an introduction to the buffyversejporter/16_buffy_combo_2013.pdfdie god die! • theological...

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

An Introduction to the Buffyverse

•  Horror film conventions –  Misogynist? –  Violence against women –  Male gaze –  Objectification of women

•  True of TV too? TV crime dramas = “die, women, die”?

•  2004-2009 saw a 2% increase per year in violence on television over all, but 120% increase of violence against women; and a 400% increase in depictions of violence against teenage girls. (PTC)

•  Why?


•  Joss Whedon (1964-‐) –  Wanted to create a film, TV series that

deliberately reversed horror film conven?ons –  Wanted to play with the ques?on, ‘What

happens when a preDy girl walks down a dark alley…?”

–  Created the film “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” –  Unhappy with film, so rewrote the character

for TV –  First season (1997) = 12 episodes; seven

seasons in total (1997-‐2003) –  Seasons Eight and Nine published as graphic

novels by Dark Horse Comics (2007-‐2013). –  According to a 2012 study of the effects of

portrayals of violence against women in television shows, shows with strong female characters (including Buffy specifically) negate the nega?ve impact of portrayals of violence found when strong female characters are absent (stress and insecurity among women, nega?ve a\tudes towards women among men). (Ferguson, Jcomm, 62(5)2012.)


•  Buffy deliberately structured to reverse horror conven?ons. –  Feminist – Women hold power (including power to kill)

–  Female gaze –  Objec?fica?on absent? -‐ except for humour? -‐ Xander as object of predatory female gaze


•  Is Buffy “feminist” or “post-‐feminist?” –  Individualist, but also

reliant of friends, family –  Powerful, but ques?ons

source, purpose of powers –  Leader, but takes advice

from watcher, friends –  Strong, powerful, feared

(by evil beings), but preDy, sexy, fashionable, concerned with peer opinions?


•  Feminism effects portrayal of religion –  An?-‐hierarchical –  This-‐worldly focus –  Friends, family more

important than rela?onship with supernatural / divine

–  Power resides in individual, community, not in ritual, hierarchy, texts, etc.


•  Religion as Absent? •  “Good” characters -‐ Buffy and friends -‐ never go to Church, with one

excep?on (Riley, in episode “Who Are You” 2000) •  No men?on, presence of God (when asked by new Vampire about whether

God really exists or not, Buffy says, ‘the jury is s?ll out on that one.’ •  Religion as ineffectual?

–  Wicca wannabes at UC Sunnydale. –  Church goers in episode “Who Are You” (2000)


•  Religion demonized in Buffy –  Prac?ced by Vampires, demons

–  Tool to bring about the apocalypse

–  Episodes “Welcome to the Hellmouth” and “The Harvest” (1997)


Religious Affilia?on of Willow •  Willow is only character with a

developed religious iden?ty. •  Family background: Jewish.

Despite this, uses crosses and the La?n language to ward of Vampires.

•  Becomes a “Wicca” -‐ Wiccan? •  Once fully immersed in Wicca,

becomes evil -‐ revisi?ng the religion = evil theme.


•  Buffy’s varia?on on the “false god” theme = false church

•  Those who seek comfort, support, eternal life from churches are doomed to demonic fates…

•  Episodes: “Anne,” (1998) “Lie to Me” (1997)

Case Study - “Anne”(1998)

•  Religion lures the innocent, helpless, powerless with false promises.

•  Religion exploits believers. •  Religion is demonic. •  Buffy’s Marxist cri?que? •  Salva?on lies in refusing to

submit to lies. •  Salva?on lies in refusing to

be nameless -‐ Buffy’s feminist cri?que.


Portrayals of god in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Or, Die, god, Die!

Die God Die!

•  If you meet a god in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, chances are you’ll have to kill it…

•  Evil gods -‐ gods are real on Buffy, but they are ALWAYS evil –  the “big bad” in Buffy is open divine (or a divine wannabe) –  Other “divine beings” also evil -‐ Olaf the Troll God (Triangle, 2001)

The Mayor •  Nice, polite, psycho?c, divine

wannabe •  His “ascension” is focus of

season 3 •  Never trust a poli?cian, they

think they are gods? •  Gods/religions devour our

youth? •  Evil dwells beneath calm,

bible-‐belt exterior? •  High School is Hell? •  Episode “Gradua?on Day”

foreshadows Buffy’s solu?on at end of Season Seven

Die God Die: The Mayor

Glory •  Psycho?c, self-‐centered,

relentless, mul?ple-‐personality (and body!)

