Buffy Season One Guide
A lot of people dislike Buffy: The Vampire Slayer Season One. And for good reason, it’s not very good (especially when compared with the rest of the show). The first time I tried to watch Season One, I couldn’t get through it. I thought the show was not for me. Now, I can easily watch the season, as I’m heavily invested in the characters.
I’ve compiled a guide to watching Season One for the first time. I’ve gone through every episode and pulled out what is useful on deciding which episodes to watch.
Definitions
- Main character - any character listed credited in the title sequence. This applies to any episode throughout the series.
- Reoccurring character - any character that appears over multiple episodes and is important to the plot.
- Season Plot - The primary plot of the season.
Episode Guide
| Episode | Plot Points | Should I Watch |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | • introduces all main characters • introduces several reoccurring characters • Introduces season plot |
Mandatory |
| 3 | • important character development • Introduces reoccurring character |
Recommended |
| 4 | • Minor character development • Filler Episode |
Skip |
| 5 | • Minor character development • Season plot progresses |
Recommended |
| 6 | • Filler episode | Skip |
| 7 | • Major character development | Mandatory |
| 8 | • Minor character development • Introduces reoccurring character |
Skip |
| 9 | • Introduces one of my favorite reoccurring characters • Otherwise filler |
Skip |
| 10 | • Classic episode with some fun moments • Minor character development |
Recommended |
| 11 | • Major character development for one of the main characters | Recommended |
| 12 | • Season plot comes to a finale • Important events that are repeatedly addressed throughout series • Major character development • Best episode of the first season |
Mandatory |
Sample Viewings
SKIP
Pretty easy here, just skip the whole season altogether. My first watch-thru, I started halfway through Season 3 and I regret nothing. You will miss some important moments but Season 2 will fill you in pretty well.
Speed Run
Just the most important stuff. Best if you don’t like this season but you still want to catch the biggest beats.
- Episode 1-2
- Episode 7
- Episode 12
No Garbo Please
Just skip the worst of the worst. This will give you all the biggest character moments. You will miss some funny and interesting parts (in otherwise bad episodes).
- Episode 1-3
- Episode 5
- Episode 7
- Episode 10-12