**Author's note: This piece was written for a college course on prose stylistics and literary criticism. As my Throwback Thursday homage it celebrates one of my favorite shows as well as the agony of writing college papers. Enjoy...or not...but read at your own risk!**
A LITTLE MONSTER IN YOUR MAN: Buffy and Her Beasts
Once upon a time, a classic fairytale gave rise to the
gradual and tormented courtship of a beauty and a beast. This love story
between the beautiful and the monstrous has recurred in a variety of mediums
and has carried a myriad of interpretations. In the cult hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy claims
to long for a “normal” life, but is consistently drawn to the darker side.
Every relationship she takes on with the average mortal male self destructs,
often by her own doing. Both Buffy and her companions are drawn to the beast,
literally and metaphorically, walking a fine line of love and hate with the
vampires and demons they are forced to fight. In the course of the series, the symbolism
of the male beast appears to serve two important functions. First, it acts as a
metaphor for pubescent sexual angst, and second, it represents the internal
balance of dark and light that plagues the heroes.
This subconscious desire to cuddle
with the beast manifests itself into each of the “Scoobies” in some way. Buffy’s
most gratifying attachment to a member of the opposite sex occurs with Angel, a
vampire cursed with a soul who is unable to consummate their affair for fear of
losing his humanity. Her other major relationships are with Riley Finn, a
military man who hunts demons, and Spike, a neutered vampire that develops a
false sense of humanity. Willow, Buffy’s best friend in the series, manages to
date a werewolf, a witch, and a potential slayer. Xander, the third original
member of the group, aside from his various demonic-related dating
misadventures, almost takes a walk down the aisle with an ex-vengeance demon.
Sick sense of humor aside, this
trend raises questions about why these characters need to adhere themselves to
monsters. It could be chocked up to a simple hazard of the working environment.
Consistently entrenching themselves in the demonic world means that the only
individuals they meet on a regular basis are likely to be demons or other demon
fighters. Yet, nothing is truly that simple, particularly in terms of love. Spike, one of the shows central characters, is
often interjecting odd, but appropriate words of wisdom, of love he says “[it] isn't brains, children; it's blood, blood
screaming inside you to work its will” (Mutant Enemy 3.8). As he so viscerally
points out, love – or at the very least, attraction – is often times beyond our
control.
Love and passion fall into a spectrum of human emotions that work to
conjure beastly reactions in the characters. Carolyn Korsmeyer, a professor of
philosophy explains this connection in her article “Passion and Action: In and
Out of Control.” She points out that “the emotions are sometimes linked with
appetites, for both involve desire; Plato considered appetites especially
dangerous likening them to wild beasts housed in the body” (162). This analysis
is the perfect set up for how the show examines powerful feelings and
responses, utilizing physical transformations and magical metamorphoses to
represent how these emotions affect the characters. Only, in Buffy the Vampire the Slayer, the wild
beasts are no longer “housed in the body,” they come out to play for the entire
world to see.
The beastly nature as a metaphor for pubescent
sexual angst is first blatantly portrayed in the episode “Phases” when Willow
first learns about her boyfriend Oz’s werewolf tendencies. Early in that
segment, Willow
expresses concern about how tentative Oz has been with their physical
relationship. She appreciates the fact that he is willing to wait until she’s
ready, but she is almost impatient about moving their relationship to the next
level, even if it is only “smoochies.” Throughout the episode, references to a
guy’s beastly nature are related to his sexual prowess and the werewolf
transformation becomes a metaphor for the sexual predator that exists within. As
Korsmeyer points out, the show’s attempt to place each character “‘beside
oneself’ with emotion fits neatly with the capacity of magic to wreak havoc
that the person in his or her ordinary mind would never attempt” (163). Utilizing
the world of demons and paranormal activity allows the show to represent some
powerful emotions through beastly changes in the character’s physical and
mental persona. In Oz’s case, manifesting his deeply hidden sexual angst and
subsequent jealous anger in the form of the werewolf.
