Out of Mind, Out of Sight

[Updated April 29, 2013]

Out of Mind, Out of Sight rarely gets trashed like Teacher’s Pet or IRYJ, but I don’t get the impression it’s anyone’s favorite either. It’s just a standard, average S1 episode, a satirical look at the way high school cliques and cruelty can devastate outsiders.

It won’t be a surprise that I think there’s another reading, but it took me a long time to find it. I couldn’t figure out what the larger point was, or if there even was one, nor could I understand why it’s located just before the season finale. I now think I can explain it.

As I see it now, the point of the episode is to reconcile Buffy with Cordelia, her shadow self. I mentioned this shadow self view previously in my post on NKABOTFD, but I’ll go into it in more detail in this post. Here’s an explanation of the concept in Jungian psychology from Wikipedia (see link above):

“"The shadow personifies everything that the subject refuses to acknowledge about himself"…. If and when 'an individual makes an attempt to see his shadow, he becomes aware of (and often ashamed of) those qualities and impulses he denies in himself but can plainly see in others — such things as egotism, mental laziness, and sloppiness; unreal fantasies, schemes, and plots; carelessness and cowardice; inordinate love of money and possessions….”

This is an uncharitable but roughly accurate picture of Cordelia as we see her in S1. If I’m right that she’s in part a metaphor for Buffy’s shadow, then these are qualities which could be characteristic of Buffy if she let them, and we saw in Witch and NKABOTFD that Buffy does share with Cordelia similar desires which turn out to be shallow: to be a cheerleader or to date Owen or Angel. There’s additional evidence here: Buffy, like Cordy, was May Queen at Hemery. Willow and Xander, her metaphorical heart and spirit, immediately say, “Well, you know, you don't need that anymore. You got us!”. Buffy can’t accept this yet because Xander and Willow proceed to share memories which leave her feeling like an outsider. She later looks on wistfully as Cordy is being fitted for her dress. Some part of Buffy wants what Cordelia wants.

There will be more evidence for this in later seasons, so let’s assume it for now and consider what it means to reconcile one’s shadow self. We first need to understand why this is necessary. The basic answer is that we can’t really avoid our shadow selves; they’re part of us, like it or not. Accepting that is part of growing up. In fact, we may need some of those less pleasant aspects of our character to function as grownups. That would be regrettable in a perfect world, but it’s a fact of life in this one.

Under Jungian theory, the process of becoming one’s true self – what I would somewhat loosely call becoming an adult – requires a merger of the conscious mind with the underlying dark impulses. Quoting from Wikipedia again,

“… the struggle is to retain awareness of the shadow, but not identification with it. 'Non-identification demands considerable moral effort...prevents a descent into that darkness'; but though 'the conscious mind is liable to be submerged at any moment in the unconscious... understanding acts like a life-saver. It integrates the unconscious' - reincorporates the shadow into the personality, producing a stronger, wider consciousness than before. 'Assimilation of the shadow gives a man body, so to speak', and provides thereby a launching-pad for further [growing up].”

Now let’s see how this plays out during the episode. It takes a while, but Buffy connects the dots and realizes that Cordelia is Marcie’s target. Buffy then realizes she has to protect Cordelia, which is inevitable given the metaphor because Cordelia is a part of Buffy. Cordy is the one who approaches Buffy for help. Consider her words: “I know that you share this feeling that we have for each other, deep down...”

Buffy then has her conversation with Cordelia and begins to understand her:

“Cordelia: (stops Buffy) Hey! You think I'm never lonely because I'm so cute and popular? I can be surrounded by people and be completely alone. It's not like any of them really know me. I don't even know if they like me half the time. People just want to be in a popular zone. Sometimes when I talk, everyone's so busy agreeing with me, they don't hear a word I say.

“Buffy: Well, if you feel so alone, then why do you work so hard at being popular?

Cordelia: Well, it beats being alone all by yourself.

She continues down the hall. After considering that for a moment Buffy quickly follows.”

Buffy and Cordelia are then both rendered unconscious – heh! – and brought together under the word “Learn”. Marcie threatens to make Cordy visible in a way no one will ever forget, which is a metaphorical way of calling everyone’s attention to Buffy’s flaws.

If you see it this way, the focus of the episode is not Marcie; she’s just a mechanism by which Cordelia’s (and Buffy’s) faults are made visible (pun intended) so that Buffy is forced to confront them. Buffy recognizes the need to take control. She first tries to reason with Marcie (“I just want to talk to you”), but eventually concludes that she has to assert control more forcibly (“You're a thundering loony!”). In order to defeat Marcie she tells Cordelia, her shadow, to shut up so that she can hear. Only then can she at last “see” Marcie – “I see you,” Buffy says – and bring her under control. At the end of the episode, Cordelia and Buffy have reached a new understanding and Cordelia seems to have accepted Buffy’s special role – in metaphor, the shadow (Cordy) has accepted its limits and will now work together with the conscious mind (Buffy): “You really helped me out yesterday, and you didn't have to. So, thank you.”

I’ll explain my understanding of the reason for the placement of OOM, OOS at this point in the season when I post my Prophecy Girl essay on Monday.

Trivia notes: (1) I won’t always mention the classroom lesson, but the study of The Merchant of Venice seems pretty obvious in its connection to the episode theme. (2) Buffy’s description of demons as “crush, kill, destroy” comes from the ‘60s TV show Lost in Space. (3) Marcie’s line “I see right through you” is not only ironic, it expresses the theme of the episode: that same loneliness which Cordelia just expressed causes all of us to feel invisible. (4) Cordy’s reference to Helen Keller is also, of course, consistent with the theme that people don’t see others. (5) Willow wore a Scooby Do shirt in this episode. This will be relevant later.