•  Big Bad of Season Five •  Exiled God (parallel to

Satan?) •  God/religion looks

aDrac?ve, but is deadly? •  Religion/god is two-‐

faced? (Shares her body with Ben)

•  Even well-‐inten?oned devotees (Ben) are corrupted by religion?

•  Religion is insane?

Die God Die: Glory

The First •  The first evil, preda?ng

human beings •  Takes the form of dead

humans •  Origin story of world -‐

began in evil, only aper last demon slain, was room made for humans

•  Evil worshipped as divine -‐ root of religion is evil?

•  Fear, doubt, lies -‐ root of religion?

Caleb •  (Ex)Catholic priest, abuser of

women •  Servant of the First •  “a woman-‐ha?ng jerk” •  Considers women “dirty,” stained

with “Eve’s sin” •  Religion = an?-‐woman? •  Religion destroys women? •  Worshipper of evil •  ADemp?ng to become a god -‐

religious quest = evil? •  Religion = demonic? •  Power of church, clergy = evil?

Caleb: Religion as Anti-Woman?

Caleb: Religion as Demonic?

Die [servant of] God Die: Caleb

The First •  The defeat (but not death) of The First Evil happens in the finale of the en?re series… we will watch this next class!

Die God Die •  Theological implications of gods in Buffy - evil gods are active in the world - no other kind of god is shown in the Buffy-verse

•  Even Buffy’s powers are shown to be evil at root

•  Evil and male/patriarchal dominance go hand in hand

•  Buffy’s solution to divine evil is a feminist answer to religion. Shared power, shared responsibility, this-worldly focus… refusal to accept patriarchal limitations and priorities…

Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a Feminist Christ figure She saved the world, a lot.

Buffy as Christ figure •  Buffy character has parallels to

the Christ story… –  Spoken of in prophesy –  Special, chosen nature –  Cas?ng out demons –  Sacrifice –  Death –  Descent into Hell –  Resurrec?on –  Savior –  Redeemer

•  But Buffy story placed in naturalized, non-‐theological, feminist frame

Prophesy •  Like Christ, Buffy’s

coming was prophesied. •  Like Christ, Buffy’s death

was prophesied. •  Also like Christ, prophesy

open to mul?ple interpreta?ons.

•  Episodes: voice over from all episodes; “Prophesy Girl” (1997)

“In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.”

– Opening narration in seasons 1 and 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy as the Chosen One

•  Like Christ, Buffy is the supposed to be the only one able to save us -‐ “she alone can stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness.” –  But, while the Gospel of John has

Christ say “"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me" (John 14:6), Buffy relies on friends, family to help save others – the democra?za?on of salva?on

•  Like Christ, Buffy has a Des?ny -‐ her selec?on as the Slayer was not random, nor an accident.

•  Like Christ, Suffering and death are the prices Buffy pays to fulfill her des?ny.

. Episodes: “Prophesy Girl” (1997); “Becoming, I & II” (1998); “ The Gift” (2001), etc.

Buffy as the Chosen One

•  Slayer’s “birth” out of darkness; -‐ demon power infused in young girl against her will by men. Hmm… commentary on Mary’s concep?on of Jesus? Whedon has referred to God as the “Sky Bully.”

•  Source of power = darkness, exploita?on of women by men.

•  Non-‐theological -‐ no divine plan, only human plan

•  Humans not “fallen” (but can be evil) -‐ must redeem themselves. Buffy makes world safe for them to do so.

Cas?ng out demons

•  Cas?ng out demons was one of the miracles credited to Jesus. •  Example, MaDhew 8:28-‐33”…There met Him two demon-‐possessed men,

coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way…. And He said to them, "Go." So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.

•  “Weapon” = words -‐ Jesus tells them to go, and they go…

Buffy takes out demons…

•  As slayer, every vampire slain is the “cas?ng out” of a demon from our world. •  Other demons also “cast out” -‐ Acathla, The Judge, etc. •  Buffy’s weapons range from wooden stakes to rocket launchers… she also uses words, but as precursor to slaying in a more physical sense. •  Episode: “Innocence” (1998)

Buffy’s Sacrifice(s) •  Buffy’s Gethsemane moment

in “Prophesy Girl” -‐ like Christ, sacrifices self anyway.

