January 29: Becoming (week 4)

Angel: Redemption

The theological idea of redemption, of restoration to good standing with the divine or self, is found throughout Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There are a number of significant redemptive narratives for characters such as Spike (from evil vampire to one who strives for a soul and to support the Slayer) and Willow (from losing control of her dark magicks to channelling it for good). As Playdon argues, redemption in Buffy is about a return to personal wholeness, rather than reconciliation with a god(s). 

The redemptive arc for Angel begins before the contemporary story of Buffy Summers, back in his own history. In these two episodes we see how Angel became Angelus, the evil vampire, and how Angelus was cursed to suffer for his crimes. The suffering en-souled Angel is the character we have come to know, then lost, in the first two seasons of the show. Our reading for this week describes the different ways that redemption has functioned in the novel, which gives us greater insight into the theme as both theological and narratological. As we shall see in subsequent seasons, Angel's story does not end here, nor does his quest for redemption.

Re-read Playdon Download Playdon, para 23.

Read Boscaljon, Daniel. "Possibilities of Redemption Through The Novel Download Possibilities of Redemption Through The Novel." In The Oxford Handbook of English Literature and Theology. Ed. Andrew Hass, 760-775. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.

In this chapter (which has nothing to do with Buffy), the author looks at the way that the modern English novel has taken a theological idea (redemption as reconciliation to god) and made it non-religious (reconciliation to self and others). The chapter recognizes changes in the way the novel deals with redemption over that last 300 years, and identifies some clear patterns in each era. 

Watch "Becoming, Parts One and Two," (s2, e21-22, aired 12 and 19 May 1998) (two episodes, 90 minutes in total). We will watch clips from both episodes in class. Here is an expanded Viewing Chart Download Viewing Chartto keep track of your notes.

Part One:

Direct link: MyMedia or DropboxLinks to an external site.

Part Two:

Direct link: MyMedia or DropboxLinks to an external site.

Slides from this week's class: RLG 233 (2025) Week 4 Becoming.pdf

Discussing Redemption

We had an interesting conversation about the redemption of Angel. I posed as a question for the discussion, "Was Angel redeemed this week? If so, how; if not, why not? Below are some of the comments your provided.

• I think it really depends on the definition of redemption. If redemption means atonement and being forgiven, then he may not be fully redeemed because his soul was taken by an outside force and not by his own choice. If redemption means suffering the consequences, then he did experience punishment (being sent to hell)

• Yes Angel is redeemed. Angel gets his soul back (salvation event), he cries (suffering), shows him caring about Buffy. But Buffy kills him to prevent Acathla’s hell. His death saves humanity, redeeming himself in the end

• Can we say that Angel is redeemed in two ways? He is redeemed by a return to his suffering and atonement state, a return of his soul that is caused by Willows spell (arguably not a redemtion so much as a return to his path to redemption). Secondly, his death provides a redemption for others that have been suffering while he is Angelus (ie. Spike, Buffy, Sunnydale community in general).

• yes and no, since Angel's soul was back early, it is as if angel is taking the punishment instead of angelus. At this point it is as if they're two different people. Angel is redeemed but for something "he" didn't do

  Vote 3, voted by anonymous: yes and no, since Angel's soul was back early, it is as if angel is taking the punishment instead of angelus. At this point it is as if they're two different people. Angel is redeemed but for something "he" didn't do

• He was redeemed in the sense that he died and in doing so "saved the world" (although he did cause the problem to begin with). Since Buffy was the only one who saw his return to his original self, he was redeemed in Buffy's mind, but maybe not in the minds of those who did not know whether or not the spell was able to get his soul back on time

The narrative in season 3 (up to episode 15)

The season opensLinks to an external site. with Buffy hiding out in Los Angeles after beeing kicked out of school and home. Eventually, she returns to Sunnydale where she encounters a new Slayer, Faith Lehane (who has been called following the death of Kendra). On the "big evil" front, season three follows the efforts of the Mayor Wilkins, as he recruits demonic support for his rise to power. Along the way, Angel returns from the hell dimension where we was tortured for 100 years (time moves more slowly in hell, as we learn in "Anne," the season's first episode) and secretly reunites with Buffy. Oz, Willow's boyfriend, is turned into a werewolf. And heart-broken Spike also returns to Sunnydale after Drusilla drops him in Mexico. He vows his revenge on Angel (as Angelus) for turning Dru against him. Anyanka, an ancient vengeance demon, preys on the Scoobies, but eventually gets trapped in human form (as Anya). It is Anya who asks Willow for help casting a spell in this week's episode. 

In a rather poignant episode (s03e10), Angel tries to immolate himself in the rising sun as a form of amendsLinks to an external site.for his past violence and cruelty, but Buffy convinces him that it is his work that will redeem him rather than his death. Buffy and FaithLinks to an external site. bond over their shared identity as Slayers, but Faith's recklessness leads to the death of a human, which sets Faith down a dark path alongside Mayor Wilkins.