Never Kill a Boy On the First Date: Watch/Discuss!

[CowboyGuy]

"Into every generation there is a chosen one, she alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness...she is the slayer."

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Xander fell for a beautiful substitute teacher who was actually a She-Mantis intent on mating with, then decapitating, virginal boys....

It's Buffy Tuesday! Here we go, with Season 1, Episode 5...

"Never Kill a Boy On the First Date"

:CLICK HERE TO STREAM EPISODE:

**Using Hulu is great, as it allows you to make the video a pop-up...so you can still view the forum if you want to while watching!**

Next episode will take place on Tuesday, January 27th, 2009!

Buffy Tuesdays are back on SlayAlive! Enjoy Buffy in all her Season One era glory. Watch. Discuss, here.

[Saturn 5]

On to Never Kill a Boy on a First Date;

The Good;
Great misdirection, you really never figure who the annointed is whilst Vorba is a truly frightening figure. Cordy and Buffy fighting over Owen is FANTASTIC! The fight at the funeral home is also excellent. And how often do you see 'Emily Dickenson' in a US teen show? (almost impresses Giles) The lovely scene between Buffy and Giles at the end. Buffy's green and white dress doesn't make her look fat but does make her look like a brazen hussy. The changing scene with Buffy, Willow and Xander is also funny

The bad;
So, when a vamp disolves why do it's clothes disintegrate and the ring etc doesn't? I always thought the idea was when a vamp dies the body returns to a natural state of decomposition but that doesn't seem the case as even newly made vamps dust.

Best line; (after Cordy knocks the cup over) "Boy, Cordelia's hips are wider than I thought!" OOOOOOOHHHH!
The classic; "Bite me!"
Cordy upon seeing Angel "Hello salty goodness!" (which are also her first words as an amnesiac in Spin the Bottle upon sighting Angel/Liam)

Observations and questions;
We never see Owen again although he appears in a lot of the establishing shots of Sunnydale High. I guess the show only has room for one brooding loner guy? Check out Willow's expression when she and Xander pretend to be a couple. Also Willow digs Owen which is more grounds to assume she's bisexual rather than just lesbian. Someone actually borrows a book from the library? Giles must have had to sit down with shock. Being a Watcher seems to run in famillies

Good ep, 3 and a half out of 5

[amuk]

For me, this is when the show gets itself in gear. "The Witch" and "Teacher's Pet" feel more like placeholders; this one, OTOH, is actually great. It's a shame we never get to see Owen again; he's a good character -- and it could've been fun seeing him and Angel play off each other some more.

My one issue with it is the speech Buffy gives Giles at the end about how Xander and Willow are different from Owen ("careful"). I don't think any difference has been firmly enough established to differentiate him from them on that score. His fervour disqualifies him, perhaps, but it's all just a little too pat. I like that it cements Buffy as a hero who will sacrifice her personal desires for the mission, I just always feel like it's been poorly executed when it's done.

[Saturn 5]

Good point about Xander and Willow, a TV cliche if there ever was one, it's ok for the main characters to do something but not for the minor characters.
I'm not sure I agree that this is where Buffy kicks into gear, I think that's in Angel where the great romance starts

[deathisyourgift]

This episode has some of Buffy's "I just wanna be a normal teen!" greatest moments. One of which is of course, the classic "If the apocalypse comes, beep me!", and "This is the 90's. The 1990's, in point of fact, and I can do both. Clark Kent has a job. I just wanna go on a date. ", and OWEN:"Are you, uh, having fun?" BUFFY:"Yeah, I almost feel like a girl." I like this episode because it also helps establish Giles and Buffy's relationship more, especially since Giles admits that he at first did not want to become a Watcher. We now see how much Giles truly cares for Buffy. It's really fun to watch, the action is great, the jokes are superb, and the drama is high, creating an evil vamp that's a little (yes annoying) kid. 4/5

[Saturn 5]

Is it this one or The Witch where Buffy pouts and Giles pretends he's immune to it? Either way for the first time you really get the impression of Buffy as a little girl manipulating her father figure.
Another point against Normal Again, Buffy doesn't want to be the Slayer

[El Diablo Robotico]

I love Buffy asking Giles, "Do you have any more Emily Dickenson? I need one!"

Favorite moment of the ep, tho, is in the scene at the Bronze where Buffy pulls Owen aside to explain to him that she has to leave. You can see Angel in the background behind them, and watch David sway (or maybe more like "lurch") back and forth as he attempts to keep his face in frame between them...

[Saturn 5]

I'll be sure to check that out

[Skytteflickan88]

Thanks for pointing that out Robotico. I wonder if there was someone behind the camera, pointing in which direction he needed to move. hehe