Tag Archives: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

In Real Life, TV Characters Would Be Way More Bisexual

The best part of watching a show is rooting for your favorite characters to get together, even if they’re the same gender. Especially if they’re the same gender. Sometimes, your favorite pairing seems to have a chance – certain shows are notorious for queerbaiting us into thinking that queer pairings are on the horizon. I’m looking at you, Sherlock.

But at the end of the day, those characters never end up together. They either end up with other straight characters or, if they admit they’re gay, they die.

The problem isn’t that there aren’t shows with lesbian characters. There are some, such as Transparent, How to Get Away with Murder, Sense8, and Orange is the New Black. But in many shows, there are the Designated Queer Characters – you know they’re gay, and their gayness is central to their character development (although straight characters’ straightness is never central to their own character development). They either have failed crushes on straight characters or failed romances with Designated Queer Love Interests, who die. I’m looking at you, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

But in real life, people’s sexual identities aren’t always straight lines. They’re fluid. Straight people have gay crushes. Gay people have straight crushes. Straight people have gay experiences but continue to identify as straight. Gay people have straight experiences and continue to identify as gay or queer or bisexual. People experiment with polyamory and threesomes and open relationships.

But in TV shows, straight people are just straight. And gay people are just gay. Unless they’re women, in which case they usually become straight. Or die.

Similarly, TV shows depict gender as being very static. You are either a Masculine Woman, Feminine Woman, Masculine Man or Feminine Man. If you’re transgender, you automatically become the stereotype that corresponds to your gender. But in real life, many people are a little more nonbinary. Sometimes butch women have days they feel like being more feminine, for no reason. Sometimes cisgender people feel like dressing androgynously.

So what needs to change? TV shows should just make sexual and gender queerness a normal part of life and stop acting like sexuality and gender identity are neat boxes.Characters should be able to experiment bisexually, even if they realize they are straight, and have bisexual feelings, even if they don’t act on them. And if a show is using characters as queerbait, then those characters should actually get together – or at least stand a real chance.

Some shows do this well. On Steven Universe, characters are masculine and feminine and androgynous, and many switch back and forth; for example, the main character, Steven, sees nothing wrong with wearing a skirt. When a character has a crush on someone, it doesn’t matter whether the crush is male or female. Similarly, on Black Sails, characters experiment with bisexuality, polyamory, and homosexuality however they see fit. It’s refreshing.

Hopefully, more shows will realize the fluidity of sexuality and gender. Until then, I’ll continue to daydream.

Alyson Hannigan And Amber Benson Reunite To Talk About The Legacy Of Willow And Tara

The cast of Buffy The Vampire Slayer reunited to celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary with Entertainment Weekly this week.

As part of EW‘s celebration, Alyson Hannigan opened up about the characters’ relationship – including how she didn’t even get the hint that Willow and Tara were about to become more than friends.

We were walking in the parking lot, and [Joss] just said, ‘Willow’s going to get a friend, and she’s going to be a special friend.’ I was like, ‘Okay, great!’ I didn’t really know what that meant.”

Of the years-long plot, she said:

You got to see the journey, so that, I think, was very groundbreaking, and … I’ve never had anything but just such a positive reaction.

It’s just been such a profound thing for people who were going through the same thing or just terrified of what they were going to have to go through and just to see somebody that they had been watching for so many years to get to not feel so alone, it’s like it’s such a gift to be able to be part of that.”

She added:

There definitely hadn’t been a gay character that had been on a show from the beginning [before Buffy]. This was a character that you got to see the journey, that was very groundbreaking.

The fact that it was such a non-issue was so great, and that’s how it should be.”

Benson said:

It was a beautiful relationship, and it wasn’t gratuitous, it wasn’t about two girls making out, it was about two people who both happen to identify as female who fall in love.

They were good to each other, they treated eachother way. It was a normal relationship. You normalise it, and make it okay, because it is okay.

We got a lot of young letters… there were a lot of young people who felt very isolated, and to see two characters on a television show be accepted by a group of peers changed the game.

They already loved Willow but then to see that Willow became even more somebody that they could identify with it made it okay for them to be who they were.”

