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3 theories about Buffy's resurrection.

Finally getting round to posting this. I've been tweaking for days now, so it feels good to 'get it out there'. Having said that, it doesn't really follow the most logical of paths, since I got an idea half-way through and I thought it'd be fun to keep my stream-of-conciousness as it first unfolded. So please forgive the jumps - I think I've sorted it out by numbering the different theories though. :)

So - did Buffy come back wrong? And why? And why did her resurrection make The First Evil rise? Follow me...

3 theories about Buffy’s resurrection.

First of all, the show never bothered to explain why or how the spell the Scoobies used to resurrect Buffy created an opportunity for The First Evil to rise. All we have is this snippet from ‘Showtime’ (7.11):

BELJOXA’S EYE: “The mystical forces surrounding the Chosen line have been irrevocably altered. Become... unstable. Vulnerable.”

That isn’t a lot to go on. Now the first time Buffy died, she was brought back to life by Xander. But it was a natural way of revival, and Buffy quite simply carried on. Later we found out that her death had triggered the next Slayer, Kendra, to be called. When Kendra was killed, Faith was called. So the line went on as it had before, and - to put it bluntly - now Faith was The Slayer. Essentially ‘destiny’ was done with Buffy after The Master killed her. Any prophecies that there might be would now be Faith’s to fulfil. So now, Buffy is just a Slayer - f.ex. when she dies the second time no new Slayer is called. (I know that is never proven as such, but from the knowledge we are given, I’d say it’s a fact.)

Theory #1

Now when The Scoobies bring Buffy back to life in ‘Bargaining’ they somehow ‘irrevocably change’ the mystical forces around the Slayer line. Here’s the spell (well the bit that Willow says out loud):

“Osiris, keeper of the gate, master of all fate, hear us.
Before time, and after. Before knowing and nothing.
Accept our offering. Know our prayer.
Osiris! Here lies the warrior of the people. Let her cross over.
Osiris, let her cross over! Aah...
[snake]
Osiris, release her!”

Note the phrase ‘warrior of the people’. Now... what if that meant that resurrected Buffy was The Slayer again - that somehow they split the Slayer line, so now it runs through both of the living Slayers. That would be an instability, and a big one.

I’ll come back to that.

First I want to explain where I got the idea - because this isn’t just me making it up (well of course it is - duh! - but I think I have a good foundation!). You see I came across an unused line in the original ‘Chosen’ script. There is a bit of Buffy’s big ‘Are you ready to be strong?’ speech that (for whatever reason) was cut out. Buffy says:

“It's true none of you has the power Faith and I have. I think both of us would have to die for a new Slayer to be called, and we can't even be sure that girl is in this room.”

Both of them! The Slayer line split in two! Joss says so!

So - how did the Scoobies do that? They obviously wanted to make sure they got Buffy the Slayer back, and not just Buffy the Girl. I think this is why they used the line ‘Warrior of the people’ - to make sure they got the Slayer back. But considering the forces they were messing with, it’s not surprising that they got back The Slayer rather than A Slayer. It’s a very fine distinction - and one they probably weren’t even aware of. They just knew they needed her to be full of Slayer-y goodness. But messing with the Slayer power is dangerous ('Restless' anyone?), and also that Spike's chip no longer registered Buffy as human...

So what exactly was that 'molecular sunburn'? We know that a Slayer is a girl infused with 'the essence of the demon’ - in short very near to a vampire - except of course that a Slayer is still alive...

Oh! Big Thought! What if...

Theory #2

Now we know that a vampire is a demon occupying a dead husk. It retains the dead person’s memories and personality (usually anyway), but not that person’s soul - it is replaced with the 'demon soul' (for lack of a better word). It can operate the body it inhabits (move and speak f.ex.) and to some extent be influenced by it (f.ex get drunk or high).

So what if... what if the spell that brought Buffy back was similar to a vampiric rising? Only much bigger and more complex (there was blood magic and sacrifice and an urn of Osiris and tests...)? Because it was a very big and ambitious spell: They restored her body back to a functioning level, pulled her soul out of heaven and... maybe... tapped the Slayer power, the essence of the demon, to 'fuel' her - to run the whole thing. So, like Dawn is fully human, but still created out of The Key and her blood can open portals (at the auspicious time), so Buffy (post-resurrection) is fully human, but created out of the Slayer demon essence. And that would throw Spike's chip.

Am I making sense?

Theory #3

Actually what’s just occurred to me is that there might be another explanation. Spike only encountered Buffy after she had died the first time - when she was just ‘a Slayer’. He never met Faith (properly) until after the chip had come out. What if the chip didn’t register The Slayer as human, what with being the direct recipient of the Slayer power? Or something. What would have happened if he’d met and tried to hit Faith in ‘This Year’s Girl’ (pre-body swap)? Would the chip have gone off or not? Maybe... maybe Buffy didn’t come back wrong - maybe she came back right? ETA: This one is obviously a bit confusing - let me try to clarify my jumbled thoughts a little more: When Spike got the chip implanted it was after Buffy died the first time, and hence she was only 'a Slayer' and thus more human (or something), and gave Spike headaches. After her second resurrection she was The Slayer' (again) and therefore registered as 'not-human' to Spike's chip. In any case: many thoughts, few answers.

