In every generation there is a chosen one but in every generation there is also a watcher

who works side by side with the slayer against evil forces.
He is also the only adult figure in the main group. At the beginning he seem to adjust is life
near Buffy acting as pure mentor and guide.
Giles as a complete man, non just a mentor, non just a watcher, non just a librarian. He is
also a romantic guy with a life aside the slaying. Rupert Giles - as we discover through his
own stories - he discovers his destiny of watcher in young age and he is not very happy
about the mission, running away to his responsibilities and following his rebellious and
violent vocation. For second time in the series after Passion (02.17), Buffy is set in position
of inferiority towards Giles saying “You cant’ leave me. I can’t do this alone” but this time,
from an adult, the declaration is not enough to hold back her watcher

As one rhetorical theorist explains, "the speaker of a rhetorical question does not
expect the hearer to answer, and what is more, he would in certain situations not even
want the hearer to answer for fear of not getting the answer that is in accordance with the
presupposed truth…" (Anthanasiadou 117). Indeed, she has already stated this at the end
of "Life Serial" when she says to Giles, "It makes me feel safe knowing you're always gonna
be here" (6.5). Giles's departure, to Buffy, is unthinkable; the choice of a rhetorical
question allows her to circumvent a response and avoid the possibility of his absence.
Simultaneously, it allows her to avoid acknowledging that she needs—perhaps even
desires—the chance to make her own choices about life or death without interference
from a father figure or, indeed, from anyone. Buffy's apparent inability to hear the lyrics of
"Standing," arguably, represents a moment of

subconscious resistance to a temporarily unspeakable truth. She does not want—is not yet
ready—to hear or speak truthful answers to the questions she poses.

Xander asks, "You want some breakfast, baby?"; Anya responds not with a simple yes or
no but by asking, "You don't have to get to work?" Likewise, when Xander asks, "So,
waffles?" Anya responds, "Will you still make me waffles when we're married?" On one
level, Anya's question reveals fears about marriage—fears that are also expressed in the
song. Dawn reminds her, "The hardest thing in this world is to live in it." These words—
Buffy's own words to Dawn from "The Gift"—trigger Buffy's recognition of her
unspeakable truth: she has been courting death. And just as she rescued Dawn from
death, Dawn now rescues her.

When you think back over this past season, you realize it had to end like this. Buffy had been
obsessed with death, emotionally shut down, worried that slaying had made her hard,
unlovable and incapable of love. She forced Spike to tell her how he killed two Slayers in his
past; a Slayer is easy pickings when she develops a death wish, he told her. Buffy’s mentor
Giles took her on a vision quest to conjure the first Slayer, who told Buffy that, despite her
fears to the contrary, she is “full of love.” She also told her that death was her “gift.”

“I know what my destiny is” look on her face, and you thought, “Uh-oh.” She had put
the puzzle together: Death is her gift; Dawn was made in the image of Buffy, from her
flesh and blood; Buffy could sacrifice herself to save her sister, and save the world. But
it wouldn’t come to this, would it?

It did. Buffy jumped from the tower; she was apparently dead, judging from the way
Willow and Spike and Giles were all bawling like babies around her. The final shot was
a slow zoom in on Buffy Anne Summers’ gravestone, with its charming, and accurate,
inscription, “She saved the world a lot.” That was when I lost it. “The Gift” was the
most heartbreaking, shocking season finale I have ever seen.

On “Buffy,” stuff happens — things change, people change, people die, and sometimes, arming
yourself with a big pointy stake just won’t do you any good. I have to laugh when TV snobs
dismiss “Buffy” as cheesy kid stuff, because, in many ways, “Buffy” is the most daring show on
TV. It’s daring because it defiantly and lovingly takes its tone and shape from oft-dismissed
genres like daytime soaps, gothic romances, Grade-B horror flicks and supernatural fantasies,
and it elevates — no, celebrates — these misunderstood and mistreated pop art forms. But
what’s truly extraordinary about “Buffy” is how the show keeps moving forward, how its
characters continue to evolve. Now four and a half seasons old (it premiered at midseason in
March, 1997), “Buffy” is as whip-smart and unpredictable as ever. Lately, Whedon and his
writers have found some terrific ways to explore the show’s central themes of female
empowerment, destiny vs. free will, the search for identity and the many varieties of families.
You have to hand it to the writers; Joyce’s demise came as a complete surprise. She’d had
surgery for a brain tumor, but had seemingly recovered, and Buffy was starting to relax again.
She’d nursed her mom and maternally soothed Dawn’s worries, but you could sense that she
was happy to only be playing the role of mom, confident that the world would soon slide back
onto its proper axis. And that’s why “The Body” was so devastating. In the very first scene,
Buffy comes home and starts chattering to Joyce, who she thinks is upstairs. When she sees
her mother lying face up on the couch, she casually calls, “Mom? Whatcha doin’?” But then
she comes closer and sees her mother’s lifeless, staring pose. “Mom? Mom?” she calls, and
then the concern in her wide eyes turns to terror: “Mommy?” In that instant, Buffy’s childhood
officially ends. (Even if “Buffy” gets stiffed in every other Emmy category this year, “The Body”
should convince the nominating committee that Gellar is for real.)

Whedon played with silence again; there was no background music in the episode and only a
few ambient sounds, like wind chimes and sirens. The effect was almost Bergmanesque in its
starkness. The spooky stillness and the long, spacey pauses in conversation as characters
struggled to articulate their feelings exaggerated the sense of time elongating and standing
still. I can’t remember the last time I saw a more wrenching portrayal of the shock of loss.

“What will we do?” Anya asked. “What will we be expected to do?” When the others remained
speechless, she cried, “I don’t understand! I don’t understand how we go through this. I knew
her. And there’s just a body. And I don’t understand why she just can’t go back in it and not be
dead anymore!”

And killing Buffy’s mom was the right way to make the distinction between the cartoonish
daily stakings Buffy doles out and the awful permanence of “real” death.
 “Into every generation a Slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will
wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop
the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. She is The Slayer.”

Rh on da Wi l co x (2 00 5) t el l s u s th at " Bu f fy m att e r s f o r t h e s am e
r ea s on th at al l a rt matt e r s – b ec au s e i t sh ow s u s th e b e st o f wh at i t
me an s t o b e h u m an " ( p. 1 3).

Mo r e o v e r, Br adn e y su gg e st s th at th e B u ff y v e rs e i s i mp o rt a n t b e cau s e
i t h as en t e r ed p opu l ar di s c ou r s e e v en b e y on d th os e wh o r e gu l arl y
wat ch ed th e sh o w . As W h e d on e xp e ct s h i s vi ew e r s t o c on st an tl y d r aw
on m y ri ad cu l tu r al r e f er e n c e s f r o m ou t s i de th e Bu f fy v e r s e, BtVS
be c om e s a c u l tu ral r e f er e n c e i ts el f . In t h i s c a s e, th e Bu ff y v e r s e o ff e r s
wi n do ws i n to th e n e goti ati on of l on gi n g an d an g st , d eta ch m en t an d
atta ch m en t, l i fe an d d eat h , pl e asu r e an d p ai n , a n d th e c on f ou n di n g
c ompl exi ty of m o r al d e ci si on s.

In BtVS , w e s e e a v ari e ty of fa mi li es , w i th th e ch os en fa mi ly o ft en
l egi ti mi z ed a s a v e r y st r on g u n i t. D ru si ll a r ep e at edl y r ef e r s to h e r
gr ou pi n g wi th S pi k e , An g el , an d D a rl a a s a fa mi l y, b o rn i n to
vam pi ri sm , an d w e h av e fl a sh ba c k s t o r e v eal th e m et aph o ri cal l y da r k
n atu r e o f th e l i ve s a n d d e ath s o f th ei r h u man f ami l i es. Xan d e r 's
fami l y, t o o, p r o v e t o b e a l i abi li ty i n h i s l i fe , an d , at h i s w eddi n g ,
An ya ' s d em on f ami l y g en er al l y b eh a v e mu ch b et te r th an h i s h u man
on e .

It i s ap p r op ri ate th a t Bt VS ' fi r st an d m o st o p en l y ga y ch a r a ct e r, Ta ra ,
st ru ggl es g r e atl y b o th wi th h er p o si ti on wi th i n th e S c o ob y f ami l y an d wi th
h e r r el ati on sh i p to t h e f ami l y th a t r ai se d h e r. Th i s st ru ggl e c o m es t o a h ea d
i n th e epi s od e ti tl ed , si mpl y, "Fa mi l y" ( 5006) . T a ra ' s bi rth f ami l y
u n e xp e ct edl y c o m e to vi si t on h e r 20th bi rth da y , an d a ft e r an a w kw ar d
me e ti n g wi th t h em at th e Magi c B o x , s h e an d Wi ll ow h a v e th e f ol l owi n g
e xch an g e .

