Mind Games, It's a Trip

An accident that's not, a geek, a nerd, and a shadow, the big bads in Buffy the Vampire Slayer have traditionally been... well, big and bad, but season six has something different. This time the enemy is a few, lame males (I say males because they hardly count as men, and they are too old to be boys.), yet they have wrecked more havoc than any other villain in the show. (That is not to say they have caused the most harm or evil. It is merely havoc they cause, not apocalyptic destruction.) So what is it about the Trio that makes them so much better?

In actuality, it is not the Trio that is stronger than the rest of the evils the gang has faced; it is Buffy who is weaker. The Trio is merely clever. They do not attack the slayer with strength; they would quickly lose. They have gathered a whole horde of information on the slayer, and they are using it play tricks with her mind. Buffy is lost and Vulnerable, and the Trio is using that to their advantage.

For instance, in “Dead Things” they managed to convince the slayer that she had murdered an innocent. Such a ploy never would have worked in previous episodes when she was more sure of herself and her goodness, but having been yanked out of Heaven, there must be something wrong with her; she must be receiving punishment for something, right? Buffy is so convinced of this that she is willing to believe that she has killed an innocent girl in need of her help even though she never even touched her. Buffy is vulnerable, and the successes of the Trio only serves to highlight her weakness and insecurities.