Popular Culture Review Vol. 12, No. 1, February 2001 | Page 84
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Popular Culture Review
been described as “the very best horror has to offer” (Genge xv); with “power[ful]
ludic elements [in] symbolism and language” (Wilcox 23); offering “transgressive
possibilities for reimagining gendered relations and modernist American ideologies”
(Owen 25) in “brainy, goodhearted, gloriously expressive TV poetry” (Carson 37)
with “delightfully campy dialogue” (Genge xiv) centering around a slight, blonde,
ex-cheerleader who “kicks vampire butt.”
The framing narrative is about a young woman who inherited special skills as
a vampire-slayer, and each episode sees her face assorted demonic forces
challenging her and threatening humanity. The first three seasons were set in
Sunnydale High School; the present season has moved to the campus of the college
in the same town. Buffy has an assortment of friends and foes who are regulars or
semi-regulars in the series. Her “Watcher” (or guardian) is Giles (played by Anthony
Stewart Head) who has been charged with the duties of training and assisting the
Slayer. Her best friend. Willow (played by Alyson Hannigan), displays exceptional
computer skills and dabbles in witchcraft. Two other friends, Xander (Nicholas
Brendon) and Oz (Seth Green), round out Buffy’s inner circle who get entangled
in demonic battles. Another character, Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) has left the
series to join Angel in a spin-off show. Cordelia plays a shallow, narcissistic young
woman who epitomizes the homecoming queen popularity of traditionally
mainstream adolescent experiences.
The show has generated an active following. My daughter has bookmarked
several web pages that serve as electronic equivalents of fan clubs. These pages
include episode summaries, electronic bulletin boards, current news regarding future
episodes, personal information about the stars and Joss Whedon, lyrics and artists
of the music heard in the show, and links to other related sites. Several of the sites
solicit and receive stories and songs written by viewers that stay true to the
characters, plots, and themes of the show. Recently two sites ceased including
transcripts and sound recordings from the shows after executives (and probably
their legal affairs department) contacted them from 20th Century-Fox. Fans are
being urged to write letters of protest. In addition to the web pages, there are several
chat line sites where fans can engage in a conversation about the show. My
daughter’s email receives an average of eight to ten messages a week from the chat
line to which she subscribes. In addition to the large adolescent following, clearly,
something about this show has touched a chord in older viewers as well, witness
the critical reviews cited above. The adult magazine George revealed Buffy as
second in a list of “20 Most Fascinating Women in Politics.”
What does B u ff y add to the ongoing discourse of our postmodern society in
terms of poststructuralist feminist theory?
To apply the term “postmodern” (or any other term) to contemporary society