Lydia (Buffyverse)
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 Screenshot from "Checkpoint" |
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Lydia was a fictional character in the TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, appearing in the Season 5 Episode "Checkpoint" and the Season 7 Episode, "Never Leave Me". She was portrayed by Cynthia Lamontagne.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Lydia was a Watcher who travelled to Sunnydale with Quentin Travers to visit Buffy Summers. She questioned Spike when the Council were 'testing' Buffy. Standing a distance away from the Vampire (despite his inability to hurt humans), she blushingly announces "I wrote my thesis on you!". Lydia and the other Watchers eventually share information with the Scooby Gang, and return to England.
Two years later the Watcher's Council are facing a tough time battling against a strike by The First Evil. The First, using Caleb as its agent, has the entire Council blown up, killing Lydia among many others.
[edit] Lydia Chalmers' "Thesis on William the Bloody"
- The Thesis can be downloaded below
[edit] Creation
A fan-created document, the Thesis was produced by a collaborative effort of seventeen writers. It was written as if it had actually been completed by Lydia Chalmers. It was warmly received by Buffy internet fandom, and even recommended by the academic online journal Slayage [1]
[edit] Content
It is a comprehensive guide to the vampire known as William the Bloody. Chapters include the history of the 'Line of Aurelius' which includes comments about the debate over Spike's siredom, and there is even a chapter on Spike's 'Feeding habits'. Clem was used as a witness in this chapter, he revealed that Spike always liked the "pretty girls". All the main chapter headings can be seen in the table below:
| Chapter | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Summary of Known Information |
| 2 | The Order of Aurelius |
| 3 | An Alternate Theory of Vampirism |
| 4 | Appearance and Habitat |
| 5 | Feeding Habits |
| 6 | Preferred Victims |
| 7 | Sexual Idiosyncrasies |
| 8 | Torture |
| 9 | Other Known Idiosyncrasies |
| 10 | Pre-Death Biography |
| 11 | Summary of Strengths and Weaknesses |
| 12 | Conclusions |
[edit] Trivia
- The shooting script for "Checkpoint" reveals that the Watcher's name is 'Lydia' but her name is not revealed on-screen until two years later in the episode "Never Leave Me". Although Lydia's surname was not revealed in either episode, the uncanonical 'Thesis' has her surname as Chalmers.
[edit] Continuity
[edit] Canonical issues
The information is produced by fans and is therefore completely uncanonical, though it does not contradict anything from the television show. It does however contradict Buffy comics, for example the Chinese Slayer that Spike killed, named Xin Rong in the comics, is named "Chen Ma" in the thesis.
[edit] Timing
- The Thesis was supposed to have been completed in May 1998 around the same time that Angelus was causing havoc in Sunnydale. However, information is included in the thesis that could not have been known until later in the series, such as Spike's knowledge of the demonic language Fyarl. The thesis mentions that Giles was the source for this information, not discovered by him until the fourth season of Buffy.
- Stories that take place around the same time that the Thesis was completed:
| Location, time (if known) |
Buffyverse chronology: Fall 1997 - Spring 1998 (non-canon = italic) |
|---|---|
| Sunnydale, fall 1997 | B2.01 When She Was Bad |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Tales of the Slayers: Broken Bottle of Djinn, 1997 |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.02 Some Assembly Required |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Tales of the Vampires: The Problem with Vampires |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Buffy graphic novel: Spike & Dru: The Queen of Hearts |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.03 School Hard |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.04 Inca Mummy Girl |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.05 Reptile Boy |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Buffy graphic novel: Dust Waltz |
| Sunnydale, October 1997 | B2.06 Halloween |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.07 Lie to Me |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Buffy book: Keep Me In Mind |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Buffy book: The Suicide King |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Buffy book: Colony |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Buffy book: Night Terrors |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.08 The Dark Age |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.09 What's My Line, Part One |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.10 What's My Line, Part Two |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Buffy book: After Image |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | Buffy book: Carnival of Souls |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.11 Ted |
| Sunnydale, 1997 | B2.12 Bad Eggs |
| Boston, December 1997 - June 1998 | Buffy book: Go Ask Malice: A Slayer's Diary |
| Sunnydale, 1997/8 | Buffy book: Blooded |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | B2.13 Surprise |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | B2.14 Innocence |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | B2.15 Phases |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | B2.16 Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | B2.17 Passion |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | Buffy graphic novel: Ring of Fire |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | B2.18 Killed by Death |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | B2.19 I Only Have Eyes for You |
| Sunnydale, 1998 | B2.20 Go Fish |
| Sunnydale, spring 1998 | B2.21 Becoming, Part One |
| Sunnydale, spring 1998 | B2.22 Becoming, Part Two |
| Sunnydale, spring 1998 | Buffy graphic novel: Spike & Dru: Paint the Town Red |
[edit] External links
[edit] Lydia's Thesis
[edit] Main pages
[edit] Internet reaction
- Whedonesque.com Whedonesquers discuss the Thesis
- Teaattheford.net - Content and discussion - Includes entire Thesis followed by comments from posters.
[edit] Lydia's Journal
- Watchergrrl.livejournal.com - 'Lydia's diaries - From 1997 whilst she was writing her Thesis.
- Teaattheford.net - Discussion - Includes all the journal entries, followed by comments posters.
[edit] References
1 Slayage.tv - The academic "Online Journal" recommends the Thesis.
[edit] See also
[edit] Buffyverse oddities
- In chronological order of Buffyverse continuity:
- History of the Slayer
- Unaired Buffy pilot
- Lydia Chalmers' "Thesis on William the Bloody"
- Christmas Buffy promo
- Corrupt (unaired Angel episode)
- Unaired Angel pilot
- Buffy Season 6 UPN promos: Scooby Gang talk about Buffy
