Converting Others to Buffy

[dagojr]

Woo! Please be gentle. This is my first time on these boards.

OK, so I'm a ubersuperduper later comer to Buffy. It's only happened within a week of this post. Amazing but true.

So I'm hooked now and working my way through the entire series, and I've watched a few seasons already. (Hey, it's winter break, and I've got lots of time on my hands.)

I'll be honest, when I first watched this series via hulu, I didn't like it. I only watched it because I had read reviews of people who liked some of my favorite shows (e.g. Veronica Mars, Battlestar Galactica etc.), and these reviewers also frequently praised Buffy.

So I tried the series -- several times. I couldn't get why people liked it. And then after a while it felt like everything finally clicked. I started to enjoy the show, and a few episodes after that, I feel completely in love with it. And not just because SMG is always secretly flirting with me through the TV screen.

As an aside, I think I didn't like the series at first because it lacked the realism of two series I had just recently been watching: Battlestar Galactica and The Wire. With Buffy, there is definitely a bit of a separation from reality, as for example many of the effects don't seem realistic, and many of the characters don't converse in ways normal people do. But that's not to say that this is a bad thing. I am totally enamored by the Buffyverse and Buffyspeak. I'm just saying that I almost had to learn how to appreciate this show because of the type of shows I had recently watched.

Now just watching the series is not enough for me. I want to convert people to this lovely series. It's like I'm a born-again Christian, except that I feel like I'm proselysizing something worthwhile. And converting many of the people I know to a series called "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is not an unlarge task.

So what's the best way to convert someone to the show? Is there a particular episode or episode that you'd recommend to the uninitiated? Is my journey pretty typical, where you just have to dive in and watch a half dozen episodes or so before you begin to enjoy the series? Which seasons are a good jumping point, and which should be avoided initially? Please share your thoughts here.

 

[The Ferg]

Woo! Please be gentle. This is my first time on these boards.

WELCOME! 😛 It's cool that your here. It's a great community.

OK, so I'm a ubersuperduper later comer to Buffy. It's only happened within a week of this post. Amazing but true.

Don't worry. Me too.

So I'm hooked now and working my way through the entire series, and I've watched a few seasons already. (Hey, it's winter break, and I've got lots of time on my hands.)

Check out Angel, Dr. Horrible, and Firefly next.

So I tried the series -- several times. I couldn't get why people liked it. And then after a while it felt like everything finally clicked. I started to enjoy the show, and a few episodes after that, I feel completely in love with it. And not just because SMG is always secretly flirting with me through the TV screen.

Yeah, mine was Ms. Hannigan. It happens. 🙂

So what's the best way to convert someone to the show? Is there a particular episode or episode that you'd recommend to the uninitiated? Is my journey pretty typical, where you just have to dive in and watch a half dozen episodes or so before you begin to enjoy the series? Which seasons are a good jumping point, and which should be avoided initially? Please share your thoughts here.

I've found that introducing people to other works from Joss Whedon helps. Dr. Horrible is a great converter. 😛 I'm in the process of showing some friends OMWF next. 🙂
Firefly also works great for dudes that are sci-fi nerds.
And... yes... It's a LOT harder than what I'm making it sound...

I've only got exactly... 1 person to "convert" during my Buffy lifetime. Everyone else thinks it's stupid, or the name is stupid, or there is bad acting (bulls**t), etc, etc.

Seriously, over the past semester I've decided that I'm giving up... Sure, I'm gonna ask people if they want to borrow a season from me, but if they refuse once, it pretty much means that they've made up their minds already. They're not trying it. And as much as I'd want them to watch it, I just don't have the time, effort, or, well, time-to-give-up-watching-MY-Buffy/Angel/Firefly-TV-watching-time

As for epy's to try and hook people I'd recommend:
Welcome to the Hellmouth/Harvest (obviously)
The Pack
Prophecy Girl
Innocence (meh... maybe)
Hush
OMWF/Tabula Rasa (maybe end at OMWF)
Conversations with Dead People

🙂 Welcome to BB. 🙂

 

[Harm]

Hey, and welcome to the obsession that we call Buffy. I'll try to be gentle, but I'm not a gentle person.
ESPECIALLY when Lou has me strapped in a straight jacket! (right now) anways, I agree with what Ferg said, but...

and many of the characters don't converse in ways normal people do.

