"Band Candy," written by Jane Espenson, episode 40, season three.
"The Wish," written by Marti Noxon, episode 43, season three.
"That was too close for comfort. Not that slaying is ever comfy...But you know what I mean. If you guys hadn't been there to help."
"But we were. And we did. And we're all fine."
"You have to get Buffy. She changes it! I mean, the clothes alone—But people were happy. Mostly"
"World is what it is. We fight. We die. Wishing don't change that."
"I have to believe in a better world."
"Go ahead. I have to live in this one."
"You trusting fool! How do you know the other world is any better than this?"
"Because it has to be."
In my mind, "Band Candy" and "The Wish" are two of the best episodes in the entire seven year run of BVS. On the strictly technical level, we see what range these actors have, from Anthony Stewart Head as "Ripper" hilariously channeling his inner teen punk, to Nicholas Brendon and Alyson Hannigan playing 180 degrees against type as evil Xander and Willow (evil Willow returns again in "Dopplegangland" where good Willow gets to pretend to be bad Willow, leather and all, and it's as entertaining as you can imagine it would be), to, finally, Sarah Michelle Geller giving us, I think, a totally believable scarred, cynical Buffy. "The Wish" creates a thoroughly credible alternate reality; and by this point in the series, if one buys into it at all, it's devastating to see these people we've come to care about, Cordelia included, meet a terrible fate. Jonathan asked me before class if I had watched 24; and I said I tried, but it never quite "got" me. Buffy, obviously, "got" me, and no episode "gets" me more than "The Wish." "Band Candy" is nowhere near as serious and affecting as "The Wish" (in my humble opinion), but it's a lot of fun just to see Giles and Joyce as the kids they were—gawky, silly, self-involved, and, pointedly, much less able than the kids they mentor. Buffy saves the day, as always, but it means having to see her mother make out with her teacher and mentor—something much more terrifying than Lucronis, the silly monster of the day. And even when you save the world, there's still the SATs to take. So:
1. You reaction to both episodes? What stayed with you especially from both episodes, and why?
2. What are these two episodes "about," so to speak, in the context of Growing Up Buffy? How do they, might they, fit into this narrative we've been talking about in class? Take some time with this, and write a couple hundred words.
Tomorrow I'm going to call on everyone in class during the discussion portion of the class—there are some of you we've not heard from—and then we'll finish the week with another episode from season three.
I think that what stayed with me was mainly the hilarity of the actions of the adults in the wish. So much of the Buffy episodes we see now are very heavy and depressing, so it was quite a relief to see something so funny. (principal synder to ethan: “man she wasted you!”). It was fun to watch from the acting for both episodes. However, I disagree that the alternate reality Buffy was different from the present day Buffy. Sure, the real Buffy balances having fun with friends and slaying and displays a range of emotions. The scarred Buffy only displays the cynical, toughened side of real Buffy, and after the breakup with angel, real Buffy seems to display that side a lot more often than she has in the previous seasons (hinting at the evolution of the show.) So to say that Buffy and scarred Buffy (I’m just going to call her SB) are complete opposites, like evil willow and real willow or evil Xander and real Xander is not entirely accurate. Regardless, I enjoyed seeing the actors play with their characters, and I especially enjoyed seeing Giles play as a british bad boy teenager. I wonder what it would be like to act like your teenage self?
ReplyDeleteWell for starters, Band Candy dealt with the theme of growing up in quite a literal sense by turning all the adults into stereotypical teenagers. It was interesting to me that despite Buffy on the edge of getting in trouble constantly with other adults “like principal synder or her mother, these adults prove to be much less capable at Buffy’s age than Buffy is. Buffy (as usual?) has to take on a much more adult role than a 17 year old normally has to take in order to save the day. The wish, I thought, showed emotional growth in cordellia. Cordellia learns the hard way that some things are more important than her own petty wishes—“...but people were happy. Mostly.” Then, of course, she is killed and forgets any emotional growth she might have had once she returns to normal reality. Sad really.
