Summary:
People seemed to think that there was a variety of competencies that the series was prepared to depict—from strength and skill to wisdom and insight—and that the usefulness of these traits varied by circumstance. Several people observed that prominent related themes were dealing with failure and the conflict between good intentions and results. The most prominent example of this value in action was Xander’s character arc, with Buffy being a close second.
Although not this part of Xander's arc. [screencap credit: buffyworld.com]Despite the relative consensus of the numbers, several commenters questioned whether this was a prominent value in the series or thought it might be problematically represented when present.
Your comments:
This is an important part of the show, however, in my opinion what is stressed even more is what happens if you fall short? Life goes on, you pick yourself back up and just keep at it.
Again, the characters often have these qualities, but the emphasis is on trying hard to do what you can with what you have, not on always being perfect about it.
True, but more than this it is important to work hard to acquire competence.
The ever-present threat of a horrible death by vampires/demons/evil humans was incentive enough to keep people motivated, even if they did "slip" (a.k.a. want to try and have a "normal" day) once in a while.
Intentions are always treated as more important than results.
Again, I think what the show is about is not about being capable, it's about showing that you're capable of being effective by just being yourself.
They are all extremely capable people....nough said, there's a slayer, witch, ex-demon etc.
Kind of as a continuation of the first question about ambition, Xander strove to be capable. Not when he was younger as much, but as he matured, that became a driving force in his life. Many other characters, in their desire to be competent, looked to the supernatural: Willow, Jonathan, Andrew, etc. So yes, the desire to be (or the importance of being) capable was always there.
Buffy seems to value intention more than effectiveness
Or you die.
duh?
I think part of Buffy's charm is actually to show that you don't always need to be competent in order to help. A good example is Xander who can mess things up and be very incompetent and yet be essential to the scooby gang.
I think it's good to be that way, but it's also okay to take some time to get there. When you get over confident or try to do things in the traditional way it hardly ever works out.
Not always- e.g. Xander, Dawn, Harmony, Spike's chip
Buffy doesn't mind if it people aren't conventionally strong or capable or cool. But if an apocalypse is coming, you're expected to do what you can to stop it.
Predominantly, I felt the series illustrated how one can almost *always* be capable. One just has to recognize one's real power. For example, in Season Two, Xander knew he couldn't stop Angel(us) from going into Buffy's hospital room, but he knew others *would*. At that point, Xander's power was to point that out.
Just because someone isn't capable doesn't mean they’re not worthy of respect.
I feel that it's less that you must be useful than that everyone will eventual find what they're needed for. ie Xander being the heart of the group.
*These* are qualities that are represented as being worthy of aspiration and ambition on Buffy.
Much like with Question 1, this is shown on the show to a certain extent, again with Willow being the prime example during the early seasons. Another example could be the dichotomy between Giles and Wesley in season 3 where Giles is clearly the more competent, and therefore effective, Watcher of the two. Similarly, this is seen with Buffy and Faith.
It's important to learn from your mistakes, but good intentions count for a lot.
In addition to the endless library research, Buffy trains frequently & always plans ahead of time. Lack of planning usually leads to trouble. For example, in Bad Girls, Buffy pleads with Faith to, "Wait. Stop. Think." She doesn't & we all know how that turned out.
it depends on how capable is defined - Buffy does get the job done - vampires are killed - but it is more from the innate ability than grooming of skill
Competency often gave way to heart and drive. Xander new relatively little about fighting monsters but always got the job done anyway.
I put 4 instead of 5 because Xander spent most of the series not really knowing what he was good at. More than being capable, the show emphasized - especially with Xander's character - the importance of being there for the people in your life. Xander eventually discovered that his gift was to keep the others on the right path.
I think this is actually a question the show addresses a lot. Most of the other characters don't have special abilities, especially not in combat, but a lot of the time they seem to be effective in their own unique way - like Xander's yellow crayon speech to evil Willow. A lot of the time the moral seems to be that heart and perseverance is more important than skill.
Buffy's heroic virtue and martial prowess is often contrasted with Xander's ineptitude in demon-fighting scenarios. Though he eventually proves "useful" in practical terms in later seasons (retaining "leftover" military knowledge from his brief magical stint as a GI, and his growing proficiency at carpentry), even before Xander or Willow acquire slayage-assisting skill-sets, they are presented as invaluable to Buffy's enterprise.
Otherwise you get killed by evil.
Slaying - yes. Anything else - I don't remember it being mentioned.
Xander is a constant foil here. He's always bumbling or messing up, but coming through in the end.
Not always, you can still be valued as a witty screw-up like Anya or Xander or make serious mistakes like Willow.
Competence is often conflated with strength on Buffy (physical, intellectual, and emotional). These attributes are admired and valued, but also portrayed as a potential source of conflict. For instance, at various times Giles' abilities as a researcher and Buffy's strength as a fighter are portrayed as "too much of a good thing."
I don't think this was the point. The group often had things made worse by a mistake of one of them that they all had to band together to undo….Being incompetent, making mistakes, and learning from them might have been a theme. But I don't see trying and failing the same as planning for success….This is a common problem with the X and Y generations. They don't seem to see the two as being different. They seem to think just 'trying' is good enough….Sadly, BtVS may have re-enforced this as Buffy was constantly cleaning up after the rest.
I think that this was represented a lot. Buffy was always competent, capable, and effective.
Halloween season 2. Buffy becomes a girly girl 17th century lady. Nothing good comes from it.
I tried to think of an example where this was conveyed but....nothing comes to mind.....except maybe a bit in early S4 when Buffy asks Giles to help her find out what a Slayer is really capable of and help her be prepared for anything.
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