Head-Empty. Just Vibes

Like, I’m sure someone will tell me that the plot for season 3 and Charisma Carpenter’s move to a potential Angel spinoff were already decided and the writers needed a reason why her character, who was incorporated into the gang and dating Xander, would completely leave.

And I’m sure someone will tell me Anya was only supposed to be the one episode about “the world without Buffy in Sunnydale.” (Which makes sense why she disappeared for a bit after.)

But she’s there for Xander.

Let me explain:

Xander cheats on Cordy with Willow. Making Willow and Xander be together was never the plan- drama for the plot was. So, Willow stays with Oz. Cordy would never stay with Xander after this. So, Xander is by himself, okay. But Xander has also been whiny and morally righteous at the expense of antagonizing Buffy for basically the whole show, with a harsh peak at season 3.

Being with Cordy was one of the things that humanized Xander so that he wasn’t just “a bad friend of Buffy’s” but “the boy Cordy loves.” The fact that the other characters care for Xander is his BEST redeeming quality. It does the most work.

So on the episode we see Anya come for the first time, Cordy is hurting the most. This episode sort of fast tracks her grieving process so the show can go forward, and Anya is HUGE in creating these circumstances.

However, now Xander is by himself a lot. How to humanize him now? Anya.

Xander is not emotionally mature and often has a low EQ. But next to Cordy, he’s downright Einstein. Similarly, Anya is somehow more blunt than Cordy, making Xander seem socially fluent and therefore appreciated.

So I’m rewatching (again) and I’ve noticed that the gang’s reaction in season 3 episode 2 towards Buffy’s return foreshadows their reaction in the final season to her failure— they really overreact.

Specifically, I think Buffy is morally superior most of the time— she’s the chosen one, spends her free time saving the world from the evil of the day, and makes huge personal sacrifices towards this end. Being her friend, and a part of the team fighting to save the world, putting themselves in harms way, makes them entitled to this moral superiority as well.

The issue is that, on the scale of things, they always have less moral superiority than Buffy, and specifically with Buffy’s chosen one title, they start to have expectations of Buffy. When she fails to meet these expectations or falters, all of a sudden they enjoy the high ground and take the opportunity to make sure she knows it.

Potentially a human moment where they can’t control their reactions in season 3? Sure. But when you look at season 7, them kicking her out of her own home that she worked minimum wage jobs to pay for on top of being the slayer, unwilling to give her sympathy for the big bad being more big and bad than they were prepared for, where the big bad was instead prepared for them… you see it’s entitlement.

When they fuck up it’s a fuck up, when Buffy fucks up it’s a moral failure.

If you want to read more but can’t afford to buy copies of books, you can go to a library or if you don’t have the time for that, lots of classic books become available for free on e-reading platforms. I’m talking crime and punishment, Shakespeare, Nietzsche, Kant, Spinoza, Descartes, etc. (yes I like philosophy).

Works that have outlived their authors by a long long time where spending money on a book will no longer be benefiting them.

And I agree, but I think it’s too vague.

The reason it’s important is the way you respond to the work. When you see something that’s been written and can identify the part of it that is wrong, that is racist, or sexist, or whatever is wrong with it, that is the point. You are training your sense of judgment and morals.

When you read a fairy tale, everything is fine and dandy. Not really any intricacies. But my favorite example of why something subversive can help with this is by looking at Dexter. And yeah, it’s fictional, which is definitely different from someone doing real-life harm with real-life issues. But there are a lot of moral complexities involved- why do we root for him? Is killing other serial killers enough to differentiate him from them? Is it because he loves his girlfriend, his sister, Cory and Astor? What is it?

And the reason it’s my favorite example is because part of the whole fun of watching Dexter is this debate. People who watch the show watch it because it’s fun to exercise their judgment in relation to their morals. But it’s also important because people who watch Dexter don’t watch thinking it’s creating a moral code that they will follow. That it is at all okay to be a serial killer.

And that’s the kind of attitude we need to have towards all books. It’s not a straightforward moral code- it’s an opportunity to learn, to see something different and use it to know yourself and where you stand better.

Also, pause for a moment and take a second to think about it from the opposite side. If a reader is homophobic, and out of that homophobia refuses to read a work written by someone who is LGBTQIA+, they will never develop their understanding, they will never have a change for their morals to change.

