Buffy the Vampire Slayer s01e01 Episode Script

- Are you sure this is a good idea? - It's a great idea.
Now, come on.
- Do you go to school here? - I used to.
On top of the gym it's so cool.
You can see the whole town.
don't want to go up there.
Oh, you can't wait, huh? We're just gonna get in trouble.
Yeah, you can count on it.
- What was that? - What was what? - I heard a noise.
- It's nothing.
Uh maybe it's something.
- Well, maybe it's some thing.
- It's not funny.
Hello? There's nobody here.
- Are you sure? - Yes, I'm sure.
OK.
Buffy? - I'm up, Mom.
- Don't wanna be late for your first day.
No.
Wouldn't want that.
Have a good time.
I know you're gonna make friends right away.
Just think positive.
And honey? - Try not to get kicked out.
- I promise.
OK.
Excuse me.
Coming through.
Pardon me.
Excuse me.
Whoa! Excuse me.
An accident.
Stop! Please move.
Whoa! Excuse me.
Oh, God! OK, I feel good.
Willow! You're so very much the person I wanted to see.
- Really? - Yeah.
I kinda had a problem with the math.
- Uh, which part? - The math.
Can you help me out tonight? Please be my study buddy.
- Well, what's in it for me? - A shiny nickel.
OK.
Do you have "Theories in Trig"? You should check it out.
Check it out? - From the library.
Where the books live.
- I'm there.
See? I wanna change.
- Hey, hey! - Hey, Jesse! What's what? - New girl! - That's right.
I saw her.
- Pretty much a hottie.
- I heard someone was transferring.
- So, tell.
- Tell what? What's the sitch? What do you know about her? - New girl.
Buffy Summers.
Sophomore.
Late of Hemery High in Los Angeles.
Interesting record.
Quite a career.
Welcome to Sunnydale.
A clean slate, Buffy.
That's what you get here.
What's past is past.
We're not interested in what it says on a piece of paper.
Even if it says - Mr Flutie - Kids here are free to call me Bob.
- Bob - But they don't.
I know my transcripts are a little colourful.
We're not caring about that.
Do you think, uh, colourful is the word? Not, uh dismal? - It wasn't that bad.
- You burned down the gym.
I did.
I really did, but you're not seeing the big picture here.
I mean, that gym was full of vampi Asbestos.
Buffy.
Don't worry.
Any other school, they might say "Watch your step," or "We'll be watching you.
" But that's just not the way here.
We want to service your needs and help you to respect our needs.
And if your needs and our needs don't mesh Ooh! Oh, sorry! It's OK.
Can I have you? Duh! Can I help you? - Thanks.
- I don't know you, do I? - I'm Buffy.
I'm new.
- Xander .
.
is is me.
Hi.
Oh, thanks! Well, um, maybe I'll see you around.
Maybe at school, since we both go there.
Great! It was nice to meet you.
"We both go to school.
" Very suave.
Very not pathetic.
Oh! Hey! Hey! You forgot your stake.
It's estimated that about 25 million people died in that one four-year span.
But the fun part of the Black Plague is that it originated in Europe how? As an early form of germ warfare.
If you'll look at the map on page 63, you can trace the spread of the disease - Into Rome and then north - Thanks.
And this popular plague led to what social changes? Steve? - Hi, I'm Cordelia.
- I'm Buffy.
If you're looking for your own textbook, there's a few in the library.
- Great.
Thanks.
Where would that be? - I'll show you.
Come on.
- So, you're from Hemery, right? In LA? - Yeah.
Oh, I would kill to live in LA.
That close to that many shoes! You'll be OK here.
If you hang with me and mine, you'll be accepted in no time.
Of course, we do have to test your coolness factor.
You're from LA, so you can skip the written, but, let's see Vamp nail polish? Um over? So over.
James Spader? He needs to call me! - Frappuchinos? - Trendy but tasty.
- John Tesh? - The Devil.
That was pretty much a gimme, but you passed! Oh, goody! Willow! Nice dress! Good to know you've seen the softer side of Sears.