Ta ra : "Fa mi l i es a r e al way s [h e si tate s] . . ."

Wi ll ow: " .. . th e y ma k e y ou c r az y . "

Ta ra ( r el i ev ed ): "U s u al l y."

W e l ea rn , l at e r i n th e epi s od e , th at f ami l y l eg en d h a s i t th a t th e
wo m en i n th e fa mi l y h a v e d em on wi th i n th e m an d th at th i s e vi l co m es
ou t wh en th e y tu rn 20. Th i s e vi l , th en , i s cl o s el y l i n k ed wi th f e mal e
stat u s an d f emi n i n i ty an d i s d e s c en d e d to T a ra f r o m h e r m o th e r . Th e
men i n th e f ami l y cl ea rl y su pp o rt th i s t h e o r y, bu t Ta ra ' s f e mal e
c ou si n al s o c om e s a l on g t o r ei n f or c e th i s b el i ef an d t o en c o u ra g e Ta r a
to r etu rn h o m e wi th h e r fath e r an d b ro t h e r . Sh e a rgu e s th e u rg en cy
f or th i s r etu rn , t el l i n g Ta ra th at, i n a dd i ti on to n e edi n g to c on t r ol th e
f emi n i n e e vi l , i t i s wr on g t h at h e r fa th e r an d b r oth e r s h o u l d h av e “ to
do f o r th e ms el v e s, ” to k e e p th ei r o wn h ou s e, wh i l e T a ra s ta ys a t
c ol l ege , l i vi n g, " G od kn o w s wh at ki n d of l i fes tyl e . " Agai n , i s i t th e
wi tch c r af t o r th e l es bi an i sm? A s i s e vi de n c ed b y th e s c en es o f sp el l s
 Wi ll ow an d T a ra ca s t j oi n tl y, th e t w o c o n c ept s ru n t o g eth e r
sy mb ol i cal l y, bu t th e y do c om e t o r e p re s en t th e f emi n i n e a n d
f emi n i z ed p ow e r .

Arg u abl y , An y a i s o n e of th e m o st t ragi c ch ar a ct e rs in B tVS . Th i s i s

n ot on l y b ec au s e sh e , t o o , di e s b ef o r e t h e en d of th e s e ri e s bu t al s o
be cau s e h e r e m oti o n al n e e ds an d i n s e c u ri ti es a r e so ra w a n d e vi den t
th r ou gh ou t. M o r e th an a n y oth e r ch a ra c te r , sh e i s an xi ou s ab ou t h e r
e xi st en c e, h e r m o rt al i ty, an d h e r r ol e i n th e w o rl d, al th ou g h th i s an xi et y i s
f r equ en tl y m et wi th i mpati en c e b y oth e r ch a ra ct e r s. At th e en d of "Th e
Wi sh " (3 009 ) i n s ea s on 3, th e v e n g ean c e d em on An yan ka l o s es h e r p ow e r s
an d b ec o m es h i gh s ch o ol stu d en t An ya , an d a s sh e bl u n tl y e xpl ai n s h e r own
si t u ati on t o Xan d e r wh en as ki n g h i m t o th e p r om i n s ea s on 3' s " Th e P r om ,"
(3020 ):

Y ou w e r e u n fai th fu l to C o rd el i a, s o I t o o k on th e gu i s e of a t w el fth -
gr ad e r t o t e mpt h e r wi th th e Wi sh . Wh e n I l o st my p o w e rs , I g ot
stu ck i n th i s p e r s on a, an d n o w I h av e a ll th e s e f e el i n gs. I d on 't
u n de r st an d i t. I do n 't l i ke i t. Al l I kn ow i s I r eal l y w an t to g o t o t h i s
dan c e a n d I wan t s o me on e t o g o wi th m e .

An ya d e m on s tr at e s, ex pl i ci tl y an d i mpl ici tl y, t h r ou gh ou t th e s e ri e s
th at sh e i s d es p e rat el y s e ar ch i n g f o r an i den ti ty an d a r ol e i n to wh i ch
sh e c an p er f e ctl y, p e rm an en tl y st e p. Sh e i s t a ctl e ss , f o r c ef u l , h on es t
to a f au l t, an d sh e i s s el do m c on t en t t o w ai t an d w at ch r at h e r th an
act . A s w el l , An ya 's wo rl d – u n l i ke th at o f th e oth e r S c o obi e s – i s
sh ap e d by f ea r. N ew l y m o rtal , sh e i s a f r ai d o f da mag e t o h e r b od y o r
to X an d e r' s , an d sh e re p eat e dl y ci te s h e r f e ar o f r abbi ts (a l th ou gh
"S el fl e ss " sh o w s u s th at sh e w a s on c e a n a ff e cti on at e b r e ed e r o f
ra bbi ts , wh o a r e, of c ou r s e , go o d br e e d e r s t h e m s el ve s) . Sh e i s
u pf r on t ab ou t h e r f e ar s an d h e r n e ed t o pr ot e ct X an d e r an d h e r s el f,
an d th i s st ri k e s th e s el fl e ss , b ra v e Sc o o bi es a s c r as s . An y a r e c ei ve s
de ri si on fo r h e r l i ter al n es s , h e r m at e ri al i sm, an d h e r p r e oc c u pati on
wi th p r ot e cti n g X an de r an d h e r s el f ab o v e t h e oth e r s . It i s on l y at th e
en d of th e s e ri e s, w h en sh e i s wi th ou t a d e fi n ed rol e t o b e i n – h e r
on l y st e ad y c om pan i on i s su ck e d i n t o h e ll to t o rtu r e An ya , t h e i n ept
ge e k c ri mi n al An d r e w b e c om e s h e r p ri mar y al l y, an d th e r e i s n o m o r e
Magi c Sh op o r w edd i n g o r v en g ean c e on wh i ch sh e ca n fi xat e – th at
An ya b e gi n s t o c om e i n to h e r o wn an d , th en of c ou r se , su m ma ri l y
di es . Wh at ma k e s A n ya ' s a rc G oth i c , an d h ea rt - b r ea ki n g, i s th at th e
f or mati on o f h e r s el f i s s o w rapp e d u p i n d ea th an d pai n , b oth wh at
sh e c au s e s oth e r s a n d wh at sh e f e el s h e r s el f. Fu rth e rm o r e , th at d e ath
an d pai n c on s ti tu te th e c ou n t e rp oi n t t o h e r c on si st en t n e ed f or l o v e
an d st abi l i ty.

Joss Whedon explicitly explains this gender role reversal in Buffy:

“The first thing I ever thought of when I thought of Buffy: The Movie was the
little…blonde girl who goes into a dark alley and gets killed, in every horror movie. The
idea of Buffy was to subvert that idea, that image, and create someone who was a hero
where she had always been a victim. That element of surprise…[and] genre-busting is
very much at the heart of both the movie and the series.”

The opening scene from The Gift shows Buffy slaying a vampire and saving a male in
the process.

Buffy: You should get home.

Dude-in-distress: How’d you do that?
Buffy: It’s what I do.
Dude-in-distress: But you’re just a girl.
Buffy: That’s what I keep saying.

Buffy is friend, daughter, sister, slayer, lover and protector. She is a girl, yet she has power

Buffy the Vampire Slayer may well be “just a girl”, but we’re quickly learning that no one yet
knows exactly what ‘a girl’ is capable of.

l imi tat ion of many popular and academics appraisals al ike is

that they are o f t e n b u i l t o n t h e c l a im t h a t t h e e p i s o
d e i s o n e o f t h e mo s t „ real i s t i c ‟ i n the Buf fy series,
owing primari ly to the fact t h a t , f o r o n c e , a c h a r a c t e r ‟
s death is not at t ributed to supernatural causes and is t reated wi
th dramat ic sensi t ivi ty, but also thanks to i ts formal
achievements in i ts densely real ized cinematography and
absence of a non-dieget ic soundt rack
She notes that the one cri t icism reviewers who otherwise praised the episode make is of the
appearance of the vampi re in the f inal scene, which breaks the apparent spel l of real ism.

This is most explicitly clear in that realism is not only a constitutive formal feature of the episode itself,
but is as much generated through its difference to previous episodes of Buffy. To wit, “The Body” is only
fully realistic because of what it is not: Joyce‟s death is all the more “natural” because “there‟s no
demon involved, no supernatural powers at work”

Similarly, the episode‟s soundtrack is perceptibly realistic insofar as it calls attention to the part of it
which is missing. This is highlighted when the opening scene, the “teaser”, cuts jarringly to the standard
theme music, and the lack of the musical score that otherwise features in Buffy episodes is thrown into
relief. As such, Last‟s argument that the episode‟s soundtrack is “closer to our reality” because it lacks a
non-diegetic score is prefaced on a kind of “sonic literacy” of the intertextual string of episodes
preceding “The Body”, along with other comparable television shows that do use dramatic scoring.

