“To each generation a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world, a Chosen One. One born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil…” (“Welcome to the Hellmouth”, 1997)
Early in the 1990s, teen angst, vampire mythology, horror and “Girl Power” culminated in a pop culture icon: the vampire slayer. But not just any slayer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In 1997, Buffy Summers kickboxed her way into the hearts and minds of young adults everywhere through a television show named Buffy the Vampire Slayer (herein referred to as BtVS). Audiences everywhere took stock: a blonde, teenage, ex-cheerleader that could kickbox just about any monster antagonist was contradictory from the typical heroes of vampire movies…show more content… That is one of the reasons for the cult-like BtVS following. Whereas previous shows have portrayed the stereotypes of teen culture and the teenager through the patronizing perspective of an adult, BtVS uses a realistic approach to explain teenage years through Buffy’s experiences and failures (Early, XXXX).
“the series depicts typical relationships and problems, such as teen and young adult angst, need for love, acceptance, identity, community and a panorama of teen desires and fears. It engages painful and heavy problems like rejection and loneliness; drugs and addition; violence, gangs, rape, destructive behaviour, death and a range of other issues that concern young people and adults…” (Kellner, 2004,…show more content… In “Innocence”, Buffy and Angel finally have sex. Afterwards, Angel leaves without a trace and Buffy is left frantic with concern because Angel is missing. “She is the girl waiting for a call after a sexual encounter” (Wilcox, 2010, p. 21). When she does find Angel, he is rude and sneering about their sexual encounter. Buffy soon understands that their single moment of passion has made Angel lose his soul and turned back into the evil Angelus. Sleeping with him literally turned him into a monster. The episode explores the inherent naiveté of young teenage girls when it comes to their first sexual encounter, the assumption that love, trust and respect are reciprocated. Buffy’s experiences, while mundane, are the venue for navigation of these situations and it is through her that common sense notions are