1. These two episodes were polar opposites. "Band Candy" was pretty hilarious. while "The Wish" was depressing. The antics of the adults in "Band Candy," stuck out with me a lot. I can definitely see Giles as the bad boy and Snyder as the weird kid who desperately wants friends. Buffy's reaction to the relationship between teenage Giles and Joyce was very relatable. It would be so weird to see the two adults that you respect most making out in front of you. It would be like seeing your parents making out, but weirder. In "The Wish," the world of Sunnydale without Buffy was horrifying. Seeing Willow and Xander as evil vampires who follow the master's every whim to their death is hard to watch. WIthout Buffy, Sunnydale would be hell on earth. Giles lives without a slayer, Angel waits for the girl that never comes, and Buffy is hardened and literally scarred. It is evident that Buffy needed Sunnydale, as much as it needed her.
ReplyDelete2. These two episodes fit well into the theme of growing up. In "Band Candy," all the adults are turned into teenagers with no care for the world around them. Buffy's maturity is taken to a new level as she has to take care of her mother and save the day without the help she usually gets from adult Giles. Buffy doesn't respond that well to authority, but through this episode she learns the importance of adults. Also Xander and Willow have to find a way to live with the fact that they cheated on their respective girlfriend and boyfriend and all the while having to help Buffy save the day. In "The Wish" Willow and Xander have to deal with the repercussions of their actions after Oz and Cordelia find out that they kissed. Willow can't handle not being able to solve a problem presented to her and Xander is clueless, as always, about what to do. It is obvious that they both care about Cordelia and Oz and neither of them no what they want. Growing up is confusing and heartbreaking. Oz and Cordelia face the other end of the sword and have to confront the heartbreak head on. The episode focuses more on Cordelia's feelings of betrayal and anger, but it is apparent in Oz as well. Cordelia is heartbroken and does not know how to deal with being cheated on. Cordelia gets so upset that she wishes herself into a Buffyless Sunnydale. All of the characters have to deal with real life problems surrounding the idea of growing up, when they aren't facing the forces of evil, that is.
1. Band Candy is hilarious, especially Snyder. He's not exactly likable, but he's pathetic almost to the point of endearing. Ripper is my favorite though, how that badass evil sorcerer became a tea lovin' librarian is beyond me. Joyce kinda cracked me up too, I much prefer her as a teenager. The Wish is the first appearance of Anya who is one of my all time favorite characters, so that alone makes it amazing, but every character's transformation is pretty cool. Giles is basically the same, and I lvoed that Oz and Larry became White Hats, I think it was very subtle but very great character development for Larry. And Vamp Willow, while maybe a little bit of Dru's copycat, is perfect. Some vampires, like Xander, maintain their personality even without their soul, but the idea that the only thing keeping Willow from destroying the world is her conscience is kind of terrifying. And with her hacking skills, she could do it too.
ReplyDelete2. Band Candy obviously showed just how different you might be after you grow up, being one of the more obvious episodes in that way. In a show all about (often literal) transformations it's a little more dramatic when you don't see the part in between, like we do with Buffy and friends. But a word I associate a lot with growing up is hope. And when Giles's only reason for trusting that the other reality is better is "Because it has to be" that is exactly how growing up often feels. People always tell us it gets better (unless they're the kind who believe these are our golden years) but it's much more effective when we tell ourselves. It we don't tell ourselves from experience or observation or even anything concrete. We have to believe it gets better. That there's something more out there. Because unless your life is perfect, it's pretty depressing to think this is as good as it gets.
1) In Band Candy, the mere fact that “simple” chocolate bars can change adults into acting like teenagers, is hilarious. That episode has to be one of my favorites of the episodes that we have watched so far. I know that I was placed in Buffy’s situation, it would not be so funny, but rather annoying. This episode almost has an alternative universe feel to it. What really sticks with me is Giles’ different accent, and when I looked up the episode, it is Anthony Head’s real accent. I like the contrast between put-together posh Giles and sloppy, wild, Camden-accented Ripper. In The Wish, we are introduced to Anya and her magical powers, and also post-breakup Willow and Xander. Personally, I know how easy it is to hate someone who breaks your heart, but I thought that Cordy would have more restraint. The real alternative universe is very strange. This different Buffy and vampire Willow and Xander are such total opposites, that I cannot help but wonder if those people are who Buffy, Willow, and Xander wish to be.
