Unaired Buffy pilot
Encyclopedia
The non-broadcast pilot episode
of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was produced by 20th Century Fox in 1996 to pitch a series to networks. The twenty-five-and-a-half-minute production was written and directed by Buffy creator Joss Whedon
, and was expanded upon and re-shot for the first episode of the series
. It is notable for featuring a different actress in the role of Willow, and a different actor as Principal Flutie.
After having burned down her school gym and been expelled from school in L.A., Buffy Summers has moved to Sunnydale with her mother. Buffy goes to school for the first time at Sunnydale High and meets new people: Cordelia, Willow, and Xander. Willow is lured by a vampire into a trap. Buffy shows up with Xander and kills all the vampires except one; the surviving vampire reports the incident back to The Master.
Buffy Summers begins her first day at Berryman High School. She meets Principal Flutie, who can't remember her name. ("Betty... Bambi... Barbie...?") Meanwhile, Xander arrives, and announces he is troubled by mathematics work. He offers his best friend Willow a shiny nickel in exchange for her help. Cordelia and her gang of mean girls mock Willow's outfit, before mocking Xander for daring to speak to them. Xander searches for a witty comeback, but is interrupted by Buffy bumping into him and dropping her things. She introduces herself and asks for directions to the library. Xander explains where the library is; after she walks away he finds a stake that she has dropped.
Buffy arrives at the empty bi-level library and encounters the British librarian, Mr. Giles. She explains she's working on history, but instead of helping her with that, Giles slams a book on the desk entitled Vampyr. She leaves, obviously unsettled. After class, Willow approaches her, offering to help her with her studies. Buffy cheerfully accepts.
The two walk through the school, and Willow admits to having a dorky nature. Buffy tries to convince Willow she's pretty, but Willow won't listen. Buffy asks her about the librarian. Willow says that Mr. Giles is new, "from some British museum". Cordy and her gang interrupt them, attempting to get Buffy to join them and leave Willow.
Two other school girls, Blue and Aphrodisia, talk about the new girl while preparing for gym class. However, they are interrupted by a body falling out of a locker. Meanwhile, Xander returns Buffy's stake. Xander then gives Buffy a tour of the school, and he points out the various social groups: The Housers are 'gangsta-wannabes' who are crippled by their upper-middle-class status. The 'Panga-inbreeds', are surfers, always looking for the perfect wave. Buffy spots the 'theater class', while both notice the 'Dirty Girls' walking by. Xander admits he doesn't have an affiliation (joking he's waiting to hear back from the 'Dirty Girls').
Willow approaches Buffy and Xander, troubled. She explains about the body in the locker. Once Cordelia confirms the news, Buffy runs off. Buffy once again meets Principal Flutie when he is coming out of the girl's locker room; he immediately apologizes for having to experience such events on her first day of school. Buffy asks to see the body. When she finds the two holes in the neck, she heads for the library.
Mr. Giles is unsurprised by the news; instead, he is surprised that Buffy seems to be rejecting interest in Slaying. She angrily tells him that she loved her life before she knew about her calling, and even loved it for a little time after. She explains she then lost everything she valued (including her Watcher), and now wants nothing to do with it. Xander overhears the conversation in the stacks.
That night, en route to her first visit to The Bronze
, the cool student hangout in Sunnydale, Buffy meets a mysterious, handsome stranger, who warns her that she is living on a Hellmouth. He also gives her a large silver cross. It isn't revealed in the pilot that the stranger's name is Angel. This was the only deleted scene in the pilot.
That night Buffy meets Xander outside the Bronze and asks about Willow. Xander says that Willow has seemingly found a boyfriend, information that unnerves Buffy. She quizzes Xander about the guy's appearance; when he mentions a 'Lionel Richie' look, Buffy runs off. Xander follows. Willow is shyly hanging out with a handsome blond guy. She tells him she is still troubled by the boy found in the locker, but the blond guy says the guy got what he deserved. Then his face turns to the monstrous form of a vampire about to feed.
