The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered in March of 1997. (Well actually, the character first premiered in a 1992 movie. I see you nerds.) The new rebooted series transplants the cast, the town, and everything else, and puts them into the modern day. 22 years may not be a lot to a vampire, but to us mortals a ton has changed. Socially, politically, technologically, the world of the Slayer is vastly different.
The first issue already addressed that a little bit. Some changes alter the course of the story. Willow seems to be more aware of her sexual orientation, and is already out as gay. In the original show, Willow didn’t come out until she met Tara in college. Other changes are cosmetic. Xander is goofing around on a laptop while the burgeoning Scooby Gang watches TV. In 1997 Buffy computers were… well, they didn’t have laptops, that’s for sure.
In this month’s installment of Buffyversity, we are going to look at other aspects of the show changed by time. Some of these things are definitely going to be addressed, but eagle-eyed Buffy fans would do well to look out for them as new issues are released.
Jenny Calendar and the Technopagans
Ms. Calendar is definitely going to make an appearance as Jordie Bellaire confirmed in our conversation with her. But a lot is going to be different about our favorite technopagan. It has to be. In the late 90s, it wouldn’t be out of place to have a technology teacher in an affluent town like Sunnydale, but today it seems less likely. It’s not that there wouldn’t be a tech educator, but I imagine the purview of the job has changed a lot. Instead of the widely reviled episode “I Robot, You Jane” (which is actually totally charming. Come at me nerds.) we’re going to need a whole new flavor for mystical computer science. Like, maybe Jenny rocks out an arcane algorithm on her Kindle Fire?
Also, while whitewashing Ms. Calendar isn’t the way to go, there’s a lot of improving the story needs to do when it comes to her Romani heritage. “Gypsy magic” was already cliched and definitely uncool to write about in the 90s. And comics have had particular trouble recovering from this brand of casual racism. We can do better.
Wolfram and Hart
Already referenced in the very first issue, Wolfram and Hart was an evil law firm in the original TV series and seems to continue on as an evil law firm. While superficially, not much has to change, our new cultural context changes everything. Rather than the Wall Street-inspired, greedy, nihilist haven for satanic Generation Xers, this iteration of Wolfram and Hart exists at a time when the average American is hyper-aware of the happenings of the legal system. I don’t know your life, but everyone I know talks like they have advanced degrees in Law and US Government. They follow investigations, trials, and judge appointments like they’re watching their favorite show. They have strong opinions about where Amazon should build their second headquarters.
Everything Wolfram and Hart symbolized is still deeply thematic. If anything more so. But for the metaphor to land, it’s going to have to be more specific. The failures of the justice system aren’t just an eye-rolling punchline to today’s Buffy fans. This is something we encounter every day. This is the evil law firm that defends Supreme Court justices from rape allegations. They’re the ones who fight for the right to pour lead in the water supply. They help hide election tampering from international criminal syndicates. And they are literally in league with Satan.
Warren Mears
Buffy’s favorite sexist villain, Warren first showed up as a weird loser who built a rogue sex-bot. Early Buffy was weird. Warren ended up being one of the most enduring antagonists on that show, and was one of the main villains of season six before having his skin magically torn off and returning to menace the Scooby Gang in the Dark Horse Buffy comics. Throughout all of Warren’s appearances, his growing disdain for women is his most notable trait. But we’ve already seen that the internet plays a big role in how these rebooted Buffy characters learn and grow- it’s part of the reason Willow is out as gay as a teenager. On the other side of the spectrum, there are darker parts of the internet where Warren lurks.
I’m not saying that Reddit turns you evil, but a Warren who grows up with the internet is going to connect with some like-minded people. We didn’t really call sexists Men’s Rights Activists in the early oughts, but there is no doubt that’s how Warren would see himself. And in 2019 we’ve seen how organized the anti-feminist movement has become. From Gamergate to Comicsgate to every other awful -gate out there. The Warren Mears of today is more evil and more powerful than he’s ever been.
Cell phones
“If the apocalypse comes, beep me,” Buffy said in 1997. She wouldn’t get her first cell phone until 2002 (in the season seven episode “Beneath You”). The writers believed, perhaps rightfully so, that cell phones are anathema to good horror. In Whedon’s own Cabin in the Woods, the characters had to “get off the grid” before the horror could begin. In Get Out, the villains needed to unplug the protagonist’s phone to prevent him from calling for help.