The character of Willow is empowered by her sexuality, as her journey of sexual discovery is
paralleled by her increasing agency within the Scooby Gang. Willow’s exploration of her
sexuality coincides with her evolution from nerdy sidekick to powerful witch
 K en n ed y : L et' s sta rt wi th th e ea s y st u f f. H ow l on g h a v e y ou
kn own ? Th at y ou w e r e ga y ?
Wi l l ow : W ai t. Th at' s ea sy ? ( “Th e K i l l er I n M e ,” 7 013 )

Bi se xu al i ty h a s o ft e n oc cu pi ed an am bi gu ou s c u l tu ral sta tu s.
Su bsu m ed wi th i n h e te r o s exu al an d h om o s exu al r e p r es en tati on s an d
h i sto ri e s , bi s e xu al i ty h a s ra r el y b e en e xpl i ci tl y c od ed a s bi s exu al i ty.
Ma rj o ri e G a rb e r i n h e r ma mm oth w o r k V ic e V e rs a su gg e sts t h a t
bi se xu al i ty i s co mm on l y u n d e r st o od by tw o app ar e n tl y c on t ra di ct or y
tru i sm s — ei th e r e ve r yb od y i s bi s e xu al (t h e p op - Fr eu di an vi e w) o r n o -
on e i s. In th e s ec on d, bi s exu al s a r e at be st s el f - d el u si on al ab ou t th ei r
de si r e s an d p ra cti c e s, a t w o rs t si mpl y u n tru th f u l . B oth t ru i s ms w o r k
tog e th er t o sy st e ma ti cal l y e ra s e th e bi s e xu al su bj e ct , i n th e fi r st ,
c ol on i si n g bi s e xu al i ty by di s r eg ar di n g i ts di ff e r en c e s f r om o th e r f o r ms
o f s e xu al i den ti ty, i n th e s e c on d , su gg e sti n g bi s e xu al i ty t o be
i n au th en ti c o r si mpl y i mp o s si bl e.

st o ry a r c of Wi l l ow Ro s en b e rg s e e s h e r go f r o m di ffi de n t c o mpu t e r
ge e k wi th an u n r eq u i ted c ru sh on X an d e r , t o a r el ati on sh i p wi th th e
mal e w e r e wol f Oz , t h e ev en tu al en di n g o f th at r el ati on sh i p, t o
r el ati on sh i ps wi th f e l l ow wi tch Ta ra an d Sl ay er p ot en t i al K en n ed y . In
sh o rt, a n ot u n c om mon “c o mi n g ou t ” n ar r ati v e. E v en th ou gh , a ft e r
c omi n g ou t , Wi l l ow bri e fl y r e tai n s th e p o ssi bi li ty o f a fu tu r e
r el ati on sh i p wi th Oz (“ N e w M o on Ri si n g, ” 4019 ), b y an d l ar g e sh e
s e em s t o fi t th e u su al “ r oad t o D ama s c e n e ” c on v e rsi on th at
ch a ra ct e ri s e s c o mi n g - ou t st o ri e s , a m od el wh i ch o f c ou r s e w o rk s f o r
man y g ay a n d l es bi an p e o pl e.

In on e of th e f ou n di n g t e xt s o f qu e e r th e o ry , Ju di th Bu tl e r i n G en d e r
T r ou bl e a rgu e s th at h et e r on o rm ati vi ty i s p r odu c ed i n a cu l tu r e th at
su gg e st s h et e r os e xu al ge n d e rs a n d s e xu al i ty to b e n at u r al a n d i n n at e ,
an d to c on fi rm ea ch oth e r. Sh e sa ys th a t:

gen d er can d en ot e a u n it y o f exp e ri e n c e , o f s e x , g en d e r an d

de si r e , on l y wh en s e x can b e u n d e r st o o d i n so m e s en s e t o
n e c e ssi tat e g en d e r —wh e r e g en d e r i s a ps ych i c a n d/ o r cu l tu ral
de si gn ati on of th e s el f — an d d e si r e —wh e r e d esi r e i s
h et e r o s exu al an d th e r ef o r e d e si gn at e s i ts el f th ro u gh an
opp o si ti on al r el ati o n t o th at oth e r g en d e r i t d e si r e s .
I a r gu e t h at , th ou gh th e s e ri e s ex pl i ci tl y c o d es Wi ll ow’ s s ex u al i ty i n
e ss e n ti al i st bi n ari sti c t er m s, th e r e a r e a n u mb e r of i n st an c e s i n wh i ch
sh e i s c od ed a s im pl icit ly bi s e xu al —b oth b e fo r e an d aft e r c o mi n g o u t.
In th e al t e rn at e u n i v e rs e of “Th e Wi sh ” (3009 ), w e s e e Wi l low a s a
vam pi r e, a n d l at e r a gai n i n “ D opp el gan g l an d” ( 301 6) wh en t h e
dop p el gan g e r i s su c k ed i n to th e “ r eal ” Bu f fy v e r s e. A s h a s be en n ot ed
f r equ en tl y , Wi l l ow’s d opp el gan g e r i s a p ol ym o rph ou sl y ki n k y bi se xu al
vampi re wh o presages real Wi l l ow’s comi n g ou t i n th e fol l owi n g
s ea s on . V amp Wi l l ow s e em s equ al l y a t h om e p r op o si ti on i n g h e r va mp
l ov e r Xan d e r a s San dy (a gi rl a t th e B r o n z e) , pl ayi n g wi th “ pu pp y”
An g el an d l i cki n g “ r eal ” Wi l l ow on th e n e ck . In a ph ra s e th a t
f or e sh ad ow s h e r o w n c o mi n g ou t , Wi l l ow d e s c ri be s h e r d ou bl e a s “ s o
e vi l an d sk an ky …an d I th i n k I’m ki n da gay ” (“ D opp el gan gl an d, ”
3016) . Bu t wh i l st th e s e e pi so d es c ou l d ea si l y b e r ead a s i n di cat o rs o f
Wi ll ow ’s “ t ru e” s exu al i ty, an d si mi l arl y h e r er o ti ci se d r el ati on sh i ps t o
Xan d e r an d An g el a s a h e t e ro s e xu al “m i stak e s ,” i t w ou l d b e h i gh l y
r edu cti v e t o r e ad Va mp Wi l l ow a s st r ai gh t o r ga y; r ath e r , i t i s
po s si bl e t o r ep osi ti o n h e r i n t o a m o re n u an c e d bi s e xu al r e a di n g.

In “T abu l a Ra sa ,” th e S c o obi e s l o s e th ei r m em o ri e s f r o m a
mi sdi r ec t ed s pel l o f Wi l l ow ’s . Up on w aki n g fr o m u n c on s ci ou sn e ss , th e
me mb e r s o f th e gr o u p t r y t o r e c on s tr u c t th ei r i den ti ti e s ba s ed u p on
th ei r cl oth i n g, th ei r dri v e r ’s l i cen s e s, an d s o on . Wi l l ow an d Ta ra
n oti c e th e y bo th h a v e UC Su n n yd al e st u den t ID s , an d th ou gh Ta ra ’ s
att ra cti on t o Wi l l ow i s r e adi l y ap pa r en t , Wi ll ow ma k e s th e
h et e r on o rm ati v e as s u mpti on th a t th e y a r e “ stu d y bu ddi es . ” Be c au s e
sh e h a s bo r r o w ed X an d e r’ s j a c ke t, an d h as w o k en u p “ sn u g gl y -
wu ggl y ” on X an d e r ’s sh ou l d e r, Wi ll ow m ak e s th e as su mpti o n th a t sh e
an d Xan d e r a r e a c o u pl e —th ou gh Xan d e r h i ms el f ma k e s th e s el f -
e ff aci n g a ss u mpti o n th at Wi ll ow i s i n fa ct h i s el d e r b r oth e r ’ s
gi rl fri en d. Spi k e an d Gi l es , i gn o ri n g th e obvi ou s cl as s ed di ff e r en c e s i n
th ei r v oi ce s , [5] d e ci de th e y a r e fat h er a n d s on b ec au s e o f t h ei r sh a r ed
En gl i sh n es s , wh i l st Bu f fy a n d Da wn s ta r t bi c k e ri n g an d th u s s o on
r e c ogn i s e e a ch oth e r a s si bl i n gs. W e s e e th en , i n th ei r c ol le cti v e
amn e si a, c e rt ai n r e c on st ru cti on s o f th e ch a ra ct e r s th at , i n v ar yi n g
deg r e e s , r el y on e s s en ti al i st a s su mp ti on s. Bu f fy an d Da wn , f or
i n stan c e , d e spi te a l ac k o f an y i d en ti fi ca ti on e xc e pt f o r Da w n ’ s
n e ckl a c e b ea ri n g h e r n am e , h a v e an e s s en ti al “ si st e rn e s s” . Th at th e
ch a ra ct e r s c on ti n u e to s p ea k i n t h ei r di sti n cti ve i di om s — Spi k e’ s l i tan y
o f En gl i sh n e ss ( sh a g, kn i c k e r s, b ol l oc k s) an d Wi ll ow’ s “ sn u ggl y
wu ggl y ”— su g g est s l an gu ag e t o b e ex pr e ssi v e rath e r th an c on st ru cti v e
o f i d en ti ty . Wi l l ow’s d ou bl e a s su m pti on , of X an d e r a s pa rtn e r an d
Ta ra a s f ri e n d, th en ta k e s on ad d ed si g n i fi can c e . Un l i ke Ta ra , th ou gh ,
wh o i s i mm edi at el y an d o bvi ou sl y l e sbi an , Wi l l ow ta k e s m os t of th e
epi s od e t o c o m e to th e r eal i sati on th at (agai n ) sh e ’ s “ki n da ga y .”

