When Buffy the Vampire Slayer first premiered in 1997, it was celebrated for how groundbreaking it was. It puts a female character front and center and makes her strong and powerful while still allowing her to be feminine and have emotions. Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was anything but a damsel in distress. By day, she was a regular high school student, by night she was kicking vampire butt and saving the world from total demonic destruction. More than that, though, as the show reached its later years, it branched into deeper topics that were rarely represented on television at the time, such as LGBTQ+ stories. For a show as hugely popular and influential as Buffy the Vampire Slayer to bring those stories to mainstream media was a huge deal at the time and paved the way for a lot of the media we have now.
But, as brave and as important as it was back in the late '90s and early '00s, there are some noticeable problems in how everything was done that are visible nowadays. Which is why, with the news of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot coming our way (with Gellar confirmed to be on board), it is the perfect time to right this. There’s not a lot that needs to be fixed in terms of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s original run. It’s a pretty perfect time capsule as it is, but its handling of LGBTQ+ topics is one area where the reboot really needs to evolve past its predecessor.
‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Handled Willow’s Coming Out Arc All Wrong
Image via UPN
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was undeniably ahead of its time when it came to the relationship between Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Tara (Amber Benson), and specifically Willow’s coming out journey. For the first three seasons of the series, we see Willow as a very shy and sheltered person. She has her best friends in Buffy and Xander (Nicholas Brendon), and she finds solace and guidance in her teachers Giles (Anthony Head) and Miss Calendar (Robia Scott). But it isn’t until she goes to college that she finds herself, and part of finding herself also entails discovering her sexuality and falling for Tara. What results is a really sweet and pure romance between the two, one that rivals that of Buffy and Angel (David Boreanaz). Fans loved their relationship and the reception was great, but how it was initially handled in the show left much to be desired.
Willow comes out to Buffy in a very tender moment, and immediately Buffy’s demeanor changes. She’s suddenly spooked by the notion that her best friend has feelings for a woman. Meanwhile, she fights vampires and demons every night, and has quite literally prevented the apocalypse on multiple occasions. She repeatedly refers to Willow by her nickname in a strange nervous tick, and it’s so far removed from the Buffy that we know and love. Up until this moment, she had been shown to be the “It” girl. She never judged anyone; she just marched to the beat of her own drum, and she looked cool doing it. Her getting wigged out by the thought of her best friend being gay was so far removed from the character that we knew. Xander’s reaction, on the other hand, wasn’t all that surprising, but it was still disappointing. His initial reaction isn’t anything crazy, but he does sort of fetishize the idea of Willow being a lesbian, and her relationship with Tara. His character was never a particular moral one, so it wasn’t all that surprising that his reaction left something to be desired, but it was disappointing nonetheless.
The ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reboot’ Needs to Take Its Time With LGBTQ+ Storylines
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Another point that many have brought up regarding Willow’s coming out arc is how it felt a tad rushed. The build-up between Tara and Willow was well done; it felt very natural, but Willow’s actual realization and the aftermath of her coming out to her friends felt glossed over despite it being a huge character beat. It felt as though the show just had her come out and then said, “Yep, Willow’s a lesbian now,” and that was that. Which, sure, it doesn’t have to be a big dramatic thing, but it is a part of her, and she is one of the main characters. Surely she deserved a little more fanfare and a little more effort put into her story. It ended up feeling more like a plot device than a genuine character trait for a time, which should not have been the case.
The reboot has the opportunity to right this and really dive into the nuanced feelings of the LGBTQ+ community and better tell coming-out stories. It can dive into the complexities of coming out in a world that isn’t always accepting, but finding a safe space in those you love — which is something the original show was built upon.
The ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Needs More LGBTQ+ Representation
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Outside of Willow and Tara, there weren’t many notable queer characters in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Sure, Willow and Tara were a huge step in the right direction, but then the show killed Tara off, so it just felt like we went right back to square one. The reboot desperately needs to have more representation on the LGBTQ+ front, especially since the original show was such a pioneer for queer television and couples at the time. Tara and Willow were one of the first openly gay couples on mainstream television, which is a huge feat for such a wildly popular show. Now, television audiences are a lot more accepting, and we see a lot more LGBTQ+ representation, which is so incredible. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot has the opportunity to follow in its predecessor's footsteps and do it better.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer has the chance to yet again be a trailblazer in terms of LGBTQ+ representation. It did well for the time it premiered, but like the show, the audience has grown and evolved, and there’s no better time to reboot the show. A new generation of viewers will get to experience the magic of Buffy Summers and the rest of the Scooby gang. Maybe they’ll even see themselves in the characters along the way, just like so many fans of the original show did — loudly and proudly.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Release Date 1997 - 2003
Network The WB
Showrunner Joss Whedon
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Nicholas Brendon
Alexander Harris
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Anthony Stewart Head
Rupert Giles
English (US) ·