Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The Good;
Great misdirection, you really never figure who the annointed is whilst Vorba is a truly frightening figure. Cordy and Buffy fighting over Owen is FANTASTIC! The fight at the funeral home is also excellent. And how often do you see 'Emily Dickenson' in a US teen show? (almost impresses Giles) The lovely scene between Buffy and Giles at the end. Buffy's green and white dress doesn't make her look fat but does make her look like a brazen hussy. The changing scene with Buffy, Willow and Xander is also funny

The bad;
So, when a vamp disolves why do it's clothes disintegrate and the ring etc doesn't? I always thought the idea was when a vamp dies the body returns to a natural state of decomposition but that doesn't seem the case as even newly made vamps dust.

Best line; (after Cordy knocks the cup over) "Boy, Cordelia's hips are wider than I thought!" OOOOOOOHHHH!
The classic; "Bite me!"
Cordy upon seeing Angel "Hello salty goodness!" (which are also her first words as an amnesiac in Spin the Bottle upon sighting Angel/Liam)

Observations and questions;
We never see Owen again although he appears in a lot of the establishing shots of Sunnydale High. I guess the show only has room for one brooding loner guy? Check out Willow's expression when she and Xander pretend to be a couple. Also Willow digs Owen which is more grounds to assume she's bisexual rather than just lesbian. Someone actually borrows a book from the library? Giles must have had to sit down with shock. Being a Watcher seems to run in famillies

Good ep, 3 and a half out of 5

This review contains spoilers.



This episode concentrates on how being the Slayer conflicts with Buffy wanting to live a normal teenage life. To be honest, this sort of thing was never particularly my favourite element of the series (if I wanted teen angst, I'd watch one of the numerous other "good looking American teen dramas" around), but in complete fairness, it is cleverly woven together plays out very well, and I bought into it much more than I did with some of the later such examples in the show.



...And again in fairness, this episode gets the balance right, juggling between Buffy's social life, and her responsibilities as a Slayer, particularly as it is the eve of the rising of the Anointed One.



As with so many 'Buffy' episodes, it is not just the plot itself that works, but the many wonderful lines and moments, of which there are many in this episode. I love Giles commenting that Buffy taking out an Emily Bronte book is cause for "...a national holiday"; his revelation at the end that, when he was told at a young age of his destiny to be a Watcher, he was planning to be "a jet fighter pilot... or a grocer"; and Xander comparing Owen's gold pocket watch to his own Tweety Pie watch!

...In fact, there are so many great Xander moments in this story full stop (including picking out the most unsuitable costume for Buffy's date; and trying to put Owen off of her) – I'd almost forgotten just how funny the character was in the first couple of seasons.



Also of note is that, after a couple of pretty much "stand alone" episodes, the overall season story arc picks up, regarding the Master, and the arrival of the Anointed One – and I love the whole red herring that the Anointed was not the seemingly obvious apocalypse-spouting goon, but in fact the small boy!

It is also a welcome to relief that Owen doesn't turn out to be some kind of monster, which one possibly might have expected (as some kind of lazy plot device) when watching this episode for the first time.



The whole Buffy/Owen thing is obviously doomed ultimately – they agree to remain friends (a nice twist is that Owen actually enjoyed his danger-filled night), but needless to say, Owen is never seen again in the series. I suppose this element of the episode played out well, and they didn't turn up the "feel sorry for Buffy dial" too high which – as mentioned in some of my reviews for previous episodes – put me off some later stories a bit.



All-in-all, this is definitely not my favourite plot for the series, but the episode plays out well enough, and its main grace is that it has so many great lines. I give this one a respectable 9/10.

In my opinion, this was the first great Buffy episode. It really delved into the whole teen angst thing as well as continuing with the great dialog, story telling and music. Velvet Chain played two great songs, and the episode ended with a great song by Kim Richey ("Let the Sun Fall Dowsn"). There were many clever and humorous lines of dialog in the episode and it continue to move the Angel story line along. The show really seemed to hit it's stride with this episode (in only the 5th episode). The only things that really detract from the good first season episodes are the low budget sets and effects.