Oh, well, my mom picked it out.
No wonder you're such a guy-magnet.
Are you done? If you wanna fit in here, the first rule is "know your losers".
Once you can identify them all by sight, they're a lot easier to avoid.
If you're not swamped with catching up, come by the Bronze tonight.
- The who? - The Bronze.
The only club worth going to.
They let anybody in, but it's still the scene.
It's in the bad part of town.
- Where's that? - Half a block from the good part.
We don't have a whole lot of town here.
But you should show.
Well, I'll try.
Uh, thanks.
Good.
So, um, I'll see you at gym, and you can tell me everything there is to know about you.
Great! Oh, that sounds like fun! Hello? Is anybody here? - Oh! Anybody's here.
- Can I help you? I was looking for some, well, books.
I'm new.
Miss Summers? Good call.
I guess I'm the only new kid, huh? I'm Mr Giles.
The librarian.
I was told you were coming.
Great.
So, um, I'm gonna need "Perspectives on 20th-Century" I know what you're after.
That's not what I'm looking for.
- Are you sure? - I'm way sure.
My mistake.
So, what is it you said? The new kid? She seems weird to me.
And what kind of name is Buffy? - Hey, Aphrodisia.
- Hey! The chatter in the caff is she got kicked out and that's why her mom had to get a new job.
- Neg.
- Pos.
She was starting fights! - Neg-ly! - Well, I heard it from Blue, and she said Uh, hi.
- Willow, right? - Why? I mean, hi.
Did you want me to move? Why don't we start with "Hi, I'm Buffy"? And then let's segue directly into me asking you for a favour.
It involves hanging out with me for a while.
But aren't you hanging out with Cordelia? - I can't do both? - Not legally.
Look, I really wanna get by here.
New school and Cordelia's been really nice to me, anyway.
But, I have this burning desire not to flunk all my classes and - I heard you're the one to help me catch up.
- I could totally help you out! If you have sixth period free, we could meet in the library.
Or not.
We could meet someplace quieter.
Louder.
That place gives me the wiggins.
It has that effect on most kids.
But I love it.
It's a great collection.
The new librarian is really cool.
- He's new? - Yeah, he just started.
He was a curator at some British museum.
Or The British Museum.
I'm not sure.
He knows everything.
He brought all these historical volumes - And am I the single dullest person alive? - Not at all.
You guys busy? Are we interrupting? Hey.
- Hey.
- Hey, there.
This is Jesse, and that's Xander.
Me and Buffy go way back.
Old friends.
Very close.
Then there was our estrangement where we both grew as people, but now here we are like old times.
I'm quite moved.
Is it me, or are you turning into a bibbling idiot? No.
It's, uh, it's not you.
Well, it's nice to meet you guys.
I think.
We wanted to welcome you, make you feel at home.
- Unless you have a scary home.
- And to return this.
The only thing I could think is that you're building a really little fence.
Uh no, um Actually, it was for self-defence.
Everyone has them in LA.
Pepper spray is just so passé.
What do you do for fun? What do you look for in a man? If you have any dark secrets you'd like us to publish Gee, everyone wants to know about me.
How keen.
Not much goes on in a town like Sunnydale.
You're pretty big news.
I'm not.
Really.
- Are these guys bothering you? - Uh, no! She's not hanging out with us.
- Hey, Cordelia.
- Oh, please.
Sorry to interrupt your downward mobility, but you won't be meeting Coach Foster, the woman with the chest hair, because gym was cancelled due to the extreme dead guy in the locker.
- What? - What are you talking about? Some guy was stuffed in Aura's locker.
- Dead? - Totally dead.
Way dead.
- Notjust a little dead? - Don't you have an elsewhere to be? If you need a shoulder to cry on, or just to nibble on - How did he die? - I don't know.
- Well, were there any marks? - Morbid much! I didn't ask! I gotta book.
I'II I'll see you guys later.
