Buffy the Vampire Slayer:Unaired Pilot Presentation

The original unaired pilot is an interesting little piece of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" history. Made in 1996 to pitch the series, this testing ground is essentially the genesis of the long-running and much beloved show. Though it has not been released in any official capacity, it's easy enough to find bootlegs floating about online with a simple search. And while creator Joss Whedon might not want you to see it, I do think it has enough historical value in the context of the franchise to be worth a one-time watch. Especially for hardcore fans.

Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) has just transferred to Berryman High School and is attending her first day of class. After meeting classmates Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Willow (Riff Regan), Buffy is confronted by the truth-- the school librarian (Anthony Stewart Head) knows about her calling as "The Slayer," a chosen one destined to battle vampires, demons and the forces of darkness. And soon enough, a group of vampires arrive and threaten Buffy and her new friends...

The most interesting thing about this unaired episode are the differences between this early iteration and the final version of the pilot that eventually aired. Perhaps the most notable being that a different actress played Willow. While Alyson Hannigan was obviously the right choice when the show was finally given the greenlight, I will say that I do feel a little bad for Riff Regan. She surprisingly does a very good job as the prototype Willow and is a very solid actress. I could definitely see what they were going for by casting her. It's a shame she left the entertainment industry just a few short years after this pilot was produced.

Also notable is the difference in length. Compared to the final show, this episode seems made to fit a half-hour format, running only about 25 minutes. And for the most part, it works. It more-or-less is able to tell a cohesive story in its short length, and the pace is nice and brisk. Though obviously I do far prefer the hour-long format the final show went with.

On the whole, the unaired pilot does have enough entertainment value to keep you hooked. It's a real shame that this has never been given any sort-of official release, because it's nowhere near as bad as you might think. Sure, it's obviously inferior to the show that it helped spawn, but I can see why this would get networks interested in the series. It's a fun half-hour of "Buffy" history.

I'm giving it a solid 7 out of 10.

A very interesting "alternative" to the version which aired, with a few members of cast that were replaced before the show aired.

It was clear that JW already had a fairly clear vision for the show and I think this was an excellent pitch to the networks to show them what he was aiming for.

As a sales piece to the broadcasters of the day, I think it was as good as could be expected and did its job well to sell the rather odd sassy yet gritty plus vampires concept the execs.

As an actual episode, the pacing and dialogue were improved upon for the actual pilot that aired and IMO this show would have been a lesser affair without Hannigan's Willow.

All in all, a rather interesting slice of history for Buffy aficionados if not for the casual viewer.

So the only real difference between this and the series debut "Welcome To The Hellmouth" was the time format. This pilot, which never made it to the TV screen, is only roughly 24 minutes long, and this is it's main downfall. Things kind of just... happen, and the set up really isn't there. The 44 minute episode format which the show adopted after it was picked up for production works much better in a universe in which there is a lot of explaining to do. Obviously re-casting the role of Willow was a good step, as Riff Regans acting ability was very, very underdeveloped when this pilot was made. One thing I wish the production team had kept was the original library set from this episode. Through the course of the first three years of "Buffy" the main characters tackle many hours of lengthly exposition in the school library, and the grand set from this episode would have allowed for some more interesting visual combinations in the familiar space. Totally worth watching, despite the "incomplete" feel of the editing. After watching this, it's kind of a miracle the show got made. A beautiful miracle.

This version of the pilot was written and directed by Joss Whedon himself (as opposed to the aired pilot, which was written by Whedon and directed by others). Many fans don't much like this version of the pilot, as it's lacking in some casting, a few important characters, and music. But it was never intended to be the finished product anyway, only a glimpse of what's to come to sell the networks on the idea. As such, it does a perfect job of distilling the main elements of the show, the most important characters and their relationship to one another, and the incredible balance of humor, horror and metaphor that would become the show's trademark. It does all that in under 30 minutes. That, I say, is quite an achievement.

This episode is very similar to the very first episode of the series entitled "Welcome to the Hellmouth". It even has some of the exact same dialogue and has the exact same first scene with Julie Benz as Darla, although she doesn't dress as a Catholic school girl here. The plot has to do with Buffy having moved to a new town and it is her first day at Berryman High School (as opposed to Sunnydale High School). But her status as the one Vampire Slayer in all the world follows her when she discovers that the high school librarian is in fact her new watcher (Anthony Stewart Head as Giles), and that the town she has moved to is a nest of demonic activity.

It's only a half-hour long, so it omits the material about The Master, who is set up as the "Big Bad" of Season One in the actual series. Also, Angel (David Boreanaz) is not a character in this pilot either. The only major difference in the cast is that the role of Willow was recast with Alyson Hannigan in the series. I frankly can't see anybody else having pulled that role off as the character of Willow made some really sharp turns over the years and Hannigan made it seem completely authentic and believable.

On the special effects side, when vampires get staked on this pilot they turn into what looks like flour rather than turning to dust and dispersing into the air, probably because it was much cheaper to do. I'd recommend this for anybody who is a fan of the BTVS TV show and wants to see how it all started.