Buffy the Vampire Slayer Article: Buffy's Relationship With the Scoobies

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posted by DR76

I have something of a problem with Buffy's relationship with the Scoobies:

"BUFFY'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SCOOBIES"

I just finished watching the Season 3 episode, (3.07) "Revelations". I find myself recalling the scene in which the Scoobies reveal to Buffy that they know that Angel was still alive and she had been keeping his presence a secret from them. Apparently, Xander had decided to spy on Buffy, due to her secretive nature and found her kissing Angel.

Now, I realize that they had a right to be angry that she failed to tell them about Angel being alive. But . . . God, this scene pissed me off! If there is one thing about Buffy's relationship with Giles and the Scoobies that has burned me is that she has allowed them to dictate her behavior and moral compass, due to her own fear of losing their friendship. Has Buffy ever put such pressure on Xander, Willow or Giles? I wonder. For years, they put her on this pedestal called "THE SLAYER" and rarely allow Buffy to be herself or have her own life.

Xander is the worst offender of them all. I do not know how this character came to be so beloved by the series' fans. Granted, Xander can be entertaining. But of all the characters, he is probably the most self-righteous of the bunch. And he has allowed his self-righteousness, along with his jealousy toward Buffy's relationships with both Angel and Spike to compromise his morals without any remorse. Good examples would be his lie to Willow about Buffy's wishes regarding Angel in (2.22) "Becoming - Part II" and his attempt to murder a chipped Spike in (6.18) "Entropy" for having sex with the fiancee he had dumped at the altar. Even in "Revelations", he was behaving in the most self-righteous manner about Buffy's lie regarding Angel . . . yet, at the same time, was kissing Willow behind Cordelia's back. Some would say that at least his infidelity with Willow was not a threat to anyone. But his and Willow's actions ended up hurting Cordelia in more ways than one.

The Scoobies' attitude toward Buffy reached its pennacle in Season 6. In (6.01)"Bargaining - Part I", Willow, with Xander, Anya and Tara's assistance, brought Buffy back from the dead . . . without her consent or anything. An act that led to a year long depression for for the Slayer. And they did this, because they needed "THE SLAYER". They believed that Sunnydale needed a Slayer. Despite the fact that Sunnydale had managed to exist without a Slayer for nearly a century before Buffy's arrival.

Is it any wonder why Buffy began to emotionally distance herself from her friends" in Season 7?

divadawson16, brileyforever77 and 3 others like this

TangoThang This is a intelligently written article and I agree the scoobie gang isn't always a support foundation that Buffy needed

CallMeCrazyCA I like what you have to say, and would totally agree. Except that these Characters are SUPPOSED to be flawed. They put her on the Pedestal as "THE SLAYER" because Slayers were chosen to protect the world against demons, forces of Darkness... whatever. They aren't supposed to have personal lives and they were created simply to protect the world. They didn't live long. Didn't have social lives. Did their "Duty". Buffy attempted to have her own life, something that was brought up a few times by Giles, Kendra, and Wesley as being unusual for the slayers before Buffy (But if you look at any of the literature on past slayers not completely true). It could be considered the source of her problems. Also, quoted by Buffy to be her strength. And probably the reason she was the longest living slayer... Ignoring the fact that it's a tv show.... I also hated the relationship between Buffy and the Scoobies during the 3rd and 6th season. But mostly because of all the secrets. It seemed unneccessarily Drama filled. But since I'm not a professional script writer or social theologist I'm not an expert and don't make these decisions. It makes perfect sense to me that Xander was the Scooby that expected the most from Buffy. It's often said that he's a major superhero fanatic (possibly another reason for Xander love beyond his humor and his ability to "boil a complex thought(or emotion) down to it's simplest possible form") Because of his superhero worship it makes sense that he'd expect perfection from his hero Buffy. He's not perfect, none of the Characters are... but they are perfect in their roles in Buffy's life. Everyone needs other people to help keep their moral compass straight. Example: Faith. She was doing well her first few episodes when she had people to show off to. When she wasn't directly expected to abide by the same rules they put on Buffy she began to stray and realized it was easier to be the bad guy. - Or maybe because it's more rewarding? It helped that they didn't include her much and Buffy felt threatened by her. Making her feel unwelcome and easing her onto her decline. I could do a book on the Rise and Fall of Faith (doesn't that just sound like an awesome title?) but we're talking Buffy here. Willow and Giles seemed to expect more from her in the beginning, but as the episodes continue they seem to have realized that Buffy isn't the Begin all end all. They seem to be able to accept her humanity better than Xander. But that's the biggest flaw in Hero Worship, ain't it?

