Joss Whedon Movies

Jackie decides to enroll in police academy, which sets up even more possibilities for Roseanne to make fun of her. Meanwhile, Becky gets embarrassed again, this time when Darlene tells on her for looking at Dan's nudie magazines. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Roseanne hates her job at Chicken Divine, finding it extremely difficult to treat her horrible 17-year-old boss Brian (Peter Smith) with any respect. In order to get her weekends off, she invites him over for dinner and makes Dan help him with an automotive project. Of course, trying to impress the boss doesn't work, and Roseanne loses her job and tells him off. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Widely considered to be an expensive failure, Waterworld was an epic vehicle for Kevin Costner, who starred in and co-produced the film, with his friend Kevin Reynolds as director. It was based on a 1986 screenplay by Peter Rader and cost an estimated $235 million, more than any film in history up to that time. Costner eventually fired Reynolds and directed the last few scenes himself. The story was filmed in Hawaii, using several artificial islands, and is set in an apocalyptic future, after global warming has melted the polar ice caps and flooded civilization. The Mariner (Costner) is one of the human beings who has adapted by growing gills. The survivalist lives on a boat on which he is growing a precious tomato plant. He tries to sell the plant and its dirt to the residents of an artificial island built of industrial waste. They imprison him when they discover that he's a mutant with gills. But the island is attacked by the Smokers, a group of oil-guzzling raiders on jet skis headed by the Deacon (Dennis Hopper). The Mariner escapes with Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and her daughter Enola (Tina Majorino). Back at sea, the Smokers repeatedly attack, using planes and boats, until they kidnap Enola. Enola's back is tattooed with a map showing how to get to Dryland, the last unflooded area on Earth. But Deacon, who needs to get to Dryland to replenish the Smokers' oil supply, can't immediately decipher it. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of the series, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and friends Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendon), Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan), and Watcher Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) band together to stop a group of vampires from fulfilling an ancient prophecy called "The Harvest." The Harvest will allow Luke (Brian Thompson), a vampire supernaturally connected to The Master (Mark Metcalf) -- a very old, powerful, and angry vampire -- to feed on humans and thereby give him strength. The Master, viewers learn, was imprisoned in catacombs underneath Sunnydale 60 years earlier by an earthquake while attempting to open the Hellmouth, and is trapped underground until The Harvest is complete. When Luke sends some vampires out for food, they subsequently capture Xander's buddy Jesse and use him as bait to lure Buffy into a trap. Buffy, who now understands her destiny to be the Slayer, dutifully chases after Jesse. Buffy and Xander find Jesse in the catacombs only to realize that he has already been turned into a vampire. Meanwhile, Luke and his vampires are attacking all the club-going teens at The Bronze to fulfill The Harvest prophecy. Buffy and her cohorts come to the rescue just in time to stop them, during which Xander accidentally kills Jesse. Most of the vampires (including Luke) are killed, but Darla (Julie Benz), a vampire who figures heavily in future episodes, gets away. Originally aired on March 10, 1996, "The Harvest" is the second half of the two-part pilot episode. ~ All Movie Guide

Three's a crowd as Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) finds her mom making out with John Ritter in her house. Ritter plays Ted, a man who Buffy's mom has apparently been seeing for a while. Ted's demeanor lies somewhere between Ward Cleaver and Herman Georing. Even though he bakes delicious cookies and her mom is happy, Buffy is suspicious. These worries are confirmed when, after returing from a night of slaying, Buffy catches Ted reading her diary. Justifiably angered by the invasion of privacy, she argues with him and he strikes her. In an abuse of her slayer powers, Buffy punches him down the stairs to his death. But her guilt is short-lived as Willow (Alyson Hannigan), Xander (Nicholas Brendon), and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) discover that Ted has had marriages dating back to 1957 and puts drugs in his cookies. The weirdest twist is that Ted comes back to fight Buffy because he's an evil robot who keeps his dead wives in his closet. ~ All Movie Guide

The stuck-up attitude of Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) comes back to hurt her in this important first-year episode. While campaigning to be crowned Sunnydale High's May Queen, Cordelia's date is clubbed to death by a possessed baseball bat. A friend of Cordelia's then falls down some stairs, leading Buffy to believe that an invisible assailant might be at work in Sunnydale. Soon enough, Buffy discovers evidence of a girl named Marcia Ross (Clea DuVall) living in the recesses of Sunnydale High. Among her belongings, she finds a yearbook signed by Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Willow (Alyson Hannigan), although no one seems to remember the girl. Treated as invisible for so long, Marcia has actually become invisible and is exacting revenge upon her classmates. Buffy finds a way of stopping her before she can kill Cordelia, creating some goodwill between the two. By the end, Marcia is taken away by federal agents to be rehabilitated at a school for other invisible students, foreshadowing other political entanglements Buffy will encounter in future seasons. Another point of interest in this episode is the first meeting between Angel (David Boreanaz) and Giles (Anthony Stewart Head). ~ All Movie Guide

