Jo Latham’s article is on a topic near and dear to my heart: the representation of addiction in the Buffyverse. I’ve written on this issue before in Buffy and Angel Conquer the Internet, examining how the Alcoholics Anonymous ethos is used in the redemptions of Faith and Angel, then transformed with Andrew’s struggles with media addiction.
Latham tackles an issue I’d largely avoided: Willow’s addiction to magicks in season six and seven. He finds that Buffy the Vampire Slayer reflects the complexities of how we use the terms “drugs” and “addiction” and how those meanings have further varied historically. Drawing on Jacques Derrida and a variety of Whedon scholars, he observes that the series uses Willow to reference and undermine popular stereotypes of drug users as weak, dependent, irrational and deviant. Instead, he finds that the long form of serial television allows the series to investigate the role of social position and group dynamics in drug addiction, thus questioning the bias towards individualism in contemporary drug narratives. It’s a fascinating article that sheds new light on the value of the series’ dark seasons in contemporary culture. Use the comments to tell him what you think!
Having studied addiction a little, I was very impressed by the complex treatment that Jo gave the role of relationships, power, and redemption in the comparison; giving the discussion of addiction in both contexts a complex analysis rarely seen in discussions of addiction or television.
ReplyDeleteJo Latham has written an awesome article. His analysis of Willow's "addiction" presents a humanised example of such a recurrent, yet poorly understood subject.
ReplyDeleteLatham's understanding of magic as pharmakon within the series is persuasive. But I wonder if this reading is specific to magic, which is already only a drug by metaphor, and has obvious instrumental value.
ReplyDeleteAs he discusses in footnote 4, magic might not be easily divisible into selfish, harmful & intoxicating vs selfless, harmless & non-intoxicating, but I do think that healthy and acceptable use of magic in the show is predicated on a distinction between helpful/necessary and selfish/superfluous. And I don't know if that has significant implications for other drugs that have less obvious instrumental uses? Especially in the context of episodes like "Beer Bad" ...
Jo has constructed a really persuasive and interesting analysis of addiction in a context in which it could easily be overlooked. The potential for reviewing how we might enter into a meaningful discourse concerning drug use and social context has been given a fresh spin in Jo's article. Very much enjoyed the read!
ReplyDeleteReally interesting article and discussion of the topic. Of particular interest was the treatment of concepts of agency and rationality and how they interact with different conceptions of addiction.
ReplyDeleteInteresting and convincing - Derrida never fails to fascinate.
ReplyDelete@Princess: I avoided talking about "Beer Bad" because I think it shows a really simplistic take on alcohol use, which is highlighted by the fact is is a self-contained episode (as opposed to the more complicated depiction of "drug" use suggested through Willow throughout the series). I am interested in the ways use is explored as productive, a hard trope to find in pop culture, and especially prime time television.
ReplyDeleteWe all have ways of dealing with pain, and many peope use "drugs". I think exploring a tendency towards "drug use" as a personality trait is far more interesting (and hard to find). I think this is clearly the case with Willow, as Giles tells her: "This isn't a hobby or an addiction. It's inside you now. You're responsible for it." (Lessons B7001) (also @Nemesis).
Yep, and I think I read somewhere (ie probably Wikipedia) that they only wrote Beer Bad to try to get some health dept grant or some such. But don't think they would have depicted any consumable, real-world-accessible drug as being so productive (unlike heroin in Heroes) and I feel like the nuances in relation to magic relate more to its ambivalent status as drug & natural ability & learned skill (and to some extent spiritual practice).
ReplyDeleteBut I do love the whole Willow learns responsible use of magic storyline for being suspicious of power, especially "unearned" power beyond one's needs.
And of course Willow/Giles is my switchable Daddy OTP.