The Feminist Filter: Becoming 1

[gabrielleabelle]

Well, my hiatus was fun. And by "fun" I mean "holy shit so busy!" I've missed fandom stuff, though, so I offer this up before the court in the spirit of fun and feminism. :)

Mission Statement:This series is intended to outline the feminist text of each episode so as to provoke and encourage open discussion. It's not so much about making value

Comments

[kikimay]

I'm very interested in the dynamic between Dru and Angelus, but also I'm attracted in Buffy/Angel.

Like I said in a post before, the relationship between Angelus and Dru is the archetype of the dynamic between a sadistic male and a passive-agressive young girl, who gradually became a victim. Dru is obedient, vulnerable and pure and Angelus wants that for him, wants to be worshipped as a god, to be the true center of her life. He became a father figure for Drusilla, but also a lover. Basically, he became her "everything" and I believe that she loses her mind because this violence was too much: Dru is forever helpless, forever bonded to this sadistic male.
And we see, in reverse, the relationship between Angel/Buffy almost like Dru/Angelus, except that, this time, Angel with a soul can choose to be a positive figure, an hero for Buffy and her lover. But, what I'm trying to say (and I'm really sorry for my english!) is that Angel/us is basically the same: attracted to a young girl, almost in a predatory way.
As Angelus - without soul - he can be sadistic, violent and oppressive, as Angel - with soul - I can't harm the girl, but at the same time he's obsessed with her.

I also see the comparison between Darla and Buffy (basically the "mother" figure and the first girlfriend figure) but this time I want to focus on the parallelism between Dru and Buffy.
With the slayer, Angelus tries to do the same job he did on Dru, except that, this time, Buffy has the streight to fight back.

[gabrielleabelle]

Your English is fine. :)

But, what I'm trying to say (and I'm really sorry for my english!) is that Angel/us is basically the same: attracted to a young girl, almost in a predatory way.
As Angelus - without soul - he can be sadistic, violent and oppressive, as Angel - with soul - I can't harm the girl, but at the same time he's obsessed with her.

I love this thought. I'm gonna have to mull it over.

[itsnotmymind]

As Angelus - without soul - he can be sadistic, violent and oppressive, as Angel - with soul - I can't harm the girl, but at the same time he's obsessed with her.

Oh, yeah. This. As Willow said to Buffy in Passion, "You're still the only thing he thinks about."

Dru is forever helpless, forever bonded to this sadistic male.

I have mixed feelings about this one because on the one hand, it is true: Dru loses her mind, and forever feels devotion towards her sadistic sire.

But latter retcons complicate this interpretation. We learn in the Angel episode Dear Boy that Angel turned her into a vampire because he wanted to cause her eternal torment--and yet, Dru is happy as a vampire. Her very joy in her nature defies Angel's intentions for her. And in Darla and Fool For Love, we learned that it was she, not Angel, who sired Spike. She is a creator in her own right, choosing for her own reasons her partner of...how long were she and Spike together? A century and a half?

So I'm conflicted.

[kikimay]

I understand, but I think that we have to question first this: can a woman so crazy be really happy?
I mean, she's in a delicate state of mind, I don't believe that she feels the same way as Darla, for example, who is perfecly happy with her partner.
Also, Dru is still a demon, a mad demon with second sight, I believe that her prospective is seriously compromise. In some ways she adores Angelus because now he's her new god and, like a child, she knows how to worship a god.
But I do understand your point of view. I thinks it's really interesting and difficult to understand Drusilla's emotions towards Angel/us.

[boot_the_grime]

This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I don't think she's "crazy" in the sense that most people imply? She strikes me as more eccentric than irrational. In fact, most of her actions are rational (from the vampire point of view); she can take care of herself, or else she wouldn't have survived without Spike, Angelus or Darla; she has good survival instincts - she's actually less willing to risk her (un)life than the others of her vampire family (despite the pleasure she finds in pain, death and destruction, she rarely puts herself in danger; she doesn't go to seek out Slayers to fight or play mind games with them or try to piss off experienced demon hunters; when she does face a Slayer she goes with a group of vampires and uses her hypnotism; despite her attachment to Angelus, she doesn't lift a finger to help him in the fight against Buffy in Passion - in fact, she quickly lets Spike change her mind about helping Angelus with Giles, and when Buffy arrives, she doesn't even think of helping in the fight with her, but simply leaves, wheeling off Spike with her).

She is just childlike, says strange things (which probably make perfect sense to her) and has unusual habits like keeping her dolls; it's like she's in a world of her own (and content to be that way) but she can communicate with people around her in a mostly satisfactory way. And since she does have a gift of vision, many of the strange things she says may make sense on some level, but the people around her can't decipher it. When she says something strange or doesn't notice that her bird is dead, people around her just think "oh well, that's Drusilla" and aren't particularly upset. The way she interacts with others is odd, but it's more like Sheldon Cooper than River Tam. You don't see her self-harming or walking into sunlight or whatever or suddenly attacking someone for no reason.

[kikimay]

I think it's that your point of view is interesting. I wish someone could tell us more about Drusilla's mind, in a psycological way.

[rebcake]

My theory is that Dru only comes across as "crazy" because people don't know as much as she does - particularly about what's coming. She is often confused about what is right in front of her (dead birds, etc.) but some of that might be put down to walking in multiple timelines simultaneously, if that makes sense. It's just a theory, mind you. ;-)

Of course, defining what is "mental illness" and what is "seeing things differently" is a whole world of inquiry...and one that often affects women. Perfectly normal, intuitive ways of brain function could be seen as witchcraft by men with less native intelligence. Being in the role of "other" as women so often are - especially when it comes to institutions like religion and the psycho/medical establishment - leads to all kinds of things outside a certain range or "normal" being seen as problems.

[kikimay]

I don't know if I can, but in Angel & Faith comics, Drusilla explains a little more her state of mind. She said that in her head she hears the voices of her dead parents and sisters like a lithany. This is a clear sign of her pathological condition, but I don't know more.