But nobody talks about friendships, and the casual nature of sexual disclosure in the modern friendship that almost excludes those who aren’t interested or open to sharing. Like, I’m down for a joke of “I’d fuck them,” but only when it’s super clear to everyone in the vicinity that I AM ace and that’s why it’s funny. But otherwise, there’s not much I can contribute to a conversation around sex in a way that becomes almost a buzzkill?

And while this particular issue is something I’ve experienced because I’m Ace, this would also apply to anyone who isn’t as open about talking about sex, or is maybe Christian and waiting for marriage.

I mean- Melissa Roxburgh from Manifest? Amazing. Chefs kiss. Just enough psychological profiler for a team hunting down serial killers, but perfectly balanced with her teammates in a way that doesn’t make you think they’re just copying Criminal Minds.

Nick Wechsler from Revenge and Roswell? No longer boy next door, but somehow still whipped for the girl.

The serial killers? All unique. Again, avoiding the Criminal Minds stereotype of white middle aged men who stab people because it’s a form of penetration. Each of these killers is creepy in their own unique way, with an added touch of psychological horror from how therapy has changed their obsessions.

The background plot? Not overwhelming in any episode, but still consistent and compelling. Shows you hidden sides of the characters while also letting you know that they are not just 2-d ideas— that they also question the government, the Pit, and what the real motive in making a secret prison is.

I have one, I guess, plot hole? that I want to say somewhere.

And it’s Morgan’s clothes. Like, I’m sorry, but it feels very unrealistic. And I’m not talking about her sense of fashion- the colors, the heels, the big jackets. I love that. I’m talking about budget.

Before she starts being a consultant, she’s a janitor. And before that, other menial jobs that presumably left little savings. With three kids. And while she does have an ex who is helping to support the kids, we see that this is not enough. Her car is constantly breaking down and she can’t afford to repair it. She doesn’t have money to do a lot of things for her kids. That’s a huge reason why she takes the job as the consultant in the first place.

But through the course of the show, I don’t think I’ve seen her repeat one piece of clothing. Which I’m sure is possible, but it would be more realistic to me if we saw her repeat an article of clothing here there, maybe paired it up in a different way, maybe turning a dress into a skirt or something.? anything. Because her outfits tend to balance pretty quality pieces with things that I suppose could’ve been gotten from somewhere cheap like Shein, but the pieces that are quality are also very trendy and don’t really make sense for her to have had for a long time or gotten from a vintage store. So the fact that she doesn’t really re-wear them is complicated.

Also, her shoes. Her shoes are also very specific, and I don’t know where she buys her shoes that she can get them to be that affordable. I suppose this collection could’ve been built up over a long period of time, as it would make sense for someone who likes to dress in such bold colors to consistently be buying shoes like this. But I’m just not sure how you get to the point that you have so many pairs of shoes that are also bold and never have to repeat a pair.

OK, I’m on my TVD rewatch and I have some thoughts about Elena.

So, I have been the first person to say that they kind of bring Elena’s character downhill after season one. She becomes kind of a figure head, a MacGuffin, a plot device akin to the holy Grail, only there to move the plot forward.

And this isn’t anything that she’s done. Like, she’s the key to breaking the centuries-old curse, one side is fighting to kill her, the other side is to save her. She just is the holy Grail here.

However, I think the real critique is the fact that she’s willing to be sacrificed. That all of her friends and family are asking her to fight, literal strangers are telling her to fight, and instead she chooses to self-sacrifice, impeding her own rescue. I myself have been very annoyed at this.

But upon my most recent rewatch, I see more of what the writers were trying to do. This was a very extreme contrast to Katherine and her selfishness which got her family killed just so she could try to live. Throughout the show, they love to contrast Katherine and Elena. I think a large part of that is to demonstrate the fact that Stefan and Damon are in love with Elena rather than a Katherine look-alike. I think it’s also partially for the audience’s sake, so that they can distinguish the characters themselves.

I think the main issue is that they took it too far of an extreme- Katherine, for example, has moments where she does the right thing. She brings Damon the cure for the werewolf bite. She shows up for her daughter. Etc. But Elena, as the so-called “good doppelgänger,” is stuck in place as “good.” If she let Bonnie sacrifice herself for her, she would be falling into the Katherine realm of selfish, which is no good for the harsh archetypes that they have been casted in.

