Cordy as the Annakin (Ep. 100 spoilers you betcha)

POSTED BY: SpikeSpiegel
UPDATED: Friday, February 6, 2004 00:00
VIEWED: 2582
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SPIKESPIEGEL

Thursday, February 5, 2004 8:11 PM

Now that Cordelia's story is over, I've gotta say, since she joined "Angel," I viewed her as the show's Annakin.

By which I mean, the original Star Wars trilogy is about Luke and Co., yet when you step back (and add three execrable prequels), it becomes the (not entirely successful) tale of Annakin Skywalker.

On Buffy, the show starts with Buffy as a reluctant heroine, yes, but she immediately takes on the role of vamp-staker when vamps appear. She is a heroine, and her seven seasons deal with variations of what a heroine goes through.

But Cordy -- minor character who didn't even appear every episode, and utterly unlikable as a human being (deLIGHTful to watch being snarky, of course). She goes through more in the Whedonverse than any human character. By her final episode, she's grabbing swords to kick ass, and entirely and totally motivated by love of and service to others, whereas Original Cordy was ALL about serving herself.

It's a beautiful and unforced evolution over seven years of television, and to me, it's the bigger story than Buffy's growth, by far.

Okay, so you won't look back and see "Buffy/Angel" as the secret story of Cordelia, but hers IS the best character arc.

Now, Spike with his shiny new soul is now on a similar arc, but I can't say that's been an entirely unforced evolution, so I'll hold onto Cordy as the true hero of the Buffy universe. She had no powers, nothing to gain, no guilt to assuage, wasn't drawn in by deep love of any of the other characters (regardless of what developed later).

She was the best.

"Bang."

POETIC4U

Thursday, February 5, 2004 8:22 PM

What strikes me the most about Cordy's evolution was that THIS was the road she took BY CHOICE. Destiny didn't plan it. The PTB certainly certainly didn't plan it. Cordelia herself didn't plan it. She experienced it, she saw the difference she made and she took that and became one of the most heroic heroines I have ever witnessed on my screen. I will never forget her.

"Older men declare war, but it is the youth who must fight and die. And it is the youth who must inherit the tribulation, the sorrow, and the triumphs that are the aftermath of war"
- Herbert Clark Hoover

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." - Martin Luther King Jr.

KALATHENA

Thursday, February 5, 2004 11:19 PM

Quote:
But Cordy -- minor character who didn't even appear every episode..

Not true. She was a contract character from day one of Buffy. She didn't appear in every scene, but unless the actress had a vacation (or a baby...) she was in every ep.

I don't think I could view her as an Annakin, though. She was a brilliantly drawn character, but she was a typical trope of a writer. She was the outsider; the one to whom things had to be explained so that the audience could hear them. She was also the dissenting voice in the beginning, never quite on board with what the team was doing.

Not a typical mixture of character types, which is why it worked so well. Joss uses this combination again with Spike, beginning in S4 of Buffy and with Jayne on Firefly. He even says in one of the commentaries "Jayne is my Cordelia..."

I really did enjoy her character. She always had the most fun things to say and completely lacked a brain-to-mouth filter.

Her exit was extremely touching.

--Kala

SPIKESPIEGEL

Friday, February 6, 2004 12:00 AM

Hmm. Of course I know that Charisma was a regular cast member from the start, but I was pretty sure she wasn't in every season one ep. I'm certain there were eps where her only role was one or two bitchy lines, totally unnecessary for the plot. But by the time Season Three rolled around, she was a full-fledged, if not always willing, Scooby.

I agree with the things you said, though. Doesn't invalidate my silly Anakin comparison to her character growth.

But I guess if you're saying she was a well-drawn character, then, yeah, that IS un-Anakin-like ... heh ...

"Bang."