Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Myth, Metaphor & Morality

by Field, Mark

  I have a hard time writing much about Where The Wild Things Are. I see it as one of the very weakest episodes in the series. While there are good scenes with Spike and Anya in the Bronze, with Giles singing, and with Spike talking himself out of helping rescue Buffy, the sexathon manages to be boring – even disgusting for some viewers – and the religious fundamentalism explanation is used as an anvil rather than a metaphor.

  I think my view is pretty general among fans; I’ve only see a few people defend the episode as a whole. Here’s Rob from AtPO explaining why he likes it:

  “I think I'm the only person who likes Where the Wild Things Are. I will admit that it's not the best episode, but there's a lot about it I really enjoy, particularly the thorns. The episode first came out when I was doing a term paper on fairy tales for a children's literature course, and I found the "Sleeping Beauty" visuals very striking. Given that Bruno Bettelheim interpreted Aurora pricking her finger as being symbolic of her first menstrual cycle and the sleep as being the transition between her childhood and sexual awakening, I always thought the episode worked as a more adult spin on the fairy tale.”

  Rob’s explanation seems reasonable, though it doesn’t have much to do with the seasonal themes. If we see it as basically a stand-alone episode – that is, we don’t try to force the episode’s themes or metaphors into some relevance to the season themes – then the vines growing outside Riley’s door represent the way repression serves to conceal sexual desire. Much of the episode consists of various forms of concealment and/or repression: the orphans were repressed; Buffy and Riley make flimsy excuses for their lust; the party-goers play “Spin the Bottle”; they talk about “sensuality” when they mean sexuality; and Willow and Tara talk in code filled with double meaning:

  “WILLOW: Horses, like big ... tall ... teeth that can take your arm off horses?

  TARA: Well, sure. I learned to ride when I was a kid. It's fun. (Smiling) And, by the way, most horses don't like arm very much.

  (Willow looks uncertain.)

  WILLOW: I had a bad birthday party pony thing when I was four. I, I look at horses and I see really big ponies.

  TARA: You should ride with me sometime. I guarantee safety and fun.

  (Willow smiles.)

  WILLOW: Well... if you promise you'll look after me.”

  In this interpretation, Xander and Anya are the ones who can break through the barriers of repression to rescue Buffy and Riley because they’re the most open and uninhibited about their sexual desires. The problem is that if we’re supposed to find sexual openness a good thing, then it seems a failure of execution for the sex scenes to be pretty universally condemned.

  The message is both fairly obvious and spelled out directly for us in the dialogue at the end:

  “WILLOW: Don't be too hard on yourself.

  BUFFY: He's right, Will. If Riley and I hadn't ... gotten so wrapped up in each other, none of this would've happened.”

  Tracey Forbes, who wrote this episode, never wrote another.

  Trivia notes: (1) The episode title comes from the children’s book of the same name by Maurice Sendak. (2) Buffy’s “who says we can’t all get along?” plays off the statement by Rodney King after the Los Angeles riots in 1994. (3) The “wrinkled man” Anya saw on TV talking about erectile dysfunction was Bob Dole. (4) The guy at the party who discovered the orgasm wall was the snobby one from Beer Bad. Tracey Forbes also wrote that episode. (5) When Xander described people as “going Felicity with their hair” he was referring to Keri Russell, star of the TV show Felicity, who cut her hair between seasons. Julie, the one who cut off her hair in the closet, had long curly hair somewhat like Keri Russell’s. (6) Spike wondered if Danger Mouse, a cartoon show, was on. (7) The song Giles was singing was “Behind Blue Eyes” by The Who. (8) Xander’s “she who smelt it dealt it” is flatulence humor. (9) Xander’s “House is clean” comes from the movie Poltergeist. (10) In comments, William B suggested a good way to relate this episode to the seasonal themes, and I’ll discuss that in my post on Primeval.

  New Moon Rising

  I really like New Moon Rising in many ways, but it walks a very fine line with its metaphor. There’s a tolerance theme, obviously, with Oz as the text, and Angel, Willow and Tara as the (barely) subtext. That’s all good, but it creates a real potential for misunderstanding the entire rest of the series. I’ve actually seen people argue from this episode that vampires and demons symbolize an oppressed class, and that Buffy is an oppressor because she slays them. I’ve even seen the syllogism that (a) blacks are the most oppressed class in America; (b) vampires and demons therefore represent them; thus (c) Buffy is racist.

