My Favourite Messiah: Buffy Summers
Hi!
So I was originally going to do this as one big post but the list got quite long and I didn't have time today. Sorry! But on the bright side, you get more posts :D
Ok, so today got me thinking about all the messiahs we have in TV and film. It's kinda like TV/film has become the vast western secular population's neo Bible, and of course we need a messiah to follow. Personally, I'm not a fan of this character concept. Unless written with finese and a fresh twist, the characters can be limited stereotypes with tired storylines (cos let's face it - pretty much every version of the messiah story has been told).
But there are exceptions. In this series, I will list my favourites from best to worst (just cos). But there's no strict order - a couple are in there just cos I wanted to talk about them, or they were obvious. At the end I'll post a mini-spam of those that didn't make the cut, and I'll list the reasons why I hate them or they bore me.
My specs for a messiah...
- Has to be chosen in some way.
- Has to be a leader.
- Has to be a champion of good.
- Has to have died and been ressurected.
The last one I was a little lax on in a case or two. I hope you enjoy, and you learn more about the nature of storytelling in the process :)
And my favourite is...
Name: Buffy Summers
Calling: Slayer, vanquisher of evil, defender of good, setter of fashion trends.
Died: yes.
Saved: countless dimensions and the Earth.
Resurrected: yes.
Messiah? Of course! Buffy is THE CHOSEN ONE. Plus she died and was brought back to life. Doesn't get much more messiahy than that.
Love or hate? There is so much to love about Buffy, the obvious reason being that she's the only (well known) female messiah on this list! She's a hero. And she's a she. But loving her just for her gender is as sexist as discriminating against her for it. Buffy has so much more to offer us. She's cute, strong, conflicted, somehow accesible yet also an icon.
Suffice to say that I got tears in my eyes just making the picture of her sacrifice. That is how beautiful that story was, and that's how beautiful a person Buffy is.
Plus, how cute?!
How strong?
How feminist?
I rest my case.
.
~Lili
So I was originally going to do this as one big post but the list got quite long and I didn't have time today. Sorry! But on the bright side, you get more posts :D
Ok, so today got me thinking about all the messiahs we have in TV and film. It's kinda like TV/film has become the vast western secular population's neo Bible, and of course we need a messiah to follow. Personally, I'm not a fan of this character concept. Unless written with finese and a fresh twist, the characters can be limited stereotypes with tired storylines (cos let's face it - pretty much every version of the messiah story has been told).
But there are exceptions. In this series, I will list my favourites from best to worst (just cos). But there's no strict order - a couple are in there just cos I wanted to talk about them, or they were obvious. At the end I'll post a mini-spam of those that didn't make the cut, and I'll list the reasons why I hate them or they bore me.
My specs for a messiah...
- Has to be chosen in some way.
- Has to be a leader.
- Has to be a champion of good.
- Has to have died and been ressurected.
The last one I was a little lax on in a case or two. I hope you enjoy, and you learn more about the nature of storytelling in the process :)
And my favourite is...
Name: Buffy Summers
Calling: Slayer, vanquisher of evil, defender of good, setter of fashion trends.
Died: yes.
Saved: countless dimensions and the Earth.
Resurrected: yes.
Messiah? Of course! Buffy is THE CHOSEN ONE. Plus she died and was brought back to life. Doesn't get much more messiahy than that.
Love or hate? There is so much to love about Buffy, the obvious reason being that she's the only (well known) female messiah on this list! She's a hero. And she's a she. But loving her just for her gender is as sexist as discriminating against her for it. Buffy has so much more to offer us. She's cute, strong, conflicted, somehow accesible yet also an icon.
Suffice to say that I got tears in my eyes just making the picture of her sacrifice. That is how beautiful that story was, and that's how beautiful a person Buffy is.
Plus, how cute?!
How strong?
How feminist?
I rest my case.
.
~Lili