Angela the Vampire Slayer?

A look at My So-Called Life's possible influence on Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Written December 2006; still in progress

I've fallen in love with television programs a few times in my life. As a kid, I got pretty enamoured with the Hardy Boys (hey, what did you watch when you were 12); as a teen I was pretty wrapped up with WKRP in Cinncinnati. I loved Cheers through most of its run as well. But the first and possibly greatest of my adult TV loves of my adult years was 1994's My So-Called Life. An apparently simple story about a middle-class American teenager and her friends and family, brilliant writing, acting, and directing gave it a weight and depth that was just spell-binding. I loved it. I tried to save it. And it broke my heart when that effort failed.

So it's interesting, and probably fitting, that Joss Whedon has cited My So-Called Life has an influence on his cult hit and another television love of mine, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And though I've read many articles on both programs, I've never read any that looked at this possible influence in any depth. So I guess it's up to me to do it.

No Cliffhangers!

Whedon has at various times described Buffy as "My So-Called Life meets The X-Files." What he means by that isn't too hard to figure out. Like My So-Called Life, Buffy focuses in on the relationship a teenage girl has with her teachers, parents, friends, and boyfriends. But from the X-Files side, it brings in a supernatural element; in Buffy's case, the fact that Buffy has supernatural strength and agility and that she lives in a small town over a Hellmouth, which attracts demons, vampires, ghosts, and such "other-wordly" beings.

But that may over-simplify things a bit. Whedon has also mentioned that his idea of centering a series around a young woman was considered revolutionary, but My So-Called Life did that first. Unsuccessfully, you say? Well, unlike Buffy, it didn't survive past its first season, but a network program at a time when cable and the Internet were not diluting viewership, it actually had better ratings. And was certainly as acclaimed and beloved by those who watched it as Buffy was.

It's also notable that My So-Called Life also featured some supernatural elements: ghosts, tarot cards, predictive dreams, visions, and angels were all featured in certain episodes. Buffy's premises allowed it to do present its plotlines writ operatically large, while My So-Called Life excelled at making the small, interior moments extraordinatry. My So-Called Life lasted for 19 episodes, and if one were to compare those ones to Buffy's first 19, you'd probably have to call My So-Called Life the superior series, as Buffy only became great later in its second season. As a whole, of course, Buffy has left behind the most impressive corpus.

Whedon also mentioned something else in regards to Buffy and My So-Called Life: that he was so angry that the last-ever My So-Called Life episode was unresolved, leaving Brian standing at that corner forever, that he decided to never to end a Buffy season on a cliffhanger. Each season would stand alone. Clearly the characters evolve, themes deepen, and previous season episodes are referenced, but each season did have its own villain, a season-long plot that did get resolved in the end, and generally an overrding theme for the year.

This is a key element of the series and one of its major distinctions with its spin-off, Angel, which did not avoid the seasonal cliffhanger. Similarly, and more like My So-Called Life, less like Angel, it ran in more-or-less "real" time, as we picked up the characters after a two-month summer break in the fall and saw them through to spring finals (or graduation). What would Buffy have been if Joss had not imposed a "no cliffhanger" rule on it? Impossible to say, except that it might have become a very different series than it did. And might not have been left so ripe for analysis.

The Characters

That's about it for what Joss Whedon had to say about My So-Called Life's influence on Buffy, but I can't help going a little further with the comparison. Because you don't have to look too hard to find My So-Called Life doppelgangers on Buffy.

Angela Chase and Buffy Summers

Both are the titular heroes of the series. Both are 15 when their series begin. In episode 2, Angela expresses a wish that she could be a hero; Buffy reclaims her hero role at about the same point in her series. Both characters have a tendency to "close themselves off" from other people when troubled by something. With Angela, we have the advantage of frequent access to her thoughts in the form of voiceovers; with Buffy, we're often as confused about her feelings as the characters around her. Only in Season 7's "Conversations with Dead People" do we get real insight into Buffy's inner voice.

