Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 1 (1997) - Review
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Well, having finished Season 2 now (and started 3) I have to admit that Buffy - in its first season at least - has a long way to go to be the best Whedon has ever done. Its certainly not bad, and has a great start with a fantastic two-part opening pilot, that is soon squandered potential in 9 filler episodes building up to a good, but ultimately disappointing finale. There are some good ideas here and there, but the standalone monster-of-the-week is a hit-and-miss scenario, and with only 12 episodes, Buffy really had to be something special with great character development and intriguing story arcs to really seem worthwhile. However, none of the characters really grow as a result of the season, and while Angel gets a mini character arc of sorts, its pretty much that he falls in love with Buffy and vows to help and protect her...that's it. In 12 of the 14 episodes of Firefly, all of the characters had grown to become friends. Mal had softened to Simon and River (although this soon gets ruined by the ending of Episode 13 and how this leads to the beginning of Serenity), Jayne had become a better person, Simon, River and Book had become part of the crew and there had been some great trials for each character to go through. Buffy season 1 just suffers from a lack of anything really happening. By the end of the season finale I guess you could say Buffy has matured a little, and Xander and Willow have become used to the Vampire-slaying lifestyle, but its nothing too noticeable. Maybe this is because everyone thought it was a mini-series that would never go beyond the 12 episodes and was dead on arrival, but I would have though that Whedon and co would put their all into the 12 episodes if this was the case, in the same way Russell T Davies did for the first series of the revived Doctor Who.
Alas, this was not the case. While the character development is lacking, the actual characters are not, with Buffy Summers being a well-realized and well-performed character by Sarah Michelle Gellar, who not only has some interesting choices as a teenager, but also some pretty badass action scenes to contend with along the way. Willow and Xander are great as Buffy's sidekicks, essentially, and do well in the series to add some comedic elements, while Giles played by Anthony Head (or Anthony Stewart Head, as the opening titles call him), is quite possibly my favourite character. Maybe its because I'm British, maybe its because I see a bit of me in him, but he is an entertaining character who has plenty to explore with, but little actually explored in season 1. Cordelia is a bit annoying, although there is room for character development, that season 1 doesn't explore. Do you see the pattern here? The season just doesn't quite go anywhere by the end. This isn't necessarily bad, but Buffy doesn't really pull together in the first season, amounting to something that feels a little inconsequential.
The production aspect of season 1 is pretty good, with a good score from Christophe Beck and some good, great and 'meh' writing throughout the season. The direction and cinematography looks pretty good for the most part and despite the obvious budget issues, Buffy the Vampire Slayer doesn't look too bad.
Overall, there is more potential than content in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's first season, and perhaps with an extra 10 or so episodes, the writers might have used this potential to create something truly special. The first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer isn't bad, just an average series not using the potential it offers.
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