Minor characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following are minor fictional characters in the U.S. television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
[edit] Individual characters
[edit] Humans
[edit] Billy Fordham
Billy Fordham is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He makes his only appearance in the episode "Lie to Me".
In the Lie to Me episode, the Billy "Ford" Fordham character poses ethical dilemmas. Ford and Buffy were once classmates in Los Angeles before Buffy moved to Sunnydale. He came to Sunnydale and enrolled in Sunnydale High School in an attempt to reunite with Buffy.
Later, his true motive for coming to Sunnydale is revealed. He wants to become a vampire, because he is dying from cancer, and he believes that it is better to live forever as a vampire rather than to die riddled with tumors.
This causes ethical dilemmas for Buffy. She struggles with the idea of staking an old friend who wants to escape his unfortunate situation. Is it right to kill someone who is willing to sacrifice innocent people so that he can be free from cancer? To complicate matters, he will later need to subsist on human blood, because he will lose his soul after being sired by a vampire.
Buffy decides that Ford has no right to sacrifice others, and she rescues Ford's intended victims from Spike, Drusilla, and the other vampires who have come to kill the naive teens. Returning later to the scene, Buffy buries Ford's lifeless body. As she and Giles keep a vigil at his grave, Ford rises, a vampire, and Buffy stakes him. Afterward, she asks Giles, "Does it get any easier?" He replies, "What do you want me to say?" Buffy answers, "Lie to Me," which echoes the whole situation she had faced with regard to Ford's duplicity.
Ford was played by Jason Behr, who would later start on another teen-oriented fantasy series on The WB, Roswell, and who would appear again with Sarah Michelle Gellar in the American remake of The Grudge.
[edit] Edna Giles
Edna Giles is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the comic book miniseries Tales of the Vampires, part of the Buffyverse, the fictional universe of the television programs Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
Born Edna Fairweather, Edna Giles was the grandmother of Rupert Giles, the official Watcher of the Vampire Slayer Buffy Summers.
In the television series, Giles mentions that his father had been a Watcher, as was his mother before him. Neither character is ever seen, named, or expanded upon in the series proper.
However, the Tales of the Vampires comic book miniseries includes a story by Joss Whedon that introduces the character of Edna as a young child undergoing training with the Watchers' Council. Edna (currently unmarried and still using her maiden name of "Fairweather") appears to be roughly ten years-old at the time. In the course of the story, she demonstrates herself to be extremely insightful; eventually outwitting two old and powerful vampires that had managed to deceive Edna's own teachers.
Edna admits to being in love with "the baker's boy" (who remains unnamed), the slightly older son of the family that runs the local "Giles' Bakery." The revelation of the baker's boy's identity and, by extension, Edna's own, is the surprise conclusion of the story. Although it is never made explicit, the certain implication is that Edna some day marries the baker's boy, takes the "Giles" surname, and gives birth to the father of Rupert Giles. The story closes with her noting that one day she might be telling "our grandchildren" about her recent adventure.
Also, there is an observation made by one of Edna's teachers that he "will be long gone from the Council by the time she's running it." This would seem to imply that Edna Giles eventually became a leading member of the Council, perhaps even the Council head like the later Quentin Travers.
[edit] Hank Summers
| Hank Summers | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dean Butler as Hank Summers |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Hank Summers was a fictional character in the U.S. television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He was the father of Buffy Summers and Dawn Summers and the ex-husband of Joyce Summers. The character only appeared in four episodes and was played by Dean Butler.
Despite constant assurances from both parents, Buffy always felt she was the reason for their divorce. At first, Hank nominally tried to maintain a relationship with Buffy. During her sophomore year (the first year after the divorce) he and Buffy made plans for a father/daughter weekend. Although Buffy had fears that he would not show, he picked her up and both were genuinely happy to see each other. Buffy further spent the entire summer between her sophomore and junior years of high school in Los Angeles with him.
For Buffy's 18th birthday, Hank had planned to take her to the ice show. However he cancelled at the last minute.
Buffy later visited him in Los Angeles during her freshman year of college (making a brief stop to see Angel.)
Hank's character was developed further (without benefit of an actor) into the archetype of an upper-class deadbeat dad. Despite relative wealth and prosperity, Hank could not be relied on to keep his promises nor would he play the role of the father. When Buffy last heard from Hank, he had moved to Spain with his secretary. She was unable to contact him when her mother died (season 5). Dawn indicates in "Bargaining" that she has spoken with her father at some point over the summer between seasons 5 and 6, but she and the others are hiding Buffy's death from him.