Both series focus on the young women's struggle toward adulthood. In many respects, Angela's so-called life improves in the course of the series; she gains confidence, and her relationship with all characters other than Rayanne improve. Buffy, on the other hand, increasingly suffers as the seasons progress, losing many who are closest to her and doubting in her ability to have a solid romantic relationship. It's hard to go too far with this comparison, however, as we don't know what would have been in store for Angela in future seasons.

Angela is played by the luminous Claire Danes, who has a real gift for acting. Buffy is played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, who is very good at certain types of acting (the heartfelt look at Spike in the final episode, for example) and less good at others (conveying Buffy's dark side in early Season 6). It's debatable whether either has found as rich a role in movies as they were able to play on television.

Jordan Catalano and Angel

Nice girls just can't resist the bad boys, can they? One of the first things Angela tells us is that she loves Jordan Catalano; one of the first things Buffy does is meet Angel. Both men are older (Jordan, slightly; Angel, greatly), impossibly gorgeous, remote and therefore seeming mysterious. Both have scary exteriors (Jordan in slacker-wear; Angel in vamp-face) but the possibility of redemption. Though he can be a jerk, Jordan is unfailingly kind to Rickie, for example, and his hurting Angela is never really intentional. Angel is, of course, a more complicated case, but his main reason for approaching Buffy is to try to become a better man. Both characters have name with religious overtones (Jordan Catalano = JC = you know who).

For both My So-Called Life and Buffy seasons 1 and 2, the relationship between the title character and this "bad boy" is a centerpiece of the series and a cause for much fan speculation and debate. Both roles were played by actors in their first big break, and both actors have continued to prosper, David Boreanez on the hit Bones and Jared Leto in his movie and music career.

Rayanne Graf and Faith

Both Rayanne and Faith (does she have a last name?) are set up as contrasting characters for the heroes, Angela and Buffy. During the "friendship" phase, both Rayanne and Faith encourage Angela or Buffy to let loose, take more chances, have more fun. Rayanne and Faith both come from dodgier home situations than Angela or Buffy's; Rayanne's we actually see, while Faith's is just mentioned. Rayanne and Faith both eventually go too far for their counterparts; Rayanne first has an overdose, which causes Angela to move from admiration to worry, then she falls off the wagon and into Jordan's arms, which ends the friendship. As befits the more operatic scale of Buffy, Faith's fall from grace starts with the accidental killing of a human, the mayor's sympathetic assistant. Though initially given the benefit of the doubt, Faith eventually goes right over to the dark side, as evidenced by her attempt to seduce Angel.

Faith is eventually redeemed with Angel's help, and returns to help Buffy in her final battle. We're not sure what would have happened between Angela and Rayanne, as the show was cancelled with them still at odds.

Brian Krakow and Xander Harris

In many ways, Brian shares more characteristics with Willow than Xander: he's Jewish, has psychologists as parents, and is very focused on doing well academically. But structurally, he plays more the Xander role in the My So-Called Life series. Like Xander Season 1, he's in love with Angela, but can't tell her. She seems him only as a friend. In both series, Brian and Xander's feelings become clear only at the end. Buffy is clear that she does not return them. How Angela really feels is a mystery for the ages, but certainly she sees Brian for the first time in the final episode. Brian and Xander, in turn, both hurt the woman who does find them attractive: Brian rejects Delia for Angela (who is just using him) at the dance, while Xander ends up dating Cordelia rather than Willow. ("You'd rather be with someone you hate than be with me.")

Brian and Xander are unexciting, but reliable, and this seems to appeal more to the bad girls than the good. Brian gets into closer physical contact with both Sharon (comforting her when she's upset) and Rayanne (spending a night cuddled together, albeit without any actual sex) than Angela, just as Xander dates Cordelia and sleeps with Faith. For both Brian and Xander, the night with Rayanne/Faith means much more to them than it does to the girls.

