The DVD experience

[tkts]

I'd never watched Buffy while it was on TV in first-run, instead discovering it on Hulu and DVD. I was just thinking about some of the ways watching it that way alters the experience, and wondering how different the experience was for people who watched it when it was first on.

-- One of most obvious ones: No commercials. Score one for the DVD experience.

-- A tradeoff: Watching on DVD, you don't have the "spoiler by preview" or "spoiler by previously-on" effect (where, for example, if Faith hasn't been around for a while but the "previously" reel shows a bunch of Faith scenes, you pretty much know she's going to be in it). However, in exchange, you get the "spoiler by DVD title card" effect. So as soon as you see Eliza Dushku on the title card for "Dirty Girls," you know Faith is coming back; as soon as you see Sarah Hagan's character on the title card for "Potential," you know she's going to play a major role.

-- Major event spoilers. I knew from reading things here and there that Joyce, Tara and Anya would die, long before I actually got to those episodes. Knowing that Joyce would die had me watching a lot of Season 5 with this vague feeling of dread, always wondering if this would be the episode. When she first collapsed, I thought that was it; I also thought she might not make it out of surgery. On the other hand, even knowing she was going to die, seeing her at the end of "I Was Made to Love You" was still a shock ...

And when Tara fell down the stairs in "Normal Again," I wondered if that was going to be her death scene.

-- It seems like it must be easier to follow the arcs when you're watching several episodes a week and going through the whole series in a few months.

-- Moods conveyed by DVD title card music. As soon as you pop in the first disc of Season 7, you can tell just from the music that the season is going to be epic in scale.

Any other major differences between watching in first-run and watching for the first time on DVD?

[Erica]

I never watched Buffy on TV. I was too young to care, haha. I did watch "Chosen" live, then got into the series, and watched all of Angel season 5 as it aired.

I love the DVD experience. It's fun having a big marathon. My boyfriend and I did it with all of Buffy, all of Arrested Development, the first few seasons of How I Met Your Mother, and the first three of Dexter (which was On Demand, but it's close enough lol). He did bring up one problem, which is that you tend to forget specifics of a show when you watch it all at once. I'm pretty sure if I asked him, "Haha, remember this specific moment in Buffy, wasn't that funny?," he wouldn't know what I was referring to, 'cause he just doesn't remember (also, he doesn't care like I do, lol).

I loved watching season five of Angel as it aired, though. It was fun not knowing what would happen next. The week-long wait sucked, but it was exciting. I was in the eighth grade that year, and I remember going to a crappy tech high school open house, and telling my mom we had to leave early so I could go home and see Angel - it was The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco, so it kinda sucked, and I was bored, but still. Seeing something for the first time anyone is ever seeing it (the general public, that is) is fun. Then again, this was before DVRs, and if Angel was still on now I'd probably be recording it and watching it a day later, lol.

The one thing I hate is that if you haven't seen Buffy, the DVD can ruin it before you even watch the episodes. There were a few times when I made my boyfriend close his eyes when I went to play an episode, because I didn't want him to be spoiled by the pictures it showed, lol.

[tkts]

Oct 22, 2009 13:08:05 GMT -5 Erica said:

The one thing I hate is that if you haven't seen Buffy, the DVD can ruin it before you even watch the episodes. There were a few times when I made my boyfriend close his eyes when I went to play an episode, because I didn't want him to be spoiled by the pictures it showed, lol.

Right ... "Oh, look, it's Eliza Dushku. So much for that surprise entrance."

[Xander-Shaped Friend]

Or like how you buy all the sets and are so into the show that you devour the boxes and read everything and then find out who dies..not fun.

[Smashed]

I was fortunate to see some episodes during the original run! I really only remember seeing some of season 5, Smashed, Storyteller, First Date, and Chosen.

Although I remember when Checkpoint first aired, I missed it because I had to go to my aunt's. I was so pissed!

[snizapman6294]

Oct 22, 2009 13:08:05 GMT -5 Erica said:

I never watched Buffy on TV. I was too young to care, haha.

same... i had just turned 3 when buffy started and i hadn't heard of it until it ended. i definitely prefer dvd's to live tv. i HATE commercials.

[Iceeh★]

Oh man, I get that feeling of dread with the deaths. I was spoiled for every death either by my own doing or my friend telling me (except for Jenny, so I was all like !!!! when she died). Throughout all of season 7, I was worried that Anya would be offed at any moment. That's why the bit in Selfless was especially heartwrenching for me, cause I thought she was really gone.

[buffyfan21]

I watched the first 4 seasons during their original run, then my parents moved and we no longer had cable. So one day my friend comes to school and she tells me that Buffy's mom died. I just couldn't believe it (I was in shock for the whole rest of the day and so sad)! So, I knew of Joyce's death long before I ever saw it on DVD. Seasons 5-7 I saw only after the DVDs came out. I love the convenience of my DVDs, the fact that I can pull them out and watch them whenever I feel like it, no commercials, etc., but at the same time, there is something to be said for watching a show during its original run. I am glad that I got to see those first few seasons of Buffy in real time.

