Sean, I would vote against OMWF as a first episode. A friend and I were trying to convert another friend to watching Buffy right about the time OMWF aired. It wasn't the first episode that she saw, but it was close to it. Because she didn't have enough background to see what else was going on, even though she liked it, she mostly liked it because she thought it was funny.

The point of showing my fantasy-hating friend OMWF was to convince her that it wasn't a juvenile sci-fi show. (And I was drunk and wanted to sing.) And it worked in that regard. It just didn't make her care about the characters or what was going to happen next.

Passion and Hush are both great in that they are action-packed and don't dwell too much on the high school/college is hell thing.

Halloween hooked me but it is pretty teen-showish.

I'm starting to think that Anne or Band Candy, or possibly Anne followed immediately by Band Candy, might be good. There's a certain logic to using the very episodes that hooked me.

Would "Passion" do anything if someone didn't know the Buffy/Angel backstory? I agree it's a stunning achievement in writing, directing, and acting, but if you come into it not knowing who Angel(us) is...

I just remembered that a guy friend was completely hooked by Buffy vs. Faith in Graduation Day I. Like completely. I had been trying to get him to watch for months and he caught it on the TV at the gym and freaked right out.

So - if you must - go for the hot chick on chick factor.

Would "Passion" do anything if someone didn't know the Buffy/Angel backstory? I agree it's a stunning achievement in writing, directing, and acting, but if you come into it not knowing who Angel(us) is...

As noted previously, that's the position I was in when I saw it. As I recall it, the ep itself does a good job of explaining that, and leaving you wanting to find out more.

See if I were going to convert I have used S1 episodes to convert, and I reccomend it if only because there's not a lot of backstory, and you can get a feel for most of the characters, and then once they're hooked they get to see the evolution.

NKABotFD is good, Angel is good. The Pack (both Willow and Xander are great here) of course Prophesy Girl.

Fear Itself was the first episode I saw, and it instantly hooked me. There was really very little backstory I didn't get from context. (Unfortunately, the second episode I ever saw was Superstar, which just left me totally confused. It was all worked out by the end, but I totally thought I'd skipped a season until the third act.)

My favorite ep of all is The Wish, but that has the same problems as Superstar -- AU only works when you're already acquainted with the real U.

I think Prophecy Girl, Hush, or Fear Itself would all make good first eps. And then follow up with either Band Candy or Something Blue for a lighthearted semi-AU comedy ep.

I'm very pro-Hush.

I just noticed, on the character biographies on the S3 DVDs, it says Angel was cursed with a conscience and a soul. Has that been mentioned in the text?

This is a very timely conversation: my boyfriend is always saying, "You know that goes right over my head" when I quote Buffy. (I tell him I do it for my own amusement, but what are you gonna do?) He mentioned letting me show him a few episodes.

I was thinking "Hush" and either "Surprise/Innocence" or "Becoming I and II," complete with pausing the DVD to give rapid backstory. "Something Blue" would be good for a funny one. I'm dying to show him OMWF because I'm always singing it, but I don't think he's big on musicals, alas.