liz_marcs | Re-watching BtVS: The Harvest

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Re-watching BtVS: The Harvest

I might as well exercise my shiny new purchase, right?

I mean, it keeps staring at me with its puppy-dog eyes saying, "Watch me! Watch me!"

So, over dinner tonight, I decided..."Hey! Let's start from the beginning!"

I warn you: I tend to have big love for first seasons of long-running shows. Sure they're buggy. Sure the actors are trying to feel out their roles. Sure the special effects are less-than-stellar. (Yike! Didn't love the vampire dustage or the Master rising out of his pool of blood.) But it's so charming! And it reminds me why I liked this series to begin with.
Plus, I have a love for cheesy B movies. 'The Harvest' is one awesome cheesy B movie, as is all of S1 if memory serves. But it was a B-movie with heart.
It's Darla! Hi, Darla! This is Darla before she got backstory. And a plot. And before she got staked. And resurrected as a human. And then revamped. And then became pregnant. And then staked herself while she gave birth to Connor. Not bad for a throw-away vampire. Why didn't they keep her around again?
The most hilarious thing: We find out in this episode that Darla is an airhead and...best of all...she seems to have no clue what a vampire slayer is. Just...man, all I can say is that it's one hell of a retcon. At least this one worked.
Awwwwww! Sarah Michele Gellar is so cute, as in pinch-your-cheeks cute. Remember when Buffy looked like she ate a hamburger every once in a while? Remember when Buffy looked like a normal-sized girl instead of a skeleton? Just...awwwwww!
That opening nightmare scene with Buffy? Cheeezy with a capital cheese.
Incoming! Introduction of Xander and Willow. I actually started shouting at the screen, "Guys! Stay away from the blonde! She's trouble! RUUUUUUUUUUUUN!"
I'm actually kind of amazed: Nicholas Brendon and Allyson Hannigan actually do look like high school students. Lord knows they look slightly older than the 16-year-olds they're supposed to be playing, but they do look high school-ish.
Aaaaaand we are reminded of those by-gone days when Allyson Hannigan knew how to act. She's so good here, that I feel the re-awakening of Willow-love.
Plus, I really don't see any trace of an unrequited love for Xander on Willow's part. It strikes me that she's acting like they really are just friends who grew up together, which is really very nice. She's certainly not vibing at Buffy to stay away from "her man" when they chat at the Bronze. So I really don't get why people say she did. Because I'm not seeing it here.
Remember those days when Buffy got whiny and stubborn and all negative-girl she would still march forward with head held high and briming with optimism? I almost forgot those days. *hugs Buffy* Awwwww! Buffy! You're breaking my heart over here.
Poor Giles. Relegated to creepy guy in the library and creepy Watcher who's a walking text book. And Giles? Here's a hint when dealing with students, even if she is a Slayer: don't stand so damn close when talking to her in the halls, don't corner her while talking to her in the halls, and don't follow her to the Bronze. This could get you in trouble.
And iiiiiiit's Angel! I think we should call this: "Before David Boreanaz figured out he could act."
You know what? Not loving Eric Balfour as Jesse. Not loving Jesse, actually. Killing him off was a good move. Too bad he will disappear into the sands of time fueling character growth for absolutely no one.
*snerk* Xander begins his very long career as a man who is attracted to deadly women. *pets Xander* It appears he had an unerring sense of getting hot and bothered over the woman most likely get him killed at a very young age. It's a wonder he survived until he met Buffy.
He also begins his very long career of dragging people to safety while Buffy kicks ass in this episode. He wants to bail. He asks if he can bail. But he still runs across the crypt to help Willow carry Jesse out.
*raises hand* Question. At the end of the episode, Jesse, Willow, and Xander are surrounded by a dozen vampires. So how come they only grab Jesse, but don't take Xander and Willow with them? Okay, I'm looking ahead to the next episode, but I just thought I'd toss that out. It's not like any of the three of them even know how to fight any of these guys off.
I don't remember whether I liked Cordelia during the first run (and actually, I didn't start watching until 'The Pack' and only because my mother bugged me to watch and I didn't start watching regularly until S2), but she's just awesome high school teen queen. I want to tell Cordelia to run, too.
Although I have to wonder on what planet does Charisma Carpenter look like a high school student because...not so much.
Principal Flutie was some kind of awesome. The actor just had this impeccable comic timing. Don't get me wrong, I liked Snyder, but the mean old principal who's out to get the hero and her gang is kind of cliche from the Saturday morning cartoons. But Flutie was sooo fluffy, torn between being a teacher and being the "students' friend" that it's kind of cute.
Hunh. I didn't realize how much Xander didn't like Cordelia back in the day. Cordelia was strictly a Jesse-shaped crush. Xander was more like a "go away you bother me" person when it came to Cordelia.
Wow. Joyce back in the day was a clueless mom who tried too damn hard. Okay, Joyce was clueless on her best of days all through S1 and S2, but there's an extra sort of clueless new-agey feel to her here.
So, basically, new-ish Slayers, even new-ish Slayers with a little experience, aren't candidates for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon during a fight. Vampires can be stronger than they are. They're not all Kung Fu Hustle right out of the box. Watch as Luke hands Buffy her ass. Compare and contrast with all those Potentials getting the juice during the final battle in 'Chosen.' Discuss.
Heh. Nice to be reminded that Xander was literally the first student Buffy talked to at Sunnydale High and was the first student to find out she was the slayer. Okay, he wasn't supposed to overhear the slayer part. Nice how the flow of the plot got him in the library. Willow tells him at the beginning of the episode to "go where the books live" so he can get a textbook in the first act and in the third act, Xander's there to overhear the convo between Giles and Buffy.
Speaking of plot, a ton of stuff happened in the first episode. Wow! There were multiple scene changes! And multiple storylines! And every character in the significantly smaller cast had something to do! And it went by so very fast!
Famous last words from Buffy: "It's Sunnydale. How bad can it be?" Dun-dun-DUUUUUUN.
More famous last words from Buffy: "It's not like I'm going to get fluffy bunny feelings over vampires." Say it with me people: *sigh*
Line that still makes me laugh: "What's your childhood trauma?"

