I chose to do my project about Buffy: The Vampire Slayer to emphasize that many shows include classed, gendered, and raced themes and portray these things to an unwitting audience. My main focus was a comparison between the nuanced and complex character stories in Buffy to the simplified trope characters in urban films. I will be addressing the critical questions at the end of my presentation, beginning with the comparison between administrators in urban films and suburban films or television series.
In Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, there are two main administrators during the first season. The first administrator is Principal Flutie, who is portrayed as sympathetic and caring. In spite of this, Principal Flutie is often seen as easy to manipulate by students. After Principal Flutie is eaten by a pack
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In opposition to this, the urban films viewed in class have all been centered around the experience of the teacher in the classroom. Buffy: The Vampire Slayer displays an emphasis on the lives of students in and outside of the classroom. The focus on student lives may be one reason for a lack of teachers in the school. Whereas in urban films teachers are often portrayed as being the sole influence in their students lives, suburban films and TV shows give the autonomy to the students and allow them to have complex narratives outside of a school setting.
Since the majority of the show takes place outside of the classroom, teaching figures may not always be represented in the explicit form of a high school teacher. Some examples of mentors in Buffy: The Vampire Slayer include Giles, the librarian, and Buffy’s mother. This is another example of the complexity and nuances given to the lives of characters in suburban settings. Buffy’s success and guidance does not hinge on one person, but rather a multitude of different sources, including