Xander and Buffy hear Willow's scream from the auditorium. Buffy charges in and finds the blond vampire biting Willow, and attacks him. Two other vampires emerge. Xander and Willow attempt to escape, using a cross to scare the vamps.
Buffy dispatches the vamps, and announces she is "The Slayer". One vampire runs away, and Buffy is left to dispatch the blond vampire.
The next morning, Giles is unimpressed by Buffy's sloppy fighting, and the fact that she has allowed others to find out her identity as the Slayer. Her new friends, Willow and Xander, defend her. Buffy is unbothered. "Don't sweat it. The world's in beauty hands. Trust me," she says, before flipping a stake into the heart of a Nosferatu poster on the wall.
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was produced by 20th Century Fox in 1996 to pitch a series to networks. The twenty-five-and-a-half-minute production was written and directed by Buffy creator Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
, and was expanded upon and re-shot for the first episode of the series
Welcome to the Hellmouth
"Welcome to the Hellmouth" is the series premiere of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This episode and "The Harvest" were originally aired as a two-part series premiere on The WB Television Network...
. It is notable for featuring a different actress in the role of Willow, and a different actor as Principal Flutie.
After having burned down her school gym and been expelled from school in L.A., Buffy Summers has moved to Sunnydale with her mother. Buffy goes to school for the first time at Sunnydale High and meets new people: Cordelia, Willow, and Xander. Willow is lured by a vampire into a trap. Buffy shows up with Xander and kills all the vampires except one; the surviving vampire reports the incident back to The Master.
Plot synopsis
A couple breaks into a deserted school. The girl is a beautiful blonde, and she follows the guy to the theater stage. She stops, seemingly afraid that she has heard something. He assures her that there is nothing to be worried about, but the girl, whose identity is later revealed in the episode to be Darla, turns towards him with a monstrous face and bites his neck, killing him.Buffy Summers begins her first day at Berryman High School. She meets Principal Flutie, who can't remember her name. ("Betty... Bambi... Barbie...?") Meanwhile, Xander arrives, and announces he is troubled by mathematics work. He offers his best friend Willow a shiny nickel in exchange for her help. Cordelia and her gang of mean girls mock Willow's outfit, before mocking Xander for daring to speak to them. Xander searches for a witty comeback, but is interrupted by Buffy bumping into him and dropping her things. She introduces herself and asks for directions to the library. Xander explains where the library is; after she walks away he finds a stake that she has dropped.
Buffy arrives at the empty bi-level library and encounters the British librarian, Mr. Giles. She explains she's working on history, but instead of helping her with that, Giles slams a book on the desk entitled Vampyr. She leaves, obviously unsettled. After class, Willow approaches her, offering to help her with her studies. Buffy cheerfully accepts.
The two walk through the school, and Willow admits to having a dorky nature. Buffy tries to convince Willow she's pretty, but Willow won't listen. Buffy asks her about the librarian. Willow says that Mr. Giles is new, "from some British museum". Cordy and her gang interrupt them, attempting to get Buffy to join them and leave Willow.
Two other school girls, Blue and Aphrodisia, talk about the new girl while preparing for gym class. However, they are interrupted by a body falling out of a locker. Meanwhile, Xander returns Buffy's stake. Xander then gives Buffy a tour of the school, and he points out the various social groups: The Housers are 'gangsta-wannabes' who are crippled by their upper-middle-class status. The 'Panga-inbreeds', are surfers, always looking for the perfect wave. Buffy spots the 'theater class', while both notice the 'Dirty Girls' walking by. Xander admits he doesn't have an affiliation (joking he's waiting to hear back from the 'Dirty Girls').
Willow approaches Buffy and Xander, troubled. She explains about the body in the locker. Once Cordelia confirms the news, Buffy runs off. Buffy once again meets Principal Flutie when he is coming out of the girl's locker room; he immediately apologizes for having to experience such events on her first day of school. Buffy asks to see the body. When she finds the two holes in the neck, she heads for the library.
