I'm going to combine my posts for "Tabula Rasa" and "Storyteller," since I forgot to post last week about "Tabula Rasa." Luckily, I believe the episodes do have a lot in common, for they both focus on literary devices and aspects of literary creation. "Tabula Rasa" examines a more focused aspect of literature (and media in general) - the creation of a hero(ine) - and "Storyteller" examines the art of actually telling the tale that the hero(ine) participates in.
I really enjoyed "Storyteller" because it examines how people conceptualize their lives in the context of society and the major events that surround them. By extension, it examines how people create the stories of their lives. As a History major, I've heard a lot about the importance of historiography (the study of the study of history). Historiography is incredibly important because it allows the historian to locate and understand the possible biases in a document. Historians know that no document, however much it claims the contrary, is truly objective. The author's social and political opinions inevitably shine through, no matter how hard s/he tries to rise above them.
Buffy certainly understands this concept and uses it to her advantage during "Storyteller." While she tells Andrew, "Life isn't a story," her manipulation of him reveals that she believes otherwise. Buffy realizes that Andrew continually lies to himself and others about his role in awakening the seal to the Hellmouth. He alters his memories, or even completely falsifies them, to absolve himself of any blame for precipitating the Apocalypse. In effect, Andrew writes stories about his past with the Hellmouth to protect himself from his guilty conscience and from the realities of the impending doom of humanity. Buffy holds no patience with this approach and continually tells Andrew to lay off his filming; however, this doesn't stop her from using the human propensity to romanticize, or tell stories about, their lives. In fact, she employs this knowledge to shut down the seal of the Hellmouth and to delay the Apocalypse. By telling Andrew his actions will definitely destroy humanity and informing him that he must die to turn off the seal, Buffy forces him to confront his past actions - to abandon fantasy for reality. In doing so, Andrew makes peace with his guilt and sheds the tears that deactivate the seal. The irony, of course, is that Buffy draws her realism and unwillingness to sugarcoat the future from a script. A script, in many ways, is a stripped down novel. Joss Whedon certainly recognized this irony and, in utilizing it, reveals that life is indeed a story.
"Tabula rasa" similarly plays with literary conventions; however, the episode focuses on a single literary convention: the creation of a hero(ine). The episode suggests that heroes/heroines are born, not made. Willow, fearful of Buffy's depression and Tara's unhappiness with her dependence on magic, casts a spell to erase those memories from their minds. The spell goes awry, as they are wont to do, and leaves the entire Scooby Gang with amnesia. They awaken in Anya's magic shop with no idea as to their identities and are forced to confront a situation they cannot comprehend: the existence of vampires. While they are originally confused and scared, they quickly rise to the occasion and confront the situation. As they do, their respective personalities and roles within the Gang reveal themselves through their actions. Most importantly, Buffy retains her slayer abilities. She discovers this when, despite her fear of the vampires attacking Anya's shop, she successfully fights back and stakes one of them. Although she doesn't understand the implications of her actions - she says, "I'm like a superhero or something." - she knows that she is special, a heroine of some sort. Spike, likewise, discovers that he is a vampire when his face transforms while he is helping Buffy fend off his peers working for the loan shark. He incorrectly assumes that his actions and the lack of any desire to harm Buffy means he is good guy, "A vampire with a soul." While Spike misinterprets his actions, they do reveal the essential role that he plays in the overall arc of Buffy; he is the interpreter of the darkness, who forces Buffy to recognize she represents a conglomeration of good and evil. The other members of the Scooby Gang similarly rediscover the essential roles that they fulfill within the show throughout the course of the episode. Like Spike and Buffy, they do so through their actions and their emotional responses to the situations they find themselves in. Thus, Joss Whedon demonstrates that heroes/heroines are born, not made. A hero(ine) can certainly grow and become an increasingly better hero(ine). For that to happen, they must be born with the potential.
Xander eventually steps on the blackened crystal that Willow used to enact the spell. In doing so, he reverses the group's collective amnesia and resurrects the problems that Willow had hoped to mask. Buffy, who has been brought back from Heaven to her version of hell - the act of being a slayer - becomes depressed again. She realizes now that not only must she stand alone - Giles decides to return to England - but she must also continue to fight a war that she despises. She can no longer hide from the knowledge that she contains some measure of darkness within her character. Her amnesia forces Buffy to accept her role as a slayer and a hero. As such, "Tabula rasa" encompasses in a single episode what TV shows and novels often spend a great deal of time doing: it creates a heroine and an entire cast of characters from a literally blank slate. In doing so, it reveals that heroes/heroines must be born with the potential for that important role and that they play an important role in shaping who they are and their world through storytelling. Ultimately, humans can only relate to themselves and others through storytelling.
