Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Recap/S1/E01 Welcome to the Hellmouth

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Is this some kind of new feminine product I don't know about?

In a deserted suburban high school, two teenagers are breaking in. A leery young man drags a jittery Catholic School Girls Rule to the gym roof, allegedly for stargazing purposes. Just as they are about to kiss, she pulls away and claims to hear a noise. Coast is clear. Suddenly, her lovely face sprouts fangs! Bet you didn't expect that!

Somewhere else, a teenage girl sleeps fitfully; visions of cemeteries, monsters, and rivers of blood interrupting her rest. She jerks awake just in time to hear her mother call her name. This is Buffy Summers, Vampire Slayer. She's not like other teenagers. It's also her first day at her new school.

Pan up to Sunnydale High. Xander Harris is menacing schoolmates with his out-of-control skateboarding. He looks over to see Buffy walk past, then smacks into a guardrail. Dazed, he looks up to see a redhead (Willow) stand smilingly over him. These two are obviously good friends. On the way inside, hey bump into Xander's friend Jesse, who has also noticed the new girl. Xander presses him for details, and Jesse dutifully reports, "New girl!" This one is obviously quite dumb.

Elsewhere, Buffy is in a meeting with her jovial Principal to hash over her colorful dossier. Principal Flutie symbolically rips up her school record, only to tape it back together when he reads that Buffy burned down a school gym. Things go all downhill from there. As Buffy exits the office, she bumps into another student, spilling the contents of her bag all over the floor. Xander sees this and seizes the opportunity to play Rico Suave. As they gather her things, Buffy thanks him and goes back to her business. Xander notices she left something behind ("Oh, hey! You forgot your... stake."), but she is long gone.

In a classroom, a teacher is lecturing about the Black Death. Buffy sits besides a popular girl, Cordelia, who shares her book with her. These two are obviously destined to be good friends. Cordelia immediately takes Buffy under her wing and proceeds to give her the entrance exam for the "in" crowd; she determines Buffy will fit in just fine. When they run into Willow at the water fountain. Cordelia's sweet tone immediately does a 180° as she barks at Willow to beat it, but not before a crack about her outfit. Buffy looks droopy, but says nothing. Cordelia invites Buffy to the Bronze, which is apparently in the bad part of town, located about half a block from the good part of town.

Buffy heads into the school's cavernous library to pick up some textbooks. There she meets Giles, the school librarian. Buffy introduces herself to Giles and tell him that she's the new student. Giles immediately identifies her, then cuts her off because he knows what she's looking for. He whips a giant tome marked Vampyr. Buffy, upset, tells him he's mistaken. Giles apologizes, but Buffy is long gone (Again).

In the girls locker room, two students are gossiping about Buffy. Her reputation precedes her. As they continue to dish dirt, one of the girls opens her locker and a dead body falls out. It's our wannabe-Romeo from earlier.

Outside, Buffy joins Willow for lunch. Willow is uncertain why Buffy, who clearly could be popular, is choosing to sit with her. Xander and Jesse join them, and return Buffy's stake. Cordelia with the news that gym is canceled "due to the extreme dead guy in the locker." Buffy, alarmed, wants to know how the guy died and if he had any marks on him, but Cordelia's squicked out by her questions. At a loose end, Buffy breaks into the cordoned-off locker room and finds a bite mark on the deceased's neck.

"Oh, great."

Buffy returns to the library to confront Giles. She tells him that she has retired from slaying, but Giles reminds her who she is - the Slayer, the one girl in all the world with the strength to fight vampires, et cetera. He also tells her that Sunnydale is built on a convergence of mystical forces, making it a mecca for supernatural baddies. Buffy suggests that if he's so keen on slaying, then why doesn't Giles do it? He asserts that he is a Watcher -- he trains and mentors the Slayer. Buffy asks him to prepare her for getting kicked out of school and losing all her friends, then leaves in a huff. Behind them, Xander pops out of the stacks with a WTF look on his face.

