Welcome to the Hellmouth
Original Airdate: March 10,
1997
Writer: Joss Whedon
Director: Charles Martin
Smith
Of
the many shows to be based off movies, this is one of, if not the only,
instance where the TV show manages to outshine its source material. However,
the film was critically panned and forgotten in many minds by the time the
series premiered. The fact that this got on the air is more a testament to Joss
Whedon's loyalty to his work than any market demand.
He has never been one to let a project he loves die. A few years ago he fought
to get a film adaptation of his short lived series Firefly made, a campaign
that proved successful with the release of Serenity. Almost ten years earlier
he showed the same dedication to "Buffy". While I've never seen the
film, I've heard much about how it didn't mesh with what Joss envisioned and
that it was a commercial and critical disaster. Nonetheless, he worked to get
the idea resurrected in some form. Luckily for him, this coincided with the
rise of a new network, one who was willing to take a risk on Whedon's idea.
Joss
wisely decides against rehashing the movie in this pilot. Instead, he uses the
movie as a prologue. This makes this episode's slant more interesting.
"Buffy" frequently uses supernatural elements as analogies for
growing up. Buffy wanting to leave her slayer identity behind is very similar
to how people hope for that fresh start when they relocate. However, the true
second chance is rare, and when you're destined to be the one person to protect
the world from evil, you can't escape that.
Buffy
is not much different than the average teenager. She wants to live a normal
life and is struggling with her identity. This is essentially her problem
throughout the series. While Giles hopes to teach and train her about hunting
and killing demons, even he doesn't know some of the facts about slayerdom that we discover later in the series. This could
apply to any teenager trying to figure out who they are, and even the parents
and guides unable to help fully because they too don't know.
One
of the major things that inspired Whedon to create
"Buffy" is the old archetype of the blonde in a horror film. Usually
the life span of that teenage girl is around four to five minutes (if they're
that lucky). Not only is Buffy defying that cliché, but Darla does as well in
the prologue. We've seen the scared girl go with the bad boy to some make out
place only to be killed countless times before, which makes the twist that Darla
is the evil one a refreshing change. So the blonde could be both a menace and a
hero.
It
is no surprise that Xander has an instant crush on
Buffy. That outfit would make a lot of guys get into accidents. Thankfully,
they scrapped the skateboard part of his character because it doesn't feel
right for him. If they tried it as him trying something new to appear cool,
then it would've made some sense.
Jesse
feels like a clone of Xander, only a bit more awkward
and pathetic. He keeps coming on to Cordelia, who keeps
on rejecting him. He has that teenage thing refuses to listen to reason, which
could definitely be set off by someone as hot as Cordelia.
At one point, he suggests he nibble on his shoulder, perhaps a little
foreshadowing for later in the episode.
Cordelia is what Buffy was before she was called upon for slayer
duty. She's beautiful, vain and a little too much in love with herself. It does
make sense that Buffy would initially draw to her, but while Cordelia teases Willow for her poor fashion sense, Buffy
sees that isn't who she is anymore. Since the show is about outcasts, it makes
sense to have a character represent what is alienating the heroes. However,
there are hints of a change in Cordelia's character,
which fits her arc.
Along
with Cordelia,
Giles
rounds out the core group of four. As an Englishman, he could've been written
as a stuffy stereotype or some absurd Monty Python wannabe. However, he's a lot
more complex than that. Yes, he's knowledgeable, but he lacks social skills and
awareness, like slamming the Vampyr book on an
unassuming Buffy or going to the Bronze still wearing a suit and tie. There is
also the male teacher/nubile teenage girl dynamic, which could be taken the
wrong way. Luckily, they settled this to make Giles a father figure, but it
isn't fully functional in this pilot.
Angel,
in his brief appearance, is a bit ambiguous. The clothes definitely set the
stage for his brooding character. He could be spouting his own poetry at a
coffeehouse's open mic night. For some reason,
explained later, he has some interest in helping Buffy take care of the
vampires, alluding to The Harvest, presumably a mass murder of humans by
vampires.
