"Help! I Need Somebody!"

First of all, "Restless" is one of my most favorite episodes thus far! Therefore, I want to focus most of this blog on that episode and relate it briefly to the previous episodes. In each member of the gang's dream, the individual was face first with his or her insecurity. In Willow's dream the first slayer choked her, thus cutting off her breath, or her spirit. In Xander's dream, the first slayer removes his heart. And in Giles' dream his head is sliced open, thus suggesting the removal of his brain, or mind. Each element romoved from the individual was what the individuals had contributed to Buffy so that she could defeat Adam. It is interesting that the "insecurity" each member had was also their biggest asset to the group in "Primeval". I'm not sure if this suggests that each person was unsure about his or her contribution in the sense they believed they were not strong enough in their individual areas or if they believed it didn't matter how strong they were because they still will not be able to help when Buffy needs it. It's possible that there is a mixture of both types of insecurities and the episode and series as a whole could definitely support either one.

Buffy also had a dream, but hers was a little different from the others'. Buffy came face to face with what was killing her friends, and, in doing so, she faced her own insecurity. That is, her insecurities about living up to (and even exceeding) her slayer potential. In the end Buffy overcame the spirit of the first slayer, thus saving her friends as well.

One of the reasons I like this episode so much is because it leaves room for so many more questions. The main one I have right now is; because Buffy had to save her friends from the first slayer and they couldn't save themselves, doesn't this cradle the conception of Willow, Xander, and Giles' contributions not being enough? The only answer I can think of is that Buffy is the slayer and thus has inate powers the others will never be able to use. Am I missing something, though, because I feel like there's a bigger picture.

"Who Do Ya Love?"

For this blog I wanted to talk about the increasingly intense instances of trust versus mistrust. "The I in Team", "Goodbye Iowa", and "New Moon Rising" all deal with the chaos that comes from not knowing who you can trust and whether or not you can trust your own senses.

In "The I in Team" the struggle is between Buffy/Slayer and Prof. Walsh/The Initiative. Buffy puts a great deal of faith into the initiative but ultimately her questioning of their methods roused some fears of discovery. It was obvious that the Initiative had a secret. Buffy lost trust in the Initiative when Maggie Walsh tried to have Buffy murdered and then lied to Buffy. However, Maggie soon discovered that she could not trust the Initiative herself. Her own creation turned against her. Adam exemplifies for the audience that things are not what they exactly as they appear.

Adam also is the cause of the mistrust that is present in the next episode, "Goodbye Iowa". In this episode, Riley is beginning to lose faith in himself, the Initiative, and Buffy. Adam tells Riley of his purpose in Prof. Walsh's plan. Though Riley verbalizes that he is not the kind of monster Adam is, the audience can sense doubt in his character and a kind of uncertainty appears to be present. Riley's connection with Prof. Walsh and her recent death coupled with the fact that Riley had not been taking his medicine has created a great deal of confusion for Riley. On top of that, though Buffy is the one person Riley should trust, he saw her helping spike and so now he is confused to whether or not Buffy has been lying to him as well.

"New Moon Rising" deals with a different kind of trust and mistrust. It is not based on lies or deception but misunderstanding and confusion of the mind and senses. Willow faces the confusion within herself as she is put in a situation where she is joined once more by Oz. She feels a connection with him again but is also made unsure because of Oz's betrayal as well as her new feeling for Tara. Oz deals with trust or mistrust of Willow because he is expecting her to have waited for him as well as his own issue with trusting himself and his new power to contain his animal instincts.

Mommy Dearest

In class Dr. Rose asked us to think about the role of mothers in the show. A reflection on the episodes viewed so far reveal what appears to be a lack of maternal influence in the lives of the character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The initial person we think of in relation to mothers is Buffy's own mother, Joyce. Joyce has played a minor role throughout most of the series with only a few highlighting moments and seems even more removed from the show since Buffy has gone to college. The second hope for maternal influence was Faith's watcher who obviously had no intent on fulfilling the motherly role. The latest attempt at a mother that the show has given the audience is Proffessor Maggie Walsh. Prof. Walsh has played a more influential role in the lives of a few of the characters than the other two matriarchs. Buffy often quotes her, she thinks of Riley as one of her sons, but she also 'gave birth to' Adam. Adam was the creation that led to her downfall. Though Adam called her mother, he treated her more like she was the experiment and he, the creator. Maggie Walsh was just another dissapointment in terms of a mother figure.

There are fraternal influences on Buffy's life and the life of the gang which is presented through Giles' character. So, where is the maternal influence that completes the family circle of the show? It could be stated that Buffy, herself, is the maternal figure in many instances throughout the series. In all of the shows she is a protector of the human race. She cares for her friends and family. She provides them with security and often a certain depth of knowledge that she is beginning to obtain.