  Far be it from me to tell anyone how to watch the show. I’m of the school that we’re all entitled to our own interpretations; in some sense, every viewer watches a different show. I’m pretty skeptical, though, of treating vampires and demons in general as representatives of an oppressed class. For one thing, I seriously doubt that blacks, or any other minority, would appreciate the comparison to blood sucking fiends. For another, it’s pretty clear that the external demons we see in the show are intended as metaphors for our internal demons.

  “To Joss, vampires were supposed to be ugly, evil, and quick to be killed. He got talked into one romantic vampire by his writing partner David Greenwalt and that was Angel. Of course Angel took off like a rocket and when I was cast Joss did not imagine me to be popular; Spike was supposed to be dirty and evil, punk rock, and then dead. Things started to turn out differently and I think Joss was passionate that I would not corrupt his theme, which was basically trying to find a metaphor for all of the problems you encounter during adolescence. Vampires stood in for those problems and I think I endangered that theme by being popular. He did not want people to like me at all.” James Marsters, http://www.411mania.com/movies/columns/228484/411mania-Interviews:-James-Marsters-(Buffy-the-Vampire-Slayer,-Angel).htm

  In my view, the metaphor in NMR can work but only in very narrow, carefully defined cases. As a general rule, the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness are evil and should be slayed (as Buffy does on sight with vampires). There have been and will continue to be exceptions to that rule, but it remains the default.

  NMR gives us another take on identity, consistent with the season theme. Willow commits to the identity she’s been moving towards since Hush. Oz returned believing that he had come to terms with his identity, but maybe not as much as he had thought. For all of Riley’s experience with Prof. Walsh, he hasn’t yet fully understood the way the Initiative (metaphorically) establishes the rules to which he conforms:

  RILEY: … Is it that whole thing about Willow last night? (He sits on the bed.) Look, I only said what I said because I'm concerned. I don't wanna see her get hurt.

  BUFFY: You sounded like Mr. Initiative. Demons bad, people good.

  RILEY: Something wrong with that theorem?

  Only after the events of this episode reinforce the problematic nature of the Initiative does Riley reassess the track he’s on:

  RILEY: I don't know. I'm sorry it ended that way. But I am glad it's done. I'm glad I know where I stand, finally.

  Riley declared a new identity for himself as an anarchist by punching out his commanding officer. That was a reasonably satisfying scene, given how they portrayed Col. McNamara, but it’s another instance where we can imagine what was lost when Lindsay Crouse left.

  Is Riley now more like Willow, committed to his new identity, or is he more like Oz, perhaps less firmly in control than he thinks?

  Trivia notes: (1) Willow suggests that a cat might be a “familiar”. A familiar is a supernatural entity, often in the form of an animal, which helps a witch do magic. (2) When Forrest came into Riley’s room to announce that “beta team” had been “hit”, Buffy was wearing one of Riley’s shirts. It was the same shirt Faith-as-Buffy wore in Who Are You? That undoubtedly reinforced Forrest’s negative view of Buffy after Faith’s dismissive words to him in that inciden
t. (3) The Initiative “doctors” gave Oz haloperidol, which is an antipsychotic drug. A metaphor, obviously, given his inner wolf. (3) When Buffy threatens to “pull a William Burroughs”, she’s referring to the author who killed his wife (he was convicted of manslaughter). (4) When Oz wolfs out and attacks Tara, that’s a metaphor: Tara, naturally, feels threatened by Oz’s return.

  The Yoko Factor

  The Yoko Factor threads together several of the themes we’ve seen earlier in the season. The disputes among the SG were foreshadowed in Pangs, and their insecurities in Fear, Itself. Spike aggravates the insecurities of the SG, playing on them to bring their fears to the surface. That causes Buffy’s family to fall apart, setting up the events of Primeval.

  ADAM: Friends?

  Spike: There's your --what do you call it-- variable. The Slayer's got pals. You want her evening the odds in a fight you don't want the Slayerettes mucking about.

  ADAM: Take them away from her.