Hank's last appearance ("Normal Again," season 6) was in an alternate reality, out of continuity with the rest of the series.
[edit] Buffyverse appearances
In order of Buffyverse chronology. Canon appears in bold.
- The Weight of the World - Flashback to Dawn's birth.
- Becoming, Part I - Flashback to when Buffy is called as the Slayer, he is heard arguing with Joyce.
- Nightmares - Partly Living Nightmare, Part Real
- How I Survived My Summer Vacation
- When She Was Bad
- Power of Persuasion
- Normal Again - Hallucination or glimpse of reality - Buffy sees her father.
[edit] Janice Penshaw
Janice Penshaw was a fictional character on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, portrayed by Amber Tamblyn. She was a school friend of Dawn's and was mentioned repeatedly, though only shown on screen once.
Janice's only appearance was in "All the Way", the Halloween episode of season 6. She and Dawn conspired to sneak out, each telling her family that she was going to the other's house. Instead, the two met up with some older boys and embarked on a trip full of teenage mischief. The boys turned out to be vampires; they decided to turn Janice and Dawn into vampires, but were dusted by Giles and Dawn.
After this, Dawn and Janice were still allowed to socialize, but Janice was not seen on screen again.
[edit] Katrina Silber
| Katrina Silber | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Amelinda Embry as Katrina Silber |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Katrina Silber was a minor recurring character on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She was present in one episode of season 5 and two episodes of season 6.
Katrina met Warren at college, just after he had finished building April, his robot sex machine. Warren was so enamored with Katrina that he abandoned the robot in favor of her. However, the robot tracked him down and nearly killed Katrina. Disgusted with Warren, Katrina broke up with him.
The next year Warren and his friends created a mind control device that turned any woman into a sex slave. Warren used the device on Katrina, but the effects were short lived. When she returned to normal, she was furious and threatened to report Warren's activities to the police. In the ensuing fight, Warren accidentally killed Katrina while trying to stop her from leaving. He later used magic in an attempt to frame Buffy for her death. The plan almost worked, but Buffy realized the connection between Warren & Katrina and deduced that Warren was responsible.
Her last appearance was as a spirit, conjured by Willow to torment Warren after he killed another woman, Willow's girlfriend, Tara. Katrina's spirit was understandably angry with Warren and suggested that she should have killed him before he killed her.
Katrina is a very independent, intelligent, and self-sufficient woman. What makes her different from the other strong women in the Buffy Universe is that she does not have supernatural powers with which to enforce her strength, and meets her death in an act of domestic violence.
[edit] Lydia
[edit] Merrick
| Merrick Jamison-Smythe | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Merrick Jamison-Smythe as seen in The Origin |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Merrick Jamison-Smythe is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon in the Buffyverse. He was portrayed canonically by Richard Riehle in the TV series, and not canonically by Donald Sutherland in the film.
Merrick was a member of the Watchers' Council, and the one who informed Buffy Summers that she was The Chosen One. He became her first Watcher, as Buffy had not been identified as a Potential Slayer.
Merrick's attitude toward his charge was sarcastic, tough, and stern, but he was truly concerned for her safety, as he had already trained two Slayers in the past, only to lose them to Lothos, a powerful vampire. Fearing that Lothos would turn him to get to the new Slayer, Merrick chose to commit suicide instead. Despite the short time under his training, Buffy managed to slay Lothos and his minions.
[edit] Canonical issues
- The film is not considered Buffyverse canon built by the later television series. The film stands by itself as largely separate.
- Buffy comics are not usually considered by fans as canon, although they do all require an approval from Joss Whedon and/or his office. However Christopher Golden used Joss Whedon's original script for the Buffy movie, and tied this limited series, The Origin, closely to continuity established by the television show. For example, the burning down of the gym takes place which is mentioned several times on the show. For this reason, some fans argue this comic deserves a place in canon. Merrick appeared in the comic looking like he had in the flashback seen in the episode "Becoming Part One".
