Yeah, later on Joyce seemed nicer, but in S1-3, she seemed very quick to judge and even quicker to say things that dismissed and criticized Buffy. Ok, Buffy wasn't the greatest student, but she didn't swear or act defiant, except as needed by her slaying.
I think the most suggestive scene is when Buffy is outed as the Slayer, and says, "Have another drink," and then later Joyce grabs her. Would Buffy have said that if Joyce hadn't drunk too much on previous occasions ? And what would Joyce have tried to do if Buffy hadn't been strong enough to throw her off? Dragged her to her room and locked her in? There's some definite hints of bad parenting there, and in "Ted" as well, in not seeming to believe Buffy about Ted's disturbing behavior. Granted, in the Buffyverse, the abusive, controlling wannabe step-father was literally drugging everyone into seeing only the best in him, but in reality, not believing a child reporting abuse perpetuates the abuse.
I forget the name, but there's an author that has a blog that recaps Buffy episodes with a list of recurring themes which includes "this show isn't as feminist as people think it is," "Xander is a Nice Guy," and, "Joyce is a fucking terrible parent."
On the other hand, there's a story I've been reading on Elysian Fields lately that makes me see Joyce much more sympathetically, as acting to protect her daughter. For example, that she sent Buffy to a psychiatric ward because it was the only way to get her out of being charged with arson as an adult.
And in fairness to Joyce, having a kid burn down a gym (and claiming it was because of vampires) is the kind of thing that would put one on guard for quite awhile. On the other hand, if Joyce and Hank knew about Buffy's "delusions", then Joyce's behavior seems off. Like she seemed more worried that that Buffy was a delinquent than that Buffy might be having mental breaks with reality.
This makes me think that perhaps it was Dawn's introduction that brought the vampire part out, and in their new false memories, Joyce was more worried about Buffy's mental state than her "acting out." (This would also make sense in that it is in S5 that Joyce became purely the loving mother (if one who favored her youngest). (And it's also a convenient way to explain the institutionalization that got ret-conned in in "Normal Again" which is otherwise harder to credit.)
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I think the most suggestive scene is when Buffy is outed as the Slayer, and says, "Have another drink," and then later Joyce grabs her. Would Buffy have said that if Joyce hadn't drunk too much on previous occasions ? And what would Joyce have tried to do if Buffy hadn't been strong enough to throw her off? Dragged her to her room and locked her in? There's some definite hints of bad parenting there, and in "Ted" as well, in not seeming to believe Buffy about Ted's disturbing behavior. Granted, in the Buffyverse, the abusive, controlling wannabe step-father was literally drugging everyone into seeing only the best in him, but in reality, not believing a child reporting abuse perpetuates the abuse.
I forget the name, but there's an author that has a blog that recaps Buffy episodes with a list of recurring themes which includes "this show isn't as feminist as people think it is," "Xander is a Nice Guy," and, "Joyce is a fucking terrible parent."
On the other hand, there's a story I've been reading on Elysian Fields lately that makes me see Joyce much more sympathetically, as acting to protect her daughter. For example, that she sent Buffy to a psychiatric ward because it was the only way to get her out of being charged with arson as an adult.
And in fairness to Joyce, having a kid burn down a gym (and claiming it was because of vampires) is the kind of thing that would put one on guard for quite awhile. On the other hand, if Joyce and Hank knew about Buffy's "delusions", then Joyce's behavior seems off. Like she seemed more worried that that Buffy was a delinquent than that Buffy might be having mental breaks with reality.
This makes me think that perhaps it was Dawn's introduction that brought the vampire part out, and in their new false memories, Joyce was more worried about Buffy's mental state than her "acting out." (This would also make sense in that it is in S5 that Joyce became purely the loving mother (if one who favored her youngest). (And it's also a convenient way to explain the institutionalization that got ret-conned in in "Normal Again" which is otherwise harder to credit.)