Season One: Looking Back

Honestly...season one of Buffy was not as good as I had remembered it being. I guess I had elevated it to mythical status in my mind based on my memories. To be fair, when I remember Buffy as a show, I don't think of it in terms of seasons, just story arcs. I remember what happened around a certain point in their life. There were certainly episodes that I remembered from this season, but there were also things that I'd forgotten.

I'd forgotten that Ms. Calendar made her first appearance in this season, as well as Harmony. I'd forgotten that we didn't know the truth about Angel until the 7th episode. I'd also forgotten that this first season is comprised of mostly monster of the week bad guys. It follows a formula that shows like Smallville, Supernatural, and the X-Files have throughout the years, giving us freaks of the week while occasionally slipping in mythology. Later, if memory serves, that mythology becomes more and more the key of the show, but it wasn't really cooking yet in season one.

Still, the hallmarks of a great show are all here. Most of our major players have appeared, and we've got the stage set for fantastic things to happen.

For a mid-season replacement show with a funny name, it had a lot of charm, and it started something wonderful. This is evidenced by the fact that I cannot wait to start season 2. As soon as I finish this post, I'm off to pop the DVDs in. A greater compliment would be hard to find.