Teen Wolf/Buffy character match
Oct. 4th, 2012 10:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marguerite_26A wee bit of meta for this cloudy Thursday morning.
Any fan of both the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and MTV’s Teen Wolf knows that Jeff Davis was highly influenced by the former. He’s mentioned it in interviews and the parallels are pretty obvious in the basic premise of the show: high school kid gets unwillingly dragged into the world of the supernatural and tries to continue living his regular high school life but the threats to himself and those he cares about make it impossible.
What struck me most when I started watching though, was how the similarities went beyond the premise to way TW created a diverse cast ensemble so similar to the one that made the BtVS universe tick. It is one of my favourite things about the TW,ranked just beneath Beacon Hills’ multitude of pretty people and shortage of shirts.
So Teen Wolf’s ensemble rocks. This is news to no one.
I was having a conversation yesterday on Twitter about who is who? I have opinions on this (way more than can fit in 140 characters). You may not agree with my choices. They aren’t necessarily perfect matches. Perfect matches are impossible as they are clearly different shows and clearly distinct characters. But the process of matching (and justifying it in my head) was fun. Also who a character is in season 1 of a series isn’t who they are for the rest of the series. So this is focused on the core of the character, who they were introduced to us as, and not necessarily who they become as time goes on.
Scott is Buffy. Now, don’t argue with me on this one. He is Buffy. He may not be as kickass awesome and ground-breaking as Buffy, but in the matching up of BtVS characters to TW characters.... He is Buffy. Once bit, he is 'cursed' with this new life as Buffy was cursed with hers the moment she was ‘chosen’. All Scott wants is to be a regular teenage boy. He wants to go to prom, date his girlfriend without killing her/getting her killed. He has a job and school work and a relationship with his mom that all suffer because of his ‘secret’ and he’s put in situations where he has very valid reasons for skipping class/missing curfew/not studying, but reasons he can’t share so he gets in trouble constantly. He wants a cure. He wants out of this life. Scott is also not dumb; as far as school work goes he is on par with Buffy who constantly struggled in school and was also at risk of failing (studying for midterms in cemeteries is hard, yo). As an aside: Early in S1 there’s a part where Scott gets a test back with a poor mark and the note on it is: THIS IS NOT LIKE YOU, meaning he is capable of doing well and he previously got good grades but being a werewolf and falling in love with Allison are too big a distraction for him. Allison does tend to make Scott lose focus of absolutely everything (including proper password selection) -- a trait he does not share with Buffy whose eyes never glazed over for any man. They are very different characters.
Another example is Scott’s relationship with his mom. Especially in the early eps, that relationship is a carbon copy of Buffy and her mom (who was also a single parent and was struggling to understand her daughter’s unusual behaviour).
As with Buffy, a big part of the main premise of the show is Scott accepting this part of himself, learning to be a teenager AND a werewolf.
Derek is Angel (not just because Puppet!Angel could be Puppet!Derek. In the first few eps of both series the comparison is the strongest. Hell, they even look alike. Derek lurks in the forest, gives cryptic messages and leaves. He withholds key information because heis looking for attention doesn’t trust Scott yet. All things Angel did in the first season, except it was creeping in alleyways instead of behind trees. They are both full of angst, tortured souls with secret pasts. They are both ‘keys’ to the heroes success but are not above suspicion.
Stiles is Xander with a bit of Willow. On the surface, Stiles is Xander. There is no denying the flaily comic relief similarities between Stiles and Xander. He is the dorky, loser best friend who snarks and is fiercely loyal. He flirts with pretty people and gets eye-rolls or scowls. There are times when his sexuality is very fluid in the same way that Xander kept us guessing (BtVS had slash winks before the term ever existed peppered throughout Xander’s dialogue). Stiles, like Xander is the ‘token human’ with no special powers (no defense except sarcasm). Stiles stands at Scott’s side through everything. He’s wary of Derek, and often stands up to him even though he’s afraid of Derek (S1), unsure whether to trust Derek (S2) which has a lot of parallels of the Xander/Angel dynamic throughout Buffy. Actually most Xander/Angel conversations I can hear easily in Stiles voice:Xander: Angel, Angel, Angel. Does every conversation we have have to come around to that freak? [turns to see Angel behind him] Hey man, how ya doin'?
So Stiles is Xander... except they mixed it up a bit and added a touch of Willow in there too. Stiles turns to research when presented with a mystery. He has a mastery of google where he finds All The Answers when it suits the plot. He may or may not have a bit of magic in there (it’s left open for interpretation after Raving).