Upon rewatch, I am deeply concerned about the fact that Elena and Jeremy did not recognize the ring the their father had been wearing, presumably their entire lives.

Like, they’re all flustered and whatever along with Stefan and Damon when Alaric is like wow this ring seems like magic and neither of them says you know that looks a lot like our dad’s ring?

Caroline x Matt:

This is a lonely x lonely relationship. It starts when Caroline is feeling especially vulnerable- she’s been called shallow, her mom isn’t a huge part of her life, her dad is away to be in a relationship with someone else, and her best friends, who admittedly have their own supernatural problems starting up, treat her as a secondary concern. This is also the only of the listed relationships where Caroline isn’t forced to change- well, she kinda is, but it’s gradual. It’s her spot for character development, explaining herself more, and it’s a development she chooses rather than being forced upon her.

On the other hand, Matt is also by himself. His mom is off in her own new relationship, and we can presume wasn’t super present beforehand. Vicky is dead, presumed run-away, just like everyone always knew she would. And while Matt is generally popular, on the football team, friends with the mayor’s son, and everyone calling him the golden boy, we know this is fragile- he soon has to pick up a job for work, Tyler’s a shit friend, and Elena has moved on from their relationship.

This is 10/10, with Matt seeing the loneliness in her and saying he knows what it feels like.

Caroline x Tyler

This is Vamp x Wolf. Newly supernatural, getting used to things, Caroline had her previous problems x 1000, feeling like she has to hide so much of who she is now.

Tyler is similarly lonely- his Dad especially was an SOB, his mom only slightly better with how stuck up she was. He could never live up to expectations and constantly alienated the relationships he had when he inevitably lashed out (ex. Making out with Matt’s mom Jesus Christ get a grip). Similarly, he has a ton of secrets now with him being a wolf and going through changes (allegory for puberty, anyone?). From its great start, this relationship goes downhill and continues long by past its expiry date- Tyler couldn’t help the sire bond, but his ambiguous relationship with Hayley, bringing Caroline into the mix of things, all spelled disaster. But then just running away? Bruh.

9.5/10, not my fav because of the way it ended and he dragged her around. But they understood each other and that’s why it still holds up on rewatch. Also not great that her next relationship is the guy who killed his mom.

Caroline x Klaus

I think this is so popular because Klaus makes Caroline the IT Girl instead of Elena. I mean, seasons and seasons of Elana-this and Elena-that as everybody and their mother’s first priority. And here tall dark and dangerous is swooning after Caroline. And the insecurity that drove Caroline to Damon, to want Stefan, was that nobody ever picked her. It speaks to the core issues that she has and how out of place she’s always felt. He gave her confidence.

And here Klaus is picking her again and again and again. Plus he is also Lonely Boy TM- despised by his father while his mother just watched on, he is the oddity, the freak, the one immortal in his family who knows there’s something wrong with him for being a wolf. The thing that killed his own brother. The reason his father, not his real father, could never love him. I mean, even his mother starts trying to kill him, after she’d already locked up his wolf side in a spell because she despised it so much. He couldn’t even trust his siblings to love him.

I don’t know how to phrase what Caroline does for Klaus. He gives her confidence, I think, caring about her makes him a little softer, a little bit more charming, and allows us to relate to him. I think the reason he fell for her was because he could see how similar they were and how lonely.

9/10, #justiceforauntjenna prevents me from giving full marks. (considering this, it’s kind of a weird thing for Elena to be understanding about this relationship, like, girl. Come on.)

Caroline x Stefan

I think this was very full circle. Caroline initially had a crush on Stefan, and ends in love with Stefan. This initial relationship prevented their latter friendship from ever getting quite to the point of Lexi and Stefan’s friendship, but they get close. They were both supportive of each other at their lowest, and I think Stefan needed that. He felt… accomplished almost? Seeing her doing so well. It reminded him that he could make it through, that he could stay on a diet when it got rough.

Not to mention, also lonely. Damn this show for this trend, but his dad killed him, mom “died” and ran away to make a new family, his brother later decided to torment him and Elena doesn’t choose him. Caroline’s friendship and support got him through.

Not sure what Caroline got though? Or if her support had to end romantic in nature. For either of them. Felt rushed, like they wanted a solid ending to make Stefan’s death more dramatic.

8/10, can’t decide if they should’ve stayed friends or if their relationship works so well because they started off as friends which gives it a needed stability not found in the other relationships here.