Buffy the Vampire Slayerhas a complex legacy. The shockingallegations of misconduct made against series creatorJoss Whedonduring the production of the series have made ita difficult show to rewatch for many fans. However, it’s important to remember that the legacy ofBuffy the Vampire Slayerdoesn’t just belong to Whedon; the series’ excellent cast, writers, and fans are equally responsible for making Buffy a modern feminist icon.Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s early seasons represented the best of what young adult genre entertainment could be, even if some of its characters were failed by the lackluster later seasons. Although there are more than a few characters that were taken in disappointing directions, no one had an arc that was quite as confusing as Jonathan Levinson (Danny Strong). One of the show’s most inspiring characters went from being a hero to a villain before he was completely forgotten about.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
A young woman, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends.
Jonathan Was Initially Just a Background Character in ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’
Jonathan first started appearing inBuffy the Vampire Slayerduring the second season as a background character who is often bullied by the other students at Sunnydale High School.Buffy the Vampire Slayeris ultimately a show about outsiders, and Jonathan is more isolated than anyone.While Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) at least hasher best friends Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendon) and Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan)to rely on, Jonathan has no one to support him. AlthoughBuffy the Vampire Slayeradheres to some clichés within high school movies, Jonathan deals with bullies in a very realistic way. The show did a great job of showing how Jonathan dealt with isolation and depression.
In many early episodes ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer, Jonathan is nearly killed by some of the show’s “villains of the week.” He is nearly devoured by reptilian frat guys in the episode “Reptile Boy,” and isalmost killed by Spike’s (James Marsters) assassinsin “What’s My Line?” Buffy often comes to help Jonathan when he is in danger, but never views him as a burden. Unlike the other young men in Buffy’s class, Jonathan isn’t trying to make romantic advances on her. He is genuinely thankful and feels safer at school as a result of Buffy’s actions. Buffy is forced to keep her job as a Slayer a secret from many people that she is close to, even her mother Joyce (Kristine Sutherland). The appreciation she receives from people like Jonathan is sometimes all the thanks that she gets. Jonathan’s role shows why Buffy is so heroic, even if she doesn’t always consider herself to be one.
Jonathan Slowly Gains Confidence in Himself in ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’
The assistance that Buffy gives to Jonathan is explored best in a controversial episode of the series thatwas initially pulled from the broadcast schedule. In the episode “Earshot,” Buffy gains the power to read other people’s thoughts. After learning that Jonathan plans to bring a gun to school, Buffy thinks that he may be planning a massacre to get revenge on everyone who bullied him. However, Buffy soon realizes that Jonathan’s only intention is to kill himself. She is able to convince him that his life is valuable and to put the gun aside. It’s a powerful moment in whichBuffy the Vampire Slayerdealt with more realistic issues; it showed that the series was about more than just monsters and demons.
As a result of the confidence that Buffy gives him, Jonathan becomes a more heroic character. In one of the most powerful moments in the series, Jonathan presents Buffy with a special trophy in the episode “The Prom.” Jonathan acknowledges that while the other students at Sunnydale High School aren’t exactly sure what Buffy does, they know she has risked her life to help them. It feels particularly emotional coming from Jonathan, who owes more to Buffy than almost anyone else. Jonathan then joins Willow, Xander, Oz (Seth Green), and the other students at Sunnydale High School during theirdefense against the evil Mayor Wilkins(Harry Groener) in the Season 3 finale “Graduation Day.”
Jonathan Is Turned Into a Villain in ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’
Despite Jonathan’s considerable development as a hero,Buffy the Vampire Slayerchooses to make him a villain in the later seasons.Jonathan’s villainy is first introduced inthe Season 4 episode “Superstar,”where he uses magic to make himself the “hero” of the story. Jonathan creates a version of theBuffy the Vampire Slayeruniverse where everyone relies upon him, not Buffy. Although this was a thoughtful way to analyze toxic masculinity, it would have been far more effective if it was using a character other than Jonathan. It didn’t make sense for him to take Buffy for granted after she had saved his life.
Although the “Superstar” incident was a rather minor infraction, Jonathan becomes a straight-up villain inthe sixth seasonwhen he teams up with Warren Mears (Adam Busch) and Andrew Wells (Tom Lenk) to form “The Trio.” The three former Sunnydale High School students decide to become the new “Big Bads” after the defeat of Glory (Clare Kramer) in Season 5. At first, the Trio does little more than be an annoyance to Buffy and her friends; however, they eventually cause significant damage whenWillow’s girlfriend Tara Maclay (Amber Benson) is killed. Making Jonathan partially responsible for this was just insulting to the character; althoughhe had made mistakes, Jonathan was not a killer.
If the sixth season disrespected Jonathan, the seventh almost forgot about him. Jonathan is killed by Andrew in the episode “Conversations With Dead People,” and only returns a few other times in the season in flashbacks or as a ghostly presence. What’s surprising is that in the aftermath, Strong ended up having a terrific career as the writer ofDopesick, Game Change, Empire, Lee Daniels’ The Butler,and the final two installments withinThe Hunger Gamesfranchise. As a writer, he was able to give the proper conclusion to his characters that Jonathan never got.
Buffy the Vampire Slayeris streaming in the United States on Hulu.
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