The next crazy scheme to bring the master to the surface.



bring some Vampire together to raise another vampire to get the master out of the cave.



So Buffy likes some guy at her school who is a big romantic type whole likes reading poetry and long walks on the beach. And then Cordelia starts hitting on him but then he asks Buffy out.



But She can't go to the date because Giles drags her away to the cemetry to sit around to wait for vampires. meanwhile the date is at the club dancing with Cordelia. Finally she goes on a date and Giles decides to go to crypt late at night to find Vampires their and then he runs away and hides in a room. meanwhile Xander and Willow magically appear at window and run off to get Buffy, I wish just once one of the other characters would grow a hairy chest and kick some but.



Buffy arrives at the crypt and finds Giles hiding in freezer. with a corpse - make note that they check the freezers later and there was one there with no body in it. So why Giles got in the one with the body is kind of creepy and I don't want to think about it too much.



So the date follows Buffy and they all end up being chased by a bigger vampire. Buffy kicks him into a fire and they all live to see another day. But Buffy can't date the guy anymore because he likes to help her battle vampires. So Willow and Xander are ok but boyfriends are not.



Ok next episode.

Never Kill a Boy on the First Date was great. It showcased Buffy's attempt at dating like a normal teenager, but it never quite works out. Giles had to consult his books, and this isn't the last time! This show is so great, and this episode is a great example. Full of witty, and some times campy humor the gang keeps us laughing. The bad guys take on a real tone of seriousness, and its almost believable that they are real and exist. This is true of the good guys too of course. This and other episodes are the ground work for more complex story lines and episodes in the future.

This is a good episode that reflects on Buffy's struggle with her Slayer duties and that of a normal teenage girl. It also shows one of the first hints that Angel feels something more for Buffy than just Allies. It is also the introduction of the Masters Right-Hand-Man, The Anointed One, which involves a twist on who the actual Anointed One is when Buffy mistakenly kills the wrong vampire and at the end we discover that the actual Anointed One is Collin the little kid. It also shows a twist which shows the boy that Buffy likes accepting the danger that comes with her, only to have her decide that she doesn't want to be with him. This episode is good with all of the twist and turns.

I enjoyed this episode for a few reasons. The number one reason of course was because Owen is HOT! Oh my! Also, I think Sarah Michelle Gellar looked good as always. Another reason I liked this episode was because it focused on Buffy's personal life too. It was just not like the other episodes. This episode seemed to be all about Buffy liking and going on a date with Owen. I liked how it showed how she tries to balance her regular life and dating Owen. The Master is so weird and ugly though! I cannot wait for him to finally be slain. Cool episode.

I really like this episode. I guess, more than other four that came before this one. and I am kinda surprised that others find it not that good. it is full of fun as always. but another thing is that here we can see Buffy realizing her destiny and making the right choice, the difficult one... and the late one -- well, as it's said: "better late than never".



plus, who could figure out before the very end that the Anointed One was that cute little kid??? I mean, well, now, re-watching "Buffy" like for the third or forth time I can see where it's coming from "And the Slayer will not know him, will not stop him", but back in 1998 I was shocked (I guess, it's the right word).



so I think this episode is not pointless or smth like that. it shows Buffy's development and the Master's plan for the freedom.



FAVE SCENE: Willow and Xander help Buffy to dress fot the date with Owen.



FAVE QUOTE: Giles: Buffy, when I said you could slay vampires and have a social life, I didn't mean at the same time.

I thought this episode was really good. Not my favorite from Season 1 but still good. This would be the first time that Buffy "date" on the show. It was also nice seeing Buffy stand up to Cordy a little bit as in past episodes, Cordy always made fun of Buffy and the gang.



The best part of this episode would be the funeral home part. Finally someone beside the "Scooby Gang" saw a vampire with them but dont remember it.



