Regarding the character of Principal Snyder, I feel it's worth considering that in his youth, a lot of other people weren't exactly very friendly towards him and excluded him, mostly on account of the fact he wasn't considered particularly physically attractive by their standards, so he never really made any friends. No one really wanted him as a friend; he was an outcast, an oddity, treated with contempt. Is it any small wonder then that he grew up to develop a very cold, stern personality and dislike children and young people? Yes, he could be a cruel bastard, but this is most likely due to a life of misery and never being understood. He may not have been that bad a guy when he was younger, but other forces twisted him into the person he eventually ended up as.
Anybody else not like BtVS anymore?
- Thread starter EJA
- Start date
EJA: Maybe you are just suffering from Buffy burn out. Reading the comics and novels can do that to you. Its a main reason why I dont subscribe to reading extended versions of a tv show. I picked up a buffy comic and flipped through it. It was awful. I also hear Whedon gave Buffy a lesbian encounter.
How original of him.
Anyways I just stick with the show and rewatch it every few years. Funny because I just bought the complete series and have started to rewatch. I sold my old dvds back in 2004 so its been 6 years since I last saw them. This is the fourth time I have watched seasons 1-4 and the third time for 5-7. Just as good as I remember but of course I remember most of the major plots so its not as suspenseful anymore.
How original of him. Anyways I just stick with the show and rewatch it every few years. Funny because I just bought the complete series and have started to rewatch. I sold my old dvds back in 2004 so its been 6 years since I last saw them. This is the fourth time I have watched seasons 1-4 and the third time for 5-7. Just as good as I remember but of course I remember most of the major plots so its not as suspenseful anymore.
Snyder did know very well what was going on, but he was keeping it secret because the authorities (i.e. the Mayor) wanted him to keep it a secret. He was a typical authoritarian personality, subservient to those more powerful than him, while taking pleasure in tormenting those he had the power over (the students). Exactly the kind of person I could never stand. I didn't have such a principal, but sadly, I knew some teachers who were just like that, taking their inferiority complexes on the students and treating them like crap.
And yeah, I have some empathy for Snyder (but not sympathy), but only as much as I have for... Warren. EJA apparently has more sympathy for Snyder than for Buffy, and doesn't grant her the kind of understanding he has for Snyder. He makes it look like Snyder was some poor powerless nerd in her school, while Buffy was a popular homecoming queen making fun of dateless nerds, when in fact neither is true at all. Buffy was neither popular by the time she moved to Sunnydale, and never made fun of any of the powerless students in her school, quite the opposite (Jonathan). But she was killing the monsters and saving the world while Snyder was constantly on her case (it's even worse when you know that he did know about the supernatural events) and even told her he enjoyed getting her expelled. ETA, you got the power dynamics backwards - he was in the position of power and he was the one constantly bullying her.
I take your point, I wouldn't say Snyder is evil, he is authoritarian but he does run a High School on a Hellmouth. It is interesting when see teenage Snyder in Band Candy and can see how he got that way
Exactly, that's my point. At least Buffy had some grace and respect and close friends. By all accounts, young Snyder had none of those things, which is what caused him to lose faith in humanity and turn into such a cold-hearted bastard.
I'd just like to draw attention to some of the things Spike said to Robin after defeating him:
"Unlike you, I had a mother who truly loved me back."
"I don't give a toss about your mum."
Add to that the fact he still keeps Nikki's coat as a trophy. Yeah, Spike's a really great guy.
I know a lot of the Spike-lovers won't agree with me, but I really feel this is important to keep in mind. Maybe Robin was wrong to try to kill Spike, but at least he had understandable reasons. Spike said what he said because it's in his self-centred asshole nature.
Sorry to resurrect this old discussion, but has anybody here read the BtVS novel One Thing or Your Mother? I haven't, but I've read about it, and it sounds quite interesting, with a main part of the plot being about Snyder's difficult relationship with his less-than-loving mother. What's this book like?
