Buffyverse Mentors

[goldenboy]

I'm not a parent. But I have young neices and nephews. I try to have fun and relate to them on their level. Turn them on to cool things I think they'd like (comics, for instance). I try not to do or say anything stupid that would contradict their parents. I feel a responsibilty.

I think one way many people can relate to Buffy/Angel is that concept, mentorship. Anyone who feels responsible for another. Obviously, there's a glaring lack of parentals in the "˜verse. But mentorship is everywhere.

Giles is a "professional mentor", a Watcher for Buffy. He eventually grows to love her like she were a daughter.

Codelia tried to "mentor" Buffy very early on, bring her into the clique of coolness. Probably for selfish reasons more than anything.

Buffy tried to mentor Faith, guide her in morality and proper Slayer etiquette.

Xander tried to mentor Anya on the ways of humanity. A strange mixture of pity and sexual attaction that grew into love.

Conner was almost destroyed through a conflict between three main mentors, each presenting different values and priorities to him.

I'm sure there are many other mentorship examples.

 

[Jenny]

I think you've brought up a very good point there. There are many mentor/pupil/prodigy relationships present in the 'verse. Angel to Buffy in the early seasons. Buffy to Angel after he's come back from the hell dimension. Buffy and the potentials. The list goes on. Whether they were aware of it or not..whether they wanted it or not...that theme runs through the 'verse. And probably everyone at one time or another has had that kind of symbiotic relationship with someone...regardless of which side they were on. Yet another way the verse is so accessible to everyone (normal folks lol).

 

[goldenboy]

Yeah, oddly enough, this was occuring to me again when I was watching the "psycho slayer" Angel episode where Andrew's a guest star. He and Spike have an odd, semi-relationship. Spike doesn't outright hate Andrew, doesn't really care either. But it seems like it could have grown into something like mentorship, given the right circumstances. "William" sees himself, the sensitive poetic "loser" in Andrew. I think if you see qualities of yourself in another, you tend to want to help out, guide, mentor.

Mentorship can be positive and negative. Another disasterous mentorship: Faith and The Mayor.

 

[Jenny]

Excellent point about Andrew/William. I hadn't thought of that! Also Andrew and Giles...and speaking to your Faith/Mayor, don't forget Angel/Faith (albeit very brief).

 

[goldenboy]

Mentorship can also get kind of twisted up, perverted too. Turned into exploitation. Holtz genuinely loved and wished to mentor Connor, yet the original motive was revenge and spite.

Also, some people like to live vicariously through their children, end up exploiting them. Stage mothers. Sports fathers. You almost wonder if Angel didn't at times wish to right his wrongs through Connor. Raise a superhero. Angel is ultimately selfless and gives Connor his own life, apart from him.

A final, kind of brutal, wistful and sad mentorship: Wesley mentoring Illyria on the nature of humanity. Is he doing it to test her? Poking and prodding, seeing if Fred could still be in there somewhere?

 

[Lee]

I think they're excellent points to make!

The whole Illyria/Wesley thing, I think mostly, Wesley was the only one out of the group who was willing to 'guide' Illyria. She did ask him for help in 'Shells' and he couldnt say no, because he looks at Illyria, and he see's Fred, obviously.
I think ultimately, from what we learn in 'Not Fade Away' that he wants to seperate reality from illusion, but I wouldnt completely argue against that Wesley may have been trying to 'push-out' parts of Fred from Illyria...

Do you not think that Darla was also Angel's mentor when he first became a Vampire? Showing him the ropes and what-not. And thinking about it, it's interesting how the tables turn with how Angel, in a way, 'mentored' Darla in Season 3 with her pregnancy with Conner?

 

[goldenboy]

I agree with all your points Lee. Another mentorship gone bad: Fred's scientist mentor who sent her to Pylea. His betrayal, exploitation of the mentor/mentee relationship had her considering murder.

 

[Jenny]

Good ones guys..what about Fred's 'mentorship' of Knox...it sort of was....and he ended up betraying her....