Theory #1 (cont.)

Anyway, the split in the Slayer line would foreshadow the Chosen spell - or mirror it. If in 'Bargaining' the Slayer line was split in 2 - using the Slayer power to bring Buffy back to life - then in Chosen it was split out into hundreds (or thousands) of potentials. Altering the Slayer lines in a much more fundamental way - changing the rules of the game, rather than moving a piece in the wrong way.

So what about The First? To begin with, this would certainly explain why The First made an attempt at Faith's life - apparently just for the hell of it. If Faith’s death alone could not trigger a new Slayer, then The First had nothing to lose by killing her. Esp since it would have known that she would fight on the side of good if given the chance.

But back to our conundrum that’s never explained. From ‘Showtime’:

BELJOXA'S EYE: The First Evil did not cause the disruption, only seized upon it to extinguish the lives of the chosen forever.
GILES: Then what has caused the disruption? What—what is responsible for letting this happen?
BELJOXA'S EYE: The slayer.
[...]
ANYA: Yeah, I just—I don't understand how Buffy's death mucked up the whole slayer mojo. You know, it's not like she hasn't died before.
GILES: It's not because she died. The Beljoxa's Eye was quite clear about that in its enigmatic way. It's because she lives. Again. Buffy's not responsible for that.

So far so clear. Her resurrection was responsible. And if her resurrection did indeed split the Slayer line in half, then that would have implications for the future - if nothing else than for the number of prophecies concerned with ‘The Slayer’.

We know from AtS ‘Destiny’ that if there are two candidates for a prophecy, then the fabric of reality can begin to unravel, creating a big, gaping tear in the balance of the universe. My guess is that there being Two Slayers would be no different. Well there were no telephones going bananas and no one started bleeding from their eyes, but imbalances can manifest themselves in millions of different ways I should imagine. And Beljoxa’s Eyes says that it’s a Slayer-shaped disruption - the Slayer line is unstable and The First can now extinguish The Chosen forever. How exactly that works is uncertain - but it would seem obvious that The First stepped in through that breach in the universe and made a space for itself, building an army, getting ready to unleash hell - the Slayer might be just one girl, but the magic surrounding her creation was obviously very powerful. With that magic gone awry it’s obvious that something nasty would jump at the opportunity.

I think that’s all. I started going off on a tangent about the Scythe and stuff, but that’s really another topic. With this post I’m basically putting forth three theories - I think #1 is probably correct, #2 and 3 are just wild speculation. To summarise:

1) The resurrection spell split the Slayer line in two, and it was this instability which allowed The First to rise.

2) The Scoobies somehow used the Slayer power to reassemble Buffy, and this was ‘the molecular sunburn’.

3) Making Buffy The Slayer again was what confused Spike’s chip.

So there you go - three theories for the price of none! What do you think?

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Hmmm... I really like Theory#1 a lot, the other two I'm going to have to think about. I'll get back to you. Goes off to puzzle it out in my own head.

I'm very proud of #1. The other two really are just wild speculation. :)

Theory #1 makes a lot of sense.

Thank you - I love it when my thoughts make sense. (Even if they're just borrowed from Joss...)

I like theory -1 and I agree with some elements in theory -2 , especially when you write : Buffy (post-resurrection) is fully human, but created out of the Slayer demon essence. And that would throw Spike's chip.
I think it's a good explanation of why Spike's chip didn't work anymore .

I think Theory 1 is good. As for #2... I'm still trying to work out exactly how that would work.

Theory #1 has possibilities. I just wish Joss would have been a little more explicit in canon about what, exactly, the resurrection spell did to give The First Evil the opportunity to build his army and attempt to retake Earth for demonkind. If Joss actually wanted to imply that when Buffy returned from being really, most sincerely dead she once again had the power to call a new Slayer upon her death, I wished he'd said it up front.

However, that certainly *could* be the answer. With both Buffy and Faith able to call Slayers upon their deaths, there would permanently be two active Slayers in the world at all times. And that may be enough of an imbalance in the mystical teeter-totter that governs this dimension to give The First Evil a toe-hold for his invasion plans.

I'll be honest and say I never liked the idea of Buffy and Faith sharing out their power to the Potentials. I understood that desperate times call for desperate measures, and they were to be Mankind's last bastion against the ravening hoards of Turok-Han, but I always thought that it had to have big consequences. I explored my beliefs of what those consequences could be in my story The Last Champion.