ReplyDelete2) Band Candy is about being placed in adults’ shoes and be the responsible one for the first time. It is also about loosing control and the consequences that follow. I think that Joyce gets a first-hand experience of what Buffy has to deal with, seemingly, everyday. The Wish shows us how Cordelia really has layers. Yes, she wished something stupid, and took her previous life for granted, she could have learned from her mistakes, but unfortunately she gets drained and loses any growth she might have gained. I think that Giles grows too, in the other world, because he goes against his usual defiance from Buffy and actually tries to get in contact with her. This shows that he is not afraid to go after something, despite what consequences there may be.
1) The two episodes “Band Candy” and “The Wish” are total opposites in the sense of their tone and how the situation is set in the show. “Band Candy” is quite funny, showing the viewers what the grown-ups used to be like; Giles being the bad boy, with messy hair, and a slurred speech. Joyce, Buffy’s Mom is shown as the girl who just wants to have fun and will do anything to do so. Principle Snyder is the nerdy, lonely weird kid who is desperate of having friends and a girlfriend. The thing that stuck to me the most in “Band Candy” was not just the humorous part of the episode but the deeper meaning in why the writer chose this particular situation. We see at the beginning of the episode Buffy and her mother are arguing about the fact Buffy doesn’t have a car and isn’t allowed to drive and how “a good Mom would let her drive”. I saw this really connecting with how the plot progresses and sets up the story. The whole reason why Buffy seeing all the grown-ups acting so immature is so effective to her is because she’s never realized how important the role of being a parent is and how she needs someone to watch over her and be a “control freak” over her. The thing that stuck with me from “The Wish” was how in the show, the characters killed their potential “Lover” or boyfriend/girlfriend in this new world they have been put into. Xander ends up killing Cordelia, Buffy basically kills Angel, and Oz kills the Vampire version of Willow.
ReplyDelete2) Band Camp is primarily about Buffy and the rest being put in the position and responsibility of being an adult. They realize that once the adults are pretty much teenagers, they come to see that they cannot live without having the adult figure in their lives. The Wish is all about Cordelia and a stupid wish she makes over heartbreak. I’m not so sure the alternate she wishing them into is that important in the sense of “Growing Up” but more how she came to do this. Most teenagers, probably all, will face heartbreak in some point of their life. We only see a small portion of how Cordelia responds to this, and she was crushed. This is all about growing up as a teenager and not knowing what to do with yourself after it and sometimes you make bad-mistakes.
Both episodes were incredibly terrifying, in one there is no more maturity and in the other there vampires are in charge, but they were also very humorous. If either of these situations ever occurred in the real world, it would be disastrous and society would be in complete shambles, yet I couldn’t help but laugh. There are a lot of things about this show that fail to make any kind of major impact on me, but I am always amazed at the balance between terror and humor, it’s always perfect. The show is constantly impressing me in this area, and even in its darkest episodes it still manages a few chuckles.
ReplyDeleteI think what these episodes are displaying very exaggerated situations when teens lose their support system and have to venture out into the world alone. In Band Candy, there are no more adults, and the teens on the show have to make decisions and figure out things without the help of teachers or parents. At some point in life, teens have to leave their comforting nests and strike out on their own. In The Wish, Cordelia had to figure out a lot of things on her own. She was completely alone, as everybody was in a totally different time and place than she was, and while she did end up getting killed, she still got the message across and handled herself well in the face of pure trauma. Previously, the characters always have Giles to fall back on, but here they really only had themselves and their own minds to find a way out. In The Wish, there was the concept commonly thought of by teens that no one understands you, and that’s how Cordelia felt. In previous episodes, Cordelia talks about how she feels very alone and isolated because no one understands whats beneath her harsh exterior, and maybe Xander had gotten close to finding what was underneath, but Xander betrayed her and you can see Cordelia retract further inside herself.These episodes explored what happens to teens when they do have to grow up and have rely on themselves.