As Buffy heads to the Bronze, she is followed by a silhouetted figure. He tails her into an alley, then glances about impotently. Actually, Buffy is doing a handstand on a bar spanning the alleyway. She swings down and bowls him over with a kick. The stranger (actually, Angel, but you're not supposed to know that), irritated, straightens his jacket and claims that they have a common goal - to kill all the vampires. He reaches into his coat and tosses Buffy a small box, telling her to be ready for "the Harvest." When Buffy asks the man who he is, he replies he's a friend, but not necessarily hers. After he departs, Buffy opens the box to reveal a silver crucifix.

Buffy rejoins Willow at the bar. They discuss Willow's crush on Xander, dating back to when they were both five, and Willow explains that she's nervous around boys. Buffy tries to draw Willow out of her shell and says that her life philosophy is "seize the moment." She then spots Giles lurking about on the upper deck of the Bronze and jets off to chastise him for being creepy. Giles grumbles that he's come to persuade Buffy to take her Slayer duties seriously. Buffy replies that she knows trouble is coming because Giles's "friend" told her, but from Giles's look of surprise, we can assume he didn't send the "dark, gorgeous in an annoying sort of way" man in the alley.

Downstairs, Jesse approaches Cordelia and asks her to dance. Cordy makes a blech face and gives him the brush-off. Burned again, Jesse glances around for fresh prospects. Back on the landing, Giles opines that the club is a perfect hunting ground for vamps. He encourages Buffy to try and sniff out a vampire in the room. "There's one," she points. Giles is skeptical, not believing her. Buffy says the vintage eighties fashions are the giveaway. Suddenly, the vampire moves and reveals his date: it's Willow, seizing the moment. D'oh. Alarmed, Buffy draws her stake and chases them into a back alley, but finds only Cordelia in a snit. Cordelia immediately telephones the entire student body about this shocking devlopment. Meanwhile, we see Jesse chatting up the homicidal Catholic schoolgirl (Darla) from before.

Underground, a grotesque figure rises from the pit of blood. It's a vampire, but one who doesn't look remotely human. The kneeling vampire, Luke, addresses his "Master." The wizened vampire reaches out and passes his hand across an invisible barrier, which ripples as he touches it. They discuss how the Harvest will restore the his power. Luke has sent his servants for food for the Master, who requests something "young."

Buffy runs into Xander outside the Bronze. He makes a pointed comment about slaying vampires. Buffy gruffly wonders if there was an announcement in the newspaper. Xander thinks Buffy is suffering from delusions of grandeur, but Buffy convinces him of her serious need to find Willow fast.

The vampire stops outside a crypt and tries to entice Willow to go in. When she declines, he shoves her inside; this is not a democracy. They are soon joined by Darla and Jesse, whose throat is bleeding. Game faces on, the vamp are about to chow down when Buffy arrives. The two vampires circle her, unsure what to make of this. Topside, Willow, Xander, and Jesse are scrambling to safety. They come to a dead stop when several leering vampires surrounding them.

Buffy cracks wise to Darla about how she just wanted a quiet life, but Luke comes from behind and grabs her by the neck. He throws Buffy across the crypt and then bitches Darla out for not bringing the Master his dinner. Luke tells Darla to leave and seems pretty assured that he can take care of the little girl himself. Buffy grabs a stake and is just about to drive it into Luke's heart, but he breaks it in half with his hand. He flings Buffy ass over teacup into a stone coffin, then vanishes. The room is silent. Just when Buffy has gotten up the courage to peek out, Luke leaps in with her. He grabs her and prepares to bite her neck.

To Be Continued.