Like I said, not the best episode of Season 1 but it was a good episode and it had it moments.



I also liked the little Xander haves a crush on Buffy storyline but I dont like the "child" storyline which is why I did not rate this episode higher.

Rob Des Hotel and Dean Batali should never have been hired as Buffy writers. They very rarely hit the mark with their episodes. This was a very frivolous instalment that had the potential to be very good. The villains are arch, and nowhere near as threatening as they could have been. The Owen and Buffy relationship is very forced and Charisma Carpenter produces a weak performance as Cordelia. Like with most of Season One, the cheese factor is very prominent and the film quality is less than desirable. Worth sitting through only for a beautiful scene between Buffy and Giles at the end. Overall: very unsatisfying episode that reeks of unfulfilled potential.

This episode gives us Angel, The Master, and The Anointed One (that kid) and it still falls pretty hard. At this point the show needed to stay consistent and it really didn't with this episode. Surprisingly it is one of the few episodes that gives plot development... but the main plot just wasn't very good. Buffy dating that guy and the whole scenario just wasn't to appealing. It had a high cheese factor. Angel's characters slowly progresses but nothing really. I still love The Master and the Anointed One is a very important development but overall not my favorite one. Sorry Buffy ;(

Never Kill a Boy on the First Date-Yearning for a normal life, Buffy agrees to a date with the mysterious and brooding Owen. Giles discovers a prophecy of coming danger which would interfere with her plans, but she chooses Owen over battling the forces of darkness. When Giles goes out on his own and is trapped by a group of vampires, Buffy must figure out a way to balance dating and Slaying.



Not the most exciting episode (as most the first season episodes are) but what it does well is watching Buffy for the first time trying to balance being a normal 16 year old and being slayer at the same time. Sarah does well by playing Buffy's frustration of being a 16 year old and having this respeonsibilty yet just wanting to have fun. Owen, played by Christopher Wiehl, is in no way an interesting character and pretty feels like a plot device to the episode. But like I said it's interesting to watch Buffy trying to be balance her 2 lives. Of course, her friends and Giler make her understand Owen will never get her being the slayer but Buffy is just trying to live like a normal 16 year old just for one night, is that so much to ask?



The plot with the Anointed One is slightly boring and the fight at the morge with the vamp-out psycho demon doesn.t help. But the better parts of the episode is The Master, who severely underused for a first big villain, but that of course is due to a half a dozen episodes. Also, I love Cordelia's trying to hit on every guy who turns out to be with Buffy like Cordelia seeing Angel for the first time with her "hello, salty goodness." Then Xander's continuing to try to ruin Buffy's date with his jealousy.



In the end, the Anointed One turns out to be a kid which is sad, since the he is not at all threating for the rest of his existence. All and All, a, entertaining episode with great dialogue besides a weak plot.

NKBFD was truly painful to watch. This episode was a major disappointment. It is the one episode of buffy i really don't like, as in i actually hate it. it always seemed so pointless to me. a filler episode if their ever was one. I mean, i guess buffy needed a normal relationship to happen so she could realize it COULDN'T happen, but the storyline was weak. In Never Kill a Boy in the First Date, BtVS stops being the amazing show i love, and becomes some silly thing i wouldn't look twice at on flipping channels. However, every show is allowed a few bad episodes, and iam glad that BtVS's one bad episode is in the first season, and all the episodes to follow are amazing, like one one expect.

- If the apocalypse comes, beep me! –



A pretty average Season One episode, ‘Never Kill A Boy On The First Date’ may not have the most original main plot, but as so often is the case with Buffy’s first episodes, the awesome dialogue and charismatic characters totally make up for it. And it has one kick-ass episode title. The entire story revolving The Master and his Annoying (sorry, Anointed) One, isn’t the most fun to watch, but it does bring the main arc of the season forward, and gives the Master some awesome scenes, which is always fun. I could care less about the bus crash and the vamps, but those events were crucial for the Season finale, and the ending was priceless.