In "Band Candy," just like in "The Wish," the theme of the episode was the timeless "Be careful what you wish for." Buffy wanted nothing more than to assume the responsibility of an adult and to have Giles and her mother not treat her like she was a child. Although the candy-bar-curse just happened to coincide with Buffy's personal life (as do many of the other problems in the episode, coincidentally), it ended up teaching her that she didn't really want to grow up, that she didn't know what that kind of responsibility would feel like, that she wanted Giles and her mother to protect her, etc...In other words, this episode was a typical teen sitcom. One thing that really struck out at me was how, like the season 2 finale with Angel, this episode wasn't really about the evil. It was more about Buffy's own personal struggles with trying to parent Giles and her own mother, not the weird snake thing that only feasted on babies. It signaled the major shift of the focus from the problems of slaying monsters to the problems of being a teenage and growing up. The thing that really stuck with me from "The Wish" was how quickly and easily our beloved characters were "killed off." As John said earlier, like in the case with Jenny, Jess is not afraid to dispose of our main, and often well-liked, characters. I kept waiting for something catastrophic to happen after Cordelia's death but it was as if she was no longer part of the story. She was only as important as Giles and Oz saw her. Because of them she was no longer the fully-flushed, dynamic character that we now know her as but the shallow and superficial popular girl of the first couple of episodes. I also found it interesting how the entire dream sequence, that's point was to teach Cordelia a lesson, had no effect on her in the end. In most shows, Cordelia would be fully cognizant after the wish was reversed and emerged with a changed viewpoint on Buffy and her friends. This episode also accurately revealed the extreme flexibility of the high school social structure. Cordelia, who at one time ruled the school, is now cast out by the same girls who had earlier worshiped her. One event can spur a complete shift in the social hierarchy and the show very accurately shows the almost exaggerated consequences of this unstable social system.
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ReplyDelete1. Watching these episodes is strange especially Band Candy, just because of the way the adults are behaving. They're behaving like such awful stereotypical teenagers, much worse than Buffy or any of her friends. Willow even says "I don't act like that" or something along those lines when she sees some of the parents. It's funny, but also disturbing because it seems so unnatural. I think the behavior shows how hypocritical some of the adults are being. Giles and Joyce are always trying to keep Buffy under control, and they were clearly out of control people when they were teenagers. It also give the teenagers an extreme glimpse at their own behavior, although exaggerated. In Wish, what stuck out to me was the roles everyone fell into in the alternate world. I liked that Giles and Oz kept fighting evil because I think it showed that they can be good people in any reality. I also thought it was interesting seeing who killed who. Oz killed Willow, Xander and Willow killed Cordelia, Buffy killed Xander, and Xander killed Angel. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it almost seemed like a metaphor for what was happening in reality. When Oz tell Willow he doesn't want to talk to her, he's shooting her down. And when Xander and Willow kiss or cheat in the episode in between Band Candy and Wish, they really hurt Cordelia. It might not be anything, I just thought some of the connections were interesting.
2. I think Band Candy emphasizes the hypocritical nature of both teenagers and adults. When seeing their behavior reflected in their parents, Willow and Buffy are horrified. Similarly, Giles and Joyce think Buffy's really immature and doesn't handle herself well, but we see that they were actually worse when they were her age. It shows how we can be upset by seeing our own behavior, how stupid we can be. This episode also shows how Buffy is forced to grow up. Giles and Joyce are upset when she lies to them and sneaks out, but they would do the same and worse. She has a lot of expectations to live up to, and this episode shows how unrealistic and crushing these expectations can be. In Wish, we see how one event can so drastically change your entire life. Like many ideas in Buffy, it's exaggerated for dramatic purposes, but there are certain event that are potentially life altering and you may not even realize it. I also thought what Giles said about the other world having to be better was important. I think on some level we all wish there was another world where everything was going perfectly and the problems we had were no longer an issue. It's interesting to think that maybe something else is going on, that things have been altered and something's missing, like in the alternate reality Cordelia unintentionally creates. It's almost like the idea that there's got to be something better, because the way things are now can't be right, there's actually more and maybe is you alter something things will turn out right this time.
Both episodes stood out to me. The first episode highlighted Buffy’s responsibilities and her maturity. While the adults in her life where incapacitated by the chocolate, she has to really step up her game and act as the responsible, adult figure. In The Wish, the show takes a somewhat simple occurrence, the breakup of Xander and Cordelia, and turns it into a whole episode. When Cordelia wishes that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale, of course the hell mouth provided a way for that wish to come true. In the alternate world they see that if Buffy hadn’t come, everything would have gone to hell. Literally. Band Candy is probably the funniest episode so far and easily one of the most creative. I think that the show has definitely found its sweet spot with the last few episodes that we have seen (with exception of the boom mic appearing in one shot of The Wish). I hope that the show will continue to deliver as good storylines and as diverse acting.