Anyway, the fact that ME never actually explained just exactly *what* Buffy's resurrection had to do with The First Evil's Big-Plan-'O-Doom is another reason why I think S7 missed its mark of being a great season.

I think Theory #1 is really interesting, and makes a lot of sense.

But I love Theory #3. That's a train I can jump right on board, and I honestly think that theory #2 goes right along with it. "The Demon Essence" that powers The Slayer would certainly make her slightly more than human, and would account for the extra strength, the ability to recognize demons by something other than just their out-of-date fashion, the ability to just hop right on over the school gate, etc. Perhaps when Buffy drowned, the Essence left her and went to Faith, but left behind some strengths and abilities that Buffy was able to use along with her training for the next four years. Then when they brought her back, they returned the Essence to her, which split it, and backs up Theory 1.

So, Spike and his chip? He met many Slayers in his time, but he never met The Slayer while he had the chip in. If there was a palpable difference, he never would have had any reason to pay attention to it, until resurrected Buffy, who had at least half of the Essence.

And maybe dividing the Essence of the Slayer didn't weaken it, but instead made it stronger. A stronger Demon entity might have given The First a stronger connection to this world, do to its connection to the First Slayer.

Now I'm just voicing random thoughts as they come, and maybe I should mull over them a bit.

Great theory! The quote fom Chosen is especially intriguing - but if Buffy and Faith both had to die for the next Slayer to be called, wouldn't that mean that one the power had been shared amongst the Potentials, all of them would have to die for the next Slayer to be called? Rather a bugger for future generations...

I also really like the idea that Spike being able to hit Buffy was an anomaly all along, because The Slayer doesn't count as entirely human (although I have to say that I think logically we ought to have seen a decrease in the amount of Slayer power available to Buffy when she was just A Slayer and the chip was triggereable by her - and the First Slayer seems to accept her as The Slayer in Intervention etc etc)

Theory #1 sounds good to me. Wonderful post! :)

Great theory! The quote fom Chosen is especially intriguing - but if Buffy and Faith both had to die for the next Slayer to be called, wouldn't that mean that one the power had been shared amongst the Potentials, all of them would have to die for the next Slayer to be called? Rather a bugger for future generations...

That fits with the Fray comic in which there have been no Slayers for centuries - in fact my hypothesis is that Willow has mortgaged the future by Calling all the Potentials, and there will be no more Slayers for a number of generations equal to the number of Called potentials.

I'm here courtesy of [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] - Very interesting theories! You obviously put a lot of thought into this (I particularly like theory #1). Although I'm not sure if I read theory #3 right. I remember him hitting Buffy in Something Blue (he hits her and yells "Ow" and she hits him and he yells it again). And also the almost biting that hurt him in Out of my Mind, but I probably just read the theory wrong - I just woke up, I'm a little groggy :-)

It would've been nice if Joss had decided to elaborate on what was going through his mind with the whole thing, but speculation is always fun too. I just wish he hadn't give us so many things to speculate on Lol!

I have to mull on this :) Great post and I'm putting it in my memories!

I do think that the disruption in a the Slayer line was meant to foreshadow Buffy's choice in "Chosen", or rather to counterpoint it.

The problem is that the FE already appeared in "Amends"...because of Angel! The FE is a convenient plot device for several storylines, and it works as long as you don't expect it to be a mastermind villian with real strategy (how many plotholes in seaosn 7 otherwise!)but a simple metaphor.

So as I consider it a Vice character (you never came back btw!) I can't really subscribe to your theories.

I think it's all about the potential. There's potential for good and potential for evil. Buffy's resurrection caused a chain reaction of bad stuff in season 6, the potential for evil was high and Willow killing bambi was the first evil actions (because BAMBI damnit!)of many. Buffy was not responsible indeed but her coming back was the source of all that evil, so yes she caused it. And she was wrong. As I said once, Buffy in season 6 is metaphorically a vampire, she went to a similar awakening, and having been resurrected from her remains she's an animated corpse, so Spike's chip registered her as "like him" aka wrong. It's interesting because Spike then knew being like him meant "being wrong". He was so close to be ensouled!

In season 7 they have not all worked their issues out...yet. The potential for evil from Willow, Spike, Faith, Buffy herself was still high.

But with the Potentials of season 7 there was potential for good too, hence the counterpoint. The scene in which Buffy and Faith seem to bond, showed that now Buffy was ready to share her power. They could be two at last (until then Buffy has never really accepted the other Slayer)...so they could be many. It was no longer a split, a disruption of the line, but a diffusion.

Everything in her journey led her to season 7, and to this point. Even Dawn. With Dawn, Buffy learnt to not be the only child anymore,to share, and she learnt to take care of a younger girl...exactly what she did in season 7.