- Whedon stated about the comic, "The origin comic, though I have issues with it, CAN pretty much be accepted as canonical. They did a cool job of combining the movie script (the SCRIPT) with the series, that was nice, and using the series Merrick.." [1]
- Also, in the film, Merrick's original nationality was British, but in the series, was changed to American.
[edit] Olivia
| Olivia | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Phina Oruche as Olivia |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Olivia was an occasionally recurring character on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character was played by Phina Oruche and appeared in three episodes total.
Olivia was an English woman of African descent and an old friend of Rupert Giles. Olivia & Giles had a short-lived romantic relationship in season four. Anya once referred to Olivia as Giles' "orgasm friend." Although she still lived in England, Olivia visited Giles on three occasions. She was first introduced in "The Freshman" and was in Sunnydale during the events of "Hush". At the end of "Hush", Olivia revealed she was not comfortable with Giles' role in battling the forces of evil. She appeared pregnant and pushing an empty baby stroller in Giles' dream sequence during "Restless" but was otherwise not seen again on the show. All three episodes in which she appeared were written and directed by creator Joss Whedon
[edit] Interracial relationships
Olivia was in one of the show's few interracial relationships. In the seventh season (particularly in the episode "First Date"), Buffy briefly considered dating Principal Robin Wood, an African-American character, but nothing came of their flirtation. In the same episode, Xander enjoyed a flirtation with a young African-American woman named "Maya," oblivious to her demonic lineage and sinster intentions. Later, the character Faith did involve herself with Robin.
[edit] Parker Abrams
| Parker Abrams | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Adam Kaufman as Parker Abrams. |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Parker Abrams was a minor recurring character on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He appeared in several episodes from the fourth season. The character is portrayed by Adam Kaufman.
Buffy meets Parker soon after her studies begin at UC Sunnydale. He initially gives her the impression of a suave and sensitive young man, with courteous manners and good looks. Eventually, Buffy grows attracted to the emotionally direct Parker and the two form a seemingly intimate relationship after Parker makes several confessions on his life to her. He and Buffy eventually sleep together. While Buffy feels that that encounter represented an emotional bond, Parker just considers it to be physical gratification, a moment of "healthy fun". Buffy expects Parker to contact her, which he never does. She eventually confronts him, but he is mostly cold and aloof, and Buffy soon realizes that the emotional intimacy she felt she had experienced with Parker was part of his calculated method to attract girls. Upon seeing him repeat the conversation he had with her to various other girls, Buffy is left heartbroken, and her best friend Willow confronts Parker over what had happened. During that conversation, Parker attempts to seduce Willow, who initially plays along as a joke but soon reveals she has seen through him and verbally attacks him. Later in the season, Buffy's new love interest Riley punches Parker after he makes some rude comments about her, an event which leads him to acknowledge his growing attraction to Buffy. Parker is seen only a few more times, most notably when Buffy, having assumed a cavewoman's persona as a result of imbibing enchanted beer, rescues him from a fiery death -- and then knocks him unconscious when he tries to apologize for his earlier behavior.
The character is not portrayed as a villain in the series' narrative, but rather as an unfortunate rebound relationship for Buffy, who is starting her new life as a college student and is also trying to get over her separation from Angel.
[edit] Pike
A mutual dislike formed between LA High School students Pike and Buffy Summers. However, after the death of the Slayer's Watcher Merrick while attempting to slay the vampire king Lothos, Pike helped her to take out Lothos' vampires. Although Pike became attracted to Buffy, no serious relationship had time to form.
After Buffy was expelled from LA, she and Pike patrolled the streets for vampires at night. The two visited Las Vegas in an attempt to remove a vampire nest. Pike left Buffy, believing that the Slayer could not afford friends or loved ones. Buffy went back to L.A., continuing her slayer duties, as Pike left.
He briefly returned to Sunnydale in Sins of the Father.
Around 2002 he showed up again in Notes from the Underground to help Buffy defeat a fascist demon group, the Scourge.
[edit] Buffyverse appearances
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer film
- The Origin
- Viva Las Buffy
- Sins of the Father
- Note from the Underground
[edit] Canonical issues
- The film is not considered Buffyverse canon built by the later television series. The film stands by itself as largely separate. Pike was played by Luke Perry in the film.
