increasingly strangely, Xander refusing to study with Willow before insulting her, and the whole group attacking another student at a dodgeball game. A piglet mascot for the school acts panicked in Xander's presence, and the group later kill and eat it. Buffy suspects that something has affected Xander, but Giles is initially skeptical. Buffy captures Xander, while the other four possessed students attack and eat the principal. Buffy and Giles return to the zoo, while Willow guards Xander. Buffy and Giles meet the zookeeper, and together they form a plan to reverse the possession. The four other students find Xander and Willow, and are able to free Xander. Buffy lures the group back to the zoo, while Giles learns that the zookeeper had intended to absorb the spirits himself. When the group turns up, he takes control of the hyenas' spirits, but Buffy and the now-free Xander force him into the hyena enclosure, where he is eaten.
7	7	"Angel"	Scott Brazil	David Greenwalt	April 14, 1997 (1997-04-14)	4V07	3.39
The Master sends three warrior vampires after Buffy, but with Angel's help she escapes, although Angel is injured. The pair retreat to Buffy's house. Angel explains that he fights vampires because his family was killed by them. The Master has the three warriors killed in front of the Anointed One. The next day, Buffy returns to Angel, and after he confesses his attraction to her, they kiss. Angel pulls back, revealing his true vampire face, and leaves. Giles learns that Angel used to be called Angelus, a vampire who lived in Europe before moving to America and becoming a recluse. Darla bites Buffy's mother Joyce, and attempts to frame Angel for it. He resists the temptation to bite, but Buffy arrives while he is still holding Joyce's unconscious body. Buffy drives Angel away, takes Joyce to hospital, and goes to kill Angel, tracking him to The Bronze, where the two briefly fight. Angel reveals that he killed his family, along with a Romani girl, whose family cursed him by restoring his soul. Darla shoots at Angel and Buffy, before Angel kills Darla. Later, Angel and Buffy meet, and the two share a kiss before saying goodbye.
8	8	"I, Robot... You, Jane"	Stephen Posey	Ashley Gable & Thomas A. Swyden	April 28, 1997 (1997-04-28)	4V08	2.47
In 1418, priests trap the demon Moloch inside a book. In the present day, Willow scans that book into the computer. The text in the book disappears. The following week, Willow tells Buffy that she has developed an online relationship with a boy called "Malcolm". Moloch, who has passed into the computer, instructs a student named Fritz to watch Buffy. Wanting to learn more about "Malcolm", Buffy talks to another student, Dave, who warns Buffy to leave Willow alone. Willow asks to meet "Malcolm", but when he shares information about Buffy's past, Willow becomes suspicious and ends the chat. Dave tells Buffy that Willow wants to meet her, but then warns her just before she is electrocuted in a trap set by Fritz. Fritz fakes Dave's suicide on Moloch's orders. Giles asks Jenny Calendar, Sunnydale's computing teacher, to work with him to stop Moloch. He is surprised to learn that Jenny is already familiar with demons. Fritz kidnaps Willow, taking her to a facility where Moloch, who pretended to be Malcolm, has taken control of a robotic body. Moloch also kills Fritz. Giles and Jenny cast a spell to purge Moloch from the internet, while Buffy destroys his robot host.
9	9	"The Puppet Show"	Ellen S. Pressman	Rob Des Hotel & Dean Batali	May 5, 1997 (1997-05-05)	4V09	2.56
Shortly after a rehearsal for a talent show, a girl is killed and her heart removed. Giles, Buffy, Willow, and Xander investigate, and are led to Morgan, a ventriloquist with a dummy called Sid. After an incident at her house, Buffy suspects that Sid is self-aware. In a history class, the teacher confiscates Sid, and Xander steals the dummy. When Sid remains inanimate, Xander mocks Buffy's suspicions. Buffy leaves to find Morgan, and when Xander turns his back, Sid disappears. Buffy finds Morgan backstage, dead and missing his brain. A chandelier falls on Buffy and traps her. Sid stabs at her, but Buffy escapes and subdues him. Sid reveals that he also hunts demons, and thought that Buffy was one. Sid explains that he was cursed to become a dummy, and needs to kill the real demon to lift the curse, although to do so would mean his death. Buffy finds Morgan's brain, and after discovering that he was suffering from brain cancer, realizes that the demon still needs a viable brain. The demon ties Giles to a guillotine. Buffy, Xander, and Willow free Giles, and Sid cuts out the demon's heart, ending his curse and dying.
10	10	"Nightmares"	Bruce Seth Green	Story by : Joss Whedon Teleplay by : David Greenwalt	May 12, 1997 (1997-05-12)	4V10	3.47
