In which I prove I think too much
So, snickfic recently made a post about Once More With Feeling, which prompted me to watch the "Behind the Scenes" special feature for that episode, which of course made me want to watch a musical. But, as snickfic pointed out, OMWF is pretty damn angsty and depressing. So, instead, I went for my favoritest musical of all time, which never fails to make me laugh - Into the Woods. And that, of course, reminded me of the unbelievable parallels between the characters in Into the Woods and BtVS.
If you're not familiar with the show, you can read my post about it here. I'll wait. Back? Okay. So, we start with the Witch. Who else would that be but Willow? She's gleeful about using her magic, but loses her powers at one point, which greatly frustrates her. She also gets a makeover halfway through the show, and resurrects a dead cow. :) Plus, there's the completely manipulative and emotionally abusive relationship she has with Rapunzel, because she's afraid that Rapunzel will leave her. And did I mention that Rapunzel dies a gruesome (but thankfully offstage), senseless death that sends the Witch into serious funk?
Then there's the Witch's next-door neighbors, the Baker and his Wife. Xander and Anya, of course. The Baker is brave but often foolish, has serious daddy issues and despite his best efforts, finds himself repeating his father's mistakes and abandons his family. He also underestimates his frank, outspoken wife. He spends much of the first act insisting she should stay at home, that he can handle breaking the Witch's spell all on his own, while not recognizing his wife's contributions all along. Even once he comes to appreciate that marriage is a partnership, they often bicker, and in true ironic fashion, he doesn't realize just how much she meant to him until it's too late.
Cinderella, with her deadbeat father and her deceased mother, has to be Buffy. She has a hard life, her work often going unappreciated. She eventually finds fairytale romance, but it ends badly, as they agree to always love one another, even though they can't be together because she doesn't belong in his world. She's not dumb, even if she doesn't always display full strength in the intelligence department, but she does always follow her heart. Also, she develops a relationship with Little Red Riding Hood (Dawn) that is by turns both big sisterly and maternal, when the young girl finds herself alone in the world after her mother's death. Little Red, by the way, looks innocent and often needs saving, but she's actually unbelievably scary.
Jack. Ah, Jack. A little dim, kinda girly, somewhat morally deficient (he climbs a beanstalk and feels completely entitled to steal stuff from the giants who live up there), but he manages to make it to the end of the play, though he's the one who has to deliver the news to the Baker that his wife is dead. He, like Little Red Riding Hood, looks up to the Baker and Cinderella, who become the surrogate parents to their ragged band of survivors. He also has a funny sort of sibling rivalry with Little Red at times. Andrew?
Then there's the two princes, who are clearly our vampires. The older, dark-haired brother (Cinderella's Prince) is definitely a brooder, angsting over why Cinderella runs away from him. He's also got kind of a sense of entitlement, and clearly thinks himself superior to his younger, blond brother (Rapunzel's Prince). The younger prince is much more brash, upbeat, and silly in love, and gleefully competes with his older brother for the spotlight. That would suggest that Angel is Cinderella's Prince while Spike is Rapunzel's, though both had a relationship with Buffy, and neither with Tara (although, Rapunzel does go crazy at one point). However, Cinderella's Prince is the charming one and, in Act 2, sleeps with the Baker's Wife, which kind of suggests Spike. In a casting quirk, the actor who plays Cinderella's Prince also plays the Wolf that tries to eat Little Red Riding Hood, which seems like a nice demonstration of a stalkerish alter ego that preys on young girls. Make of that what you will. :)
And finally, we have the Narrator/Mysterious Man, another dual role played by the same actor. The Narrator is, of course, the one who provides all the exposition, whereas the Mysterious Man is a frequent font of wisdom and advice, but abandons his family (he turns out to be the Baker's father) in times of crisis. He cannot stay away completely, however, and tries to help in his own fashion, which earns him the ire of the Witch when their paths cross.
So? Think I've got something here? :)
If you're not familiar with the show, you can read my post about it here. I'll wait. Back? Okay. So, we start with the Witch. Who else would that be but Willow? She's gleeful about using her magic, but loses her powers at one point, which greatly frustrates her. She also gets a makeover halfway through the show, and resurrects a dead cow. :) Plus, there's the completely manipulative and emotionally abusive relationship she has with Rapunzel, because she's afraid that Rapunzel will leave her. And did I mention that Rapunzel dies a gruesome (but thankfully offstage), senseless death that sends the Witch into serious funk?
Then there's the Witch's next-door neighbors, the Baker and his Wife. Xander and Anya, of course. The Baker is brave but often foolish, has serious daddy issues and despite his best efforts, finds himself repeating his father's mistakes and abandons his family. He also underestimates his frank, outspoken wife. He spends much of the first act insisting she should stay at home, that he can handle breaking the Witch's spell all on his own, while not recognizing his wife's contributions all along. Even once he comes to appreciate that marriage is a partnership, they often bicker, and in true ironic fashion, he doesn't realize just how much she meant to him until it's too late.
Cinderella, with her deadbeat father and her deceased mother, has to be Buffy. She has a hard life, her work often going unappreciated. She eventually finds fairytale romance, but it ends badly, as they agree to always love one another, even though they can't be together because she doesn't belong in his world. She's not dumb, even if she doesn't always display full strength in the intelligence department, but she does always follow her heart. Also, she develops a relationship with Little Red Riding Hood (Dawn) that is by turns both big sisterly and maternal, when the young girl finds herself alone in the world after her mother's death. Little Red, by the way, looks innocent and often needs saving, but she's actually unbelievably scary.
Jack. Ah, Jack. A little dim, kinda girly, somewhat morally deficient (he climbs a beanstalk and feels completely entitled to steal stuff from the giants who live up there), but he manages to make it to the end of the play, though he's the one who has to deliver the news to the Baker that his wife is dead. He, like Little Red Riding Hood, looks up to the Baker and Cinderella, who become the surrogate parents to their ragged band of survivors. He also has a funny sort of sibling rivalry with Little Red at times. Andrew?
Then there's the two princes, who are clearly our vampires. The older, dark-haired brother (Cinderella's Prince) is definitely a brooder, angsting over why Cinderella runs away from him. He's also got kind of a sense of entitlement, and clearly thinks himself superior to his younger, blond brother (Rapunzel's Prince). The younger prince is much more brash, upbeat, and silly in love, and gleefully competes with his older brother for the spotlight. That would suggest that Angel is Cinderella's Prince while Spike is Rapunzel's, though both had a relationship with Buffy, and neither with Tara (although, Rapunzel does go crazy at one point). However, Cinderella's Prince is the charming one and, in Act 2, sleeps with the Baker's Wife, which kind of suggests Spike. In a casting quirk, the actor who plays Cinderella's Prince also plays the Wolf that tries to eat Little Red Riding Hood, which seems like a nice demonstration of a stalkerish alter ego that preys on young girls. Make of that what you will. :)
And finally, we have the Narrator/Mysterious Man, another dual role played by the same actor. The Narrator is, of course, the one who provides all the exposition, whereas the Mysterious Man is a frequent font of wisdom and advice, but abandons his family (he turns out to be the Baker's father) in times of crisis. He cannot stay away completely, however, and tries to help in his own fashion, which earns him the ire of the Witch when their paths cross.
So? Think I've got something here? :)