I really enjoyed "Storyteller" because it examines how people conceptualize their lives in the context of society and the major events that surround them. By extension, it examines how people create the stories of their lives. As a History major, I've heard a lot about the importance of historiography (the study of the study of history). Historiography is incredibly important because it allows the historian to locate and understand the possible biases in a document. Historians know that no document, however much it claims the contrary, is truly objective. The author's social and political opinions inevitably shine through, no matter how hard s/he tries to rise above them.
Buffy certainly understands this concept and uses it to her advantage during "Storyteller." While she tells Andrew, "Life isn't a story," her manipulation of him reveals that she believes otherwise. Buffy realizes that Andrew continually lies to himself and others about his role in awakening the seal to the Hellmouth. He alters his memories, or even completely falsifies them, to absolve himself of any blame for precipitating the Apocalypse. In effect, Andrew writes stories about his past with the Hellmouth to protect himself from his guilty conscience and from the realities of the impending doom of humanity. Buffy holds no patience with this approach and continually tells Andrew to lay off his filming; however, this doesn't stop her from using the human propensity to romanticize, or tell stories about, their lives. In fact, she employs this knowledge to shut down the seal of the Hellmouth and to delay the Apocalypse. By telling Andrew his actions will definitely destroy humanity and informing him that he must die to turn off the seal, Buffy forces him to confront his past actions - to abandon fantasy for reality. In doing so, Andrew makes peace with his guilt and sheds the tears that deactivate the seal. The irony, of course, is that Buffy draws her realism and unwillingness to sugarcoat the future from a script. A script, in many ways, is a stripped down novel. Joss Whedon certainly recognized this irony and, in utilizing it, reveals that life is indeed a story.
"Tabula rasa" similarly plays with literary conventions; however, the episode focuses on a single literary convention: the creation of a hero(ine). The episode suggests that heroes/heroines are born, not made. Willow, fearful of Buffy's depression and Tara's unhappiness with her dependence on magic, casts a spell to erase those memories from their minds. The spell goes awry, as they are wont to do, and leaves the entire Scooby Gang with amnesia. They awaken in Anya's magic shop with no idea as to their identities and are forced to confront a situation they cannot comprehend: the existence of vampires. While they are originally confused and scared, they quickly rise to the occasion and confront the situation. As they do, their respective personalities and roles within the Gang reveal themselves through their actions. Most importantly, Buffy retains her slayer abilities. She discovers this when, despite her fear of the vampires attacking Anya's shop, she successfully fights back and stakes one of them. Although she doesn't understand the implications of her actions - she says, "I'm like a superhero or something." - she knows that she is special, a heroine of some sort. Spike, likewise, discovers that he is a vampire when his face transforms while he is helping Buffy fend off his peers working for the loan shark. He incorrectly assumes that his actions and the lack of any desire to harm Buffy means he is good guy, "A vampire with a soul." While Spike misinterprets his actions, they do reveal the essential role that he plays in the overall arc of Buffy; he is the interpreter of the darkness, who forces Buffy to recognize she represents a conglomeration of good and evil. The other members of the Scooby Gang similarly rediscover the essential roles that they fulfill within the show throughout the course of the episode. Like Spike and Buffy, they do so through their actions and their emotional responses to the situations they find themselves in. Thus, Joss Whedon demonstrates that heroes/heroines are born, not made. A hero(ine) can certainly grow and become an increasingly better hero(ine). For that to happen, they must be born with the potential.
Xander eventually steps on the blackened crystal that Willow used to enact the spell. In doing so, he reverses the group's collective amnesia and resurrects the problems that Willow had hoped to mask. Buffy, who has been brought back from Heaven to her version of hell - the act of being a slayer - becomes depressed again. She realizes now that not only must she stand alone - Giles decides to return to England - but she must also continue to fight a war that she despises. She can no longer hide from the knowledge that she contains some measure of darkness within her character. Her amnesia forces Buffy to accept her role as a slayer and a hero. As such, "Tabula rasa" encompasses in a single episode what TV shows and novels often spend a great deal of time doing: it creates a heroine and an entire cast of characters from a literally blank slate. In doing so, it reveals that heroes/heroines must be born with the potential for that important role and that they play an important role in shaping who they are and their world through storytelling. Ultimately, humans can only relate to themselves and others through storytelling.
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