Buffy The Vampire Slayer: 10 Things From Season 1 That Keep Getting Better Over Time

While Buffy Summers grows a lot throughout each season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, her life changes the most in the pilot episode. She finds out that she has moved to Sunnydale for a reason and that it’s up to her to save the town from evil. As season 1 goes on, Buffy makes some close friends, enters a surprising yet thrilling relationship, and continues her mission.

While fans love watching Buffy meet new people and have new experiences over every season of the series, there are a lot of parts of season 1 that feel fresh, unique, and perfectly dramatic, even if fans have seen these episodes countless times.

10 Giles Is Set Up As Buffy’s Watcher

Through Giles’s best Buffy The Vampire Slayer episodes, fans get to know him as a sweet mentor who wants the best for Buffy and her friends. It’s in season 1 that Buffy learns that Giles will play a huge role in her life and growth as a slayer.

While there are many moments in season 1 that are terrifying, as Buffy is constantly battling demons while wondering how to make it through the school week, Giles’s calm and comforting presence is integral to the show.

9 Buffy As The New Girl At School

Although Buffy’s role as the slayer overtakes the typical getting used to a new routine, her place as the new student at Sunnydale High is still a big part of season 1.

Buffy navigates the social pressures, quickly figuring out that Cordelia is part of the popular crowd and that she’s not likely to join the cool kids. She also has some fun at The Bronze, although it isn’t very long before she has to battle more demons.

8 The Season 1 Episode “Witch”

The season 1 episode “Witch” stands out as one of the most compelling, and it could also be considered one of the best of the entire series.

When Buffy meets cheerleader Amy, she realizes that Amy’s mom Catherine puts a ton of pressure on her to be perfect. Before too long, this storyline turns sinister as Catherine takes over Amy’s body. The episode’s final moment couldn’t be more flawless as Catherine is stuck in the school’s trophy case.

7 Buffy And Angel’s Romantic, Epic First Kiss

Angel’s Buffy The Vampire Slayer quotes are some of the best on the series. Whether talking about something emotional or filling Buffy in on his history, he’s always got something important to say that will move the story forward.

The season 1 episode “Angel” is one of the most significant ones when it comes to Buffy and Angel’s romance. They kiss and she learns more about his background, from vampires murdering his relatives to seeing a glimpse of his scary-looking face. Fans love looking back on Buffy and Angel’s first kiss as it’s so unexpected yet feels so right.

6 Buffy, Willow, And Xander Connect

Buffy becomes close to Willow and Xander in season 1 and it’s nice to look back on these characters joining forces.

While fans love seeing the demons and vampires that come up throughout the series, it’s the relationships between Buffy and her new pals that bring the most humanity and emotion to the show. They also make viewers laugh as Willow and Xander are definitely overwhelmed by what’s going on.

5 Cordelia Is A More Layered Character Than She Appears To Be

While at first, Cordelia seems like a conceited teenager who speaks in slang and doesn’t care about other people, she talks to Buffy in the season 1 episode “Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind” and fans see a new side of her.

When Cordelia says that she’s insecure and doesn’t really feel like she has people in her corner, Buffy realizes that Cordelia is more relatable than she originally thought, and fans can look back on this moment with a smile. This makes viewers excited to see Cordelia interact more with the other characters.

4 The School Storylines

Season 1 has many plotlines featuring creepy and supernatural happenings at Sunnydale High. In “The Pack,” Xander and his classmates are taken over by hyenas. In “Teacher’s Pet,” Miss French is actually evil.

There’s a lot to love about Sunnydale High as a setting, and fans know that while high school is already difficult, dealing with students being possessed or demons hiding in plain sight definitely makes going to class seem a lot scarier and more complicated.

3 Buffy’s Quotes Are Great

There are many great Buffy The Vampire Slayer quotes, ranging from emotional to hilarious to sweet, and season 1 is when the characters have the best and most compelling slang.

While Buffy says a lot of interesting things throughout the entire series, her season 1 quotes are the funniest and show off her fun and strong personality. It’s great when she says to Giles, “To make you a vampire they have to suck your blood. And then you have to suck their blood. It’s like a whole big sucking thing. Mostly they’re just gonna kill you. Why am I still talking to you?”

2 Buffy’s Relationship With Her Dad Is Explored

There are some nice family scenes in Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and season 1 explores how Buffy gets along with her dad, Hank, after her parents have gotten divorced.

In the season 1 episode “Nightmare,” Buffy thinks that Hank tells her that he and Joyce broke up because he didn’t like how tough she is to raise. But at the end of the episode, she finds out that she had a bad dream and he really does love and care about her. This is a unique way to talk about divorce and sheds some light on the pain Buffy feels about her parents.

1 Buffy Beats The Master And Saves Sunnydale

The season 1 finale “Propechy Girl” feels just as exciting and perfectly written as it did when it aired.

Buffy beats The Master and makes sure that the Hellmouth is shut, proving that she can handle whatever chaos is thrown at her. This season finale sets season 2 up and helps fans anticipate what Buffy is going to tackle next, even if viewers have seen every episode several times.

About The Author

Aya Tsintziras
(1742 Articles Published)

Aya Tsintziras is a freelance writer who writes about pop culture and TV. She has a Political Science degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Journalism from Ryerson University. She loves coffee, reading, working out, and watching TV. She lives in Toronto with her husband.

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