For Joss Whedon, the pilot episode in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series was important for numerous reasons. Not only was it his opportunity to make up for the poor excuse that became of his 1992 movie of the same name, but it also was his chance to really establish himself as both a screenwriter and director. The dark alley scene in the pilot episode is a perfect example of how Whedon succeeded in establishing his style. As Buffy walks to the high school party, she realizes she is being followed. She begins to walk down a dark alley in an attempt to set up her stalker. Theres a closeup of the stalker with dark shadows on his face so the audience is unaware of his identity. As he walks down the alley the camera zooms out a little to show that Buffy is doing a handstand on the pole and swings down and tackles the stalker at just the right moment. As this happens the music doesn’t really build up in the way you’d think it would. It picks up as Buffy swings down but it’s more action-like than horror. This is important because it helps to portray Buffy as “badass” instead of the typical “blonde femme fatale.” As the scene continues Buffy confronts her stalker (who’s face is finally shown and although we still don’t know he name it is revealed later in the series to be Angel) by assertively saying “why are you following me?” The dialogue continues for awhile and then Angel says he wants the same thing Buffy wants. When she asks him what that is and he guesses wrong, she responds both assertively and sarcastically by saying, “Sorry, that’s incorrect, but you do get this lovely watch and a year supply of turtle wax, what I want is to be left alone.” The use of humor in intense scenes becomes a staple of Whedon’s along with the strong female characters he uses in his work. Not once does Buffy seem afraid that she could be in serious danger and she stands up for herself without questioning it. This scene not only establishes Buffy’s character as a true badass, but also lets viewers know that Whedon is the master of drama and sarcasm.