# 1.01 Welcome to the Hellmouth

[Cynni]

Info from Wikipedia.com:

Synopsis:
The series premiere begins at Sunnydale High School, where a boy breaks into the school during the night with a seemingly reluctant girl, promising her mischief and therefore fun. Nervous and on edge, the girl thinks she heard something and fears something is there. The boy calls out but gets no response, during which the girl's face morphs into that of a vampire, and bites the boy, revealing to the viewer that she was the only danger all along. The girl, we will later find out, is Darla.

Buffy has a nightmare the morning of her first day at school. Her mother drives her to the school and encourages her to think positive. Inside the building, Principal Flutie tells her she will start with a clean slate. He reconsiders that after realizing that Buffy burned down her previous school's gym because "it was full of vampi—…asbestos."

Buffy exits the office and bumps into another student, spilling the contents of her handbag over the floor. Xander sees that and helps Buffy, introducing himself. She leaves without her stake, which Xander pockets because he called out to her, but she had already walked away. In history class, Buffy is helped by Cordelia, who afterwards tests her "coolness factor," skipping the written as Buffy had just moved to Sunnydale, California from Los Angeles. To Buffy's horror, Cordelia humiliates an awkward Willow at the water fountain. Inside the library, Mr. Giles places a book titled Vampyr in front of Buffy after realizing who she is. A stunned Buffy makes a hasty exit.

Buffy, Willow, Jesse McNally and Xander meet during a break, and Xander returns the stake. Buffy claims it is standard self-defense in Los Angeles. Cordelia appears and tells Buffy that gym is cancelled due to the "extreme dead guy" in Aura's locker. Buffy asks whether there were marks on the body, freaking out Cordelia. Buffy forces her way into the locker room, examines the body, and finds the characteristic puncture wounds of a vampire on the neck.

Buffy returns to the library and confronts Giles, who informs her that he is her Watcher. Buffy refuses to accept her calling as a Slayer, since it had gotten her kicked out of her previous school and robbed her of a social life. After they leave the library, Xander emerges from behind the shelves, having overheard the strange conversation.

That night, en route to her first visit to The Bronze, the cool hangout in Sunnydale, Buffy meets a mysterious, handsome stranger, who warns her that she is living on a Hellmouth that is about to open, and that "the Harvest" is coming. He also gives her a large silver cross. It isn't revealed until the next episode that the stranger's name is Angel.

In The Bronze, Buffy meets Willow and encourages her to seize the moment: "Because tomorrow you might be dead." She finds Giles and tells him about Angel. Giles tells her to learn to hone her skills to sense vampires anywhere. Buffy uses her fashion sense to pick out a vampire in the club and is alarmed to see Willow leave with him. She loses them and is surprised by Cordelia, nearly staking her. Cordelia immediately calls her friends to tell them about it. While Buffy looks for Willow, Jesse chats up Darla at The Bronze. Buffy is stopped by Xander, whom she convinces to help search for Willow.

Meanwhile, under the streets of Sunnydale, The Master is woken by lesser vampires from a long sleep to prepare for the Harvest. He sends Luke to fetch young blood.

Willow's new acquaintance takes her to a crypt in a cemetery, where they are joined by Darla and Jesse, whom she has bitten. Buffy and Xander arrive. Buffy kills Willow's vampire. Xander and Willow help Jesse, who has been weakened, flee. Luke takes Darla's place in the fight so she can help catch the kids. Luke throws Buffy in a stone coffin and is about to move in for the kill.

[Cynni]

Info from buffyguide.com:

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Buffy Summers has moved to Sunnydale from L.A., hoping to leave her troubled past behind. But Sunnydale High librarian Rupert Giles knows who Buffy is: she is the Slayer, the one girl in all the world with the strength and skill to hunt and kill vampires. He knows about her past because he is her new Watcher — the person whose destiny it is to train and guide Slayers on their path. Buffy quickly makes two friends: the shy, bookish Willow, and the goofy but lovable Xander, who is instantly attracted to Buffy.

