Buffyverse meta: 'Halloween'
Jan. 24th, 2006 07:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccaelizabethOkay, basic theory of 'Halloween' -
It's about power.
Specifically, Buffy's power as the Slayer.
Superficially this is obvious – Buffy tries to be a normal girl, loses her Slayer power, nearly gets killed, gets her power back, 'its good to be me'.
But I believe that the transformations the other characters go through, the costumes they choose, also represent aspects of Buffy's power.
Giles: Because you are the Slayer. Into each generation a Slayer is born, one girl in all the world, a Chosen One, one born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires...
Keyword the first – born.
To be a Slayer is to be born to power. Its a kind of aristocracy. Not earned, but granted by right of birth alone.
Buffy dresses as a young noblewoman, an aristocrat. As one also born to power.
Keyword the second – strength.
Xander dresses as a soldier, the modern archetype of martial prowess. The original script specifically notes his newly bulging muscles. Presumably adding a muscle suit was impractical, or possibly just unnecessary – without the loose clothes Xander typically wears his existing muscles are more evident.
Xander dresses as a warrior, as the Slayer is also a warrior.
Keyword the third – skill.
Now with this one I admit I'm reaching, because the concept I'm really looking for here is knowledge.
Willow dresses as... nothing much. A ghost. Boo!
But, out of all of them, she is the only one who doesn't lose her knowledge.
The Slayer can hunt and kill vampires only because she knows what is going on. So knowledge is a key, and oft overlooked, aspect of the Slayer.
In this way the three of them represent three aspects of the Slayer's powers.
But, split up as those powers are, they each become impotent.
Buffy is rendered powerless because all she has now is birthright. And this is America. No one seems to acknowledge that being born 'noble' is about power at all. Buffy faints and waits for others to look after her. They do, but not because she is noble, just because she needs it. No power there.
Xander has the fighting skills but initially not a single solitary clue what to do. Limited power but no way to apply it.
Xander is not in a position to give orders – he dresses as a Private, the lowest rank. He does come up with a plan when Willow leaves, but he is happier taking orders from her.
Why?
Because she has the knowledge. Not birth, not rank, not formal hierarchical authority. She is simply the only one there with a clue, and the clueless others need her for that.
But knowledge is a kind of power that can be shared without being lost. Willow tells them what is going on. But, since her knowledge is limited, so is her power over the situation. Off to get more knowledge. Leave the others to hide until they can figure out what to do.
Willow's power is limited very obviously – she can't touch anything, hit anything, or indeed turn any pages in books.
All she can do is go to the right person for help.
The Watcher.
Who, being Knowledge Guy, pulls things together.
But doesn't solve the problem with brains alone. Beats Ethan until the right answer is given. Smashes the statue.
Knowledge+muscle.
And how did he acquire these?
Birth. He was born to be a Watcher, as was his father before him.
So Giles represents the three aspects of power right there.
But he doesn't have sufficient of one of them to fight vampires. He isn't strong enough.
The Slayer does the Vampire fighting.
So, of course, once she pulls herself together again – all aspects of her power her own – she kicks Spike's ass.
It is indeed good to be her.
But to be her needs a Watcher.
The guy that wrote Halloween never wrote another episode. He got fired.
I'm wondering if thats maybe because he didn't exactly write a Buffy story.
The girl power aspects of the story are kind of limited, and it seems to be at least as much about aspects of masculinity, and assumptions about men.
Which, part of the fun, for analysing.
Cordelia is also around. Not part of the gang, the transformation, or the power. She runs, she screams, she gets help. Her costume is 'catwoman' but not the sexy whip and acrobatics version from comics. Just a pussy (wimp).
She also spends the whole episode flirting and trying to gain control through flirting. Trying to get Angel despite her ongoing thing with (the admittedly absent) Devon. Not assuming any responsibility, not volunteering to look after kids either at the school at the start or at the end when the kids turn back from monsters. She points out something needs to be done about them, but she doesn't do anything.
The flirting doesn't get her anywhere.
Buffy gets depressed and insecure because Cordy has this Slayer level dating power, the whole turning up looking great thing.
But Cordy turns out to be powerless. Can't get her man (Devon), Buffy's man (Angel), or her own safety. Xander protected her, but not from any prurient interest. Not because she was a sexy girl in a cat costume. She had lots of skin showing in ripped places. The first thing he did was give her his jacket to cover up with. To him she was just another civilian. When Xander splits them up to secure the house he brings Cordy with him and sends Buffy with Angel – a civilian and a fighter in each group, so they can protect them.
