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Date Posted: 17:19:39 04/10/02 Wed
Author: Vickie
Subject: The significance of the demonic
In reply to: Rufus 's message, "My opinion on Ben vs Warren" on 01:23:18 04/10/02 Wed

You make an important point here, Ruf. As soon as something appears less than human (or, sometimes, more than human), we tend to assume the rules of the Buffyverse exempt it from the usual rules of conduct.

We need to recall that the demons are metaphors--or maybe that their demonic nature is. Throughout history, nations have demonized their opponents in time of war. Making the enemy somehow less than human makes it Ok to kill them.

This is the moral structure at the beginning of BtVS (WTTH). And it has been challenged, I would argue, from the very first episode.

In Welcome to the Hellmouth, we meet a bunch of high schoolers. One happens to be the slayer, the chosen one, she alone, yada yada (as B would put it). She dusts vampires. No police, no Miranda rights, no judge, no jury, certainly no counsel for the defense. They are guilty and deserve execution because of what they are. They are demonized.

But, wait a second. Who is this boy, Jesse? Is he evil? Nope. But, wrong place, wrong time, and he's a vampire. Buffy executes him, assuring Xander that it's not his friend, it's the thing that killed his friend.

Is it?

Remember, the characters tell us what they believe to be true (sometimes), not necessarily what is true. The absolute values of vampire slayage have been questioned in every season, in many episodes, right from this first one. VampJesse identifies with his former geekness and lack of success with Cordelia. He still wants her. He appears to be still a person.

From Jesse, through Darla, Angel, Spike, Dru, heck even Harmony, we have seen that a vampire appears to be a corrupted version of the person they once were. It seems like every time she has to face this fact (especially with Angel, and more recently with Spike), Buffy wavers just a little in her slayer commitment. She hides her involvement with Angel, she hides his return. She tells Kendra "It's more complicated than that."

Disclaimer: I know what Giles said about vampires and souls and demons. I also know what Joss has said in interviews. I believe that Giles is a character inside the story, that the Watchers' Council can be wrong, and that Joss can fib to the fans to preserve the integrity of his story.

There is a parallel questioning of the value of humanity in the show. Time and again, our "human" villains (or those who began as such) out monster the monsters. I make a distinction here between the joevampires (the ones Buffy stakes as they rise, or who otherwise never become characters with names, who appear to be simply monsters) and the vampires we come to know. Even the vampires we know, like Angel and Spike, seem somehow more like people (well, NOT Angelus, but Angel) than Richard Wilkins and Warren.

If I'm anywhere near correct in these observations, Buffy's real challenge in her renewed life is to realize this, deal with it, and change accordingly. Maybe even change the nature of the slayer calling. Maybe even show that there's hope, even for monsters. Not easy redemption, but hope, because they are still people underneath.

I'm hoping that I'm not projecting, and that the story really is this complex. If so, we're in for a heck of an ending!

go ahead, let 'em rip!

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