The Mirror Cracked: "Dopplegangers" on BtVS (1/?): Xander, mostly

[red_satin_doll]

mcjulie challenged me to write a meta about dopplegangers on BtVS in the convo thread of her wonderful meta "Where Did I Go? A Farewell to the Buffybot".  The jist of her meta is that the Buffybot represents the "I'm Fine" mask that Buffy puts on to cover her grief and depression, starting with her mother's death in mid S5, and continuing through S6. (She also pointed out to me that Buffy is the only character on the show who gets two dopplegangers: the Buffybot and The First.)



First things first: a doppleganger ("double walker") is simply an exact "double or look-alike" of any person.  The double cannot be explained away by an optical illusion or reflection in the mirror, they are not an identical twin, and generally seems to have a physical presence and is glimpsed by the person themselves or someone who knows them. In other words, not a double seen only in a dream or hallucination, but seeming to have a real physical presence. (Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper is a relatively well-known literary example.)  In old folklore, the sight of a doppleganger was taken as a sign of imminent death or misfortune to the person so copied. Nowadays, the use of a doppleganger can be comic, tragic; they can be an antagonist or a means of self-awareness.

On BtVS, the dopplegangers that the Scoobies encounter serve a bit of all of these functions, but most specifically they represent the efforts of Buffy, Willow and Xander to grapple with personal identity, with selfhood, and especially with the difficult transition from childhood to adulthood.  In each case the dopplegangers serve slightly different functions. Willow's transformation into her own shadow self, into the darker, wilder self  (her rage, her sexuality, her desire for power and control) that she tried in early season to hide and deny - from Vamp Willow to Dark Willow - is well known enough that I hardly need mention it; instead I'll link to  norwie2010's meta "Giles and the Wild Woman";  and local_max has posted some superb in-depth analysis of Willow's personality here and here, as well as a look at how the finales of S2 and S6 mirror one another in terms of Willow, Xander, and Buffy's arcs.  

Interestingly enough, Willow has only one doppleganger: Vamp Willow.  VW becomes a doppleganger when she enters the world of the "real" Sunnydale in "Dopplegangerland".  Whereas her counterpart, Vamp Xander (NB in an unfairly underrated performance), is not technically considered a doppleganger because he never is similarly transported to the other side, merely an AU version of Xander, a "what if?" variation. Xander's literal doppleganger is the second self he sees in The Replacement: he has been split by the ray from a Toth demon and divided into two halves, the goofy, nerdish class clown familiar from the early seasons, and a successful, confident adult who dresses well, earns a promotion, and signs a lease on the mortgage: in other words, the more mature or "adult" side of Xander.

But there's a complication here: if a doppleganger is a double glimpsed by the person or someone who knows them, and if from a Doylian standpoint, the viewers function as residents of Sunnydale and friends to the Scoobies, even though as spectators rather than participants; or, going a bit further, the various characters represent "us" through our identification with them and so we as audience members are actually "in" the story as participants, then for us the AU versions of the characters are also "dopplegangers", even if the Scoobies themselves are not aware of them. And so Xander can be said to have two dopplegangers: Vamp Xander and Mature Xander ( or MX; I'll call him that for convenience sake).

VX, like VW, obviously represents Xander's darker sides at that point in the series.  As a fannish aside, NB is wonderful in The Wish: dark, sexy, dangerous; the scene in which VX and VW kill Cordelia together and VX cups his mate's head in his hand, as the camera circles around them is one of the most chilling AND erotic moments in the series. (Yeah, I said it.)  He never makes the transition to the "real" Sunnydale, and Xander never becomes aware of his existence.  But it isn't necessary on a story level because I think that Xander's less pleasant traits are much closer to the surface than are Willow's, and in fact they are not even hidden: sexual urges, slut-shaming (first Cordelia, later Anya and Buffy), jealousy (initially of Angel, later Spike), lying (Xander's lie in Becoming contributes to the trauma of S2's finale for Buffy and is not addressed until S7, Selfless), having an "affair" (if it can be called that) with Willow behind his best male friend's (Oz) back, and so forth.  

This is not to bash the character, and I don't mean to be overly-hard on him, because these qualities are interlaced with his loyalty, humor, courage, supportiveness, friendship, generosity and kindness. He is, in other words, a real and complex character and it's the combination that makes him so. And in some ways, the fact that these qualities are not particularly hidden may be healthier in the long run than Willow's attempts to quash her shadow selves, which ends up backfiring spectacularly and tragically in S6.  