Everyone returns from summer vacation with unresolved issues that they're just itching to uncover. Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) flirtatiously eat ice cream together, and after Xander licks ice cream off Willow's nose -- perhaps about to kiss her -- they are rudely interrupted by a vampire who wants something other than sweet treats. Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who spent the summer with her father, saves them from the attack, the first such attempted biting since the Master's death. The trio's happy reunion is short-lived though, as Buffy is clearly distant, irritable, and wanting to get on with her Slayer training. She is overly mean to Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), blows off Angel (David Boreanaz), and seductively slow dances with Xander at The Bronze, making everybody uncomfortable. Her bad attitude is exacerbated after having a nightmare in which Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) attacks her while Willow and Xander idly watch. This all karmically leads up to the disappearance of the Master's bones. Giles researches a revivification rite, suspecting that someone might be trying to resurrect the Master. Giles accidentally mistranslates the text and he, Willow, Cordelia, and Jenny (Robia La Morte) are taken by the Anointed One (Andrew J. Ferchland) and his new minion Absalom (Brent Jennings) to complete the ceremony. Buffy comes to save them, and in doing so, cathartically takes a sledgehammer to the Master's bones. This episode is the first in which Angel was listed as an official cast member. ~ All Movie Guide

A new love and an old friendship are tested in this soap-operatic second-season episode. Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) spies Angel (David Boreanaz) speaking with a mysterious and alluring woman. Unaware that the woman is Drusilla (Juliet Landau) -- Buffy did not meet her in the earlier "School Hard" episode of the series -- Buffy becomes jealous and depressed. But when her old best friend and former crush Ford (Jason Behr) transfers to Sunnydale High, she immediately brightens up and begins hanging out with him, ignoring Angel. Ford soon reveals that he knows that Buffy is the Slayer. Angel, suspicious of Ford's intentions and equally jealous, teams up with Willow (Alyson Hannigan) to check him out. They discover that, instead of transferring schools, Ford is actually a member of a vampire-worshipping club. Ford plans to deliver Buffy to Spike (James Marsters) and become a vampire in return -- a preferred outcome to dying of his brain tumor. ~ All Movie Guide

A wildly influential cult hit that escaped the shadow of an unsuccessful film incarnation, helped establish the teen-centric WB network, and spawned a long-running spin-off, Buffy the Vampire Slayer ran for 144 episodes between March 1997 and May 2003. Approached by Fox television executives about the possibility of a series, Joss Whedon, screenwriter of the original 1992 film, saw the chance to revisit a concept he thought had been mishandled. Refashioning the jokey film back into a mixture of drama, comedy, romance, action, and horror, Whedon and his Mutant Enemy production company found a home for their show at the nascent WB. Originally airing Monday nights and then moving, with much fanfare, to Tuesdays during its second season, Buffy the Vampire Slayer quickly became a hit -- at least by the standards of its demographically targeted network. Ratings peaked in the second and third seasons, but Buffy maintained its status as critics' darling throughout its run. By the time the show moved to the UPN network for its final two seasons, it was selling like hotcakes on DVD and airing in syndicated two-hour blocks on the FX cable channel.

Plot-wise, Buffy centered on the exploits of its titular vampire slayer, a mystical "Chosen One" who found herself living in Sunnydale, CA, an idyllic small town situated atop the mouth to hell. Plucked from a vapid life of cheerleading and parties and forced by her mystic destiny to slay vampires and vanquish demons, Buffy initially viewed her superpowers as an imposition. By the end of the series, however, she had embraced her role as steely general in a never-ending war against the forces of darkness. Joined by an ever-changing array of allies known collectively as the "Scooby gang," she spent three years learning that high school is literally hell before navigating college and grown-up responsibilities in the later seasons. As the show's tangled mythology grew, Buffy's friends began to acquire magical abilities of their own -- all the better to fight each season's "Big Bad" villain. Science fiction and horror fans loved the show for its tight continuity and sustained world-building. As numerous fans and critics have pointed out, however, the supernatural trappings functioned on a deeper, metaphorical level: they mirrored the complexities of growing up, going out into the world, and accepting one's destiny.