•  Love of friends, family, humanity mo?vates self-‐sacrifice (not love of God)

•  Sacrifice of others, also -‐ Angel’s death

•  Others also willing to die -‐ not exclusive to Buffy -‐ Dawn’s death would also serve purpose

•  Buffy’s plan, not divine plan

Death of Christ

•  In Chris?an teachings, death of Christ necessary for redemp?on of mankind. Death of Christ is part of divine plan.

•  Without death, humans are not saved -‐ no entry into heaven.

•  Death of Christ defeats evil, sin, death.

•  Only via Christ’s death can heaven be aDained.

Death is her gip -‐ Buffy’s deaths

•  Buffy dies twice -‐ each ?me prevents “an apocalypse.” •  Buffy’s death #1 -‐ prophesied, needed to stop evil of The Master from

taking over the world. •  Returns stronger than ever -‐ evil defeats itself through death of Buffy. •  Episode: “Prophecy Girl” (1997)

Death is her gip -‐ Buffy’s deaths •  Buffy’s second death -‐ closes

portal to Hell, saves the world. •  Told, “death is her gip” -‐ giving

her life is her gip to mankind. •  Heaven must be aDained via own

ac?ons, if at all -‐ Buffy is not gateway to heaven -‐ she is gateway to life in the world -‐ this-‐worldly focus.

•  “The hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Be brave. Live.”

•  Episode: “The Gip” (2001)

Christ’s Descent into Hell

•  “The harrowing of hell,” Chris?an doctrine elaborated in Middle Ages, drawn from Apostle’s Creed: at death, Christ descended into hell, broke down the gates, lead Adam, Eve, Abraham, etc. out of Hell and up to Heaven.

•  1 Peter 3:19-‐20: Jesus "went and made a proclama?on to the spirits in prison, who in former ?mes did not obey, when God waited pa?ently in the days of Noah..."

•  Rescued the righteous, those who lived before Christ, and so could not get into heaven (since doorway to heaven is through Jesus alone.)

Buffy’s 1st Descent into Hell •  Buffy -‐ sacrifices the love of

her life -‐ Angel -‐ flees her “life” by running away to LA.

•  Descends to hell not on death, but on return to “life” (emo?onal health).

•  She leads not saints, patriarchs, etc. from Hell, but the homeless, runaway teenagers, the abused, the exploited, sinners…

•  Episode “Anne” (1998)

Buffy’s Resurrec?on(s) •  Buffy’s 1st resurrec?on -‐ love,

loyalty of friend (Xander) -‐ mouth to mouth resuscita?on (no divine interference)

•  Buffy’s 2nd resurrec?on -‐ aper several months -‐ loyalty, love of friends, misguided? -‐ magic spell.

•  Like Christ, friends fail to recognize her at first (mistaken for Buffybot…)

•  Died, went to heaven, pulled back to Earth -‐ Earth is hell? Earth is heaven? Musical episode: “I live in Hell / ‘cause I’ve been expelled / from Heaven.” But Buffy is reminded -‐ this-‐worldly emphasis is what is important.

•  Episodes: “Bargaining I & II;” “Once More with Feeling” (2001)

Buffy’s 2nd Descent into “Hell” •  In the Series finale, Buffy leads a

group of women into Hell – the underground lair of the “The First” who has amassed an army of uber-‐vampires and is about to invade and conquer the earth.

•  Finale story-‐arc explores tradi?onal “Chris?an” solu?on – to embody power to defeat evil in one person – but Buffy rejects this.

•  Buffy’s solu?on is a feminist solu?on – shared power, female empowerment

•  Watch – last 20 minutes of final episode…

Buffy as Redeemer

•  Nearly every major character in Buffy who is in need of redemp?on (except Angel) is redeemed in finale

•  Buffy redeems through faith •  But – friends also redeem by

faith (Xander’s faith in Anya, Faith’s faith in Robin Wood, etc.)

•  Even Buffy’s role as redeemer shared…

Buffy as a feminist Christ? •  Final sacrifice = her “chosen”

stature -‐ she shares her power with women all over the world…

•  Shared power = mul?plied power. •  Women’s power breaks male

exploita?on paDern (first slayer chained by men; power shared through women’s magic)

•  Women’s power defeats First Evil = this-‐worldly salva?on.

•  Saves all women to be strong •  Salva?on through empowerment,

social engagement, community.

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