Storyteller: The inablity to live one's own life?

“Storyteller” is ultimately not about Buffy (and the Scooby gang) saving the day once again, but rather about Andrew confronting his inability to accept his role in Jonathan’s death. The episode confronts the need for a story in a person’s life. Andrew hides his feelings in creating a video of Buffy’s life and struggle against evil. Instead of living his own life and dealing with his “bruised soul”, he chooses to become a narrator. He observes other people’s lives and lives vicariously through them, pretending that he is contributing to the cause. When Anya and Xander talk about their failed relationship, Andrew secretly films it and then watches it, pretending to be Anya. He knows her lines word for word, but he cannot even correctly remember murdering Jonathan. He creates pretty pictures of each character (including himself), making them seem better than they actually are. According to Buffy, however, “life isn’t a story” and by constantly creating stories for himself, Andrew is creating situations where no one has to take responsibility for their actions. Andrew created a story for himself where he murdered Jonathan because he was told to do so by a ghost. As a “storyteller”, Andrew is in fact a liar. In Buffy’s mind, a narrator is a weak-minded person who is unable to live their own life. Unlike a story, life is uncontrollable. Good does not necessarily triumph and nice people do not always survive. As a heroine, Buffy is able to face the knowledge that she will likely die without any fear; she does not need embellishment to be able to accept a truth. Catharine is more like Andrew. She tries to narrate her life to make herself feel better. Andrew does so to make him feel like he is working with Buffy and contributing to a good cause. Catharine wants to make her life more exciting like the lives of the gothic novel characters. She enters Northanger Abbey with a specific storyline in mind: an evil husband killing his wife or locking her away in the bowels of a dark, old castle. She alone knows this truth and even though she is provided information to the contrary (e.g. Northanger Abbey is actually quite modern), she, like Andrew, sticks to her fantasy. Both Andrew and Catharine suffer unpleasant surprises when they are made to realize that their fantasies are not only untrue, but they are also harming their creators. Mr. Tilney is shocked when he discovers Catharine’s suspicions of his father and Catherine is forced out of Northanger, alone and without protection. She must confront the fact that she cannot allow her fantasies and naïve idealizations of other people to dictate her actions. Like Buffy, Catharine must learn to rely on herself and accept the seemingly-mundane reality of her life. Andrew’s unwelcome awakening comes in the form of Buffy, who forces him to confront the fact that he is a murderer. He becomes an active participant in his own life when he takes responsibility and accepts the weight of his guilt.