Cordelia... A Bitca?

Wishing Oceans

Wishing Oceans

I don't think, I know.
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Nov 9, 2008
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OK guys, so I've been looking around, and a lot of people seem to think that Cordelia was a bitca. Some think she's ALWAYS been one, others think that she was back in Btvs.

Well, here's my take on it: I don't think that Cordy was really ever a b*tch. Mostly because that term, in actuality meaning Female Dog, is meant to be offensive.

But in Cordy's case, her "b*tchiness" is more of a good thing: She's confident, sure of herself, knows her strengths/weaknesses and how to use them, and is completely honest and genuine, which I love. She can take care of herself, and isn't going to take any crap from ANYONE, which I respect about her. 🙂 She's a fiery one, and likes to be in charge.

Now, I'm sure that you guys will argue that she was honestly mean in Btvs, and occasionally in Angel S1. But there are several reasons for that:

1. She was popular: By being well-liked, she thought she was better than everyone.

2. Rich/Spoiled: She always got everything she wanted.

3. She was a teen. More or less ALL teens go through a bratty, obnoxious, immature phase. Usually starts around 14/13, and goes 'til you're 17/18. 😀

4. This one is the most important: She was apathetic. Most of her thoughts in the beginning were about herself, and she wasn't so big on compassion. She never really knew, or extensively cared, what others thought. She was pretty sheltered her whole life, and by living such a charmed life in the beginning she never learned to try and take others' feelings into consideration. Ergo, was kinda mean. But, actually, I liked that about her. Not just because it was funny, but because it kinda annoys me when people think more about others than themselves. 😉 After all, you're the one person you'll have to be with forever, right? Might as well make you like yourself as much as possible. 😀

So, what changed in Ats? Well, I've heard some people say before that she became nicer because she knew that Angel wouldn't take that from her. My opinion? Well, I have several:

1. She matured. Became an adult with adult responsibilities, and learned that she wasn't the center of the universe. After all, it was seen in Birthday that even without AI she was a lovely woman. 🙂

2. The visions: As I said, she was kinda mean before because she was apathetic, like Anya. When she got the visions, she was forced to see and feel the pain that people had to go through every day. By going through the pain that others felt, she realized how the world really was, and what her place was in it. She realized that, more than anything, she wanted to help people. She knew suffering, and she knew joy, and she knew her priorities. She became empathetic, compassionate, and understanding. She still had that Cordy fire, and she still had her honesty, but, not only were her thoughts kinder, but she learned when it was best to hold her tongue.


So, in conclusion, if somebody wants to call Cordy a bitca, then it should be in a good way. 😀


Thoughts?
 
Tome
Tome
[No message]
She changed because she didn't realize who she was until Room with a View, she didn't experience real loss until Hero, and she didn't understand the suffering of others until To Shanshu in LA.

I liked Cordy, but Joss & Charisma's real life issues ruined her in the end. By the end of S3 she became almost a stock character as the love interest of the hero (just the last few episodes), and the real Cordy never reappeared in S4. She was great in her one S5 episode, and pivotal in After the Fall.

I for one hope she plays heavily into the finale of Buffy Season Eight, because as it stands, I think she and Doyle are the only two people Angel trusts and respects enough to accept prophecies from. Even Spike, Buffy & Connor, who Angel cares deeply about, don't have the "higher power cred" with him.
 
Seriously, you cannot argue that she was a bitch. I don't care if the technical term is "female" dog"... a bitch is a bitch.

She intentionally hurt people's feelings. She was absolutely fine and had no known personal problems, therefore she had no reason to do what she did. (Circa Season 1)

She was, and was originally supposed to be, a "Teen Queen." She ruled the school. She was Regina George before Regina George existed. There is no way around that fact.

By the way, this is coming from a person who lists Cordelia Chase as their favorite Angel character, so I am in absolutely no way bashing her.

We needed her bitchiness to help bring some of the reality of high school back into the sometimes overly supernatural show.
 
