By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Trio are some of the most hated villains, especially after one of their members (Warren) ends up accidentally killing Willow’s girlfriend Tara. Most fans now retrospectively see these villains as perfectly emblematic of the show’s problematic and otherwise subpar sixth season. However, the Trio are actually the perfect Buffy villains because they emphasize one of the most powerful themes in horror: that unpredictable humans are ultimately far more dangerous than any monster.
The Trio
Those who have been Buffy fans from the beginning have often claimed that the Trio are poor villains because they aren’t as metaphorical as other iconic characters. This is a show where the fantastic has always been a mirror for the mundane. For example, Angel turning evil after having sex with Buffy is an intentional metaphor for young men who reveal themselves to be jerks after sleeping with their girlfriends. Compared to Buffy’s many other metaphors (like spells representing sex and the Master representing Buffy’s estranged father), a trio of disgruntled nerds can seem a little boring.
However, these bad guys were secretly a brilliant creation of the show’s writers because they embody one of the longest-running themes in horror. Namely, that humans are inherently more dangerous than the monsters they fight. Zombie films like Dawn of the Dead and shows like The Walking Dead, for example, underscore how the unpredictability of humans makes them more dangerous than the predictable danger of a zombie. In Buffy, this idea is represented by the fact that vampires are driven by instinct but that human menaces cause chaos beyond anything a vamp can do with his dark magic.
There are plenty of other examples of humans in Buffy being more dangerous than the show’s bevy of bloodsuckers. Principal Synder was an early example of a human foe who could successfully threaten our characters during daylight hours, and Caleb’s approachable affability allowed him to kill plenty of victims (including the Watchers’ Council!) who might have been able to fend off another mindless monster. And while both of them got redeemed, both Willow and Faith prove that humans who embrace their inner dark side can cause more damage than even the smartest vamps.
Great Villains
So, what does this Buffy villain history lesson have to do with why the Trio are such great villains? For one thing, Warren fits right into the mold of the aforementioned human villains. He kept the Slayer on her toes for almost all of Season 6 by employing a series of schemes powered by both magic and technology. How many vampires or werewolves do you think would have been capable of trapping (even temporarily) our favorite Slayer in a Groundhog Day time loop?
For another thing, Buffy’s evil Trio fit right in with a season that, for better or for worse, threw increasingly relatable difficulties at our title hero. Sure, the Slayer still fought fantastic monsters from week to week, but these guys were a cakewalk compared to challenges like paying the mortgage, playing surrogate mother, and ditching her toxic boyfriend. In a season where the mundane was made into the monstrous, a pitiful human villain like Warren fits right in.
Finally, Buffy’s Trio were a perfect reflection of a major Season 6 theme: the dangers of magic. The same season that showed Willow getting addicted to dark powers also showed the dangers of hateful little incels gaining access to their own magical abilities. Sure, Season 7 walked this controversial storyline back (magic was suddenly no longer addictive), but at the time, the Trio served as reflections of this story even as they distracted us from the growing threat of Willow.
Nobody can deny that Warren accidentally shooting Tara is a tear-jerkingly tragic moment, but this horrific scene brings us back to the everpresent theme that humans are more dangerous than monsters. You can invoke a number of magical wards to protect against things that go bump in the night, but nobody can stop Warren from showing up with a gun and accidentally killing a powerful witch. The lesson is clear: the monstrousness in men is something Buffy can never slay, and it’s something that everyone in Sunnydale and everyone watching must forever watch out for.
If that sounds bleak, well…what else were you expecting from Season 6?