At the height of the action in “Phases,”
Willow is forced to subdue Oz by shooting him with a tranquilizer gun to prevent
him from devouring her while in his beastly form, a very obvious metaphor for
the young woman shooting down the virile man in his sexual pursuit of her. When
Willow finally
realizes the precarious situation her boyfriend is in, she is forced to make a
decision about their relationship. When Oz asks her if she’d still like to date
him, Willow responds by saying, “well, I like you. You're nice and you're
funny. And you don't smoke. Yeah, okay, werewolf, but that's not all the time.
I mean, three days out of the month I'm not much fun to be around either” (Mutant
Enemy 2.15). Her response is both comical and deep, as she compares his inner
struggles to her menstrual cycle, further illustrating the connection to
pubescence and sexuality growing within both of them.
This idea of sexual angst is
reiterated again in the episode entitled “Beauty and the Beasts.” As Willow is reading to Oz in
his werewolf form, she realizes that he becomes overtly “stimulated” during the
passages where the dogs are hunting rabbits. Xander comes in to relieve Willow
of her duties for the night and she warns him about reading the parts that
mention rabbits. Xander makes an unwitting remark replacing the word “rabbis”
for “rabbits,” which any avid fan would pick up on as a subversive comment that
covertly indicates Willow, who is Jewish, as the one that human Oz is truly
interested in pursuing.
As we come to realize, this alternate side of
Oz is uncontrollable and in complete opposition to his human half. When he
first discovers the beast inside of him, it manifests as something completely
separate. He retains no memories of the wolf’s activities and doesn’t see it as
a cohesive part of who he is. Yet, as the series progresses Oz is forced to
admit the power of his inner beast. After an encounter with a female werewolf
who awakens a very ferocious sexuality within him, he explains to Willow, “the
wolf is inside me all the time and I don't know where that line is anymore
between me and it” (Mutant Enemy 4.6).
The “Beauty and the Beasts” episode
is, in itself, an attempt to look closer at this beauty-seeks-the-beast style
of relationship. It deals with the reaction of three different women who learn
that recent brutal murders in Sunnydale could be the handiwork of their
boyfriends. Each boyfriend exhibits some form of monster behavior. The episode
opens with a paraphrased quote from Jack London’s very appropriate classic
novel The Call of the Wild. “He was
sounding the deeps of his nature and the parts of his nature that were deeper
than he, going back into the wombs of time” (Mutant Enemy 3.4). Although these
are not London’s exact words, they carry the same sense that even the most
cultured beast is drawn to his primitive nature with a force beyond
comprehension. Even though Oz is caged during the full moon when he is
susceptible to the beast, his animal nature is stronger than he realizes.
Without the control of his humanity, Oz’s beast is capable of all manner of
atrocities.
Oz subsequently becomes the first
suspect when a student is found mauled in the woods. Even though Oz was “safely”
in his cage at the start of the night, Xander who was left to watch him, fell
asleep during and awoke to find an opening in the tiny room that Oz could have
escaped through. It is interesting that Xander, another male, is the one to lose
sight of Oz’s monster. He even goes so far as to defend Oz by pointing out the
division of man and beast. He proclaims to the group that “Oz does not eat
people. It’s more werewolf play” (Mutant Enemy 3.4). It is possible that Xander
does this because he understands the power of the primal nature. Earlier in the
series he was possessed by the spirit of a hyena and quickly succumbed to the
predatory urges, attacking both Buffy and Willow out of his base physical needs
for food and sex.
Oz isn’t the only man whose beastly
behavior is scrutinized in the episode. Later, while investigating the murders
further, Buffy is shocked to find a very feral Angel roaming around. The
proverbial star-crossed lovers of the show, Buffy and Angel have experienced a
truly tortured union. Early on they denied their love, but slowly gave in to
their desire and consummated it in a blissful moment of passion. As we can see
here, the theme of sexual angst is not reserved only for Willow and Oz, Buffy
and Angel have already coined it, minted and stamped. Unknown to either of
them, when they allowed themselves to get naked together, their union gave
Angel a “moment of true happiness” which ripped away his gypsy-cursed soul,
leaving behind only his vicious vampire nature. Suddenly, the giving caring
boyfriend is transformed into a relentless evil monster. Can anyone say:
“cautionary tale against teenage sex?” It has the same ring as the proverb
parents spout to their young daughters, warning them that all a guy is after is
sex. Once he gets it – well, in Angel’s case at least – he goes all evil.