I Want Your Sex

The presence of sexual innuendo and sexual practices has escalated since the gang has gone to college. The Harsh Light of Day was a particularly intense episode in that area because of, not only the amount of sex that occurred in that episode, but the portrayal of the act of sex. There has always been a question of how much sex should be shown on national television, if any. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is definitely a series that puts a lot of emphasis on sexual acts and notes how these acts affect the characters in the show. However, what makes sex in this show perhaps more acceptable in some eyes is the way sex is portrayed. Sex is not seen by the main characters as something that should be done recklessly. In fact, those minor characters who take these views are shunned by the others. Sex is portrayed as a natural occurrence in teenage and young adult years but also as something that should be thought through.

Sex is an important part of the show, also because it enables the writers to delve deeper into the characters than by what is particularly shown. It's interesting that the characters seem sheepish about discussing their sexual lives with each other (with the exception of Anya) while the audience is allowed a great deal of insight into the sexual feelings of the characters. Another thing I found interesting is that though sex is an important part of the lives of all of these characters, and often is something that young adults worry about (as is seen in the way Buffy reacts after her first 2 sexual experiences) in the episode Fear, Itself everyone in the house apparently had something that they feared more than sex.

Half The Man I Used To Be

For this blog I wanted to look at Xander. What is his role thus far in the series and what is he moving towards. Xander has been struggling throughout the show with expressing his manliness as well as marking his usefulness in the Slayer's life and his purpose in the scooby gang. There is only one other male who remains in Buffy's life consistently and that is Giles who takes on a father figure for Buffy. When looking at the gang as a family unit, Xander could be considered the brother. Perhaps even the little brother. He seems to be maturing and growing and at times even expresses the need to prove himself to Buffy by taking charge of some situations. The military background was essential to Xander's role in the show because it gives him something to contribute. In Graduation Xander has a key role in arming the graduating class so they could be a distraction to the mayor and the vampires who kept guard. In the Freshman, Xander was the only one who didn't go to college. He seems to be fulfilling the little brother role of staying home while big sister (Buffy) goes to college.

To go along with this idea of little brother following big sister's footsteps, Xander's progression appears to mimick Buffy's but at a slower pace. Xander has gone through the period of realization just as Buffy did. He's trying to discover who he is and what his role is in relation to that of his friends and his relationship (or lack thereof) with Faith. Finally he's gone away for a while after a traumatic experience. Xander's lack of understanding when Faith showed her true colors mimicks Buffy's lack of control when Angel turned into Angelous. And just as Buffy left in Anne and came back to a changed world, Xander has gone and come back where things are not as he remembers them.

Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall

Doppelgangland, Enemies, and Earshot all showed different versions of the theme of "having a double" and "people not being as they appear." At this point in the series, these ideas fall right into place with Buffy's continuing struggle to discover her self amongst the various roles she plays. Now, she is also faced with the confusion of deciding who her friends are and the truth about the people she associates with on a regular basis.

In Doppelgangland Buffy and the gang discover that Willow has a 'vampire self' in an alternate version of reality. In this episode, the viewers get a second chance to really examine vampire Willow and compare her to the Willow we have grown to know throughout the first 3 seasons. One of the most interesting parts of this video is when the living Willow puts on Vampire Willow's outfit. Putting on the clothes did not change who Willow was. It was very hard for her to play a different role even when she dressed the part.

Faith, however, revealed that she didn't need a new outfit to play two different roles. Faith has done a great job of fooling Buffy, Giles, and the Gang by pretending to still be on their side while she is in cahoots with the Mayor. While Buffy and the audience could trust Willow to remain true to her self no matter what, Faith seems to have gone astray. At this point we can make an interesting comparison between Faith and Buffy. Both are slayers. It is apparent that slayers (or at least American slayers because it seems Kendra can be excluded) struggle a great deal with discovering themselves. While Buffy is coming to grips with her purpose and duty, Faith seems to be confused and made some bad decisions in trying to find her self. Now that her charade has been discovered, Faith will have many more decisions to make that will ultimately decide her fate.

In Earshot, Buffy acquires the power to hear other people’s thoughts. What she discovers is a whirlwind of teenagers' insecurities, inappropriate thoughts, and intimate ideas. She sees that the people who surround her in school and even at home have secrets that they build walls to hide. She finds that her perceptions of others are not entirely correct, but are based upon what those people would have us believe rather than the complete truth. The one exception in this case is Cordelia. Cordelia, with her confidence, doesn't feel the need to hinder her thoughts or her opinions. In effect, she speaks her mind. This can be seen in direct contrast with Willow who could be considered an insecure character. When speaking with Buffy about her new gift, she verbally expresses her excitement, but her thoughts express concern. Buffy, of course, can hear her thought and does not hesitate to correct her.