lunabee34

Magic and Science

I suppose this is misnamed as a recap, as it is rather more some thoughts of my own that occurred when I was listening to the panelists talk.

This is the only panel I went to with Rhonda Wilcox, although I did say something funny out in the hall to Michaela and she giggled at me. I also peed in the stall next to her. /brushes with celebrity

Anyway, this panel discussed the use of science and magic in mostly the Buffyverse although other fandoms were mentioned. As I was listening, two thoughts occurred to me that the panelists didn't address.

1. What does it mean that Fred, the scientist, uses magic to accomplish her one act that could be argued as evil (killing her prof)? Are we to assume that Fred views science as an extension of magic, or are they two separate things for her, and this misuse of magic on her part is meant to suggest a shift in characterization? She does die at the hand of magic, after all, although her scientific curiosity does play a part.

2. I see Riley as a liminal figure in the Buffyverse. He's very much caught between the worlds of magic and science. He's heavily influenced by Maggie Walsh and her scientific approach to the supernatural. Enter Buffy, and Riley must learn to also inhabit the world of magic, an endeavor in which I believe he fails. For example, when the Toth demon splits Xander in half, Riley's first impulse is to lock the two halves up and study them. He ultimately develops an addiction to the vampire bite, an addiction that has its roots in his inability to connect with Buffy, and is indicative of his failure to take part in the world of the supernatural in any positive way. Magic is dark and seductive and titillating and even useful at times, but not a thing to be integrated into one's daily life in the way that the Scoobs have.