So the first season comes to a dramatic end, with a stand out episode of this era striking many of the powerful notes that would so crucially define the show moving forward.
In the run up to the year end School dance, Xander finally works up the courage to ask Buffy to the dance. Buffy who only likes him as a friend attempts to let Xander down the sensitive way, but the damage has already been done. Meanwhile Willow's feelings are hurt when Xander asks her to the dance as a substitute for Buffy. On a grander scale Giles reads an ancient prophecy that reveals the following night the Master will raise and kill Buffy. When Buffy overhears this news she understandably goes into a state of shock. The Slayer has a big decision to make. Does she stay and fight the Master (which according to the prophecy would seal her fate)? Or does she denounce her slaying duties?
The personal torment of the Scoobies throughout Prophecy Girl is sharply contrasted with what Giles would deem the more pressing issue of The Master and his plans. Much has been made of the heartbreaking element of Buffy's storyline and SMG's stunning performance. No question this is the first of many truly great performances over her seven years of Sarah as the Slayer. Its a great calling card. Beyond that, her famous line about being a 16 and not wanting to die is just the perfect metaphor for a teenage girl still dealing with the struggles of growing old being thrust into an extreme situation that someone twice Buffy's age would find traumatic. It's this human which is one of the big selling points for Buffy above other fantasy shows. Buffy's torment at hearing the news from Giles is perfectly handled, her angst ridden reactions, and desperation to change her fate and drop the Slayer gig is truly compelling, and credible to how a teenage girl with her life ahead of her would act. Giles reaction is spot on too (ASH knocking it out of the park once again). We see his fatherly concern for Buffy, and how sad he is that she had to find out like that. Buffy's conflict is handled in a believable way, and given proper weight. It is the center piece of Prophecy Girl and is built on in season 2.
At the same time the writers show many of Buffy's (the character) appealing and heroic qualities. Even faced with such extremes she puts her friends and family (there's some touching scenes between Buffy and Joyce too). Buffy ultimately decides to face the battle with the Master, but at the same time is still there for Willow after Willow and Cordelia discover two of their school friends dead in the rec at the hands of vampires. Once again Alyson Hannigan delivers a great performance throughout (she's very underrated IMO). Willow as a character has good growth here. Firstly in the sweet opening scene at the Bronze she's there for Xander as a friend when he practices his speech to ask Buffy out, but on Willow. Later when Xander asks Willow out, having been turned down by Buffy, Willow draws the line and says NO! Then we see her breakdown following the death of her friends. The line, "I knew those guys. I go to that room every day. And when I walked in there, it was... It wasn't our world anymore. They made it theirs. And they had fun." Its fantastic and is an underrated Willow moment. Her having to deal with the invasion of her space and the death of people she knew is a similar wake up call to the one Buffy has during the episode.
It's also, interesting that Willow and Cordelia are starting to hang out during and talk about boys. This follows on from Out of Mind, Out of Sight, when Cordy opened up a bit to Buffy. Here not only do we see her with Willow but later on she saves Willow and Jenny in her car when they are being attacked by vampires. Cordelia's path to becoming a Scooby is picking up pace.
By contrast to Willow and Buffy or even Cordelia, this episode shows both the worst and best in Xander. Xander's selfish reaction to Buffy's rejection of him asking her to the dance, "I Guess a guy's gotta be undead to make time with you" is pretty poor form. Its another realistic scene that flows naturally. A lot of people would feel for Xander. Because just about everyone male or female would have had times when they put themselves out there for a person who don't feel the same way and have to deal with the bad news. But Xander's comment at the expense of Buffy and her feelings for Angel were a step too far. The way he treats Willow is even worse.
However, what makes Xander such a great and progressive male character is his sensitivity and how he bounces back from acting like a jerk, to showing great bravery and loyalty to his friends. What is notable here is how Xander works with Angel (who he has no love lost for) to try and save Buffy. Crucially, when Buffy is killed by the Master, Angel is unable to revive her (what with being dead and not having any breath), so it Xander who steps up and revives his friend. This is such a dramatic moment for Xander as a character and underlines that this is a show about the importance of friendship. Yes, Buffy's relationship with Angel is important, it is her friendship with Willow, Xander and even Giles that greatly defines the series.