The Self that Xander has a difficult time coming to terms with is his literal doppleganger, Mature Xander. Since S4 in particular, Xander has been experiencing a crisis of confidence, trying to find his way in the world.  After Graduation Day (S3) Xander, like many young people who had no particular focus or plans, has been set adrift after high school.  While Buffy and Willow seem safely occupied with college, Xander struggles to find a job, to remain part of Buffy and Willow's world; in addition, he grapples with his new relationship with Anya, and to define himself in relation to his parents, to extricate himself from their house and the abusive, dysfunctional family dynamic. (Portrayed vividly in his nightmares in "Restless".)

 But as with Willow's transformation into Dark Willow, a crisis arise when he tries to become MX.  Throughout S5 and S6 he goes through the motions of being a proper, functioning, mature adult, doing all that proper, functioning, mature adults are "supposed" to do in our society: the job, the girlfriend etc.  To that end he proposes to Anya at the end of S5, in part because the world is going to end, in part because he genuinely loves her (I saw nothing on the show to suggest his love wasn't genuine).  He has obviously been thinking about it - the proposal seems spur of the moment but he has a ring in his pocket to present her with, so it's something he's been thinking about - even if only for an hour beforehand.  

But there's another motivation I think, and that is, he is proposing to her because that is what one does, that is what a man does.  The apartment, the job, a marriage: they all fall together in our society's vision like dominos, one naturally following the other.  And certainly he wants to be the man, the husband, that his father never was. He is also acting from "the heart" rather than from the brain. (Remember, in "Primeval" Xander was the "Heart" in the spell to call the First Slayer.) He loves Anya, the world might end, therefore it seems right to propose.  But acting from the heart without the brain can lead to rash decision-making; once the threat of imminent doom is over, he acts again from the heart - in this case, through fear - rather than logic or reason, and rather Anya to reveal the engagement. Later in Hell's Bell's he again acts from fear, observing the demon's visions and his father's behavior and leaves Anya at the altar; then in S7 he runs to rescue her ("Selfless") but throughout the season is unable to articulate his feelings, to fully reunite or release her.

I don't know that he can be fully faulted even though  I don't condone his actions on many occasions and it's unpleasant to watch.  All the more so because some of the key moments in his arc feel somewhat "shoved" into the narrative, especially in Hell's Bells; this I consider a failure of the writers to craft his arc as carefully, or with as much attention, as they did to Buffy and Willow's (whatever the flaws of their arcs might be.)  Within the story, however, Xander has no strong male father figure or role model to look up to.  This is a major theme within BtVS: the lack of caring, nuturing parental figures, and the absence of functional, healthy relationships that would provide models to the Scoobies.  They have to grapple their way to adulthood surrounded by adults who are, on some level or another, abusive, neglectful, dysfunctional, etc.

In Xander's case, his father is abusive (verbally at the very least; and we can see where Xander gets his slut-shaming tendencies from in Hell's Bells); Giles never fully warms to Xander, and never seems to really particularly like him; and Angel and Spike are both rivals for Buffy's time and affection. The only males Xander really connects to are Oz, who is the most laid-back, non-threatening male on the show - except for those three days a month; and Riley.

Riley is almost a "special case" in that, as a soldier, he is on some level Xander's alter ego - remember that Xander transforms into a soldier in S2's "Halloween" - and while he is also Buffy's lover, Xander doesn't seem to regard him as a rival in quite the same way, probably because he isn't a vampire.  No, Riley is human, a sort of "improved" Xander, and if Xander identifies with him (as well as likes him) the way viewers identify with favored characters, then it makes sense that Xander pushes Buffy towards Riley in ITW.  (And I have no wish to get into in-depth discussions of that episode for obvious reasons, ie, I go all ragey and stabby at the thought of it.  Enough said.) And he may perceive Riley as being "more together" than he himself is, although the events of S5 prove otherwise.

