DVD Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 1

In every generation, there is a chosen one. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.

And so it begins. The fact that I have seen these first season episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer at least a dozen times does not diminish their power. Actually, now that I've known for years how everything winds up and what becomes of everyone, these episodes, most of which don't rank with the series' best, have gained the power to make me shudder with awe. We see Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) for the first time as she lies in bed, tossing and turning restlessly during a terrifying prophetic dream, only to be awakened by her mother (Kristine Sutherland) telling her it's time for school. I think, "My God, there she is. It's happened. We've got the ball rolling, and now nothing can be undone."

We see her meet Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Willow (Alyson Hannigan), and how they discover that Buffy is the Vampire Slayer, the only girl in the world who's got the power to save us from the apocalypse. We see her first painful confrontation with her Watcher, school librarian Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), who is to instruct and oversee her in her slaying duties despite the fact that she wants nothing to do with them: "This is my first day. I was afraid that I'd be behind on all my classes, that I wouldn't make any friends, that I would have last month's hair. I didn't think there would be vampires on campus."

The whole time I'm watching the first episode, "Welcome to the Hellmouth," I am moved and fascinated by our introductions to these characters who will grow and change over the years, and how it's laying the foundation for the groundbreaking, breathtaking seasons to follow. Of course, there are many qualities that make Buffy's inaugural year worth watching, but as a longtime fan, it's hard not to let your eyes mist over thinking of the entire fictional universe this little show was unknowingly giving birth to (there would be canonical spin-offs in both television and comic books, not to mention an overwhelming array of merchandise).

But let's get back to the season at hand. Buffy's very first Big Bad, the villain who drives the season's overall story arc, is the Master (Mark Metcalf). The Master is a centuries-old vampire who has been mystically imprisoned in the underground remnants of a collapsed church, and who longs to be free. Working under him are vampires Luke (Brian Thompson) and Darla (Julie Benz), who are both menacing in their own right. Helping Buffy to thwart the Master's plots is Angel (David Boreanaz), the dark and mysterious man she falls in love with; he also happens to be on the outs with the Master after a rather shadowy past.

Article Author: Arlo J. Wiley

Arlo J. Wiley is an aspiring filmmaker who has a deep love of movies, music, television, and most other artforms. He is also totally obsessed with Joss Whedon and the Beatles. You kind of need to know that.

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