What is THAT supposed to mean?

 

[Crazy Flakes]

When I convert people to the show, I very rarely have them watch season 1 because it's very campy and will often send people running the other way. Instead, I either have them watch Hush or School Hard. Hush is good to show newcomers because it's a brilliant episode that doesn't require much backstory to enjoy and sort of embodies everything that makes the show so great and School Hard is good because, in my opinion, it's the episode where the show really starts to take off.

 

[dagojr]

Hey, and welcome to the obsession that we call Buffy. I'll try to be gentle, but I'm not a gentle person.
ESPECIALLY when Lou has me strapped in a straight jacket! (right now) anways, I agree with what Ferg said, but...



What is THAT supposed to mean?

Alright, this isn't a knock against the show, although it might have sounded like it was.

Let me use a non-Buffy example. Shakespeare, as I'm sure many of you will agree, was a great writer. But his dialog isn't a reflection of how people normally speak. People don't recite long soliloquies to themselves. People don't regularly make phrases in iambic pentameter. At least the people I know don't. Does that mean Shakespeare is a hack? Does this mean his works are somehow second rate? Of course not. But you certainly can't argue that people naturally speak this way.

In the same way, there are instances in BtVS where characters say things that aren't natural. And they're often funny or clever or poignant and so on, but often it's not the way people normally speak. It's something I had to get used to when watching this series for the first time.


BTW everyone, thanks for the help you've offered so far! 🙂

 

[Silum]

And not just because SMG is always secretly flirting with me through the TV screen.

I thought she only did that with me? Lay off shes mine

 

[olol]

I dont try to convert anybody, though I know some of my friends would really love the show. Its just so hard and with the show getting older and older it becomes harder.

 

[cryptwarmer]

If you want to convert someone...I guess I'd pick one of the fun stand alone ep's and conveniently have it starting sometime when they stop by...maybe have some chips and dip handy so the easiest thing is to sit and watch some tv...let the magic do it's thing. Don't say a word, don't praise the show, just enjoy...it has a way of working it's way into one's brain.

I'm a latecomer too. Six months ago I'd never seen a single ep, now, here I am debating fine points with friends. Welcome to the boards!

 

[Washburne]

Hello! :welcome:

I´ll try to be nice. I really am. I promise and most people will agree with that. But I have a tendency to post links which some people see as "you should have posted here you lazy *something bad*!!!" and that´s just not the case. Just think they might be helpful. So here are some other thoughts in the subject:

Converting the non believers

Best Buffy episode to newbies?



Good luck with the converting!



And since you´ll hopefully stay around I recommend to especially get sorted The Sorting Tome but maybe even to get adopted. Bad Eggs Get an "official" guide/helper to this big place and the chance to get to know someone faster than normal. Don´t understand what getting sorted mean? Don´t worry you´ll find out soon enough and it´s not a bad thing. 😉

 

[dagojr]

Hello! :welcome:

I´ll try to be nice. I really am. I promise and most people will agree with that. But I have a tendency to post links which some people see as "you should have posted here you lazy *something bad*!!!" and that´s just not the case. Just think they might be helpful. So here are some other thoughts in the subject:

Good luck with the converting!

And since you´ll hopefully stay around I recommend to especially get sorted The Sorting Tome but maybe even to get adopted. Get an "official" guide/helper to this big place and the chance to get to know someone faster than normal. Don´t understand what getting sorted mean? Don´t worry you´ll find out soon enough and it´s not a bad thing. 😉

Thanks for the reply. And guilty as charged, I was a bit lazy. I knew that there was a chance that someone on here may have started this topic, but didn't take the time to look for it. My bad on reposting this topic, and thanks for the linkies.

And I'll get around to sorting soon. Thx again.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

Woo! Please be gentle. This is my first time on these boards.

OK, so I'm a ubersuperduper later comer to Buffy. It's only happened within a week of this post. Amazing but true.

So I'm hooked now and working my way through the entire series, and I've watched a few seasons already. (Hey, it's winter break, and I've got lots of time on my hands.)

I'll be honest, when I first watched this series via hulu, I didn't like it. I only watched it because I had read reviews of people who liked some of my favorite shows (e.g. Veronica Mars, Battlestar Galactica etc.), and these reviewers also frequently praised Buffy.