Buffy was eventually forced to
fight the demonic Angel. The last time she saw him was when she plunged a sword
through his chest and sent him into hell, but not before witnessing that his
soul had been restored to him. Even though it was technically his demonic side
that put her in a position to destroy him, it is the human soul that must
suffer for the wrongs of the beast. If she fails to close the demonic portal he
has opened, the world will end, which is a pretty strong metaphor for achieving
closure. So, when she happens upon him acting like a mad dog in the wilderness,
his unexpected return prompts her to wonder if he could be responsible for the
attacks. Unable to kill him on the spot, she tries to prevent him from wreaking
further havoc by chaining him up in an abandoned mansion. She even goes into
research mode and confronts her watcher, Giles, about what Angel might be like
if he returned from Hell.
Because of the torture and pain
that his demonic side inflicted upon her and all of the people close to her,
including Giles, Buffy is initially reluctant to admit to anyone that Angel is
alive. Giles responds to her queries, saying that “it would take someone of
extraordinary will and character to survive that and retain any semblance of
self. Most likely he’d be a monster” (Mutant Enemy 3.4). When Buffy acts
defeated, worried that it means Angel is a lost cause. Giles continues by
explaining to her that he believes there are two types of monsters, the “first
can be redeemed, or more importantly wants to be redeemed…[and] the second is
void of humanity, cannot respond to reason or love.” Buffy knows that Angel has
a soul hidden somewhere beneath his wild, animal behavior, but she now realizes
that he has to make the decision to subdue his monster and claim his humanity. Even
armed with this knowledge she is still drawn to him, pulled by the need to
humanize him. Whether it is for his own good or her own guilt, she continues to
reach out to him.
The real perpetrator of the vicious
murders winds up being neither Oz nor Angel. In actuality there is a male
student who has worked up his own Jekyll and Hyde tonic. Pete, out of sheer
desperation to keep his girlfriend, Debbie, has concocted a potion that makes
him super macho. Unfortunately it sends him into jealous rages and he not only
beats Debbie, but he also attacks anyone that he perceives as a threat to their
relationship. When their bizarre union is uncovered, there is a scene in which
Pete realizes that Debbie has disposed of his formula, which she claims she did
in an attempt to help him. Pete goes wild and blames Debbie for his behavior,
screaming at her: “You’re the reason I started the formulas in the first place,
to be the man you wanted” (Mutant Enemy 3.4). He then goes all veiny skinned
and crazy and gives Debbie a nasty black eye. Suddenly, we are in the territory
of domestic abuse and possibly alcoholism with the “potion-drinking” metaphor.
Yet, more interesting is the idea that Pete senses Debbie’s desire for the
beast. He believes that by making himself more macho and manly, in this
instance more monster-like, he will be more attractive to her. In the end this
unbalance destroys them. Pete has reached the point where he doesn’t need to
take the formula to become a monster, it has taken over and when he transforms
again, he kills Debbie. The beast surfaces to destroy his last link to
humanity, making Pete the second type of monster identified by Giles, the one
that cannot be saved.
Also in this episode we see Buffy
trying to have a normal relationship with your average high school boy. Scott
is sweet and patient, and he doesn’t know about her past as a slayer. Early on
there is a scene between Buffy and Faith in which they are discussing her new
beau. Buffy expresses her relief that he isn’t any kind of “hell beast.” Yet,
Faith is quick to reply that “all men are beasts” (Mutant Enemy 3.4). Buffy
appears shocked by her pessimism, so Faith proceeds to explain her statement.
