Buffy Star Reveals What They Would Change About The Show And It Makes Complete Sense
Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s Kristine Sutherland recently said she wished the show had delved more into Buffy’s mom’s work life. Sutherland played Buffy’s mom Joyce in every season of the beloved series, and though she was an important character, Sutherland would like to have seen her given more dimension.
Certainly, Joyce had an arc—from pushing against Buffy’s calling to being her fierce ally—but she also lacked the work-life dimension Sutherland felt the series could have given her.
Kristine Sutherland, who plays Buffy’s mom in Buffy the Vampire Slayer wishes the series showed more of her life as a single, working mother.
The Buffy the Vampire Slayer actor appeared on The Rewatcher podcast recently where she shared her thoughts about the portrayal of Joyce’s professional life. Sutherland reflected on her character’s importance in the series and on her role in Buffy’s life, expressing only one regret about the show. Oddly enough, it began with pants.
Reflecting on her Buffy the Vampire Slayer wardrobe, Sutherland remarked that she was not dressed in the series like the high-powered lawyers she knew. Those women, she remarked, wore things like double-pleated pants—an item Joyce would never have worn in the version we saw.
For Sutherland, this change would have been particularly important from a feminist point of view.
It was that observation that gave rise to the thought that Buffy the Vampire Slayer could have given more depth to Joyce’s career and work life. For Sutherland, this would have been particularly important from a feminist point of view. The focus would have helped deliver the series’ message regarding gender equality.
The relationship between Buffy and her mother on Buffy the Vampire Slayer was always an important part of its overall story and of the development of Buffy as a character. So it makes sense that the series could have benefitted from giving more details of Joyce’s life outside of her daughter. It also makes sense that Sutherland would love her character and want to be able to explore more of her.
And while Buffy the Vampire Slayer was primarily focused on, well, Buffy, it stands to reason that the people who were important to her should be given development.
“But you know, it’s like—and because I thought that that was an important part of the feminist story is that I would have liked to have explored more of Joyce’s work life.”
Kristine Sutherland
Certainly other characters were, perhaps especially Willow, though across seven seasons there was a lot of opportunity for every character to grow. Still, it would have been interesting to see how Joyce handled daily life as a single, working mother whose daughter just happens to be the Slayer.
In any case, Buffy the Vampire Slayer remains a classic and, despite her minor regret regarding the portrayal of Joyce’s career, Sutherland seems happy with her work and with the opportunity to continue talking about the role and the series all these years later, double-pleated pants or not.