No, the part of the episode that is interesting is Buffy and her attempts to have a romantic life. Her desperate attempts to go out on a date, and the jealousy of both Xander and Angel are hilarious. And speaking o Mr. Salty Goodness himself, David Boreanaz gives a good performance, something he hasn’t really done in the first few episodes of the series. I loved Cordy throughout the entire episode, and she gave us some funny one liners, as usual. I also enjoyed her rivalry with Buffy, something we will see more of as the series goes on.



There is, however, one part of the episode I don’t like, and I’m not talking about Cordy’s hair or Buffy’s outfit. No, I’m talking about Owen. I know, he is Buffy’s type: “dark and brooding” but he’s so frickin’ annoying, and I really don’t see all the fuzz about him. Besides that, the episode was a blast, and contained so many great quotes.



“Ok, at this point you’re abusing sarcasm”

“A cranky slayer is a careless slayer”

“I’m the slayer, ask me how”



All in all, ‘Never Kill A Boy…’ is a fun, albeit slightly slow-moving, episode, filled with great dialogue and character development.

Owen is quiet and hot and totally drool worthy. Naturally, Cordelia and Buffy fight over him, Buffy coming out as the winner. Although, I think Buffy shouldn’t run away just because her date is dancing with Cordelia, the Stealer of Boy Toys – er Dates. If she really wanted him, she should stand up and fight for him like a woman!



Anyway, the Anointed One was a pleasant surprise. I’m kind of glad that Buffy and the gang didn’t kill him because that would have been a little clichéd. The ranting lunatic really had me thinking it was him who was the Anointed One, not the kid.



It’s a pity Owen went all danger man when he was with Buffy and the gang fighting the vampires. He seemed like a cool guy. Then again, anyone I like ends up either dying or being kicked off the show for some reason or another.

This is a very amusing episode. It's very funny to watch Buffy try to go on a date with Owen Therman, the mysterious class hunk, and keep up with her slayer duties at the same time. This episode also introduces us to The Annointed One, a character who is relatively important in the arc of season one. This episode features another appearance by Angel (played of course by David Boreanaz). Any time Angel was featured in a season one episode, it made the episode more interesting.

Buffy learns in this episode that it is hard to mix a social life and a slaying life. We got to see some great character interractions with Buffy and Cordelia, who not only gets snubbed by Owen but also Angel. Both mens attentions are squared on Buffy, and Cordelia just cannot understand why (stupid much?) Buffy accepts a date with Owen, much to Giles consternation and Xanders jealousy. As you can imagine, the date does NOT go as planned. The gang ends up at a mortuary with Owen tagging along. The upshot is that Buffy manages to get them all out alive. The bad side is that Owen wants to date her BECAUSE of her exciting new life and also....the Annointed (annoying) one has come (in the form of a little boy, no less)

Best Scene:

Giles and Buffy at the beginning in the graveyard, with Giles critising her slaying.



Worst Scene:

In the funeral home. I didn't really like this 'family' outing. There reasoning to Owen about everything just didn't seem plausable. For him to believe it gave me the impression that he was very dim.



Funniest Moment:

Its not exactly a moment more a storyline. The fact they every boy Corelia goes for in this episode Buffy gets there first.



Best Quote:

This is one of my all time favourite Buffy quotes. Bringing slaying into the 21st century.

Buffy: If the apocalypse comes, beep me.



Worst Quote:

I'm not really sure which one I would put at the worst one. Its not that the dialouge in this one is bad, more just the storyline isn't one of my favourites. Episode Rating:



10th out of Twelve

While Buffy tries to juggle dating and slaying Giles goes off in search of the annointed, the one who is prophecised to be the Slayer's down fall.



Watching Buffy look nervous whilst talking to Owen is funy to watch as it shows that although she has superhuman strength she is still vulnerable and doesn't want to be rejeted.



