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Buffy: The Vampire Slayer Season One

Writer/director Joss Whedon was sick of traditional horror films. However stupid or deserving of death the large-chested blond girl may have been, Whedon always wanted them to triumph. Thus, he penned a script and sold it under the title "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer." The resulting film was a flop. Joss Whedon didn’t feel as if the director, actors or producers captured the true core of his vision. He reworked the basics and pitched Buffy as a television show which was later picked up by fledgling network The WB.

Although Buffy originated as a mid-season replacement for another pilot show that tanked, it gained enough of a following to stay on for another season...then another...then another...and finally a fifth season on The WB. The show gained popularity because it was truly unique -— a show dedicated to the teen audience that mixed science fiction, horror, comedy and drama. It all begins with a sixteen-year-old’s first day at the sightly morbid Sunnydale High in Sunnydale, Calif. From the conversation between Buffy and her mother on the way to school, it becomes evident that their relocation from Los Angeles was due to Buffy torching Hemery High’s gym.

Even though she fights it, circumstance draws her back to the dark side. A boy is found murdered on campus, and the librarian seems to know more than he should. We learn that Mr. Rupert Giles (the brand new librarian) is actually Buffy’s Watcher sent by the Council in England to train and guide her.

Every season of Buffy is marked by the progress of a supervillian. Season One is populated by The Master. He is one of the world’s oldest vampires, and the leader of the highly lethal Order of Aurelius. The Master is so old, he cannot change his face to look human -— he retains a bat-like visage. Other defeated beasties include The Vessel; Maluk the Destroyer; a witch; the “Three,” a she-mantis; and an invisible girl. Although Buffy drowns and is technically dead, she survives to save the day. An amazing ride from start to stake.

Written by: Tracy Elledge

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