Converting the non believers

[InsaneMystic]

The problem is that S1 really isn't that good. I mean, it's still load better than most other shows and definitely has its highpoints, but it pales in comparison to just about every other season. (That's the same reason why I would NEVER try to get someone hooked on NextGen Trek with an episode before season 3, lol!)

I think something from season two would be a perfect choice. It's where the show really got into it's own, the season I still like best of them all (the arc is unbeatable, even thoughother seasons may have a higher number of outstanding ep-by-ep quality) - and the Highschool years bear enough similarity in tone to each other that you wouldn't be as "off" as starting with something from season five or six and then watching it from the beginning...

"School Hard" would indeed be almost perfect, because Spike becomes such an uber-important character in the run of the show anyway! Another one, as I said in my rep comment to palabra earlier, would be "BB&B" - season two, too, and an excellent example of the humor of the show, while not needing much background knowledge either.

 

[Five]

Converting People (or how to create an Army of the Fans)

I have this friend who really dislikes Buffy and once told me it was the show that attracted her the least and she did not intent at all to try and watch it.

I think that's mainly because the show suffers from a perception that's totally untrue. People from the outside only see the blonde girl fighting vampires (I know I used to) and are like "ooookay, what's new in that ? and what's interesting ?". And I have the feeling that it's my friend's problem. When you don't know the show and the characters, and you see an episode (particularly the first seasons, cos I think that's what most people saw), you understand only the storyline "freak of the week". And so you can easily come to the conclusion "Okay, Buffy's like Smallville or Charmed" (GASP!). Do you see what I mean ? I know I don't express myself very well, I'm sorry about that... :x

Most people around me saw a couple of episodes of Buffy of the two first seasons and think it's just a show about highschoolers fighting a demon a week. They don't see, they cannot see all the metaphores behind it, and the great character developments, and have no idea of the great installments that are the last seasons (from 3 to 7 ^^).

I wish to convert (omg, I feel like I'm in a sect or something) this friend, I'm gonna beg her hard to take one of my seasons and watch it if she cares about me ! (Yeah, blackmailing is okay if it's for Buffy causes).

My only question to you is :
Which season ?

She has such a bad idea of Buffy, I can't just begin with Season1 : she's gonna see "I Robot, You Jane" or the hyena thing, etc. I like these episodes because of the characters but when you don't already love the characters, you only see the kitsch show about killing vampires...
That works for Season2 as well, as it begins imo to become a real show with a (half)season-long storyline from "Innocence". I fear she's gonna watch the first episodes, see "Assmebly Required" and be like "oookay see above".

I had another friend that I converted from S3 cos it's one of the best seasons ever (and also I didn't possess the two first ones at the time...), and now she loves it but she told me she regretted beginning with it cos there were lots of things she did not understand though I had explained it basically...

And if I give her S5 (S4 is out of the question), my reluctant friends is not gonna understand exactly how weird it is to see Dawn turn up like that, what's the mystery is... Besides, you can't begin the show by "okay so you're gonna see she has a new sister but noone knows why".

And S6 and S7 are too far along, she's gonna be spoiled if she likes it and asks for the previous ones.

So you see my problem ! I'm sorry I blahblah-ed about it like that... when my only question is : What's the best season to begin with in order to convert a reluctant friend ?

PS : I really hope this thread doesn't exist somewhere else I didn't find... and that you guys understood what I was saying despite my fuzzy language. =)

 

[Skanky Vamp]

People from the outside only see the blonde girl fighting vampires (I know I used to) and are like "ooookay, what's new in that ? and what's interesting ?".

I disagree; I think what turned people off was the fact it started off in High School, ergo, it was a kiddie show. I know I thought that about Veronica Mars, so I never bothered to be bothered as it was just another one of 'those' shows.

I think that was, and maybe is, the biggest factor. In addition the SORRY excuse for a feature film doesnt help.

 

[Lindsey McDonald]

I think it's the name. The name, plus seeing random clips or parts of episodes, leads to a huge misconception. My mum actually thought it was a horror show until this year!!! It was only when she wandered in whilst I was watching OMWF that she realised she had been totally wrong. It was like that with Tru Calling too. I didn't even bother trying to sell her on that one, because it sounds RIDUCULOUS. But, she sees one episode, and she's hooked.

So, anyway, I think it would be best to start with Season 1 - IF you can ensure they watch the whole thing. I mean, even if you dont start them on WttH/tH, Witch is one of the single funniest standalone episodes in the entire Series.

