buffy-the-identity-slayer

[princess-verity]

Imagine if Adam and Eve had decided to just be friends like wouldn’t that be wild

[thebraveandtheblue]

God’s whole plan for human existence depended on two people having enough chemistry to bone

[lost-queen-of-terrasen]

Fun fact! Adam originally had a wife named Lilith, they actually didn’t get along and she got cast out of the garden and replaced with Eve because she proved too willful

[trust-goes-both-ways]

The reason Lilith was willful was she was created from the same clay and at the same time as Adam so she believed they ought to be equals. She refused to “lie beneath” Adam, so she was banished and replaced with Eve, who was made from Adam’s rib and thus not his equal. (source)

[buffy-the-identity-slayer]

So sis knew her worth, didn’t want to do it in missionary all the, demanded equal rights, and got banished, turned into a figure of evil, and replaced. Sounds about right for being the only woman in existence at the time. 

[buffy-the-identity-slayer]

Band Candy

This episode of Buffy shows what happens when adults act like their younger, teenage selves, and children are given free reign without their parents to supervise them. As the town of Sunnydale descends into chaos, we as viewers are able to interpret the message that everyone has aspects of their past identity their embarrassed by.

This episode significantly affected the identities of the adults in the show, namely Joyce, Giles, and Snyder, while also showing how the identities of the teenagers, mostly Buffy, reveal themselves when adult supervision is removed. One important lesson in the episode is that Buffy, when not being told what to do by her mom or Watcher, still steps up and proves herself an adult. Although initially eager to take advantage of the lax rules, she shows maturity that we as viewers have already seen in her identity, but is somewhat surprising to Joyce and Giles, who have seen her recent behavior as childish. The message here is that our identities reveal themselves in important situations.

Joyce’s identity has been established as the worrying, protective mom who stresses over Buffy spending too much time training or slaying and not enough time at home. When she’s changed by the candy, she becomes irresponsible, reckless, impressed by Giles’ bad-boy antics, and develops a “live in the moment” attitude. These changes are shown first by how she speaks, then by how she dresses and the decisions she makes, and finally in how she behaves, specifically going out and acting wild. Her behavior is made more signifcant because many of these things are what she’s reprimanded Buffy for. Her interest in Giles is especially ironic because she’s shown before she doesn’t want Buffy seeing a ‘bad boy’. Joyce is later embarrassed by her actions, specifically having sex with Giles, showing the underlying message that everyone’s embarrassed by their past identities, and in their new identities work to prevent their children from making the same mistakes.

The other significant change is Giles. Like Joyce, Giles worries about Buffy; he wants to maximize her time training so she is capable and stays alive. He’s also upset when he learns Buffy’s bene lying about her whereabouts and sees it as childish. His first confrontation shows the beginning of his de-maturation- he uses the term “freak-out” and sits with his legs spread wide. This stands out because we as viewers are used to his proper behavior. Giles’ regression is more pronounced because he returns to his ‘Ripper’ identity. Giles’ identity throughout the series has been static- he is the wise, patient mentor. However, the knowledge and now evidence that in his younger years Giles’ was a rebellious hellion is a stark contrast. The strength of Giles’ identity is reinforced by Oz’s assumption that even as a teenager Giles’ would be calm. Despite how strongly his identity is known to himself and those around him, Giles still went through the process of finding himself- it was just done before the shows premiere. Giles identity as an adult and embarrassment at the end of the episode also suggest the underlying message that he is ashamed of aspects of his identity as a teenager. His story is significant because it shows how much you can change as you grow up, and despite his embarrassment parts of Giles’ identity then contribute to the grounded, intelligent Watcher he became.

Less significant but notable in the case of identity is also Principal. Principal Snyder’s behavior as a teenager is identical to the annoying, mischievous, and immature behavior he punishes students for. The message of being embarrassed of your past is present here as well, but for Snyder it is probably that he is an extreme example of not wanting kids to act like him, or even more likely that he’s forgotten what it was like to be a teenager and can’t excuse such behavior.

The characters of Buffy have all experienced some sort of identity growth, whether on screen or off. Showing this episode highlights through the characters already comfortable in their identities the importance of growth, because no one is ever comfortable with how they were when looking back on their teenage years. It serves to convince viewers and characters alike to let the teenagers grow, because when they are finally settled in their identities they will cringe to look back on their teenage identities.

[20andsomethinggirl]

When you find a cheap apartment

[buffy-the-identity-slayer]

Surprise/Innocence

Prompt- What high school “monster” is featured in this episode?