Tropes used in Welcome to Hellmouth include:
  • Advice Backfire Buffy advising Willow to seize the moment; "'cause tomorrow, you might be dead."
  • All of Them: Xander says hello and then tells her that he's having problems with his math homework. She wants to know which part and he replies, "The math."
  • All Women Love Shoes: Buffy mentions she's from L.A., which is Cordelia's Cloud Nine. "That close to that many shoes?"
  • Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: When news reaches him of vampires on campus, Giles emits little surprise; he was expecting this. Well, Buffy sure as hell wasn't. "It's my first day! I was afraid that I was gonna be behind in all my classes, that I wouldn't make any friends, that I would have last month's hair!"
  • Ask a Stupid Question: Buffy tells her mother that she's going to the Bronze, and Joyce asks if there are going to be boys. Buffy quips, "No, mom, it's a nun club."
  • Being Watched: En route to the Bronze, Buffy senses herself being shadowed by a nosy man in black.
  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Cordelia starts out being perfectly nice to Buffy, but it's revealed to only be because she thinks Buffy is another Alpha Bitch, and Buffy is quite turned off after seeing her behavior towards Willow.
  • Blood Bath: The Master arises from one of these. Fully clothed.
  • The Brute: Luke.
  • Call Back: Vampires in the gym. Thus endeth pretty much any similarity between the series and the original movie.
  • Can't Believe I Said That: Xander.

Xander: Well, uh, maybe I'll see you around. Maybe at school, since we both... go there.
Buffy: Great! It was nice to meet you.
[She starts down the hall]
Xander: 'We both go to school.' Very suave. Very not pathetic.

  • Captain Obvious: Reliable old Jesse's got the goods on the new girl. "New girl!" Xander absorbs this breaking news with extreme unction.
    • Willow keeps yammering on as her date glares into the middle distance, obviously trying to tune her out. "Sure is dark!," she exclaims. The vampire deadpans that, yes, it's night.
  • Catapult Nightmare: We first see Buffy in bed. She's having the Slayer Visions, with nightmares of vampires, demons, and finally the Master's ugly mug. She wakes with a start.
  • Ceiling Cling: Buffy's pursuer darts his eyes around the empty alley, just as the camera pulls up to reveal Buffy on a bar high above the pavement.
  • Celeb Crush: As part of Cordelia's popularity screening, Buffy is quizzed on James Spader. "He needs to call me."
  • Chair Reveal: Jesse works his mojo on a girl lounging in The Bronze. Her hammock chair turns around to reveal it's Darla.
  • Chekhov's Gift: The cross necklace.
  • Cheshire Cat Grin: When Buffy blows off Angel's warnings, he smiles like she's about to be the butt of a bad joke.
    • Darla's wrath is perfectly conveyed by her toothy grin. This doesn't bode well for poor Jesse.
  • Cliff Hanger
  • Costume Test Montage: Buffy merely holds up outfits in front of herself before her first day at Sunnydale High — but her commentary is hilarious.

"Hi! I'm an enormous slut! Would you like to buy a copy of The Watchtower?

  • Crash Into Hello: Slightly Inverted Trope. Buffy walks out into the hall looking through her bag, and just then a girl runs into Buffy and knocks the contents of her bag onto the floor. This is Xander's cue to work his mojo, and he quickly starts gathering her things for her.
  • Cryptic Conversation: Angel warning Buffy to be ready for "the Harvest." Sounds festive.
  • Department of Redundancy Department: Cordelia says she doesn't "want to interrupt [Buffy's] downward mobility," but she wanted to tell her that gym class got cancelled because of the dead guy found in a locker.

Buffy: Dead?
Cordelia: Totally dead. Way dead.
Xander: So not just a little dead, then.

  • Description Cut: In the first of many ironic segues, Buffy reaasures Giles, C'mon. This is Sunnydale. How bad an evil can there be?" Cut to The Master's crypt, where Luke chants about making the world bleed and whatnot.

Buffy: "Oh come on! This is Sunnydale. How bad an evil can there be here?"