When a student is found dead in a locker — with bite marks on his neck and completely drained of his blood — Giles enlists Buffy's help. She resists, trying to get out of the slaying game for good, but Giles insists that a crucial mystical upheaval is about to occur. Unbeknownst to them, a bewildered Xander overhears their conversation — Buffy's secret is out. Later, in a dark, eerie chamber, we see a vampire who seems to be confirming Giles' prophecy. The vampire, Luke, kneels in front of a pool of blood and says, "The sleeper will awaken. And the world will bleed."
The demonic Master Vampire

On her way to the Bronze, Sunnydale's hippest (and only) club, Buffy is followed by a handsome, mysterious stranger. He tells her she must be ready for the Harvest, and gives her a small cross. Giles meets her at the Bronze and she tells him about the encounter. Giles convinces her to use her power, and wants her to try to sense if there are any vampires in the room. She does sense one and finds him talking to Willow, but the two have walked away. Trying to catch him unawares, she grabs a makeshift stake, turns a corner and attacks... Cordelia, the snootiest girl in school, who already thought Buffy was a loser for hanging with Willow, and now thinks she's certifiable. We see Jesse, Xander's buddy, chatting with a girl we saw in vampire garb earlier, but who now appears as a normal student, Darla. Back to the pool of blood, something breaks through the surface and rises: the demonic Master Vampire. He is hungry and weak, and asks Luke to bring him something young.

Outside the Bronze, Buffy enlists Xander's help in finding Willow, who's already been led to a mausoleum by the vampire, Thomas. Willow's happy to find Jesse there, until she sees that Darla has already bit him in the neck. Buffy and Xander enter, and Buffy promptly kills Thomas. Now Willow is finally in on the secret. While Darla tries to attack Buffy, Xander and Willow lead a weakened Jesse out. Luke joins the battle and throws Buffy across the room. As Luke tries to bite Buffy in the neck, he burns his hand on her cross, giving her a chance to escape. She finds her Xander and Willow struggling with several vampires. Buffy impales one and the others flee. Meanwhile, Jesse has been taken to the Master, who hears about Buffy. By her strength, he can tell that she's the Slayer. The Master knows that Buffy will come looking for Jesse, and then she will be his.

Giles enlists Willow to check the Internet for more information about the Harvest, while Buffy decides to go look for Jesse. At the mausoleum, she runs into the stranger again, whose name is Angel. He warns that the Harvest will be that night. Then Buffy is shocked to find Xander has followed her. They find Jesse, who tries to lead them out, until he turns to face them and they discover he's become a vampire. More vampires surround and chase them, but they manage to escape to the street through a grating. The Master is furious that the Slayer has escaped. But he allows Luke to feed from him as a way of gaining strength for himself. He dabs some of his blood on Luke's forehead and paints a three-pointed star.
Luke

Willow's research explains that on the night of the Harvest, the Master Vampire can draw power from one of his minions while it feeds and then can break through from their reality to ours. The minion is called the Vessel, and bears the symbol we saw painted on Luke. Xander guesses the vampires will converge on the Bronze, since it's always filled with young people. That night, a newly confident Jesse strides into the Bronze and hits on Cordelia, who actually allows the former loser to dance with her. Soon, a gang of vampires takes over the club, with Luke at the helm. By the time Buffy, Giles, Xander and Willow get there, the suckfest is in full swing, with the Master gaining strength from each victim. Buffy manages to kill a few other vampires, then Jesse winds up impaling himself on a stake a frightened Xander was holding. Buffy breaks a large window, trying to make Luke think the streetlight is daylight, which will destroy him. He buys it for a second, and she takes advantage of his confusion by driving a stake through his back. Now the Master is too weak to break through to the other side, and Sunnydale has been spared.

This time.

[Cynni]

Info from wikipedia.com:

Production:

Creator Joss Whedon hoped to include actor Eric Balfour in the title credits to shock viewers when his character dies. Unfortunately, the show could not afford the extra set of title credits at the time. However, Whedon's wish was granted in season six ("Seeing Red") with Amber Benson's character, Tara Maclay. Certain scenes, such as the argument between Giles and Buffy in the library, and Buffy's first meeting with Angel, were re-shot eight months after the first episode was recorded. Whedon decided to make Buffy less angry and more vulnerable, much to Sarah Michelle Gellar's dismay. Whedon jokingly teased her they were going to reshoot the scenes a third time. The high school used for external and some internal scenes in the series is Torrance High, the same school used for the acclaimed series Beverly Hills, 90210. Brian Thompson, who plays the vampire Luke, returns to the series in season two as a different character, the Judge, in "Surprise" and "Innocence".