When Willow, Xander and Angel turn up at the Bronze in the middle of the episode and in the middle of Buffy's date it is a funny sight to see. Willow and Xander pretending to be a couple who are interested in double dating? And Angel a guy from work? It makes for very funny television when you know the back ground information. Hey let's go on a double date to the Sunnydale funerl home!

"Never Kill a Boy on the First Date" is a great episode. The plot of Buffy wanting a normal life and as usual theres something brewing worked so well together! The Giles Buffy moments also are held dearly in the season 1 epi. The witty lines and funny frases ketch your attention and the false death is surprise worth watching! We get to see Buffy's more "normal" side that has to do with school and boys yet we also get the action we all love! There isn't too much drama which is nice and more relaxing and funny epi. to watch. This is a great real life Buffy episode!

a boring season 1 episode that is just tiresome. i hated owen and the main storyline of this episode. i liked cordelia because she was hilarious and her crush on owen and angel. also angel being jealous was great. not a very good episode but good enough to enjoy. because of cordelias jealousy that makes the first season good in the first place.

Another prophecy – the anointed one who is the Master’s greatest warrior and the Slayer’s greatest enemy will rise from the ashes of fiver dead. Giles warns Buffy that this is happening tonight but Buffy isn’t paying attention. She has a hot boy Owen who has asked her out so her priorities are not where they should be. Five die in a bus accident so Buffy and the gang have to go to the cemetery and funeral home to look at the recently dead. What Buffy doesn’t know is that Owen followed them there which is going to make their plan harder. They are met by vamps and they manage to kill the one from the accident whom Buffy is worried about without Owen understanding all that is happening. The next day Owen things that Buffy’s dark side is cool, but because she wants to be normal she tells him that she just wants to be friends. In the Master’s lair we see him talking to a small boy from the accident – the anointed one.

Okay defineatly an okay episode. Cordy and Buffy are so funny when they fight over guys. I loved how Buffy was all over reading Emily Dickenson when she found out that Owen read her and how she became a wacko when she was trying to talk to him. It was kinda cute and silly all at the same time which made it very interesting.



Buffy is also so adorable when she gets jealous of Cordelia. I loved her excuse that none of the clocks in her house worked and he gave her his watch.



Angel getting jealous of Owen at the Bronze was really good and I also enjoyed Willow and Xander when they were pretending that they were going out that was way cute too.



Pretty good episode.

Here is an episode that focuses on Buffy's (potential) love life, her duties as a Slayer, and how the two (don't) go together.



It opens with a now classic graveyard scene; Buffy dusting vamps whilst punning "We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Buffy and your history" and Giles being slightly "Mrs. Post"-like, telling her that, while her methods are good, she is "spending too much time and energy" getting the job done. The graveyard patrol leads to the discovery of a ring, left by a dusted vamp. This scene cuts to the Master (haven't seen you for a couple of weeks) who informs us of a prophecy: Buffy will face his "greatest weapon" yet, The Annointed One.



Buffy might be a little bit *more* annoyed than she usually would be about this, because it coincides with her first Sunnydale date: Owen. The "one-episode-appearance" guy that is Owen, is sweet, shy and thoughtful. He reads Emily Dickenson and he likes Buffy as opposed to Cordelia. In my opinion Owen is a lot better looking than Riley, Scott Hope and Parker. Although the fact that he doesn't seem bothered by Buffy's hideous green dress and boots combo, that amazingly (since Buffy herself asked) *does* make slim Sarah Michelle Gellar look a bit chunky! Even Xander seems to think so, "Has anyone given any thought to what this green stuff is?". Okay, he was talking about the jelly(or jello) but I was so put-off by her 60's-inspired ensemble that I thought he was commenting on that. Moving on...



"Never Kill a Boy on a First Date" provides us with many Cordelia moments. She likes Owen too, and shares a (misunderstood) dance with him to a song with very fitting lyrics, "Just a girl who knows no shame". Charisma is great in her scenes, "You are so good to help the needy" is her response to Owen, when he is dancing with Buffy. It seems that only in Sunnydale, where mysterious things happen, that a girl as annoyingly attractive as Cordelia has men troubles.