- Buffy comics are not usually considered by fans as canon. However they all require an approval from Joss Whedon's and/or his office. Christopher Golden did use Joss Whedon's original script for the 'Buffy movie', and tied this comic series closely to continuity established by the television show. For example, the burning down of the gym takes place which is mentioned several times on the show. For this reason, some fans argue that The Origin comic deserves a place in canon, whilst Viva Las Buffy may be considered less canonical, and Sins of the Father even less canonical.
[edit] Principal Flutie
Principal Robert ("Bob") Flutie is a fictional character in the U.S. television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He was played by Ken Lerner.
Introduced in the series opener "Welcome to the Hellmouth", Principal Flutie was eaten alive by possessed students episode six ("The Pack").
Unlike his successor Principal Snyder, Flutie was dedicated to helping students. He is a parody of the educator who seeks to "understand his students better" and who believes in student-centered education, concern himself with students' self-esteem and socialization. Snyder later quips, "It's that kind of fuzzy-headed liberal thinking that leads to being eaten." Not that Snyder can escape the same fate.
[edit] Tucker Wells
Tucker Wells (played by Brad Kane aka Caleb Kane) summons demonic dogs to attack the Prom in the season three episode "The Prom"). He is best known as the brother of Andrew Wells. As Andrew's identity is constantly forgotten, Tucker serves as a handy point of reference. Although Tucker only appears in one episode of the show, Brad Kane actually returned to the show in the fourth season episode "Superstar" as the singing voice for Jonathan Levinson.
[edit] Willy the Snitch
| Willy the Snitch | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Saverio Guerra as Willy the Snitch |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Willy the Snitch was a minor fictional character on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He owned a bar frequented by demons and was privy to their gossip. The name of the bar was not established before season four, when it was revealed that is was called "Willy's Place".
Willy was a double-crossing human being, who basically followed instructions or requests if money was provided but he sometimes assisted Buffy and other times betrayed her. He was often accused of "playing both sides against the middle." Characters, both good and bad, tended to beat up Willy for information; this was somewhat of a running gag. In the season three episode "Enemies", Xander bragged about beating information out of Willy "personally", but then admitted that he just bribed Willy for $28.
Willy the Snitch was played by Saverio Guerra.
[edit] Other types of characters
[edit] Absalom
Absalom is a fictional character in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Before arriving in Sunnydale, the vampire Absalom had been doing The Master's bidding elsewhere and was not present for the destruction of the Master. Absalom then became mouth piece and guardian to the Anointed One and the leader of what was left of the Order of Aurelius. He tried to resurrect the Master with the Anointed One's help, but failed. He died when Buffy set him on fire by shoving a flaming torch into his face.
[edit] Anointed One
- See Anointed One
[edit] Balthazar
Balthazar is a heavily overweight demon played by Christian Clemenson. He appears in the episode "Bad Girls" looking for his amulet which will make him very powerful. His minions are a group of vampires called "El Eliminati".
[edit] Buffybot
- See Buffybot
[edit] Cheese Man
The Cheese Man appeared in last episode of season four, "Restless" and also later, for only a second in Andrew and Jonathan's nightmare in the season seven episode "Storyteller". He is a guy talking about, wearing, and holding (at one point shaking) cheese in the gang's dreams. The Cheese Man was played by David Wells.
[edit] Clem
- See Clem
[edit] Dalton
- See Dalton
[edit] Jesse McNally
- See Jesse McNally
[edit] Jinx
- See Jinx
[edit] The Judge
- See Judge
[edit] Kakistos
- See Kakistos
[edit] Kathy Newman
Kathy Newman (played by Dagney Kerr) appears in the first two episodes of season four. She is Buffy's first roommate at her UC-Sunnydale campus dormitory. In the first episode of season four, she is portrayed as an overly-eager and annoyingly cheery teenage girl, who wanted "a stable non-smoker" for a roommate.
In the second episode of season 4, Kathy and Buffy begin to have serious disagreements. Kathy plays Cher's "Believe" on repeat loop, is extremely meticulous in labeling everything (right down to her eggs), and is more of a neat freak than Buffy can handle. Buffy begins to act uncharacteristically hostile towards Kathy, and at first her friends believe it is simply due to Buffy's upbringing as an only child. Later it is revealed that Kathy is in fact a demon who had fled her own dimension to go to college. Her clan was about to locate her, so she performed a series of spells to mask her presence from them--spells that temporarily removed Buffy's soul. In the end, Buffy reverses the spell and Kathy is transported back to her demon dimension. Willow, who has gone through her own roommate problems, moves in with Buffy afterwards.
