Buffy 5.1: "Buffy vs. Dracula"

Written by Marti Noxon
Directed by David Solomon

In which Buffy finds herself going on the hunt more and more, something which draws the attention of a rather famous vampire, who comes to stake a claim on the Slayer…


Status Report

The end of the fourth season was unusual in that the main plot arc ended before the season finale, largely due to a desire to wrap it up and focus on the thematic arc instead. In that case, it was the ongoing question of self-identity and self-doubt. Buffy came to the point where she thought she understood herself, gaining a renewed self-confidence in the process. But the question was posed: how can she really understand herself, if she doesn’t know what part of herself is really the legacy of the Chosen line?

The third season served to show Buffy what it would be like if she didn’t have stabilizing influences: family and friends to keep her grounded in a sense of morality. Faith was everything that Buffy could have been, driven by the primal impulses of the Slayer. Buffy had a lot of reason to think that Faith’s darkness was the lack of nurturing, but now the question evolves: was that really the case?

The two questions intersect in the wake of “Restless”. Buffy finds herself doing exactly the kind of thing that Faith used to do: hunting for the sake of the kill. She recognizes, on some level, that this is the result of her communion with the First Slayer. Through her encounter with Dracula in this episode, Buffy begins to wonder if the Slayer’s origins were in darkness. She begins to wonder, though she doesn’t come out and say it, whether or not Faith’s descent was purely a matter of her own insanity.

The situation, of course, is a lot more complicated than anyone can guess. The Slayer’s origins were initially in light, derived from the feminine Goddess power. Those abilities were then twisted by men who sought to bind and control it for their own war with the demonic. Men chose to mate the Chosen with a demon, thus binding the Slayer to the darkness itself. All of this comes out in the seventh season (though in a somewhat confusing manner), so it takes Buffy some to recognize the nature of the Chosen and the potential for overcoming the restrictions artificially imposed upon it.

At this point, however, Buffy is only beginning to question what she has learned or assumed about her Slayer legacy. Part of that journey is obviously meant to be personal, but the fact is that Buffy can’t entirely separate herself into the two sides of her nature. She may be trying to come to terms with her place in the human world, but as the fourth season demonstrated, she can’t ignore her Chosen destiny. At the same time, she’s not the primal Slayer, either.

Joss comes up with a solution to that problem that was controversial for the fans (and wore out its welcome after its intended purpose was fulfilled), but that doesn’t really present itself until the second episode of the season. The first episode is really a way to tie the end of the fourth season into the fifth season arc, and in that regard, there were enormous obstacles. Most of the season premieres suffered from the need to wrap up the implications from the previous season finales while introducing the season’s main theme without a major plot introduction in the process. This premiere didn’t even have the apparent benefit of addressing plot points.

The solution, in this case, was to develop a hook that would be interesting enough to start the season. The writers couldn’t just jump in with the second episode, introducing Dawn, since that would be a bit too jarring. There’s always the problem of new viewers and introducing the concepts and characters again. This episode pulls that off, but one’s reaction to this version of Dracula (and the idea that the traditional Dracula can exist in the Buffyverse) factors heavily into the enjoyment of the episode.

The episode uses Dracula to introduce the idea that Buffy is becoming influenced by the primal side of the Slayer legacy, most especially the dark desire to hunt and kill. Buffy seems a little bothered by it, but it’s becoming a part of her nature to hunt rather than patrol. She’s looking for the thrill of the kill more than seeking to protect her community or the world.

The beach scene quickly reminds the audience who the primary characters are and where they’re at in their various relationships. Against this backdrop, Dracula comes to Sunnydale in a bid to take control of the Slayer and score a victory. One can assume that her rising predatory nature has spread throughout the vampire community, thus prompting him to step in before someone else takes a shot.

The discussion between Giles and Willow is a necessary one. Giles was already feeling sidelined in the fourth season, and suddenly, Joss was looking at an actor with a desire to leave for home. More than that, how could Giles remain in Sunnydale with no viable function? Xander was logically tied to his old friends, but Giles had other desires to pursue. This was something that had to be covered, because his reasons for staying had to make sense.

Equally important was the reappearance of Joyce, who seemed to disappear for most of the fourth season. With Buffy trying to make the distinction between herself and the Slayer within, her role as daughter (and sister) had to be reaffirmed. This also serves to bring Joyce’s role in Buffy’s world into view, so when that foundation is threatened, the effect on Buffy is at the forefront. This also serves to show a moment prior to Dawn’s introduction into the family, providing contrast and a starting point for her introduction into the continuity.

It doesn’t take long for the plot to turn to Dracula. Unfortunately, he’s not particularly impressive or convincing. Buffy’s initial reaction is basically the same reaction of the audience through the entire episode: one of amusement and disbelief. Xander even has trouble taking it seriously. Yet the audience is also asked to buy the fact that Buffy is intrigued enough to throw Riley into a bit of a jealous huff.