It’s saying, if you find somebody to love, you’re just lucky – it doesn’t matter the gender, the sex or whatever – if you find somebody who gets you and you get them, you’re so lucky.”

Showrunner Joss Whedon added:

Tara came into the narrative because I was like, how do you follow Seth Green? Well, Willow’s in college, so maybe she finds a girlfriend. That was an important thing for people to see, but really I wasn’t thinking about that! As much as I wanted to make a feminist show, I really missed a lot of what was going to be important abut the show. I thought that was just what you’d do.”

The pair also took part in an anniversary shoot for the reunion.

12 Fictional Lesbian Couples That Changed Attitudes, Inspired Us And Made TV History

Television is now finally getting to the stage in which lesbian characters are appearing in mainstream programmes, being portrayed in a positive way and are embraced by all audiences. But that has been a long time coming.

So how did TV reach that point? Well, over the year’s television networks have dipped their toes in the water and given us lesbian couples that viewers have endeared to. Here are 13 of those couples that helped make positive changes in television and attitudes.


Willow and Tara (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

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How cute were these two? Yes, OK, Tara died, but while they were together they were a pretty awesome couple. They were also one of the first lesbian couples that had prominent airtime on a primetime American TV series, which in itself is quite cool.


Bette and Tina (The L Word)

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Well, they had their ups and they had their downs, but boy, they were an awesome couple. Both successful career women, both very much in love, they split up, they reconnected, they had a baby and they remained together until the end of the series. These ladies did a lot for lesbians the world over and helped set a benchmark for other lesbian TV characters that appeared when the L word had finished.


Paige and Alex (Degrassi: The Next Generation)

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This teen soap Canadian drama introduced Paige and Alex into the show in 2005 and explored queer relationships in a positive way, helping many teens accept and embrace their sexuality. Paige and Alex were a very popular couple amongst viewers and the show portrayed their relationship in a very realistic and positive way.


Madame Vestra and Jenny (Doctor Who)

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Doctor Who has occasionally had the odd queer character but ‘Lizard woman from the dawn of time and her wife’ appeared in quite a few episodes and they were such a popular couple that Doctor Who showed them in even more episodes because the fan base asked for it. A lizard lady and a female human is just great.


Santana and Brittany (Glee)

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Glee also had a few gay characters while it was on TV, but these two girls had such a positive relationship that they outshone the other queer characters shown. They communicated with each other so well, they were very much in love and even sang to each other. Glee had a very wide audience and Santana and Brittany were adored by many.


Carol and Susan (Friends)

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Carol and Susan made history when Carol gave birth to Ross’s baby while she was in a relationship with Susan. These episodes were aired in 1995 and Friends was aimed at heterosexuals. These episodes brought about a lot of discussions surrounding queer relationships and parenthood which is not bad going as the series didn’t have much of a queer following.


Cosima and Delphine (Orphan Black)

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Cosima and Delphine have had their share of ups and downs, but they have an intense attraction and love for each other which is very real. There have also been some issues between them both as Delphine has kept secrets from Cosima, again something real that does happen in relationships. Another positive is they haven’t killed them off yet either, as TV do have a habit of killing off queer characters. So, these two are obviously doing something right to still be with us.


Lauren and Bo (Lost Girl)

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Lauren and Bo have done a lot for Lesbians in the way that they surround themselves with, and get support from, the people they call family. It’s a bit like our lesbian community. A strong network of people that care about you and understand you. These girls are also sex positive, a unique attribute in TV, especially around queer characters.


Steph and Lena (The Fosters)

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This married lesbian couple with children are portrayed so realistically. They argue, kiss and make up, they talk things through, flirt and play fight. They are very multi-dimensional and are a great inspiration to other lesbian couples as well as showing the hetro community that lesbian couples are just the same as they are.


Jeri and Wendy Ross/Pam (Jessica Jones)

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What is so great about Jeri is the fact she was changed from the comic character of a man into a lesbian female for the TV version, but she has the same complex, twisted and ambiguous character traits as her male comic book character has. This is also a great thing as women can be just like that, lesbian or straight, and it helps again to show that lesbians are just women after all, regardless of their sexual orientation.


