A Day in the Life . . . of a Vampire Slayer

(Actual time: Thursday, 12:05 a.m.)

Episode 1-5: "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date";

Episode 1-7: "Angel";

Episode 1-12: "Prophecy Girl";

Episode 2-1: "When She Was Bad"

One of the things that jumped out to me is a major theme of that plays in Episode 1-5 ("Never Kill a Boy on the First Date") which seems directly related to the second "mother" phase of female development. At the end of the show, Buffy and Giles have a nice little conversation about self-sacrifice and things one has to give up. Like many heroes, from the Scarlet Pimpernel to Spiderman, the theme of "I can't have a relationship with anyone because my enemies always hunt down and hurt the people I care about" has re-emerged. It definitely seems to have "brought the hero out of self-absorption and self development and into a more social realm of community." Clearly, Buffy is still developing as a person and as a hero (see her behavior in "When She Was Bad"!), but I would argue that, for female characters, the phases should intermingle more often than not. Female sensibilities as a rule mature faster than male sensibilities.

Going back to my reference to other heroes (including Spiderman), Buffy tries to "dodge" her destiny in Episode 1-12 as she attempted to do when we first met her. However, to move forward she must accept her fate: women must always be mindful of the future, and especially of future generations. She even wonders fleetingly about who the next Slayer will be

and what will happen to her: looking out for the survival of the future generations, as the author would say.

When Buffy goes to what she knows will be her own death, the dress she wears is white–a direct association with purity, or the "virgin phase." Even her descent into the ordeal of the Master's return seems symbolic, reflecting a hieros gamos or at least some level of her "education" as a hero and as a woman.

Throughout the development of the show, Buffy "quests after psychic wholeness and purpose." These words certainly sum up Buffy's apparent need for closure in "When She Was Bad," after the interim between her experiences in the finale of season one. She has undergone trials she could never have imagined before–which does seem to happen to most women, especially when one considers childbirth. In so many of these senses, Buffy is a very solid version of a female hero, referencing back to the goddess archetypes of ancient mythological cultures. The evil beings which threaten to destroy her world–her friends, her family, her social life and even passing high school–must be stopped, and as the Slayer and true female hero,

she is the only one who really holds that power.

–AGB