There’s not really a good solution for this. It’s something that any horror writer is going to struggle with. And it has far-reaching consequences. What happens when a kid posts a video of a vampire to their Instagram? In the old Buffy comics, vampires were outed when Harmony Kendell was recorded trying to drink the blood of irritating comedian Andy Dick. Okay, it wasn’t just old Buffy that was really weird. Cell phones may just be something for which we all have to suspend our disbelief moving forward. But I’m going to be keeping a curious eye out for the first time a character doesn’t think to call for help.
Jonathan Levinson
“Earshot” was an episode of Buffy that was going to be aired in April of 1999, but was delayed because of the Columbine High School massacre. That’s because the episode centered on sad-sack nerd Jonathan, who seems to be planning a similar shooting of Sunnydale High School. Ultimately, the gun is revealed to be part of Jonathan’s suicide attempt, but Buffy’s offer of friendship persuades him not to go through with it. Eventually Jonathan became sort of a lovable supporting character, and then something of a villain. But the spectre of the unrealized school shooting has always loomed over the character.
And this is something that needs to be addressed. I’m not going to throw statistics about this out, but school shootings (and mass shootings in general) have only increased in frequency since Columbine. Schools now hold regular active shooter drills- which paradoxically gives potential shooters insight into how to circumvent the safety measures. The greatest impact of these drills is the fear and paranoia it instills in kids who need to participate. So how would Buffy react to seeing Jonathan with a gun? It’s heavy stuff, but it’s the kind of metaphor Buffy has been good at addressing in the past.
Cordelia Chase, Instagram queen
Cordelia Chase is coming to town, and she’s going to be glorious. The queen bee of Sunnydale high school was a great villain- and eventually hero (the greatest hero in the whole Buffy saga arguably). Cordelia contains multitudes, and doesn’t need anything to be done to make her more interesting.
Bullying sure looks different now though. You can’t be a cool kid if you suck at social media. Cordelia is obviously a pro at it- if she’s not an “influencer” raking in dollars with her judgmental makeup tutorials. And she rules that high school with an iron fist. If Cordy asks to see your phone, you don’t bother logging off of Twitter, you hand her your phone, and pray she doesn’t use it to DM your boyfriend. Cordelia is a character who barely needs to change at all because she’s perfect and timeless, but her tools must evolve, and I can’t wait to see the terrible power she wields.
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Mayor Richard Wilkins
In the 90s, the cliché about politicians was that they were two-faced. And who’s more two-faced than Mayor Wilkins, the villain of the third season of Buffy? He was all smiles and family values during the day, and a ruthless devil-worshiping strong man after hours. He represented what we all feared about authority.
The thing is… politics has proven itself to be really really stupid. I’m less interested in a mayor who is a brilliant liar and puppet master. I’m (ironically) more interested in mediocrity. Mayor Wilkins can still be the same slippery operator he was originally- but there’s a lot more to be said by making him a total buffoon. What happens when an idiot holds the levers of power, and maybe also commands a demonic army? How can we be safe when a freaking moron has got his finger on the button? Those are the sorts of questions that could be answered by bringing back Sunnydale’s mayor.
One moment of true happiness
Thematically, Buffy’s first sexual experience was years ahead of its time. The show never shames her, a seventeen year old girl, from wanting to have sex with her boyfriend. There are few shows today that would handle the story so gracefully. What happens next is still resonant too. Buffy’s boyfriend Angel, upon experiencing true happiness with Buffy, is cursed to become his evil self. The moment they sleep together, Angel turns into a real jerk, only it’s the homicidal demonic kind. And teenagers constantly worry about how sex might change their relationships.
You know what is weird though? Why is a centuries old vampire so interested in this high school kid? Angel may look like a cute college boy, but he has the life experience of a much older guy. This is something that happens all the time in vampire fiction, but it’s also something that should definitely be addressed. The news is filled with stories of predatory guys or men with good intentions and bad desires. As the older person in this relationship, Angel has a lot of power, and that’s something that could be discussed through his potential romance with Buffy.
I’m not the writer of the Buffy comics, so I don’t know what’s really coming. But the point of Buffy was always for the monsters to be metaphors. As the Slayer battled the vampires and the demons, she really was fighting against the forces all of us struggle with as teenagers. Those forces still exist. They’ve just taken on new faces. Hopefully, the monsters will change their forms to match the times.
