Act Three
9EE) "If you'll just gimme a minute." (00:32:05) SURPRISE!: How ironic is it that the Slayer almost ended up being foiled by someone the size of, well, a puppet?!? This makes an interesting symbolic statement, as well, not just about the unpredictability of possible danger but the fact that even something that, on the surface, might seem to an adult to be a minor problem, can be of life or death importance to a teenager.
9FF) "Who can blame me for thinking?" (00:33:25) WHAT IS THE SLAYER?: Sid's assumption that Buffy is the demon is extremely interesting, because it goes back to the origins of the Slayer. The power of the Slayer is demonic in origin, and that is why her fighting skills and super-strength are so similar (and many times superior) to that of the demons. In the graphic novel, Tales of the Slayers, we learn that throughout history, the Slayer has been shunned by te very societies she is destined to protect. In the earlier tales, this is due to the fact that the villagers fear her powers. The First Slayer is asked to leave her town by one of the townspeople, who says, "Our elders thank you for saving us from the demons...and ask that you leave. They say the Shadowmen made you born with demon inside and that is how you are able to fight vampires. That's why they fear you. Why they ch-chose only one..." This brief exchange also answers why there is only one girl at a time, for the entire world--because the people fear the Slayer, for the very reasons that they thank her, and would be too scared to have created more than one human with so much power. This combination of respect and hate of the Slayer continues throughout history. In Medieval England, the Slayer saves a town from a hideous demon, and is then burned at the stake, because they believe her to be a witch! This is the constant conundrum of the Slayer. Her job is to protect a world that, until Buffy came along, she could never be a part of herself. Finally, in the seventh season episode, Get It Done, Buffy herself learned the full truth. These "Shadowmen" (priests or mystics) were somehow able to harness the powers of the demon into a young girl in order to create the Slayer. They call it infusing the girl with the "heart" of the demon. The First Slayer was far more demonic and primal than later slayers, because she had the purest, most direct source of the power. In Get It Done, Buffy herself is offered this kind of power, but she turns it down, afraid of losing her humanity. See 1W.--quotage from Prologue, by Joss Whedon, from Tales of the Slayer, published by Dark Horse Comics
9GG) "...it's a welcome change to have someone else explain all these things." (00:33:45) RIPPER: This line again reiterates Giles' discomfort at being forced to be a figure of authority. See 9C.--Rahael, Mon, 09/30/02 at 04:04:56, paraphrased by Rob
9HH) "I knew a Slayer in the 30's. Korean chick." (00:35:25) SLAYAGE: This is Buffy's first reference to a previous slayer, this one a Korean girl from the 1930s. A few others will be mentioned later in the series, especially in the fifth season's Fool For Love.--cjl, Fri, 09/27/02 at 11:54:14, paraphrased by Rob
9II) "Don't get sniffly on me, sis." (00:36:00) BUFFY THE PUPPET SLAYER?: "Sid the Puppet is 'undead' and longs for the peace of the grave. He could symbolize the tortured nature of the Vampire, which the Slayer frees by letting them die."--Rahael, Mon, 09/30/02 at 04:04:56
9JJ) Morgan's brain. (00:37:45) FORESHADOWY GOODNESS: In many ways, The Puppet Show foreshadows the major story arc of the fifth season: "the brain-sucking demon villain is a precursor to Glory," the hell-goddess. "Whilst she metaphorically sucks some essence of the mind, the demon literally eats/sucks brains. Their rationale for doing so is also slightly similar. Glory needs to feed on brains or else her mind starts to come apart, the demon in The Puppet Show needs to feed on brains to retain the semblance of his human appearance." Both villains also are being pursued by some sort of hunter--the present episode's demon by Sid, the demon-hunter, and Glory, by the Knights of Byzantium.--Betheldene, Tues, 10/01/02, at 02:55:23, with some additions by Rob
Act Four
9KK) "Does anybody else feel like they've been Keyser Soze'd?" (00:38:05) UNUSUAL SUSPECT?: This is a reference to the Academy Award-winning 1995 film, The Usual Suspects, directed by Bryan Singer. This film redefined the mystery film genre with its shocking twist ending, in which it is revealed SPOILER ALERT!!! that the narrator of the film, the character Keyser Soze, played by Kevin Spacey, turns out to be the villain, and he had misdirected the audience throughout the film. Xander is implying that Sid, who arrived with all the exposition, might have also been similarly misdirecting the Scooby Gang.--Ponygirl, Fri, 09/27/02 at 14:06:28, paraphrased by Rob
9LL) "What?" (00:38:50) WILLOW NOT SO SMART?: The joke here, of course, is that Willow, who had just been suspected of being the next victim due to how smart she is, doesn't get Buffy and Xander's none-too-subtle implication.