  • Distracted by the Sexy: Xander's zooming down the sidewalk on his skateboard, which we'll never see again. And it might be a good thing too, because when he catches sight of Buffy in her miniskirt, he loses all coordination and smashes head-on into a guardrail.
  • Damsel in Distress: Willow
  • Don't Sneak Up On Me Like That:: Giles politely tapping Buffy's shoulder in the library.
    • In the alley behind The Bronze, Buffy skulks around a corner, and, as a figure looms behind her, whirls and grabs that person by the neck, stake ready. Buffy has just made the worst move of her short social life at Sunnydale High, because she's applied her stranglehold to Cordelia Chase. "What is your childhood trauma?!" she screeches.
  • Early Installment Weirdness: This episode is the only time we see Xander riding a skateboard, since the scene required lots of space and was a pain to shoot. We later see Xander holding a skateboard a couple of times, but never again does he ride one.
  • The Easy Way or the Hard Way
  • Eating Lunch Alone: Outside, Willow is sitting down to lunch. Buffy walks up to her and says hello. Willow wonders if she wants her to move.
  • Establishing Series Moment: A comely blond is about to be the victim of the bad boy who's lured her into the school for mischief. Instead, the blond girl turns out to be a 400 year old vampire who takes him out.
  • Everyone Meets Everyone
  • Evil Sounds Deep: Luke.
  • Exact Eavesdropping: After Giles' argument with Buffy over her Slayer duties, a very confused Xander steps out from the stacks.

"...wat.

  • Expecting Someone Taller: Or with bigger muscles. Angel does think Buffy is quite spry, though.
  • Face Revealing Turn: Subverted with Darla and her first victim, but played straight when she's in the Bronze.
  • Failed Attempt At Drama: Principal Flutie dramatically tears up Buffy's record to show she has a clean slate, then has second thoughts when he reads about Buffy committing arson and starts taping it together again.
    • Giles tries to appeal to Buffy's sense of duty, reminding her that she is the "Chosen One," the "one born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires--" "To stop the spread of their evil Blah Blah Blah," finishes Buffy flippantly.
    • Giles loads Buffy up with a bunch of books and opines that every myth she's ever heard is true. Buffy scoffs, "What, you sent away for the Time-Life series?" A chagrined Giles admits that he did and he got the free gift calendar, too.
    • Giles admonishes Buffy that she knows very little about vampires and her own powers -- that a Slayer should be able to sense vampires in her vicinity. He tells Buffy to try and develop this.

Giles: Reach out with your mind. You have to hone your senses, focus until the energy washes over you, until you, you feel every particle of--
Buffy: There's one.
Giles: W-where?

  • Feet First Introduction: Buffy's new friend. (Okay, so it's Angel. You're not supposed to know that yet.)
  • Foreshadowing: Willow is very enthusiastic about helping Buffy study and suggests that they meet in the library. Buffy says that place gives her the "wiggins." Willow really likes it there because the "new librarian" brought all sorts of interesting books with him.

Willow: He was a curator of some British museum. Or The British Museum, I’m not sure.

    • Giles opines that a place like The Bronze is a veritable vampire buffet. He's not so wrong, as "The Harvest" shows.
  • Freudian Slip: Xander kneels down to help scoop up Buffy's books, saying, "Can I have you?" Off Buffy's look, he recovers with, "Uh, can I help you?"
  • Good Morning, Crono: The pilot starts with Buffy having a nightmare about the coming of the Master, and her mother calls her name to remind her not to be late for school.
  • Half Truth: Buffy sheepishly confesses that her transcripts are "a little colorful."

Principal Futie: Do you think, uh, 'colorful' is the word? Not 'dismal'?

    • Rewatch Bonus: Angel knows what Buffy's thinking, but not to worry: "I don't bite." Technically true, since he later turns out to be a vegan vampire. Angel was supposed to be a one-time character until David Boreanaz was found; this is a bit of unintentional foreshadowing.
  • Hilarious in Hindsight: After discovering Darla's victim from the opening scene Buffy demands Giles, "Okay, what's the sitch?"
  • Hypocritical Humor: Two bratty girls are walking through the girls' locker room and gossiping about Buffy.

Girl #1: The new kid? She seems kind of weird to me. What kind of name is Buffy?

Girl #2: (walking by) Hey, Aphrodesia.