So I tried the series -- several times. I couldn't get why people liked it. And then after a while it felt like everything finally clicked. I started to enjoy the show, and a few episodes after that, I feel completely in love with it. And not just because SMG is always secretly flirting with me through the TV screen.

As an aside, I think I didn't like the series at first because it lacked the realism of two series I had just recently been watching: Battlestar Galactica and The Wire. With Buffy, there is definitely a bit of a separation from reality, as for example many of the effects don't seem realistic, and many of the characters don't converse in ways normal people do. But that's not to say that this is a bad thing. I am totally enamored by the Buffyverse and Buffyspeak. I'm just saying that I almost had to learn how to appreciate this show because of the type of shows I had recently watched.

Now just watching the series is not enough for me. I want to convert people to this lovely series. It's like I'm a born-again Christian, except that I feel like I'm proselysizing something worthwhile. And converting many of the people I know to a series called "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is not an unlarge task.

So what's the best way to convert someone to the show? Is there a particular episode or episode that you'd recommend to the uninitiated? Is my journey pretty typical, where you just have to dive in and watch a half dozen episodes or so before you begin to enjoy the series? Which seasons are a good jumping point, and which should be avoided initially? Please share your thoughts here.

Hi and welcome! I'm Becky. Be careful here though...spoliers galore!!

I'm so glad you discovered Buffy! I was once a skeptic too...until i watched it. I'm sort of new to the Whedonverse as well - I discovered it in 2005. All of his shows are really good...not just Buffy! And don't forget to check out his new show "Dollhouse" airing on Feb 13th on FOX!

Well, I started it from the beginning, and loved it from the very first episode. But S1 is pretty campy and cheesy, so if you are going to suggest it to people, I would just give them a S1 summary and have them start with S2.

If you want to just show them some stand-alone episodes to get a feel for the series, I'd reccommend Hush, Restless, OMWF, Passion, Tabula Rasa, or Surprise/Innocence, or The Wish.

But...Buffy is one of those shows that is all about continuity and if you don't watch it in order you don't get as much out of it. Also, Buffy and Angel are cross-over shows, meaning that Angel starts up with Buffy S4 and they are meant to be watched back-to-back. The characters cross-over and their are many cross references. (Such as 'Harsh Light of Day'/'In The Dark' and 'Fool for love'/'Darla'). These are great fun.

Have fun! Tell us what you think as you go along!

BTW I'm Becky.

 

[Randy Giles]

If you are trying to convert someone who's relatively open-minded when it comes to new shows, have them start from the beginning. But first, you need to sit down and explain that it takes a while to "get it", but once they do, they'll probably love it. Try to have them at least watch all of season one, even though it's so much campier and cheesier than later seasons. If they are still iffy, make them watch "Hush", or "Anne" or something.

Or maybe even have them start off with "Angel". I got into "Angel" before I was able to start enjoying Buffy...it's not as campy, it's more mature and adult, it's darker than "Buffy" but still has much humor...

 

[Buhbi]

I actually recently got my boyfriend to start watching BTVS with me. After years of him saying that it was a really bad show ( GRRRR!! ). He was over one day, and I had just joined these forums, so I was talking to him about it. He saw how many members was on here and decided that he should watch the first episode of Buffy just to see how people got hooked. So we watched it, ( i was so happy lol) and ever since then we eatch about 2 eps a week. I'm taking it slow with him lol He has fallen in love with Xander, Giles and Willow but doesn't really like Buffy. He wants the show to be renamed to "Giles the librarian" lol. I guess we all have our differences 😛

But overall I think it was the mass members on here that convinced him that the series must have some good in them. Yay for BB!!

 

[itsxpaperdoll]

On my way home from work, I decided that I'm gonna try 'convert' my best friend. Now I've already seen some good suggestions on where to start, but there's an additional problem: She is delusional. She thinks Charmed is better than BtVS. In light of that, I think I might have to start with an episode that sort of is up that particular alley. Something with magic and things like that. And possibly Spike, because I am 99.9% sure she will really like him. I myself would start with some early episodes (School Hard, or maybe Halloween) so she won't be spoilered too much and then force her to watch everything from Welcome to the Hellmouth onwards. But I don't know if that's the right plan of attack in her case. Any ideas?