Finally, upon finishing 'The Harvest,' just how happy would these characters be if they saw what would happen to them?

I think Giles might be okay with how he turned out. If anything, Giles almost returned to type in S7. Which...well, that's not actually character growth, is it?

Willow would be horrified and would run squeaking away. She might be cool with the magic mamma part, but not so much with the thumb-sucking, ex-murderess, forgot-how-to-use-a-computer part.

Buffy would probably force herself to eat a hamburger. She'd then make fun of Ms. I'm-Depressed-So-I-Must-Make-A-Speach-A-Lot. If 'The Harvest' Buffy was in S7 Buffy's house as a Potential? She'd be the bane of her own existence.

As strange as this sounds, I have positively no clue how 'The Harvest' Xander would react to 'Chosen' Xander beyond, "Dude! You have one eye!"

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Principal Flutie was some kind of awesome.

Oh, I love that moment when he tears up her records, then spots the gym burning bit, and carefully tapes it all together again. He was great.

As strange as this sounds, I have positively no clue how 'The Harvest' Xander would react to 'Chosen' Xander beyond, "Dude! You have one eye!"

Heh. Good question. And who knows, he might think it was kind of cool as a concept, at least until the grittier reality occurred to him.

*sniff*

I can't believe how much I missed Principal Flutie while he was onscreen. He was truly original principal character.

I do remain highly amused by the image of S1 Buffy making fun of S7 Buffy, because tact was not S1 Buffy's hallmark. She'd so be the one leading the other Potentials out of the Summers home for a night of fun and bronzing. S7 Buffy would have to strangle her.

As for S1 Xander, I'm not entirely sure he was entirely capable of graping the grittier concept. Well, at least not 'The Harvest' Xander, that's for sure. Depth of a puddle on a warm summer day that one.

Depth of a puddle on a warm summer day that one.

Heee. This is obviously not a phrase coined in Florida. Those puddles can be deep. Hell, the air almost has standing water. =)

Finally, upon finishing 'The Harvest,' just how happy would these characters be if they saw what would happen to them?

Some thought on this has occured, see The Mirror Never Lies a not too bad, work in progress, by Greywizard.

Thanks for the recommendation on this. Xander-future's dialogue is a riot.

Not a problem, just one of the occaisional gems that pop in the home of Xander Sue that is the Tenhawk Presents yahoogroup.

So, basically, new-ish Slayers, even new-ish Slayers with a little experience, aren't candidates for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon during a fight. Vampires can be stronger than they are. They're not all Kung Fu Hustle right out of the box. Watch as Luke hands Buffy her ass. Compare and contrast with all those Potentials getting the juice during the final battle in 'Chosen.' Discuss.

Training with Kennedy, and learning from a slayer what was possible. Plus, if there are different "strength" slayers, you have to figure they were all maxed out.