The one aspect that doesn’t match at all is Stiles: Son of the Sheriff. There is no ‘Sheriff’ in the BtVS world. Willow and Xander’s parents do not play any sort of role in the series and that aspect of their characterisation is unknown other than the great one liner:"Ira Rosenberg's only daughter nailing crucifixes to her bedroom wall? I have to go over to Xander's house just to watch 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' every year." which still makes me LOL. But hardly draws any sort of picture of what Willow and Xander feel about all the secrets they are keeping from their parents, how many lies have they told? (more on that further down)
Lydia and Jackson are Cordelia - Lydia is obvious, here. She is the popular girl (the mean girl) who is rich and pretty and her life seems perfect. (obviously I’m talking early BtVS Cordelia here, not St. Cordelia from Angel: the Series) We even get the Stiles/Lydia and Cordelia/Xander ‘geek finally gets the pretty girls attention due to life threatening situation’ parallels. Interestingly, Cordelia and Xander actually managed to be canon (for a bit anyway) to great success (I thought that arc worked well and resulted in some memorable episodes, adding both humour and angst without taking over the show). I could see Jeff having intended a similar fate for Stiles/Lydia but I don’t see it being as successful but time will tell.
As for why I included Jackson here (and I’m talking the original purpose of Jackson as part of this ensemble cast), in Buffy, Cordelia isn’t just the pretty mean girl. She also serves the specific purpose of being Buffy’s high school rival. Obviously Lydia cannot be that for Scott in the same way that Cordy is to Buffy. So Jackson fills that role perfectly. He endless mocks and threatens Scott. He’s there to knock the hero down a peg and just be a pain in the arse, to deliver cutting and humourous lines that no one else can pull off because he is suppose to be the asshole, so he’s allowed.
Cordelia Chase: Has any girl ever spoken to you of her own free will? I don't think so.
Xander Harris: You know I've often wondered why that is.
Cordelia Chase: Got a mirror?
[Cordy walks away]
Xander Harris: Check back tomorrow, I'll have that devastating comeback ready.
That said, Jackson moved past that role into more Draco Malfoy territory … and possibly beyond that too... but that’s just muddying the waters here.
Allison is there to be the romantic lead that Derek cannot be because Jeff chose not to make this about Derek/Scott in the way that Joss focused on Buffy/Angel (even though Jeff could have gone down that round but I think it’s a really good choice that he didn’t). However Jeff might’ve borrowed from BtVS’s Riley a bit, though that’s probably a stretch. But if there was a comparison purely in ‘fighting on the opposite side of the war/fighting for the same results using different methods’ type of pairing, then Riley is it. Though Allison/Scott >>>> Buffy/Riley (which was doomed from the start in the shadow of Buffy/Angel and lacked the depth that Allison’s linage brought)
Peter is Spike, in the serial killer does comedy relief sort of way. Both Peter and Spike have dual roles. The first was to be a threat to the protagonist. The second was to bring a counterpoint to Derek and Angel respectively. Their ability to say anything cuts the intensity of a scene and lets everyone breath (and laugh). Peter,like Spike once was, is a looming threat, an unpredictable wild card that may or may not be on your side, and may rip your throat out with his teeth or possibly sit and have a hot cocoa with you. (Peter probably even likes the mini marshmallows). To me Peter is a hellava lot more scary than Spike, though Spike likely killed more people along the way (and almost entirely random, thoughtless murders) so it’s pretty much a toss up as to which is more evil. Regardless, sassy Peter, snarky over Derek’s shoulder and making Derek fume is perfect mirror image of Spike’s role with he’s paired in scenes with Angel. Not even to to mention the Peter/Stiles and Spike/Xander similarities (why yes, I ship all of of the above combinations and threesomes, thanks for noticing).
Sheriff and Chris - I don’t believe that a Sheriff character exists in the Buffy world, or a Chris Argent either. Just as I don’t think there’s a proper Giles in the TW world. I think it could be argued that Deaton is a Giles but if he meant to be, he’s not there yet. Not by a mile. So bits and pieces of Giles’ role gets picked up by many characters but I don’t think there is any true parallel at this point. I also think BtVS could have really benefited from having a Sheriff-like character. As it was, there were very few ‘older generation’ in the Buffy world. There was Giles and Joyce.... and a bunch of evil adults or adults who got killed quickly. The teens + Giles were on their own, always. I never felt it lacking while watching it, but imagining TW without the ‘family’ dimension that each character brings makes me sad.