(Note: Buffy remains an only child during this mini-arc as the arrival of Dawn, which will change characters' memories, has not happened yet.)
[edit] Luke
Luke is a vampire in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Luke meets Buffy Summers in "Welcome to the Hellmouth" (the first Buffy episode), and she kills him in "The Harvest" (the second Buffy episode).
When we meet The Master, he is trapped in the Hellmouth under Sunnydale. He has a once-in-a-century opportunity to escape in a ritual called The Harvest, which calls for him to use the strongest of his brood (Luke) as his "Vessel." The only way to prevent The Master's escape is for Buffy to kill the Vessel.
At the end of "Welcome to the Hellmouth", Luke flings Buffy into a stone coffin and it looks like he's going to kill her. At the beginning of "The Harvest", she escapes. When Buffy and Luke meet again for a fight to the finish at The Bronze, she defeats him using subterfuge: she tricks him into thinking it is daytime and breaks a window. While he is distracted, she stakes him.
- "The sleeper will awaken. And the world will bleed." - Luke
Luke is a powerful member of the Order of Aurelius, and is the right-hand vamp of The Master. The last time (before Buffy) that someone fought Luke and lived was in 1843 in Madrid.
[edit] Murk
Murk is a fictional character from the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
He was a minor recurring character during season 5. He was a demon and worshipped Glory, whom he served as a minion.
Murk was portrayed by Todd Duffey.
[edit] Olaf
Olaf was a gigantic troll character introduced in the BtVS season five episode "Triangle". It is revealed that he was once a human being in a relationship with Anya (who at the time was human and called Aud.) He cheated on her and so she transformed him into a troll as punishment for his behaviour (this is how she got the job as a vengeance demon.) He later appears in human form in a flashback sequence in the season seven episode "Selfless". Olaf's hammer was used by Buffy herself during her battle against Glory in the episode "The Gift".
Olaf was played by Abraham Benrubi.
[edit] Rack
- See Rack
[edit] Sid the Dummy
- See Sid the Dummy
[edit] Sweet
| Sweet | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Hinton Battle as Sweet |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Sweet is the name of the Demon in the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Once More, With Feeling". He is portrayed by Hinton Battle.
Sweet is a smooth-talking demon with an ironic sense of humour (sarcastically telling the Scoobies at the end of the episode that "they beat the bad guy", when in fact he leaves smugly) and a lazy eye. He has hypnotic and/or magical powers which enable him to control others; as he demonstrates by making Dawn and others sing and dance (and as he makes them dance he flexes his fingers, like a puppeteer pulling the strings of a marionette). He is boastful by nature, and is only too happy to drop famous historical names such as Nero (claiming he bought him "his very first fiddle"). He has a talent for dancing and singing. Even though his pride is only too apparent throughout the episode, he is reluctant to tell Buffy his name (instead saying, "I've got a hundred").
When he is summoned via an incantation he is freed, and when Dawn puts on his amber pendant, he uses his three ventriloquist's dummy-like henchmen to kidnap her and take her to The Bronze. It is there he reveals that he is to blame for the singing, dancing and spontaneous combustion of so many of Sunnydale's citizens; and because he believes she summoned him, he will take her down to the underworld to be his queen. He tells one of his underlings to tell Buffy that Dawn is here (once Dawn lets slip that her sister is the Slayer), to lure her into a trap. However, his trap to kill the severely depressed Buffy is foiled when Spike rescues her, and it is revealed that Dawn merely stole the pendant from the shop and it was actually Xander who freed the demon. Sweet is less thrilled at the thought of having Xander as his queen, so he decides to "waive the clause - just this once". He then smugly tells the Scoobies that he has caused them to reveal all of their innermost secrets, worries and hostilities. He then vanishes, leaving the devastated Scoobies to sing one last song: the aptly-named "Where Do We Go From Here?"
The demon's name never appears in the episode, but is given as "Sweet" in the credits and shooting script.
[edit] Veruca
[edit] Whistler
[edit] Groups of characters
[edit] Vampire Slayers
[edit] Sunnydale High School students
- Devon MacLeish
- Fritz
- Owen Thurman
- Percy West
- Pete Clarner
- Scott Hope
[edit] Initiative members
- Forrest Gates
- Graham Miller
