(2014: 10/05-10/11) Buffy S01: Unaired Pilot

[Teep_P12]

Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Season: 01
Title: Unaired Pilot
Original Air Date: Never Aired
Network (in the US): Never Aired
Watch: October 05, 2014 to October 11, 2014
Production Code: 4V79
Written By: Joss Whedon
Directed By: Joss Whedon

[Teep_P12]

Running commentary...

- Opening scene was pretty good. Nice to see early Darla.
- Loved the music when Buffy arrived at school.
- Pretty happy with the Willow change. Alyson Hannigan is definitely a better fit but I'm sure that's knowing what she turns into. If it had been the original actress I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have gone there.
- First mention of Dingoes Ate My Baby.
- Definitely miss some of the lost innocence from their early days. I ENJOYED the dark of later seasons but it could definitely be overwhelming (like most of Season 6).
- Wondering if I should have started with the Buffy movie again as part of the re-watch. I've seen the movie many times before but I'm a completest.
- Again really enjoying the music.
- Buffy said "I gotta book". Didn't realize that was a saying in California at that time. We still say it in New England as part of a "certain generation".
- Why on earth would there still be a body long enough into the episode that Buffy would be able to hear the rumor, get to the locker room, and view the body with NO SIGN of a police presence?
- Lovely flip over the banister!
- "Into every generation a slayer is born. One girl in all the world. A chosen one. One born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires. To stop the spread of their evil blah, blah, blah.
- Already mentioning in the first episode that it's not just vampires. Zombies, werewolves, etc.
- Watchers serve to guide the slayer. Again, why do they get paid instead of the slayer...?
- Miss the Xander that I could actually like before he got all self righteous and annoying.
- Wow, the vampires in this show put in way more work than seems necessary to make a kill. All with the fake datey stuff.
- I'm glad they had the opportunity to make this into a better first episode. I liked it much better with better production values and better dusting.
- Xander's "I don't like to date girl's that I'm afraid of" comment to Darla ends up being quite a bit of foreshadowing of his future love life.
- In this one, Xander hides behind his Willow instead of his Buffy. LOL!
- Definitely SMG was the best option out of the potential Buffy's. I can't see Charisma or Mercedes pulling off the perky.
- Loved the final music as well.

[Teep_P12]

Definitely can see how it worked as a concept demo. Definitely enough of everything to tell the story. It's actually better than I expected considering it was financed out of Joss's pocket.

Compared to Welcome to the Hellmouth, I miss Xander's friend Jesse but am totally fine without Angel and The Master. But I do see why a big bad needed to be added for the sake of a final polish.

If you consider the show to be a continuation of the movie, you can definitely count this as at least the second time out of many that she tried to walk away from her slaying responsibilities and just wanted to be a normal girl. Didn't need Angel to tell her that's what he wanted for her for her to pursue it over and over again.

Pretty cool to see Danny Strong in it. I keep forgetting he auditioned for the part of Xander.

Of course considering my overriding interest in this show I want to try to bring everything back to Spike. Not much here relating to him other than it's definitely hard to see this version of Darla as being any kind of big influence on Angel or Spike's life post turning. A couple of interesting comments from Buffy about Vamp's needing to change their look more often.

[linpen]

Great you are doing this teep . Can you hook me up with a link to this pilot.I have seen it but it was a few years and computer crashes ago

[sister cuervo]

Me, too. I don't have it any more. I had the movie, but it was on VHS.

[Teep_P12]

Easiest place is to download it here.

[tactile]

Thanks Teep.

[Pasty]

Thanks Teep, I will watch it later this week.

[Teep_P12]

It's also available on youtube.

https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcaf ... ired+pilot