In th e fi rs t t h r e e s e ri e s o f Bu ff y , Wi l l ow i s si gn i fi ed a s h et e r o s exu al ,
y et e pi s od e s l i ke th e a f or e m en ti on ed “ Do pp el gan gl an d ” ( 3 016)
de m on s tr at e th e l i mi ts of su ch a si gn i fi cati on , a s w el l a s p r e fi gu ri n g
h e r fu t u r e l e sbi an s u bj e cti vi ty .

“i n th e Bu ff yv e r s e s e x i n a l o vi n g r el ati on sh i p i s g o od, an d s ex th at i s
n ot ab ou t l o v e i s b a d, o r a t th e v e ry l ea s t empt y ”
Much of the discussion and analysis of the television series Buffy the Vampire
Slayer has focused upon the show’s moral complexity in its representation of good
and evil.

The character Angel, the vampire with a soul, was one of the earliest introductions
of this ambiguity into the series. The slayer and her friends were forced to accept
that a vampire could be good. Difficult to accept but not as difficult as a loving
boyfriend who can turn evil over night . . . again embodied in Angel.

the good Angel versus the evil Angelus.

Angel: When you become a vampire, the demon takes your body, but it doesn't get your soul;
that's gone. No conscience, no remorse, it's an easy way to live. You have no idea what it's like
to have done the things I've done...and care. I haven't fed on a human being since that day.

Angel: Why not? I killed mine. I killed their friends... and their friend's children... For a
hundred years I offered ugly death to everyone I met, and I did it with a song in my
heart.

Angelus: She made me feel like a human being. That's not the kind of thing you just forgive.

what differentiates Angel from the traditional vampire is that because he “has a
‘good’ soul, he has no desire to harm people”

On BtVS, Angel’s strict embodiment of an opposition between good and evil is

largely a result of the fact that Angel is a significant, but peripheral love interest for
Buffy. His existence is defined in relation to her. For instance, in a flashback in
“Becoming”, it is revealed that the good Angel is in Sunnydale purely to help Buffy
on her mission and it does not take long to become apparent that the evil Angelus
only remained in Sunnydale to torment Buffy

While Angel is clearly presented as a hero, a champion, the series takes great pains
to present him as a problematic one. He makes mistakes, his personal obsessions
get in the way of his mission,i[5] and most importantly we are never allowed to
forget that he is a vampire.

On BtVS, he similarly avoids sunlight but this was primarily achieved by his
mysterious appearances at night rather than by drawing attention to the sun’s
lethal effects. Two exceptions to this occur in “Earshot” (3018) and “The Prom”
(3020) when, in both cases, Buffy inadvertently opens the curtains in Angel’s
mansion and lets the sun into the room forcing Angel to jump out of the way. The
effect of these scenes is to emphasize how different they are and the hopelessness
of their relationship, prefiguring Angel’s departure from the series and Buffy’s life.

In both cases Angel chooses to return to the shadows and his vampire existence. In
the first case it is because he doesn’t feel that he has yet atoned for his sins and in
the second because he believes he can do more good as a vampire.ii[6]
, Angelus is a very real and constant presence on Angel. In “Enemies” (3017) in
BtVS, the effectiveness of Angel’s performance as Angelus in order to trick Faith is
unsettling to both the audience and Buffy because it undermines the separation
that has been established between the two sides of Angel’s character

These flashbacks demonstrate that it was not the curse and the return of his soul
that set Angel onto the path of goodness, but rather it was Buffy. Through her, his
mission was clear. Without her, he is alone on a path struggling to walk a fine line
between Angel and Angelus and to make the right choices in a world where nothing
is clear. It is this solitary path that forces Angel into the existential crisis that
dominates the second season and recurs in Season Three.

it is the sense of meaninglessness of Angel’s existence that pushes Angel into crisis.
His return from hell and his miraculous rescue from the rays of sun in “Amends” on
BtVS urged Angel onto his solitary path as a champion for good

the major distinction between Buffy and Angel is that while Buffy’s choices bring
her closer to embracing and defining her role as the Slayer, Angel’s choices bring
him closer to the dark side of the Angel/Angelus hybrid.

Dionysian, the emotion, intoxication, and tragic element of art.

Once More, With Feeling (6007). When the demon Sweet visits Sunnydale, life becomes a
musical, where music plays an essential role in expression and the action of the characters'
lives. This episode is also a turning point for Buffy. She is dealing with the pains of living and
suffering a deep depression after being torn out of a heaven-like dimension. To make matters
worse, she has allowed her friends to believe that they rescued her from a hell dimension
instead of tearing her from a heavenly one. Spike is the only one that knows and is her only
solace, but he is not enough comfort for her. In Once More, With Feeling, Buffy finally admits
to her friends where she was (in the lyrics of "Something to Sing About") and opens up the
doorway for change and the development of Buffy's arc in the season; accepting her position
in the world again.

The role of music as the central medium of expression is extremely. significant in this episode
because it sets up the metaphysical realm differently from the 'normal' Buffyverse. Emotion
becomes a reality in action. It is not just an idea or feeling within the person's mind. The
materialization of emotions and feelings into song, dance, and fire direct link between the
abstract of the world, and the realty known through the senses In order for the characters to
express their emotions they must communicate in song and dance

As the episode and emotion becomes more intense, the songs break away from the more
logical, reflective ballads ("Going Through the Motions", "I'm Under Your Spell") to aggressive
dance and rock songs ("I'll Never Tell", "Rest in Peace", and "Something to Sing About").
Ultimately, the Dionysian effect of intoxication leads to irrationality and the breakdown of
reality and life manifesting itself in the spontaneous combustion of the person.

] Buffy is the tragic figure in the episode because of her descent towards death (Nietzsche
107). Her life, although morally righteous, has a flaw that is destroying it. She is bound by her
love for her friends, and in being so, she begins shutting herself off from the world in order to
protect them. This detachment from the world, her "going through the motions," is where her
depression lies. She is not an active part in the workings of the world; she is a mere ghost. The
tragic aspect of the situation is that her loyalty to her friends is her primary resource and is
what has brought upon victory after victory against the evil forces in the world. But in this
situation her loyalty and protection of her friends means the undoing and possibly her third,
and final, death.

The satyr is a half man, half goat creature that enjoys revelry and mischief, a character very
much like Sweet. Sweet's appearance is reminiscent of a satyr, with his long face and beady
eyes. But most demons tend to fit a goat-like appearance. It is Sweet's role as the catalyst and
link to imagination that makes him the chorus. "I come from the, imagination" is his
explanation for where he's from, explaining that he is a direct link to the irrational side of
human nature, where emotions and ideas need not be logical and intellectual. As a character,
he remains distant from the other characters except for when he sings his own song. This
distance defines him as the chorus, separated from the stage actors, and his imaginative is the
same as the chorus' in that his curse is the dream.

In Sweet's song, he explains that he "know(s) what you feel." His presence, his essence is one
that transforms the emotional, Dionysian energy into song. His role is not omnipotent about
the drama that is unfolding. He knows what is going on in each of the character's heads, and
uses that along with the spell to create chaos.

The episode further identifies itself as farther detached from reality and more like a dream.
The characters' reactions to the song and dance world show that this is not the reality they
know, but an alternate universe. Anya describes it best when she states, "It was like we were
being watched. Like there was a wall missing, in our apartment. Like there were only three
walls and not a fourth wall." Her description of the absence of the fourth wall is, eerily, the
situation they are always in - television - but that is has become their reality now in addition to
ours and Sweet's.

