Part One: The Girl It must really suck to be Cordelia Chase. She was created to represent the alternate life that Buffy Summers could have had, and the shadow desires that still live inside her. Everybody on this show exists in relation to Buffy in some way. She is the nexus of this universe, aroundContinue reading “It Wasn’t Our World Anymore (The Wish)”
Tag Archives: cordelia chase
We’re Like Sisters, With Really Different Hair (Homecoming)
Since this series started, Cordelia Chase has existed for one specific purpose – to act as Buffy’s Shadow Self. She has represented Buffy’s pre-Slayer self, and her desire to return to that state. That part of Buffy’s life is her childhood – both literally in the sense that she was fifteen years old when sheContinue reading “We’re Like Sisters, With Really Different Hair (Homecoming)”
I Hate It When They Drown Me (Go Fish)
Guillermo Del Toro’s 2017 masterpiece The Shape of Water – a film built around the love story between a human woman and the “monstrous” Amphibian Man she finds a kindred spirit with – closes out its runtime with a shot of two lovers submerged beneath the water, and a poem that the narrator tells usContinue reading “I Hate It When They Drown Me (Go Fish)”
Whatever You Think You’re Feeling, It’s Not Love (Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered)
Last week, the show explored the fall-out from the Buffy/Angel disintegration through Willow, and her relationship with her new Monster Boyfriend. This week, it’s Xander and Cordelia’s turn to reflect the season’s central romance. There is no Monster Girlfriend for Xander – as much as he insists that dating Cordelia is more dangerous than fightingContinue reading “Whatever You Think You’re Feeling, It’s Not Love (Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered)”
Is This A Penis Metaphor? (Reptile Boy)
You know how it goes. Girl meets Boy. He’s older and more experienced – but seems nice, kind, thoughtful. Girl falls for Boy. They get close; maybe they sleep together. And then, when she wakes up, he’s changed. He’s cruel, mean, even evil. It turns out he just wanted to use her, and never reallyContinue reading “Is This A Penis Metaphor? (Reptile Boy)”
Did You Think She Would Look Upon Your True Face And Give You A Kiss? (Some Assembly Required)
In terms of genre, Buffy the Vampire Slayer has always played in many sandpits. It’s a superhero show, and it’s a horror, and it’s a teen drama. It’s a fantasy show with knights and witches and demigods, and a sci-fi show with cyborgs and brain chips. It’s a comedy, and it’s a tragedy. It’s aContinue reading “Did You Think She Would Look Upon Your True Face And Give You A Kiss? (Some Assembly Required)”
You Walked Down The Steps, And I Loved You (When She Was Bad)
The more I hear from other people in this fandom, the more I realise how unique each fan’s introduction to this show is. The majority of new fans will most likely come across Buffy on some streaming service, and be unfortunately subjected to the horrendous HD remaster. They probably started with Welcome To The HellmouthContinue reading “You Walked Down The Steps, And I Loved You (When She Was Bad)”
I Don’t Think About You Much At All (Out of Mind Out of Sight)
In this series so far, whenever I have written Cordelia’s name, it has almost always been immediately followed with “, as Buffy’s Shadow Self,”. She has existed up until now as purely a reflection of Buffy. That is her narrative function, the purpose she was designed for. She continues to fulfil this role through to season three, when a certain slayer takes hold of the reins. But this is the point in which she stops being just Buffy’s Shadow Self, and becomes a full character, part of the show in her own right.
We’re All Trapped Inside His Wacky Broadway Nightmare (Nightmares)
Fear is in the mind. This is the hypothesis put forward by The Master at the start of this episode, as he wraps his hand around the cross he so innately fears. And he’s right, of course. What is any emotion but a series of electrical impulses, hammering away at our synapses? The Master reaches the conclusion that if it is in the mind, then it is therefore something that can be controlled – mastered, as his name would imply. That is an idea that is a little harder to prove, and the rest of the episode is dedicated to discussing: is this true, or not?
I’m Not Done Baking (Welcome to the Hellmouth)
This is the story of a girl
This is the story of a young blonde woman with supernatural strength. Who subverts our expectations by refusing to be the victim, and instead of being chased in an alley, turns round and kills them. This is the story of a woman who shapes the world with her actions. A charismatic, smart, and powerful woman, whose name is said in admiration and fear. A woman who sacrifices herself, who dies and is reborn twice over.
I am talking, of course, about Darla.
Insect Reflection 