In class, Buffy sees a boy standing outside the door, and immediately afterwards a student, Wendell, opens his book to reveal several spiders. Wendell tells Willow and Xander that he regularly has nightmares about spiders. Several other students also experience their nightmares coming true. A girl, Laura, is attacked by a demon. Buffy and Giles visit her in hospital, where they see a boy, Billy, in a coma. Buffy realizes that Billy is the boy she saw earlier. Buffy's dad, Hank Summers, who was due to spend the weekend with Buffy, tells her that she was responsible for he and Joyce splitting up. Buffy talks to Billy, and is attacked by the demon that attacked Laura. Attempting to escape, the pair end up in the graveyard, and encounter The Master, who pushes Buffy into a coffin and buries her. Buffy escapes, but has become a vampire. Giles suggests that waking Billy will end the nightmares. However, Billy refuses to wake, scared of the demon. Buffy attacks and defeats the demon, proving to Billy that it is no threat. Billy wakes, restoring reality. Later, Hank behaves normally, revealing that their previous interaction was a nightmare.
11	11	"Out of Mind, Out of Sight"	Reza Badiyi	Story by : Joss Whedon Teleplay by : Ashley Gable & Thomas A. Swyden	May 19, 1997 (1997-05-19)	4V11	3.36
In the changing rooms, a student hears a girl laughing, but sees nothing, before being beaten with a baseball bat. Later, a girl falls down the stairs but claims she was pushed, although nobody sees who pushed her. Cordelia rescues her English teacher from suffocation. Buffy hears a flute playing, and deduces that Marcie, a flautist who disappeared some months ago, has become invisible and is behind the incidents. Separately, Angel tells Giles that he can find a book vital to Giles's research about The Master. Giles suggests that Marcie became invisible as a direct result of being ignored by everybody at the school. Cordelia asks Buffy for help, and confesses that, despite being popular, she often feels alone. Marcie traps Xander, Willow, and Giles in the boiler room filling up with gas. Angel rescues them before giving Giles the book. Marcie kidnaps Cordelia and Buffy, taking both to The Bronze and tying them up. Marcie plans to disfigure Cordelia's face, slashing it once before Buffy breaks loose. Initially hampered by being unable to see Marcie, Buffy focuses and defeats her. Men dressed in black arrive and take Marcie to a class with other invisible people, to learn about assassination.
12	12	"Prophecy Girl"	Joss Whedon	Joss Whedon	June 2, 1997 (1997-06-02)	4V12	3.97
Reading the book that Angel gave him, Giles discovers a prophecy that the Slayer shall die in battle against The Master. An earthquake shakes Sunnydale, indicating that the prophecy is imminent. Xander asks Buffy to the upcoming prom, but she declines. Buffy overhears Angel and Giles discussing the prophecy, and that she will die the following night. She quits slaying in an attempt to avoid her fate, preparing instead to go to the prom. Willow and Cordelia come across a room full of students killed by vampires. Willow tells Buffy, and Buffy decides to fight after all. Giles attempts to persuade Buffy not to fight, but she knocks him out and leaves. Buffy meets with the Anointed One, who leads her to The Master. Xander persuades Angel to join the fight. The Master easily overpowers Buffy, biting her and leaving her for dead. He breaks free of the magical barrier holding him captive. Jenny and Willow are surrounded by vampires, but are rescued by Cordelia. Angel and Xander find Buffy and resuscitate her. Displaying newfound strength, Buffy confronts The Master. After a brief fight, Buffy overpowers him and he is impaled on broken furniture, closing the Hellmouth.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the first season scored 80 out of 100, based on 15 reviews, indicating "Generally favorable reviews". Rotten Tomatoes gave season one a score of 97% with an average rating of 7.70 out of 10 based on 37 reviews with a critics' consensus stating, "Buffy slays her way into the pop-culture lexicon in a debut season that lays the groundwork for one of TV's greatest supernatural teen dramas."

The pilot episode, "Welcome to the Hellmouth", was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Makeup for a Series.

In retrospect, Joss Whedon said: "In season one, we found that we had a show that people liked. I really thought people were going to laugh at the Buffy/Angel thing and say, 'Well, he's a vampire. This is so hokey.' But they couldn’t get enough of it. It definitely made me realize the soap opera aspect of it; a continuing story of the romance and the people and their emotions was really what was fascinating. The monsters were all very well and good, but in the first season we were, like, 'Let’s take our favorite horror movies and turn them into high school stories.'"

Home media

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete First Season was released on DVD in region 1 on January 15, 2002 and in region 2 on November 27, 2000. The DVD includes all 12 episodes on three discs presented in full frame 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Special features on the DVD include a commentary track by creator Joss Whedon on "Welcome to Hellmouth" and "The Harvest", along with the original script for the episode. Other features include interviews with Joss Whedon and cast member David Boreanaz, with Whedon discussing the episodes "Witch", "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date", "Angel" and "The Puppet Show". Also included are cast/crew biographies, DVD-ROM content, photo galleries, and series trailers.

External links

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer at IMDb
• List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 1 episodes at BuffyGuide.com
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer at epguides.com