I love the Harvest. One of the best show openers ever. And the teaser scene is pure genius. Took every expectation I had, twisted it and threw it out of the window.

One of the great things about season 1 was you felt that Buffy could, in fact, lose. I always thought every fight was a potential fight to the death.

And the three of them were just so cute. So optomistic. So damn young.

Buffy was adorable in the beginning so round and cute.

Actually, in my 15 years of teaching, I've seen some girls that looked like Cordelia. I remember once I noticed this woman sitting in my Freshmen reading class, and I thought she was someone's mother. She looked to be in her late 20s early 30s easy. Sexy, voluptuous, worldly looking. I said, "Who are you visiting?" She said, "Huh?" You're visiting a student here, right?" She sneered, "No, I'm in this class now." I almost choked. I checked her age and she was only 14. Yikes. For real.

If season one Xander saw season seven at the end he'd say, "Holy Moses, I'm a pirate? Willow, look at me I'm a pirate."

>>If season one Xander saw season seven at the end he'd say, "Holy Moses, I'm a pirate? Willow, look at me I'm a pirate."<<

Yes! Yes, he would. He *so* would.

And Giles? Here's a hint when dealing with students, even if she is a Slayer: don't stand so damn close when talking to her in the halls, don't corner her while talking to her in the halls, and don't follow her to the Bronze. This could get you in trouble.

If you watch the commentary, Whedon starts harping on this fact. "Bad Giles! Don't stand so close to Buffy!"

I always see parallels between Buffy and Giles in WTTH and the Spuffy sex scene in "Dead Things".

oi. There's a nice image.... But, yeah, I can kinda see that.

I've always thought it was very deliberate.

In the first scene, Giles is urging her to connect with her powers in order to save people.

Later, Spike is telling her to disconnect from everyone since no one except him can appreciate her.

Mirror images, basically. (And people thought Spike was good for her? Bleah.)

Not quite fully getting the depth of things, I think S1 Xander would think it was cool that he got to fight with superheroes and had a life that amounted to something more significant than the dead end jobs and periodic bouts of drinking he would expect himself to be destined for - given his family and academic performance.

And I have always been disappointed that, given S7, there was no sort of look back on what a younger Buffy would have thought of what her life had worked out to. For the most part, I think S1 Buffy would be underwhelmed and slightly unimpressed by her S7 self, and extremely upset that this is what her life would be. She was upset enough by the idea that it was likely - she'd be even moreso to find out it was actually true.

She's certainly not vibing at Buffy to stay away from "her man" when they chat at the Bronze. So I really don't get why people say she did.

The only people I have ever seen this from, are Xander shippers who want to attribute Buffy not being as into Xander as they wanted her to be as something other than Buffy just not being that into Xander. Sort of an analog to the Spike-shippers who would say in S5 that Buffy wasn't as into Spike as she should have been because she was cowed by her friends dislike of him.

Just spitballing, but I think Xander wanted to be a hero, to be a man of action. Look at him going in the hyena house after the bullies. He's not up to it, true, but that's his thing. S1 Xander would probably be upset that S7 Xander is a comfortador and not a conquistador, and kinda mad he's still in Sunnydale.

Of course, he's a 16 year old boy. What does he know?

Just spitballing, but I think Xander wanted to be a hero, to be a man of action. Look at him going in the hyena house after the bullies. He's not up to it, true, but that's his thing.

OK, it's been years since I've seen the episode, but my take on it at the time was that the bullies weren't a supernatural threat, just the kind of bullies he's been dealing with since elementary school. He was used to deflecting bullies' attention from Willow, so he thought this was entirely within his abilities (and experience) to deal with.

(But yeah, he did want to be a hero & man of action, too)

[quote] She'd then make fun of Ms. I'm-Depressed-So-I-Must-Make-A-Speach-A-Lot. [/quote]

Doesn't even have to be season one Buffy, season three Buffy, *after* the whole 'sending my lover to Hell' bit, had the lovable flippancy to *taunt* the First Evil in Amends. Even after all she'd been through, stuff like Anne, she never stopped being *Buffy* and damnit, she was going to talk boys, date, shop *and* fight unspeakable evil. Y'know, girly stuff.

Can you imagine the Buffy of Amends forced to listen to one of the speeches from the Buffy of Bring on the Suck? She'd be appalled that some idiot that looks like her could actually be intimidated by or worried about Mr. 'let me guess, you're *eevill*? I got it the first twelve times...'

I can't believe how central Darla was to Angel, on Buffy she seemed like an after-thought.

