Why was it weird that Buffy was a Slayer with friends?

[Joshua]

Why did everybody outside of Sunnydale, think it was weird that the Slayer had best friends and a father-daughter relationship with her Watcher?

Were Vampire Slayers originally like Faith and Kendra. Others also thought it was strange that Buffy wasn't only a Vampire Killer. She was a Monster slayer as well

 

[Buffyverse Fan]

I have to agree with Dawn's assessment that Buffy's identity begin public knowledge among the bad guy community put her friends & family at risk.

If the show went a more realistic route, the baddies would just camp outside Buffy's house and kill Joyce, Dawn, and eventually Xander when Buffy wasn't around. Even though Giles & Willow could defend themselves, pretty much all the rest of Buffy's human friends & family were basically sitting ducks because of the way Buffy operated.

 

[Blaze]

I have to agree with Dawn's assessment that Buffy's identity begin public knowledge among the bad guy community put her friends & family at risk.

If the show went a more realistic route, the baddies would just camp outside Buffy's house and kill Joyce, Dawn, and eventually Xander when Buffy wasn't around. Even though Giles & Willow could defend themselves, pretty much all the rest of Buffy's human friends & family were basically sitting ducks because of the way Buffy operated.

And on top of that, it's ridiculous to think monsters like the biker guys in s6 would be so scared of Buffy when there's 30 of them and they could easily ambush and kill her. I think the logical explanations is that some monsters aren't very evil to start with, and most of them are smart enough to realize that if they kill the slayer, a new one will be born, so really they might not want to risk their skin to kill something that keeps coming back. And thing is, killing the slayer's friend just gets you in even more trouble, so demon probably tend to want to stay away from that.

I guess it was weird that Buffy had friends because in real like, if someone was to come up to me and say they slay vampires, I'd call the psych ward, not join them on their quest. And the few that learn about vampires are probably too scared to fight along. So I do think a slayer with friends wasn't the norm, especially in the olden days when the woman was expected to be a house wife. I think in modern days, more and more slayers to come would have friends. Especially since more and more people seem to know about the existence of monsters. Even then, I'd call Kendra and Faith the norm, while Buffy might not be the only one with friends, she certainly is an exception.

 

[Lyri]

The Slayer is supposed to be a weapon, put to use fighting evil by the Watcher's Council - and weapons don't have friends or family.

Friends and family are a distraction, they make people think and question their actions and a Slayer might not be as willing to put their lives on the line if they knew there was people out there who would mourn them and miss them if they died, or tried to avenge them.

So the Council - if possible - took the Slayer away from their family, kept them in almost isolation, kept a professional distance between Slayers and their Watchers so that a Slayer would have no ties to this world, and nothing keeping her from giving up her life if it was called for.

If you read the Tales of the Slayers graphic novel - which is canon - you'll see other Slayers from different time periods, all of them are more like Kendra than Buffy.

 

[KendraTheSlayer]

I think Kendra was the definition of a true slayer. She just wanted to kill them. Found it weird that Buffy had relationships with vamps lol.

 

[Bluebird]

The Slayer is supposed to be a weapon, put to use fighting evil by the Watcher's Council - and weapons don't have friends or family.

Friends and family are a distraction, they make people think and question their actions and a Slayer might not be as willing to put their lives on the line if they knew there was people out there who would mourn them and miss them if they died, or tried to avenge them.

So the Council - if possible - took the Slayer away from their family, kept them in almost isolation, kept a professional distance between Slayers and their Watchers so that a Slayer would have no ties to this world, and nothing keeping her from giving up her life if it was called for.

If you read the Tales of the Slayers graphic novel - which is canon - you'll see other Slayers from different time periods, all of them are more like Kendra than Buffy.

Exactly. I always saw The Council as the patriarchy and Buffy was the only one they had not been able to fully control. She rejects that idea completely, does it her own way, and that's what makes her so special in the end. She was the only one who was in complete control of her power, while not losing any of her femininity while doing it. A strong female character that isn't just a guy with boobs.

 

[Kean]

I would call Kendra a "traditional" slayer, not a true slayer. I don't like the implication that Buffy wasn't a "true slayer", especially when she was/is amazing at her job.

As for the OP's question, I think it can be summed up by, "... She alone will fight..." The slayer who had no connection to the world apart from her watcher is a person very easily controlled by the Council, not to mention that no one would miss them when they were gone, and that's just the way they wanted it. Look at the trouble the Scoobies had to go to to cover up Buffy's death. The Council had kept it that way for centuries. But it also seems to make Slayers very easily killed. Having friends kept Buffy alive. Not just because they offered her literal help, but because they gave her something to fight for, a reason to stay alive.

 

[KendraTheSlayer]

I would call Kendra a "traditional" slayer, not a true slayer. I don't like the implication that Buffy wasn't a "true slayer", especially when she was/is amazing at her job.

As for the OP's question, I think it can be summed up by, "... She alone will fight..." The slayer who had no connection to the world apart from her watcher is a person very easily controlled by the Council, not to mention that no one would miss them when they were gone, and that's just the way they wanted it. Look at the trouble the Scoobies had to go to to cover up Buffy's death. The Council had kept it that way for centuries. But it also seems to make Slayers very easily killed. Having friends kept Buffy alive. Not just because they offered her literal help, but because they gave her something to fight for, a reason to stay alive.

I'm really sorry. I didn't mean it as a way to knock Buffy. I just meant tbat Buffy while being a Slayer still had pieces of a life. Kendra's entire purpose was to kick butt and slay.