Buffy Anne Summers, aka

Every time I sit down to write about Buffy, I am reminded how daunting the task can be. It seems the "text" is so rich that, no matter what, I inevitably notice some things that I then forget to mention, or I don’t feel I have room for, or I am tempted to read too much into — either a name or an image or a snippet of dialog (no, I really don’t believe Willow’s name had anything to do with the character of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman even if the play through the character and the character through the play are referenced in at least two distinct episodes of Buffy, and in the latter of which (Restless) it is referenced within Willow’s dream at a time when she is fearing her will is being brought low.)

In other words, when you start analyzing Buffy, the show eats you starting with your bottom. Oh no, wait, not in other words. Those are the words.

Things get lost in translation. And gained in translation. And the more you think about it, the more devouring it gets. But it’s fun, right?

You see, what I’m getting at is that I’ve already started rethinking some of my thoughts and conclusions in the ‘Buffy Summers & Beyond Good and Evil’ posts. Oh well. If life, the universe, and the will to do so persist long enough, I suppose I can always circle back around at some point, if it seems necessary, and point out what I forgot to mention, or what I think I missed the first few times around, or what I’ve completely changed my mind about, or whatever. Spiral out. Spiral in.

So with all that in mind, I now do broach the subject of Buffy again, with great trepidation, and even greater carelessness (because one needs the latter to overcome the former), and begin (as promised) a short talk about The Witch.

The Witch, as some may know, has proven itself to be one of the more popular episodes, especially of the first season, and perhaps of the first three seasons. One reason of course, the obvious, is that it introduces witchcraft, or magic, into the Buffyverse in a very big way, letting everyone know that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is going to be about a lot more than just vampires. And of course it introduces Amy Madison (Elizabeth Anne Allen), as well as one of the trademarks of Buffy — the seemingly insignificant character that then comes back again and again, more and more significantly, all the way through to the end of the TV show and — in (at least) the case of Amy — even into the comic, Season Eight.

We see this strategy with the characters of Amy, Jonathan, Harmony, Ethan, Warren, Andrew, and others. The trademark technique contributes significantly to the continuity of the series, the feeling that what is happening to our main characters exists within a broader story universe even if that larger world is far more frequently out of our view. It is just one of the many ways Joss and his team invoked a sense of realism to contrast against the fantasy. If other shows before Buffy had done this, to any comparable degree — even shows that represented themselves to be far more reality-based than Buffy ever did — I’m not aware of it.

Of course I’ve already established that there are numerous matters of which I’m not fully aware.

So let me move on then, and without any dreadful intention at seriousness, just make a few more, almost random. observations about The Witch.

• It also does a fine job of characterizing Joyce Summers as Buffy’s caring and yet usually clueless mother who, as she even states more than once in this episode, just doesn’t "get it." Since that becomes a recurring context of her relationship with Buffy throughout most of the first four seasons, at least, it is worth noting, and it is interesting as well as a form of foreshadowing (and self-knowledge) that even Joyce’s character seems convinced from the start that she is missing a lot.

 

• Given the role that fire plays throughout the series (one of the few ways to kill vampires, for example, is to set them on fire, or to expose them to direct sunlight, which sets them ablaze) as well as, in our real world, fire being an object of worship and a symbol of divine light since prehistoric times, I find it interesting that the cheerleader, who is apparently excellent enough to raise Cordy’s ire, catches fire. Icarus and Daedalus come to mind, though that was all about melting and drowning. Still, throughout the series there are numerous examples that can be interpreted as having something to do with how coming too close to the light (or, synonymously, excellence, enlightenment, knowledge, revelation, etc.) can be very painful, or even deadly. Perhaps I only mention it because a similar thought occurs to one of the characters in the novel I am currently writing. Moving on –

 

• Another interesting point is the opening scene in which Giles makes such a point about Buffy enslaving herself to a "cult" in reference to her desire to be a cheerleader. Giles offers up a critique of the bourgeoisie and Buffy shamelessly embodies it. It may be here that the point is first driven home so forcibly that what Buffy seems to truly want is to be, do and feel "normal." Thematically, I suppose this desire for normalcy could be interpreted as some sort of turnabout or commentary on our own society given that the fantasies of many modern, American adolescents seem to include fame, extraordinary wealth and beauty, and even superpowers — though being "normal," I think, ranks up there fairly high as well. So again, moving on –

 

• We see that Giles drives a crappy 1963 Citroen — not the only time his car will be used to say something about his character, his values, his status as an outsider, or his state of mind.

 

• And speaking of Giles, is he role-playing in this and surrounding episodes? Or have Joss and company not yet a clear idea of the character? Not only does he come across in these early episodes as something less than the (often) serious character he will become, but he says breaking the bloodstone vengeance spell was his "first casting" — and we know that isn’t true. As Ethan Rayne will point out in A New Man, he and Giles are both old hands when it comes to sorcery.