The cap off is of course Buffy Prom dress and all kicking demon butt and finally killing the season's big bad. Buffy able to kick butt while looking great doesn't help her appeal of course. For some this sequence is a bit cheesy, and lessens The Master's threat. But the theme of Prophecy Girl is Buffy and her friends coming together to fight the forces of evil. Buffy's line about flunking the written in response to the Master's reference to the Prophecy is cool too. This is the most dramatic and emotionally powerful episode of the first season, and a clear signal of what's to come. Prophecy Girl neatly ties together many of the themes of the opening twelve episodes of Buffy to do with bullying, tough experiences of romance and friendship.
Season Verdict: There is a lot of nostalgia that draws fans to the opening season. By the standards of a lot of debut seasons on TV, its very watchable. The core cast are strong. The Master is a solid villain (if underused), and the trademark Whedon wit, crisp dialogue and subversive storytelling is present at least in the pilot and the finale. There's a lot of fun to be had, but what stands out most is the character depth for which the season only really touches the surface.
The limitations are there for all to see also. There are a couple of terrible monster of the week plots that are made even worse when viewed today. The Praying Mantis from Teacher's Pet is just a cheap gimmick from the start, and the Monster itself looks terrible in its robbery suit. There are many plot holes in the episode too. Its a little too on the nose when it comes to exploring Xander's hormones. i robot... you jane at least on paper was a good idea about tackling the growing inference of the Internet and online chat rooms. It was also a good chance to flesh out Willow's character, sadly it fell apart in the second half and was reduced to be another cheesy MOTW plot, with creaky action. The problem at this point was even if these were good ideas, the small budget the show was working with would still undercut the pay-offs. There were still good moments in both episodes (Jenny's debut was promising in IRYJ), but both stand out as being two of the worst Buffy episodes ever for me.
The effects coupled with the lack of consistency in the writing hampered other episodes like Nightmares, which had a good concept (the Scoobies having to confront their greatest fears), but was uncertain of its tone, and had a weak pay-off. Think there was a problem in coming up with interesting supporting characters for these one offs. The likes of Wendell (Nightmares), Billy (Nightmares), Owen (Never Kill a Boy on the First Date) or Dave (IRYJ) were all very dull, and quite annoying to boot. This is something that would improve in future seasons. There were a couple of gems from the first year too. Notably Amy (Elizabeth Allen) in Witch (she would return too, although not for awhile), Sid the Dummy who turned out a little differently to another famous possessed Doll in The Puppet, and Marcie Ross brilliantly given life by the underrated Clea Duvall in Out of Mind, Out of Sight. I for one was sad her's was a one off appearance.
The music for the first season of was composed by Walter Murphy. I mention this because some of the musical choices did add to the soapy feel of S1. By contrast Murphy's replacement Christophe Beck who took over from season 2, had a much more original and powerful sense of mood and atmosphere. Many of Beck's themes would define crucial moments in the show. For me this is the weakest of Buffy's seven seasons (a lot of people would disagree pointing to the last two), but certainly when it hits the high notes there is much to enjoy and sink your teeth into!
Season Rating: 6/10
Best Episode: The Puppet Show
On a critical level, it would be the finale, with Angel a strong contender. But personally, I find this the most enjoyable episode. The mystery of the week within a high school setting (something Veronica Mars later nicked) was one of the most charming things of the whole season. The mystery was well crafted and kept us guessing. There was lots of fun character interactions, and the twist with Sid the Dummy (set up to be more like Chucky) was a sharp subversion. Add to that the impressive debut of Principal Snyder, one of the most convincing slimeballs of 90's TV who would prove a more everyday thorn in Buffy and friends side. Snyder has an interesting arc himself, but steals many of the best lines here and in other episodes. A classic example of someone you just love to hate.
Worst Episode: Teacher's Pet
Best Character: Buffy Summers
And to the rankings!
12. Teacher's Pet
11. i robot... you jane
10. Nightmares
9. Never Kill a Boy on the First Date
8. Witch
7. The Harvest
6. The Pack
5. Out of Mind, Out of Sight
4. Angel
3. Welcome to the Hellmouth
2. Prophecy Girl
1. The Puppet Show