What's her deal? Oh, great! - OK, what's the sitch? - Sorry? You heard about the dead guy, right? In the locker? - Yes.
- Cos it's the weirdest thing.
He's got two little holes in his neck and all his blood's been drained.
Isn't that bizarre? Aren't you just going "Oooh"? - I was afraid of this.
- Well, I 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.
I didn't think there'd be vampires on campus.
And I don't care.
Then why are you here? To tell you that I don't care, which I don't, and have now told you.
So bye.
Is he will he rise again? - Who? - The boy.
- No.
He's just dead.
- Can you be sure? To make you a vampire, they suck your blood and then you suck their blood.
It's like a whole big sucking thing.
Mostly, they're just gonna kill you.
- Why am I still talking to you? - You have no idea what's going on, do you? You think it's coincidence, your being here? Why can't you people just leave me alone? Because you are the Slayer.
"Into each generation, a slayer is born.
" "One girl, in all the world, a Chosen One.
One born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires.
To stop the spread of evil.
" I've heard it, OK? I don't understand this attitude.
You've accepted your duty, slain vampires before.
I've been there and done that, and I'm moving on.
What do you know about this town? It's two hours on the freeway from Neiman Marcus? Dig a bit in the history of this place and you find a stream of fairly odd occurrences.
This whole area is a centre of mystical energy.
Things gravitate towards it that you might not find elsewhere.
- Like vampires.
- Like zombies.
Werewolves.
Incubi.
Succubi.
Everything you dreaded was under your bed but told yourself couldn't be.
They're all real.
What? You sent away for the Time-Life Series? Um yes.
- Did you get the free phone? - The calendar.
Cool! But OK, first of all, I'm a vampire slayer.
And secondly, I'm retired.
- Hey, I know! Why don't you kill 'em? - I'm a watcher.
I haven't the skill.
Oh, come on! A stake through the heart it's like falling off a log.
- A slayer slays.
A watcher - Watches? Yes.
No! He trains her.
He prepares her.
Prepares me for what? For getting kicked out of school? For losing all of my friends? For spending my time fighting for my life and never getting to tell anyone because I might endanger them? Go ahead.
Prepare me.
Damn! What? - It's getting worse.
- What's getting worse? The influx of the undead.
It's been building for years.
There's a reason why you're here now.
Because now is the time my mom moved here.
Something is coming.
Something Something is gonna happen here.
Soon.
Gee, can you vague that up for me? The signs, as far as I can tell, point to a crucial mystical upheaval very soon.
Days, possibly less.
Oh, come on! This is Sunnydale.
How bad an evil can there be here? The sleeper will wake.
The sleeper will wake.
The sleeper will wake.
The sleeper will wake.
And the world will bleed.
Amen! Hi! I'm an enormous slut! Hello.
Would you like a copy of "The Watchtower"? I used to be so good at this.
- Hi, hon.
- Hey! - Are you going out tonight? - Yeah.
I'm going to a club.
- Oh.
Will there be boys there? - No, Mom.
It's a nun club! - Well, just be careful.
- I will.
You know, I think we can make it work here.
I've got my positive energy flowing.
I'm gonna get the gallery on its feet.
- We may have found a space today.
- That's great.
That school is a very nurturing environment, which is what you need.
- Well, actually - Oh, not too nurturing.
I know.
You're 16.
I've read all about the dangers of over-nurturing.
It's hard.
New town and everything.
It is for me, too.
I'm trying to make it work.
I'm going to make it work.
- I know.
- You're a good girl, Buffy.
You just fell in with the wrong crowd.
But that is all behind us now.
It is.
From now on, I am only going to hang out with the living.
I mean lively people.
OK.
You have fun.
- Is there a problem, ma'am? - Yeah, there's a problem.
Why are you following me? I know what you're thinking, but don't worry.
I don't bite.
The truth is, I thought you'd be taller.
Or bigger muscles and all that.
You're pretty spry, though.
- What do you want? - The same thing you do.
OK What do I want? To kill 'em.
To kill 'em all.
