Buffy Binge w/Newbie

[fauxindigo]

My auntie has been staying with me since Thanksgiving and we've been watching a lot of horror movies (thriller and suspense and some comedies too.) We just binged American horror Story Delicate and it was much better than I expected it to be. She also knows Buffy is my favorite of all time but she said it wasn't anything she ever thought to watch but she's been giving it a chance for me. I didn't want to start from Welcome to the Hellmouth because I knew it would take more finessing to get her to potentially appreciate it so I jumped around from season to season and explained a bit to her for context. I want to know what you guys think about the episodes I chose to watch with her so far...

Doublemeat Palace - Since I'm working at a coffee shop part time right now and always tell my auntie about the customers (especially the bad ones), I started with this funny monster of the week because I love how it demonizes the mundane, every-day menial job.... but mainly because I wanted my auntie to see the nasty demon/monster of the week and laugh at it with her. And get her to see how there are different, crazy demons/monsters of the week in the show.
Living Conditions since my auntie's been my roommate, I had to show her Buffy's demon roommate when she first starts college. another funny episode and crazy, soulless Buffy who wants to kill Kathy is hilarious.
Becoming Part 2 - it's an epic, iconic episode especially regarding Buffy "coming out" to her mother as the slayer. Big action from the start & great finale action... plus Spike's truce with Buffy is so fun. Possibly should've had her watch part 1 first to see Drusilla kill Kendra, but Anne works as part 2 (or part 3) to becoming 1/2...
Anne - Epic standalone & iconic with Buffy declaring "I'm Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
Hush - scariest horror; great standalone monster of the week but still very relevant to overall arc(s) (Buffy & Riley discovering who each other are, Willow & Tara meeting and feeling their connection). It's a great example of the possibilities and artistic experimentation in BtVS but not as complex (or in need of context) as Restless or Once More with Feeling.
Fear Itself - perfectly contained monster of the week and we love a HALLOWEEN theme !

We haven't watched more than this but if we did/do (and continue to jump between seasons) what do you think would be good episodes to have my auntie watch?

I'm thinking Wrecked, Witch, Tough Love, Surprise & Innocence, Bad Girls & Consequences, The Wish & Doppelgangland, Something Blue, Bewitched Bothered & Bewildered, Band Candy, Halloween, Earshot and/or Life Serial

 

[November]

Definitely Something Blue and Band Candy! Some classic s1 would be fun too, like The Pack or Nightmares. S7 Conversations with Dead People is pretty creepy. Dracula is good for a laugh.

 

[NotASlayer]

Halloween of course! Will Pangs stand on its own? S4 in general is perhaps the best for individual episodes.

 

[CardboardGhost]

The Wish & Doppelgangland and Band Candy & Earshot are good pairs of episodes to really obviously show how episodes can each have their own contained MotW type of story while still having a lot of continuity, which is when the Buffy format is at its best, in my opinion. I also think Fear Itself was a good pick over Halloween to begin with; they're both really good episodes and are both worth the watch, and I love Ethan as a villain, but Fear Itself is a much stronger episode, I think. I would never think that Becoming Part 2 would work out of context. I would assume this takes a lot of the power out of the season 2 arc. How do you think the experience of watching this one on its own felt?

Starting with Doublemeat Palace is really interesting... I like this episode, but it definitely wouldn't be my first choice for an example of a monster of the week episode. It is a good example of how the show often sets up what looks like one kind of horror (in this case the idea of being unknowingly served human meat, which is a common trope) and replaces it with a different kind of monster, though. Maybe go back and hit some of the season one monster of the weeks? You've already listed Witch here, but I personally like Out of Sight, Out of Mind.

I suppose it depends on if you want to show her all of the best episodes now or leave some for her to discover if she ever watches the whole series. I really like Buffy Vs Dracula, and know for a fact that it works on its own as long as you have some basic knowledge of Buffy because I've shown it to a friend who had only seen the first two seasons, but you've already picked a lot of good ones and maybe don't want to spoil everything.