  What are these insecurities on which Spike so cleverly played? In Giles’s case it was the sense of becoming irrelevant, like most parents feel when their children go off to college. We saw that feeling, and the internal sense of frustration (even rage) which it generated, in A New Man. Spike saw and understood that reaction then and played upon it here:

  Giles: I'll tell her.

  Spike: Oh, you'll tell her! Great comfort that. What makes you think she'll listen to you?

  Giles: Because . . . (trails off, unsure)

  Spike: Very convincing.

  Giles: I'm her Watcher.

  Spike: I think you're neglecting the past-tense there, Rupert. Besides, she barely listened to you when you were in charge. I've seen the way she treats you.

  Giles grows uncomfortable at those words. He grabs a bottle off the bar and starts to pour himself a drink.

  Giles: Oh, yes? And how's that?

  Spike: Very much like a retired librarian.

  The fact that Giles was himself responsible for this in some sense – Anthony Stewart Head says that Giles “cut himself adrift” in S4 – perhaps made the sense of abandonment all the more painful.

  Somewhat the same dynamic plays out with Willow and Xander. Spike states it expressly: “And you know how it is with kids. They go off to college, they grow apart. Way of the world.” Similarly, Willow tells Tara that “It hardly feels like we're roomies now. I mean, she's busy with Riley and I'm gone a lot too.” This separation from our friends is a natural part of growing older, so it tracks a journey to adulthood.

  Turning to the specifics for each character, Xander fears being useless to his friends and hence invisible to them. That was his fear in Fear, Itself, and the whole season has shown him rather isolated from Willow and Buffy. It’s aggravated by the fact that he loves Buffy and his love is unrequited; Buffy pays a lot of attention to Riley and therefore necessarily less to Xander. He’s also living in his parents’ basement and has failed at all his jobs. That’s not going to boost your ego: “Xander: Like I'm some sort of useless lunk. It happens I'm good at a lot of things. I help out with all kinds of . . . stuff. I have skills . . . and . . . stratagems. I'm very . . . (looks to Anya) Help me out.”

  We saw in Fear, Itself that Willow felt unappreciated for and insecure about her magic. Spike played on her insecurity by questioning her computer skills, but did so in the context of magic as metaphor for Willow’s relationship with Tara. Willow’s very insecure indeed about this – she hadn’t even told Xander or Giles until she said it in the heat of the argument. While Buffy covered pretty quickly in New Moon Rising, Willow must have noticed that she was initially thrown (as Buffy herself admitted in her conversation with Riley in that episode). Oz reacted still more noticeably, which naturally would have made Willow even less sure of her decision. As a result we get her reaction in the brilliantly constructed argument scene:

  Willow: (sarcastic) Right. (stands moving to the living room) And then maybe you'll get lucky and he'll still be there and he can rip your arms off for you? (sternly) Buffy, you can't go back alone….

  Buffy: Willow is not going either. I'm doing it alone. …

  Willow: (still sarcastic) Oh, great. And then when you have your new "no arms" we can all say "Gee, it's a good thing we weren't there getting in the way of that!"…

  Buffy: Okay, I need you. I need both of you. All the time! Just ... not now. Adam is very dangerous.

  Willow: Wait. How do you need me, really?

  Buffy: You're ... good with the computer stuff. (Willow accepts that) Usually. (Willow glares at her) And-and there's the witch stuff.

  Willow: (accusingly) Witch stuff? What exactly do you mean by "witch stuff?"…

  Willow: It's not today! Buffy, things have been wrong for a while! Don't you see that?

  Buffy: What do you mean wrong?

  Willow: Well, they certainly haven't been right, since Tara. We have to face it. You can't handle Tara being my girlfriend.”

  Buffy fears being alone: “Hollow voice: “All alone.” Buffy pushes herself up: “Who said that?”

  … Guy: “They all ran away from you. They always will. Open your heart to someone and….” (Fear, Itself). That’s not surprising considering her experience with her father, with Angel, with Parker, and the more general sense of isolation we’ve seen which comes from being the Slayer. It’s precisely that fear which comes true after the fight at Giles’s:

  Buffy: (somberly) So . . . I guess I'm starting to understand why there's no ancient prophecy about a Chosen One ... and her friends.

