why are we discussing it then?

Because it's interesting to those that are?

Plus the FAQ is dead wrong. The later episodes are far too dense and rich with meta to convert anyone, IMO. You want early rickety funky Buffy for that.

The later episodes are far too dense and rich with meta to convert anyone, IMO.

Not if you're trying to get someone to pick the show up mid-S5, which is when that entry was written.

Pah! They must watch all the previous episodes before the next new one airs. Lightweights.

Buffy conversion ep deathmatch, anyone? :)

See, I think as a general-purpose conversion ep, Hush is probably the best choice. But you do want to tailor the choice to the particular person. Here the primary preconception is that it's a show for teens. I would be concerned that the humour in Hush might be too easy to write off under that preconception ("oh yeah, wank jokes and stuff") and the horror aspects might appear a bit teen slasher. Not a fair judgment, but that's kind of the problem.

I'd recommend Passion because I think it's BtVS at its most adult. Not least because there's an adult relationship at the heart of it. Jenny's death isn't slasher fare, and pretty much demands to be taken seriously. It would be hard to sustain a view that it's just a teen show after it.

While I think Hush may well be the best all-purpose choice, Passion isn't a bad one either. It's also a high-quality ep, and also showcases what BtVS is about (less so on the humour, more so on the drama and emotional engagement). And being so tied up with the story arc means that if it does draw a person in, they're going to want to see more to find out all the details. But here I think it's more important that it addresses the preconceptions directly. I think only The Body could do a better job of that, but as ita noted, it isn't really representative of BtVS's general tone.

ETA: though it'd probably be an advantage if Sean watched it first. J

I'd recommend Passion because I think it's BtVS at its most adult. Not least because there's an adult relationship at the heart of it. Jenny's death isn't slasher fare, and pretty much demands to be taken seriously. It would be hard to sustain a view that it's just a teen show after it.

Yes. This.

I've had good luck converting people with Dopplegangland.

That and The Wish might make and interesting pairing for conversion. The Wish is pretty dark and bleak, and then Dopplegangland uses the same AU, but is pretty funny and light.

I'd recommend Passion because I think it's BtVS at its most adult. Not least because there's an adult relationship at the heart of it. Jenny's death isn't slasher fare, and pretty much demands to be taken seriously. It would be hard to sustain a view that it's just a teen show after it.

I think I'm pretty sold on a Lie to Me/Passion pair, despite my earlier misgivings about S2 (which, I think I've seen more of than I thought, It's S1 that I've seen almost none at all).

But particularly Passion as it shows a major supporting character death. I can't think of anything that would shatter my friends illusion of Buffy as a goofy teen show than to show him that they are perfectly happy to kill a fairly major character and deal with the consequences.

After those two, which will hopefully allow me further opportunity, I'm thinking a Hush/The Body/OMWF triple feature to show him the some of the creative highs the show is capable of.

Actually, if I can get him to agree that the show is worth catching, I'd start sending him hgihlight reels of S3 & S4, shows that give him the arcs, some of the better one offs, and allow him to see the growth of the show.

I am now giggling madly at myself for not remembering that this question is asked and answered in the FAQ, but I like the discussion anyway, as we're sort of tailoring the choices to the person, which is of the good.

Sean, I'm going to send you my tapes. Promise.

You're the BEST!

My conversion story:

I was one of those people who said, "Oh, stupid teenybopper show." I had only seen the movie, and that's what I figured the show was going to be. Plus, at the time, I was working in a bookstore, and the tie-in merchandise was just off-putting.

Then I saw "Halloween" and for all its high school elements, it was immediately apparent to me, that is was NOT a teenybopper show. It's a great stand-alone, but you also get enough of the background to understand the deal with B/A. There's a lot of good character moments, and it's very funny.

So, I testify: "Halloween!"