True. But...in first few seasons there were a lot of episodes that could stand alone. Skipping them didn't hurt your understanding of the story or the arc. By that I mean - you can be a casual viewer and not watch everything. I sort of was actually in S1-4. There were episodes that I skipped over when I watched the show live. I saw them later when F/X re-ran them. I'd see the first fifteen minutes and flip channels. OR just miss it because I was doing something else. I know in rewatches I've done that too.
Episodes that act as stand-a-lone:
S1 *Witch *the one with the Pray Mantis *I Robot You Jane * the one with the Puppet *Out of Sight Out of Mind
S2 Inca Mummy Girl Some Assembly Required Bad Eggs Ted Go Fish Killed by Death
S3 The episode about the dance with the cowboys - Slayerthon? Homecoming Beauty and the Beasts Gingerbread Earshot
(less in S3...this is where it started to become a serial a bit..)
S4 Living Conditions The Freshman Wild at Heart Fear Itself Superstar Where the Wild Things Are (these are less stand-a-lones than previous years...but you can still more or less follow them without knowing what already happened.)
Whedon sucks at stand-a-lone's - even his stand-a-lone's sort of require some back story. He really can't do episodic tv well - which is his problem with network television - they prefer episodic tv, it's easier to sell to advertisers.
no subject
Episodes that act as stand-a-lone:
S1
*Witch
*the one with the Pray Mantis
*I Robot You Jane
* the one with the Puppet
*Out of Sight Out of Mind
S2
Inca Mummy Girl
Some Assembly Required
Bad Eggs
Ted
Go Fish
Killed by Death
S3
The episode about the dance with the cowboys - Slayerthon? Homecoming
Beauty and the Beasts
Gingerbread
Earshot
(less in S3...this is where it started to become a serial a bit..)
S4
Living Conditions
The Freshman
Wild at Heart
Fear Itself
Superstar
Where the Wild Things Are
(these are less stand-a-lones than previous years...but you can still more or less follow them without knowing what already happened.)
Whedon sucks at stand-a-lone's - even his stand-a-lone's sort of require some
back story. He really can't do episodic tv well - which is his problem with network television - they prefer episodic tv, it's easier to sell to advertisers.