Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 1, Episode 5: Never Kill a Boy on The First Date Review
Never Kill a Boy on The First Date
Original Airdate: March 31, 1997
Writers: Dean Batali & Rob Des Hotel
Director: David Semel
I realize that I was really harsh in the previous episode's review. I assure those who are a little sensitive that there will be plenty of good reviews coming. I wouldn't pick a show to review just to trash it all the time. It's just some of these early episode weren't indicative of what the brilliance we'd see later. This episode is a marked improvement from last week. It is much less silly and the writing is certainly tighter.
Like in "Witch", Buffy attempts to live the normal teenage girl life. She wants to go out with guys like any girl her age. She has a little crush on Owen and wants to spend time with him, regardless of the ascension of the Anointed One. Not to have Buffy come off as flaky is definitely a major problem with this story line. It would be hard to sympathize with someone who was worrying over a boy when a major piece of The Master's plans is about to come into fruition. Luckily they pull it off, as Buffy steps up and learns a serious lesson in the process.
The episode starts with the first in the typical opening scenes where Buffy fights and dusts a vampire. It's interesting that what many expect in a typical episode Giles criticizes for being over dramatic. He does have a point (pun not intended); Buffy should just stake her prey and move on to the next one. Why isn't explained fully until season five. It's doubtful that much was to made out of this observation, but in the scheme of the series it works well.
While the body and clothing of a staked vampire turn to dust, apparently some parts manage to survive. In this case, it is a ring indicative of The Master's cult, called The Order of Aurelius. While some may argue of the convenience of the ring surviving, it is the impetus of this week's plot, and deepens our understanding of The Master and his business. Is Aurelius a reference to Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor of the 2nd century? It wouldn't be hard to believe that Joss Whedon would fuse some real life events to his history. The Order must predate The Master, as he isn't made until the late 14th century and the Order was founded in the 12th, but Joss claims to be bad at math, so that may be overlooked. It fits for The Master, who is an "old school" monster, and his minions (especially prophesy quoting Luke) to have this kind of history and invest this much in prophesy.
Andrew was a clear red herring for the Anointed One. His bizarre quotation of scripture on the bus and the fact that he's on the run for murder would make him fitting for the Order of Aurelius. Of course, we know he isn't because the prophecy states that Buffy won't know who it is and he'll slip by her unnoticed. That piece of information is conveniently kept away from our heroes. Having it be a child is an interesting choice, but this appears to be more of the shock value of having it be a kid. What good does having a kid be the key warrior for The Master? The kid can't age after this point.
On that note, there is only one funeral home in all of Sunnydale? Perhaps Buffy should look into that considering the high body count in the town is likely to draw a lot of business. They could be the most powerful business in town. Of course, the number of cemeteries is another sign to why houses in Sunnydale are probably very cheap.
Owen, in retrospect, was probably Buffy's most normal love interest. Many of the guys she became involved with had far too many issues and their relationships were bogged down in drama that kept them from being successful. Of course, Owen was only in one episode, hardly enough to be seriously complicated.
The actor was miscast as a brooding guy who read poetry (Angel has that market cornered). The role would've been better if the character was written more as a nice, sensitive, albeit a little thickheaded, guy. Cordelia's attraction to Owen is weird, but maybe this is hinting at some depth to her that we don't know yet. Her little swooning over Angel and his ignoring her is consistent with that. And did they get away with a bodily fluid joke (that fluid) on network TV?
Xander's behavior and Buffy's reaction to it is certainly reminiscent of my high school years. The crush that you can't act on directly that the other person is oblivious to is a rite of passage for every teenager. It's not clear whether Buffy is aware of Xander's feelings and dismissing them because she thinks he isn't serious or not. I personally can't explain this, and this segment, while it may be frustrating, rings true.
Willow certainly must be taking Xander's affections poorly. In her case, she too, is feeling ignored by the one she has feelings for. However, she is much less obvious in her tactics (perhaps that's just the fact that teenage guys (OK, all guys) can be real lunkheads when it comes to romance.
It's an interesting contrast to have Giles resenting having to do his librarian work while Buffy grows restless over full time slaying. For their operation to be successful, their covers need to work. Buffy's identity as the Slayer needs to be kept low profile, and Giles shouldn't arouse suspicion as her Watcher either. This would be a good argument for her to socialize with other kids and create the illusion of a normal teenage life. However, the scene in The Bronze with Angel and Xander & Willow trying to keep their story straight from the unassuming Owen illustrates how hard and messy that will be for Buffy. It also has a nice bit of foreshadowing that could easily be overlooked.