Any fan of both the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and MTV’s Teen Wolf knows that Jeff Davis was highly influenced by the former. He’s mentioned it in interviews and the parallels are pretty obvious in the basic premise of the show: high school kid gets unwillingly dragged into the world of the supernatural and tries to continue living his regular high school life but the threats to himself and those he cares about make it impossible.
What struck me most when I started watching though, was how the similarities went beyond the premise to way TW created a diverse cast ensemble so similar to the one that made the BtVS universe tick. It is one of my favourite things about the TW,
So Teen Wolf’s ensemble rocks. This is news to no one.
I was having a conversation yesterday on Twitter about who is who? I have opinions on this (way more than can fit in 140 characters). You may not agree with my choices. They aren’t necessarily perfect matches. Perfect matches are impossible as they are clearly different shows and clearly distinct characters. But the process of matching (and justifying it in my head) was fun. Also who a character is in season 1 of a series isn’t who they are for the rest of the series. So this is focused on the core of the character, who they were introduced to us as, and not necessarily who they become as time goes on.
Scott is Buffy. Now, don’t argue with me on this one. He is Buffy. He may not be as kickass awesome and ground-breaking as Buffy, but in the matching up of BtVS characters to TW characters.... He is Buffy. Once bit, he is 'cursed' with this new life as Buffy was cursed with hers the moment she was ‘chosen’. All Scott wants is to be a regular teenage boy. He wants to go to prom, date his girlfriend without killing her/getting her killed. He has a job and school work and a relationship with his mom that all suffer because of his ‘secret’ and he’s put in situations where he has very valid reasons for skipping class/missing curfew/not studying, but reasons he can’t share so he gets in trouble constantly. He wants a cure. He wants out of this life. Scott is also not dumb; as far as school work goes he is on par with Buffy who constantly struggled in school and was also at risk of failing (studying for midterms in cemeteries is hard, yo). As an aside: Early in S1 there’s a part where Scott gets a test back with a poor mark and the note on it is: THIS IS NOT LIKE YOU, meaning he is capable of doing well and he previously got good grades but being a werewolf and falling in love with Allison are too big a distraction for him. Allison does tend to make Scott lose focus of absolutely everything (including proper password selection) -- a trait he does not share with Buffy whose eyes never glazed over for any man. They are very different characters.
Another example is Scott’s relationship with his mom. Especially in the early eps, that relationship is a carbon copy of Buffy and her mom (who was also a single parent and was struggling to understand her daughter’s unusual behaviour).
As with Buffy, a big part of the main premise of the show is Scott accepting this part of himself, learning to be a teenager AND a werewolf.
Derek is Angel (not just because Puppet!Angel could be Puppet!Derek. In the first few eps of both series the comparison is the strongest. Hell, they even look alike. Derek lurks in the forest, gives cryptic messages and leaves. He withholds key information because he
Stiles is Xander with a bit of Willow. On the surface, Stiles is Xander. There is no denying the flaily comic relief similarities between Stiles and Xander. He is the dorky, loser best friend who snarks and is fiercely loyal. He flirts with pretty people and gets eye-rolls or scowls. There are times when his sexuality is very fluid in the same way that Xander kept us guessing (BtVS had slash winks before the term ever existed peppered throughout Xander’s dialogue). Stiles, like Xander is the ‘token human’ with no special powers (no defense except sarcasm). Stiles stands at Scott’s side through everything. He’s wary of Derek, and often stands up to him even though he’s afraid of Derek (S1), unsure whether to trust Derek (S2) which has a lot of parallels of the Xander/Angel dynamic throughout Buffy. Actually most Xander/Angel conversations I can hear easily in Stiles voice:
So Stiles is Xander... except they mixed it up a bit and added a touch of Willow in there too. Stiles turns to research when presented with a mystery. He has a mastery of google where he finds All The Answers when it suits the plot. He may or may not have a bit of magic in there (it’s left open for interpretation after Raving).
