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episode Buffy comes home to find her mother dead on the sofa. When the ambulance crew gets there they manage to revive her and next thing you know Buffy, Dawn (Buffy's sister Michelle Trachtenburg) and their mother Joyce (Kristine Sutherland) are all smiling happily together as a doctor says everything is fine. Then the show snaps back to reality. This episode is a good example of the raw emotion that makes the series so much more than a fantasy-action programme. Buffy is a Slayer, she deals with death every single day. But yet in this episode Buffy is totally incapable of dealing with her mother's death. The ever resourceful and level-headed killing machine that is Buffy the vampire slayer is suddenly paralyzed with emotion. She does not know what to do, how to help and the show reminds us that at the centre of this fantasy world is not a superhero after all, it is a normal young woman dealing with life as best she can.

Buffy's main way of getting through the harsh circumstances that life throws her way is with the help of her friends. The core group of the show is the Scooby Gang, the main members being Buffy's watcher Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Willow (Alyson Hannigan). The banter between these characters provides the light relief that is necessary to balance out the darkness of the show. Unlike many television shows BtVS is an ensemble. Although Buffy is the Chosen One' she is always surrounded by helping hands, people who actively help her fight the dangers she faces. The depth that the writers have given these characters is another reason why the show is so successful, the audience is invested in every character not just Buffy herself.

Xander the typical high school loser who is always first to crack a joke about a situation and is often a liability during fights. While Buffy is the heroine Xander somewhat takes his place in the role of damsel in distress'. This is seen in multiple episodes in which he follows his male organs without much consideration by his head meaning he has dated a giant praying mantis, a mummy, a demon who intends to drain his blood as well as school superbitch Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) and vengeance demon Anya (Emma Caulfield). Cordelia labels Xander as the Zeppo (The Zeppo', Season 3, Episode 13), the insignificant part of the group that buys the snacks and is little more than a hindrance. Of course this is far from the truth. Xander is the heart of the Scooby Gang; acting without super

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