Xander has obviously not been put-off by women, despite his encounter with a She-Mantis, as he is still pining for Buffy. Poor Willow has to, not only put up with her all-time crush digging the slayer, but also help her get ready for a date with yet(it would seem to Willow) another male admirer! She is definately a good friend. Or a lesbian.



This is a good early-Giles episode. He provides much comic relief. I love the awkward scene at Buffy's house when he and Owen both turn up. Giles has to use his librarian role in order to not arouse suspicion with Owen. "You'll face a pretty hefty fine in the morning". I actually feel sorry for him when he goes off to face the danger on his own. But Giles in danger is nearly always quite funny, like his reaction to being surrounded by the Master's vamps. Simply, "damn"!



Joss really does know how to mislead his audience in the name of entertainment. Not only has he left Angel's identity safely guarded for all this time(and still continues to), but he tricks us into thinking that the Annointed One is the guy that obviously fits the bill; the preaching, disturbing guy that has been questioned for murders. We are not aware until the very end that the real Annointed One is in fact the little boy that was on the bus. Spooky.



Owen is conveniently left unaware of Buffy's unique identity, due to a nasty head injury and Willow and Xander's diversion efforts. Although, the situations it creates (late night explorations of funeral homes) are worryingly something that Owen has a taste for. Buffy, understandably, justs wants to be friends. However, her reason is that he doesn't like her for her, but for the danger that she poses. I guess we should be glad that it didn't work out between them, afterall, Angel is a real man (kind of) and although Owen is attractive, he's in no way as near to gorgeous as Mr. Boreanaz is. Also Owen's a bit camp. And weird. In fact, the only thing that I was left wanting to see from him was Buffy taking up his amusing offer of going, "down town at three in the morning, and pick(ing) a fight in a bar". What girl could refuse! But still, I had a great visual image of this!



This is a great episode that does many things at once. It continues with the on-going love triangle of Willow, Xander and Buffy, it shows us our first glimpse of Buffy trying to juggle dating and slaying, and it also moves the big bad Master plot forward(with that brilliant twist). But another thing that it does, which I really liked, was begin to establish the Buffy and Giles relationship.



Giles is revealed as someone who is not just a standard American-caricature of an Englishman. He is showing signs that, despite what his tweed-exterior may suggest, he is actually a loving and caring soul who, although at first it appears otherwise, does take an interest in Buffy's personal life. He notices Buffy's sadness at the exit of Owen and tells her of his own sacrifice in being a watcher, "I was ten years old when my father told me I was destined to be a Watcher" Buffy, realising the comparison to her own destiny asks, "Were you thrilled beyond all measure?" to which Giles replies, "No, I had very definite plans about my future. I was going to be a fighter pilot. Or possibly a grocer...My father gave me a very tiresome speech about, uh, responsibility and sacrifice". This "tiresome speech" is of course what Buffy herself is getting...from *her* father. Giles is not her biological one, but this sets up their future closeness very well, because ultimately, Giles will become pretty much the only parent that Buffy has.



Solid, exciting and amusing episode.

Well not the best episode this season, of course Mark Metcalf portrays the master magnificent as he always does, but I'd rather have had him in a better episode.



The character of Owen is not very interesting, but Buffy dating him creates some fun moments in this episode especially with Coredelia because she to has a crush on this boy.



Besdides some humour and some continuation of the Master plot Never Kill a Boy on the First Date doesn't have much to offer.



The annointed one has a nice introduction because the Scoobies think they killed him, but then it turns out he's actually the little boy.



I had only hoped they used the annointed one a little more.

Another middle-of-the-road episode. Owen and his Owenosity didn\'t do much for me and I had a problem seeing what exactly Buffy was going gaa-gaa over too.