The one aspect that doesn’t match at all is Stiles: Son of the Sheriff. There is no ‘Sheriff’ in the BtVS world. Willow and Xander’s parents do not play any sort of role in the series and that aspect of their characterisation is unknown other than the great one liner:"Ira Rosenberg's only daughter nailing crucifixes to her bedroom wall? I have to go over to Xander's house just to watch 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' every year." which still makes me LOL. But hardly draws any sort of picture of what Willow and Xander feel about all the secrets they are keeping from their parents, how many lies have they told? (more on that further down)
Lydia and Jackson are Cordelia - Lydia is obvious, here. She is the popular girl (the mean girl) who is rich and pretty and her life seems perfect. (obviously I’m talking early BtVS Cordelia here, not St. Cordelia from Angel: the Series) We even get the Stiles/Lydia and Cordelia/Xander ‘geek finally gets the pretty girls attention due to life threatening situation’ parallels. Interestingly, Cordelia and Xander actually managed to be canon (for a bit anyway) to great success (I thought that arc worked well and resulted in some memorable episodes, adding both humour and angst without taking over the show). I could see Jeff having intended a similar fate for Stiles/Lydia but I don’t see it being as successful but time will tell.
As for why I included Jackson here (and I’m talking the original purpose of Jackson as part of this ensemble cast), in Buffy, Cordelia isn’t just the pretty mean girl. She also serves the specific purpose of being Buffy’s high school rival. Obviously Lydia cannot be that for Scott in the same way that Cordy is to Buffy. So Jackson fills that role perfectly. He endless mocks and threatens Scott. He’s there to knock the hero down a peg and just be a pain in the arse, to deliver cutting and humourous lines that no one else can pull off because he is suppose to be the asshole, so he’s allowed.
Cordelia Chase: Has any girl ever spoken to you of her own free will? I don't think so.
Xander Harris: You know I've often wondered why that is.
Cordelia Chase: Got a mirror?
[Cordy walks away]
Xander Harris: Check back tomorrow, I'll have that devastating comeback ready.
That said, Jackson moved past that role into more Draco Malfoy territory … and possibly beyond that too... but that’s just muddying the waters here.
Allison is there to be the romantic lead that Derek cannot be because Jeff chose not to make this about Derek/Scott in the way that Joss focused on Buffy/Angel (even though Jeff could have gone down that round but I think it’s a really good choice that he didn’t). However Jeff might’ve borrowed from BtVS’s Riley a bit, though that’s probably a stretch. But if there was a comparison purely in ‘fighting on the opposite side of the war/fighting for the same results using different methods’ type of pairing, then Riley is it. Though Allison/Scott >>>> Buffy/Riley (which was doomed from the start in the shadow of Buffy/Angel and lacked the depth that Allison’s linage brought)
Peter is Spike, in the serial killer does comedy relief sort of way. Both Peter and Spike have dual roles. The first was to be a threat to the protagonist. The second was to bring a counterpoint to Derek and Angel respectively. Their ability to say anything cuts the intensity of a scene and lets everyone breath (and laugh). Peter,like Spike once was, is a looming threat, an unpredictable wild card that may or may not be on your side, and may rip your throat out with his teeth or possibly sit and have a hot cocoa with you. (Peter probably even likes the mini marshmallows). To me Peter is a hellava lot more scary than Spike, though Spike likely killed more people along the way (and almost entirely random, thoughtless murders) so it’s pretty much a toss up as to which is more evil. Regardless, sassy Peter, snarky over Derek’s shoulder and making Derek fume is perfect mirror image of Spike’s role with he’s paired in scenes with Angel. Not even to to mention the Peter/Stiles and Spike/Xander similarities (why yes, I ship all of of the above combinations and threesomes, thanks for noticing).
Sheriff and Chris - I don’t believe that a Sheriff character exists in the Buffy world, or a Chris Argent either. Just as I don’t think there’s a proper Giles in the TW world. I think it could be argued that Deaton is a Giles but if he meant to be, he’s not there yet. Not by a mile. So bits and pieces of Giles’ role gets picked up by many characters but I don’t think there is any true parallel at this point. I also think BtVS could have really benefited from having a Sheriff-like character. As it was, there were very few ‘older generation’ in the Buffy world. There was Giles and Joyce.... and a bunch of evil adults or adults who got killed quickly. The teens + Giles were on their own, always. I never felt it lacking while watching it, but imagining TW without the ‘family’ dimension that each character brings makes me sad.
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no subject
Date: 2012-10-04 10:54 pm (UTC)except about Scott. ;)Mama McCall as part of the Joyce role?
yes! absolutely. I can't believe I forgot to state that outright. :D
no subject
Date: 2012-10-04 11:27 pm (UTC)I always saw more of Willow in Stile than Xander. I think it could be the whole magic/spark thing but I can totally see Xander in him too.