XANDER SMART: "Willow's smart...? What about Xander...? He thinks he's safe, but how'd he pick the square of a whole number to ask Willow the square root of?"--anom, Sun, 10/27/02 at 11:04:21
9MM) "Gee, Mr. Giles, you're really...smart." (00:39:00) WHY WAS GILES PICKED & NOT WILLOW?: Although Willow is a very smart person, she is not as smart as Giles, because she does not always temper her brilliant proficiency in science, math, and later, magic with the wisest decisions. This is not to say that Giles always makes the right decisions, but, on the whole, he is less rash than Willow and does not let his emotions or desires run away from him (one of the rare instances of the opposite occuring is when Giles went after Angel in Passion). His position as the symbolic "Mind" of the group is further cemented in the fourth season's climactic episode, Primeval, when each of the Scooby Gang joins to create a "Super Slayer," composed of the best attributes of all of them. In that episode, Willow was the "Spirit," Xander was the "Heart," Giles was the "Mind," and Buffy was the "Hand." In the next episode of the fourth season, the finale, Restless, Giles, in a dream, is again "faced with having the top of his head cut off...[That] attack also occurs in a backstage, behind the scenes setting."--Ponygirl, Fri, 09/27/02 at 14:06:28, partly paraphrased and additions by Rob
9*4) "I don't get it. What is it? Avant-garde?" (00:43:25) THEATRE TERMS: "Avant-garde theatre was about spoofing the political leadership and being shocking..." That is why "Principal Snyder...[,] the 'political leadership'...of the high school" feels instantly uncomfortable by what is on the stage. He always has the strong notion that no matter what the students are doing at any given moment, they are doing it to mock him or undermine his authority. Incidentally, the way the entire gang is frozen on the stage when the curtain opens is called a tableau vivant.--Sophie, Fri, 10/25/02 at 19:11:38
Tag
9NN) "Oh, ruler of my country, Oedipus..." (00:43:50) OEDIPAL COMPLEX: Buffy, Xander, and Willow's performance is from the classic Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. In summary, Oedipus was the the adopted son of a king and queen, who left his kingdom when he learned from the Oracle at Delphi that he would kill his father and marry his mother. However, he was not aware of his adoption. He runs into and has an argument with an old man on the road outside of Thebes, an argument which ends in the old man's death. Oedipus arrives at Thebes to learn that the old man who he had killed was the King of Thebes, Laius. He frees the kingdom from an oppressive mythological creature, the Sphinx, and is thus crowned the new king. The old king's wife, Iocasta, becomes Oedipus' wife. Only years later does he learn that the king had been his paternal father, and thus he had fulfilled the prophecy. He had killed his father and married his mother! In response, Oedipus blinds himself and exiles himself from the kingdom.