It is rather funny to see Xander as Dracula’s twisted little butt-monkey, but it’s never really approached as a serious threat to anyone’s welfare. Yet in the very next scene, Spike gives Riley every reason to think that Buffy is outmatched and outgunned. Indeed, she seems to give in to Dracula rather easily, especially since his apparent ability to control minds is hard to swallow. After all, if there was a vampire with that level of power, why would they waste time trying to turn Slayers? It’s hard to take Dracula seriously when he doesn’t use his abilities to do anything truly impressive. This guy should have a list of Slayer/Champion victims a mile long; he could have killed Buffy without a second thought on several occasions.

The subsequent scene is a highlight reel for Xander and an opportunity for Willow to give Giles a reason to stay, however forced, but it takes forever for Riley (and for that matter, everyone else) to notice that Buffy is wearing a scarf, which she pretty much never does unless she’s bitten by a vampire. But it’s designed to sell the idea that Buffy is under Dracula’s thrall, which nevertheless seems forced.

As funny as the idea of a castle being unnoticed for years might be, it does dance around the obvious continuity issues. It’s almost as if this episode is meant to be out of continuity, which doesn’t quite work. What does work, on a certain level, is the intimation that some vampires know that there is a connection between their half-breed nature and the origins of the Slayer. Dracula taunts her with the possibility of learning the truth about her Chosen legacy, and that reminds the audience of the season’s theme.

That connection is further justified by the idea that a vampire’s blood actually strengthens a Slayer. (This also confirms that Dracula never tried to tackle a Slayer before, or he would know that; this doesn’t really make sense either!) The rest of the episode is somewhat silly, making it very hard to imagine that the summer hiatus resulted in such a weak season premiere, devoid of anything particularly compelling or substantial.

In the end, Dracula isn’t even beaten; he just stops coming after Buffy. It’s never explained how Dracula manages to reconstitute after being staked (besides to introduce a tiresome joke), which is actually a somewhat important question, if the episode is meant to be taken within continuity. Perhaps the most annoying aspect of the episode is exactly that: at no time is the light-hearted and overly self-mocking tone placed in a context that allows it to work as a realistic part of the overall “Buffy” story.

In terms of Giles and Buffy, the events (taken more seriously in that scene) give a reason for Giles to remain and resume his place as Buffy’s mentor. Oddly, this focus on Buffy’s search for details regarding the Chosen legacy doesn’t quite materialize. Instead, like the fourth season, it works better as a general direction and subtext for the events that eventually take place.

The final scene is probably very shocking to those completely out of the loop, but when the fifth season began, the addition of Dawn to the cast was already well publicized, and so it seems a bit overdone in retrospect. Even so, it’s fun to see how the writers and cast manage to act as though she belongs. That leads into the next episode, where her purpose within the season begins to take shape.


Memorable Quotes

BUFFY: “Do you know what a Slayer is?”
DRACULA: “Do you?”

DRACULA: “I apologize. I assumed you knew. I am Dracula.”
BUFFY: “Get out!”

DRACULA: “I have no interest in you. Leave us.”
XANDER: “No, we’re not going to ‘leave you’! And where’d you get that accent? “Sesame Street’? Vun, two, three…three victims! Mwa ha ha!”

XANDER: “Yes! Yes! I will serve you, you excellent spookiness! Or master…I’ll just stick with master.”
DRACULA: “You are strange and off-putting.”

XANDER: “Like any of that’s enough to fight the dark master. Bator.”

XANDER: “See! Buffy didn’t feel it. I think you’re drawing a low of crazy conclusions about the unholy prince. Bator.”

DRACULA: “I knew you’d come.”
BUFFY: “Why? Because I’m under your thrall? Well, guess again, pal!”
DRACULA: “Put the stake down.”
BUFFY: “OK…right. That was not you!”

RILEY: “I’ve lived in Sunnydale a couple of years now. Know what I’ve never noticed before?”
GILES: “Uh…a castle?”
RILEY: “Big, honking castle…”

BUFFY: “I’m not hungry.”
DRACULA: “No…your craving goes deeper than that…”

GILES: “Oh…my shoe…silly me, I’ll just pop-“
RILEY: “No no no, sir! No more chick pit for you!”

XANDER: “Damn it! You know what? I’m sick of this crap! I’m sick of being the guy who eats insects and gets the funny syphilis! As of this moment, it’s over. I’m finished being everybody’s butt-monkey!”

GILES: “I was not making time. I…I was…just about to kill those loathsome creatures when Riley interrupted me.”
RILEY: “You were gonna nuzzle ‘em to death?”


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode is perhaps the most disappointing of the season premieres, with a somewhat bland premise that doesn’t follow up on the genius of the fourth season finale. Dracula is actually rather laughable in this episode, making it hard to imagine that he survived so long! There is a nice introduction to the season’s intended theme, but in the end, this is an experiment that doesn’t work.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 1/2
Direction: 1/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 4/10