(Post 5 of 5)
Consequences are the 7th phase of conversion. Cordelia’s effect is the ‘scratch and sniff’, “skull-splitting migraines (getting visions) so vague they require close captioning.” Doyle was the initial third link of the Angel Investigations, a half demon whose regular visions of paranormal provide the object of their pursuits. Before sacrificing his life, Doyle passes on the gift to Cordy, much to her dismay. “I'm never going to forgive him for doing this to me.” An empathic client replies, “For what? Choosing you? Trusting you with an enormous responsibility? Believing that you were the only one worthy of such a rare and important gift…I get the impression Doyle didn't have much by way of possessions…Seems like he gave you the most valuable thing he had.”
This consequence leads to her further necessity for the mission in LA, as well as her experience of ‘all the worlds pain’ that punctuates her second conversion, or intensification. The consequences of her commitment to the pursuit of redemption are that she has more to give, but also more to be defended from. She persists to find within the communal mission purpose, security, meaning and well-being. The consequences of conversion are not only positive. They can be destructive – and for Cordy these visions are literally destroying her human brain.
“He's not used to the new you.”
-Lorne
Cordelia’s conversion covered the seven phases of context, crisis, quest, encounter, interaction, commitment and consequences. It is in light of her dedication that she is bestowed with the visions. The gift of the visions begins the second conversion of Cordelia. Her primary conversion was from the conventional worldview to the mystical in the context of the Hellmouth and the interaction of the Scooby gang. The context of her second conversion is her commitment to the mission and work of Angel Investigations in the mystical realm of LA.
Cordelia’s conversion covered the seven phases of context, crisis, quest, encounter, interaction, commitment and consequences. It is in light of her dedication that she is bestowed with the visions. The gift of the visions begins the second conversion of Cordelia. Her primary conversion was from the conventional worldview to the mystical in the context of the Hellmouth and the interaction of the Scooby gang. The context of her second conversion is her commitment to the mission and work of Angel Investigations in the mystical realm of LA.
Dr. Rambo outlines five types of conversion in his book Understanding Religious Conversion, that rely on an observation of how much someone transgresses or changes. One type is defection – which would be the case if someone were to move from the mystical to the conventional. In the third season opener of BTVS Buffy tries to defect from her call, running away, using her middle name and becoming a waitress.
Another type of conversion is affiliation, when someone with nominal religious life or commitment moves to a more all-encompassing involvement and often a radical change of life. Sudden affiliation could be used to describe the conversion of Xander and Willow who instantly took up with Buffy and Giles in their mission on the Hellmouth. This could describe Cordelia’s initial conversion, although her incorporation took more than 12 episodes longer than Xander or Willow. Institutional transition is often called denominational switching in American parlance, but when it goes between two significantly different polities or and is similar to the fourth type tradition transition. A Buffyverse example would be when Wesley joins the work of Angel Investigations in Los Angeles after having been fired by the Watcher’s council. It is his struggle regarding going from being a Vampire Slayer Watcher to the employee of a vampire (Angel) and discovery of fulfillment in the institutional change that particularly demonstrates this type of conversion.
In contrast Cordelia and Angel move location, but their mission remains essentially the consistent from one show to the other and does not demonstrate a type of conversion in itself. The second conversion (the gift of visions) of Cordelia meets the typology of intensification, and her third conversion (being demonized) is such extreme intensification that it may actually be seen as an institutional transition. The second conversion, or the first intensification for Cordelia immediately puts her in jeopardy. Like the first season of Buffy it is her gifts and abilities that put her at risk when a paranormal auctioneer puts her eyes up for bid. Her visions critically challenge her because of their intensity, the way they interrupt her life, and the divine responsibility they carry.