So Xander has no males to really connect to, or that he is able to connect to, especially ones older than himself who could "show him the way" to manhood.  One of the unfortunate aspects of this is that IMO, he and Spike have chemistry - and I don't mean in the 'shippy way, although there's that as well - and actually seem like they could be genuine friends once they got over their differences.  Think of the way they work together in "Him" to solve the problem of the love spell that plagues the women on the show, for instance.  Or the comedy gold of Spike in Xander's basement apartment in S4 - which is repeated for dramatic rather than comic effect when Xander takes him into his apartment again in S7.  It may be at Buffy's insistence, but it's a reminder of Xander's capacity for loyalty (Buffy) and kindness (Spike).  I think there may actually be a streak of genuine brotherly liking or affection between the two; and like brothers - or like Spike and Angel - it's hidden in most cases behind snark and insults.  (Xander possesses the warm humanity and the friendly, nonsexual connection to Buffy that the man in Spike craves; Spike has is her confidant in ways he used to be but isn't after Bargaining, as well as the sexual connection to her he wanted so badly. And so it goes.)

So the task of Xander's arc in the end of S6 and throughout S7 is to come full circle, to truly become a man, to fully inhabit "himself": goofy Xander, Vamp Xander (wonderfully called back at the end of S7 when chloroforms Dawn) and Mature Xander.  This includes reconnecting with Anya, the woman whose heart he ripped out carelessly, not out of deliberate cruelty, in  HB.  
There's a lot of talk in fandom - and in the show itself - about Buffy's inability to love, about her inability to articulate or say the word "love" or her struggle to define it. In this way her struggle mirror's Xander's own: both Buffy and Xander, in rejecting and then accepting their demon partners, even if in flawed and imperfect ways, are learning to come to peace with their own inner demons.

Of course, it always comes back to Buffy in my head...and I have many thoughts about Buffy's dopplegangers that I'll save for another post.

Comments

[local-max.livejournal.com]

Great post, and I agree with your assessment of where Xander stands w.r.t. both his other selves, and the other men in the show. I do think that much of the preparation for the wedding was Xander on autopilot, trying to get all the things that one is supposed to do, and I do think that it's the same for Anya, whose extreme materialism is representative of her need to collect and achieve in order to fill a gap that's missing inside; I think we can see this as reflecting something in Xander, who (like everyone) needs external things to help him find internal security, but does so through non-supernatural trappings. I do think he loves Anya, but marriage is kind of a big deal for a 21-year-old, and Xander has not actually been able to process what that would actually mean, or whether he even wants that, I think. That his full commitment to Anya is bookended by Riley episodes (he commits more fully at the end of ITW and leaves her the episode after AYW) suggests the extent to which he is going through the motions of a ritualistic thing in order to define his self-worth (Riley is the show's big symbol of issues related to authenticity, "following orders," traditional generally-well-meaning-but-still-kind-of-a-jerk patriarchy, IMHO). I also agree that Xander's flaws being closer to the surface actually works in his favour in some ways, since he doesn't repress them to the same degree.

Egregious self-(&company) pimp, though: Doppelgangland, which is maybe my favourite thing I've written. (It's the only set of notes in which I took lead, hence why I take most of the credit for it, though there is wonderful material from Maggie and Strudel also.) Is there interest in more Willow meta / some Dark Willow meta when/if I fully de-hiatus?

[mcjulie.livejournal.com]

one of the most chilling AND erotic moments in the series. (Yeah, I said it.)

Vamp Willow and Vamp Xander definitely rival Spike and Drusilla for "sexiest vampire couple."

And in some ways, the fact that these qualities are not particularly hidden may be healthier in the long run than Willow's attempts to quash her shadow selves, which ends up backfiring spectacularly and tragically in S6.

Xander does tend to "own" his dysfunction -- and the fact that we follow the less-competent Xander half around for most of The Replacement really underscores this. Less-competent Xander is how he sees himself.

that is what a man does

My favorite way to look at Xander's function on the show is as an investigation of masculine identity in world where feminine power is a given. Willow and Buffy struggle a lot with identity issues, but it doesn't seem tied into their sexual identities in the same way.

He is also acting from "the heart" rather than from the brain

Now I want to see a BTVS mash-up with The Wizard of Oz. But maybe that's because I just saw the touring production of Wicked here in Seattle.

Giles never fully warms to Xander, and never seems to really particularly like him

Good point -- I'm crafting the poll for All the Way and that come up in that episode.

Riley is human, a sort of "improved" Xander

Agreed.

I think there may actually be a streak of genuine brotherly liking or affection between [Spike and Xander]

It does come out now and then. Just like Riley, he seems at his worst toward Spike when he sees him as a romantic rival.

