One of the mistakes often made when describing what people look for in a ‘strong female character’ is a fierce, independent woman. She relies on no one of any gender to get what she needs, and she has all the skills she could possibly require at her fingertips. She’s the lone hunter, the woman warrior, …
Tag Archives: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Makin’ Me Crazy: The Madness of Drusilla, Sierra, and River
Joss Whedon’s frequent return to themes about mental illness is one I’ve remarked on, as has my colleague Anna. His explorations of mental illness have not always been terribly nuanced or complex, and it’s notable that he keeps coming back to some core themes. Charitable readings might suggest that he’s exploring social justice issues and …
Mad Mysticism, Vampirism, and Drusilla
Drusilla is one of the most interesting characters on Buffy and Angel. She flits in and out of storylines, often playing a very critical role, and she’s also one of Whedon’s Brunettes, the characters who recur over and over again in various forms in Whedon’s work. Fragile, but dangerous. Eerie, but in need of protection …
Social Justice and Joss Whedon: So Close, Yet So Far: Buffy/Spike
Content note: This post discusses BDSM and rape. One of the more complex, troublesome, and ultimately frustrating relationships on Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the Buffy/Spike relationship. Spike, originally introduced as a bit character, wormed his way into being a central character on the series, and with good reason. He’s complex, he’s dynamic, he’s interesting, …
What Is It About Joss Whedon?
I think it’s been pretty clearly established that I’m a fan of Joss Whedon’s work; why else would I devote so much time to shredding it? (I critique because I care.) And I interact with a lot of Joss fans who are in the same boat I’m in; we like his work a lot, or …
Feminism and Joss Whedon: The Whitewashing of Sunnydale
I’ve been rewatching bits and pieces of Buffy for various projects and I am struck, yet again, by the notable abscence of Latino and Latina characters on the show. I am not the first person to have noticed this, nor will I be the last. tablesaw did an excellent and very thorough analysis looking at …
Feminism and Joss Whedon: The Silencing of Cordelia Chase (Two)
At the close of season three, Cordelia and Angel are about to admit their feelings to each other when Cordelia conveniently gets her reward. She is whisked away into an alternate plane in compensation for her service to humanity. As it later turns out, this entire situation was manufactured so that Cordelia could return. As …
Feminism and Joss Whedon: The Silencing of Cordelia Chase (One)
Content note: Before reading this post, please read ‘Feminism and Joss Whedon: Setting Some Boundaries‘ if you have not done so already. Cordelia Chase is one of the most fascinating characters in the Buffyverse, a world which is already quite full of very interesting characters. However, the way that Cordelia is handled makes her kind …
Feminism and Television: All of the Credit, None of the Controversy
Anna and I had a conversation about The Good Wife and its depiction of feminism recently, when she was writing it up for a post at FWD. I haven’t actually seen the show, so I can’t speak to the depiction of feminism in it, but Anna and I were trying to think of main characters …
