This week on Buffy and the Art of Story: Prophecy Girl (Season 1, Episode 12 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
This pivotal story for Buffy begins in Xander's point of view. We'll explore that as well as (1) creating multiple characters the audience identifies with; (2) using actions to demonstrate characters’ feelings; (3) a very layered Story Spark/Inciting Incident; and (4) a strong midpoint and three-quarter plot turn.
As always, the discussion is spoiler-free, except at the end (with plenty of warning).
Sorry, no Season 1 DVD commentary for Prophecy Girl.
Next Up: Season 1 Overview
Last Week: Out of Mind Out of Sight S1 E11
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In addition to hosting the podcast Buffy and the Art of Story, Lisa M. Lilly is the author of the bestselling four-book Awakening supernatural thriller series and the Q.C. Davis mysteries, as well as numerous short stories. She also writes non-fiction, including books on writing craft, under L.M. Lilly. She is the founder of WritingAsASecondCareer.com.
Episode Transcript for Prophecy Girl
Hello and welcome to Buffy and the art of story.
If you love Buffy the Vampire Slayer and you love creating stories, or just taking them apart to see how they work, you're in the right place.
I am Lisa M Lilly author of the Awakening Supernatural Thriller Series and the Q.C. Davis mysteries and founder of WritingAsASecondCareer.com. Today we’re talking about Season 1 Episode 12 Prophecy Girl. It is the finale for Season 1.
This is a huge story for Buffy.
Interestingly, it's wrapped in Xander's experience, so we’ll explore that as well as:
the different characters we identify with emotionally
how the writers and actors use action to express the characters’ feelings and emphasize them
a very layered Story Spark
and a strong Midpoint and three-quarter turn.
As always, there will be no spoilers except at the end to talk about foreshadowing. But I'll give you plenty of warning.
Okay, let's dive into the Hellmouth.
Opening Internal Conflict
Prophecy Girl was written and directed by Joss Whedon.
We began in the Bronze, a classic Buffy location. And we start with conflict -- Xander's conflict.
It is mainly internal. He is struggling over whether to, or how to, ask Buffy out. Specifically, for the Spring Fling, which is what they call the prom. He's practicing his lines on Willow, as she looks on adoringly.
What I love about Willow in this scene is that she is such a good friend to Xander. Though her feelings are so clear on her face, and we know she has this crush on him, she really does her best to encourage him about what to say. But mostly to be a sounding board for him.
Xander wonders what Buffy is doing right now.
Opening External Conflict
And we cut to Buffy. She's fighting a vampire outside in what looks like a field. There are people parking there, including Cordelia who hears noises. Buffy eventually defeats the vampire. When it's over, she says, “Three in one night. Giles would be so proud.”
She sounds so weary, and we cut to Giles.
He's in the library, and he's translating Latin. And he says to himself as he's parsing through the words, “The Master shall rise…this is it…and the Slayer... My God.”
Everything starts to shake. Giles’ teacup falls to the floor and shatters. We see the earthquake shaking the Bronze, toppling over bookcases in the library.
And the Master in his lair feels it and says, “Yes, yes,” and holds his hands up in a very dramatic way. Then the shaking stops and we get some humor. Because he says, “What you think? 5.1?”
What Is The Inciting Incident?
All of this is part of our Inciting Incident or Story Spark. I had to think about what the Spark was here because on the surface, our story is about this prophecy that Buffy will face the Master and she will die. Everyone is certain it is going to come true even as they tried to struggle against it.
But If the prophecy foretells the future, and is going to come true regardless, which it does, then there almost is no Story Spark. Because that story was already in motion. But we will see the Master later will say that Buffy set this in motion. So will get to that.
For that reason, I see the Spark as when Giles translates that part of the prophecy about the Anointed One, and Buffy will face the Master and die.
Is Giles Drinking Coffee?
Before we move on quick note about Giles’ teacup. I think he was drinking coffee and there it looked a lot like coffee. And we will find out throughout the series, hopefully this is too minor spoiler for anyone to care, that Giles is quite the tea drinker.
I can only think of one other time when he drinks coffee. So I think it's coffee and it shows how he's staying up all night and he's struggling with this. And he is so distressed.
The Tension Escalates
After the credits, Buffy comes to the library to tell Giles about the vampire fighting and her close call. And he is so disheveled and distracted. He doesn't really listen to her, which is so rare. She says, “Giles, care,” and jokes about breaking a nail.
In the next scene we are outside the school, and we get Xander's conflict again.
He gets Buffy alone, and he asks her to the dance and says he wants to date her. She says she doesn't know what to say. He says, well that's a good start, or you're not laughing, that's a good start.
But she doesn't feel the same way is he does, and he takes it very badly. He says something like: “I guess a guy’s gotta be undead to make time with you.”
Buffy tells him that's harsh. He kind of apologizes but says, “Well I don't handle rejection well, which is funny because I've had so much practice.”
Buffy looks very sad when he leaves. And remember, last week she was feeling very isolated in the school, and even from Willow and Xander. Giles wasn't really listening to her this morning. And you get the feeling all she's been doing outside of school is slaying vampires.
So she's feeling very alone. And now Xander, one of her two friends, is angry at her.
A Side Character’s Point of View
Having Xander's perspective so strong in this episode shows one of the strengths of the show. As I've mentioned before, we have different characters, different people that we all can identify with for different reasons. In Xander you get, I won’t say every man because I'm not saying every guy or every person is like Xander, but he is the one who has no special powers here.
Yes, Willow is an ordinary girl, but it is clear she's supersmart. She's really good at research.
Xander is really struggling kind of with everything. So he is that person who is easy to feel for. Yes, he reacts badly, we’d like to see him handle it better. But he's very, very flawed and he is one entry point in this series.
Bringing Out The Characters’ Emotions
In this episode we get so much emotion from each of the characters. We have Willow and her feelings about Xander, and later her feelings about what's happening in the world. We have Giles and his fears about losing Buffy.
We don't get Angel's emotions quite as much, but you get his anger over this prophecy and his devastation about losing Buffy. And of course we have Buffy herself, who was struggling both emotionally and with first the slaying and of course the prophecy.
This is the best type of story to me. Because it while it includes action, it is about the human story and the feelings of Buffy.
Anxious Giles
We are back in the library. Giles is on the phone any saying, “I need to see you. I understand, come after sundown.” We realize he's talking to Angel. Which tells us – we don't yet know what that prophecy says – it tells us how important it is.
I just don't picture Angel even having a phone. The idea that Giles would call him when normally he just sort of turns up tells us how serious this is.
Plus, Giles’ appearance. Because Jenny comes in and she overhears him. And she comments on him wearing the same clothes as the day before.
She knows something is going on. People have been sending her reports of things like a cat giving birth to a litter of snakes, and some messages from a monk about the Anointed One.
This further rattles Giles because he and Buffy both believe that she killed the Anointed One. When we find out the full prophecy, we’ll understand why he is so spooked. Because the idea that the Anointed One was gone probably was giving him some small amount of hope that this prophecy would not come true.
Jenny Offers To Help
Jenny wants to help. And we get another nice moment — we saw so much of this in the pilot – where we get some quick exposition, but it is through genuine conflict. So it works on both levels.
Here we have Jenny offering to help. Giles says I don't know if I can trust you. And she says something like, “I helped you cast that demon out of the Internet. I think that warrants some trust.”
So for those who haven't caught an episode with Jenny in it, we get a very fast sense of who she is.
She's gotten all these reports about things. We know it's something about that she is involved with magic, and that she cast out a demon. So there is reason Giles should trust her, but we also know that he doesn't.
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