Drusilla ,'Conversations with Dead People'
Is it better the second time around? Or the third? Or tenth? This is the place to come when you have a burning desire to talk about an old episode that was just re-run.
The Body is really good television , but not anything that will convince anyone unless they are an analytical television watcher. The power comes partly fro knowing the characters and partly from knowing the usual way tv is deals with death.
Prophecy girl is good and Hush and OMWF but I might also pick something like BB and B or the Zeppo or something like that where Buffy is far from the focus of the episode
(Shrug) I was sucked in by Buffy vs. Dracula and believe that pretty much any "standard" episode is a good introduction. I actually think that Hush and The Body are very bad first episodes because they are so much more impressive as "WTF this is different!"s. Surprise/Innocence wouldn't be a bad place to start, maybe, as the only backstory you really need to follow it is "Buffy and Angel are totally in love, k?" and it's one of the best examples of the central metaphor, though rather lacking in the funny.
The first ep I remember seeing* was "Fear Itself." There was some character backstory I didn't really understand, but it didn't scare me away, it made me want to come back for more.
(*Asterisked because the operators down in the mods used to have BtVS on all the time, and I would hang out and watch with them when I wasn't editing. But because we were watching it in a basement on an old TV with rabbit ears, the reception was (a) very dark (b) very staticy and (c) very pink. So I don't count those eps because I had no idea what was actually happening on screen while we were watching.)
Also, recruitment is covered in the FAQ.
I like Pangs for new people because they can identify with trying to have Thanksgiving despite many obstacles.
One of the reasons that I like Hush is that you can explain things without messing up the dialogue.
Thanks all, for the help.
I'd say one of the earlier episodes like "The Witch" or "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date" that mix creepiness, action, and comedy would be a good introduction. Followed by "Nightmares" and "Prophecy Girl."
my first episode was Becoming Part II. yeah. imagine jumping into that. i spent that summer soaking up everything i could before season three premiered.
I still think Welcome to the Hellmouth/The Harvest is a good intro to the show. The only character who is really off for how they will be going forward is Angel.