 

• And while I’m on the subject of character, Xander quips in this episode, “I laugh in the face of danger. Then I hide until it goes away.” But Xander fans know that isn’t true. It may be typical banter, but while Xander’s almost always reluctant while discussing plans, he is almost always courageous when the fight is on.

 

• As of this episode it is established that bad magic makes your eyes go all black (and in Cordy’s case, being a victim of bad magic makes your eyes go all white?).

 

• The phrase "railroad spike through the head" (from Xander to Willow) makes it’s first appearance, I think. Is this foreshadowing of the character of William the Bloody, whose preferred moniker ‘Spike’ is later given the explanation of his having tortured his victims with railroad spikes? Or did the comment just ferment in Joss’s brain and bubble up again in a different form at a later date? Has Joss ever commented on it? Does anyone know?

 

• Are there hints of gender reversal when Xander calls Willow a guy, Buffy sings "Macho Man" when she’s high on a bloodstone vengeance spell, and then Buffy refers to Xander as "totally and completely one of the girls" (which Willow seems to take particular delight in), and… ? Okay, okay, moving on –

 

• Xander may not yet be attracted to Willow and Willow may not yet be a witch, but we now know (or at least surmise in retrospect) that he is, even this early in the show, attracted to the wild side, i.e., witches (as we know, his interest in the semi-nude engravings of the witches in the magic books is only the first indication of an attraction to "witchy" and demonic women.)

Okay, well that’s all well and good, as someone used to say, or maybe still does, but what else? Anything more substantial?

Well, I feel like there should be. I mean, I should make some effort to come up with something a bit more profound, shouldn’t I?

There’s that very large and very dark dress Buffy is wearing at the end of the episode. What’s that? Nearly all black? A loss of innocence or purity? Death? Mourning? I’m not sure. Could it be seen as a symbol of Buffy having come so close to death due to the bloodstone vengeance spell? Or as Buffy mourning over her lack of a close relationship with her mother? (The difference between her relationship with her clueless mother and Amy’s too-attentive and controlling mother is certainly contrasted, but Buffy doesn’t seem too unhappy about what she’s come away with. Nor should she be.) How about mourning over the realization that being normal is not going to be in the cards for Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Or maybe I could conclude it’s symbolic of the death of that part of her that thought she could fit in, be a cheerleader, and establish herself as something besides the Chosen One? Pick and choose. Or make up an interpretation of your own. Bring your own subtext. Or maybe it was a fashion choice I simply can’t understand. See. It eats you starting with your bottom.

Or there’s Xander’s gift of the bracelet. That could be seen as a talisman. Perhaps a promise of protection rather than just a gesture of romantic interest. I don’t think that’s unreasonable. Xander proves his devotion and desire to be the protector when he is ready to cut off Amy’s head to save Buffy, just as Buffy displays just a bit of her own moral character when she is ready to assume Amy is not to blame. The gift of the bracelet in our culture, especially considering the inscription, presumes romantic interest, but Buffy’s reaction doesn’t indicate she takes it that way. So is Buffy clueless about Xander’s interest? Or could I suggest that, thematically, she took it to be symbolic of representing Xander’s mythic offer of protection?

Certainly throughout the series we see that Buffy does not fight alone, despite the emphasis in the Slayer mythology. She fights her biggest battles instead as part of a cooperative, community effort — in sharp contrast to the lone, male hero, thematically taking what is generally recognized as the more feminine path, i.e., victory through collaboration and cooperation. This will come through time and time again, from season one to season seven, i.e., that Buffy does not face her major challenges and battles alone, and when she attempts to, or is tempted to, plot developments, her friends, or both, always seem to yank her back.

So the fact that she calls Xander "totally and completely one of the girls" in this episode (and does so in the context of talking about his gift of the bracelet by the way) could be interpreted as a recognition that he, too, is committed to their community, i.e., he is a Slayerette (or, as they will become known later, one of the Scoobies). He even says, just a few minutes after the opening credits, "What do you mean? We’re a team. Aren’t we a team?" This makes him "one of the girls" in the sense that he (like Giles) is more concerned, in this and in most episodes, about participating in a communal, cooperative effort, than in taking the somewhat more traditional path of the mythic male hero.

Am I reading too much into a mere bracelet? Probably. But that’s part of the fun of it, no?

Any grand conclusions?

Well, it does strike me that the resolution of the conflict — the mother’s fate — has a particularly mythic feel to it. How many parents make the mistake of trying to live vicariously through their children, either to recapture youth or to take another shot at their own thwarted ambitions? Her desire was to possess the body of her youth (through, and without regard to, her daughter) and to recapture that most exultant moment of her life, and her fate is to be trapped within the trophy — the golden representation of that frozen moment of triumph.

There is something of poetic justice in that, and something mythic, but as for the latter, I’m not exactly sure what or how. No doubt I need to brush up on my mythology. Again.

Well that’s about it. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind this time out. Or, well, you be the Judge, you big blue Smurf, you.

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