Top Ten Whedonverse Women: 9. Darla (Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel)
Darla: Why is everybody trying to make this about Angel? I mean, for God’s sake, can’t a woman wreak a little havoc without there being a man involved?
MY DARLING VICIOUS VAMPIRE QUEEN. THE ONLY VAMPIRE I HONESTLY CARE FOR IN THIS ‘VERSE. I would write more about Darla, but I don’t need to. If you watched these shows and didn’t love Darla YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG. And I pity you. The only thing I wanted more for Darla and didn’t get was a decent enough exploration of her past as a prostitute. I am nothing if not consistent. Of course, Mutant Enemy would’ve found a way to fuck that up, so I’m glad the only thing we get is a dying woman in bed affirming how much she’s been able to live. THIS WOMAN ON HER DEATHBED IS RUBBING THE AWESOMENESS OF HER LIFE IN OTHER PEOPLE’S FACES—ON THE FACE OF SOMEONE SHE THINKS IS A PRIEST! Darla is, for lack of better words, a rollercoaster ride in hell. Her promise to bring is Liam into a life of excitement is very much genuine. She is vicious and passionate and her love for Angelus burns and burns until there’s eventually nothing left but their resentment and disgust towards one another. Then they start moving on. And then Connor comes along, and their relationship is stunning again. If there’s ever been a great “divorced couple” narrative on television, THIS IS FUCKING IT. I am not even sorry for all the caps. I fucking love Darla. EVERYTHING ABOUT HER IS JUST STUNNING. Just do yourself a huge fucking favor and watch the second and third seasons of this show.
Darla: I wanna say I’m sorry. I wanna say it and mean it, but I can’t. Aren’t you gonna tell me it’s okay?
Angel: No.
Darla: No. It’s really not, is it? We did so many terrible things together. So much destruction, so much - pain. We can’t make up for any of it. You know that, don’t you?
REDEMPTION ARCS THOUGH! THIS SCENE KILLS ME EVERY SINGLE FUCKING TIME. Everything about her wanting to love Connor, knowing she’s not going to be able to…FUCK. I mean, yes, it’s another site of the show’s problematic killing off female characters via mystical pregnancies, but it’s such a natural, beautiful, and tragic progression of her character at this point. Idek. I hate that Skip implies that this was all set in motion by Jasmine. WAY TO POINT OUT HOW YOUR TEXT IS FUCKED UP, WHEDON.
Anyways, I love love LOVE Darla. I almost have trouble with the fact that she’s ranked this low on my list, but that probably speaks more to the fact that we had so little time with her than anything else, as well as to the fact that I do have other narratives I generally prefer. The Whedonverse, despite its many issues, does not lack for incredible female characters.
