Sundays in October through November 1st, at 2pm in AUX | Free screenings and lectures
Scroll down for this Sunday’s episode and lecturer info

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS) was a television series created by Joss Whedon which aired on the WB network and later UPN from 1997-2003. It predominantly starred Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Alyson Hannigan (Willow), Nicholas Brendan (Xander), Amber Benson (Tara), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce), David Boreanaz (Angel) and James Marsters (Spike). The series is most commonly known as subverting the horror genre as we follow Buffy the Vampire Slayer through battling vampires, demons and several apocalypses.

Please join us for a month long intensive Lecture & Screening series featuring Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Vox Populi member Beth Heinly has invited seven lecturers; Megan Carr, Jon McCabe, Homay King, Ann Cornell, James Myers, Lynn Dorwaldt and Kate Kraczon, each from a varied arena of expertise including academia, art, curation, geekdom, podcasting and writing to guide this very special Buffy ReWatch in a most scholarly fashion.

The Buffyverse, a term coined by the Buffy fandom describing the Buffy universe, is a frequently used springboard topic for discussion among academia from high school to college courses providing many articles, essays, and bibliographies for perusal on whatever sparks the Buffy fan’s curiosity. Watch along and immerse yourself in the world of Buffy Academia led by lectures unique to each season. Following the lecture there will be roundtable discussions that discuss specifications within the screened episodes covering character development, language, pop cultural references and fashion. Each week the series will be recorded for a podcast to air midweek, so if you have to miss a Sunday, tune in! Please check in closer to the premiere on October 4th for more details on our podcast.

This is a free event. We will have snacks à la Buffy and drinks to cure whatever ails you from your Saturday nights “patrolling”. Do be mindful that we highly encourage cosplay for attendees.

Happening every Sunday in October at 2pm with the finale on Sunday November 1st at 2pm. Scroll through our calendar to see what episodes we’ll be featuring, meet your teacher and check out links to suggested reading materials.

Lecturers (in order of appearance): Beth Heinly, Megan Carr, Jon McCabe, Homay King, Ann Cornell, James Myers, Lynn Dorwaldt & Kate Kraczon.

*Important to note that due the nature of this lecture series, there are spoilers. We recommend this event series as a ReWatch. If you would like to join us anyway as your first time watching the show keep in mind of spoilers. Alternatively, you can try to watch 22 episodes of television in one week.

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Sunday, October 11th 2pm
Buffy ReWatch: Abridged Version, Screening & Lecture Series
Band Candy (Season 3, Episode 6)
The Zeppo (Season 3, Episode 13)
w/ Ann Cornell & James Myers

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 301: ‘Does It Get Easy?’: Transitioning to Adulthood in the Buffyverse
Joss Whedon’s cult classic series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is more than just a horror/fantasy romp through a world of vampires, demons, gods and other things that go bump in the night — it’s an exploration of a young person’s path to adulthood and self-actualization and the rituals and rites of passage that we all must weather.
Season 3 of the series is particularly focused on this turbulent time in a teen’s life as the titular heroine and her friends face not only epic evil, but the mundane slings and arrows of maturation: a first heartbreak, surging hormones, losing one’s virginity, discovering your true friends, learning one’s parents and authority figures are not infallible and are all-too-human, rebelling against said figures, taking responsibility for oneself and overcoming obstacles on one’s own, not to mention prom, SATs and graduation.

While “Buffy”’s exploration of teen angst and incipient adulthood was hardly new at the time (quality shows like My So-Called Life and The Wonder Years made ample use of the subject), the show’s fantasy setting and use of demon as metaphor gave viewers a new perspective on the traditional coming of age stories. As Lynette Porter writes, “For Buffy…demons take physical form but also represent all of a community’s parasitic ills that destroy individuals, and collectively, whole societies.”

Buffy spent the previous two seasons of the show fighting the literal and metaphorical demons as the slayer – a role that she was chosen for, and feels conflicted about it. In her senior year of high school, Buffy still finds herself grappling with this responsibility, and yet at times fighting to reclaim her identity when facing its possible loss. The “Scoobies” fail and flourish as well, as they navigate love, agency and pondering post-high school paths.

In this forum, we’ll highlight how Whedon explores these themes and blends them with fantasy/horror genre to particular great effect. We’ll take a closer look at the episodes Band Candy and The Zeppo and highlight how they explore certain examples of the teenage transition to adulthood and the rites of passage that are offered.

A special highlight to the discussion will be a Skype Q & A with Amber Benson contemplating the imagined growing pains of her character Tara Maclay.

Suggested readings:
Arnett, J.J., “Learning to Stand Alone: The Contemporary American Transition to Adulthood in Cultural and Historical Context“, University of Maryland.
Nancy Holder with Jeff Mariotte and Maryelizabeth Hart, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Watcher’s Guide, Volume 2”.
Scott D. Scheer and Stephen M. Gavazzi, “Rites of Passage During Adolescence,” Ohio State University, and David G. Blumenkratz of Center for the Advancement of Youth, Family, and Community Services, Inc.
Steven S. Kapica, “Rite of Passage Subverted: Coming of Age in the Buffyverse“.

Ann Cornell & James Myers, Co-Hosts of Not Nearly Nerd Enough
The Not Nearly Nerd Enough podcast was born out of a years-long friendship and even more years-long passion for geek and nerd culture. Co-hosts James Myers and Ann Cornell met at work and bonded over their love of movies, books and TV shows – particularly Buffy the Vampire Slayer! While they shared many fandoms, each introduced the other to new, nerdy gems.

With Not Nearly Nerd Enough, James and Ann – who are often joined by friends and community members from the Philly region — appreciate and debate various current topics in the fandom realm. The podcast is both a labor of love and a learning experience and they are thrilled to be able to produce it in their home base of Philadelphia.

In their non-podcasting hours, Ann works as an editor for a series of suburban Philly newspapers, and James is a communications specialist for a leading healthcare professionals’ union. They also enjoy participating in international scavenger hunts and besting each other in fanfiction writing competitions. They are always playing Yellow Car.