Episode 10: Nightmares

Interesting episode, and an idea the writers repeat with variations (The episode "Restless," when all the characters are really asleep and dreaming, and the Halloween episode in season 4, when their fears come to life in the frat house, for instance.) This is the first overtly Jungian episode, even though a devoted Jungian would be having fun from the very beginning!

First, the episode looks as if it's part of the meta-plot, with the Master lecturing the Anointed about fear. That's setting the stage--and implies that the Master set the situation up, maybe? I can't imagine that he has that power, but...it's at least a handy coincidence. Fear is more powerful than any other emotion, the Master teaches. What a person fears tells you about what that person is.

First, the episode isn't dealing with the unconscious. It's clear that the characters know their fears, and they are awake (except Buffy in the opening scene when she dreams about being killed by the Master) The first few fears that come to life are somewhat universal: spiders, for instance. A bit of detective work, however, and Buffy et al discover that spiders have a very specific meaning to the boy who the spiders swarmed.

From there, the fears attack, and no one is exempt. In the deft blending of humor and drama that Whedon excels at, the audience sees Cordy's worst fear: bad hair, bad clothes, and being dragged to be part of the Chess Club. No surprise to the audience there. Cordy is the status queen, and Chess Club...right.

Likewise, Willow's fear of appearing in public transforms her into an opera singer dressed in geisha garb and full makeup--visually humorous, which is how she is dressed through most of the epiosode. (Ironically, Hannigan begged to not have to sing in the Buffy musical in season 6, and in fact has only a couple sung lines, never solo. The fear of singing in public isn't just Willow's!) Willow doesn't want to be noticed, doesn't want to be stared at or talked about. Importantly, she doesn't want to fail, especially publicly--she knows her strengths and doesn't go far outside her zone of competency. Even in "Restless,"a few seasons later, a public performance figures in her nightmare--as Dark Willow, she seeks the spotlight, holding hostages in the Bronze; in "real life" answering in class is the extent of her ability to command attention. In Willow's mind, then, is it evil or bad to be the center of attention? It's an obvious manifestation of her low-self-steem, at least in any non-academic arena.

Xander walks in a classroom unclothed, except for plain colored boxers (which is interesting; considering the shirts he routinely wears, who would have thought he'd wear boring boxers??) It's an Everyman fear, which may just simply be indicative of Xander's essential typicalness as the Everyman of the series. As an attractive, well built male, appearing in boxers wouldn't seem to be that fear-inducing to the character personally, who is willing to play the fool and call attention to himself as shown by his "crazy dancing" at the Bronze. Also, considering that he joins the swim team and wanders around in a little, tight Speedo in anther episode, Xander must not be incredibly physically self-conscious. However, as the series progresses, we find that underlying Xander's happy-go-lucky, goofy extrovert exterior he is embarrassed by his home life and fears turning into his father; later, when Cordelia wants to hurt and embarrass him, she mentions things he's apparently told her about his family. He makes joking references to them, but then he controls the info and frames the emtions; Cordy's public snarkiness exposes him. So perhaps symbolically, the exposure Xander fears isn't physical, but emotional.

Buffy has several fears revealed, with her first being a typical one for children of a divorce. Buffy had already alluded to this fear to Willow, in fact. In this scene, her dad tells her that she caused her parents break up. Typical fear, and neatly resolved at the end of the show when her dad comes to pick her up for a weekend. (However, he does disappear before too long, and Giles becomes a more overt father figure--the scene where Giles and Hank meet is in a sense the changing of the guard)

Another of Buffy's fears is strikingly mirrored in season 6. Being alive while buried and having to fight her way out comes true, although the turning into a vampire part doesn't. Interestingly, when she vamps out, Giles is caught off guard and asks why she never told him she feared being turned. No answer to that, either. But significantly, her fears and Giles intertwine. He sees her tombstone and ruminates about how it means he didn't teach her well enough, guide her well enough, and she paid for it. Their fears foreshadow the emeshed nature of their relationship and his role as her father-figure, and even lead directly to Giles' solo in the musical and his decision to go back to England.

So have I said anything insightful? No, not really. If I were to take the time to research fear and symbolism in more detail, I suspect there's a layer (or two) I haven't seen yet--and I know that as the series progresses, the multi-layer plot development intensifies. Maybe it's time for some Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung as bedtime reading!