Nomi and Amanita (Sense8)

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In this show Nomi is a trans lesbian woman living with her bi-ethnic girlfriend. That’s fantastic in itself, but the past revolutionary difference? Nomi is played by a real trans actor and this is a first on TV. Usually trans characters are played by cis actors so this is ground-breaking stuff.


Waverly and Nicole (Wyonna Earp)

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These two are great characters as they are such opposites. Nicole is a cop and Waverly is part of a family that are cursed. What an unlikely pairing! They’ve also both escaped death on numerous occasions which hopefully means there are no plans to kill them off any time soon. Another great positive.

Could It Be?! Sarah Michelle Gellar Set For ‘Cruel Intentions’ Spin-Off

Its been announced, that Sarah Michelle Gellar is to return to our screens in a new TV version of hit 90s film, Cruel Intentions.

Geller broke the news via a post on her Instagram where she said:

This picture was taken on the eve of production on the original Cruel Intentions. It’s me, Roger Kumble (director) and Neal Moritz (exec producer) and the other is a picture of us now on the eve of production on the new Cruel Intentions.”

She continued by adding one of the most iconic quotes from her character,

That’s right “everybody loves me, and I intend to keep it that way.”

In the film, Gellar played Kathryn Merteuil, the “queen of mean” who would do anything to succeed.

Kathryn also gave us one of hottest lesbian kisses of the late nineties and helped to turn it into a cult classic.

Rumours of Sarah coming back to the role started last year when she reunited with other original cast members Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair.

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Several spinoff films have been made since the original, but the show plans to pick up about 15 years after the first.

Producers have said the initial episodes will see Kathryn trying to take control of the family business, Valmont International, and fight to win the affections of the son of her late brother, Bash Casey.

The series will be the star’s return to a regular series since she played Robin Williams’ daughter in The Crazy Ones.

Queer Web Series ‘Last Life’ Features Spells, Secrets and Soulmates

What is it about about witchcraft that attracts queer female audiences? Is it the heavy focus on female friendship and empowerment, and that witch covens often work together to achieve some sort of common goal? Is it the fact that in the supernatural world of spells, demons, trolls and possessions, gender roles and heteronormativity don’t apply?

Or is it just the fact that queer women are fed up as seeing themselves as one-note characters, stifled by the storylines of men and shows about witches just seem to cater to that?

One of the most famous television shows of all time –Buffy the Vampire Slayer – covered all of those things, even if its famous femslash couple ended in misery. But with BTVS having ended its run some time ago and with the CW’s teen witch drama The Secret Circle being cancelled before it fully delved into its ‘non-het witches’ storyline, there’s been a bit of a hankering for that sort of show recently.

Could new web series Last Life fill that void? Quite possibly. The show stars a witch named Sloan, who is essentially the boss of a clan called the Bloodborn. Then there’s Taylor, who had a boyfriend named Rick, but Rick died three years ago and Taylor is still in mourning. But Sloan has actually been possessed by Rick’s soul and is trying to find Taylor, fast.

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Why is Sloan so desperate to find Taylor? The rest of Sloan’s clan are intent on killing Taylor off, meanwhile, a rival clan called Alina have drugged Taylor with the help of her psychiatrist. So it’s not looking good for Sloan’s love interest but as is the case with most supernatural shows, most of the fun comes from seeing how the rivalry plays out, spells and all, and trying to figure out the mysteries of its witchy lore.

It’s also important to note that there has been some backlash from would-be viewers about the implications of Sloan being a woman possessed by Rick and if that really counts as ‘femslash’, but Last Life‘s writer and creator Elesha Barnette has explained that “it’s not a man in a woman’s body. It’s a soul. They have been both Male/Male, Female/Female, genderqueer throughout centuries of reincarnations. It’s not about gender, it’s about the connection two souls have” and that “it’s not a heteronormative web series masquerading as lesbian content”, it’s a “girl meets girl story”.

Episodes of Last Life can now be viewed KitschMix.TV.