Mr. Giles is unsurprised by the news; instead, he is surprised that Buffy seems to be rejecting interest in Slaying. She angrily tells him that she loved her life before she knew about her calling, and even loved it for a little time after. She explains she then lost everything she valued (including her Watcher), and now wants nothing to do with it. Xander overhears the conversation in the stacks.
That night, en route to her first visit to The Bronze
The Bronze
The Bronze is a fictional nightclub in Sunnydale, the fictional setting for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Of 144 episodes of the series, 66 have at least one scene at the Bronze, not including its appearance in the unaired pilot....
, the cool student hangout in Sunnydale, Buffy meets a mysterious, handsome stranger, who warns her that she is living on a Hellmouth. He also gives her a large silver cross. It isn't revealed in the pilot that the stranger's name is Angel. This was the only deleted scene in the pilot.
That night Buffy meets Xander outside the Bronze and asks about Willow. Xander says that Willow has seemingly found a boyfriend, information that unnerves Buffy. She quizzes Xander about the guy's appearance; when he mentions a 'Lionel Richie' look, Buffy runs off. Xander follows. Willow is shyly hanging out with a handsome blond guy. She tells him she is still troubled by the boy found in the locker, but the blond guy says the guy got what he deserved. Then his face turns to the monstrous form of a vampire about to feed.
Xander and Buffy hear Willow's scream from the auditorium. Buffy charges in and finds the blond vampire biting Willow, and attacks him. Two other vampires emerge. Xander and Willow attempt to escape, using a cross to scare the vamps.
Buffy dispatches the vamps, and announces she is "The Slayer". One vampire runs away, and Buffy is left to dispatch the blond vampire.
The next morning, Giles is unimpressed by Buffy's sloppy fighting, and the fact that she has allowed others to find out her identity as the Slayer. Her new friends, Willow and Xander, defend her. Buffy is unbothered. "Don't sweat it. The world's in beauty hands. Trust me," she says, before flipping a stake into the heart of a Nosferatu poster on the wall.
Starring
- Sarah Michelle GellarSarah Michelle GellarSarah Michelle Prinze , known professionally by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar , is an American actress, singer and executive producer...
as Buffy SummersBuffy SummersBuffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name... - Nicholas BrendonNicholas BrendonNicholas Brendon , is an actor best known for his character Xander Harris in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer .-Early life:...
as Xander HarrisXander HarrisAlexander LaVelle "Xander" Harris is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as in numerous items in the series Expanded Universe, such as comic books, tie-in novels and video games... - Riff Regan as Willow RosenbergWillow RosenbergWillow Rosenberg is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed throughout the TV series by Alyson Hannigan...
- Charisma CarpenterCharisma CarpenterCharisma Lee Carpenter is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Cordelia Chase in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel, for which she was nominated for four Saturn Awards. In her most recent film she starred opposite Sylvester Stallone and Jason...
as Cordelia ChaseCordelia ChaseCordelia Chase is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer; she also appeared on Buffy's spin-off series Angel... - and Anthony Stewart HeadAnthony HeadAnthony Stewart Head , usually credited as Anthony Head, is an English actor and musician. He rose to fame in the UK following his role in television advertisements for Nescafé Gold Blend , and is known for his roles as Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and as Uther Pendragon in...
as Rupert GilesRupert GilesRupert Giles is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Anthony Stewart Head. He serves as Buffy Summers' mentor and surrogate father figure...
Guest starring
- David BoreanazDavid BoreanazDavid Boreanaz is an American actor, television producer, and director, known for his role as Angel on the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and as Special Agent Seeley Booth on the television crime drama Bones....
as Mysterious friend (Deleted Scene) - Julie BenzJulie BenzJulie M. Benz is an American actress, best known for her roles as Darla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and as Rita Bennett on Dexter, for which she won the 2006 Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television...
as Darla - Stephen TobolowskyStephen TobolowskyStephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, as well as portraying Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood for nine episodes and Bob Bishop in Heroes for eleven episodes over the second and third seasons...
