So, I've been musing about heroes. I've been re-watching episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with my tween son, and we've been talking about what makes a hero. My son is referring to the term as used by the Ancient Greeks, where Hero is a godlike champion fighter, as was Achilles.
The reason I love watching Angel and Buffy (again and again) is because of the heroics, and I'm referring to the emotional heroics as much as the physical. It's wish fulfillment, of course. In our me-centered world, it's exhilarating to see "people" acting on behalf of others, even to the detriment of their interests and lives. That to me is the real fantasy, and the supernatural creatures are only a small part of the surreality. Buffy has a mission to save individual lives and sometimes she has to save the whole world, with the help of her friends with whom she interacts daily. Some of her friends have special (magical) powers, and some are powerful mostly because of their love and their will to help. Everyone has flaws, and my favorite characters were once horribly evil, but have sought, and after much struggle, obtained redemption.
Many characters literally give their lives to save others. And Buffy has to do something even harder than dying for love; she has to live through the tedious everydayness of financially supporting and physically taking care of her younger sister. In Season 6, "Real Life," rather than something supernatural, is the "Big Bad," and the villains are human. And there's even a musical episode! If you haven't seen Once More with Feeling, you must. The emotional lives of the characters are so complex, and the ensemble cast is awesome.
I get a lot of flack for watching so much TV, but I generally pooh pooh such disapproval. Joss Whedon creates extraordinary fiction that makes me laugh and think deep thoughts. (Really, what is the meaning of life?)
Yes, this is escapism. But watching strong, confident men and women be champions for themselves and for the people they care about -- this is too good to pass up.
