I'm probably a bit dense

It mostly holds up.

Some of the tropes it started seem less interesting than they were when it was on the air, but not too bad.

Some of the too glib slang usage is a bit more immersion breaking when binge watched, but I think that would be less intrusive for a new viewer compared to one of us old farts that were watching it over years.

There's high points and low points for sure, but getting any two fans to agree on which seasons/episodes were high or low is difficult lol. I'd say that it's pretty consistently good overall, with its worst episodes and arcs being better than anything else of the era. It's high points were and are amazing, even when I've seen them dozens of times.

The first season stayed closer to the vibe of the movie, which can be confusing to people that have heard about the series as a whole because the tone and style evolved massively during the second season. The movie, btw, is pretty damn awesome in its own way, but it's not the same character almost. The vampires are also a lot different.

I always tell anyone asking what you did that it's worth watching the first two seasons for sure. You kinda have to watch both because the changes by the end of the second season are more like what the rest is like, but you can't just jump into the second season and the characters/setting make sense.

But, if you aren't hooked by the second season, you'll never like the rest.

It’s a little hard to get into because the first season is pretty weak in my opinion. But if you like the characters and stick with it I think you will fall in love. It gets a lot better later when they find their groove and start telling stories with long arcs.

The writing is very of its time but for all his flaws, Joss Whedon has a knack for funny dialogue. I think the earlier commenter did much better justice to the show than I could though.

I still regularly go back and watch at least "Once More With Feeling," (the musical episode) if not the whole show, once a year.