Chris Snellgrove | Published
Most of the time Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fans rewatch the show and they are afraid to reach Season 6. Not only does Tara die, but this is the season when we see Buffy having a really toxic relationship with vampire Spike, engage in the actions of other characters and deal with the stress of being brought back from death. Interestingly, this awful season is effectively foreshadowed by one of the show’s best and early episodes. We’re talking about Buffy Season 2 episode “When She Bad” also involves a Slayer who acts outside his personality due to very stress.
Buffy Of course, when the episode first premiered, fans had no way of knowing it, but “When Heas Bad” previewed the show’s sixth season by angering everyone (and fans, as well) with the title character. For context, Buffy literally died at the hands of the master in the season 1 finale. However, Xander brings her back to life via CPR, and she defeats the vampire villain. However, she is particularly out of character in the season 2 premiere. She snaps to Willow, she is cruel to Cordelia, she is cool to the angels and cheates with him to annoy her undead boyfriend.
you Buffy Fans are watching “When She’s Bad” for the first time, but will likely scream on TV for most of the episode and ask why Slayer suddenly became so indifferent and mean in the summer. But this is all manifestation of Buffy’s trauma from a battle with the Master, and after breaking the bones of a vampire, she returns to her old self and effectively destroys the possibility of being resurrected with dark magic. For the most part, this is a well-received episode. This is ironic because it premonitions of a core aspect of Season 6.
It’s easy to isolate individual elements of Season 6, such as the terrible relationship between Buffy and Spike (which reaches its peak in an attempted rape). However, that relationship and other bad decisions are driven by the fact that after the death of Season 5, Buffy’s friends resurrected her. They reasoned that she was trapped in the Hell dimension, but Buffy later reveals that they accidentally pulled her out of heaven. This, coupled with the trauma of Buffy’s mother who died last season, ensured that Slayer would spend the season in depression as he tackled the mundane things like buildings and undead monsters.
Given what we know about Buffy in Season 6, it’s fair to say that “when she was bad,” but then the following seasons predict a subsequent season by showing how she reacts to trauma by making bad decisions, especially romantic decisions. In previous episodes, this is probably best illustrated by leading Xander in sexy dances to jeer her frequently rejects, or vampire boy toys. We don’t want to minimize Buffy’s previous trauma, but if he’s killed and resurrected quickly, it’s completely believable that he’ll be yo-inked from heaven if he caused all this romantic drama A few months It will lead to a toxic relationship with Spike.
Unfortunately, what Buffy No writers or producers saw that “When She’s Bad” was particularly effective. Because by the time the credits rolled, it portrayed a one-episode arc in which Slayer defeated her trauma. It’s fine to have one episode or arc where our hero is on his hind legs, but as season 6 shows, no one really wanted the whole thing season Lowered by the trauma of depression in our title character.
But for better or worse, this is because this is a trauma we shared. In this way, you can say that all traumas are created equally… some are more equal (and method I’m more fickle than other people.
