Buffy and Angel in Season One, before she was aware he was a Vampire even though he knew she was the Slayer. (“Angel”)
In the discussion of power structures within Buffy, the Slayer’s romantic relationship with the Vampire Angel is interesting. Buffy and Angel have a complicated relationship, and this stems from the unusual nature of their relationship. As a Vampire and a Slayer, they are posed as opposing figures; indeed, both of these figures hunt each other in typical Vampire lore, and as such, the relationship between a Slayer and a Vampire is a constant battle for domination over each other. However, these figures are altered in the case of Angel and Buffy; with the creation of a sexual attraction and romantic relationship between them, these lines are blurred, and the power structures are changed. These structures are established well before they became romantically involved, with Buffy initially posed as submissive; these structures continue to change throughout the course of Buffy and Angel’s constantly changing relationship, and this shows a shifting scale of domination and submission between them. In the Season Two story arc in which we see Angel turn into Angelus and attempt to end the world, Buffy shows a progression in her ability to assert her dominance in this relationship and it is this arc specifically that I will discuss in this post.
The characters of Buffy and Angel are posed within the narrative as similar characters; both are physically strong and capable characters who fight against forces of evil, Buffy because of her calling, and Angel because of the soul vested in him. However, Angel does ascertain a subtly dominant position within their relationship. It is revealed in Season Two’s “Becoming Part 1” that Angel has deemed himself to be the self-appointed protector over Buffy for several years by watching out for her before she even came to Sunnydale (Owen 27). Further, in the first episode of the series, Angel asserts himself in Buffy’s life, initially much to her chagrin, and gives her a crucifix necklace that will protect her from the creatures she face (“Welcome to the Hellmouth”). This immediately places Buffy in a subtly submissive role to him, as he treated her as though she needs to be protected, and he is the one to act in the role of the protector, placing him in the dominant position in this relationship dynamic.
Angel watching over Buffy before she moved to Sunnydale (“Becoming Part 1”)
This positioning of Buffy in the dominated role is furthered in the culmination of their romantic relationship. In the Season Two episode “Surprise”, Buffy and Angel consummate their relationship. This has unfortunate consequences, as this act causes Angel to lose his soul and revert back to his former evil self (“Surprise”). This occurs as a result of the sexual penetration of their relationship, as one moment of true happiness will cause him to lose his soul, and becoming intimate with Buffy qualifies as this (“Surprise”). Through this act, the dynamics of Buffy and Angel’s relationship are exacerbated. It is no longer a subtle dominant-submissive relationship as their courtship and the beginning of their relationship was, but a now hostile relationship between them in which Angel becomes overtly dominant over Buffy.
Buffy and Angel as they begin to become intimate with each other. (“Surprise”)
Buffy loves Angel, but it is her duty to slay him and this creates inner conflict in Buffy. Angel is, however, aware of this conflict and knows that because of it, he holds the dominant position in their now-hostile relationship. He knows that Buffy will struggle with killing him because he still reminds her of the love they shared, and he exploits this reality. In “Innocence”, Buffy and Angel engage in combat. Buffy has her stake wielded, but hesitates to use it for a fatal blow on him.
Angel taunts “You can’t do it. You can’t kill me.”
To which Buffy replies: “Give me time.” She then walks away, leaving him alive. (“Innocence”)
In this exchange, Angel asserts his dominance over Buffy. He knows Buffy cannot kill him yet, because of her feelings for him, and with this knowledge of her feelings, he is able to control Buffy’s actions and behaviour to a large extent.
The latter half of the season following “Innocence” follows Buffy’s struggle to accept that her lover Angel has turned into her enemy Angelus (Braun 90) and that she must seize control in this relationship and slay Angel. However, in this time Angelus makes many attempts to dominate Buffy physically in battle, but also through the psychological torment he inflicts on Buffy and her friends and family; this torment includes using his presence to taunt her (“Killed by Death”) and sending Buffy ominous gifts, such as sketches of her and her family while they sleep (“Passions”). Through these actions, Angelus incites fear into Buffy, and this fear works to control her. She remains unable to slay Angel, resulting from a combination of both his physical prowess challenging hers, and the emotional struggle she faces in slaying him and thus, Angel dominates Buffy’s actions, and to a great extent, her life.
In this clip from “Becoming Part 2”, Buffy and Angel finally face off and battle each other to the death. In this fight, there is a struggle for dominance between them. Angel is attempting to assert the ultimate dominance by awakening Acathla, a demon who will end the world upon Angel’s summoning. Buffy greets him with the ironic pet name of “Lover”, and as such, makes reference to their relationship and the dangerous turn it has taken. They face off in a sword fight, posing them initially as equals in their fight for dominance over each other. Angel initially begins to dominate the fight, cutting Buffy’s arm and knocking her to the ground, eventually having her cornered against the wall. He taunts her, and attacks her insecurities, once again trying to assert his dominance over her. Then, Buffy fights back. As he is about the thrust his sword through her, Buffy stops it with her hands, and thrusts it back towards him. In this action, she is stopping his power over her. Buffy begins to dominate the fight, eventually mimicking the cornered position she was in with Angel against the Demon. Angel then gets his soul restored by Willow (“Becoming Part 2”).
Buffy forcefully stopping Angel’s sword, a turning point in her struggle for dominance. (“Becoming Part 2”)
This is when Buffy assumes control in their relationship. Despite the fact that the man she loved has returned, she still ultimately chooses his fate. Buffy does not hesitate as she did in their first battle, but instead says goodbye to Angel, and stabs him. While Buffy still feels for Angel, as evidenced by her tearful goodbye to him, she is no longer conflicted about what she needs to do. Buffy kills Angel to save the world, and in enacting his fate, she becomes the dominant power in their relationship.
Angel’s turn towards his evil self was fuelled by their sexual encounter, but Buffy reverses this process and in doing so ultimately becomes the dominant partner in this relationship (Braun 90-91). In “Becoming Part 2”, Buffy reverses the penetrative act that caused Angel to turn (Braun 91). In this scene, Buffy and Angelus engage in combat, and to defeat Angelus, Buffy must thrust her sword through Angelus to stop the evil he has caused; by doing this, she is able to overcome his domination, and despite her feelings for him, Buffy is able to kill him (“Becoming Part 2”). This act is symbolic for Buffy, in that it enables her to assert her dominance over Angel. Buffy decides Angel’s fate, specifically his death, and in doing so she gains the dominant position. She has reversed the power dynamic between them, and ultimately becomes the dominant partner in this conflict.
In this story arc, Buffy’s representation is conflicted. In one respect, Buffy emerges as a powerful female. She is ultimately posed as the dominant figure in her relationship with her boyfriend / nemesis. Despite her feelings for Angel, Buffy kills him; she overcomes his domination over her, both physically and mentally, and is able to be victorious and dominant. Further, this did not happen quickly. Her shift towards dominance was a progression for Buffy, showing maturation in her ability to exert her power and dominance in a personal as well as slaying context. However, this representation is conflicted in the manner this domination is physically enacted. There is still the issue of the phallic weaponry used in this conflict with Angelus, specifically the sword and her need to thrust it with him, effectively reversing the penetrative act that began his domination over her (Braun 91). As I have discussed in the previous post, Buffy is only really able to be dominant over her opponent with a phallus, the sword; she has to wield this phallus, and in doing this, Buffy is able to neutralize the threat that Angel poses. This becomes problematic in her representation as a powerful female, as it once again promotes Buffy’s power to assert her dominance as an inherently masculine one, which interferes with her female power representation.
The Good, the Bad and the Buffy 