Sharon Cherski and Cordelia Chase

Hey, Cordelia has the same last name as Angela! Never noticed that before. Anyway, her closest counterpart in the My So-Called Life world seems to be Sharon. As Cordelia represents what Buffy used to be, so does Sharon for Angela. Angela and Sharon were best friends, but as the series begins, Angela is being drawn more into Rayanne's (and Jordan's) world, leaving her feeling somewhat estranged from Sharon. Similarly, in episode 1, Buffy rejects Cordelia's attempts at friendships in favour of hanging out with Willow and Xander.

Sharon is nowhere as mean as Cordelia, but does share with her popularity, attractiveness, and academic achievement. And as the series progresses, she comes back into Angela's and therefore Rayanne and Rickie's orbit, just as Cordelia finds herself spending more and more time in the company of Buffy, Xander, and Willow.

Rickie Vasquez and Willow Rosenberg

- Not as much a parallel here... - Too good? Would Rickie also have "gone crazy" eventually? - Both gay... Both lacking in self-confidence and, initially, without real romantic prospects. - Both become great friends with Angela/Buffy during the first season; they don't start out that way. - Both are also good friends with Brian/Xander.

Graham Chase and Rupert Giles

- Father figure, with fear of betrayl lurking (worry for Angela and real for Buffy). - Both pretty hot for old guys... - Graham a bit like Season 4 Giles, trying to figure out what to do with his life. - Giles does have a tryst with Joyce, the Patty equivalent, when they revert to being teenagers. (Graham and Patty met while younger, but pointedly did not date in high school—only later.) - Graham was a nerd in high school while Giles was a badass.

Patty Chase and Joyce Summers

- Mothers, obviously, both somewhat clueless about their daughters, but definitely doing their best. - Patty got a much more rounded role on MSCL; a happy side-effect of Claire Danes' actually being a teenager and therefore only able to work limited hours. - Both are surrogate mothers to characters with less happy home lives, though Patty more so (especially for Rickie and Rayanne).

Danielle Chase and Dawn Summers

- Here Dawn is a much more important, well-rounded character; Danielle really just the little sister. Younger than Dawn. And obviously exists from the start. - Danielle plays a role Dawn does not, really; the younger girl who hasn't yet lost the confidence that her older sister has. - Both young women admire but resent their older sister.

Episode comparisons

"Why Jordan Can't Read" vs. "Angel"

- The one where the romantic relationships progress. - Buffy and Angel's first kiss; Angela and Jordan's first that isn't a disaster. (Buffy and Angel's starts well but rather ends in disaster.) - But Angela ends up just as disappointed in Jordan as Buffy is in Angel. Jordan doesn't redeem himself until future episodes. "What's the big deal about staying with group?" — Angela

"Halloween" vs. "Halloween" and "I Only Have Eyes for You"

- Becoming the costumes - Possession of Buffy and Angel by doomed loves similar to Angela's vision of Nicky Driscoll, a Jordan-like past student, who died on Halloween. - Magical MSCL. "They're going to kick you out of school. Don't you care?" -- Angel to Jordan

"Pressure" vs. "Innocence"

- Interesting differences in how each program handles the sex question... "Every once in a while I'll have, like, a moment, where just being myself, in my life, is, like, enough." -- Angela

"So-Called Angels" vs. "Amends"

- The Christmas episodes... Both end on a hopeful note, partly due to divine intervention. "How did you die?" -- Patty to "the girl with the guitar"

"Betrayal" vs. "Enemies"

- Whereupon Faith/Rayanne go after the boyfriends... Well, Faith goes quite a bit further, even though Rayanne's the one who actually has sex with Jordan. "I lost a really good friend. I lost everything." -- Rayanne

"In Dreams Lie Responsibilities" vs. "Restless"

- The dream episodes, both brilliant in their own way. "That's, like, ironic" -- Jordan finally meets Patty