Friday, March 14

Buffy had sex with a female slayer---She's not gay but is it a ploy?

When "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was on the air, I admit I spoiled myself a bit by checking spoilers. In the comics, I now really wait for the comic and don't look up what is next. For me, the comics are short, I am always feeling wanting more and I know that is cliche but I am that much of a Buffy fan. In the first part of "Wolves at the Gate," Buffy is found in bed with the Asian slayer Satsu. Critics and media are blaming this as a marketing ploy to sell more comics. "We had already established that there was this character, Satsu, was in love with Buffy and that Buffy was kind of lonesome," said Whedon. "[We decided] it would be fun if they just went ahead and did it, rather than have it be a 'will they won't they' situation." As for writer Drew Goddard, who wrote Cloverfield: "I guess the stakes are different in that we have more freedom in comics. Even though we've still got a ways to go, we've made tremendous progress with regard to portrayals of human sexuality in pop culture over the last 10 years or so. So the stage just feels different now. I'm sure people can argue that Willow/Tara broke a lot of ground in that regard, but it's not like we go into these things saying, 'How can we make a grand political statement here?' We just try to do what feels right for the characters. The rest takes care of itself."

In the first four-issue arc, Amy put Buffy under a 'fairy tale' spell where only a person who was really in love could wake her up with a kiss. Buffy said 'Cinnamon Buns' when she woke up. And we found out that Satsu's cinnamon lip gloss gave her away. Like MTV said, Ever since the "Season Eight" comics continued the series, our heroine has appeared increasingly isolated, lonely and hungry for some form of connection. She fantasizes about Angel/Spike threesomes, Daniel Craig and Christian Bale, and constantly complains that it's been awhile since she's had a relationship, so it's not surprising that she ends up in bed with the next available partner. In the last issue, Buffy took Satsu on a vampire slay and let her down by saying that people who love her usually end up dead. She hasn't had sex since season six with Spike. MTV: Yes, we know she loves Buffy. But didn't Buffy already rebuff her in the last issue, during a vampire slay?

Drew Goddard says, "Whenever you first sleep with someone, it makes the ensuing relationship more complicated. And we're going to explore those complications to the fullest in the book." For me, basically, as being a devoted Buffy fan and a gay man who speaks for a non-profit organization about gender, I don't think Buffy is gay--by social and culture definition of being exclusively being attracted to the same sex. I believe sexuality is fluid, a continuum. "It made logical, emotional sense and it was an opportunity for drama and character exploration," said Whedon, who told ABCNEWS.com that while Buffy has not "all of a sudden turned gay" she is not "completely cut off from that particular enjoyment." Experimentation is common and how many people believe in this culture, it is more acceptable & easier for women to have affairs with other women.

Goddard revels in the idea of fans turning the page and being shocked to find a full page of the main character with a person of the same sex in bed. i do admit it was a bit shocking but not beyond them to do. I also think it is not beyond Goddard and Whedon to be fanboy giddy. I was actually hoping Buffy would indulge poor Satsu. Satsu, a bit a star-strucked, only expects the worst--for Buffy to only consider their situation as a one night stand. I am not surprised Whedon to go there, people consider Whedon to push the envelope but he says he doesn't. I don't ever want to think Whedon to be the kind to want to do a stunt. And people that know Whedon, knows he is not the kind. With Willow and Tara, it wasn't gratuitous, it was true and it was love, is love. "I don't need to push the envelope. The reason I'm [still writing it] is that we love it and we couldn't stop telling these stories," Whedon said. But it is still a risk. For the main character who for almost two decades, being a heterosexual character, to have a same-sex thirst is risky for loosing fans. But fans sorta have been expecting Buffy to be bisexual since Season 3 with Faith and lots of innuendo. I commend them for their bravery, but they might not see it as bravery.

ABC News
MTV--includes Amber Benson explaining struggles over same-sex kiss and Joss Whedon interview