Season 1 had Buffy (the series, as well as the character) finding its/her footing, bit by bit. The show at this point is still pretty much monster-of-the-week, but what’s admirable is how consistent and tangible the Buffy-verse itself already is. Pretty much everything can happen, but the world these characters live in is not without rules, and fairly consistent – which is more than can be said for many new shows, which undermine their own mythology at every turn. Also, characters who will play a part later (Harmony, Amy, Ms. Calendar) are set up in a natural, unobtrusive way, so that they don’t just appear out of this air later. Then: episode by episode.
1.09 The Puppet Show
“I know Principal Flutie would have said, “Kids need understanding. Kids are human beings.” That’s the kind of wooly-headed liberal thinking that leads to being eaten.” Principal Snyder
