Buffy and Angel Rewatch part 2

Here's the second part of my Buffy and Angel rewatch episodes 1.05-1.08 (first part of the reviews here) Enjoy :)



1.05 Never Kill a Boy on the First Date

I really enjoyed this episode. I have to say I'm not a fan of Buffy's quest to have a normal life- she gets quite whiny about it- but this first episode that touches upon it, is a gem. Lots of jealousy of Angel and Xander (hilarious from both) some cute girly time with Willow and Buffy and some fatherly advice and help from Giles are just some of the highlights from this episode.
I especially liked the Master getting the Anointed One and I love that it was the little boy. Many shows fall into the trap of have the protagonist foil the antagonists trap every time and that gets boring very quickly. Giving the evil-doer some traction definitely adds some excitement and mystery to the show. (6.5/10)


1.06 The Pack

Another Xander centric episode and this episode gave Nicholas Brendon a chance to show off his acting chops and that he can be more than a loveble goof. The storyline was again slightly ridiculous, though better than the insect one a couple of episodes back. This one contained a lot of gross-out moments as well- poor Herbet the pig and Principal Flutie, which was one of the worse Buffy deaths (in terms of ways to die!)
I loved the slow mo menacing walk of the pack and the ending where Xander pretends to forget- some rarely seen Giles/Xander bonding there! (6/10)


1.07 Angel

Apart from the pilot episodes, this is the first real mythology episode the show has and easily one of the more memorable episodes from season 1. We learn a lot more about Angel in this episode, pretty much all the basic stuff from his past- sired by Darla, killed his family, was cursed by gypsies and now lives with his human soul. Darla death, had she not been resurrected later, might have gone down as a killed too soon especially given the obvious sexual tension with Angel. (Although saying that had she not been resurrected, she would've probably just remained the slightly annoying sidekick of the Master and not the awesome vamp we've come to know and love!)
One thing I did think in this episode is why, Buffy or Giles had never questioned who Angel was- for the last few episodes he knew a lot about Buffy as the Slayer, so why didn't they try and find out who he was??A really enjoyable episode overall; the Buffy/Angel relationship is still fresh and new here, so still fun to watch, lots of fun best friend moments with Willow and Buffy and the Master's agony at losing repeated vampires to Buffy's stake. (8/10)


1.08 I Robot... You Jane

The first Willow centric episode and a cautionary tale about modern technology. Jenny Calandar was introduced in this episode and it was nice to see Giles interact with someone his own age. The demon storyline was mostly enjoyable, it was good to see Willow front and centre, but it wasn't the most exciting demon of the week. I did like all the little asides from various people around the school campus and on the radio talking about computer problems- rounded off the episode nicely.
The end scene, with Buffy, willow and Xander contemplating that they'll never have normal relationships was very funny, or maybe sad especially considering that Buffy's prediction - that they'll never have normal relationships- comes true throughout the show! (7/10)