Joyce was so freaking dumb

[Joshua]

I can't believe Joyce didn't even notice that "Buffy" was acting weird and that it wasn't her at all in Who Are You I mean one sign you could tell it wasn't really Buffy the way she dresses. Buffy would never wear those kind of clothes all that black and the leather pants.

 

[Tome]

Buffy would never wear those kind of clothes all that black and the leather pants.

 

[EvilWillow]

They were Buffy's clothes, though, Btw, I've seen her wear those pants after that episode...I can't remember which one it was though.

 

[VisionGirl]

What?! If Joyce is so "dumb", then so is Giles, Willow, Xander, Anya, Spike, and even Riley who slept with her for godssake!! Nobody knew, except Tara (who is awesome).

 

[brinkster130]

Yeah, her behavior should have caused concern for Joyce (and all her friends) but in her defense having someone swap bodies isn't something that comes to mind right away. I'm sure her first thought was that Buffy simply wasn't acting like herself because she was stressed or upset about something slayer related.

 

[Gum Gnome33]

Also, in "When She Was Bad," she acted as though she'd been the victim of a body/mind swap but nothing mystical was going on. So considering that there's a precedent for Buffy acting strange/bitca-y without magic, it makes sense that those around her wouldn't immediately expect something.

It is true that, given that this was the town of Sunnydale, it would have made sense for people to have their suspicions. But I think it's understandable that they didn't. Of course if this had gone on for days, that would have been another case.

 

[kittenpoker]

Also, in "When She Was Bad," she acted as though she'd been the victim of a body/mind swap but nothing mystical was going on. So considering that there's a precedent for Buffy acting strange/bitca-y without magic, it makes sense that those around her wouldn't immediately expect something.

It is true that, given that this was the town of Sunnydale, it would have made sense for people to have their suspicions. But I think it's understandable that they didn't. Of course if this had gone on for days, that would have been another case.

good point about the precedence!


To answer the original post...I think there are often moments when I feel a character *should have* suspected something or seen through something - and they don't. They're like these blind spots but I don't think it has anything to do with intelligence. Perhaps it's an aspect of living on a hell mouth?

 

[FlowerPower]

Also, in "When She Was Bad," she acted as though she'd been the victim of a body/mind swap but nothing mystical was going on. So considering that there's a precedent for Buffy acting strange/bitca-y without magic, it makes sense that those around her wouldn't immediately expect something.

It is true that, given that this was the town of Sunnydale, it would have made sense for people to have their suspicions. But I think it's understandable that they didn't. Of course if this had gone on for days, that would have been another case.

True. Joyce couldn't have spent more than five minutes with "Faith in Buffy's Body". Same with Giles, Xander, Anya and Willow. And Joyce and Willow noticed that there was something off about Buffy, prompting to Willow even concernedly ask what's up with her and for Faith to realize that she needs to act more like Buffy and cover with the, "I'd never let her hurt you".

Tara had the advantage of spending time with Faith when she was definitely acting the most venomous and having terrific-but-never-seen-again the ability to read auras which Joyce/Willow/Buffy/Xander/Anya/Riley don't have.

 

[white avenger]

Joyce, and for that matter every one of her friends, didn't look at "Buffy" and think, "That can't be our friend. It must be someone else who's taken possession of her body," simply because the idea of such a possibility would never occur to them. What they saw was Buffy acting strangely, most likely because of the strain that she had been under lately. Heck, even the Slayer should have a day off sometime. They saw what they EXPECTED to see, and made excuses for why it didn't exactly seem normal. Tara, on the other hand, looked, and, with no predetermined conception of who this rather rude girl was, actually saw what was there. A total stranger whose aura was out of kilter.

 

[Living Dead Boy]

Pretty much what [MENTION=6758]white avenger[/MENTION] said. And hey, don't call my Joycey dumb. Marshy don't play that game. 😛 😉

 

[Cheese Slices]

Agrees with everything said above. I'd also say that Faith wasn't totally wrong pointing the fact that Buffy hadn't visited a lot lately. Joyce may have thought that college (or something else) had changed Buffy a little.
About the clothing, Faith took it from Buffy's wardrobe so she actually has this kind of clothes.

 

[Mr Giles]

Joyce proved her dumbness in Becoming, when Buffy actually physically killed a vampire before her very eyes, and she was still in denial. I mean, come on Joyce.

 

[Cast No Shadow]

Ha, how weird would it have been though, if Buffy had been acting a little differently, and Joyce was just, "Oh shii- yep. Definitely a body swap. It's the only logical conclusion."

Not likely hehe.

 

[Goby]

My son acted weird today. He refused to eat all his veggies. So we did a level 3 exorcism, and got rid of a nasty demon. 😀

Honestly, she wasn't so freaking dumb. Joyce rocks. Being a parent is tough, and being a parent to a slayer has to be the toughest parenting job in the world.

 

[EvilWillow]

Joyce proved her dumbness in Becoming, when Buffy actually physically killed a vampire before her very eyes, and she was still in denial. I mean, come on Joyce.

Seriously though, give her a break. She can't just automatically accept it when it gets dumped in her lap like that. Buffy didn't even give her time to accept it. She reacted the way any normal mother would. And I would be pissed too if she told me "just have another drink". How dare she talk to her mother like that!