This episode is an improvement over "Teacher's Pet", largely because of the lack of obvious plot holes and shoddy writing. It also deals with the slayer's role in her personal life, a topic that would be central to the show until the end. That's something a she-mantis can't claim!
Like in "Witch", Buffy attempts to live the normal teenage girl life. She wants to go out with guys like any girl her age. She has a little crush on Owen and wants to spend time with him, regardless of the ascension of the Anointed One. Not to have Buffy come off as flaky is definitely a major problem with this story line. It would be hard to sympathize with someone who was worrying over a boy when a major piece of The Master's plans is about to come into fruition. Luckily they pull it off, as Buffy steps up and learns a serious lesson in the process.
The episode starts with the first in the typical opening scenes where Buffy fights and dusts a vampire. It's interesting that what many expect in a typical episode Giles criticizes for being over dramatic. He does have a point (pun not intended); Buffy should just stake her prey and move on to the next one. Why isn't explained fully until season five. It's doubtful that much was to made out of this observation, but in the scheme of the series it works well.
While the body and clothing of a staked vampire turn to dust, apparently some parts manage to survive. In this case, it is a ring indicative of The Master's cult, called The Order of Aurelius. While some may argue of the convenience of the ring surviving, it is the impetus of this week's plot, and deepens our understanding of The Master and his business. Is Aurelius a reference to Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor of the 2nd century? It wouldn't be hard to believe that Joss Whedon would fuse some real life events to his history. The Order must predate The Master, as he isn't made until the late 14th century and the Order was founded in the 12th, but Joss claims to be bad at math, so that may be overlooked. It fits for The Master, who is an "old school" monster, and his minions (especially prophesy quoting Luke) to have this kind of history and invest this much in prophesy.
Andrew was a clear red herring for the Anointed One. His bizarre quotation of scripture on the bus and the fact that he's on the run for murder would make him fitting for the Order of Aurelius. Of course, we know he isn't because the prophecy states that Buffy won't know who it is and he'll slip by her unnoticed. That piece of information is conveniently kept away from our heroes. Having it be a child is an interesting choice, but this appears to be more of the shock value of having it be a kid. What good does having a kid be the key warrior for The Master? The kid can't age after this point.
On that note, there is only one funeral home in all of Sunnydale? Perhaps Buffy should look into that considering the high body count in the town is likely to draw a lot of business. They could be the most powerful business in town. Of course, the number of cemeteries is another sign to why houses in Sunnydale are probably very cheap.
Owen, in retrospect, was probably Buffy's most normal love interest. Many of the guys she became involved with had far too many issues and their relationships were bogged down in drama that kept them from being successful. Of course, Owen was only in one episode, hardly enough to be seriously complicated.
The actor was miscast as a brooding guy who read poetry (Angel has that market cornered). The role would've been better if the character was written more as a nice, sensitive, albeit a little thickheaded, guy. Cordelia's attraction to Owen is weird, but maybe this is hinting at some depth to her that we don't know yet. Her little swooning over Angel and his ignoring her is consistent with that. And did they get away with a bodily fluid joke (that fluid) on network TV?
Xander's behavior and Buffy's reaction to it is certainly reminiscent of my high school years. The crush that you can't act on directly that the other person is oblivious to is a rite of passage for every teenager. It's not clear whether Buffy is aware of Xander's feelings and dismissing them because she thinks he isn't serious or not. I personally can't explain this, and this segment, while it may be frustrating, rings true.
Willow certainly must be taking Xander's affections poorly. In her case, she too, is feeling ignored by the one she has feelings for. However, she is much less obvious in her tactics (perhaps that's just the fact that teenage guys (OK, all guys) can be real lunkheads when it comes to romance.
It's an interesting contrast to have Giles resenting having to do his librarian work while Buffy grows restless over full time slaying. For their operation to be successful, their covers need to work. Buffy's identity as the Slayer needs to be kept low profile, and Giles shouldn't arouse suspicion as her Watcher either. This would be a good argument for her to socialize with other kids and create the illusion of a normal teenage life. However, the scene in The Bronze with Angel and Xander & Willow trying to keep their story straight from the unassuming Owen illustrates how hard and messy that will be for Buffy. It also has a nice bit of foreshadowing that could easily be overlooked.
This episode is an improvement over "Teacher's Pet", largely because of the lack of obvious plot holes and shoddy writing. It also deals with the slayer's role in her personal life, a topic that would be central to the show until the end. That's something a she-mantis can't claim!
Score: 7/10
posted by Matt @ 12:30 AM
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