 

[Five]

OMG I just saw that there was actually a thread talking about converting the non-believers at the end of the page where the thread previously was... I didn't think there would be a recent one because I often read "Inside and Out" and didn't believe I could have missed a thread like that. Stupid, stupid me. Thanks for moving it Keanoite.

Scobro > I don't think it's what's annoying my friend specifically - but that may be true about most people though... When I talked about Veronica Mars with my brother's girlfriend in front of him, I ended up thinking "Oh my God, he must believe we're totally into a stupid "Hartley" show...!".

Five by Five > Yeah I'm not sure I can convince her to watch through the entire thing. =D Once upon a time I was really, really reluctant about Buffy too : a friend of mine made me watch through season 1, I was like "okay, that's not great but kinda entertaining..." ... It's not until mid-S2 I was hooked and begging for more. That really seems like a looong time ago.

 

[Kean]

I merged the two threads since they are essentially about the same thing🙂

 

[Karol]

I agree with someone who said The Witch is a great stand alone espisode! It´s funny, no spoilers, no inside jokes... and it´s not kitch like The Pack ¬¬

Why don´t you see WtH and skip to the Witch? Cause the others.. uh
And the puppet you can skip too. And The Pack... But Angel is needed!

 

[November]

I would start with season 2 if you dont think they will watch the whole series. Some eps are a bit dodgy but overall I think its a good season. I think it would be the best one to show the different sides of Buffy, the funny side, serious side and the Bangel side 😉

 

[Veyron]

For me it's got to be OMWF, Hush, Doppelgängland, Gone and Beer Bad purely for the comedy!

 

[Clem Rocks]

@Five: I'd say start with Season 4, it's the best season, has the best big bad, you still get a wtf feeling when you first see Dawn, and you can work most to the backstory that you need to know out without seeing the earlier seasons

 

[palabravampiress]

Well, I recently showed my friend "Hush" and "OMWF." He was kind of bored with Hush (weird), but he was excited about the musical and seemed to be really engaged in that particular episode. Granted, it was pretty spoilery with the whole huge "Heaaaaaven" reveal and everything, but it did get him interested.

 

[Five]

Clem Rocks> Thanks about this advice, but I'm afraid my friend won't like the whole sci-fi turn of S4 (what with Adam and the-most-stupid-thing-on-the-show : Riley taking out his own chip... COME ON PEOPLE!). I still don't know what to do. I'm thinking 3.

I have now another friend who doesn't know sh*t about Buffy and who I'm gonna convert, yes I am ! I've decided to go at it the good way and will make her watch ... "The Body" ! If she doesn't like Buffy after that, I don't know what I'll do about her case. I'll just explain to her the whole Anya-is-an-ex-demon thingy so she can feel the importance of the fruitpunch speech, and the Tillow thing so she can understand how beautiful it is when they first kiss on screen...

 

[Clem Rocks]

if you're really determined, you could always tie them to a chair and make them watch every episode

 

[Five]

I think that's what I'm gonna do... I just saw my most reluctant friend, I had brought seasons 1 and 3, and had decided that if she was a little bit enclined to watch it, I'd give her season 1 - if not, direct to s3 so she has love at first sight. It didn't work, she refused completely. She did promise she'd watch one episode as a gift to me on my birthday though =D (I hope that's not all I'm getting 😛) I still have hope...! I'll "The body" her up too. Maybe a little "Hush", it's not too spoilery.

I think it's really hard to convince people like that. When I hear my friend talking about Buffy, I can see how all she knows of it is just some random episodes she saw on tv back in the first two seasons. There are a lot of people like that, and it's pretty normal they should come to the conclusion that Buffy's just a show "freak-of-the-week"-like, kitsch (not the funny type of kitsch though), with no depth. They don't see, they can't see that everything's about the character, and the storylines, and the more "adult" atmosphere of the last seasons. I really don't understand, my friend likes fantasy/sci-fi shows (she watches "Heroes", etc.)... yet Buffy still seems like a stupid thing where a hot girl fights vampires. I can see how it's hard to understand how it's NOT like that, when you've only seen a couple of episodes... I hate the fact that I always have to justify myself when I tell people Buffy's my favorite show.

 

[PurplePoof]

All the friends I've shown the series to...I've started them on season 1, episode 1 and told 'em to go from there. People really underestimate the power of season 1 to draw people in.