Charisma Carpenter's accusations last week "felt like déjà vu to me, like I was stuck in the Buffy episode where time keeps repeating," says Alison Stine. "I thought Carpenter had already come forward — but maybe I was remembering how her character was totally annihilated and died off-camera? (Most pregnant characters on Whedon's shows suffered similar fates.) Or maybe I was remembering the allegations from Whedon's ex-wife Kai Cole of serial cheating and decades of psychological abuse? Or maybe I was just paying attention to the show, which wears its misogyny on its sleeve. Casual sexism seeps through most episodes, certainly each one written or directed by Whedon; my partner and I realized early on we could tell. Is there a joke about breasts? A joke conflating witchcraft with lesbianism? Is Xander (played by Nicolas Brendon, who has not commented on the abuse claims) aggressively pursuing Buffy even though she has repeatedly expressed disinterest? As a teenager, the sexism of Buffy, which I watched faithfully, was such a part of my own daily life, it barely registered. Whedon's show kinda seemed to hate women — but didn't everyone?" ALSO: Whedon showed what he thought of females in Dollhouse, which relied on the abuse, exploitation and objectification of women.
TOPICS: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon, Retro TV