As Buffy's life is now a musical, she is caught between two different artistic temperaments.
This is neither the first nor only dichotomy that Buffy must reconcile in the series. Buffy has
had to deal with her role as a girl and her fate as a Slayer, her Slayer role and her love for
Angel, and the Dark Power of the Slayer against her previous notions about good. In each case,
Buffy achieves a kind of balance that allows her to survive and remain herself. She must find
the balance between her pain and her life in order to move on and grow as a whole person.

Kendra: Emotions are weakness, Buffy. You shouldn't entertain them.

Buffy: Kendra, my emotions give me power. They're total assets!
(What's My Line, Part 2, 2010)
After being brought back she can only deal with playing the role of being alive instead of
feeling alive. She is just "walking through the part" as she sings, merely adhering to her role as
Slayer but not with the emotions that she had before. Her emotive abilities have been shut
down by the trauma of being torn from a heavenly dimension, causing her to be only a shell of
her former self. Although she is able to kill the demons, they notice Buffy's lack of wholeness.
"She's not even half the girl she...ow."

But Buffy's resistance is still strong throughout much of the episode. "Going Through the
Motions" is not the emotional power-ballad that one would expect from the Slayer, and
neither is her speech in "I've Got a Theory" the awe inspiring Buffy that the Scooby Gang
knows. It is not until Buffy sings "Walk Through the Fire" that she is able to contemplates her
position in life to the audience.

The fire is emotion and passion, the force that makes people feel and live. The relation to fire
is not coincidental either. The fire, or spark, is what has been killing the local civilians during
the episode. Their emotions conquer them and kill them. Buffy has the opposite problem; she
lacks those emotions. The call for the fire is her wanting to feel again, but also knowledge of
her own death. Her desire to feel is her tragic characteristic that leads to death

Dawn's dance and the spontaneous combustion of people are examples of how musical forms
can express that which we cannot say. When emotions become too high for words the
characters break into dance. "Look at me, I'm dancing crazy!" Anya exclaims as she and Xander
bubble over in their song "I'll Never Tell." Dance is the body's way of expressing music, and is
another manifestation of the power behind the spell and Dionysian emotion. The fire and
spontaneous combustion that some civilians face is the ultimate manifestation of emotion
overcoming rationality.

Buffy chooses death in her confrontation with Sweet, and then begins what could have been
her last song, ever. The constant connection to Dionysus cannot be maintained by humans, as
Sweet explains over a burned corpse "That's the penalty, when life is but a song." After a time,
emotion must be reasoned with or it will burn you up from the inside - literally in the Musical
Buffyverse's case.

Once More, With Feeling ends with a challenge from Sweet - "Say you're happy now. Once
more, with feeling." It is this challenge that Buffy encounters throughout the rest of the season
in order to achieve a balance of Dionysian and Apollonian living. By the end of the season she
allows herself to feel as a part of her friends, a sister to Dawn, and as a Slayer that belongs in
the world.
“Agora não me diga que isso não foi divertido. Oh, Deus! Fazia tanto tempo que eu
não tinha um acesso de violência! Realmente melhora a perspectiva das coisas.“ –
Spike

Gostamos de falar de maneira grandiosa, nós, vampiros. ‘Vou destruir o mundo’. – é apenas
um papo de cara durão. Gabando-se por ai com os amigos, por meio litro de sangue. A
verdade é que eu adoro esse mundo. Temos corrida de cachorros, o Manchester United… e
pessoas. Bilhões de pessoas andando por ai como Mclanches felizes com pernas. Tudo isso
aqui. Mas então vem alguém com uma visão. Com uma real… real paixão por destruição. Angel
poderia fazer isso. Tchau Picadilly*. Adeus, sangrenta Leicester Square**. Você entende o que
quero dizer? – Spike

Amor verdadeiro… é sangue… gritando dentro de você para fazer sua vontade. Posso até ser
escravo do amor, mas pelo menos sou homem o suficiente para admitir. – Spike

Quem a gente mata por diversão por aqui? (School Hard)

Eu gosto deste mundo. Você tem corrida de cães, Manchester United. E você tem
pessoas. Bilhões de pessoas andando para lá e para cá como se fossem Lanches
Felizes com pernas.

Toda Caça-Vampiros... tem um desejo de morte.

Bem, eu não sou bom, sou mais ou menos.

Devo ser um nobre vampiro. Um cara bom. Numa missão de redenção. Eu ajudo
aqueles sem esperança. Sou um vampiro com alma.

É o chip. Aço e fios e silicone. Não me deixa ser um monstro. E eu não posso ser
um homem. Eu não sou nada.

E ela deverá olhar para ele com compaixão. E todos vão perdoar e amar... e ele
será amado.

É, eu não medi esforços. Muitos problemas. E agora eu sou único. Bem, mais ou
menos. Consegui pra mim uma alma. O que quer que isto signifique.

Eu não queria ser assim tão bonito e atlético. Nós todos temos nossas cruzes para
carregar...

Who would have thought when Spike arrived in Sunnydale in “School Hard” (2003)
that Buffy would ever be in an intimate sexual relationship with him without the
intervention of a spell, as in “Something Blue” (4009)?

Further, the notion that one of these formerly shunned citizens could, in the last season of
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, be charged with the ultimate sacrifice (his newly-ensouled existence
to save the world) is a ground-breaking one, not only from a genre-busting television writer's
point of view, but also from the perspective of the mythological. When the vampire Spike
becomes infused with power and light from a magic amulet and stands alone on the
Hellmouth, knowing that his death is imminent but ready to "see how it ends" (Chosen 7022),
we feel not abjection but admiration for the actions of this formerly evil monster. In the final
episode of the series this now-noble creature, displaying a profound example of Jung's vision
of "dreaming the myth onward." (Jung 160), has completed a journey from the once-
abject/Other/monstrous to the "modern dress" of the hero, ready to sacrifice his eternal life
for a bunch of humans.

But how did he get to this point? How did a vicious vampire who, at his first appearance in
Season 2 of the series, had already disposed of a couple of vampire Slayers and was itching for
a Buffy-notch on his kill belt

[9] In Season Four of Buffy, Spike encounters a covert army project known as The Initiative,
whose purpose is to capture demonic creatures (of which there are seemingly no shortage in
Sunnydale) and perform various torturous experiments on them in the name of science,
national defense, etc. Spike is captured by the Initiative's army drones, renamed Hostile 17,
and subjected to an operation that leaves him unable to physically harm any human without
inflicting extreme pain upon himself in the process; if he does raise a hand (or fang) to an
innocent, the chip implanted in his head "kicks in" and causes him instant and violent
headaches. He is still able to fight and kill demons without activating the chip, however, and so
he fulfills his innate desire for violence by assisting Buffy and her friends with their slaying
duties, acting like a righteous human while still apparently remaining one of their targets at
heart. Throughout most of the final three seasons of the show Spike endures life with this
artificial conscience - this persona of the socially acceptable good guy/demon hunter - in place.

It may be argued that using Spike's chip as the symbol of his persona violates Jung's theories
because this behaviour reform was inflicted upon him without his conscious choice, but
various insights into the character of this atypical vampire reveal that even before the Initiative
performed its operation to "neuter" him, Spike retained elements of his pre-monstrous
humanity. Immediately after his vampiric conversion he expresses a perverse compassion
towards his sickly mother by turning her into a vampire as well in order to ease her physical
suffering, and in the early seasons of the show he maintained a distinctly non-monstrous love
affair with his sire, Drusilla, a match that "demonstrate[ed] a kind of selfless love...manifested
in his steadfast willingness to put Drusilla's needs ahead of his own." (Sakal 245) In fact, even
other demons recognize the supra-vampiric nature of Spike and his paramour; the villain The
Judge in the Season Two episode 'Surprise' indicates that they "stink of humanity." (Surprise
2013) because of their shared affection and jealousy. Therefore, it seems apparent that the
chip-as-persona, although it functions on one level as an artificially-inflicted disguise that
covers his suitably evil vampire nature, also provides a convenient scapegoat for Spike's
inherently humanistic leanings, still apparent after his transformation to officially-evil status.
Chipped Spike is harmless to humans not only because his admittedly numerous violent
tendencies are curbed by a tangible check, but also because that same restraint provides him
with a mask behind which he can develop the humanity still lying dormant within him.

Although Spike blames the chip-persona for any aspects of humanity that he may display, it is
not "steel and wires and silicon." (Seeing Red 6019) that is causing him to feel real emotion.
Even before the chip was inserted, Spike could be found drinking hot chocolate and chatting in
the kitchen with Buffy's mother Joyce, seething with jealousy over perceived slights, and crying
like a baby over his lost love Drusilla (Lover's Walk 3008) - all undeniably human emotions,
proving that they still existed within him despite his soul-less vampire state.