While
those unfamiliar with the movie may be confused with some of the blanks left
unfilled, there is a decent amount of background information given. Vampire
mythology can vary, so it's important for Whedon to
establish what his vampires do, how they kill, are killed, feed and are born.
Although there isn't anything significantly different, such ground rules help
the pilot.
Also
nicely covered is the history of demons and humans on earth. The Master is
trapped below earth by some force field. Presumably, other demons are trapped
in similar situations and The Harvest will free The Master and maybe "The
Old Ones" Luke refers to. The concept of "The Old Ones" lasts
through Angel's final season. Now that's some good foreshadowing!
Although
most of the subsequent big bads would be some type of
demon or evil being, it makes sense to have the big bad early on be a vampire
because of the title of the series. The Master's appearance draws some
comparisons to Murnau's Nosferatu.
Early on, they wanted to have vampires appear more demonic as they aged.
Considering every other vampire looks the same when they vamp out, this concept
was one that was quickly scrapped (with one exception early in season three).
The Master serves as a type of transitional device, to lure in fans of old
vampire stories while the leather jacket could be an update of the look.
Considering
that WB was going for a young demographic, there are a lot of things meant to
appeal to younger viewers. For example, The Bronze would be the setting for
numerous musical acts in the future. It feels a bit forced in this episode, but
as the series progressed, they had better success integrating it. The
difference between old school and new school horror is established in the
opening title sequence. The organ intro drowned by a shredding guitar, while
symbolically saying that Buffy isn't going to be the blonde in peril in need of
rescue, also says that this is going to be different than standard vampire/slasher stories.
Obviously,
with that eye-catching title (that unfortunately turned off some people from
watching it, including me initially), this wasn't
going to be a show to take itself too seriously. It was also a merging of
several genres. In that title, we have sci-fi/fantasy,
action, comedy and drama. Merging genres also helped a show with a less
humorous title, The X-Files, who along with Buffy became touchstones for the
new generation of sci-fi fantasy.
Having
Sunnydale positioned right over a Hellmouth
is a decent narrative device, even if it is an easy way out of explaining
demonic activity. I'm sure everyone has felt that high school is hell at some
point (and if you haven't you're a liar). For an analogy, it works perfectly.
Although how did they manage to have the Summers move
right in the Hellmouth's backyard is anyone's guess.
Joyce's
role, as unaware parent, isn't played as a typical dumb adult in many teen
oriented shows. While that may be relatable to young people, Joss does a
different angle and it still works. Buffy can't tell her mom her secret, so
that works with the "parents don't understand" theme every teenager
has felt at some point.
One
thing worth noting is how far the "dusting" technology came during
the seven years from this episode to Angel's finale. In the early episodes like
this one, a staked vamp explodes into dust. Over Buffy and Angel's run the
disintegration became much more sophisticated. While it may not be the best for
continuity, it's interesting to see in perspective.
Also,
the film quality is significantly lower than around season three forward.
According to Whedon's commentary, they filmed on
16-millimeter stock, which is cheaper than 35 mm (I'll try not to bog this
review down with a lot of techno babble). However, this does leave the picture
a bit grainy. The lighting in this episode is much darker than later seasons
(that could just be the film stock), which makes some of the scenes a bit hard
to see.
The
dialogue is also very different, but it needs some fine tuning. The pop culture
references didn't always blend in with the rest of the lines, but that becomes
much easier as the writers discover what they want this show to be. Although it
wasn't Whedon's true intention, I enjoyed seeing Aphrodesia and Aura's superficial conversation filled with
buzzwords and slang abruptly stop when the guy fell out of the locker.
While
hardly amongst the Buffy classics, this is an effective opener. Our first taste
of Whedon created TV shows potential, but it will
take some time before they get to where Buffy is considered a classic.
Score: 7/10