Women Have the Real Power

In the episode "Harvest", we see much more teamwork than we did in the first episode. Willow, Xander, and Giles now help Buffy fight the vampires and prevent the Harvest from ending the world. Although she does get some help, she still takes responsibility for losing Jesse when Xander blames himself. When Xander tries to help her, she tells him “I’m the slayer and you’re not,” showing her power and control over all vampire matters (Season 1, Episode 2).

I found it interesting that when Buffy allows the others to help her, Willow is given a task, while Xander is not. It seems in this scene that skillful and intelligent women can help and handle the extremity of the situation, while silly boys who want to use brute force cannot. Another difference in power between men and women in this episode is when Angel tells Buffy about the Harvest. He tells Buffy he is too scared to try to stop the Harvest. In response, Buffy tells him she is not afraid, and will do everything in her power to stop it. This scene really pointed out Buffy’s strength as a woman who doesn’t fear that which strong men like Angel fear.

This episode sets the stage for how we will see Buffy’s power and ability as a woman develop over the series. She uses her skills to prevent the end of the world, to save everyone at Bronze, and to kill Luke in order to prevent the master from walking the earth and opening the mouth of hell. As Giles speaks of more hurdles to come, Buffy replies, “I can hardly wait” (Season 1, Episode 2).