“Every guy from manimal down to ‘I like the English
Patient’ has beast in him…I don’t care how sensitive they act. They’re all
still just in it for the chase.” Whether Buffy believes her or not, the episode
seems to side with Faith’s assumption. At least as far as the men are
concerned. As Carolyn Korsmeyer puts it, “the figure of the human turned animal
vividly captures the picture of anger and aggression as brutish elements of the
emotional range…this theme seems especially apt for the male of the species”
(South 164). So far in the series, only a few of the main female characters
have been overtaken by a wild, feral nature. Yet, the men seem rather
susceptible to it. What exactly that is trying to say about the difference
between the men and women of the show is debatable. Yet, men should take heart,
eventually the women also have to battle a demonic side. It simply takes them
longer to achieve it. Yet, when they are faced with it, it is also tied to deep
emotional responses.
The other allure of the beast to
consider is that of commonality. Buffy and her comrades share a very secretive
lifestyle and they have to be careful who they bring into their world of
demons. More often than not, the character’s rejection of your average human
mate has to do with a keen understanding of the danger that they face on a day
to day basis. There is an interesting quote hanging on my wall. It is from a
poster titled “What is Love?” The quote comes from Georg Hegel and states,
“True Union, or Love Proper, exist only between living beings who are alike in
power and thus in one another’s eyes.” Although the source is questionable, it
encapsulates an idea that seems pivotal to understanding the relationship
choices of Buffy and her friends. The mates they desire must have the power to
brave the dangers that they face and the capacity to understand the line
between good and evil that they must straddle. This is a difficult balance and
practically impossible for the average mortal to maintain.
Buffy does try to make things work
with Scott, but she is constantly distracted. After she finds Angel in the
woods, she is more concerned with how to handle him and what she can do to
help. She is forced to visit the high school counselor, Mr. Platt who listens
to her distress about how her relationship with Angel ended. Granted, he
doesn’t hear all the gory vampire and slayer details, but he is able to make
general assumptions that fit her relationship. As he tries to convince Buffy
that she needs to focus her concern back on herself and moving forward with her
life, Buffy isn’t sure that she can. Mr. Platt is quick to respond by telling
her that it is important to gain control over her emotions and let the
destructive relationship go, otherwise “love becomes your master and you’re
just its dog” (Mutant Enemy 3.4). Still, Buffy can’t seem to let go of the
beast. She has a nice sweet boy that she could easily “move on” with, but she
still returns to Angel.
Angel is
Buffy’s true equal in the series. After their love affair, she is unable to
completely give herself to any other man in her life. She carries out a
relationship with Riley Finn, who is also a demon fighter. He can hold his own
against the monsters due to his military training, but he has no supernatural
strength like Buffy. Riley is the closest that Buffy comes to having a “normal”
relationship. He is a “corn-fed” Iowa boy, who is open, sweet and spends
holidays at his family’s farm. Yet, he is also able to accept her power and her
role as the slayer. Instead of feeling threatened by Buffy, Riley finds himself
in awe of her. Even though Riley is everything she could have hoped for in a
human mate, she does not give herself over to the full passion of loving him.
Riley is consistently confronted
with what his relationship with Buffy is lacking. First, her kid sister, Dawn,
naively points out the lack of passion. In comparing Buffy’s relationship with
Angel to the one with Riley, she innocently tells Riley that “every day was
like the end of the world. She doesn't get all worked up like that over you”
(Mutant Enemy 5.8). Although Dawn doesn’t mean to, she calls attention to the
fact that Buffy has shut down with Riley, she hasn’t shared with him the depth
of emotion that she shared with Angel. Spike, everybody’s favorite bad guy
takes more delight in pointing out what Riley is lacking. Spike also has a
strange attraction to the slayer and in an effort to remove Riley from her
life, tells him, “face it, white bread. Buffy's got a type, and you're not it.
She likes us dangerous, rough, and occasionally bumpy in the forehead region.
Not that she doesn't like you, but sorry, Charlie, you're just not dark enough”
(Mutant Enemy 5.8).
As Riley slowly realizes that Buffy
isn’t actually in love with him, he tries to touch the dark-side of who she is.