Sarah Michelle Gellar, a former All My Children star with a daytime Emmy to her name, became a postfeminist icon on the basis of her work as Buffy Summers and her appearances in such teen horror flicks as Scream 2 and I Know What You Did Last Summer. It was Gellar's decision not to renew her contract after the seventh season that proved to be the stake in the show's heart. Thanks to Buffy and the American Pie films, co-star Alyson Hannigan, too, became a breakout star. Both actresses remained with the series for its entire run, unlike Seth Green, who served less than three seasons before movie stardom -- most notably the Austin Powers franchise -- lured him away. As for the rest of the large and ever-changing cast, few became household names despite their wealth of TV, film, and stage experience. But David Boreanaz, who portrayed Buffy's vampiric love interest in the first three seasons, soon found himself helming the spin-off Angel with co-star Charisma Carpenter along for the ride. Angel never captured the zeitgeist in the same way that its parent show had, but it did maintain a devoted cult following through five seasons on the WB before facing cancellation a year after Buffy ended. Before the final episode of Angel even aired, rumors circulated on the Internet about future spin-offs, TV movies, and the possible launch of an animated Buffy series. Only time will tell whether the "Buffyverse" achieves the same longevity as, say, Star Trek, but the ongoing wealth of spin-off novels, comic books, and other merchandise make it seem like a pretty good bet. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

It's Christmas time in Sunnydale and like Scrooge, Angel (David Boreanaz) is being haunted by the ghosts of his past victims, namely Jenny Calendar (Robia La Morte). He seeks help from Giles (Anthony Head), and later even shares a dream with Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), where he bites her. Jenny appears and tells him the dream represents his true evil desires. Meanwhile, Giles discovers the three Harbingers -- blind priests who utilize the evil and archaic power of the First. The First has taken on the visage of Jenny and taunts Angel to kill Buffy. The First also predicts the death of Angel by sunrise. On a cliff, waiting for morning and Angel's impending death, Buffy releases all the pent up angst she has felt since Angel's return from Hell. ~ All Movie Guide

Acathla, a demon turned to stone by an ancient knight, is dug up during the construction of a new housing project. Angel (David Boreanaz) steals Acathla in hopes of using the demon for the stultifyingly original purpose of opening a portal to Hell. Meanwhile, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Willow (Alyson Hannigan) discover the disk Jenny (Robia La Morte) saved the spell to restore Angel's soul on (see "Passion"). Despite Giles' (Anthony Stewart Head) protestations, Willow readies herself to cast the spell. Unexpectedly, Kendra (Bianca Lawson) shows up with the blessed sword of the knight who turned Acathla to stone. Soon, Angel lures Buffy away from the library and Drusilla (Juliet Landau) leads an attack to capture Giles. Subsequently, Kendra is killed. As this is the first part of the second season finale, the episode is peppered with flashbacks to other episodes highlighting important events, such as Darla (Julie Benz) siring Angel in "Angel." ~ All Movie Guide

Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and Doyle (Glenn Quinn) try to convince Angel (David Boreanaz) to charge clients for his services, but he demurs. Doyle promptly suffers one of his visions and sends Angel to contact Melissa Burns (Tushka Bergen), a young woman whom he believes will need Angel's supernatural services. Although Angel's abrupt appearance unnerves her, Melissa soon contacts him to accept his help. It turns out she's being stalked by Dr. Ronald Meltzer (Andy Umberger), a neurosurgeon with the uncanny ability to separate pieces of his body and use them remotely -- a floating eyeball, a crawling hand, etc. With the help of Detective Kate Lockley (Elisabeth Rohm), Angel eventually triumphs over the supernaturally dextrous surgeon, earning thanks and remuneration from Melissa. Originally broadcast October 26, 1999, on the WB network, "I Fall to Pieces" marked season one, episode four of the supernatural comedy drama. Guest star Andy Umberger also has a recurring role on Buffy the Vampire Slayer as D'Hoffryn, the former demon master of ex-vengeance demon Anya. Although an undercurrent of flirtation colors Lockley's second appearance in the series, her character will soon turn on Angel (see "Somnambulist"). ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Angry over being human and still only in the 12th grade, Anya (Emma Caulfield) enlists Willow (Alyson Hannigan) to help her get her amulet back. Their spell goes wrong, and, instead of the amulet, brings vampire Willow back (see "The Wish"). Soon, vamp Willow recruits some vampire henchmen, takes over the Bronze and generally sullies the real Willow's nice-girl reputation. Real Willow confronts vamp Willow in the library -- are they attracted to each other? -- and manages to lock her in the book cage. She trades outfits with her vampire self and goes to the Bronze to kick some pasty vampire butt. Later in the library, Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), mistaking vamp Willow for the nice one, lets her out of the book cage, all the while preaching to vamp Willow about stealing boyfriends. Meanwhile, Anya recognizes the real Willow at the Bronze blowing her vampire cover and causing one heck of a barroom brawl. ~ All Movie Guide