16 Things I Noticed Rewatching The Buffy The Vampire Slayer Pilot

Throughout Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s seven-season run, the titular Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), aka the Chosen One, vanquished vampires and the myriad of Big Bads constantly threatening to bring forth the apocalypse. A darker reimagining of the 1992 film of the same name, the series by the now-maligned creator Joss Whedon followed the protagonist who came from a long line of heroines. As Buffy lore teaches, “Into every generation, a slayer is born,” and this particular one just happened to be a regular girl trying to make it through high school.

It’s been 25 years since the two-part pilot aired in 1997, and the inimitable series, which fans still celebrate for its legacy as a feminist work, deserves a rewatch. Titled “Welcome to the Hellmouth” and “The Harvest,” the pilot introduces the plucky teen on her first day at Sunnyside High after getting expelled for burning down the vampire-addled gym at her previous Los Angeles school. After meeting her watcher Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), who hounds her about her slaying duties, she learns that her new school sits on the literal mouth of hell. And when her new friends are abducted by the undead, Buffy needs to pick up her stake and save them. While we wait for that rumored reboot, here’s everything I noticed watching the pilot and all the details that make Buffy timeless.

High school seems to be a go-to date spot.

In the opening scene, a random Sunnydale High alum breaks a school window to show his date around his alma mater and “the view from the gym.” Apparently, date spots haven’t changed all that much since the ’90s. Even the Bachelor franchise seems to share the idea that a romp through the hallways of your awkward pubescent youth makes for a cute date. On Michelle Young’s season of Bachelorette alone, there were two different high school-set dates. Personally, I think it calls to mind times I’d rather forget, but it’s worth noting that dating hasn’t changed all that much since Buffy.

We’ve come a long way since ugly ’90s vamps.

Vampires in media seem to have gone through a glow-up in the past couple of decades. Gone are the vampiric faces of yore with exaggerated creases, misshapen features, and an overall monstrous vibe. These days, vampires are gorgeous and swoon-worthy, garnering legions of adoring IRL fans. Some sparkle in the sun à la Edward Cullen or sexily drink bourbon as in The Vampire Diaries.

While there were vampires — Angel and Spike — who were gorgeous in human form and even went on to date Buffy throughout the series, both still transformed into scowling creatures.

Plagues and pandemics are best left in history class.

Buffy’s first class in her new school is spent learning all about the black plague. After the last two years, this hits too close to home.

’90s slang deserves a comeback.

When girls in the locker room trade gossip about new girl Buffy, ’90s slang — including “neg,” “pos,” and “negly” — is in full force. While it’s unclear how “negly” (short for negatively) is actually used, these contracted terms seem way more intuitive than the confusing Gen Z terms these days. Cheugy? Who could’ve possibly guessed cheugy’s etymology before Taylor Lorenz stepped in?!

Willow’s outfit is chic.

One of mean girl Cordelia’s (Charisma Carpenter) first insults is hurled at Willow (Alyson Hannigan) with the remark that Willow’s outfit was fished out of the racks at Sears. But in a ’60s-inspired shift dress over a white long-sleeved button-down, Willow’s ’fit looks like something Anne Hathaway’s Devil Wears Prada character would wear post-makeover. (Maybe with a different pair of shoes and tights, but still.) The comment also gives a Mean Girls flashback when shopping at Sears is also used to insult Regina George’s weight.

The self-defense convo is a subtle commentary on women’s safety.

When Xander (Nicholas Brendon) gives Buffy back the stake she accidentally drops, she immediately lies about her vampire-slaying weapon of choice being a woman’s go-to self-defense weapon in LA. “Pepper spray is so passé,” she even explains. Xander and the gang just accept that women carried weapons on the regular, no questions asked. Sadly, the world hasn’t changed much, and many women still feel the need to arm themselves in case of emergency.

Willow is practically a tech whiz.

Buffy isn’t the only strong female icon in the series. Even in the pilot, Willow is already proving to be an enormous asset to the team. Aside from being nerdy in an adorable, dorky way, Willow must’ve been considered a tech whiz with her Googling and hacking abilities.

Willow becomes a bigger asset to Buffy and team, especially in later seasons, when Willow comes into her own power as a formidable witch. She even comes out as a lesbian, making her story arc one of the first to portray a lesbian relationship on screen — a truly iconic character.

Buffy’s lampshades are upside down.

Buffy has a few touching scenes with her mom, Joyce, in her bedroom, which make it clear their relationship is mutually loving — if a bit strained. But I couldn’t help but notice that Buffy’s lampshades on either side of her bed are upside down.

Buffy’s dating philosophy is still relevant 25 years later.

After Willow confides in Buffy about being unable to talk to the opposite sex, Buffy shares her dating philosophy with her new friend. Her advice? “Life is too short” to obsess over talking to men.

These days, conversations with potential partners unfold across multiple platforms, meaning there are way more things (read: emojis) to parse. Just listen to Buffy, people.

Cordelia’s trauma question is on-point.

When Buffy mistakes Cordelia for a vampire and attacks her, Cordelia rebukes, “What is your childhood trauma?” Though she means it as a diss, it’s insightful and worthy of unpacking in a therapy session.

Buffy is a great friend.

Early on, viewers learn that one of Buffy’s main complaints about being a slayer is that it’s isolating from friends. Though she doesn’t have the time, Buffy still tries to maintain her friendships with her day-one crew. She’s particularly reassuring to Willow, who doesn’t even believe Buffy wants to be friends with her. Buffy also puts in the effort and risks her life for people she barely knows. Now that’s a ride-or-die.

Jesse is dangerous.

Throughout Episode 1, Jesse (Eric Balfour) pines for Cordelia. But since she thinks he’s a loser, she brutally rejects all his advances. The moment Jesse turns into a vampire, however, he zeroes in on Cordelia and wants to feed on her — even if everyone trapped at The Bronze is reserved for the vampire master.

When he gets the chance, he pins her down and tells her to “hold still.” Granted, he’s a baby vampire, but wanting to exact revenge on Cordelia because she rejected him feels especially evil.

Willow takes Jesse’s death surprisingly well.

When Willow hears her friend Jesse has been turned into one of the undead, she takes it surprisingly well. I mean, her friend dies, turns into a vampire, and they’ll have to kill him all in the same night, and she isn’t fazed at all. Hopefully, she saw a grief counselor after that.

The nostalgia is comforting.

Kids today may never know what floppy disks are, but there’s still something oddly comforting about seeing gadgets from decades past. Thick, hardbound encyclopedic books for research feature prominently in the pilot as well as computers the size of microwaves. Simpler times. I can almost hear the dial-up tone.

Angel definitely deserved his own spinoff.

The moment Angel (David Boreanaz) showed up onscreen, I immediately understood why the brooding vamp got his own spinoff years later. He’s a charming, mysterious, and jewelry-bestowing man rooting for Buffy. Immediately, yes.

Buffy was groundbreaking.

With all the shows and movies centering on a woman as the savior these days, it’s easy to forget that Buffy was revolutionary in the ’90s. Whedon literally flipped the trope of the ditzy blonde girl who dies in horror films and elevated her to hero status instead. Watching the two-part pilot, I had to remind myself that this was relatively unheard of in the ’90s and that Buffy should be thanked for this new brand of girl power, one that’s proven to be transformative many years on.