  She hurries to the door grabbing her jacket.

  Buffy: If I need help, I'll go to someone I can count on.

  While these insecurities and fears have been re-emphasized during S4, many of them trace back to much earlier events. For example, during the fight in Dead Man’s Party Willow’s attack on Buffy arose out of her sense that she was going through important transitions in her life and that Buffy hadn’t been there for her. The same is true here. Willow wants to be a full participant in Buffy’s life, and for Buffy to be a full participant in hers, so when Buffy refused her help in TYF, Willow reacted just as she did in DMP, as she did in Bad Girls, and as she did in The I in Team.

  Xander’s concerns about feeling useless date back even further. In The Harvest he got angry when Buffy wouldn’t let him go with her to rescue Jesse: “I’m less than a man.” Buffy played directly into those concerns when she said nearly the same thing she’d said then: “You're not going, Xander. Y-you'd get hurt.”

  While Buffy’s angry reaction to the attacks from Willow and Xander stemmed in part from her stress level generally – emphasized in her conversation with Angel – the specific fear of being isolated and abandoned is longstanding. It’s probably fair to say that Xander’s Lie in Becoming remains in the back of her mind when Willow and Xander both end the argument by refusing to help her now:

  Buffy: Enough! All I know is you want to help, right? Be part of the team?

  Willow and Xander shake their heads, grumbling.

  Willow: (unison) I don't know anymore.

  Xander: (unison) Really not wanted.

  There’s another “family” which falls apart too: the Initiative. “Family’s tearing apart”, says Forrest. The Initiative serves as a parallel case in which the concept of “family” is yanked out of its organic sense and applied to an artificial construct which isn’t a “real” family in any meaningful sense. The Initiative is the Adam of families.

  The fact that both “families” disintegrate, and that Adam very deliberately sets about causing that disintegration, tells us that this is an important consequence of society’s forced “normality”. By acceding to the pressure from society to conform, we end up abandoning the things that are not just important, but critical to our ability to function as authentic individuals. “How can you possibly help?”, Buffy asked. We’ll see the answer, and how it affects Buffy’s authentic self, next episode.

  Spike plays a crucial role in TYF. When I was dis
cussing the effects of the chip/internal panopticon in my post on The Initiative, I mentioned that one way to see it was that it interfered with Spike’s essential nature. Adam puts that into words here: “You feel smothered. Trapped like an animal. Pure in its ferocity, unable to actualize the urges within. Clinging to one truth. Like a flame struggling to burn within an enclosed glass. That a beast this powerful cannot be contained. Inevitably it will break free and savage the land again. I will make you whole again. Make you savage.”

  In Doomed Spike showed his true nature underneath the effect of the chip. We’ve gotten repeated reminders of this since: in Who Are You? during the alley scene with Xander and Giles; in Superstar; and when he talked himself out of helping Buffy in Where The Wild Things Are. This gets us back to the issues raised by Alex’s conditioning in A Clockwork Orange. Here we see that the conditioning hasn’t changed Spike’s underlying nature. He joined with Adam quite easily and reveled in his ability to harm the SG with words alone.

  I need to talk about Riley a bit too, both in his relationship with Buffy and in his status vis-à-vis the Initiative. In the teaser we got another statement of the attitude the Initiative has towards its soldiers (again, pretend a similar scene has Prof. Walsh in it):

  “Mr. Ward: And the men?

  McNamara: These are exceptional boys. …

  Mr. Ward: This incident with Finn was unfortunate.

  McNamara: Fell in with a bad crowd. Quite frankly, I don't think he was ever the soldier that you all hoped he was. Boy thinks too much.” My emphasis.

  This is precisely what’s wrong with the Initiative and with society in general, according to the metaphors and themes playing out in S4. It’s treating adults as children, demanding that they conform without thinking. Col. McNamara may believe that “thinking too much” is a bad thing, but that’s hardly how Buffy behaves. We’ve seen since at least Angel that she very carefully makes distinctions in the course of carrying out her Slayer duties. It’s precisely those distinctions which the Initiative refuses to make: “they’re just animals”; “what kind of demon? Does it matter?”. The Initiative’s failure even to try to understand the enemy – previously signaled by Buffy’s questions in The I in Team – will have drastic consequences.