When Buffy is in her room deciding what to wear to the Bronze, the Sprung Monkey's "Saturated" is played in the background. Incidentally, Sprung Monkey appear on stage at the Bronze. They first perform "Believe", followed by "Swirl" and "Things Are Changing". The original score is written by Walter Murphy.

On the original airing of this episode, The WB provided a teaser advertisement briefing the history of past Slayers. It revealed horrific events in towns that were halted when a particular woman arrived. This promotional teaser, however, does not appear in syndication or on DVD. "Welcome to the Hellmouth" received a Nielsen rating of 3.4 upon its original airing.

[Cynni]

Info from Wikipedia.com:

Cast:

Starring

* Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
* Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
* Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg
* Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase
* Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles

Guest starring

* Mark Metcalf as The Master
* Brian Thompson as Luke
* David Boreanaz as Angel
* Ken Lerner as Principal Flutie
* Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers
* Julie Benz as Darla
* J. Patrick Lawlor as Thomas
* Eric Balfour as Jesse McNally

Co-starring

* Natalie Strauss as The Teacher
* Carmine Giovinazzo as Boy
* Amy Chance as Aphrodesia
* Persia White as Aura

[Cynni]

Info from buffyguide.com:

Quotes:

Xander: Well, you're certainly a font of nothing!

Xander: Can I have you? Duh... Can I help you?

Buffy: 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.

Angel: Ah, heh. Is there a problem, ma'am?
Buffy: Yeah, there's a problem. Why are you following me?
Angel: I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, I don't bite.

Angel: Truth is, I thought you'd be taller, or bigger muscles and all that. You're pretty spry, though.
Buffy: What do you want?
Angel: The same thing you do.
Buffy: Okay. What do I want?
Angel: To kill them. To kill them all.
Buffy: Sorry, that's incorrect. But you do get this lovely watch and a year's supply of Turtle Wax. What I want is to be left alone!

Buffy: Who are you?
Angel: Let's just say...I'm a friend.
Buffy: Yeah, well, maybe I don't want a friend.
Angel: I didn't say I was yours.

Buffy: I don't suppose you've got a key on you?
Angel: They really don't like me dropping in.
Buffy: Why not?
Angel: They really don't like me.
Buffy: How could that possibly be?
Angel: I knew you'd figure out this entryway sooner or later. Actually, I thought it was gonna be a little sooner.
Buffy: Sorry you had to wait. Okay. Look, if you're gonna be popping up with this cryptic wise man act on a regular basis can you at least tell me your name?
Angel: Angel.
Buffy: Angel. It's a pretty name.

Angel: Don't... go down there.
Buffy: Deal with my going.
Angel: You shouldn't be putting yourself at risk. Tonight is the Harvest. Unless you can prevent it, the Master walks.
Buffy: Well, if this Harvest thing is such a suckfest why don't you stop it?
Angel: 'Cause I'm afraid.

Angel: They'll be expecting you.
Buffy: I've got a friend down there. Or at least a potential friend. Do you know what it's like to have a friend? That wasn't supposed to be a stumper.

Angel: She did it! I'll be d**ned!

Buffy: Well, I gotta look on the bright side. Maybe I can still get kicked out of school!
Xander: Oh, yeah, that's a plan. 'Cause lots of schools aren't on Hellmouths.
Willow: Maybe you could blow something up. They're really strict about that.
Buffy: I was thinking of a more subtle approach, y'know, like excessive not studying.
Giles: The Earth is doomed!

[Cynni]

Info from buffyguide.com:

Extra info on # 1.01 Welcome to the Hellmouth

[glow=red,2,300]Notes[/glow]


* Buffy made its debut in the United States on March 10, 1997 with this two-hour episode titled "Welcome To The Hellmouth." In reruns, the two hours were shown as separate episodes with the titles "Welcome To The Hellmouth" and "The Harvest."