ReplyDeleteBoth episodes show independence. In the first, all the adults in Sunnydale become immature teenagers and go crazy, deserting their homes and partying all over the city. Buffy is forced to take on an extra layer of responsibility along with the other teenagers. She is forced to become even more independent from her mother. This is something that she wanted to do. While living on her own she barely managed to provide for herself and didn’t quite know how to survive in the world. She thinks that because she ran away she doesn’t need her mother anymore. This is the irony in “Band Candy”, Buffy yells at her mother for being too hands on but by the end of the episode, after seeing her mother with Giles, she just wants her mom to be regular. To be back how she was. In the second episode, the hellish alter world forces everyone, not just the kids, to be on their own. They must now make their own decisions with a life or death price to be paid. Buffy is obviously different in the hellish world, but that separate dimension shows how easy it could be for Buffy to lose her humanity. To become a hardened, killing machine. Being independent is a good, necessary life lesson but leaving the nest too early (running away, alter dimension craziness and even driving) can be dangerous. Each episode explores the teenager’s inherent want to be independent: to get their drivers license, to not need their parents. But, the show also explores why parents and safety are so very important in growing up.
1) I found “Band Candy” as a nice comic relief from the previous dark and upsetting episodes, a theme that soon comes along again in “The Wish”. “Band Candy” was filled with great moments of hilarity ranging from Giles and Joyce’s flirtatious relationship as teens, to Snyder attempting to be in the cool crowd with Buffy. The main thing I gained from “The Wish” was Cordelia’s pain over Xander cheating on her with Willow. It was very powerful from the start with the scene of her burning the picture of her, Xander, Buffy and Willow together. Her pain even goes to the point where she tries to resort to her old ways concerning popularity, and those “friends” make fun of the situation she is in. Within “Band Candy”, I enjoyed the last part of the episode when Buffy makes a remark about stopping Giles and Joyce before they went too far and Giles and Joyce stare at each other then leave. I thought it was one of the funniest moments out of the episode.
ReplyDelete2) For “Band Candy” I think that the main portion of the episode that feeds into Buffy growing up was the contrast between Joyce and Giles parenting Buffy and then having the roles switch when Joyce and Giles become teenagers. This makes Buffy realize the amount of worry a parent or guardian has over their child. At one point in the episode Buffy even tries to get Joyce back to her overprotective self by telling Joyce about the dent she made in the car. So this episode gives Buffy more of a grown-up perspective on situations. In “The Wish” Cordelia creates an alternate universe with the objective of ruining Xander and Willow’s lives. Though the fact that Willow and Xander still end up together within that universe goes against Cordelia’s whole purpose for the wish. This shows how almost childish Cordelia’s wish was, which is what most wishes end up being when you go through heartbreak.
“Band Candy” reminded me a lot of the episode with the Judge. It had the similar, supposedly horrific, monster that Buffy kills easily. It shows that the literal monsters are not the issue for Buffy, but the rather her struggle with being in the in-between stage of childhood and adulthood. This episode was also affective because it depicted Buffy’s high level of maturity compared to that of the adults in her life. The same one’s who are supposed to take care of her. At first “The Wish” didn’t seem as dark as I had expected. It was more gradual. I wasn’t surprised but, I the different reactions to Xander and Willow cheating on Cordelia and Oz respectively. Cordelia is blamed essentially for Xander cheating on her. Her former friends ridicule her for being Xander’s “cast off.” Meanwhile, Oz and Willow have a more private fight.
ReplyDelete“The Wish” exhibits the very juvenile act of blaming someone else for your problems. While it might have been indirectly Buffy’s fault, Cordelia’s wish is very self-centered. She doesn’t try to talk it out with Xander or anything of the sort. As Emma K. said Cordelia learns the “be careful what you wish for” moral. Cordelia quickly realizes the gravity of her mistake, but she’s powerless to do anything about it because Buffy isn’t there to save the day. It also shows the immature trait of ungratefulness. We can see the contrast between selfish Cordelia and mostly selfless Buffy. Buffy always saves the world even when she doesn’t want to, and doesn’t get the recognition she would if people could know that she was the Slayer.
I thought the first episode, “Band Camp”, was much more fun to watch than “The Wish”, the second episode. The idea to have adults act like 17 year olds was a clever way of mocking the behavior of teenagers. I thought everything the adults did in “Band Camp” was making fun of the immaturity of kids, from how they acted at the Bronze to how Joyce talks to Buffy. What stuck out to me in “The Wish” was the irony between who kills who. Xander has never liked Angel in the real world, and in the alternate world he kills Angel. Willow had just cheated on Oz, and in the alternate world he kills her.
