How Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 5 Premiere Redefined Glory

Vampires in fiction trace back to the 18th century, but these undead stock villains only became a fleshed-out archetype in Bram Stoker’s 1897 gothic horror, Dracula. In Stoker’s book, the Count serves as a layered metaphor for social taboos and pestilence, while his move from Transylvania to England presents themes of xenophobia.

Ever since, Dracula has evolved into an enduring figure, often treated as the final boss in most vampiric tier lists. Dracula has appeared in everything from Nosferatu (1922) to Blade (1998). He typically symbolizes a grand threat that must be defeated before it is too late.

The season 5 premiere of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, however, does not treat Dracula with such reverence. Titled “Buffy vs. Dracula,” the episode features Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) being confronted by Count Dracula (Rudolf Martin), who unceremoniously appears in Sunnydale to seek out the renowned Slayer.

“Get out!” Buffy retorts with skepticism after her first meeting with the Count, initially dismissing him as a “fanboy” like the countless vampires who “call themselves Lestat.” The rest unfolds as an expectedly campy showdown between the Slayer and the Count, turning “Buffy vs. Dracula” into a fun yet lackluster season premiere.

What is Buffy vs. Dracula about?

Buffy has juggled her fated Slayer duties and turbulent adolescence since the show began. By the season 5 premiere, Buffy is not waiting for threats to reveal themselves. Instead, she actively seeks monsters and appears addicted to the thrill of the hunt. Her mentor Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) feels he has outgrown his usefulness and tells Buffy about his plans to return home to England at the beginning of the episode. While navigating the anxiety of Giles’ impending departure and her own affinity for darkness, Buffy deals with Dracula in a no-nonsense way.

“Buffy vs. Dracula” deliberately draws from Stoker’s novel to subvert expectations. Dracula transforms into a wolf and a bat while exerting mental influence over humans. Buffy’s friend Xander (Nicholas Brendon) becomes the Count’s bug-eating devotee, much like Renfield, and Giles is seduced by three vampiric brides, much like Jonathan Harker in the original novel.

During the final battle between Buffy and Dracula, the Slayer falls under the vampire’s thrall like Mina Harker, but promptly snaps out of it to stake the Count. These subversions remain characteristically tongue-in-cheek, with Buffy managing to stake Dracula a second time when he attempts to resurrect himself.

Buffy’s season 5 premiere is a fun subversion of gothic horror tropes

There are glimmers of seriousness in this campy episode. Dracula correctly identifies that the Slayer’s power is rooted in darkness. “You must feel it,” he tells Buffy, who responds with a quippy, “No. You know what I feel? Bored.” There is a kernel of truth in Dracula’s assessment of Buffy’s evolving outlook as a Slayer, as she is forced into a more ruthless headspace after experiencing acute grief and loss. Buffy’s adventures have made her extremely world-weary, pointing to a loss of innocence and a more ambiguous moral compass.

Even so, the episode staunchly rejects the cliched trope of passive women being corrupted by Dracula’s evil. Buffy is no damsel in distress. At one point, her boyfriend Riley (Marc Blucas) races to save Buffy from the main villain, but she has already saved herself and the day by the time he arrives. In a similar vein, Buffy refuses to succumb to Dracula’s thrall because she rejects outdated patriarchal notions about female sexuality and gender roles.

As for Dracula himself, he differs from the show’s traditionally quirky antagonists-of-the-week. Although his affected accent and archaic prose add a comedic element, Dracula feels deliberately out of place in Sunnydale. He is a relic of a bygone era, representing Victorian sensibilities that violently clash with a postmodern world where women are no longer defined by moral purity. Someone as competent as Buffy Summers is not destined to become one of Dracula’s brides. Instead, she chooses the role of a righteously bloodthirsty Slayer who resists the temptation of immortality to do the right thing.

“Buffy vs. Dracula” will not be remembered as one of the best episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but it remains a compelling one-off where a legendary monster is defeated with campy ease. While Buffy wrestles with conflicting impulses throughout the episode and the rest of the show, she hardly breaks a sweat while driving a wooden stake through an ancient, undead heart.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is streaming on Hulu.

Source: Polygon