Buffy Rewatch: Season 1, Episodes 1-4

I still remember where I was when Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered on the WB. It was a Monday evening (March 3, 1997 to be exact), and some friends and I were headed to Dallas for Spring Break at midnight. Rather than trying to sleep before the long drive, I opted to check out what would quickly become my obsession.

Seems like every year I do a rewatch of all seven seasons - and you, lucky reader, get to experience the love I still feel for this classic show. If you dare, ask one of the ladies that shared a home with me while the show aired. I was . . . involved . . . with each episode.

I realize not everyone understands why I love to go back and re-experience shows, so I'll attempt to explain. It's crazy fun for me to see where these characters started, now that I know where they ended. Angel seems to be the classic tall dark and handsome guy (you don't find out he's a vampire until disk 2). Xander makes his position on vampires quite clear in episode 2: "I'm going to go on the record and say vampires are bad" - and he absolutely never changes that over the course of 7 seasons. Buffy struggles to balance school, friends, work (slay-age) - isn't that where we'll all coming from? Cordelia's venom as the classic high school queen is miles away from where she ended years later. Willow is a computer geek who's crazy shy, and Giles lives for research and gets excited about the evil possibilities the Hellmouth will bring to Sunnydale. When you know how the characters end, its fun to remember where they began.

Over the years most people write about the witty dialogue of the show - and it truly must be acknowledged. The writers brilliantly weave pop culture references with plot moving stories - but without the quick delivery of this stellar cast that would mean nothing. A glance can deliver more dialogue than a word ever could.

The show hooked me from the beginning, and its cast of mostly unknowns kept me from having any expectations. Joss Whedon created a spectacular world that feels as alive today as it did to me then.