I think this small detail that Joss Whedon incorporates is a difining part of what makes Buffy's Dracula experience unique. It's almost as if through Buffy's defeat of Dracula, Whedon portrays the lack of fear which humans now have for vampires thanks to the recent incorporation of vampires into pop culture over the last few decades.
9.22.2011
Buffy and Dracula vs. Blood and Life
As cliché as it is to talk about blood, I thought Joss Whedon's incorporation of the quote "And blood, blood is life," was a really intersting detail in Buffy vs. Dracula. Between Carmilla, Buffy, and Dracula, we've already established the ways drinking another persons blood can be considered taking a part of their life force. However, Buffy's reaction to blood in this episode is different than audiences may have expected it to be. For example, the fact that she is "under the thrall of the Dark Prince," as Riley would put it, should mean that she begins having cravings for blood, or life, as Xander does. When Riley offers her the jelly donut that looks like it's oozing blood however, it seems to repulse her and make her sick to her stomach. Similarly, instead of Dracula being able to control Buffy even more easily after she drinks his blood, the blood bond between them suddenly breaks his hold over her.
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So interesting. That part of the episode always made me wonder a little bit too, and I'm still floundering a little as to what Joss Whedon really wanted to symbolize when Buffy rejects the jelly blood-donut.
ReplyDeleteI am going to have to disagree with your claim that Buffy is able to break the spell of Dracula because she tastes his blood. If I recall correctly, Buffy remains entirely under the "thrall" of Dracula as she drinks his blood, and she seems to even almost experience a moment of ecstasy once she has finished drinking. The absorption of Dracula's blood is not what breaks his spell, but rather the feeling repulsion that Buffy experiences after realizing what she has done. It is my belief that Buffy's general mental fortitude and powers as a slayer are what allowed her to resist Dracula's charm, and that it merely took a while for her "slayer instincts" to emerge. With regards to the jelly donut, I believe this is also a reflection of her slayer abilities, as to effectively battle demons, she must be disgusted by what motivates them.
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