Buffy vs. The Thing Next to Godliness

5. It is important to be clean [neat, tidy]

Summary:

Ah, tidiness… my favorite of the minor virtues and the bane of Kristen’s existence. There were very, very few comments on this one, perhaps because many of you considered it a given on broadcast television (outside of shows like Roseanne or Hoarders). As such, 70% found it to be rarely represented on the series, despite comments saying exactly the opposite. Indeed, mainstream entertainment tends to position this middle-class and distinctly modern value as a norm, with untidiness being linked to quirkiness, a visual sign of mental distress or low class. (So, Xander shows up a lot in the comments.) Angel’s NYC days, Buffy’s domesticity with Faith and Dawn, and Mayor Wilkins cleanliness drew mention as well. Finally, several commented on the fact that demons present many clean-up issues:




Willow: Isn't he gonna go poof?
Buffy: Mm, I guess these guys don't. We'll have to bury him or something. Uhhf... Makes you appreciate vamps, though. No fuss, no muss.

[screenshot credit: buffyworld.com]

Your Comments:

Eh...depends on which character's point of view you are coming from. Buffy = yes, Xander = not so much.

It's more of a given, as on most TV. The opposite is not glorified, but I wouldn't say that particular moral is highlighted.

This is usually represented, but occasionally the characters appear drunk and disorderly. Xander's nerdy look in the early could also signify a relaxed relationship to tidiness.

Cleanliness isn't a huge issue on BTVS...the one episode that popped into my mind when I read this was Beer Bad. Buffy starts drawing on the walls, and her room is a bit of a mess. However, this is due to magic, and the topic of tidiness isn't adrressed that much on the show.

This was never really a theme in the show. That being said, though, Giles was very helpful because he kept his library meticulously catalogued, while the Chaos Demon was mocked for being messy, all antlers and slime. Nobody was really particularly messy, and more was accomplished when one was organized, but it was never really a theme.

I think this is implied but not specifically represented

??

Ya know, looking back everyone was really neat, and when things were messy it did represent that things were chaotic.

It's pretty glossy, regardless of the angst

They did clean up after themselves, but it wasn't such a huge thing.

Short from washing your hair after a trip to the sewers, when was this ever an issue on Buffy?

I have to say I never noticed this intentionally stressed one way or another - though being Hollywood, for the most part everything is pretty damn clean & tidy, except maybe post-ruckus.

Although this is perhaps not one of the core values on the show, I think there are instances on the series where cleanliness is certainly shown to be important. The moment which springs to mind is when Whistler finds Angel in Manhattan feeding off rats, falling around in the garbage, and calls him the "stink guy". The rest of the scene includes the following comments from Whistler, "God, are you disgusting", and "This is really an unforgettable smell. This is the stench of death you're giving off here. And the look says, uh... Crazy Homeless Guy. It's not good". Here not only is Angel's lack of hygiene which is repugnant, but also his state of mind which is visually represented by his lack of cleanliness. He is lost, without hope or direction and this is physically manifest in his disinterest in personal hygiene or his appearance. The series shows that this is clearly not a good thing. Also throughout the series it tends to be the 'bad' or evil characters which are dirty or untidy, such as the vampires. Take Spike for example: Xander frequently comments on how he looks/smells in a negative way. Of course, there is one example that does not fit in with this assessment: The Mayor during season 3. He possesses almost a Howard Hughes-esque germophobia and obsession with cleanliness, yet he is most decidedly evil. Or is he? He often exhibits very human, very real emotions, such as the father's love he possesses towards Faith, so perhaps his love of hygiene is just another part of this multi-faceted character, helping to remind us that he's not all bad, and is still human in many respects (obviously not the being impervious to harm thing though...or the eating of the massive black spiders).

Xander's basement. Need one say more? Or Harmony's cute unicorn den - neat, tidy and obnoxious!

The show never championed squalor but I can't think of a cleanliness lesson off the top of my head.

this seems hardly relevant——and to be out of tune, on a certain level, with the fundamental values

Not sure in what ways tidiness is portrayed.

Cleanliness is not so much "important" as it is a sign of warmth. Think about the dream sequence when Faith and Buffy make a bed together, or when Buffy is folding Dawn's laundry as she tells her that if Dawn doesn't do her homework that Social Services will take her away. Such domestic cleanliness is a sign of love, family, and hearth.

Demons muss your clothes, plus, there is often visera.

There's more emphasis on being fashionable (cute hair, shoes, etc) than on cleanliness, per se.