Yeah, Buffy Season 1 was such a heroic person. And then S2 happened and things went downhill fast. Whine, whine, whine.

The difference in the quality of Boreanaz's performances on Buffy and on Angel are absolutely amazing.

Cordelia was always funny. And hot. But I didn't like her until the very last ep of S1 when she drove her car through the school. Then I realised the girl had heart.

I have only two words to say about S1 Xander's reaction to the eye patch: "Nick Fury"

He'd think it was cool; it'd take a LOT to convince him otherwise.

Recently finished the big all-the-way-through rewatch. Ah yes, the old days!

...just how happy would these characters be if they saw what would happen to them?

Hee. Excellent question. S1 Buffy would totally run rings round S7 Buffy, and she'd also be horrified to think that she'd become so much what she was always determined not to. Xander I think would be rather in awe of his cool one-eyed self.

The way I see it, and get something out of S7 (which I agree was generally severely flawed), is that Buffy and Willow both found their power in some sense too big for them - they got lost in it, they lost themselves. Buffy's power was innate, Willow's acquired, but it applied in different ways for both. Xander didn't have power, he was able to remain grounded, and the one who could from time to time pull the others back down to earth. But then in Chosen, Buffy and Willow both finally found a way of dealing with their power in a way that didn't tear them from themselves. Which sort of connects things back to the people we met in S1.

The last time I tried to watch anything from season 1, it just made me angry at how the show had changed by season 7. I couldn't appreciate the episodes, because all I could think about was how the writers committed character assassination virtually across the board in seasons 6 & 7... [must get over the bitterness...]

Thanks for posting this (& reminding me why I used to love the show!)

IMO, S1 Xander would just be amazed if he got a whiff of S7 Xander's history. And would then proceed to lust after pretty much every female in the house. :) I can just see him pointing at Faith and Anya, eyes opening wide, big grin on his face. :)

And there's been a few earlier season Buffy meets S7 Buffy, isn't impressed stories. You should totally write one too. :)

I wonder how Joss feels when people tell him the old stuff was better?

"I wonder how Joss feels when people tell him the old stuff was better?"

That they're idiots for daring to doubt his greatness.

Hey, just basing that on the interviews I've read of him.

*hugs*

Your last couple of post about BTVs reminded me why I used to like the show so much.

*runs of to look for her BTVs DVDs*

Okay, Liz...now you've done it. We just watched ATS S1-3 (cannot endure 4, so we put it away last night)and now we'll start BTVS over again!

Great way to start the new year.

And S1 Buffy? She'd take one look at Angel in the boneyard during the cookie dough speech and stake him just to spare herself that mewling moment of pure idiocy.

I warn you: I tend to have big love for first seasons of long-running shows. Sure they're buggy. Sure the actors are trying to feel out their roles. Sure the special effects are less-than-stellar. (Yike! Didn't love the vampire dustage or the Master rising out of his pool of blood.) But it's so charming

Hell yeah! I feel the same way about S1 X-Files eps. Scully has little round cheeks! DD's hair is fantastic! Skinner is so mean!

It's Darla! Hi, Darla! This is Darla before she got backstory. And a plot. And before she got staked. And resurrected as a human. And then revamped. And then became pregnant. And then staked herself while she gave birth to Connor. Not bad for a throw-away vampire. Why didn't they keep her around again?

SNERK

Awwwwww! Sarah Michele Gellar is so cute, as in pinch-your-cheeks cute. Remember when Buffy looked like she ate a hamburger every once in a while? Remember when Buffy looked like a normal-sized girl instead of a skeleton? Just...awwwwww!

There's this promo shot I love (I don't think it was from an actual ep) of S1 Giles and Buffy walking thru a graveyard and she's wearing this itty itty bitty skirt and she's curvy! So cute.

I actually started shouting at the screen, "Guys! Stay away from the blonde! She's trouble! RUUUUUUUUUUUUN!"

((dies))

Nicholas Brendon and Allyson Hannigan actually do look like high school students

Doesn't Whedon say on the commentary that that's the dorkiest Willow is ever going to look? Even in S1, she was actually more fashionable than yr average grrrl computer nerd.

I really don't see any trace of an unrequited love for Xander on Willow's part. It strikes me that she's acting like they really are just friends who grew up together, which is really very nice. She's certainly not vibing at Buffy to stay away from "her man" when they chat at the Bronze

Is that the scene where she says, really mournfully, "He STOLE my BARBIE?" Cause I love that line. And yeah, it has just the dynamic you mention. It seems like maybe she has some feelings for him on the order of my-best-friend-forever-I-wonder-what-it-might-be-like, if you know what I mean, but she's not pining.