Angel he trusted to check the back door and look after fainting girl. Why? Male? Large? Apparently knows their names? Check that.
So – sex as power, gets her nowhere. Birth as power, on its own, ditto. Muscle has limited success but isn't sufficient against demon foes. He would have been mincemeat if the spell didn't end right away. Knowledge again has limited success, but again would not have prevailed without muscle, without the ability to take effective action.
Buffy, when her own self, has birth, muscle, knowledge, and also sex on her side. Doesn't tend to use sex. Not even in the 'being bait' way.
Giles has birth, muscle, knowledge, and... demon orgies? ;-)
definitely not using sex to get anything.
Xander hasn't got birth, muscle, or knowledge. Or sex. He basically has the whole 'turning up' part down. And also caring. Mustn't forget that.
Willow has the knowledge. Doesn't use the sex. Or the muscle. Hasn't birthright. But ends up very powerful indeed. Lots and lots of magic knowledge.
Actually Willow is specifically extra sexy for the night, but doesn't try and use it, or even actually notice it after she stops being embarrassed.
The other thing about Willow's costume – the 'BOO'.
Fear? Surprise?
Slayer power has an aspect of fear. Initiative guy saying the Slayer was the scary story to keep mini demons in line.
Mini demons tonight, no Slayer, very much out of line.
But Willow isn't scary.
She is surprising. Power in an unexpected package. That is definitely a Slayer thing.
The whole episode can be read to say complex things about the nature of Slayer power, what the important parts of power are.
Basically -
Knowledge, applied, with some muscle behind it.
But you need the whole package to beat vampires.
It's about power.
Specifically, Buffy's power as the Slayer.
Superficially this is obvious – Buffy tries to be a normal girl, loses her Slayer power, nearly gets killed, gets her power back, 'its good to be me'.
But I believe that the transformations the other characters go through, the costumes they choose, also represent aspects of Buffy's power.
Giles: Because you are the Slayer. Into each generation a Slayer is born, one girl in all the world, a Chosen One, one born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires...
Keyword the first – born.
To be a Slayer is to be born to power. Its a kind of aristocracy. Not earned, but granted by right of birth alone.
Buffy dresses as a young noblewoman, an aristocrat. As one also born to power.
Keyword the second – strength.
Xander dresses as a soldier, the modern archetype of martial prowess. The original script specifically notes his newly bulging muscles. Presumably adding a muscle suit was impractical, or possibly just unnecessary – without the loose clothes Xander typically wears his existing muscles are more evident.
Xander dresses as a warrior, as the Slayer is also a warrior.
Keyword the third – skill.
Now with this one I admit I'm reaching, because the concept I'm really looking for here is knowledge.
Willow dresses as... nothing much. A ghost. Boo!
But, out of all of them, she is the only one who doesn't lose her knowledge.
The Slayer can hunt and kill vampires only because she knows what is going on. So knowledge is a key, and oft overlooked, aspect of the Slayer.
In this way the three of them represent three aspects of the Slayer's powers.
But, split up as those powers are, they each become impotent.
Buffy is rendered powerless because all she has now is birthright. And this is America. No one seems to acknowledge that being born 'noble' is about power at all. Buffy faints and waits for others to look after her. They do, but not because she is noble, just because she needs it. No power there.
Xander has the fighting skills but initially not a single solitary clue what to do. Limited power but no way to apply it.
Xander is not in a position to give orders – he dresses as a Private, the lowest rank. He does come up with a plan when Willow leaves, but he is happier taking orders from her.
Why?
Because she has the knowledge. Not birth, not rank, not formal hierarchical authority. She is simply the only one there with a clue, and the clueless others need her for that.
But knowledge is a kind of power that can be shared without being lost. Willow tells them what is going on. But, since her knowledge is limited, so is her power over the situation. Off to get more knowledge. Leave the others to hide until they can figure out what to do.
Willow's power is limited very obviously – she can't touch anything, hit anything, or indeed turn any pages in books.
All she can do is go to the right person for help.
The Watcher.
Who, being Knowledge Guy, pulls things together.
But doesn't solve the problem with brains alone. Beats Ethan until the right answer is given. Smashes the statue.
Knowledge+muscle.
And how did he acquire these?
Birth. He was born to be a Watcher, as was his father before him.
So Giles represents the three aspects of power right there.
But he doesn't have sufficient of one of them to fight vampires. He isn't strong enough.
The Slayer does the Vampire fighting.
So, of course, once she pulls herself together again – all aspects of her power her own – she kicks Spike's ass.