In the Scooby Gang's production, "Willow is the Priest of Zeus, the Chorus leader, Buffy is Iocasta, Oedipus' wife and mother, and Xander is Oedipus himself. What they perform is *not* a scene from the play but a synopsis. Willow's line is from the very start, where the problem (divine displeasure at the unsolved murder of Laius) is introduced and Oedipus takes responsibility for fixing it. Xander's first lines are from the middle 'realizations' section: Oedipus knows that he killed Laius, Iocasta's husband, and has just been told that the man who brought him up, and whom he believes to be his father, is dead. The main reference of these lines is to prophecy, Oedipus' fear of fulfilling it, and hope of evading it. Buffy's line is Iocasta's last line, when she has realized the truth (not only that Oedipus killed her first husband, but that he is in fact her son) and goes into the house to commit suicide. Oedipus still doesn't know, and refuses to stop trying to uncover the story. The next line is from Oedipus' last scene, once he has blinded himself because he cannot bear the truth. If Willow did not have stage fright, the last line would be hers--warning the audience to 'call no man happy until he is dead' because catastrophe can always strike. ("This could also apply to Sid--not happy until he's dead."--anom, Sun, 10/27/02 at 11:04:21) Xander's last line doesn't seem to actually be from the play, but is an accurate summary of Oedipus' future.
"Why is any of this significant? In Greek tragedy, there were only ever a maximum of three actors on stage at a time. This restriction of form required the dramatist to put a lot of thought into how things could be conveyed. Putting the Scooby Gang in this setting emphasizes that these three characters are more than enough, used skillfully, to explore complex and tragic themes. Perhaps it is also a metanarrative statement of intent...[Mutant Enemy Productions] saying 'with these three, we can do great drama.' The fact that the lines are not a lifted scene, but an elegant synopsis, demonstrates that the writer knows the play well.
"In terms of content, the basic premise of Oedipus Rex is prophecy, its effects, and the responses of its subjects. The plot specifically explores the idea that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Both of these foreshadow [the first season finale] Prophecy Girl, which questions whether prophecies can and should be evaded, and in which the Master says 'If you had not come, I could not go.' Like Oedipus, Buffy initially tries to foil the prophecy. Like Oedipus, her noble actions (in her case, going to fight the Master, in his case, vanquishing the Sphinx and taking a King's responsibility for the city) contribute to the problem. But unlike Oedipus, who refuses until the end to see his own hand in events, Buffy takes responsibility for her *own* actions early on.
In very general terms, the tragedy of Oedipus explores the idea that it is not what you do, it's the way that you do it. All Oedipus' failings are of attitude--he is too proud, too certain of his own rightness--and it is this, rather than his actions (which are all, individually, justifiable) that lead inevitably to the tragic climax. This idea seems to me to be also quite central to...[Buffy] as a whole: to navigate complex situations in which you do not know everything, and in which you have to make life or death decisions, it is important to have an open mind, to be humble and self-aware, to know that you are fallible, and yet still act. Oedipus never admits that he has made mistakes, and so he never learns from them..." He keeps demanding that since this was all preordained, that he had no way to fight his actions.--Lachesis, Sat, 09/28/02 at 08:14:22, with some additions by Rob
Of course, the major irony is that "in attempting to defy/avoid the will of the gods Oedipus seals his fate. Buffy's great strength is that she does not truly defy prophecy, she subverts it, finding the "none of the above" option, the twist that allows her to survive without getting all hubris-y and actively oppose destiny."--Ponygirl, Sun, 09/29/02 at 09:26:53
"For Sophocles, the overarching force with which individuals struggle is fate (or the will of the gods, expressed as prophecy). Oedipus' choices are all made on the basis of the prophecy anyway, but they are negative and simplistic--he has left his parents, and therefore thinks he doesn't have to worry about how he behaves. Ah, the irony, because, of course, if he had taken the prophecy to heart, rather than thinking of it as something outside himself which could be escaped, then he might well have come to the conclusion that he, of all people, should be *very* aware of his behaviour. Particularly in respect of not getting into fights with men old enough to be his father, or marrying older women whose backgrounds he doesn't know, but who have been married before! The deeper message is clear--you can't run, and you can't hide. All you can do is make the best choices you can, in the situation you find yourself in. Instead, Oedipus allows himself to be ruled by pride--instead of stepping aside on the road, he kills a man. Because he wants to be King, he marries Iocasta. In the play itself, he is proudly sure that he can punish the guilty, and certain that he is above suspicion--even though he has been warned by the Oracle, and is continually warned throughout the play. He equates pride and certainty with agency, and is shown to be tragically wrong. In trying to escape it, he allows prophecy to define him.
