Almost 30 years ago, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ made ‘Obsession’ in this action-packed episode

Everyone’s favorite vampire-hunting librarian, Giles (Anthony the head), tells Amy, a teenage witch who just worked a love spell on all of Sunnydale: “It’s not love. It’s an obsession! A selfish, banal obsession.” In season 2, series 16 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer“Tried, troubled, and perplexed,” Xander (Nicholas Brandon) blackmails the local witch into casting a love spell on Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), who broke up with him on Valentine’s Day. Then, he plans to reject it. His goal is simple and obvious, saying, “I desire revenge. Pure as snow.” As with all stories about alcoholism, the plan falls to pieces. The game works on everyone except Cordelia, and soon, every woman in Sunnydale is throwing herself at Xander. In Curry Barkera hit ObsessionNikki (Inside Navarrette).

While Obsession pursues desire to its wildest, worst, end Buffy the Vampire Slayer takes a similar premise and plays it for laughs. Women of all ages make unwanted advances on Xander, eventually threatening or attempting to commit violence when he rejects them. The humor of the episode depends on the stupidity of the threat, and it depends on the harmful myth that men always want sex. That is, this piece of Buffy it’s only funny if you think that Xander isn’t really in danger, either because he couldn’t hurt the women who were chasing him, or because he really wants what they’re trying to give him.. Almost 30 years ago, Obsession presents a counter-narrative, playing out the true horror of Xander’s situation.

‘Obsession’ and ‘Buffy’ take different approaches to violence committed by women

While Xander is still figuring out the effects of the spell, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) surprises him in his own bed, offering sex before kissing his neck and ear strongly. Xander, visibly uncomfortable, says “I don’t want to use force!” Later, in tears, Willow throws a red ax at him, exclaiming, “All you had to do was love me!” Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gillard). As Obsession However, a young woman doesn’t have to be a vampire slayer to be a real threat to her lover.

Unlikely Buffy the Vampire Slayerwhich is full of magical powers and supernatural entities, the only magic there is Obsession it is the desire itself. All of the horror is acted out by people – not people with special powers, or superhuman strength, just regular people. In her book In the Dream House, Carmen Maria Machado writing about the film Gas lightsaying, “[abusers] they have to want something, and not care how they get it.” The supernatural devices that both Bear and Xander use to get what they want affect the autonomy of their targets, Nikki and Cordelia. (Well, it was mean to be Cordelia, then it turns out to be the whole town, but Xander’s immoral intent persists.)

Xander’s Obvious Flaw Makes It Easier to Laugh in ‘Buffy’

Xander is obviously guilty of activating the love spell. He blackmails a friend in class to cast the spell, and he does so, knowing and believing that the magic he wears will work. He’s seen enough monsters and magic to know it’s real. Perhaps the most harmful thing, however, is that he works on this love spell with the clear intention of hurting Cordelia. In contrast, a bear desires what a new thing looks like, having no reason to believe it will work.

Since Bear has no reason to believe that Nikki will be put under some kind of spell it is much harder to blame him than Xander. Once the wish is made, Nikki also “wants[s] something, and [does] don’t care how [she] he will get.” Nikki follows textbook patterns of abuse, including volatility, guilt, and controlling behavior. She scares a bear out of sleep and screams when he tries to sleep without her. She tapes the front door shut to keep him from leaving the house. She treats him emotionally when he tries to spend time with friends without her. That’s all before she spirals into self-harm and then murder.

Unlike Bear in ‘Obsession,’ Xander Pulls Through

Xander’s guilt is evident in Buffybut Bear’s is handled with more nuance in it Obsessionbut Xander and Bear make different choices once the spell is in place. Bear begins to question Nikki’s autonomy, but he still proceeds to spend the night with her, enter into a relationship with her, and have sex with her. Given Nikki’s volatility, manipulation and eventual violence, like so many victims of abuse, Bear may not have had a real choice in the matter, unable to reject Nikki out of fear. Xander, on the other hand, rejects Buffy’s advances when she suggests they have sex.

Xander had a crush on Buffy very early on in the series, and in classic do-not-do fashion, he never stopped. But when Buffy offers herself to Xander and he rejects her, at physical risk to himself, he does so mainly because he knows that her advances are not genuine and he does not want to take advantage of her. At the end of the episode, once the spell is broken, Buffy thanks him for not accepting her advances while she was under the spell. She is a little embarrassed, and so is he, but that decision was proof that Xander finally respects Buffy and her right to refuse.

Both ‘Buffy’ and ‘Obsession’ explore the horror of being pregnant

It is dangerous to say that the harm that Nikki did is there Obsession which is in no way justified or right. Efforts to do so follow the logic that Bear asked “for.” But both Obsession and Buffy explore the horror of being so depressed as to be the object of another’s obsession. They specifically explore the all-purpose nature of this gospel, and how horrible it is to submit to that extreme feeling against our will. For example, in Nikki’s sleep, she asks Bear to kill her, to free her from her obsession with him. The women of Sunnydale, including Ms. Calendar and Buffy’s mother, disassociate themselves in pursuit of Xander. In the last, solemn scene between Xander and Buffy, they talk about Willow, and how disgusting she is for sneaking into Xander’s room and chasing him the way she did. Buffy notes that it’s even harder for Willow because she used to have a real crush on Xander. Xander takes responsibility for his actions, but unlike Bear, he is able to find a way to put them back together.