The reported source of this gift is the Powers that Be, the rather omnipotent divine essence(s?) who issue Cordelia’s visions to preserve life against gross evil. Her visions are surround sound, sensational, full tilt experiences of the violation of creatures in a multitude of ways. They are commercial versions of living nightmares. This intensifies Cordy’s empathy and relationality with beings in jeopardy. Her self-centeredness has been eroding since she took up with the Scooby gang, but now in the encounter with true pain it crumbles. Because she cannot control the timing of the visions, this responsibility further interrupts her pursuit of an acting career and celebrity. A cherished goal is diminished both practically and passionately. Cordelia is able to commit her gift to nobility without falling apart because of her context of relationality. While she wouldn’t have received the gift of visions without being a trusted part of the group, so to she could not handle the experience without the group. Her second conversion is dependent upon the foundation of her initial conversion and confided commitment to the mystical mission of the Scooby’s and AI. Cordy’s third conversion, or the ultimate fulfillment of her conversion, happens on her own, outside the group’s knowledge.
The visions are a gift and a tremendous compliment in accord with Cordelia’s demonstrated commitment to the mission of Angel’s Investigations. A man who was half human, half demon gave the visions to her. His demonic physiology allowed him to sustain the explosive quality of the visions. During the third season we learn that these visions are destroying Cordelia’s brain. She is taking massive quantities of neurological painkillers, and is told that nothing in conventional modern medicine can restore the damage. In the episode ‘Birthday’ she is laying in a coma, during which she is led through a Dickens-ian quest of what her life would be had she not taken up with Angel and the mission two years earlier.
The visions are a gift and a tremendous compliment in accord with Cordelia’s demonstrated commitment to the mission of Angel’s Investigations. A man who was half human, half demon gave the visions to her. His demonic physiology allowed him to sustain the explosive quality of the visions. During the third season we learn that these visions are destroying Cordelia’s brain. She is taking massive quantities of neurological painkillers, and is told that nothing in conventional modern medicine can restore the damage. In the episode ‘Birthday’ she is laying in a coma, during which she is led through a Dickens-ian quest of what her life would be had she not taken up with Angel and the mission two years earlier.
In this alternative reality Cordelia is a celebrity – she never has to dismember monsters or experience the visions or alleviate suffering. She is successful, but isolated; safe but haunted by an unexplainable feeling that something isn’t being done. Cordelia seeks what the mystical power centers can do for her to continue to serve the mission of AI. Her guide Skip tells her “The fact remains that humans are not strong enough to harbor the visions... Period! Even the Powers That Be can't change that.” To which she responds, “Then find a loophole, Skip. I know my purpose in this world and it includes the visions. And if the Powers That Be aren't complete dumbasses they know it too.”
The only way for Cordelia to keep her commitment and live out her initial conversion is to convert once more. To serve the group and the cosmos with the visions and live demands that she become part demon herself. In the Buffyverse we rarely meet a pure demon – the demons battled daily are hybrids. So given the general typology of the spectrum of beings, Cordy would have to become a demon – no longer fully human. This is the ultimate test of her commitment to the compassion, altruism, weirdness and self-sacrifice of the mystical worldview. It is the extremist option for the iconic self-centered, body obsessive, diva, queen of her own universe we met in the first episodes of BTVS. Her initial conversion has led to commitment, which led to consequences, which have cyclically led to this crisis. Her response? “So? Demonize me already.”
The only way for Cordelia to keep her commitment and live out her initial conversion is to convert once more. To serve the group and the cosmos with the visions and live demands that she become part demon herself. In the Buffyverse we rarely meet a pure demon – the demons battled daily are hybrids. So given the general typology of the spectrum of beings, Cordy would have to become a demon – no longer fully human. This is the ultimate test of her commitment to the compassion, altruism, weirdness and self-sacrifice of the mystical worldview. It is the extremist option for the iconic self-centered, body obsessive, diva, queen of her own universe we met in the first episodes of BTVS. Her initial conversion has led to commitment, which led to consequences, which have cyclically led to this crisis. Her response? “So? Demonize me already.”
