Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Ted

Anyone who's watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer may know that the hit show is primarily popular for its presentation of gender throughout the series. The show pulls in their audience by presenting a strong female lead that screams female empowerment. But while the writer's usually create episodes that display Buffy as one of the strongest characters, season two episode eleven entitled Ted, changes expectations up. By scripting the episode with more soft, child like dialogue, the writer's feminize Buffy a bit more in this episode than in others.

As this episode begins, it feels like just another episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With Buffy as sassy as usual and her friends by her side, it seems like just another day. Until, Buffy returns home and runs to the kitchen after hearing her mother scream only to see a strange man standing in her home. Right away her mother, Joyce, explains she screamed because she dropped the glass but by this time, Buffy is more concerned with who the man in their kitchen is. After finding out the man is her mothers boyfriend named Ted, Buffy already isn't his biggest fan. As Ted begins to practically suck up to Buffy's friends and spend more time around Buffy, she notices that something just isn't right, in the sense that he seems too nice or trying too hard. As the episode continues, there really isn't much action besides the occasional scenes of Ted and Buffy bickering, that is until Ted reads Buffy's diary.


Midway through the episode is were the action begins once Buffy returns to her bedroom. Upon going to her bedroom she finds Ted holding her diary and admits to reading it and claims a doctor would call her delusional and if she kept disobeying him, he would show her diary to her mother. Buffy was extremely upset when Ted attempted to leave the room without returning her diary. Once he refuses to hand over the diary and she attempts to grab it, he slaps her across the face. This opens up the opportunity for Buffy to hit back and as she's releasing all of her pent-up anger toward him, she shoves him down the stairs and he dies. Or that's what we're all supposed to believe. The police are called, Ted is pronounced dead, so  Buffy and her mother are taken down to the police station for their statements. Joyce is in so much shocked she can't believe what Buffy has done to Ted. Buffy on the other hand is starting to feel guilty for what she did and makes it known during her interrogation that it was an accident and he slapped her so it was technically self-defense. This scene shows a bit of masculinity because Buffy fights back and kills him, she's not just a "little girl" trying to defend herself, she's going to fight back. Once again, after this portion of the show, there is little action until Ted makes a comeback!

The characters are calm, and it almost feels as if everything is working on returning to normal until Ted reappears. After a long day at school, Buffy is still distracted because of the guilt eating at her for taking a human life, but her friends want to find a way to justify the murder. While her friends travelled to Ted's house to attempt to find evidence that he's not who he said he was. The scene then switches over to Ted coming back from the dead and reappearing in Buffy and Joyce's home! He catches Buffy off guard and attempts to kill her by lifting her off the floor and choking her. This feminizes Buffy because she's seen as helpless. Usually when it counts the most Buffy is able to overpower her attacker and win the battle. But before Ted drops Buffy to the floor he calls Buffy a little girl and says she doesn't need to worry because he and Joyce will end up happy together.

The end of this episode is packed with action and questions of gender. Once Ted attempts to kill Buffy, she stabs him and reveals wiring under his "skin" he heads downstairs to Joyce, who is shocked to see him alive, almost immediately begins to say that Buffy didn't mean for it to happen and apologizes to him. Ted doesn't really want to hear it though because he has one thing to do; take Joyce and leave to go to his house before Buffy comes downstairs. As he is speaking to Joyce, he begins to short out until Buffy finally makes her way downstairs and the final battle of the episode begins. Throughout the episode audiences hear Ted say things like, "I don't stand for this kind of malarkey in my house!" Which gives the impression he is trying to show his dominance and become the strong male figure that controls Buffy and Joyce's life. But Buffy then retorts by claiming the house as her own and beats him with a frying pan until he dies for the final time. Throughout the episode Buffy is made to seem very childish by the way Ted treats her by calling her "little girl" and trying to threaten or punish her but by the end of the episode Buffy reclaims her dominating traits by killing the bad guy and standing her ground in her home.

If you're interesting in seeing this episode for yourself to see all of the scenes described above unfold before your eyes, you can find it here on Hulu.