So I just watched the first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I had heard a lot about it and lots of people recommended it once I finished watching Supernatural.

Problem is this first episode was crap. So my question is does it get better? Is it worth slugging through a couple of episodes to get to the good stuff? Should I watch Angel instead?

 

It's like every other TV drama. It's a good idea but poorly implemented , usually due to producers or editors wanting to create pointless, frustrating, drama.

I'm looking at you Smallville.

 

Buffy was a great show. But the first season is horribly corny and campy. It has not aged well. Even as a fan of the show, I can't stand much of it these days.

I recommend just watching the first two episodes, the seventh (Angel) and the last for the first season (Prophecy Girl), so you basically start at the second season but watched the crucial episodes in the first. Still a bit corny and silly, but better quality and constantly improving as the series brings in new, better villains (Spike, Dru). The third season is fantastic. Then it's very much YMMV for the rest of the series. There's something great in every season, but also something very annoying (for me) in them too.

Angel takes a shorter time to become quality material; a few shaky episodes in the first eight, and then it picks up and is solid until the end. But if you can make it through Buffy S2 & 3, you'll probably find yourself enjoying Angel more due to having a lot of the background.

 

About half of the episodes are shit, half are good. It's got the same major quality control issues all of Joss's creations have.

 

Oh wow, I hardly remember the first episode of Buffy. Is it worth watching? Maybe. It has some good moments, and it is leagues better than it's retarded bastard successor Twilight. That said, the fight scenes are pretty awful. It it is kind of campy. I'll admit I lost interest midway through the fifth season, though I do intend to go back and watch the rest someday. I'd say watch the first season, and if you still can't stand it don't bother with the rest (though it does get better in later seasons). I do think Buffy as a character gets marginally less annoying in that time period. I remember liking a lot of the cast more than I liked Buffy. I have fond memories of the series, and it is a pretty seminal piece of pop culture.

So yeah, it's worth watching more than the first episode, but I wouldn't blame you if you dropped it further down the line. Be warned: It is not as awesome as Supernatural. If that's the standard you're holding it up to, it will not measure up.

 

Thanks guys. I'll start watching it once I've finished The 4400. What about Dark Angel? Any good? It was cancelled after two seasons so I don't have much hope for it but I'd like to know.

 

Dark Angel was pretty awesome. Haven't watched it for years, but it's worth taking a look at.

Also, I think the attitude you need to dive into Buffy with is to expect humour more than the seriousness of Supernatural. Most everything in Buffy was played for laughs - I think in one of the episode commentaries, Joss mentioned that a lot of the show was parodying the Anne Rice vampire craze of the nineties.

All in good fun, really.

 

Dark Angel was quite a good series to watch. I was disappointed that it was cut after 2 seasons as I felt it oculd have gone on. Like with many shows it tries to create this sense of romantic drama and intrigue that does not work out so well but overall it was definately worth watching.

And Jessica Alba was in it so it is win by default.

 

I have often wanted to do to Buffy verse what I am currently doing to Anita Blake verse. So that should tell you my feelings on the subject.

Corniness is pretty much a cornerstone of the show...or should I say corny-stone!

Nyuk nyuk, oh I kill myself.

 

Nuhuh if you weren't already busy with two epics I would give you a foot massage to see what you would do to the Buffy verse.

 

Like other series, quality degenerated over time and seasons as the plotlines became more and more outlandish.

Expect it to start mediocre, go high, and then hit rock bottom as you watch all of the seasons in progression.

 

This basically. There was a lot of potential in it for an interesting universe but it got weighed down by the cornyness and the rampant feminism late in its run.

 

No in actuality it was the now, The CW.

The chanbge over killed alot of series. Roswel, Buffy. They weren't necessarily great but they all took a big dive as soon as the switch occured.

I Call it the UPN effect.

Also buffy Ended on such a good note that nothing could live up to it.

 

I just finished season 7 of Buffy, and while I grew to hate Spike for a while there, I will definitely recommend this show. Angel, on the other hand... I couldn't watch past the third season.