CallMeCrazyCA Sorry I commented so long... this is my first Comment on Buffy anywhere... I'm a long time fan, but just recently sought out public forums in which to voice my love.

CallMeCrazyCA Oh, their need for buffy in season 6 was obviously the result of emotional attachment. Even though they made a point of saying that raising the dead is all bad when Joyce died. If we're ignoring the obvious "HELLO ITS A TV SHOW" bit. The writers did try to prove the need for the slayer with the Biker Demons, perhaps because Buffy was in Sunnydale for so long it stopped Sunnydale from being able to continue without a slayer. I respect them though for at least making a big consequence to it. "The First". Of course I guess thats also just their way of continuing the series.

CallMeCrazyCA I really need to get off of here. Or I'll just keep coming up with more to say. I'm sorry, I'm just very excited to have found a place to discuss Buffy theories. AH!

DR76 ["Willow and Giles seemed to expect more from her in the beginning, but as the episodes continue they seem to have realized that Buffy isn't the Begin all end all."] And it took them nearly six to seven seasons to realize this.

goodbyemra Agree with what you said completely. I know Buffy isn't perfect, she makes mistakes and has flaws. But to be honest the gang are pretty crappy friends, they constantly judge her and expect her to be perfect when they themselves aren't. It seems like everyone can make mistake except her, which is just an extremely unfair relationship. I was always annoyed by the scoobies treatment of Buffy but in Chosen (S07) when they betray her and kick her out over one mistake that wasn't really her fault anyway just did it for me. I especially agree with what you said about Xander, he's a total hyprocrite really isn't he? I hate how he gets away with being a prick to people and so self-righteous just because he cracks a few jokes. I don't blame Buffy for being distant one bit. I mean look what the scoobies pressure did to Faith, she became one of the 'big bads'. Even when she took Buffy's role for a few days (At the end of season 7) she said that's the loneliest she's ever felt, if that's not an indication of bad friendship then I don't know what is. That's why Buffy is my favourite out of all the scoobies, she may like to feel sorry for herself but hey, I feel sorry for her too. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks the same.

Xeginy I don't know, I think that the relationship that Buffy has with her friends is pretty realistic. Okay, take Season 3. Due to the intense nature of Buffy and Angel's relationship, it took a HUGE move (Angel killing Jenny) for Buffy to actually rev herself up enough to kill him. She could have done it sooner, and spared a great deal of pain for everybody involved, but...well, that's just the way it goes sometimes. So Angel comes back, and we (the audience) knows that he's better. Buffy knows that he has a soul. But her friends? How are they supposed to know? They didn't see him, or talk to him. And Buffy had already built up a history of "bad decisions" with Angel. Do you really expect them to just trust Buffy completely with her perceptions of Angel? He killed Jenny. He tortured Giles. He almost (inadvertently, anyway) killed Willow. They're all scared of him, and then Xander sees her kissing him...how else are they supposed to react? I saw that scene as painful, sure, but realistic. Scared people do stupid things. Season 7 had a "same sh1t, different day" feel to it. Giles is worried that Buffy's trust in Spike is going to have the same consequences as her trust in Angel did - death, torture, mind games, etc. Which is a very reasonable worry, if you think about it. It's not like Spike has got a great track record to begin with, and he's not all depressed and repentant like Angel. Xander loses an eye, which is enough to make anyone feel a little bitter. Faith comes back, which conjures up all sorts of unresolved feelings for all of them. And Buffy's the leader. The crappy thing about being a leader is that when things go south, the leader is the one who gets blamed. So you've got all of these people, crammed into a house that is too small for them, looking at Buffy, their "Chosen" leader...well, like in Season 3, scared people do stupid things.

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