Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Every Mistake The Reboot Must Avoid Repeating – Screen Rant

Though an undisputed classic and TV icon, bothBuffy the Vampire Slayerand likely the character of Buffy herself are getting a rebootit can improve on Joss Whedon's original show by fixing a few key mistakes.

Officially coming from Whedon and Monica Owusu-Breen, theBuffy the Vampire Slayerreboot has been whispered about for a while; it was first discussed in 2010 and 2011, but Whedon ended up confirming that a reboot was on the way in 2018. Since the show's series finale in 2003, fans have known it was only a matter of time before the pop culture juggernaut would be revisited in some capacity. Whether that would be a continuation, like Whedon did with the movieSerenity, which continued his short-lived FOX show,Firefly, or something else was always unknown until the official announcement.

Related: Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Why The Reboot Should Bring Back Giles

Over the course of seven seasons from 1997 to 2003,Buffy the Vampire Slayerexplored the life and coming-of-age story of the titular Slayer, Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), and pitted a high school girl against vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness. This was often juxtaposed with social commentary and real life woes for the characters, who eventually went through high school graduation, college, and beyond during the show's run. Each character was given opportunity to expand and grow, and for many reasons, Buffy and her Scooby Gang are all so iconic that it seems impossible to replace or improve upon them. However, the show is dated in some waysthough it holds up really well overalland there are a few ways the reboot can fix minor mistakes and expand to make Buffy culturally and socially relevant for an entirely new audience, while still appeasing die-hard fans.

Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendon) did see a lot of character growth and development since season 1. However, looking back at how Xander acted in the earlier seasons wasn't quite enough to redeem him later on, in hindsight. His character was a suitable everyman, and stood in as a quotient that spoke to human bravery, where hean average Joewas willing to put his life at risk to fight alongside his friends despite not having any additional powers (like Buffy), a wealth of knowledge at his disposal (like Giles), or a natural aptitude for magic (like Willow). Xander was periodically praised for his willingness to support Buffy and the Scooby Gang, but some of this was due to his romantic feelings for Buffy, which were never returned.

Though he eventually got into a relationship with Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) and later with Anya (Emma Caulfield), Xander's "puppy love" for Buffy became exhausting to watch. That, and how he often asserted himself as the "good guy" as if he wanted some kind of a gold star or other attention from Buffy when he was really just pulling his weight and doing what any good friend should do was cringeworthy. While it's not necessary to eliminate the Xander character entirely, he should definitely get an update for a modern audience. Buffy needs a strong and supportive group of friends in the reboot, and having a male best friend who has nothing but platonic feelings for her would be amazing to see on television; it would not only show girls that it's possible to be platonic friends with a guy, but show men that every woman doesn't have to be a potential love interest.

It was an odd bit of dissonance to have a strong, empowering female main character who wasin many waysentirely defined by her unhealthy relationships with men. First, she got involved with Angel (David Boreanaz), who was a vampire cursed with a soul. After she lost her virginity to Angel in season 2, Buffy inadvertently broke the curse that allowed him to stay ensouled, causing him to revert to the villainous Angelus. This ended up with Buffy having to literally run him through with a sword and send him to Hell; he came back, but Buffy nearly shirked her duties as the Slayer entirely because of the residual heartache. Also, it was no secret that what Buffy truly wanted was just to be able to have a normal life with Angel; if this were somehow possible, she likely would have dropped her mantle entirely.

Related: Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Everything That Happened After The Show Ended

Later, Buffy got involved briefly with Parker, who dumped her after a one-night stand and subsequently delivered a brutal blow to her sense of self-worth. After that, she was involved with Riley (Marc Blucas), who was actually a good boyfriend for the Slayer, despite being somewhat of a boring character. Buffy didn't stay with him for very long, and eventually ended up pursuing a secret and destructive relationship with Spike (James Marsters), another vampire who, at that point, had spent the majority of his time on the show trying to figure out how to kill her. Spike went on a redemption quest to attain his own soul later on, but only after he sexually assaulted Buffy in her bathroom. This was not only a point of no return for both charactersand their viability as a couple on the showbut showcased why it's so important for men or romantic relationships to not be such a focal point for Buffy in the reboot.

Relationship drama makes sense for a TV series, especially one involving high school characters. In many ways, it's unavoidable. However, if Buffy does have romantic relationships with anyone in the reboot, they should be secondary to her other purpose: saving the world. As seen with Disney'sFrozen, which has been praised for not giving Elsa a love interest, there's interest in having strong, female characters who are entirely independent and self-sufficient. Not only that, but they're happy to be that way.

Buffy's relationships with her friends were, in many ways, more interesting than any of her romantic relationships, and there are so many other, better ways to develop a character and challenge them without just leaning on romance and relationship drama. The new Slayer shouldn't be willing to throw it all away over a man; she instead needs to inspire a new generation of fiercely independent young women.