  • I Believe That You Believe It: Xander's excited to hear that Willow hooked up with somebody until Buffy expresses a desperate need to find her. He then sarcastically hopes Willow didn't leave with a vampire and that Buffy won't have to do any slaying. He doesn't really believe what he's heard about Buffy's supernatural calling, but he's willing to humor her if it means Willow's in trouble.
  • Implausible Deniability: Xander reaches into his backpack to get Buffy's stake and hands it to her; "The only thing I can think is that you're building a really little fence." Buffy stammers that it's for self-defense, and all the people in LA have them because pepper spray is passé.
    • Angel, after being clocked to the ground and pinned under Buffy's shoe, plays dumb. "Ah, heh. Is there a problem, ma'am?"
  • Improvised Weapon: Buffy, tailing Willow and her date into a dark hallway, stops to break the leg off a chair to use as a stake.
  • Instructional Dialogue: Giles sidelines Buffy her by asking if the dead guy is going to rise again. Buffy, huffing, says no and takes a moment to explain some of the vampire mythology of the Buffyverse -- Namely, that you have to suck vampire blood to change.

"To make you a vampire they have to suck your blood. And then you have to suck their blood. It's like a whole big sucking thing. Mostly, they're just gonna kill you."

    • Buffy tells Giles that she's taken an early retirement, and suggests that if he's so keen on slaying, why doesn't he go slay vampires instead? Giles protests that he's a Watcher and his duty is to... "Watch?" Buffy pipes up. "No," says Giles exasperatedly, and goes on to explain what a Watcher does.
  • It's Up to You: Because you are the Slayer.
  • Last-Second Word Swap: Principal Flutie is going over Buffy's transcripts and when he notes that Buffy was responsible for burning down the gym of her old school. Buffy almost slips and tells him that the gym was full of vampires but quickly amends that to "asbestos."
    • "From now on I'm only going to hang out with the living...lively...people."
  • Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Buffy and Darla trading barbs. Darla curls her lips and invites her to bring it on. Buffy cautions that it's won't be pretty. "We're talking violence, strong language, adult content..."
  • Love Martyr: Jesse is a glutton for Cordelia's punishment.
  • Many Questions Fallacy: Buffy huffs into the library and demands that Giles tell her what's going on. "You heard about the dead guy in the locker? He's got two little little holes in his neck and all his blood's been drained. Isn't that bizarre? Aren't you just going 'ooh'?"
  • Meet Cute: Buffy and Xander, and later Angel.
  • Mirror Monologue: Buffy in her room, trying to decide on an outfit for the evening. She seems torn between a skimpy black number ("Hi, I'm an enormous slut!)" and a floral dress ("Would you like a copy of The Watchtower?") She grouses about losing her sense of fashion.
  • Mythology Gag: It's possible that Angel's comment about Buffy's height was an in-joke directed at the movie. Kristy Swanson, who played Buffy in the movie, is 5′7″ and Sarah Michelle Gellar is 5′3″.
  • Neck Lift / Punched Across the Room: After breaking her stake, Luke grabs Buffy by the thorat and lobs her into a cement wall.
  • Noodle Incident: Buffy burning down the gym at her previous school.
    • And if you've seen the movie first, you'll just be confused, as Whedon based the backstory on his original script for the movie before Executive Meddling kicked in, removing Buffy burning down the gym among other things.
  • Nothing Exciting Ever Happens Here: Everybody keeps opining that not much happens in a "one-Starbucks town" like Sunnydale.
  • Offhand Backhand: Buffy dusts her first vampire this way.

Buffy: See what happens when you roughhouse?

