I'd Prefer The Demons

I usually prefer my metaphors more fully embodied. But, in this season, we aren’t removed from any of the real-life monsters that Buffy and crew have to face. In past episodes, when Buffy was younger, all the problems she faced in her ‘normal’ life were overshadowed by the demons and vampires she had to face. Not anymore.

Willow is really addicted to magic, and we see her under its control as much as any other junkie. When she goes to get her fix in Wrecked, we get a sense of how desperate she is. There’s no underground hell hole like there might have been in the early shows. Although Rack’s place is magically cloaked, it still looks like a normal house, bringing the scene a sense of realism that forces us to share Willow’s experience right along with her. Whedon has removed the barrier that a lot of his more fantastic elements have provided. In fact, the demon at the end of Wrecked acts almost as a footnote to the episode, and is slain as quickly as he appears.

Sex is also starting to be a bigger part of the series, and it’s not just hinted at through oblique symbolism anymore. In Buffy’s earlier relationships with Riley and Angel, we were never shown much more than kissing without artistic lighting and ethereal, romantic music. With Spike, we’re almost painfully close to the action. Buffy knows what she’s doing is wrong, but rather than hide this with an undefeatable ghost of forbidden desire, Buffy gives in to the actual thing.

Hate, addiction, rape, and isolation are finally being shown in all their real life power, and for the characters and the audience, that’s scarier than any metaphoric Hellmouth.