 

[Aly Fan]

Hello and :welcome:

It's ok i'm a late comer to 😀

I guess i converted my brother(HABEAS CORPSES), and a friend of mine is currently borrowing my seasons off of me. It's hard with out them :lol2: I also got someone back into buffy (Bob). They had seen it before and was wanting to get back into it... I've also got loads of friends who want to watch it or are going to start watching it soon!!

Enjoy yourself on the boards 😀

Muahaha i'm spreading the buffy-ness...almost like a good disease...like erm...well i can't really think of a good disease...:lol2:

 

[WannaBlessedBe]

Firstly... WELCOME!!! Glad to have more people to talk to about Buffy! In response to your question, I guess my way of introducing someone to Buffy is different than most of the others who have responded.

To preface what I am about to say, I am a HUGE UBER OBSESSIVE FREAK NERD GEEK... ok, now that we have that out of the way...

To me, converting someone to Buffy is a process. The process is different depending on the persons attitude towards the idea of Buffy in the first place. If the person is receptive, it is fairly easy to get them started, if they are not, I find that a large amount of alcohol helps 🙂

I ALWAYS start with the first episode. I just think that the beginning is the best place, I know that the first season can tend to turn people off from Buffy, hell, it almost turned me off from Buffy, but it didn't! I couldn't imagine starting anywhere but from the beginning, that is where Joss started the story and that is where I like to start it too.

Also, as GrrArg can attest, I am big into the mind games when it comes to Buffy. Anyone you are converting will ask you A LOT of questions. I find that lying sometimes and telling the truth others and even refusing to answer occasionally will keep your convertee on the tips of their toes and continually interested.

I'm sorry for the ramble, but I take the act of converting someone to Buffy very seriously 🙂 These are the people that I will be talking to for a long long long time!:lmao:

 

[itsxpaperdoll]

Some more about my best friend that just popped to my mind: Apart from that I will need a first episode with magic and Spike, and not too much spoiler, I think she'd also like some Tillow. Which sort of rules out everything before s4, obviously. I was sort of considering Hush, but I think that might be a bit too scary for her first episode (apart from thinking Charmed is better than Buffy, she also thinks it is scary, for some reason)

You guys can't understand how important it is for me to 'convert' her 😛


Oh and btw, the guy who started this thread hasn't posted anything on here for a looong time (that is to say, slighly over one month), so there's no need in welcoming him. Which imo is a bit of a shame, because I like his style. Maybe we should collectively spam his mailbox to make him come back 😀

But anyway, any tips to convert my Charmed-watching friend?

 

[HABEAS CORPSES]

Hey there welcome to the boards i was a late comer to this grand old religion we follow. I am only 13 and started watching last october i remeber how i got hooked on the show it was when my big sis started watching then i use to stroll into the room generally just to annoy her but then i saw these monsters on the screen and i thought ooh violence and i sat down and started to watch my sister always gave me these weird looks at first basicaly saying what the hell is he doing but after a while it became the norm and would stroll into her room not to annoy her any more but to watch buffy it was not the violence i came to watch it was the brilliant plots and the really intresting chracters then after a while we watched all seven seasons back to back and then i joined up here its funny buffy is the only thing that unites me and my big sis we no longer fight as much due to buffy the vampire slayer!!!

 

[Aly Fan]

Hey there welcome to the boards i was a late comer to this grand old religion we follow. I am only 13 and started watching last october i remeber how i got hooked on the show it was when my big sis started watching then i use to stroll into the room generally just to annoy her but then i saw these monsters on the screen and i thought ooh violence and i sat down and started to watch my sister always gave me these weird looks at first basicaly saying what the hell is he doing but after a while it became the norm and would stroll into her room not to annoy her any more but to watch buffy it was not the violence i came to watch it was the brilliant plots and the really intresting chracters then after a while we watched all seven seasons back to back and then i joined up here its funny buffy is the only thing that unites me and my big sis we no longer fight as much due to buffy the vampire slayer!!!

Your sister sounds like a totally awesome person...gosh i wish i could be like her :lol2:

 

[Frketson]

I just got my best friend and his sister hooked on Angel, they have so far watched the first season and half of the second. They love it and i cant wait until i show them buffy aswell. Though everyone tme we have watched a buffy episode they always complain that she is a bitch 😀