Me, I’m the cultural analyst. And I’m kicking off this endeavor with a bit of the big picture. You might be wondering why Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Why now? Why me?

Especially given I was hardly the WB’s target demographic when Buffy premiered in 1997, at the ripe old age of 33. And even if I did get sucked into Buffy’s vortex (was that a Season 3 episode?) why do I keep thinking about it and talking about it nearly 30 years later?

But, see, I’m not the only one. Here we are 29 years later, and Buffy’s fandom is loyal, steady, even growing in a new generation. How do I know?

The surface premise of BtVS — what would it be like if the petite blonde cheerleader was not a damsel in distress, or the first victim in a horror movie, but rather a kick-ass demon hunter? —might have destined Buffy for cult status on its strength alone, but why is BtVS in the zeitgeist 29 years on? I credit three factors:

Buffy launched in 1997. The first wave it rode was the shift from the traditional horror film of the 70s and 80s to the flipping of the genre by Scream in 1996. Filled with witty repartee and sly references to horror films past, Scream was a cultural precursor to Buffy. The second pop culture wave Buffy rode was the shift from a male-dominated grunge period to the girly-girl+girl power response. The film Clueless came out in 1995, and 1996’s Billboard Top 100 was dominated by female pop artists and saw the debuts of acts like No Doubt, Alanis Morrisette, and The Spice Girls. These women packed an emotional punch. Manifesting with physical power was the next step.

Buffy is most well-known for bringing the metaphorical monsters of coming of age to life as literal monsters and demons. The father who abandons you. The boyfriend who dumps you with no warning. The professor (or boss) who seems to think nothing you do is right. The Mean Girl, the Bully, the Rival, the Nemesis. The show explores loneliness, fear, and uncertainty we all experience. Amidst relatable trauma the show’s title character thrives and survives longer than previous slayers because she develops a tight-knit group of friends who help Buffy get through the tough times, because she is mentored by a father figure who shows up in the most wholesome way, and because at key points she experiences the pay-off of people seeing and appreciating Buffy for everything she has done for them. 

Cultural tropes turned on their head by the Hyperfeminine- Cheerleader-turned-Badass-Slayer and more. Elements of Jungian shadow selves are embodied by the characters Evil Willow and Glory/Ben as two examples. A ground-breaking (non-patriarchal) spin on the Hero(ine)’s Journey that respects the complexity of a teenage girl’s life. In the Buffyverse, the nerd girl who likes computers and the librarian who does research become warriors in the fight against evil.

I watched Season 1, episodes 1 (Welcome to the Hellmouth live recap) and 2 (The Harvest live recap)…which were shown as a two-parter when the series debuted on March 10, 1997. And while Season 1 is oft-maligned, even by fans, what I discovered from watching the first two episodes this week, is that those seeds were planted early and often from the very beginning.

Yes, there are wild tone shifts, but that was the point. Teenagers and mood swings are kind of legendary. And horror is often lurking beneath the surface. (Otherwise there wouldn’t be so many interview of neighbors of serial killers and shooters saying they never suspected a thing.)

The concept of shadow selves is teased early too. From the very outset, for example, Willow used her computer skills not just to do research, but do some hacking (we might want to call it white hat work, but still…) As her skills change so does the ways he plays fast and loose with ethics around those skills.

But just as there are shadow selves, we also see everyone’s superpowers just waiting to be called on. I mean, it’s obvious when it comes to Buffy…she has super strength, super smarts, and super sass. It’s what makes her so kick ass, and entertaining while she’s doing it. But by the end she also exhibits super strategy and leadership…knowing each person on her side has a way to contribute that matches their skills and capabilities. Willow’s geekiness can serve the team. Giles’s deep expertise can serve the team. Xander’s loyalty and essential bravery can serve the team.

The core #BuffyLifeLesson in Episode 1 is that if you have a true calling, it isn't always what brings you the most joy in a given moment...but rather it may be what you were made to do, even if it is hard.

The core #BuffyLifeLesson in Episode 2 is that teamwork makes the dream work. Even if not everyone has our traditional notion of superpowers. (Also, we learn that distraction and deflection work when brute strength does not. Be smarter, more agile, and more strategic, and you can win the day.)

Doing a re-watch and knowing what’s to come (even if my memory isn’t clear on allll the details) gave me a new appreciation for these first couple of episodes in Season 1. They did a lot of groundwork, not just narrative exposition, but character sketching. All while featuring some creepy suspense, snappy humor, and relatable angsty pathos, and a few kickass fighting scenes where you can tell from the jump that this show is not going to be precious about having a petite young woman doing hand to hand combat.

More Season 1 recapping of course. And I’m thinking of the next topic to dig into, what would you prefer to hear about?

Now, what about you? Did you watch Buffy when it first came out? Come to it later? How old were you? Which character(s) did you relate to?

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