The entire episode “Surprise” serves to set up the Angelus story-arc that will round off season 2. “Innocence” begins the arc and jolts the audience with the sudden change in character dynamic. However, looking beyond that, the episode gives us the underlying themes of growing up, maturity, and how it all will affect us and our identities. Joss Whedon’s “monster” is not so obvious as The Judge. Rather, it’s the looming monster that is the future when your young and still figuring out how to grow up and what that will mean.

Let’s start by analyzing where our characters are already. The episode begins, as many have and will, with a dream sequence. Of course, since its Buffy, a dream is never just a dream; it’s always symbolic or prophetic in some way. In this case, it’s both. Everything in this dream serves a purpose in connecting to some part of the episode- the location, the Bronze, is where Buffy’s surprise party happens; Willow is with a monkey, showing her growing relationship with Oz and calling back to their interaction in “What’s My Line, Pt 2”; Joyce dropping the plate is like a cue- Buffy thinks something will happen to Angel because that’s the order of the dream. Even the music that plays is connected to Buffy’s current identity and her relationship status with Angel. The lyric “I’ll do anything for you, now that I’ve found this love” in particular reflects the depths of their emotions for one another. For Buffy, Angel, and Willow, the dream places them at a moment in their identities when they’re ready to move forward romantically.

The conversation Buffy and Willow have about moving forward with her relationship with Angel is obviously about sex, specifically whether or not Buffy should have her first time with him. Even though the whole episode is centered around maturing, I think it’s important to note here that Buffy is very much affected by her circumstances being the Slayer and aware of her destiny. She’s turning 17. Even though everyone is probably worrying about growing up right around then, I have a feeling she wouldn’t feel quite certain if she didn’t know death was a possibility every time she left her house. This is another aspect of the “monster”. For some people, it comes after them too early and pushes them into making hasty decisions. Buffy especially wants to face the monster of growing up, probably especially because she’s afraid if she doesn’t take control, take these steps, and experience these things like love and sex, she won’t get the chance to.

Xander and Willow also display signs of maturity in their attempts to move their relationships forward. The “monster” is real for them too, but without the fear of impending doom all the time, they’re free to experience love at a more reasonable pace.  

What’s important to note here in the main reason growing up is a “monster” or something to fear, is often because it means change. Buffy doesn’t know how sleeping with Angel will change her, or them. Her fear’s come to fruition when it’s not her that changes after their night together, it’s him, in the worst way possible. Both literally and metaphorically speaking. Metaphorically, Angel’s transformation brings to life this every-girl fear that sex will change the way a man sees you, and afterwards he will no longer want you.

Maturity is of course part of growing up. Despite these episodes displaying romantic relationships in a way that closely ties them to maturity, an important moment is near the end of “Surprise” when Buffy displays maturity and strategy by coming up with a sound plan. I want to mention this especially because Buffy doesn’t need her relationship with Angel for her to mature. She’s still her own person, and will continue to grow despite Angel’s involvement.

Moving onto the plot of “Innocence” Angel (or Angelus) himself actually becomes a sort of high school monster feared by regular girls and Slayers alike. Yes, he’s technically a different person, and the actions of Angel and Angelus are considered separate by the characters in the show. But Buffy at first doesn’t know this. She experiences her first time, then wakes up to find she’s seemingly been abandoned, and when she sees him again he treats her like a child. He makes light of this important moment for her. Losing her virginity, to Buffy, was an important part of growing up. By treating her this way, Angelus basically yanks that feeling of maturity away from her. Every girl is warned, even before high school, that something like this could happen. The high school monster is the boy who treats you like he loves you, who gets you to give him something as valuable as your heart (or virginity) and then uses it as a way to hurt you. This same monster actually appears, to a much lesser extent, in the character of Parker in season 4.

Overall, Whedon portrays two possible monsters besides the obvious Judge, regular crew of vampires, and reappearance of Angel’s demonic alter ego. The fear of the future is almost universal among high school students, and Buffy’s and her friends approach to it reflect how we all have to take on that monster differently. The monster Angelus represents is also a common fear, and I believe Whedon purposefully chooses to portray Buffy reacting the way she does (“He’s making it easier […] I have to kill him”) to show that despite her anger not completely working out for her, it’s still better to react, and take action, than sit around and mope. Buffy’s maturity and experience growing up is showed once more at the end. She has matured to the point where she recognizes Angelus is not Angel; the man she loved didn’t really hurt her in that way. However despite defeating him in battle, she doesn’t kill him. Her line as she walks away from him though, “Give me time”, shows this is a step she has yet to reach, but she promises to continue growing up and maturing to the point where she is capable of this. We see this milestone in her maturity several episodes later, when she kills Angel in the finale.