I just wish Joss would have been a little more explicit in canon about what, exactly, the resurrection spell did to give The First Evil the opportunity...
Don't we all... *g* But then that is Joss all over - he's hopeless at stuff like that - and he knows it:

"I don't know from science, I don't know -I never took any science; I don't know how things work, I can barely tie my shoes - but I understand emotions. So if we can get past that by going, 'well these things happen when you're on a Hellmouth' , um, then we can get to what's important."
Joss Whedon, 'BtVS - Television with a Bite'

With both Buffy and Faith able to call Slayers upon their deaths
Ah, but that's not what I'm saying - I'm saying they would BOTH have to die before another Slayer was called. Or maybe another Slayer wouldn't be called because the line was divided? Hmmm, possibilities.

I'll be honest and say I never liked the idea of Buffy and Faith sharing out their power to the Potentials.
Now if you're coming from a strict story POV I can see why, but looking at the show metaphorically it strikes me as the only possible ending. (

stoney321 has written a very interesting post that sums up most of my thoughts: Buffy season 7 - REAL female empowerment.)

More explanations would have been good - but considering that the characters never really worked it out, then maybe ME just restricted itself too much? *shrug* I'm not too bothered, really, since I never watched Buffy for the logic - to me, the emotions are more important too! :)

Ah, but that's not what I'm saying - I'm saying they would BOTH have to die before another Slayer was called. Or maybe another Slayer wouldn't be called because the line was divided? Hmmm, possibilities.

Yeah, okay, but in either case then why would that give the First Evil a toe-hold? If both Slayers have to die and only one Slayer is called to take their place, then the status quo returns. And if no Slayer would be called, why go after the Potentials? If the ability to call new Slayers has been destroyed, then they're just ordinary girls who once had potential, but no more. If the ability to call Slayers was made null and void by Buffy's resurrection and the division of the Slayer power, and that was what gave The First its toe-hold, then all it needed to do was somehow kill off Faith and Buffy, there would be no more Slayers, and it could ravage the Earth at its will.

Now if you're coming from a strict story POV I can see why, but looking at the show metaphorically it strikes me as the only possible ending.

I'm not sure why that would be the only possible ending. In fact, the complete destruction of the Slayer line is just as possible an ending. Have you ever read the Fray comics? In that Joss used the plot that after a major battle between a Slayer, her companions, and a horde of demons, the Slayer line was destroyed and no Slayer was called again for 400 years. Now that makes as much, if not more, sense to me than an endless supply of new Slayers who all call new Slayers and so on and so on and so on.

Heh. I just referenced the Fray comics in a reply comment. I agree that I can't help but believe that calling all the Potentials at once had to have a major derogatory effect on the Slayer line. There had to be a reason when the early Shamans cast the spell that only one girl was called at a time. That was big time mojo and rules have to be followed. Neither Buffy or Willow was ever very good a following the rules which can be good, but also has the potential for causing disaster.

Yes, I like this theory better, and it certainly explains the last two seasons with a coherency missing from the actual show. :) I'm going to print this off and mull over it some more.

Hm, those sound pretty sensible to me!

I really really agree with all three theories. They make PERFECT sense. I will have to watch season 7 again, with these in mind, and pay attention to the differences and how they mesh with your thoughts. Excellent, really :)

Actually, in theory three, after Buffy died the FIRST time, she wasn't the true slayer. Kendra then Faith were. When Willow did the spell, then both she and Faith were the true slayers.

We found in the episode about the Shadow man that they did put a demon essence into the original slayer..

Anyway, this is interesting. I like all the theories and see how they could all be possible.

Well, we don't know that they can--if Fray is still canon, then it's likely that the axe dealie was a one-time thing and once the current crop of Slayers die off, it goes back to being one girl in all the world.

Of course, if splitting the Slayer line once caused all that trouble, you'd think that splitting it a thousand ways would be a catastrophe. But then again, it's possible that the new Slayers are getting their power from a different source.

I think I'd like to go with the Fray canon certainly. Even though in Fray, Joss didn't mention a cadre of Slayers being called, we can still go that all those Slayers were the one that wiped out the demons making the calling unnecessary until Fray's time. It would be interesting if the reason there was a split in the Slayer powers between Fray and her twin brother was because of the doling out of Slayer's powers at the time of the battle with the First Evil. Certainly that would be an interesting consequence of the spell.

I need to reread my Fray comics though because my memory of the complete mythos is a little shaky. :)

You do realize that you've just given me a good excuse to re-watch Buffy? Really I'll have to re-watch all 7 seasons to see just how accurate your theories are... And what's a garden, or that garage re-organization when viewed with the daunting prospect of 150 hours of Buffy? I'll have to watch all the commentaries, etc to make sure...

:D

Very interesting speculation!

Aaah - okay, I get it now. This is why I shouldn't check LJ before I'm really awake in the morning ;-) Thanks!

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3 theories about Buffy's resurrection.

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