It is indeed good to be her.
But to be her needs a Watcher.
The guy that wrote Halloween never wrote another episode. He got fired.
I'm wondering if thats maybe because he didn't exactly write a Buffy story.
The girl power aspects of the story are kind of limited, and it seems to be at least as much about aspects of masculinity, and assumptions about men.
Which, part of the fun, for analysing.
Cordelia is also around. Not part of the gang, the transformation, or the power. She runs, she screams, she gets help. Her costume is 'catwoman' but not the sexy whip and acrobatics version from comics. Just a pussy (wimp).
She also spends the whole episode flirting and trying to gain control through flirting. Trying to get Angel despite her ongoing thing with (the admittedly absent) Devon. Not assuming any responsibility, not volunteering to look after kids either at the school at the start or at the end when the kids turn back from monsters. She points out something needs to be done about them, but she doesn't do anything.
The flirting doesn't get her anywhere.
Buffy gets depressed and insecure because Cordy has this Slayer level dating power, the whole turning up looking great thing.
But Cordy turns out to be powerless. Can't get her man (Devon), Buffy's man (Angel), or her own safety. Xander protected her, but not from any prurient interest. Not because she was a sexy girl in a cat costume. She had lots of skin showing in ripped places. The first thing he did was give her his jacket to cover up with. To him she was just another civilian. When Xander splits them up to secure the house he brings Cordy with him and sends Buffy with Angel – a civilian and a fighter in each group, so they can protect them.
Angel he trusted to check the back door and look after fainting girl. Why? Male? Large? Apparently knows their names? Check that.
So – sex as power, gets her nowhere. Birth as power, on its own, ditto. Muscle has limited success but isn't sufficient against demon foes. He would have been mincemeat if the spell didn't end right away. Knowledge again has limited success, but again would not have prevailed without muscle, without the ability to take effective action.
Buffy, when her own self, has birth, muscle, knowledge, and also sex on her side. Doesn't tend to use sex. Not even in the 'being bait' way.
Giles has birth, muscle, knowledge, and... demon orgies? ;-)
definitely not using sex to get anything.
Xander hasn't got birth, muscle, or knowledge. Or sex. He basically has the whole 'turning up' part down. And also caring. Mustn't forget that.
Willow has the knowledge. Doesn't use the sex. Or the muscle. Hasn't birthright. But ends up very powerful indeed. Lots and lots of magic knowledge.
Actually Willow is specifically extra sexy for the night, but doesn't try and use it, or even actually notice it after she stops being embarrassed.
The other thing about Willow's costume – the 'BOO'.
Fear? Surprise?
Slayer power has an aspect of fear. Initiative guy saying the Slayer was the scary story to keep mini demons in line.
Mini demons tonight, no Slayer, very much out of line.
But Willow isn't scary.
She is surprising. Power in an unexpected package. That is definitely a Slayer thing.
The whole episode can be read to say complex things about the nature of Slayer power, what the important parts of power are.
Basically -
Knowledge, applied, with some muscle behind it.
But you need the whole package to beat vampires.
Good stuff
Date: 2006-01-24 07:38 pm (UTC)I have no holes to poke in it. I do believe the ep is all about the nature of the Slayer's power, and further about the nature of individual power in general.
With it's Janus imagery, and the "male/female sides" imagery, I think it's all about Buffy's need for both the strength and the softness, both the mind, and the heart . . . both the traditionally masculine, and the traditionally feminine, sides of herself, to be successful (as a Slayer, and as woman, and as a person).
You gotta have the crunchy! You gotta have the creamy! I don't know if you ever read my analysis of this ep on the S3 - I take a different angle but come to basically the same conclusions.
Anyhow - nice work and really interesting observations and insights.
Spring
Good interesting stuff!
Date: 2006-01-24 10:45 pm (UTC)I think it's no coincidence that Willow is the one who retains her knowledge. And she does so because she chooses her own preference for a costume instead of letting Buffy dress her up the way Buffy wants to - instead she is a ghost, but she becomes a ghost of herself. And by the end, because she is more confident about herself, she is OK with wearing the clothes Buffy picked out because now she feels like she is still her. Um. If that makes sense.
Liked how you point out Giles representing all the aspects of the slayer and the way you wrap up the different characters at the end to come back to the main point - it's all about power.
Lola
no subject
Date: 2006-01-24 11:36 pm (UTC)Interesting that the "combo Buffy" concept turns up again in "Primeval". I wonder if "Halloween" inspired it.