Author's Note: I am reviewing the series-long story arc of a specific character In Buffy: the Vampire Slayer. There are, naturally, spoilers. I will attempt to keep them to a minimum.
So I have decided to discuss the character arc of a seemingly trivial character in the Buffyverse: Jonathan (played by Danny Strong). He was beaten down, targeted by dangerous creatures, and managed to survive some truly horrific events. Still, he’s an average person in a world of superheroes, secret agents and mind-control devices?
Let's start with the parts of his life that are the most...well, I want to say normal. But let’s face it, normal is relative in Sunnydale.
We first see him when a beautiful woman tries to kiss him. Not so bad, right? Except that she drains youth from people with a kiss, leaving them as semi-preserved corpses. Fortunately for our boy, he was accidentally saved by Xander.
We next see him on a date with Cordelia- a beautiful woman, entirely human. He is a lap-dog of a date. Seems she was tired of her traditional pretty-boy. She also grows tired of Jonathan soon enough, and they have gone their separate ways by the following week. I think that Jonathan took half a second to stand up for himself and was immediately dumped by Cordelia, based on my knowledge of the characters.
In the second episode of the third season, when Buffy and her friends are arguing at a party, Buffy asks,
"Does anyone else want to chime in? How about you, by the dip?"
Jonathan, separated from everybody else by at least five feet, holds a chip inches from his mouth and says 'No, I'm good."
This is a great example of his character: sad and funny. He’s around for the action, but manages to be forgotten by his classmates. Even the average viewer likely forgets him by the end of the episode.
He represents the loser that so many have felt like. He is, in some ways, sadder than the full outcast. He is the hungry orphan, nose pressed against the restaurant window, watching people dine on the joys of life.
Later that year, Cordelia is presented to him as a joke her former friends play on her, after she breaks up with Xander. Jonathan, is minding his own business, reading his book. There is so much despair on his face. He conveys deep embarrassment without a word. Whether they did this as a reference to her previous date with him is uncertain. One way or another, he was a joke. Perhaps the worst part was that they laughed not at him, but at the idea that someone would date him.
The despair manifests in a later episode in a very gripping way. Buffy, trying to save the school, finds Jonathan preparing to use a gun. She berates him for ignoring the pain of everyone else. She points out that they feel the same pain he does. We see that, despite his troubles, he doesn't want to hurt them. He wasn't up there to hurt anyone but himself.
They make clear that, by the end of the episode, he is doing better. We find out later that he entered counseling. This is good - anybody with that kind of despair needs to find someone to talk to, some way to release the pain.
It gets better, I promise.
So, he reaches out. He becomes part of his school community. Part enough to be the one who presents Buffy a new award at Prom, dubbing her "Class Protector". He smiles and shows gratitude. It's an important step in his personal growth. Yes, he's there to once again represent a group of people, but it's also a big moment for his character, the one who represents a person instead of just a role.
I'd like to end the character arc there. But it takes a darker turn. You can see his struggles, his attempts to be good and save people.
He fights a group of vampires, rather courageously, with his classmates at graduation. In a sense, it’s the ultimate team building exercise. Here, he gets a small taste of being the hero.
Later, in an attempt to magically solve his problems, he casts a spell. It makes him into the ideal and augments him with the good qualities people strive for. Who wouldn't jump at the chance to be superhuman? But it comes with a price; magic always does. Or, as Anya would later put it, it comes with a "free gift with purchase."
In this case, the price/gift is a monster that represents people’s negative qualities. It represents dark feelings made real. And by the rules of the spell, he can't fight it.
The spell is broken. People who remember feel betrayed. He apologizes, and tries to make amends by offering advice to Buffy. He shows himself, again, to be a good person who made a wrong choice.
I don't know why it took me so long, but I realized just now what a metaphor it is for his previous plans with the gun. He wants attention, he does something foolish and dangerous, and the only way out of it is with help from others.
Jonathan later joins two of his friends to be supervillains. But even then, his villainy is not cruelty. He doesn't want others killed or injured. Where the other members of his group are okay with breaking a few eggs, Jonathan doesn’t really want an omelet. He turns again to the good side, and helps Buffy, to a degree.
In Jonathan's final episode (well, kind of), he attempts to save Sunnydale. He wants to prove himself as valuable to Buffy, so he can become a legitimate good guy. Rather than trying magic or a dramatic gesture, he actually tries. He makes a touching speech and we realize he's okay. It's okay at that point for his story arc to end; he is a character. We might not actually see Jonathan again, but we can cheer for his personal triumph as we cry for him.
I'm sorry, was that ending unclear? Well, there are plenty of places to find clear endings. But this blog, in this entry, is not one of them. I hope you enjoy Jonathan's character arc as much as I did.
Author's Note: If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. If that number is not available when you read this, please do a search for suicide prevention hotlines and get help.
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