Welcome to the Hellmouth/The Harvest - 1x01/2 (BtVS)

First aired: 10.03.97

This show starts with some modesty and self-doubt with Darla’s line; “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Right from this very first scene we are shown what would make BtVS and Whedon especially (see Dr. Horrible for most recent example) famous. He never once lies to the viewers, but he uses our own assumptions in order to surprise and shock us. He gives us the expected (which we don’t expect, because it is expected), but in an unexpected fashion. Buffy herself is a brilliant example of that.

I had almost forgotten how dark this show is from a purely visual point of view. In this 40+40 minutes episode we only have a handful of scenes with actual daylight in them. Most of the show takes place during the dark hours and the main source of light is artificial. In this introductory episode we are also shown some of the sets which will be heavily used throughout both this and later seasons, all of them indoors.

The musical score and sound effects in this episode had me scrunching my nose in dislike. The score felt cheap, dated and intrusive. I had to shake my head at some of the stupid background noise/voices added. Personally I could definitely have survived without the random obnoxious “Kill him!” during Buffy’s final fight with Luke. The music selection when it comes to songs on the other hand is excellent. Just like with Nerf Herder’s opening theme they are a mixture of young attitude and action, and fit the show perfectly.

I was almost a little surprised at the amount of exposition involved. I know Giles became know as the King of Exposition, but I had forgotten that almost each line serves an informative purpose. Few lines exists in themselves, but rather set the table for future events. It almost made me feel a little overwhelmed.

Buffy
Our first meeting with the lead character of Buffy is through her dreams, or in this case nightmares. I find the intimacy of this “first contact” very interesting. There are no secrets between us and the hero of this show.

Buffy exists in a social setting. She has her mother’s support behind her and actively seeks out friendships. It becomes clear from the start that the social safety nets these relations provide are very important to her. Something we see further evidence of in her need to save Jessie whom she sees as a potential friend. In addition we have the scene between her and Angel in the crypt where she asks him “Do you know what it‘s like to have a friend?”, the tone and way she said this indicates the importance of friendships and friends in her life. She identifies herself through her existence in a social group. What then becomes interesting is that twice she seeks out Willow, both times knowing she is not part of the popular kids and therefore not a ticket to easy acceptance. This deliberate drift towards outsidership is fascinating in contrast to the importance she puts on social acceptance. Then again perhaps all she truly wanted was acceptance, something the outsiders would be quicker to give than the otherwise socially prominent group lead by Cordelia?

The character of Buffy is an intriguing mixture of experience and a quest for oblivion. It makes for a very sad picture; the 16 year old desperately wanting to erase her experience of the dark side of life. Despite her need to regain her innocence and leave this part of the world behind her (no matter the positive influence she can have) she is forced to stay. Because she is special and at this point not because she has made herself so. No, the “specialness” was forced upon her by an outside power.

Furthermore she might posses great physical powers, but otherwise this is a powerless young girl (as powerless as most teenage girls). Her life is controlled by others. The only thing she has ultimate control over is her body, and what 16 year old has true control of that!? No, her life is controlled by those in authoritative positions such as her mother, her Watcher (Giles), the school system personified through the patriarch of principal Flutie and the powerful amoeba that is social acceptance at a High School.

All of this makes for a very interesting hero and I can’t wait to see how she develops.

The Rest
Buffy the Vampire Slayer usually is placed in the category of an ensemble show, that means it is built around a display of characters all relevant and important to the plot and development. Despite this, this episode was all about Buffy. Not one of the other characters made me take notice and look forward to what they could have to offer.

Willow came the closest with two moments of importance, both took place during the second part of the episode (The Harvest). First she was able to provide Buffy with help through her computer knowledge. Then later on she stood up to Cordelia who in the first part had tormented her. Potential yes, but no true emotional complexity. Angel had one moment of interest when Buffy asks him about friends, otherwise he was flat. Giles provided exposition and served as a reminder of the patriarchy Buffy is supposed to oppose. Xander…what exactly was Xander’s purpose in this?

What I especially disliked was the lack of emotional response to Jessie’s death. Xander kicked a bin around, but that seemed to be born out of anger and failure rather than upset of having lost a close friend.

The Dialogue
The amount of lines I scribbled down as I watched is impressive. With the exception of the scene in the locker room;

Aura: Well, the chatter in the caf is that she got kicked out, and that's why her mom had to get a new job.
Aphrodisia: Neg!
Aura: Pos! She was starting fights!
Aphrodisia: Neg-ly!

Which according to me was an abysmal attempt at writing contemporary slang. Otherwise this episode provided some brilliant lines. However it should be pointed out that none of the younger generations (Buffy, Cordelia, Willow, Xander and Jesse) voices’ were particularly distinguishable. But this is not necessarily a bad thing, rather it works as a “living” example of how different "language groups" create their own versions of a language.

Conclusion
This was a good introduction to the verse and a very interesting look at the main character. Buffy is a fascinating combination of ultimate power and complete lack thereof, and this episode gives us a complex portrait of a vivid and ambivalent character. Mucho gusto. What I don’t like is the lack of depth from the rest of the characters on the show. This episode didn’t really spark my interest in anything besides Buffy herself, but her I’m greatly interested in.

Randomness & Memorable
-“The fun part of the Black Plague is, what…?”
- “Morbid much.”
- Buffy’s fascination with James Spader.
- Buffy and Angel’s first meeting where she literally knocks him on his butt and would have left him breathless if he had been breathing.
- The Brit-bashing; “They’ve got that royal family and all kinds of problems.”
- Harmony in a pink unicorn t-shirt.
- The scene where the vamps advance on the Bronze with Darla in the lead while the perfect song is playing.
- Darla getting holy water burn courtesy of Willow.
- Final line; “The earth is doomed.”

Next up;
Chariots of War (XWP)