[Greer]

I was half and half with the seasons. I got to watch up to Season 4 on tv, then I moved halfway across the country, to a city that didn't have the WB or UPN!(Crappy midwest, hmmph) I remember being so excited every Tuesday night to watch Buffy and Angel, and just waiting through all of the episodes to see the preview for the next ones. It was really exciting, and pretty spoiler-avoidy.
The DVDs are definitely a different experience. I got back into Buffy 2 years ago and got to watch 5-7 on DVD. It was so nice to be able to watch them back-to-back, but it took away some of the exciting anticipation I used to hold for the series. I didn't really take any note to the intro music, sans if I enjoyed it or not. I liked seeing the different characters on the DVD box and the discs, and it really didn't spoil it for me, at least in what the plots of the episodes were.

All in all? I miss watching it on tv.

[tkts]

One not-so-good part of the DVD experience: the painfully long and overdone Myst-style animations you have to sit through on the navigation screens for Season 2 ...

[Midnight Butterfly]

I watched a few episodes on TV. I was pretty young and only seen like 20 episodes.
In a weird way I look at the Buffy TV experiance as part of my childhood. It was on a fuzzy Irish channel (TV3) while I was tucked up in bed. A kid full of live watching a show that I didn't completely understand but at the time didn't care as it was magical in my mind. Running down stairs during the advertisements for toilet breaks and asking my mom could I take my supper upstairs to watch the rest.

Having to wait a whole week to find out what happened next was annoying in a great way.

I used to love the advertisments TV3 showed, they were never off the TV at night time.

I also look back at having a BBQ at my house at night. I was 10 and my auntie said something that mad me sad. I left the BBQ and went upstairs, turned the lights off, turned the TV on and scanned the channels to see what was on. Seen a TV show on TV3 and said allowed to myself 'thats the TV show with the cool adverts, I have been meaning to watch that for ages'. Thats when I seen my first full episode of Buffy.

I also miss watching it on TV. I think the reason I liked it so much is because I was so young at the time and loved it.

[hellmouth]

I watched the entire series on DVD, when I began watching the DVDs season 7 was airing on TV. I refused to watch any of season 7 until I had season seasons 1-6. When I finally caught up and had finished season 6 I had to wait 2-3 months for season 7 to come out on DVD. I can't tell you how torturous those 2-3 months were. I think when I finally bought season 7 I watched the whole season in 2-3 days. Not long after, I went back to season 1 and started all over.

[Beaumonde]

well my first time watching buffy wasn't on TV or with the DVDs, so i just got the episodes which was great
except i couldn't stop myself from googling and youtubing buffy between episodes, and i was spoiled by comments a lot (another disadvantage to not watching while it's first airing: a hell of a lot of spoilers on the internet)

i'll agree that the DVD menu screens are very annoying. seasons 2, 3, 4 and 5 are so long and unnecessary.
i do really like the simplicity of the season 6 and 7 screens though.

[gumgnome]

Oct 31, 2009 21:47:56 GMT -5 tkts said:

One not-so-good part of the DVD experience: the painfully long and overdone Myst-style animations you have to sit through on the navigation screens for Season 2 ...

Tacky menus - never fail!

The real plus of the DVDs is no adverts, which were the bane of my initial Buffy experience. I used to hate the first ad break most of all, which would come immediately after the credits when the show was on Sky One in the UK!
However, having a weekly slot for your favourite show is also a rewarding experience. The anticipation that builds with each episode in the season means that your mind is always on your next Buffy fix. Waiting a week for the finale in a season like S5 becomes a form of mental torture, but it really solidifies your love for the show.

[mergedloki]

I got my gf into buffy. she'd NEVER ever watched (or as far as i know) heard of the show before she started going out with me.

But, we've gotten through the first 4 seasons (watched season 4 in 2 days straight. lol I was sick as hell so couldn't do anything but lay on the couch... instant buffy-thon).

But I've gotta buy season 5 - 7 now.

I had watched season 1 - 5 during their tv run. But got out of it after season 5. So when I finally get season 6 and 7, except for a few episodes and the series finale all of 6/7 will be new to me hurrah!

[gumgnome]

Dec 4, 2009 5:05:31 GMT -5 mergedloki said:

So when I finally get season 6 and 7, except for a few episodes and the series finale all of 6/7 will be new to me hurrah!

Watch out for spoilers on the site then!

[Randi Giles]

Oct 31, 2009 21:47:56 GMT -5 tkts said:

One not-so-good part of the DVD experience: the painfully long and overdone Myst-style animations you have to sit through on the navigation screens for Season 2 ...

That annoys the hell out of me. I also wish the DVDs had a Play All feature instead of having to keep going back to the main menu to play every episode.

[Scarygothgirl]

^ my DVD's you can just skip the credits at the end and get to the next episode.

I never watched them the first time round 'cos I was quite young. I do remember my parents watching one episode and what I remember from that was Willow, in the kitchen with her twin sister Rose. Not entirely sure why I remember it like that, it was actually the scene in Doppelgangland where Willow is on the floor in the library and shoots vamp-Willow.

My brother bought all seven seasons of Buffy two years ago and I knew nothing about what would happen when we watched them, so I didn;t feel the spoiler effect at all. I remember in the first series my brother said 'well I know Willow ends up being gay...' and I was like 'WHAT?! But she likes Xander!' lol.