This ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Episode Gave Us the Weirdest Thanksgiving Arc
When done well, holiday-themed episodes in TV shows can be a worthwhile addition to a series’ canon or a one-and-done waste of time. The Season 4 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “Pangs,” is more a case of the latter, but not for lack of trying. Season 4 sees Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and the rest of the “Scooby Gang” trying to navigate the challenges of college. On its face, the overall B plot of the episode fits nicely into the series’ fourth season. It has some very solid stand-out episodes, including the Emmy-Winning “Hush”. Its focus on the characters’ transition to college and post-high school changes is relatable and endearing. And that’s why its treatment of Native American culture is so unsettling. The episode reinforces some pretty negative stereotypes that fall into the realm of cultural appropriation.
‘Pangs’ Feels Out of Place in ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Season 4
A lesson about sensory memory by Dr. Walsh’s (Lindsay Crouse) psychology class prompts Buffy Summers to search for normalcy on Turkey Day. The main issues with “Pangs” is that it also plays out like a Buffy episode with plenty of the usual supernatural dramedy, making it’s holiday elements feel very out of place. Willow’s (Alyson Hannigan) warnings to Buffy about glorifying Native American atrocities are brushed aside, with her need for family togetherness taking priority. Buffy’s need for mashed potatoes and pie would be fine if it wasn’t framed around themes that feel shoe-horned. Willow’s concern for these social issues (or Buffy’s lack of empathy) seems to come out of nowhere. College is all about expanding your world-view, and some dialogue about Buffy being a little naive about the sensitive subject could have given Willow’s concern more weight. Given his long lifespan, Angel could have also offered some insight into the aforementioned atrocities, maybe even given a different perspective, given his character’s own history with historical violence.
‘Pangs’ Themes Are Cliché and Generic
The Slayer recruits Giles (Anthony Head) to help her cook her idealized Thanksgiving meal when she learns of a string of murders by a vengeful Chumash spirit (Tod Thawley), who has been unearthed at the university. To the episodes’ credit, The Chumash are a real-life Native American tribe indigenous to California, where Buffy the Vampire Slayer takes place, but that’s as far as historically accurate connections go. Buffy’s need for some found family is in keeping with the season’s away at college theme. However, its Thanksgiving-esque beats also feel like they were pulled from a list of fall festival checklists and not particularly respectful ones. Other shows have offered respectful representation of Native American culture, but Buffy fails in this department. Willow attempts to foster empathy for the Chumash warrior, while Giles and Spike (James Marsters) make note of the hypocrisy. The way that “Pangs” leans into its stereotypical choices is not only cliché but also a bit generic. The writing of this episode seems concerned with being sensitive about the subject, but doesn’t take any steps to address the reality of the history behind it. It’s either a step too late, or not nearly far enough. Instead, it turns the events into another “monster of the week” storyline thatw as seem more frequently in its first season.
Something that could have helped solidify the emotional stakes would have been the inclusion of some other Native American characters. The spirit is accidentally released when the New Cultural Center of the University’s Anthropology wing is built on top of an old mission. The writers could have used America’s complicated and violent past with Native Americans to give the Chumash spirit more depth and nuance beyond just making him a villian. On top of that, the episode is perfunctory. Buffy has had plenty of holiday-related arcs – many of which gave us significant character development for Spike, Dru, and Angel. They existed within the lore of the show without giving us that “a very special episode” feel. Ultimately, this strange episode should have received special care and had the potential for so much more, but fell to the wayside when it came to execution.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is available to stream on Tubi in the U.S.
Original article at Collider
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