David Fury, a senior producer of the Buffy TV series, confirms this idea of Spike's inherent
humanity on his DVD commentary track to the Season Seven episode 'Lies My Parents Told
Me:' "Spike is an anomaly in the vampire world. He has some facet of his soul even if it was
removed when he became a vampire. He has more humanity as a vampire than most vampires
do." (Lies My Parents Told Me

[12] These examples provide evidence that Spike's chip allows him a safe platform upon which
to practice his humanity, facets of which appear to be still in evidence following his conversion
to monsterdom. So then, who exactly is this Spike character? Brutal killer, compassionate lover
or both? Well...yes. On the horizon are the next two signposts on the Jungian path to
enlightenment: the ego and the shadow - which, if you happen to be a vampire, are
inextricably linked.

Of course Spike, our vampire-du-jour, sees himself as a pretty cool monster: a ruthless, bloody
killer who got his nickname by torturing his victims with railroad spikes. He is over one
hundred years old, and in a century or more of vampiredom he has left a lot of carnage in his
wake, including (as he is proud to relate) the bodies of two previous Slayers.

. Human Spike, despite the fact that he tells Buffy he has "always been bad," (Fool for Love
5007) was known as William the Bloody not because of heinous acts he committed but
because he was a mama's boy who wrote bloody awful poetry and couldn't get a girlfriend. It
would be a little embarrassing for a die-hard killer to admit that in his past incarnation he was
practically scared of his own shadow, and accordingly vampire Spike attempts to downplay his
"William side" as much as possible, in favour of being known as the much more impressive
double Slayer-slayer.

Spike and Buffy begin their relationship as archenemies, but over the course of six seasons
(from Spike's first appearance in Season Two to the last episode six years later) dramatic
changes occur between them that not only make for interesting soap opera-style television,
but also create very Jungian contra-sexual interactions.

. In the Season Five episode entitled 'Out of My Mind' (5004) Spike wakes up in a panic after a
semi-erotic dream about Buffy - the first indication to anyone (both character and viewing
audience) that he has positive feelings of any kind for her. Unbeknownst to his conscious mind
at this point, he has encountered his anima, and this initial dream image "awakens" him to
Buffy's importance in and to his life.

"releasing unconscious processes and letting them come into the conscious mind in the form
of fantasies" (Smith 74), and accordingly we see subsequent to this dream appearance a
decidedly human-seeming Spike acting out various fantasies involving images of Buffy:
vampire/slayer role-playing games with his current girlfriend, mannequins dressed to resemble
Buffy, even a custom-ordered "Buffybot" sex-toy that is programmed to worship him
Initially Buffy rebuffs Spike's advances, but despite her initial rejection he persists in trying to
impress her, desperate to win her respect and affection because it is crucial to his own
development. Buffy's position as a warrior and leader as well as her successful social network
and emotional connection to her friends and family contribute to Spike's elevated image of
her, and he looks to this model to provide him with everything that he as a frustrated loner
vampire is lacking in his life.

When Buffy returns via Willow-spell from the dead and claws herself out of the grave, Spike
feels an even closer identification with her since he has committed this same act himself, and
ironically it is this other-worldly connection that brings them literally together on the solid
earth of Sunnydale.

Spike's primal need to connect with his anima image prompts him to initiate an obsessive and
masochistic sexual relationship with Buffy in Season Six of the series. Because his vampire
nature is still very much in evidence and his individuation still in progress, he equates any
physical connection with the violence and passion common to his monster side, and
consequently assumes that the best way to address his anima is to aggressively confront it. Still
a product of darkness, Spike desires initially to drag Buffy down to his depths - by insinuating
that she "belongs in the shadows" with him (Dead Things 6013) - instead of allowing Buffy's
archetypal goodness to bring him to the proverbial light. This again provides proof that Spike is
subscribing to a perversely idealized anima-image of Buffy as one who 'belongs' to his
darkness, rather than allowing the actual human Buffy to positively influence his life.

It is not until his attempted rape of Buffy in the Season Six episode 'Seeing Red' (6019) that
Spike realizes this forceful approach to anima-integration will not help him achieve his
individuation. This moment is the nadir of Spike's so-called human side: although soul-less, his
human leanings have always prompted him to subscribe to the somewhat flimsy moral code of
'not hurting Buffy' [Resnick, 62), and it is not until he does inflict unwanted physical pain and
psychic trauma upon her that he truly realizes what a monster he can be. This episode also
allows Spike to see Buffy as more than an idealized anima-object and/or an adversary:
although she may possess qualities that he admires and desires to complete himself, in this
instance she is also just a frightened young woman who he has the power to hurt deeply. She
has been knocked 'off the pedestal' upon which Spike had placed her, and paradoxically her
vulnerability is what allows Spike to address his own shortcomings, and reveals the way he
may 'come to terms' with his anima. This example of brutal human behaviour and Buffy's
human response forces Spike to realize that the only way to successfully deal with his anima is
not with violence against it (ie. as a vampire would), but through introspection, self-analysis
and subsequent trial. He is now ready to confront the shadow side of his William-self, and his
shock at the evil he finds there prompts him to take the extreme steps necessary to remove all
traces of it from his psyche.

At this point Spike is in a regular tangle, alright. The extent of his confusion is evident in the
dichotomous and yet rhetorical questions he asks himself after his retreat from the rape scene.
Back to his home crypt he stumbles in mental and moral anguish, alternately asking himself
"what have I done?" (indicating his human horror at the pain he has caused Buffy) and "why
didn't I do it?" (signifying a monster's consternation at its own restraint). Interaction with his
anima has prevented Spike from finding satisfaction in his previous monster state, but he still
does not possess enough elements of humanity to live completely as a man.

Spike acknowledges this need for extreme transformation, underlining his friend Clem's
sympathetic statement "Things change" with an emphatic "They do...if you make them."
(Seeing Red 6019), and immediately following this exchange Spike packs a bag and heads out
on the journey (both physical and spiritual) that will ultimately reward him with the missing
piece in his psychic puzzle: his soul.

When Spike leaves Sunnydale for the heart of Africa - significantly, a journey to the East, a
direction highly symbolic in the Jungian theory (Frobenius quoted in Segal, 150) - he is on the
cusp of attaining his Self. First he must endure trials and tortures at the hand of the demon
that has the power to restore his soul, offering Spike one last good look at his monstrosity
before leaving it behind, but it is his love for Buffy and his awareness of her importance in his
life that spur him onwards. Having proven himself worthy of enduring the worst the demon
world has to offer, he is rewarded with a soul

What this means to Spike's conversion is that he is not quite 'out of the woods' yet. Although
he has glimpsed his potential as a complete and whole being, the trauma of his 're-
ensoulment' has left him weakened and still vulnerable to whatever demon-shadow (and/or
ego assertion) is still left within. Spike's "demon nature and his human nature are so
incompatibly extreme that trying to incorporate them into one persona makes him mentally
unstable at first." (Resnick 62), and against his wishes (and indeed even his awareness) he is
used as a murderous pawn by the Season Seven's "Big Bad" figure, the disembodied First Evil.

Part of Spike's psychic trauma at this point involves still unresolved issues with other females
in his life.

Due to her occasional clairvoyance and slightly crazed demeanour Drusilla, Spike's
otherworldly sire, may be considered 'extra-ordinary' in more ways than one, but her status as
vampire allows her to fulfil the role of symbolical, supernatural mother: by effectively ending
his human life, she turns Spike into the "immortal half-god" that the hero definition requires.
Spike doted on his original human mother, and in turn she nurtured him and encouraged his
pathetic poetics - at least while she was still human. After her conversion to vampire-dom,
however, she does not share her son's inherent humanistic leanings. Spike displays the first
inkling of his still-evident humanity by turning his mother into a vampire in an attempt to end
her sickly human existence and bring her some measure of comfort, but in more typical callous
vampire fashion she responds by belittling him, his poetry and his excessive love for her. Then
in a perverse twist of this familial love, she attempts to seduce her son, horrifying Spike to such
an extent that he is driven to kill her moments after granting her eternal life.

his turn of events adversely affects Spike for years, and it is because of this weakness
that he is able to be programmed by the Pavlovian trigger that makes him susceptible to
the whims of the First Evil. Spike's showdown with Principal Robin Wood (who has his
own maternal issues to work out) brings everything that Spike has repressed about his
mother to the fore, and allows him to resolve this remaining psychic demon standing in
the way of his wholeness. In his own words:
I'll tell you a story about a mother and son. See, like you, I loved my mother. So much
so I turned her into a vampire... so we could be together forever. She Said some nasty
bits to me after I did that. Been weighing on me for quite some time. But you helped me
figure something out. You see, unlike you, I had a mother who loved me back (Lies My
Parents Told Me 7017)

When Spike realizes that his actual human mother did actually humanly love him, he is able to
incorporate that love into his ever-burgeoning self-image, and this insight combined with
Buffy's belief in his potential for wholeness (read, the anima balancing out the other opposing
forces) places him close to the end of the road to redemption. As a tangent to the matter of
Spike's mother

Now that Spike has addressed, confronted and reconciled the outstanding female factors in his
life, he is approaching true individuation. A moving montage from the episode 'Touched'
(7020) drives home this new unity between Slayer and vampire, and indicates clearly the new
'man' that Spike has become. Amidst footage of various lovemaking couples, Buffy and Spike
merely lie gazing into each others' eyes. Quite removed from their earlier obsessive sexuality,
neither partner at this point feels the need to clutch desperately for the other. They are aware
of mutual support, respect and love, in a position of equilibrium that "achieves a tender
eroticism, devoid of any violence." (Pearl 46) Because of this support from his feminine
counterpart, Spike is able to reinforce his newly applied Self and prove he is able to exist
autonomously as a balanced and complete individual and not a monster.