* These two episodes were released on 20th Century Fox Home Video on September 15, 1998, as part of the first Buffy the Vampire Slayer Box Set.

* Regarding the continuity between the movie and the series: Although Buffy did, as stated in this episode, go to Hemery High in L.A. in the movie and did fight vampires there, series creator Joss Whedon has said that the events of the movie never happened for purposes of the series. Considering that, in the movie, Buffy was a high school senior, and that while the school gym did catch fire it did not actually burn down, it would seem that Whedon's statement should be accepted.

* Brian Thompson, who played Luke, would return as the Judge in season two's "Surprise" and "Innocence."

* In Richie Tankersley Cusick's novelization of this episode (published by Archway under the title The Harvest), the Master is said to be six hundred years old, and his name is said to be Heinrich Joseph Nest. This fact comes from Joss Whedon's original script for the episode, but is never mentioned or corroborated in the televised episodes.

* Mark Metcalf (The Master) previously appeared with Sarah Michelle Gellar in the 1991 TV miniseries A Woman Named Jackie. SMG played the teen aged Jacqueline Bouvier, and Metcalf played George Smathers.

[glow=red,2,300]Goofs and Gaffes[/glow]

* In the first Bronze scene, the band members' playing is not synched at all to the music. It's especially bad during the first drum fill, during which the camera gives us a close-up of the drummer's hands not filling.

* Why would Giles, who seems to appreciate the value of the Slayer, allow her to head into a den of powerful vampires, alone, with nothing more than a "Be careful?"

* When Angel meets Buffy, he says that he thought she'd be taller, implying that he'd never seen her before. Later, in "Becoming, Part One," we see a flashback of Angel watching Buffy from afar, proving this wrong (or a deceitful statement for no good reason). Angel also mentions the sighting to Buffy in "Helpless."

[glow=red,2,300]References[/glow]

# "I'd much prefer to be home with a cup of Bovril and a good book." Bovril is beef tea, an extract of beef usually given to people who are ill.

# "Live in the now, okay? You look like DeBarge." DeBarge was a pop group of the early-to-mid eighties. Made up of five siblings (Eldra, Mark, Randy, Bunny, and Bobby DeBarge), Motown Records hoped they'd be a new Jackson 5, but they only wound up with one hit, 1985's "Rhythm of the Night."

# "Don't go Wild Bunch on me." The Wild Bunch was a 1969 western movie directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Ernest Borgnine, William Holden, and Edmond O'Brien. It was the first film to feature excessive movie violence as we know it today.

[glow=red,2,300]Music[/glow]


* The Master Source (Music Library) - "No Heroes" (CD Info Unavailable)
Plays as Buffy's mother drives her to school the first day.
* Sprung Monkey - "Saturated" (From Swirl, Surfdog Records, 1996)
Plays in the background as Buffy tries on clothes.
Official Site
* Sprung Monkey - "Believe" (From Swirl, Surfdog Records, 1996)
Sprung Monkey plays this on stage as Buffy enters the Bronze for the first time.
Official Site
* Sprung Monkey - "Swirl" (From Swirl, Surfdog Records, 1996)
This is the second song the band plays onstage at the Bronze.
Official Site
* Sprung Monkey - "Things Are Changing" (From Swirl, Surfdog Records, 1996)
The band plays this on stage at The Bronze before Buffy leaves to save Willow.
Official Site
* Sprung Monkey - "Right My Wrong" (From Swirl, Surfdog Records, 1996)
Plays in the background as Principal Flutie tries to keep Buffy from leaving school grounds.
Official Site
* Dashboard Prophets - "Wearing Me Down" (From Burning Out the Inside, No Name Recordings, 1996)
The song Cordelia loves and goes to dance to as the vampiric Jesse watches from the shadows.
* Dashboard Prophets - "Ballad for Dead Friends" (From Burning Out the Inside, No Name Recordings, 1996)
The song playing as Darla and the other vampires approach the Bronze in slow motion.