Cordelia has no question about her vocation and her identity being other than an agent of grace to an embattled world. This is the amazing realization of her process of conversion – in which a higher power is privileged to participate. This third conversion, the acceptance of demonization (which remember isn't always a bad thing in the BV) for mystically vocational convictions is more than intensification but a typological shifting. Cordy’s daily community does not change, her context remains the invocation of grace in an atmosphere of demonic assault. The conversion into the mystical worldview has become so complete that it has changed her ontology. She has gone from being the wholly human combatant to the righteous demonic asset. The shift in biological typology has to be seen as an institutional or tradition transition type of conversion.
“I don't know, something. I mean, the dead rose. We should at least have an assembly.”
“I don't know, something. I mean, the dead rose. We should at least have an assembly.”
-Cordelia Chase
If the narrative of the Buffyverse is a love story; if the battles of two shows are an epic of affection for a world that feels like it is run by demonic individualism then the conversions within this scheme are neither simple nor finite. Watching Cordelia Chase evolve from the center of her own human universe to the extra-ordinary heart of redemptive missioners is astonishing. It resembles a religious conversion in a multitude of ways. Cordelia crosses over from the conventional-individualistic to the mystical-communalistic, through a spiraling process that leads to the critical consequences similar to the real world cost for people who accept a ministerial calling. Is it possible for religious institutions to convert people from fragmented conventional lives to the practice of communal redemption? Yes – and if we are to learn anything from the story of Cordelia it is that anyone can become a convert – if they feel welcome to participate in the process. Lastly, if also sadly, her final story isn't one of pure good news. Deep conversion does not mean perfect missional commitment nor keep away manipulation or corruption.
If the narrative of the Buffyverse is a love story; if the battles of two shows are an epic of affection for a world that feels like it is run by demonic individualism then the conversions within this scheme are neither simple nor finite. Watching Cordelia Chase evolve from the center of her own human universe to the extra-ordinary heart of redemptive missioners is astonishing. It resembles a religious conversion in a multitude of ways. Cordelia crosses over from the conventional-individualistic to the mystical-communalistic, through a spiraling process that leads to the critical consequences similar to the real world cost for people who accept a ministerial calling. Is it possible for religious institutions to convert people from fragmented conventional lives to the practice of communal redemption? Yes – and if we are to learn anything from the story of Cordelia it is that anyone can become a convert – if they feel welcome to participate in the process. Lastly, if also sadly, her final story isn't one of pure good news. Deep conversion does not mean perfect missional commitment nor keep away manipulation or corruption.
Yet if we are to continue our quest in hopes of redemption then we must convert our institutions from the language of individually resisting evil, doing justice and loving God. Conversion of communities and salvation demands that we must summon the collective courage of the converted in the Buffyverse. Being an agent of grace in this world is a conversion of our blood, sweat and tears. It isn’t just the right of the religious– it is our responsibility.
To watch for the conversion of Cordelia I would suggest an arc of the episodes Out of Sight, Out of Mind (B 1.11), Halloween (B 2.6), The Wish (B 3.9), To Shansu in LA (A 1.22) and Birthday (A 3.11). To consider the conversion from the conventional worldview to the mystical worldview I would suggest an arc of Welcome to the Hellmouth (B1.1), Phases (B2.15), Hush (B 4.10) and The Prodigal (A 1.15). Of course I would suggest investing the time to watch the vast majority of both shows, but who has the 100 plus hours to do that in a hurry.
“I had no idea her wish would be so exciting! Brave New World.”
-Anya
To watch for the conversion of Cordelia I would suggest an arc of the episodes Out of Sight, Out of Mind (B 1.11), Halloween (B 2.6), The Wish (B 3.9), To Shansu in LA (A 1.22) and Birthday (A 3.11). To consider the conversion from the conventional worldview to the mystical worldview I would suggest an arc of Welcome to the Hellmouth (B1.1), Phases (B2.15), Hush (B 4.10) and The Prodigal (A 1.15). Of course I would suggest investing the time to watch the vast majority of both shows, but who has the 100 plus hours to do that in a hurry.
No comments:
Post a Comment