The prophecy about the anointed one was interesting, but it doesn\'t lead to very much making this episode pretty much unnecessary in the long run. The sting-ending when we think the Anointed is one person, when it turns out to be someone else is a nice moment. But again, the anointed one was supposed to be a great warrior or force for the Master to utilize and in the end he amounted to squat.

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!

“Never kill a boy on the first date” sees the return of the Master, this time he has a small child sidekick with him, The Anointed One (This guy remains apart of the series until a few episodes in of season two). Buffy kills a cult member, goes on a date (which pisses Xander, Angel and Cordelia off.) This is a good episode where we see Buffy trying to regain a social life, again like many relationship attempts it fails. The main cause for this date failing is when Giles tries to save the day and fails, thus leaving Buffy to save the day. 8/10

Another excellent episode.



This episode is again filled with clever and hilarious lines. My favourite scenes go to the bronze, season 1 had great music and really vampire-like. The Buffy/Owen dance scenes were adorable and Cordelia was hilarious.



It begins with Buffy killing a guy ‘I’m Buffy and you’re history’ but ofcourse Giles had to fancy it’s stuff. A ring and he believes it’s big deal, The Master is gonna bring down the anointed one, someone who will lead Buffy into hell.



In the library, we meet Owen. Someone who Buffy has a big crush on and who has actually noticed her, he is a book-worm and loves Emily Dickenson.



My favourite moment was at lunch, both Buffy and Cordy want to sit next to Owen and both have a b!tch moment, but Owen doesn’t want Cordelia cause he already wants Buffy and asks her to the dance.



But Giles like always, has to take her happy away and go out on haunting vampires. Nothing happens that night and when Buffy arrives to the bronze, Cordy is dancing (or all over) Owen.



But something does happen that night, a bus with five people has a crash. Vampires kill them all, and the day after one of those is held in a room in a funeral home. When Buffy has another date with Owen that day she bails on him and Angel because she has to save Giles who is because of her trapped in the funeral home with vampires wanting to kill him.



When Buffy leaves Owen, Xander and Willow in a dark old room. They see a vampire who they think is the anointed one (aka the annoying one) he follows them and attacks Buffy, when Owen tries to save her he hits Owen on the head and thinks to have killed him.



Ofcourse miss Buffy is upset ‘you killed my date’ she screams angrily and then throws him in the oven who Giles (accidentally) had turned on, the vampire screams in pain in the burning flames.



The next day, Buffy is afraid that Owen doesn’t want her anymore. But instead he wants to hang out with her and he thinks that she is the coolest but not for the reasons she wished he would.



Owen wants to hang out with Buffy because of the super hero thing. She is said but has to turn him down and say goodbye, then Giles comes with a speech about his father. Sometimes sacrifices are needed and he thinks The Master is very pissed off right now.



Turns out, The anointed one was that little kid in the bus after all.



This episode grew on me, I didn’t originally like it but it’s pretty fun. Cordy made it for me mostly, hello salty goodness.

I don’t mind this episode nearly as much as others do. I don’t see anything that wrong with the story. It’s better than the previous two episodes in my opinion.



Never Kill a Boy on the First Date finds Buffy trying to mix dating and slaying. Upset that she has to give up her social life in order to successfully slay, she decides to bring her date with her to work and it ends with not so great results.



I don’t get what’s so bad about the episode; I think that maybe it’s because it’s focused more on character development that people were bored. I like that it developed Buffy more. That it showed her desire to have a normal life but also made her realize that normal social life may not be in store for her because of what she does and at the most part, they’ll never mix. Also, there’s a nice bit of foreshadowing in that all of her relationships will end in heartache.



The episode has some good moments, including Owen enjoying the whole ordeal with vampires way too much. The most memorable part is when Owen comes into the library and Giles looks at him and says "What do you want?" in an annoyed way. Great part that I'm glad they did again with even better success later on in the show.



For the most part though, the episode doesn’t really have many memorable moments. Which, like I said, is why I think people don’t like the episode. I on the other hand, find it to be a good episode… just not as memorable as others.