He even goes so far as to pay vampires to bite him in his attempt to understand
the power that they have over her. This of course only brings their
relationship to a crashing halt. Buffy sees his actions as a betrayal of her
and her rejection drives him back to the military. He leaves in the cover of
night to work with a secret government group that hunts demons before Buffy can
realize the shot at real human-slayer love she had with him.
This eventually paves the way for
Spike to make his move. Up until season five, Buffy’s response has pretty much
been that he is an evil disgusting vampire. Spike came into her life as the
enemy and she continues to view him as such. Spike argues that he’s like Angel
because of a chip that has been planted in his head. The chip may prevent him
from committing brutalities against human beings, but Spike still doesn’t have
a soul. He may be harnessed by the chip, but he is still a monster. As Buffy
proclaims to Spike, “You're like a serial killer in prison!” (Mutant Enemy
5.14). She continues to fight against Spike’s advances, even when he proves
that he is capable of actions that mimic humanity, Buffy resists a potential
connection as long as she possibly can.
Yet, one can only come up against
so much evil and power without the threat of corruption rearing its ugly head.
Each of the “Scoobies” has to maintain an inner harmony between the beastly and
the human. Although they each make questionable decisions throughout, it isn’t
until the sixth season that they truly indulge in the darkness that they fear. Willow turns to the dark
magic, using it like a drug until she basically implodes. Xander comes face to
face with his fears about becoming an abusive alcoholic husband and turns his
back on the woman that he loves. And Buffy finally gives in to a sexual
relationship with Spike, who claims to love her even though he lacks a soul. This
seems almost an inevitable evolution of each character’s self understanding. As
Friedrich Nietzsche states in aphorism #146 in Beyond Good and Evil, “Anyone who fights with monsters should take
care that he does not in the process become a monster…if you gaze for long in
the abyss, the abyss gaze back into you” (68). Buffy and her comrades are bound
to experience the darkness. It is what they do, once they have, that defines
their true character.
Willow’s
dark magic is spurred by revenge to find the people who killed her lover, but
it is love, expressed from Xander, her oldest and closest friend, that brings
her back from the void. Buffy may give in to a relationship with Spike, but it
is a base sexual union that gives her only physical satisfaction. She
eventually has to end it, explaining to Spike, “I'm using you. I can't love
you. I'm just being weak, and selfish, and it's killing me” (Mutant Enemy
6.14). Each of the characters is hovering on a precipice simply because of the
power that they possess. They could easily use their strength for evil and it
is this precarious balance that makes it difficult to create a meaningful relationship.
Buffy rejects the human male because he seems to represent a purity that she
does not have, in his need to understand her, he practically destroys himself.
Yet, she cannot allow herself the luxury of wallowing with a true enemy, like
Spike, because his darkness threatens to further taint her own humanity. They
each must come to terms with their own beauty and their own beastly nature.
They gravitate towards others who understand their plight. In what might be
considered an inversion of the tale, their beasts are also attracted to the
beauty of control and harmony that they see represented in the other.
Works Cited
Korsmeyer, Carolyn. “Passion and Action: In and Out of
Control.” Buffy the Vampire Slayer and
Philosophy:
Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale. Ed. James B. South. Chicago: Open
Court, 2003. 160-172.
Nietzsche, Friedrich. Beyond
Good and Evil. Trans. & Ed. Marion Faber. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1998.
Mutant Enemy. Buffy
the Vampire Slayer, Seasons 1-7. Twentieth Century Fox Television,
California. 1997-2003.
Hegel, Georg. “What is Love?” Mantis Designs.
Additional Sources
Stafford, Nikki. Bite Me! An Unofficial Guide to the World
of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada: ECW
Press, 2002.
“Buffy Multimedia: Guides/Transcripts.” Buffy vs Angel. Internet Promotion Services. (1998
2006). 27 April 2007. .
**Note: Quotations from individual episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer were
transcribed by the author and checked against the Buffy vs Angel website for accuracy.
