Cordelia's acceptance of the supernatural

[nightshade]

In season 1 Cordelia comes to Buffy when Marcie starts attacking the people Cordelia is close to, and being told that you are being attacked by an invisible girl does't seem to faze her at all, then she faces the vampires and the hellmouth monster and deals with that fine. She accepts it all without question.

 

[Taake]

`That's a fair point.

Technically Willow and Xander both handle it extremely well too, but at least they react. Maybe the idea was that, at the time, Cordy was so self-centered that she didn't truly care if there were supernatural elements unless they specifically affected her.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

I thought it was Cordy was more self-aware. She seen all the weird things going on, unlike Willow and Xander, so that when an explanation was present it was more a matter of - oh, logic. Remember had, if memory serves, very high SAT scores, so it's not like she was dumb. But what are you going to say "I think there are vampires at the school"

 

[nightshade]

Yeah, Cordy was intelligent, and knew that something wasn't right and knew how would be able to help her instead of going to a teacher about it.

 

[thetopher]

Cordelia really isn't a deep thinker. She's very pragmatic.
If some wierdness happens she might complain about it (she often does in S2) but she doesn't doubt the fact that she saw it, she doesn't herself. Not ever.

Oz's reaction to seeing a vampire killed before his eyes was the same as Cordy's in a way- almost instant acceptance. 🙂

 

[Taake]

I thought it was Cordy was more self-aware. She seen all the weird things going on, unlike Willow and Xander, so that when an explanation was present it was more a matter of - oh, logic. Remember had, if memory serves, very high SAT scores, so it's not like she was dumb. But what are you going to say "I think there are vampires at the school"

Well if she was so smart maybe she wouldn't have been such a "Happy Meal on legs" going carelessly to the Bronze etc, if she truly believed something was going bump in the night. I'm not saying that she wasn't logical but I don't think she had some kind of sense of the weird things going on.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Well if she was so smart maybe she wouldn't have been such a "Happy Meal on legs" going carelessly to the Bronze etc, if she truly believed something was going bump in the night. I'm not saying that she wasn't logical but I don't think she had some kind of sense of the weird things going on.

You gotta live your life, yo. Cant hide away forever. I am not saying she knew it was 'supernatural' just something. Maybe bikers on PCP or something. And when the supernatural answer was presented it was like "I knew that... not in the sense that I actually knew that but I knew something" a line which Willow would subsequently steal from her.

 

[nightshade]

When she learnt about it she could have denied it, or tried to run away from it, but time after time she helps fight it.

 

[Mr Trick]

Its this side of Cordy's character which is maybe her greatest depth in the first season. Part of it is her being so self-centered and concerned with more superficial things, but at the same time they way she deals with it can also be put down to her confidence as a woman of the world, but it always seems a fine between street smarts and niavity with her. Still its impressive how does step up at times to play her part in the fight against evil.

 

[bespangeled]

When she learnt about it she could have denied it, or tried to run away from it, but time after time she helps fight it.

Cordy was very aware of the big picture, and the big picture was pretty damn weird! Yeah, she could react stupidly at the details (Angelus and her car) but she knew her turf. Even when she was told Angel was a vampire she accepted that vampires existed without any problem. She didn't believe that there could be cuddly vampires like care bears with fang.

Yeah - she knew what was going on, and she knew it was safer to avoid it. Who would she have told? What could she have done on her own? I don't think she was selfish - I think she was smart.

 

[nightshade]

During season 1 of Angel Cordelia quickly comes to accept the visions and when she's overloaded with them, when she wakes she says she wants to help them. Whereas when Willow is overloaded with emotions from people during season 6 she tries to end the world, ok Willow was grief stricken at the time but it shows how quickly Cordelia changed.

 

[Mr Trick]

During season 1 of Angel Cordelia quickly comes to accept the visions and when she's overloaded with them, when she wakes she says she wants to help them. Whereas when Willow is overloaded with emotions from people during season 6 she tries to end the world, ok Willow was grief stricken at the time but it shows how quickly Cordelia changed.

The contrast with Willow is a good one. But you have to remember two things, first that they are two different kinds of power. And second part of the whole reason given for Willow's change was because she had basically be good the whole time and was sick of being in Buffy's shadow. Whereas Cordy although never officially bad had multiple times been considered a bit of a bitch and had in the past many shading characteristics. So for Willow the sense of being bad would've felt way more special and she so much more frustation built up than Cordy.