So what is left for the truly individuated vampire/man to do, after all these trials and
tribulations? Why, save the world of course, and luckily for Spike it needs to be saved and the
only one who can do it is a vampire with a soul. How convenient - not only as a fitting end to
his character's development, but also as the culmination of this particular journey towards
completeness. Jung believed that the hero archetype was yet another expression of the
collective unconscious that was ordered and adapted through mythology (Segal 16), and this
particular example of popular mythology affords much opportunity for heroic expression. Now
that Spike has a soul, he may receive and use a magic amulet that is reserved only for those of
his unique hybrid breed, and the resulting combination of soul plus amulet allows for a
powerful ray of sunlight to channel through Spike's body, striking and destroying an advancing
horde of uber-vampires - thus averting the apocalypse for the last time, at least in Sunnydale.
Spike's life is sacrificed in the process and he is martyred by the very flames that defeat his
enemies, but as his individuation is now complete he is not afraid to die and stands ready to
meet his fate, even striking a Christ-pose as he faces imminent immolation.
"Não pode gritar, não pode chorar

The Gentlemen estão por vir

Olhando em janelas, batendo nas portas

Eles precisam pegar sete e pode ser o seu

Não é possível chamar sua mãe, não se pode dizer uma palavra

Você vai morrer gritando, mas você não será ouvido."

In th e t el e vi si on se r i es Bu ff y th e Vam pi r e Sl ay e r , l an gu ag e i s u s ed t o
both c r eat e a fi cti on al i z ed w o rl d an d al low th e ch a ra ct e r s s om e
c on t r ol o v e r th at w o rl d. Th e wa y th e S c o ob y gan g sp ea k s c on t ri bu t e s
to th e w ay th e y ( an d w e ) e xp e ri en c e S u n n ydal e. Lan gu ag e i s a
po w e rfu l w eap on i n Bu f fy , an d i ts m ai n u s e i s t o st ru c tu r e t h e r eal i ty
o f th e t el e vi si on sh o w.

In th i s w a y, Bu f fy c atal og s an d cl as si fi e s Su n n ydal e , th u s s tru ctu ri n g

th e w o rl d a r ou n d h e r ii[1] . Lan gu ag e s tr u ctu r e s Bu f f y’ s u n i v e r s e, bu t
i n th e f ou rt h s ea s on ’s si l en t epi s od e , “ H u sh ,” th i s s tr u ct u ri n g fo r c e i s
r em o v ed an d Bu f f y mu st a ct wi th ou t l an gu ag e .

Th e o bvi ou s fi c ti on o f th e s e i mag e s p ro du c e s a d esi r e f o r t h o s e

i mage s t o b e n on - fi cti on , r e su l ti n g i n a f an ta s y th at th e si g n i fi er s d o
e xi st ou tsi d e o f th e tel e vi si on s et. A c o mp ro mi s e mu st b e me t i n
o rd e r f o r th e au di e n c e to en j o y wat ch i n g t el e vi si on —w e mu st i den ti f y
wi th th e i ma g es , c o n vi n ci n g ou r s el ve s t h at fi cti on m ay b e s om eh o w
c on n e ct ed wi th ou r wo rl d. Th i s d esi r e f o r th e i ma g es of t el e vi si on t o
be s om eh ow n on - fi c ti on al i s mo st a ppa r en t i n ou r ob s e s si on wi th
“r e al i ty T V. ” Th e i m ag es th e ms el v e s p r odu c e th e d esi r e f o r th o s e
i mage s t o h ol d tr u th . Th e wa y si gn i fi e rs of t el e vi si on fu n cti on on th e
i magi n ary a xi s al l ow s th e i mag e s , sh o w s , an d ch a ra ct e r s to af f ec t u s .
Th es e si gn i fi er s mu st exi st i n th e S ymb ol i c, R eal , an d Imag i n ary
r eal m s as a c omp r o mi se b et w e en th e th r e e . Wi th ou t th e d e si r e f o r th e
fi cti on al i mag e s t o be n on - fi cti on al , “H u sh ” an d o th e r s ca r y sh o ws
wo u l d n ot w o rk .

Th e w ri te r s o f Bu ff y th e Va mpi r e Sla y e r u s e l an gu a g e as a st ru ctu ri n g

f or c e i n th ei r s h o w . Bu f fy ’ s an d h e r f ri e n d’ s c on sta n t man i p u l ati on of
l an gu ag e s e r v es t o s et u p th e b ou n da ri e s o f th e sh o w. A s l on g a s
Bu f fy can r ef e r t o s ea s on on e’ s “ Bi g B a d” a s “f ru i t pu n ch m ou th ,” th e
au di en c e kn o ws th at sh e i s s ti ll abl e t o f i gh t. W o rd s h av e p o w er , an d
i n Bu f fy th e “ to n gu e i s as p oi n t ed a s t h e s w o rd ”
Bu f fy i s th e l aw i n b oth d e ed an d w o rd . Bu t th e ru l e s of Bu f f y’ s
u n i ve r s e ch a n g e du r i n g “ Hu sh . ” Wi th ou t h e r v oi c e, B u f fy ca n n ot m ak e
th e cu tti n g r em a rk s th at on c e i n di cat e d t o th e au di en c e th a t sh e wa s
i n c on t r ol . Wh i l e sh e s ti l l mu st f u n c t i on a s th e l aw i n Su n n y dal e,
de al i n g ou t d ea th a n d d e ci di n g wh o i s go od an d wh o i s e vi l , sh e
su dd en l y mu st fu l fi l l th i s r ol e ou t si de o f l an gu ag e . Si l en c e i n an y
tel e vi si on sh ow mi g h t fe el a bi t di s co n c e rti n g, bu t i n Bu f fy th e si l en c e
i s d own ri gh t u n can n y p r e ci s el y b e cau s e s o mu ch o f th e sh o w’ s
u n i ve r s e i s bu i l t on th e ch a ra ct e r s ’ abi l ity t o u s e an d c on t r o l
l an gu ag e.