Incorrect, but you do get this watch and a year's supply of Turtle Wax.
- What I want is to be left alone! - Do you think that's an option any more? You're standing at the mouth of Hell.
And it's about to open.
Don't turn your back on this.
- You've gotta be ready.
- What for? For the Harvest.
Who are you? Let's just say I'm a friend.
Yeah, well, maybe I don't want a friend.
I didn't say I was yours.
What's up? Hey.
- Hey! - Oh, hi! Hi! - Are you here with someone? - No.
I'm just here.
- I thought Xander was gonna show up.
- Oh! Are you guys going out? No, we're just friends.
We used to go out, but we broke up.
- How come? - He stole my Barbie.
Oh, we were five.
- I don't actually date a whole lot lately.
- Why not? Well, when I'm with a boy I like, it's hard for me to say anything cool, or or witty, or at all.
I can usually make a few vowel sounds, and then I have to go away.
- It's not that bad.
- No, it is.
I thinks boys are more interested in a girl who can talk.
- You really haven't been dating lately.
- It's probably easy for you.
Yeah.
Real easy.
I mean, you don't seem too shy.
Well, my philosophy Do you want to hear it? - Yeah, I do.
- Life is short.
- "Life is short.
" - Not original, I'll grant you, but it's true.
Why waste time being shy and worrying about some guy laughing at you? Seize the moment, cos tomorrow you might be dead.
Oh, that's nice! Um, I'll be back in a minute.
Oh, that's that's OK.
You don't have to come back.
I'll be back in a minute.
"Seize the moment.
" Like partying with students? Ain't that skanky? Oh, right! This is me having fun.
Watching "clown hair" prance about is hardly my idea of a party.
I'd rather be at home with a cup of Bovril and a good book.
You need a personality.
This is a perfect breeding ground for vampires.
It's dark, crowded I knew you would show up.
I have to make you understand.
That the Harvest is coming.
I know.
Your friend told me.
- What did you say? - The Harvest.
Does that mean something to you? Cos I'm drawing a blank.
I'm not sure.
Who told you this? This guy.
Dark, gorgeous in an annoying sort of way.
I figured you two were buds.
No.
The Harvest Did he say anything else? Something about the "mouth of Hell".
I really didn't like him.
Look at them.
Throwing themselves about.
Unaware of the danger that surrounds them.
- Lucky them.
- Or perhaps you're right.
Perhaps there is no trouble coming.
The signs could be wrong.
It's not as though you've been having the nightmares.
Mom doesn't get out of bed.
The doctor says it's Epstein-Barr.
I'm, like, "It's chronic hepatitis or at least chronic fatigue syndrome.
" I mean, nobody cool has Epstein-Barr any more.
- Hey, Cordelia! - Oh, yea, it's my stalker! - You look you look great.
- I'm glad we had this little chat.
Listen, you know, wanna dance? You know? - With you? - Well, uh, yeah.
Well, uh, no! Come on, guys.
Fine.
Plenty other fish in the sea.
Oh, yeah, I'm on the prowl! Witness me prowling! I didn't say I'd never slay another vampire.
I don't have fluffy bunny feelings for them.
I'm just not gonna get extracurricular with it.
If I see one, sure Will you be ready? There's so much you don't know about them, about your own powers.
A vampire appears to be normal until the feed is upon them.
Only then do they reveal their true demonic visage.
You're like a textbook with arms.
I know this.
The point is, a slayer should be able to see them anyway.
Without looking, without thinking.
Can you tell me if there's a vampire in this building? - Maybe.
- You should know.
Even through this mass and this din, you should be able to sense them.
Well, try.
Reach out with your mind.
Hone your senses.
Focus until the energy washes over you, until you feel every particle of - There's one.
- Wh-where? Right there.
Talking to that girl.
- You don't know - Oh, please! Look at his jacket.
He's got the sleeves rolled up.
And the shirt? Deal with that outfit for a moment.
- It's dated? - It's carbon dated.
Trust me.
Only someone living underground would think that was still the look.