ReplyDeleteI think the first episode relates more to Growing Up Buffy than the second episode. The first episode deals with teenager’s freedoms and how much parents should trust their kids. Buffy and her mother argue about her right to drive, and her mother is a little over-protective and won’t let her drive. On one hand, Joyce should be hesitant to let Buffy drive because of her past with getting in trouble, but on other hand eventually Buffy has to become more independent. Buffy complains that her mom schedules her 24/7,and there are also two sides to this. Joyce wants Buffy to stay out of trouble, which is reasonable, but Buffy has to grow up somehow. Being treated like a 9 year old isn’t the way to teach someone to grow up, and by the end of the episode Joyce realizes that. In “The Wish”, the theme of growing up is presented in the relationships. Xander and Willow have to deal with making a mistake, and part of growing up is learning from mistakes. I think in a way it’s a good thing this happened, because now they know not to do it again.
1. I really loved both episodes we watched today: they were funny and exciting, but also held importance and significance. In Band Candy Buffy proves that when necessary she can really become an adult and deal with situations in a grown-up manner. It’s interesting watching her complain about not being given enough freedom at the beginning, when her mother is around to oppose her, in comparison to the end, where Buffy finds herself making the tough adult decisions even though she’s free to make whatever decision she wants.
ReplyDeleteThe Wish gives us a horrifying look into a world where Buffy doesn’t protect Sunnydale. What sticks with me most from this episode is Xander and Willow as evil vampires. They’re just like all the others seen on BVS: cruel, grisly, and hellish. The only difference is we know who they really are – who they were before they became vampires. It really makes you think about what the real monsters of this show – such as Spike, Drusilla, and all the other vamps Buffy fights on a day-to-day basis – were like before their transformation. Could they have been as sweet and benevolent as the real Xander and Willow?
2. I think for Band Candy the answer is pretty clear: at some point in your life you have to stop being a child and grow up. Buffy displays very child-like behavior in the beginning of this episode by begging her mom to let her drive and give her more freedom. Almost immediately though, circumstances are presented where Buffy is forced to be the grown-up in order to protect herself and everyone else. Buffy takes on this adult role that she so opposed before because if she doesn’t, nobody will. This is part of growing up: at some point, you realize that there’s not a grown-up behind you to lead the way and keep you on course. It’s only until you realize that you’re on your own and the choice is yours that you start making more mature and thoughtful decisions.
The Wish teaches the importance of perseverance. Because of Cordelia’s ignorant wish, the entire town of Sunnydale is flipped on its head: everything is wrong and danger lurks everywhere. Despite the overwhelming sense of hopelessness, Giles is determined there must be a better place: he perseveres, destroys Anya’s power source, and ends up being rewarded greatly, all because he believed in a better world. There are times in life when horrible things happen and your own personal world feels as though it’s been turned upside down. This episode suggests that perseverance and strength can get you past any tough time and lead you to something better.
I really enjoyed the two episodes we watched today. In Band Camp, the monster itself wasn't particularly scary and was killed fairly easily. The real trouble was the adults trading in their usual responsibility and order to create a hilarious chaos: parents acting like extreme caricatured versions of high school students, carefree alcohol-induced rebels making out every chance they got. I thought the imagery of the grown ups parading around in this exaggerated portrayal of teenagers was particularly memorable and funny. The Wish was a more somber episode, coming from a real place of betrayal, and started with Cordelia, Xander, Willow, and Oz all dealing with the aftermath of Xander and Willow’s infidelity, which isn’t particularly funny. It was sad to see Cordelia’s attempts at rejoining her old group go so poorly, particularly when she seemed more emotionally hurt, vulnerable, and alone than we’d really seen her before.