Remember those days when Buffy got whiny and stubborn and all negative-girl she would still march forward with head held high and briming with optimism?

((sniffle))

Poor Giles. Relegated to creepy guy in the library and creepy Watcher who's a walking text book

You gotta wonder what the other students thought. "Don't go in the library, man, the librarian is really creepy...." Not that we ever had any evidence the students used the library, anyway (other than that one scene with Jonathan).

I think we should call this: "Before David Boreanaz figured out he could act."

What's funny is he's all sort of fey and Not-Quite-Good, too. I mean, does he have pancake makeup on his face or what? And he's all, "I didn't say I was YOUR friend." He doesn't appear to be pining, either!

I don't remember whether I liked Cordelia during the first run

I actually hated Cordelia the first time thru cause she was so mean to Buffy, Willow and Xander and refused to watch Angel because at the time of the spinoff it had my then-most unfavorite characters: Wesley, Angel and Cordelia. Ha!

Principal Flutie was some kind of awesome

Principal Flutie reminded me of many, many fluffy crunchy granola "I wanna be your friend, your princiPAL!" CA high school principals.

Wow. Joyce back in the day was a clueless mom who tried too damn hard

One of the things I love about Early Joyce before she gets clued in is she keeps saying all the right things to Buffy....if Buffy were an actual juvie. But she's not, so all her advice and grounding &c is totally unfair and wrong. Rewriting teenage years much, Joss?

a ton of stuff happened in the first episode. Wow! There were multiple scene changes! And multiple storylines! And every character in the significantly smaller cast had something to do! And it went by so very fast!

Buffy S1 is actually amazingly good, for the truncated first season of a replacement series (that compliment sounded a lot less backhanded in my head). A lot like the first season of the XF, again -- the creator had a vision, and just ran with it, tearing tv convention up.

More famous last words from Buffy: "It's not like I'm going to get fluffy bunny feelings over vampires."

((choke))

Did Heathers come out before or after the pilot? cause Cordelia seems a lot like Brenda-Heather, now that I think on it.

Finally, upon finishing 'The Harvest,' just how happy would these characters be if they saw what would happen to them?

((wince)) Ow.

If 'The Harvest' Buffy was in S7 Buffy's house as a Potential? She'd be the bane of her own existence.

HEE! Oh, someone! Quickly write me a flashfanfic where thru the miracle of time travel and whatever this happens! It would SO rock!

Too bad he will disappear into the sands of time fueling character growth for absolutely no one.

Actually I've got this whole psychology rant/theory/thing where Xander's pernicious antipathy to all things vamp and demon is a direct result of Jesse's death. If he can admit that vamps still contain some shred of "humanity" then it means he killed his best friend, and not just a fiend in his friend's dead body.

It's the whole reason he's so stubborn about the whole vampires can't be people too (mind you, I'm not saying he's justified (evil bloodsuckers, after all), but Xander remains the voice of intolerance far longer than anyone else and I think Jesse is why).

How's that for character growth? ;-)

I love that you're doing this. 'Cause moving into my new apartment with no cable yet, I had all of S1 going, one ep after another, while I was unpacking... so everything is so very, very fresh.

I'm right there with you on the lack of Willow-pining in the opening eps of S1. Willow's pining picks up, definitely, over the course of S1, but watching the show from the very beginning and seeing their definite only-friends-vibe in the first few episodes, I really got the sense that Willow's romantic interest in Xander was a mirror image of his in her... Xander didn't zero in on Willow until Oz showed up, but Willow's trigger was Buffy... arguably the first girl that Xander was ever really seriously interested in. Looking back, I think they were just so firmly in each other's pocket that they only changed attitudes when the other started looking elsewhere.

Ahem. Anyway. I'll be watching your comments with interest. Because usually when I read one of your posts about BtVs, I have little to say except... "Yes! Exactly!"

>>If season one Xander saw season seven at the end he'd say, "Holy Moses, I'm a pirate? Willow, look at me I'm a pirate."<<

Yes! Yes, he would. He *so* would.

Ack! Ignore this, it went in the wrong place.

Bad LiveJournal! No biscuit for you.

Only thing I remember about this episode was how upset Xander was about Jesse's death while Willow lacked emotions. That's probably coz Jesse was Xander's friend and not Willow's?

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Re-watching BtVS: The Harvest

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Just like that old man in the famous book by Nabokov

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babbling -- part 1

babbling -- part 2

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