Popular Culture Review Vol. 12, No. 1, February 2001 | Page 95

B u ff y t h e V a m p i r e S l a y e r 91 Joyce: Buffy... Buffy: And maybe next time that the world is getting sucked into hell, I won’t be able to stop it because the anti-hell-sucking book isn’t on the approved reading list. L a ter she discusses h e r m o th er's disapproval with h er frie nd s. Buffy: My mom had said some things to me about being a slayer. That it’s f ruitless. No fruit for Buffy. L a ter Buffy sees h e r m o th er a t school. Joyce: Are you embarrassed to be hanging out with your mother? I didn’t hug you. Buffy: No, it’s just...this hall is about school, and you’re about home. Mix them, my world dissolves. The story moves to the conclusion with Buffy a nd Willow tied to a stake a nd th eir m others abou t to ligh t the fl a m e s until Buffy saves evetyone. In addition to the parody of the Salem Witchcraft Trials, the show Jabs at censorship, authoritarian-style leadership in education, and self-absorbed parents who are oblivious of the real perils of adolescence. In addition to the larger issues, Buffy always manages to present the smaller, yet more immediate, issues in the lives of young adults. The relationships among the young characters are dynamic and central. Although Buffy is the clear leader of the group, each teen contributes unique traits that serve to make the whole stronger. The collaboration and sense of shared obligation to the larger community are central to the story lines. The writers allow the characters to exhibit growth over the seasons and change in ways that mirror real lives. Because this is a show aimed at adolescents, the adults carry less significance in the story lines; yet, their participation, or lack of, is important to the teens. Another theory for the show’s popularity is that it counters the negative stereotypes portrayed so frequently in entertainment and media editorializing about adolescents. Buffy performs her slayer duties without tangible rewards other than the sense of living up to one’s responsibilities. Her friends help her out of a shared sense of responsibility and loyalty to each other. Episode #46: “Helpless.” Script Summary: B uffy s eighteenth birthday arrives, a nd G iles is fo r ce d by his duties as the Watcher to weaken Buffy s slaying po w ers as a rites-of-passage test. Also, Buffy sfa th e r promises to return to Sunnydale f o r a traditional birthday dinner, bu t he do esn 't show. The episode also ad van ces the love interest betw een A ng e l a nd Buffy. Buffy begins to notice changes in h e r abilities. Buffy: r m way off my game. My game’s left the country. It’s in Cuernavaca. Giles, what’s going on here?