I just watched To Shanshu in LA, great ep. Well Cordy is my favorite girl character, she developed better than anyone. She did do some bitchy things back in BTVS, but I wouldn't call her a bitch in a bad way. 🙂
 
Exactly, my point is that she may be a b*tch, but that's totally a good thing. 😀 We need some fierce girls once and a while. 😀
 
A
alliern21
I definitely agree :)
B
Big Damn Hero
[No message]
Wishing Oceans said:
Exactly, my point is that she may be a b*tch, but that's totally a good thing. 😀 We need some fierce girls once and a while. 😀
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If I was going to be friends with any of the Buffyverse girls Cordy would be at the top of my list. She may have been a bitch in High School but I genuinely challenge you to find a High School girl who isn't bitchy, either publically or just with her own group of friends.
 
B
Big Damn Hero
[No message]
Willow-Tree said:
But didn't you create this thread to say that she wasn't a bitch...? :?
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No, I was giving an explanation of why she was that way and how she changed. And also how it was a good thing. 😀

I think. Maybe. I dunno, really. 😉
 
Oh I definitely think Cordy is a bitch in a good way. I mean mainly she was bitchy in high school and well, everyone deals with HS differently (I was a bit of a bitch myself though I suppose more in a Faith way than a Cordy way) and kind of sticks with their strenghts to get through , once she got the chance to grow she grew to be remarkable as a person. 😀

so yes, Cordy = good bitch in my book 🙂
 
Cordelia is definitely a bitch, especially in BtVS. She is not the kind of girl I would have been friends with in high school. I admit, I had my moments in HS where I could be a very big bitch if I wanted to be, but for the most part I was more a mixture of Buffy and Willow. I could be like Buffy in that I was fiercely loyal to my friends and I would get violent to defend someone if the situation called for it, but like Willow in that I crushed hard on my best friend all through high school and never got to be with him (which doesn't bother me now, 'cause he came out right after we graduated LOL). But yeah, Cordelia was mean and she definitely did things to hurt other people. Her attitude toward Owen in Angel really bothered me, like she wanted to go after those guys just because they wanted Buffy and she couldn't have that. But I also agree with Kean that a LOT of girls in high school are like this, so I didn't HATE Cordelia for being that way. But once she got to "Angel", she was a bitch in a good way. They needed a fierce, take-charge woman to balance out all that testosterone on the show.
 
^^But they all looked down on each other. Cordy was absolutely more vocal about it and did horribly cruel things to people but at the same time Willow and Xander thought they were so much better than Cordy. They wrote her off as an airhead and a slut. They didn't know Cordy anymore then she knew them. In fact Willow and Buffy continue to act like High School girls when it comes to Cordy long after High School has ended.

Personally, I find it much easier to enjoy Cordy, who was a supreme bitch until she grew up, than to enjoy Willow who was a sweetheart, grew up and then became a bitch.
 
A
alliern21
Awesome points! I completely agree!
BuffyElevated
BuffyElevated
Very well said... and I agree about the Cordelia vs. Willow thing!
Kean said:
^^But they all looked down on each other. Cordy was absolutely more vocal about it and did horribly cruel things to people but at the same time Willow and Xander thought they were so much better than Cordy. They wrote her off as an airhead and a slut. They didn't know Cordy anymore then she knew them. In fact Willow and Buffy continue to act like High School girls when it comes to Cordy long after High School has ended.

Personally, I find it much easier to enjoy Cordy, who was a supreme bitch until she grew up, than to enjoy Willow who was a sweetheart, grew up and then became a bitch.
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AMEN SISTAH! Especially that last part.
 
VisionGuy said:
AMEN SISTAH! Especially that last part.
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I went to an all girls school, and the Cordys I went to school with? They are still the exact same and they weren't anywhere near as missunderstood as Cordelia. Scratch their surface and all you find is more surface!

The fact that Cordy became who she did is staggering. Also, someone who will be completely honest with you is hard to find. The older you get the more you appreciate it. Cordy is an amazing woman and part of that is because she is a bitch.
 
Cordelia is interesting and really awesome because she's bitchy! She's a very unique character, and it wouldn't be the same if she wasn't shallow and sort of bitchy, because not everyone in a show should be kind nice people that are never mean because it would be boring.
 
I love how Cordy was defined by her bitchyness, its who she was, at lets say the beginning of As3 once she had totally left her shallow/bitchness behind, we were left with one boring character.
 
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