Why Did Cordelia Initially Want Buffy In Her Group?

[Agent Z]

Buffy burning down her old school gym seemed to be public knowledge so why would Cordelia want someone like that as a friend?

 

[Priceless]

In Welcome to the Hellmouth, Buffy was new blood, she was attractive and from LA, which win big points with Cordy who was a small town girl. Buffy might have even seemed quite exotic. At the outset Buffy looked like she would fit in very well with the Cordettes. It was only when she defended Willow that Cordy saw Buffy wasn't suitable Cordette material and would bring their standards down. Later Buffy began saving her life, but it still took Cordy time to warm to her

 

[WillowFromBuffy]

What Pricey said.

Also, when you're the Queen C, you need to assimilate all newcomers into the social hierarchy, otherwise your system may break down.

 

[Mrs Gordo]

Later Buffy began saving her life, but it still took Cordy time to warm to her

Although I would argue Cordy never really warmed to Buffy. The never were each other's favorites.

 

[Priceless]

Although I would argue Cordy never really warmed to Buffy. The never were each other's favorites.

Agreed. There was a lot of mutual jealousy there, as in Homecoming. Plus Xander caused lots of issues between them.

What Pricey said.

Also, when you're the Queen C, you need to assimilate all newcomers into the social hierarchy, otherwise your system may break down.

Bet Cordy was everyone's welcoming party. She got first pick of all new students or threw them back into the pond. Bet Buffy was one of very few who picked her own group, rather than got chosen

 

[WillowFromBuffy]

Bet Cordy was everyone's welcoming party. She got first pick of all new students or threw them back into the pond. Bet Buffy was one of very few who picked her own group, rather than got chosen

I think so, too. If Cordelia establishes herself as Buffy's link to the other popular girls, then Cordelia can chose to exclude Buffy at any time. If Buffy instead became friends with Harmony, that could pose a threat to Cordelia's rule.

 

[DeadlyDuo]

Bet Cordy was everyone's welcoming party. She got first pick of all new students or threw them back into the pond. Bet Buffy was one of very few who picked her own group, rather than got chosen

I think so too. Cordy was very welcoming to Buffy such as sharing her textbook but when Buffy started showing "odd" behaviour, Cordy cast her out.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

Don't forget, Buffy accosted her with a stake before she realized Cordelia was not the vampire she was looking for. Cordy's response was that she had to call everyone she knows. The honeymoon was over by this point.

 

[Fool for Buffy]

Buffy was pretty and from LA. I doubt Cordy put any more thought into it than that.

 

[brinkster130]

Buffy was the popular cheerleader in LA; pretty much the Queen C of her old school. Cordy recognized that.

 

[margybee]

Don't forget, Buffy accosted her with a stake before she realized Cordelia was not the vampire she was looking for. Cordy's response was that she had to call everyone she knows. The honeymoon was over by this point.

"What is your childhood trauma??!"

 

[crazysoulless]

I love that BtVS premiered 3 months BEFORE Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone was released in the UK.

Buffy = Harry
Cordelia = Draco
Xander & Willow = Ron & Hermione

Cordelia to Willow: Nice dress. Good to know you've seen the softer side of Sears.

Draco to Ron: Red hair, and a hand me down robe?

Cordelia to Buffy: You wanna fit in here, the first rule is "know your losers." Once you can identify them all by sight, they're a lot easier to avoid.

Draco to Harry: Well soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. Don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort.

 

[Cheyanne Suttle]

Although I would argue Cordy never really warmed to Buffy. The never were each other's favorites.

thats because cordy was a self centered b word

 

[thrasherpix]

Cordy didn't know about Buffy getting kicked out of her previous school until after Buffy nearly staked her by accident. She's telling others and a guy then tells them that Buffy got kicked out of her last school (in the scene where Willow ends up tricking Cordelia into deleting her computer work).

Her encounters with the supernatural do soften her up. For someone who prides herself on being a bitch, she can be remarkably (even if surprising) brave and compassionate when it gets real, like with standing up to Gorch to save Buffy even as they compete for a crown (not to mention smacking a jock who shoved Buffy down while she was weak), or letting Willow out of a cage after a mere lecture on boyfriend stealing, among other things I could mention. And there are plenty of times when she's mean that I can see why she is (though at the same time I see why others are mean to her). But that's mostly in season 2 on.

 

[thetopher]

There was that 'Cordy pop-quiz' that Buffy passed; the kinda dated one. And she aced it.
Plus Cordelia's no. 2 was Harmony, I'm sure she was desperate for a replacement, even just subconsciously.

 

[DeepBlueJoy]

1) A queen is only as powerful as her subjects. Buffy is pretty, smart, fashionable and from Los Angeles -- all these things give her high status (she's not a brainiac, so she isn't considered nerdy). If Cordelia is queen of a bunch of dimwits, she's not much of a queen. If she's queen of high status girls with style, she's the killer queen.

Unfortunately, Buffy loses status when she fails to be a snob and insists on hanging out with the plebs.

2) I also think Cordelia may have seen Buffy as someone she could actually have as a real friend, not just a dumb sycophant. How cool would it be to have a second in command within the clique, who wasn't a complete vapor brain? Buffy was a stealthy way to get a friend -- she was hot enough to fit in.

 

[deathlysmirk]

I don't think it's that complex actually. Cordy zeroed in on the fact that Buffy was a popular Valley girl that would naturally be at the top of the heirarchy. She just helped Buffy there cz well Cordy wanted more influence and she was sizing up the competition.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

Bringing Buffy into the fold was always going to be a good idea because Buffy had the sexual horsepower to compete with her and having her as part of her entourage would elevate Cordelia's position. She would not want an alternative group to rise up and if she did turn out to be an enemy, Cordelia would have been able to size her up for weaknesses. Cordelia is not lacking in intelligence, social skills or courage (except maybe for the courage to stand up to her friends - witness the panic after she called Harmony a sheep).

But as we know, nothing turned out as expected.

 

[Light]

From Buffy's point of view I think that the reason why she was initially originally willing to be a part of Cordelia's group despite Cordelia obviously being a bitch was because they had represented familiarity to her. I just finished reading "The Origin" comic, so this post is coming off of the heels of that. After the events of "The Origin" Buffy's state of mind in the pilot episode makes perfect sense. She's in a new place, fresh start, clean slate, and she wants to put all of that Slayer nonsense behind her, move on, and go back to being a normal girl. Cordelia represents the girl that Buffy used to be before the Slayer destiny was burdened upon her, not only that but Cordelia & the Cordettes in general gave her a familiar social element that she was used to in this brand new environment. The thing is though Buffy realized (midway in "The Origin" story I think?) that her popular friends weren't actually real true friends who had cared about her (I mean, they really didn't care her at all given their comments at the end the comic!). So even though, in her mind, she may have flirted with the idea of becoming a Cordette because she was used to naturally always being a part of the popular girls social group, once she had saw how Cordelia had treated Willow it probably reminded Buffy of how her old friends were towards her once her life changed with the Slayer destiny back in LA.

Reading "The Origin" gave me a much greater appreciation for Buffy's friendship with Willow than I already had before because Willow was Buffy's first real friend who had truly cared about her. They probably would not have been friends at all had Willow met Buffy a year or two earlier. Who knows? If they had met earlier maybe perhaps Buffy would've said a similar Sears comment to Willow and lost out on one of the greatest friendships of her life. Willow and Xander truly were the best things to come out of the Slayer destiny for Buffy. They really cared about her and her well being in comparison to her old "friends".