“ Hu sh ” i n tr odu c e s t h e th em e of l an gu a ge th r ou gh ou t th e fi r st
act of th e epi s od e . In th e fi r st sc en e o f th e sh ow , Bu ff y ’s p s ych ol ogy
te ach e r ’ s l ect u r e c e n te r s o n l an gu ag e. Dr . W al sh ma k e s a di ff e r en c e
bet w e en “ c om mu n i c ati on ” an d “l an gu a g e ,” t el l i n g h e r stu d e n ts th at
th e t wo ar e di f f e r en t th i n gs . B e f o r e e v e r yo n e’ s v oi c e s a r e s tol en ,
th e r e i s to o mu ch ta l ki n g an d ab s ol u tel y n o c om mu n i cati o n : Ri l ey a n d
Bu f fy can n ot c om mu n i cat e b e c au s e al l t h e y d o i s “ babbl e;” Wi ll ow ’s
Wi cc a g r ou p , a g r ou p of “w an n a - bl es s ed - be ’ s ,” on l y t al k; an d Spi k e
wo n ’t sh u t u p wh en Xan d e r t ri e s t o sl e e p. In h e r c on v e rs ati on wi th
Wi ll ow, Bu f f y c om m en t s on h e r i n abi li ty t o tal k wi th Ri l ey t h e w ay sh e
wan t s t o, t el l i n g h e r f ri en d “ e v er y ti me w e t al k, I h a v e t o l i e .” Bu f fy
an d h e r fri en d s s e e m, at l ea st on s o m e l ev el , t o r eal i z e th a t l an gu ag e
st ru ctu r e s r eal i ty. E ach ch a ra ct e r i s f ru st rat e d by th e i n abi li ty t o
sh ap e e xp e ri en c e s e ff e cti v el y . Th i s i s e s pe ci al l y tru e f or Bu f fy , wh o ,
wh i l e u s u al l y abl e t o th r ow d em on s of f th ei r g am e b y u si n g wi tty
ban t e r, can n ot i n te r act su cc e s sfu l l y wi th Ri l ey u si n g l an gu a ge . Wh i l e
e v e ry on e s ee m s f ru st rat e d by l an gu ag e at fi rst , wh en sp e e ch i s t ak en
awa y t h e si l en c e i s u n n e r vi n g. “ Th e ab s en c e o f l an gu ag e i n “ Hu sh ” i s
a h el pl es s h o r r or : u n abl e t o sp e ak t o ea ch o th e r, th e Sl ay e r Squ ad
can n ot fi gh t” ( Ov e r be y an d P r e st on - Ma tto , 74) . S ou n d s b e c om e
magn i fi ed — th e c r yi n g i n th e h al l way , s h att e ri n g of a gl a ss , s ou n d o f
th e f o ot m en ’s ch ai n s, n e ws b r oa dc a st, an d Ma ggi e W al sh ’s au t oma te d
v oi c e— al l con tri bu t e t o th e sp o o ky f e el o f th e epi s od e . S ou n ds th a t
wo u l d h a v e on l y exi st ed i n th e ba c kg r o u n d a s wh i t e n oi s e su dd en l y
tak e c en t e r st ag e , a n d th e au di en c e f e el s th e ab s e n c e o f l an gu ag e
e v en m o r e st r on gl y .
[7] Wh i l e th e si l en c e of th e epi s od e i s u n can n y , “ Hu sh ” al s o
tap s i n t o c om m on c h i l dh o od f e ar s th r ou gh i ts p o rt ra yal o f T h e
G en tl e m en . Gi l es d e s cri b e s Th e G en tl em en a s “ fai r y tal e m o n st e r s”
an d Bu ff y ’s p r oph eti c wa rn i n g — “ Can ’t e v en sh ou t , c an ’t e v e n c r y . Th e
G en tl e m en a r e c omi n g b y . L o oki n g i n wi n do w s, k n o c ki n g on do o r s.
Th ey n e ed t o ta k e s e v en an d th e y mi gh t ta k e y ou r s ” —h as a h au n ti n g
n u r s e ry rh ym e qu al i ty. Th e G en tl em en a r e ol d , wh i te , Vi ct o r i an , u l tr a -
pol i te, w el l - dre s s ed , cl ean , an d p r e ci se . As s u ch th e y tap i n to
ch i l dh oo d f ea r s o f a du l ts a n d ol d ag e , me di ci n e, su rg e r y, an d th e
u n wan t e d p en e t rati on of on e’ s b od y . As Rh on d a Wi l co x n o te s, Th e
G en tl e m en “ sy mb ol i z e m o rt al i ty an d s o me th i n g ab ou t s e x” (151) . Th e
G en tl e m en ’s Vi ct o ri an l o o k c om bi n ed wi th th ei r sh i n y m etal t e eth an d
s cal pel s h i gh l i gh ts a f e a r o f i n du st ri al i sm ( an d h i st o ri cal l y l i n ks t h es e
mon st e r s wi th a F r e u di an or m o r e g en e r al ps y ch oan al y ti c r e adi n g).
Th e fa ct th at Th e G en tl e m en h a v e t o r e pe at th ei r g ru es o m e s u r g er y
s ev en ti m e s i s r emi n i sc en t of an oth e r a sp e ct o f F r eu d ’ s u n c an n y - th e
c ompu l si o n t o r ep ea t. E v e r yth i n g a s s o ci at ed wi th Th e G en tl em en i s
n i gh tmari sh . T h e ol d Vi ct o ri an cl o c k to w er th e y u s e a s a h om e b as e
su dd en l y a pp ea r s i n Su n n ydal e, an d t h e i r h en ch m en a r e gi mp - l i ke
pe r s on i fi cati on s of t h e t en si on b etw e en san i ty an d i n s an i ty (th e y a r e
dr e s s ed i n st r ai gh tj ac k et s th at h a v e c o me u n d on e ). Th ei r a rm s h an g
do wn at th ei r si d e s l i ke p ri mi ti ve ap e s, an d th ei r an i mal - l i ke b eh a vi o r
fu rth e r c on t ri bu t e s t o th e h o r r o r . Th e f e ar s th at th e s e si l en t m on st e r s
ac c e ss b ri n g u s ba c k t o F r eu d a gai n : th e “u n ca n n y i s wh at on e c al l s
e v e ryth i n g th at wa s m ean t t o r em ai n s e c r et an d h i dd en an d h a s c o m e
i n to th e op en ” ( 132 ). Th e G en tl em en ’ s su dd en u n ex pl ai n abl e
app ea r an c e i n Su n n y dal e i s v e r y mu ch l i ke a n i gh tma r e , an d i t i s
h i gh l y si gn i fi can t th at Bu f f y fi r st en c ou n te r s th em wi th i n a dr e am (c f .
Wi l cox 1 52 - 54) . Th e n i gh tma ri sh , d r eam y qu al i ty of Th e G en tl em en
an d th e epi s o d e i n g en e ral s e em t o i n di cat e a r eg r e s si on f r o m th e
l ogi c o f Ima gi n ar y r eal i ty. Wh en th e t o wn wa k e s u p u n abl e t o sp e ak ,
th e y r e g r es s t o an i n fan t - l i ke p o si ti on , an d as su ch a r e m o r e
su sc e pti bl e t o th e n i gh tma r e of “ Hu sh . ”
[8] Th e G en tl em en f u n cti on b y st e al i n g al l th e v oi c e s o f
Su n n yd al e ’s r e si den ts , ca ptu ri n g an d h o u si n g sp e e ch i n a w o od en b o x
u n ti l th e en d o f th e epi s od e . A cc o r di n g t o Bu ff y ’s d r e am , t h e y wan t t o
st eal s e ve n h e a rts wh i l e th e t own sp e op l e a r e r en d e r ed mu t e . Th e
i mpo rtan c e of l an gu ag e be c o m es t ru l y a ppa r en t —th e p e opl e of
Su n n yd al e h a v e n o i de a wh at ’ s g oi n g on , t h ey can ’t s p ea k t o ea ch
oth e r or h e ar th e c r i es o f att a ck e d r e si den t s . Wi th ou t ac c e s s to
l an gu ag e, th e t own i s l ef t wi th on l y n o n - v e rbal f o rm s o f
c omm u n i cati on . Si gn i fi er s on m e s sa g e bo ar ds su b sti tu t e f o r
c on v e r sa ti on . Th ey can n ot s cr e am wh en ch a s ed by m on st e r s o r y el l
f or h el p wh en att ac k ed . If w e p o si ti on l an gu ag e a s La can d o e s i n th e
Sym b ol i c an d a c c ept l an gu ag e a s a s t ru c tu ri n g f o r ce , th en t h e si l en c e
o f S u n n y dal e p r odu c e s a sh i ft ed fi cti on a l r eal i ty. In th e i n st an t t h e
abi li ty t o sp e ak i s t ak en a wa y f r om th e t own sp e opl e, th e Imagi n a ry i s
tu rn ed u p si d e do wn —th e R eal r ei gn s su pr e m e wh i l e th e S y mb ol i c
be c om e s fi cti on al l y i n acc e s si bl e an d s o c i etal L aw b egi n s t o
di si n teg rat e . L ac an stat e s i n É cr it s, “i t wa s c e rt ai n l y th e w o rd ( v e r b e)
th at wa s i n th e b egi n n i n g, an d w e l i v e b y i ts c r eati on ” (61 ). Th e
Imagi n a r y axi s p r od u c ed th r ou gh th e i n te ra cti o n o f Sy mb ol ic l an gu ag e
an d th e R e al b egi n s t o b re a k d o wn , an d th e p r ot ec ti on i t on c e
pr o vi ded f r om th e R eal di s app e a rs . Wi th ou t th e p ow e r of w o rd s , Bu f f y
i s l ef t wi th ou t on e o f h e r m ai n w ea p on s . Bu ff y mu st sp ea k i n o rd e r t o
de st r o y Th e G en tl e men a n d r e as s e rt th e S ymb ol i c o rd e r; m aki n g th e
Re al s ym bol i c pr o v o k es th e d e st ru cti on o f th e R e al : i n L ac a n i an
te rm s , “th e sy mb ol man i f es ts i ts el f fi r st of al l as th e mu r de r o f th e
th i n g” (1 04) . Bu ff y , i n th e p osi ti on o f G il es ’ p ri n c es s ii[6], m u st
r ea s s e rt h er p o w e r o v er Th e G en tl em en , an d j u s t as th e m o n st e r s
vi ol at e th ei r vi cti ms , Bu f f y’ s voi c e vi ol ate s th em . A s Bu f f y s c r eam s
Th e G en tl em en co v e r th ei r e a r s — an d th en th e i r h ead s ex pl o de