ReplyDeleteBand Camp deals clearly with the theme of maturity and growing up. Teenager Buffy is tired of her mom’s overbearing protectiveness, but when Joyce loses all of it to the chocolate bars, there is a definite downside. The role reversal and change of perspective put Buffy in a place of maturity and reason, a part usually played by her mother and Giles. I don't quite know what it will be like to be me when I am older, but I believe that I won't suddenly start wanting to do taxes or balance checkbooks or give up certain aspects of my youth, but I also believe that as we mature and grow more responsible we see there are things we both want to gain from growing up - like more freedom and certain liberties shown by Buffy driving - and also things we must leave behind - like late nights and parties at the Bronze- in order to keep society away from the type of dysfunction highlighted in this episode. Buffy had to take that step when the adults no longer could, forcing her into the role of grown up. The Wish, while showing an alternative world even more dismal than the real one, contained a ragtag group of kids still fighting evil and upholding the conviction that, even in the midst of a dystopian world overrun with vampires, there must be a more happy, hopeful life. Cordelia also realizes that her “brave new world” (an appropriate reference to Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Aldous Huxley’s book) is not what she had bargained for and realizes the danger in the new life she has brought about.
While “Band Candy” was initially a return to a lighter, more comical tone seen in the first episodes we watched, it still managed to include several disturbing elements that served as a reminder of Buffy’s morbid reality, with the inclusion of babies in the episode serving as the most prominent example. Additionally, I found the concept of “Band Candy” very interesting, as it is very rare that any group of individuals gets to view their behavior from the outside. Even with the warning, I found the sudden twist and change in tone in “The Wish” to be incredibly interesting, if not exciting. While seemingly just an episode regarding some of the very negative aspects of teenage life, I enjoyed the concept of the individuals on the bottom of the social hierarchy assuming a sudden and complete control over the societal functionality of the school, as it is a topic seldom explored, and served as a complement to an episode we viewed previously, “Out of Sight, Out of Mind”.
ReplyDeleteAlthough “Band Candy” was, for the most part, a more comically based episode, it still conveyed an interesting message regarding teenage life. Buffy’s continual desire to entirely rid herself of control is a prominent theme in the series, and is thoroughly displayed in this episode. When offered an opportunity to drive the car after what has seemingly been years of begging and beseeching, Buffy jumps at the offer, as the car in some respect serves as an embodiment of her adulthood, something Buffy thoroughly desires to attain. However, the complete lack of structure in Sunnydale serves as a warning regarding Buffy’s autonomy, as although Buffy is fixated upon the notion of freedom associated with adulthood, the structured and regimented lifestyle is what prevents Sunnydale from falling into chaos. “The Wish” additionally served as an example of the removal of structure from teenage life, and the devastating connotations associated with it. As Cordelia essentially wishes away Sunnydale’s social hierarchy through the removal of Buffy, Sunnydale falls into disrepair and disorder due to the complete lack of a dominant figure assuming a leadership role.
1. i thought these episodes strangely complimented each other, both having to do with the idea of "be careful what you wish for." in "Band Candy" Buffy wishes for a life uninhibited by the annoying and inconvenient hovering and worrying of parental restrictions, and when that's what she gets, she's begging for orders and guidelines. in "The Wish" this theme comes up quite literally when Cordelia wishes for Sunnydale without Buffy. interestingly enough, only one of these episodes teaches our teens this important lesson of "be careful what you wish for." "The Wish" ironically is the episode in which no one takes any sort of lesson away from the terrors of the alter-universe; no one even remembers. the part that stuck most with me though these episodes is when in "The Wish" Buffy and Angel meet, and he still knows her. he says he has been waiting for her and that she was supposed to have come to Sunnydale to save them all. i thought this part was interesting because it tells us that her life was still the same pre-sunnydale, and that one decision to move to Cleveland instead what what doomed the world.
ReplyDelete2.these two episodes display fairly obvious examples of the tricky maneuver which is growing up. in "Band Candy" when the adults become the teens, Buffy and her friends are forced into the authoritative rolls, telling parents to go home, go to bed, to stop making out with the the bad boy...etc. Buffy realizes that she is not actually as grown up and independent as she has deemed herself to be previously in the episode. she learns (as many a high schooler does) that her mother sets restrictions and has rules for reasons. and that without those annoying motherly check-ins, Buffy's life would be a mess. "The Wish" although not directly teaching our characters any important lessons, shows us how important Buffy's friends and family are to her. we see how different she would have grown up without the nourishment and support of Giles, Willow, Xander, and even Cordelia. we see the Buffy of the alter-world as alone and tough as she explains how she "doesn't play well with others." the people in our lives do so much to sculpt how we grow up and who we become.