But you didn't hone.
Oh, no! - Isn't that? - Willow.
- What's she doing? - Seizing the moment.
Cordelia! God! What is your childhood trauma?! Have you guys seen Willow? Did she come by here? Do you need to attack her with the stick? Jeez! Excuse me.
I have to call everyone I have ever met, right now.
That was quick.
Well done.
I need to go to the library.
- This Harvest thing - I didn't find them.
- The vampire is not dead? - No, but my social life is on the critical list.
- So, what do we do? - I'll take care of it.
- I need to come with you, yes? - Don't worry.
One vampire I can handle.
So, um, what did you say your name was? - Darla.
- Darla.
I haven't seen you around before.
- Are you from around here? - No, but I have family here.
- Have I met them? - You probably will.
Master.
- I am weak.
- Come the Harvest, you will be restored.
The Harvest.
We're almost there.
Soon you will be free.
I must be ready.
I need my strength.
- I've sent your servants to bring you food.
- Good.
- Luke? - Yes? Bring me something young.
Sure is dark.
- It's night.
- Well, that's a dark time.
Night.
Traditionally.
I still can't believe I've never seen you at school.
Do you have Mr Chomsky for history? The ice-cream bar is this way.
It's past Hamilton Street.
I know a shortcut.
- Leaving already? - Xander.
Have you seen Willow? - Not tonight, no.
- She left with a guy.
We're talking about Willow? Scoring at the Bronze! Work it, girl! No, I need to find her.
Where would he take her? Why? Oh, hey, I hope he's not a vampire, because then you might have to slay him.
Was there a school bulletin? Was it in the newspaper? Is there anyone in this town who doesn't know I'm the Slayer? I know you think you're the Slayer, and the reason why Whatever.
It doesn't matter.
Just tell me - Where would Willow go? You're serious.
We don't find her, and there's gonna be one more dead body in the morning.
OK, this this is nice and scary.
Are you sure this is faster? Hey, you ever been in one of these? No Thank you.
Come on.
What are you afraid of? That wasn't funny.
- I think I'm gonna go.
- Is that what you think? - Is this the best you could do? - She's fresh.
Hardly enough to share.
Why didn't you bring your own? - I did.
- Hey! Wait up! Oh, my God! Jesse! You know, you gave me a hickey.
- I got hungry on the way.
- Oh, Jesse, let's get outta here! Oh, you're not going anywhere.
Leave us alone! You're not going anywhere until we've fed! Well, this is nice.
It's a little bare, but a dash of paint, a few throw pillows call it home! Who the hell are you? There's someone in this town who doesn't know already? That's a relief.
Having a secret identity in this town is ajob of work.
- Buffy, we bail now, right? - Not yet.
OK, first of all, what's with the outfit? Live in the now, OK? You look like DeBarge.
Now, we can do this the hard way, or Well, actually, there's just the hard way.
- That's fine with me.
- Are you sure? This is not gonna be pretty.
We're talking violence, strong language, adult content - See what happens when you roughhouse? - He was young and stupid.
- Xander, go! - Don't go far.
You know, I just wanted to start over.
Be like everybody else.
Have some friends, you know, maybe a dog.
But no.
You had to come here.
- You couldn't go suck on some other town.
- Who are you? Don't you know? I don't care.
You were supposed to bring an offering for the Master.
We're almost at Harvest and you dally with this child.
We had someone.
But then she came.
She killed Thomas.
Luke she's strong.
You go.
I'll see if I can handle the little girl.
You're strong.
I'm stronger.
We'll get the police! It's just a few blocks up! - You're wasting my time.
- Hey! I had other plans, too, OK? You think you can stop me? Stop us? You have no idea what you're dealing with.
"And like a plague of boils, the race of Man covered the Earth.
" "But on the third day of the newest light will come the Harvest and the blood of men will flow as wine when the Master will walk among them once more.
" "The Earth will belong to the Old Ones.
" "And Hell itself will come to town.
" Amen.
Urgh! Argh!