Buffy's inability to love, about her inability to articulate or say the word "love" or her struggle to define it.

I go with the spirit guide: "You are full of love, you love with all your soul. It's brighter than the fire... blinding... that's why you pull away from it." Buffy takes love seriously.

[mcjulie.livejournal.com]

Oh, and, thanks! I really enjoyed this.

[kikimay]

Great meta! I'm not particularly fond of Xander, but I also understand why he's so interesting and how much it's complex his journey as human being. Buffy, Xander and Willow are really complex characters an very, very human. I do love flawed characters, they are much more realistic.

[rahirah]

Very interesting - and while I love talking about Buffy and Spike, it's nice to see some meta on other characters!

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

I'm really tired and brain-dead right now, but I have to comment to say this is a good post; I really like and agree with all your Xander thoughts, and hope you'll write more on the rest! This theme fascinates me.

[p.s. I was wondering if you forgot to put this under a cut? It takes up quite a bit of space on the flist page.]

Friday November 16th, 2012

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

User audela referenced to your post from Friday November 16th, 2012 (http://su-herald.livejournal.com/622910.html) saying: [...] has thoughts about Doppelgängers on BtVS [...]

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

This is excellent and thought-provoking. I sort of see Hyena!Xander as the template for Vamp!Xander. There's a lot of feeling in fandom that that since he was possessed, it was all the demon. But it seems to me that there was a lot of Xander's darkest urges coming out — although eating the mascot was probably not one of them. ;-) And yes, the eating of Cordelia is sizzling.

Xander has a lot of alter egos: Hyena, Soldier, Vamp, Competent Guy. I always enjoy it when the characters are NOT themselves, as it ends up emphasizing what it is that makes them authentically themselves. When I see scary!sexy Xander, it makes me appreciate goofy!friendly Xander more. I just rewatched "Never Leave Me" and seeing Andrew and Xander bonding over Wonder Woman, to Xander's horror, it's just the cutest thing!

Um, my comment is not deep...

Oh, and further evidence for a lurking Spike/Xander friendship is their Bronze time in "Triangle". *nods*

Nominations!

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

User local_max referenced to your post from Nominations! (http://local-max.livejournal.com/54479.html) saying: [...] ; by and "The Mirror Crack'd: Doppelgangers on BtVS, part 1 [...]

[lostboy-lj.livejournal.com]

Good stuff, here. I've thought a lot about the Buffyverse dopplegangers too (and other selves I guess, since we are including people like Vamp!Xander in the mix). In some ways (although tangentially), I think even lead vampires like Angelus, Spike, Trick and Holden might qualify in this group, as they are essentially alternate versions of their "real" selves, instead of merely grotesque parodies of human beings in general.

But particular to your points about the alternate Xanders, I think you are on to something in the sense that Xander is, in essence, constructing himself over the course of the show (which is why I think he finally finds his niche in *physical* construction), and to build this identity he uses the materials at hand. That's what's so brilliant to me about "The Replacement"; the metaphor is obvious, but because it is obvious it is also beautifully effortless. "The Xander Project" has a lot of standardized components on hand, as you say - the career, the apartment, the girlfriend/wife - and so gathering these components and assembling them in a logical way becomes Xander's meta-job.

I think the problem for Xander is that he really can't see himself. The Xander Project seems to have a (very simplistic) blueprint, but building a lifestyle isn't the same as building an identity, because that inward looking "third-eye" is the foundation for identity, and Xander despises what he sees. I recall having a neat conversation once about all the Scoobies' super-powers, and I posited the theory that for Xander (like Willow), the source of his super power is also the source of his greatest weakness. Because he hates himself, he is sometimes able to perform acts of amazing heroism (such as the way he ultimately defeats Jack in "The Zeppo"), but ultimately it will cause his ruin and the ruin of those he loves (as it does in "Hells Bells"). In the Replacement, Unconstructed Manchild Xander cannot imagine Constructed Adult Xander being anything other than a trick, just as Young Xander can't imagine Old Xander as being anything other than the truth. The irony of Caleb's line when he blinds Xander ("You're the one who sees everything, aren't you?") is that Xander is always seeing everyone else so clearly because he can't see himself.

[timeofchange.livejournal.com]

Lots of wonderful insight in this post and comments.