posted 13-04-2000 03:33 PM
There's a bit of a difference between the demons in Buffy and the
demons in Angel, while for Buffy demons remain little better than
predatory animals which must be destroyed or neutered to protect
humanity, for Angel demons can be valuable productive members of
society.
Increasingly we've seen the softer side of the demonic in LA.
This all started back in Becoming with Whistler, a demon that fights
for the side of good. Then, in Enemies, we met a more human demon
who wasn't interested in killing, but instead wanted to offload the
books of Ascension. Though Buffy threatened him with her stake, this
was to get him to stop wasting her time rather than a serious
attempt to kill him.
In LA we've met more of this new friendlier demon, right from the
start we were introduced to Francis Doyle, a half-demon that acted
as a medium through which TPTB could assign Angel tasks. He ran into
some trouble with the Straleys from The Bachelor Party trying to eat
his brains, but despite this slight cultural mix-up, the Straleys
were fully integrated members of society. They married humans, owned
restaurants and worked their way up the property ladder. In Hero we
were introduced to a whole new concept, a demon species bent on
purging their half-bred demonic brethren. Now they weren't
particularly friendly, but the little grey guys were, more demons
who lived within society. The Kungai from Parting Gifts seemed to
have its human supporters, Barney quickly gained the sympathy and
aid of Angel, and, well, who couldn't feel sorry for the poor Ethros
demon, trapped night and day within that Macaulay Culkin-a-alike.
In Angel we've increasingly seen demons being portrayed as
sympathetic characters. As people, deserving of consideration and
fundamental rights to life and liberty so long as they don't
transgress the 'rules' of society. Buffy, however, there has been a
long established, 'if it ain't human then the Slayer got to kill it'
attitude. This position has not as of yet appeared unreasonable
because every single demon has weighed into attacking her or some
other innocent before they were killed. But what if this didn't
always happen?
Let me introduce you to a character, he's a vampire (through no
fault of his own), let's call him Vince. Say hello, Vince.
"Hello"
Vince is a bit of a spod, he was doing a degree in criminology
and punishment before he was vamped. And, like vampHarmony, he is
little changed from when he was mortal. As has happened to many of
his kind, he has been set upon by the Slayer. He was minding his own
business, walking along when this small, blonde girl started hitting
him.
Buffy: "When are you fang-features going to learn that Sunnydale
isn't good for your health?"
Vince: "Why are you hitting me?"
B: "Cos it makes it easier to stake you if you're not walking any
more."
V: "Why do you want to stake me?"
B: "What? You're a vampire! I'm a vampire slayer. Stakage kind of
goes with the job."
V: "But what have I done?"
B: "I don't know. Suck blood, kill people, terrorising children
blah, blah, blah."
V: "No I haven't."
B: "Of course you have, you're a vampire."
V: "I know I'm a vampire, but I haven't hurt anyone."
B: "How do you feed then?"
V: "I buy my blood from a slaughterhouse."
B: "Where do you get the money from? Bet you steal it from your
victims, huh?"
V: "Not at all, because my body was never found I was never
declared legally dead. I'm still living off my student loan."
B: "Well you better liquidate your assets, 'cos here comes Mr.
Pointy."
V: "Wait a minute, why do you still want to kill me?"
B: "Even if I believed you (which I don't by the way)..."
V: "I swear I'm telling the truth."
B: "Whatever, you're still a vampire, you've either done or
you're going to do something evil."
V: "Now wait there, you have nothing to say I have done anything
evil at all, have you?"
B: "Apart from those two pointy teeth that say 'I've done evil
things' to me."
V: "Have you?"
B: "No... But I know you're gonna."
V: "I say I won't do anything evil, and anyway you can't punish
me for something I might do in the future. We all might do something
in the future, you can't have prospective punishment for potential
crimes. Everyone would be guilty. The police could go round gunning
people down and say they were justified because of the crimes the
people might have gone on to commit!"
B: "Listen, buddy. Vam-pire Slay-er, that's what it says on my
resume. I slay vampires. You vampire. I slay you. Kabbisch?
V: "So, your entire argument for ending my existence relies on
semantics? I'm going to be killed over my label?
B: "Would you just try and fight back already?
V: "No."
B: "Go on!" *whack*
V: "Ow! No!"
B: "Giiiiiles! This one's not playing fair!"
All of a sudden routine patrol has turned into a
philosophical nightmare.
<Needless to say, Joss Whedon will
not be ringing me, desperate for ideas for season 5>
So should Buffy stake Vince? She has no way of telling whether he
is telling the truth, whether he's just come from a soup kitchen
where he feeds the homeless or whether he's just come from a soup
kitchen where he feeds on the homeless. But can she justifiably
stake Vince without knowing that he has done something wrong?
Staking is permament, she has to be sure. But if she lets him go
and he goes and feeds on people, then their deaths will be equally
permament.
What if Vince wasn't a vampire but another sort of demon, should
that affect her decision?
Should demons and vampires have rights?