  • Offscreen Teleportation: The very large and noticeable Luke manages to sneak up on Buffy from behind. Part 2 of this story explains how he was able to do that.
  • Open Says Me: Buffy approaches a locked door and, in the very first ever display of her Slayer Strength!, forces it open, breaking the lock.
  • Peek-a-Boo Corpse: A lifeless Det. Danny Messer takes a tumble out of Aura's locker.
    • Inside the coffin, Buffy flips around to see a moldy skeleton and lets out a scream.
  • Pilot
  • Real Life Writes the Plot: The scene where Jesse asks Cordelia to dance is taken from Joss Whedon's school experience. Though in answer to the girl's reaction "With you?," he said nothing and left (unlike Jesse).
  • Red Herring Shirt: Darla.
  • Red Shirt: Darla's date. Poor boy just wanted to neck a little, and now his neck is ventilated.
  • Refusal of the Call: Buffy wants to know if a Watcher prepares her for "getting kicked out of school? For losing all of my friends? For having to spend all of my time fighting for my life and never getting to tell anyone because I might endanger them?" Thus neatly encapsulating Buffy's inner struggle for seasons one and two. Giles gives her a blank stare for an answer, and Buffy stomps out.
    • The black-clad man explains that what he wants, like Buffy, is to "kill 'em all." Buffy snipes that he's incorrect.

Buffy: But you do get this lovely watch and a year's supply of Turtle Wax. What I want is to be left alone.

  • Screaming Woman: Aura and Aphrodisia. You'd think they had never seen a corpse before.
  • Sherlock Scan: Buffy picks a vampire out of a crowd, not through Spider Sense as Giles wants, but though seeing his dress sense is ten years out of date.
  • Short Cuts Make Long Delays: Willow points out that they're taking the wrong way to the ice cream parlor, but the vampire grabs her hand, saying he knows a "shortcut." Through a cemetery.
  • Sinister Silhouettes: Our first glimpse of Buffy's mysterious friend.
  • Starter Villains: Luke and Darla.
  • Suspiciously Specific Denial: At lunch time, Cordelia barges up to talk to Buffy, causing Willow to immediately exclaim that Buffy is not actually hanging out with them.
  • Take a Moment to Catch Your Death: Luke flings Buffy ass over teacup into the stone coffin, where she lies panting. She can't hear or see Luke. Just when Buffy has gotten up the courage to peek out, Luke leaps into the coffin with her.
  • Take That: John Tesh is The Devil.
  • There Are No Coincidences: Giles catches up to Buffy in the hall and steers her out of sight. He earnestly insists that the situation in town is getting worse; "There's a reason why you're here and a reason why it's now." Buffy snits that it's "Because now is when my mom moved here," and takes a hike.
  • To Be Continued
  • Trouble Entendre: Jesse has trouble placing Darla, and she mentions she has "family" in the area. Jesse wonders if he's met them. Coyly, Darla says he probably will soon.
  • Unintentional Period Piece: Remember Ska? It's blasting in the background as we pan on our first shot of Sunnydale High School.
  • Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Buffy enters the locker room and sees the dead guy covered by a sheet. She peels back the sheet to reveal two very obvious fang holes on the guy's neck. "Oh great," she sighs in extreme irritation.
  • Welcome Episode
  • Welcome to Hell: The episode title, of course. In the alley, Buffy rejects Angel's help and stomps away, but he stops her by saying Buffy's in too deep now. "You're standing at the mouth of Hell. And it's about to open."
  • Who Are You?: Buffy's parting shot at Angel, who prefers to stay coy.
    • Buffy stakes the henchvamp without much effort, which seems to surprise Darla. "Who are you?"
  • You Have No Chance to Survive:

Luke: You think you can stop me, stop us? You Have No Idea Who You're Dealing With.

  • Youth Is Wasted on the Dumb: The redshirt smashes a windowpane, and his blonde companion questions if breaking and entering is a good idea (The boy is taking Darla up to the top of the gym so they can see all of Sunnydale from that vantage point). Soon-To-Be-Dead Boy reassures Darla that it's a "great" idea and clambers over the windowsill.
    • Darla sneers at the henchvamp's catch, saying that Willow is "hardly a mouthful." She then calls in her own prey, Jesse, who holding his neck and wobbling. Unlike Willow, he apparently didn't need a lot of arm-twisting to follow a sexy blonde into a graveyard.

Jesse: [woozily] I think you gave me a hickey.

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