"One could argue that in the Buffyverse, the overarching force of this kind, with which the characters constantly have to struggle, is expectation: both other people's expectations, and their own expectations and assumptions, about what they are and should be. These cannot be ignored, since they are an everyday part of life. But it seems equally futile to simply accept them, (as Cordelia nearly does over Xander) or to defy them (as Willow does through magic). Both of these courses mean accepting external definition, rather than undertaking the difficult task of defining oneself, and being responsible for one's own actions. So it is not so different. Our lives *are* ruled by implacable, often incomprehensible, forces (nowadays, we don't call them the 'will of the gods,'--peer pressure, societal expectation, sexual morality, economics, being 'good'). But we are agents, until we resign that agency: either by surrendering to these forces, or by being defined purely by opposition. This, I think, is why 'Oedipus' is the play chosen--because at heart, it is a play about the struggle which is being human in a mad, often bad, world where cause and effect are not simple, where all actions have consequences which cannot be known in advance. Like Buffy, Oedipus might well have asked, 'What do you expect me to do?' The only answer is Giles' 'Your best.' It is a tragedy because in the end both the audience and Oedipus know that he did not. Buffy does, not only morally, but also in terms of trying really hard.--Lachesis, Sun, 09/29/02 at 12:14:56
9OO) "She is too terrified to say her next line and runs from the stage." (00:44:35) THE METAPHYSICS OF STAGE FRIGHT: "Willow's running off in terror at the end of the episode, midway through the drama piece that she, Buffy and Xander are performing was not part of the...[original] script...[It] was ad-libbed by Alyson Hannigan, who thought that stage fright would be well suited to her character."--Submitted by Aliera For more on Willow's stage fright, see 9J.
This scene again reiterates the "idea that living life is a horror show...[T]he stage fright we see here is simply a dramatic staging of 'life fright'. It's significant that so often when the going gets tough, the Scoobies 'run' away, retreating from the stage, whether it's physical or mental (as seen in...[the fifth season's] Spiral). Buffy keeps running away from the Sunnydale stage. Xander keeps running, mentally (Restless). And Willow literally runs off the stage here. She cannot even brazen through the performance as Buffy or Xander do here. All the Scoobies know they can 'do stuff' but they can't do the stuff required by people like Snyder. Underneath this general life anxiety is the idea that they may commit terrible things, hurt other people, kill, or cut away people's hearts (heart-break). We know now that Xander's ever present fear is hurting others as his father hurt his family (Hell's Bells). Buffy doesn't want her mother around - "if you love me, you'll stay away" (see 9U). The themes dramatized in The Puppet Show are resurrected in Restless and Once More, With Feeling, which are the more metanarrative and overarching episodes, also with a hidden and menacing demon, and the idea of 'life as a show' (see 9B). Giles here, stands in as the 'paternal' figure for all three Scoobies, even for Cordelia. Is it significant that in the play Oedipus kills his father? And in The Puppet Show, it is Giles that ends up faced with the threat of the guillotine? And that there is the theme of the power of authority (forces them to put on the play) and the 'mocking' of authority figures? Oedipus trangresses moral and societal codes by killing his father (patriarchy) and sleeping with his own mother. He turns accepted values upside down. Does this theme have any significance for BtVS as a whole? And in Season six, with the departing of meaning and authority and coherence, how lost the Scoobies are, how frightened? How dark everything gets? The Geek chorus, with their immaturity deepens Season 6 from silliness into some of the most horrific acts seen on Buffy. Willow tortures and murders. Spike rapes. Buffy and Willow fight. Deepens into horror, rape and murder. And Willow mocks Giles, and threatens him on separate occasions--"Daddy's home". Willow also goes 'against nature' by resurrecting Buffy, slitting the throat of the deer, calling upon the dark. The world turns upside down. The idea of sexual transgression is present within the relationship of Buffy and Spike (which is forbidden, and has terrible consequences for both), with the mindwiping of Tara by Willow, the rape of Katrina, and that of Buffy, later on."--Rahael, Mon, 09/30/02 at 04:37:32