Given that the reboot ofBuffy the Vampire Slayerwill include a supernatural element, there's no reason to steer clear of the show's initial "monster of the week" format. It worked, and worked very well. However, the concept of having a Big Bad every season can be improved upon. While interesting to always see Buffy and her friends battling another mysterious foe, some of the monsters Buffy fought on the show were, by and large, disposable. They were easy to defeat within a single episode, and then were often never heard of or talked about again. It did pose a juxtaposition to the ongoing threat that was always present in every season, but part of what made the bigBuffyvillains so great was the lessons they taught not only the show's characters, but the audience.

Related: Buffy The Vampire Slayer & Angel: Every Crossover Explained

Quite simply put, the bestBuffymonsters are the ones that feel human, even if they're not. More interesting are the instances where the monsters are actually human, such as The Trio, who started off being utterly ridiculous and ended up far more insidious through the actions of their leader, Warren Mears (Adam Busch). Arguably the show's worst Big Bad, Warren was responsible for the death of Willow's girlfriend, Tara (Amber Benson), created a robot girlfriend that he could control, and ended up putting his ex-girlfriend under mind control to be completely subservient to him; when she broke out of her trance, Warren murdered her. Warren wasn't a vampire or a demonthese actions are more expected from demonic characters. He was just a selfish, entitled, human male with a chip on his shoulder and a bad temper.

The reboot should make its new Big Bads more relatable to audiences, and think about what lessons they can teach or the greater ramifications their deathor victoriescan have on the characters. Instead of just pitting the Slayer against leagues of monsters in a once-an-episode format, the villains should be more fleshed-out and used sparingly to make a greater impact.

The primary cast of and characters inBuffywere predominantly white, heterosexual, and cisgender. Visibility is so important for marginalized communities, and the opportunity to explore a more diverse cast of characters is always going to be lauded as a strength in media, particularly media that's targeting young adults. While there were some people of color onBuffy, they were often background characters, such as Giles' girlfriend, Olivia (Phina Oruche) and the first Slayer who was called after Buffy's season 1 death, Kendra (Bianca Lawson). While not the only two non-white characters on the show,Buffy the Vampire Slayercould have pushed this much further, as there was no shortage of non-white actors in the late 1990s.

Beyond that, the relationship between Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Tara was groundbreaking for the series, andBuffydid push boundaries by showing a same-sex kiss on primetime, network television. However, the relationship between the two women was pushed to the back burner as well; they weren't given nearly as many interesting storylines, conflict, or ongoing challenges like the other characters in romantic relationships were given with their opposite-sex significant others. Shows like The CW'sRiverdale have shown how same-sex characters can be integrated into the main plotline and featured as major characters. Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) and Toni Topaz (Vanessa Morgan) are one of the favorite couples onRiverdale, just as Willow and Tara were back in the day onBuffy the Vampire Slayer. However, Willow and Tara were only given a few opportunities to really become a part of the larger narrative.

Related: The Buffy The Vampire Slayer Character Who Almost Came Back From The Dead

Their major storylines were always brief, and not always flattering. In season 4, Willow ended up exploring her sexuality and falling in love with Tara after joining a Wicca group in college; this isn't only a trope, but led into the plot where her ex-boyfriend came back suddenly and, after discovering Tara with Willow's scent all over herwhich implies the two had been intimatehe literally turned into a werewolf and attacked her, despite having learned how to control his inner beast. While this led to Willow and Tara coming out as a couple, it is an aspect of the show that definitely hasn't aged well. In season 6, Willow's ongoing struggle with magica metaphor for substance abuseled to her manipulating Tara's mind, erasing her memory, and once the two finally got back together, Tara was abruptly and tragically murdered.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer can amend this by ensuring it features a diverse cast, which is very possible given the rumors that Owusu-Breen is considering a Black actress for the titular character. Beyond that, giving other characters an opportunity to shine and support the lead as equals, rather than being relegated to background singerswhich was done literally in the musical episodewill help the reboot be successful even with some of the most discerning fans.

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Jack Wilhelmi is the horror features editor at Screen Rant, and has been with the site since 2019. He is a lifelong fan of the horror genre, and loves any excuse to discuss genre-related topics, since none of his friends dare challenge him in horror trivia. He has been published on the independent horror blog Morbidly Beautiful, and has covered major genre film festivals such as Cinepocalypse in Chicago. He has also served as a judge for the Ax Wound Film Festival. In his free time, he is a devoted dog dad to a high-spirited rescue pup named Peter Quill and enjoys volunteering with various animal rescue organizations. Jack likes to travel and explore dark tourism-related and other various haunted locations. He enjoys studying psychology, the paranormal, and will watch literally any schlocky B-movie on the planet for a laugh.

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Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Every Mistake The Reboot Must Avoid Repeating - Screen Rant

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