Angel Used The Same Awful Trope 3 Times (& It Ruined The Buffy Spinoff)
The Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff, Angel, developed many Buffyverse characters much more thoroughly than the original show, but they also used the same trope three times to ultimately ruin the show's reputation. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was an iconic feminist show for its day that empowered its numerous female characters, so the audiences held Angel to that same standard to empower their female characters as well. At first, Angel delivered three female characters who were distinct and interesting in their own unique ways, but ultimately the show destroyed them all with the mystical pregnancy trope.
The trope of mystical pregnancy occurs when a character becomes pregnant or their pregnancy is affected by otherworldly or supernatural forces. Mystical pregnancy can be used to allow a character to question their origins and purpose (as is explored in Steven Universe), or manifest the underlying fears of pregnancy (explored in Rosemary’s Baby andAmerican Horror Story). The trope is often used (as it is used in Angel) to remove a female character’s autonomy over her own body, and instead focuses the narrative on how the pregnancy affects those around the mother rather than the mother herself.
Related: Buffy The Vampire Slayer vs. Angel: Which Is The Better TV Show (& Why)
The writers of Angel used mystical pregnancy to sacrifice its most nuanced female characters in service of exploring the pain of its male characters, which undercut the Buffyverse’s feminist origins. Angel's most emotionally engaging female villain alongside the only two female mainstay characters became hosts for a supernatural entity and were ultimately killed off in the birthing process. Afterward, Angel then focused on how the birth/death affected the
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