as Principal Flutie - Nicole BilderbackNicole BilderbackNicole Bilderback is an Korean-born American actress, known for her recurring guest roles on the television programs Dark Angel and Dawson's Creek, and the films Bring It On and Bad Girls From Valley High...
as Cordette - Amy ChanceAmy ChanceAmy Chance was an American child actor born in Hollywood, California. Amy played Aphrodesia, one of the first characters introduced in the cult television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a minor role which she reprised from the original unaired Buffy pilot...
as Aphrodesia - Mercedes McNabMercedes McNabMercedes Alicia McNab is a Canadian-born actress perhaps best known for playing Harmony Kendall on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff Angel...
as Harmony KendallHarmony KendallHarmony Kendall is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel. The character is portrayed by Mercedes McNab... - Persia WhitePersia WhitePersia White is an American actress and musician. White is known for playing free-spirited professional student Lynn Searcy on the long-running sitcom Girlfriends. She is also a member of the industrial rock band XEO3 and a solo singer, releasing her debut album Mecca in 2010.-Early life and...
as Aura - Danny StrongDanny StrongDaniel W. Strong is an American actor and writer in film and television.-Early life:Strong was born and raised in Manhattan Beach, California. where he would rent videos from Video Archives, becoming friends with Quentin Tarantino who was then a clerk there...
as Jonathan LevinsonJonathan LevinsonJonathan Levinson is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Danny Strong.-Character history:Jonathan was born in 1981 and raised in Sunnydale, California...
Writing and acting
- Riff Regan was originally signed on to play the role of Willow Rosenberg. The network later recast the role for the series with the now familiar Alyson HanniganAlyson HanniganAlyson Lee Hannigan is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Willow Rosenberg in the cult classic television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Michelle Flaherty in three American Pie films, and Lily Aldrin on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.-Early life:Hannigan was born in...
. - For the pilot, Principal Flutie was played by Stephen TobolowskyStephen TobolowskyStephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, as well as portraying Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood for nine episodes and Bob Bishop in Heroes for eleven episodes over the second and third seasons...
. In the series, Ken LernerKen LernerKen Lerner is an American television, stage and film actor who is perhaps most famous for playing "Principal Flutie" in the first episodes of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Early life:...
played a more emotionally overt Principal Flutie.
Production details
- Whedon was asked by IGN Film Force in June 2003 about the unaired presentation:
-
- IGNFF: Is the presentation ever going to make it to DVD?
- WHEDON: Not while there is strength in these bones.
- IGNFF: Well, I mean, it's one of the most heavily bootlegged things on the Internet.
- WHEDON: Yeah. It sucks on ass.
- IGNFF: Yeah, it does, but it's sort of that archival, historical perspective...
- WHEDON: Yeah, I've got your historical perspective.
- IGNFF: It would take it off the bootleg market...
- WHEDON: Ah, I don't – what are you going to do?
- IGNFF: Put it on the DVD.
- WHEDON: Not me.
Music
- RancidRancid (band)Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
- "Salvation" - Plays as Buffy enters high school - Dionne FarrisDionne FarrisDionne Farris is an American female R&B/soul musician who sang on three songs with the hip hop group Arrested Development...
- "I KnowI Know (Dionne Farris song)"I Know" is a 1995 song recorded by American R&B singer Dionne Farris. It was the first single from her debut album Wild Seed, Wild Flower and was released in March 1995. It achieved a moderate success on the charts, peaking at #41 in UK, but became a top ten hit in New Zealand and in the U.S....
" - The song plays as we're first introduced to Xander and Willow - Stone Temple PilotsStone Temple PilotsStone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
- "Lady Picture Show" - The song plays as Buffy waits in line to enter The Bronze, talking with Jonathan. - Bob MouldBob MouldRobert Arthur "Bob" Mould is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s.-Early life:...
- "See a Little Light" - The song that plays at the end of the episode as Buffy throws the stake at the poster.
External links
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Unaired Pilot at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
- Whedonesque.com - Whedonesquers discuss the unaired pilot
- bbc.co.uk - Peter staddon mentions the presentation