Dark Angel is awesome. The first season is great, but I think the second season got a little carried away... They definitely could've continued it though, and the rumors tend to say it was only cut because it was set in a post-apocalyptic world, and 9/11 had just happened. The producers decided it would hit to close to home or some such, and canned it.

That's probably not true though. Officially, it was because Fox wasn't making enough money out of it.

 

This.

And this. Series 2, 3 and 5 are the solid gold series, for my money. Aside from series 1, each series has at least one brilliant episode, but 2, 3 and 5 are excellent throughout. And you should definitely watch at least the first three seasons before starting Angel, I don't think it would be as satisfying without that background knowledge.

 

I'm a bit newer to the Buffyverse than most people. I'd not bothered watching BtVS when it was on for some reason, so last year I watched the entire series and immediately after started on the spin-off Angel.

The thing about Buffy is its first season hasn't aged well. The video quality, the special effects, etc; it is very much a product of the 90's. Only about half of the episodes are good. Things don't really pick up until mid-season 2, and an excellent third season. Season 4 was awful, season 5 would ave been a perfect send-off for the series, but seasons 6 & 7 were just plain bad.

Angel, however, is a much better show. He actually gets a personality as lead character, and is much more interesting when he isn't near Buffy. Everything about this series is an improvement over BtVS: more likable characters, the writing, music, character development, etc..

Actions have consequences on this show. When Willow tried to end the world all was forgiven rather easily. On Angel, when Wesley was tricked into kidnapping Angel's son... it was never forgiven nor forgotten and the entire series shifted because of it.

The side characters on Angel were also much better. Lindsey McDonald and Lilah Morgan are two of my favorite characters out of all of Whedon's shows. Brilliantly written and brilliantly acted. Wolfram & Hart was an essential part of Angel's show, and the greatness of these two characters contributed to that.

Compare this to BtVS who's side characters consisted of frumpy old Tara and the Nerd Trio and the winner is clear.

I guess I just like Angel more because I'm a fan of dark supernatural dramas in general. The villains were more threatening, so even Buffy characters such as Darla, Spike, Drusilla, and Faith were more imposing and seemed right at home on Angel.

On Angel, after everything the characters have been through they are drastically different, yet completely believable where they ended up.

On Buffy, all of the characters are pretty much the same in season 7 as they were in season 1.

Using Wesley and Willow as an example again:

After betraying Angel, Wesley had his throat slit and was left for dead, abandoned by all his friends, and matured into a darker shotgun toting demon hunter.

Willow, after being prevented from destroying the world had a nice retreat in England for a rather easy rehabilitation, and returned exactly the same as she's always been.

So yes, I am one of the few out there that prefers Angel over Buffy.

 

Do most people prefer Buffy? Most people I know (who've watched it, anyway) agree that Angel is way better. Darker, grittier, more realistic, less angst, better bad guys - while still being just as hilarious as Buffy. Also holds up better on a re-watch. Also, Fred.

 

Most forums I've been to the majority say Buffy is the better show. Especially the Spike fangirls hate the show because Angel has also been a love interest for Buffy . Even some of those who admit Angel is a good show still say that Buffy is better because "it came first."

I agree with most everything else you said, but less angst? I'm not sure I would go that far. Less trivial angst maybe. But with Angel on the show, the angst factor is kind of high, not to mention what poor Wesley goes through throughout the series.

 

While Buffy season 2 & 3 were excellent, I much preferred Angel overall. Wesley's character development alone really outshines anything from Buffy and I much preferred the group dynamic of Angel Investigations over the Scooby gang.

Also pretty much every scene involving Spike and Angel in season 5 was comedy gold. Smile Time has to be among the funniest episodes of any TV show.

 

I was surprised that Wesley ended up being my favorite character in the Buffyverse. He was such a tool when he was first introduced in BtVS season 3. He's development on Angel was superb.

I don't think Angel appreciated Smile Time as much as you did: