2 of 24

Write now Article Tools

Page 3 of 4

strength or other mystical powers or knowledge he will never abandon his friends. In the episode Potential' (Season 7, Episode 12) he imparts his advice on Dawn when she realizes that, like Xander, she has no special power and yet she quietly gets on in whatever way she can help. Unknowing he is about to say exactly what the audience think of him he tells Dawn: "You're not special; you're extraordinary".

Giles is the stuffy English librarian who enjoys wearing tweed and drinking tea. With this character however the nothing is as it seems' motif is perfectly utilized. In the episode The Dark Age' (Season 2, Episode 8) a murder is linked to Giles and we see him have an uncharacteristic break down. Usually the stable figure who gets Buffy through appears to have, like most humans do, a rebellious side. We find out that as a teenager Giles was more commonly known as Ripper, a homicidal, off-the-wall rocker who enjoyed dabbling in the black arts to get high. The Dark Age' deals with Giles' past in a serious way bringing up issues of trust and betrayal however in true Joss Whedon fashion there is also a lot of humour to be had from this discovery. In Band Candy' (Season 3, Episode6) all of the adults begin to act like teenagers meaning that we actually get to witness Giles' manic alter-ego for ourselves. Seeing the conservative Rupert Giles stealing a gun from a policeman he just knocked out after breaking into a shop is really quite something.

Perhaps the biggest transformation that occurs is in the character of Willow. In the first few seasons Willow is the insecure nerd who hates to lie, hates to get in trouble and who values school work above nearly everything. However as she matures she develops into a powerful witch, more powerful than Buffy even. Willow's weakness is her inability to cope with her power; she becomes addicted to magic resulting in her girlfriend moving out and her breaking Dawn's arm in a car crash. She becomes so powerful that she threatens to destroy the world when her girlfriend Tara (Amber Benson) is murdered, and becomes a murderer herself. In fact in this very episode, Grave' (Season 6, Episode 22) it is Xander, not Buffy, who manages to stop Willow. Not by using power to stop her, but by using his heart to appeal to her.

Willow's situation highlights the difference between her power and Buffy's. Buffy does not have a choice, her power is her destiny. Willow may have more powerful but Buffy is stronger. Buffy controls her power because

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about TV show reviews: Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
We want to hear your view. Write now!