The Mother-Joyce Summers

[basakbangel]

What do we know about her?

Do you like her? Well, I had loved her for a time but then I really trully hated her in "The Prom". Still, generally she was a good mother that cares about her daughter. But was she adequate for Buffy? Did she understand her?

Forget about the every part that you hated Joyce. I can really say that If there hadn't been Joyce Buffy would never be like what she was. It's a fact that Joyce helped her out in a lot of things. I know she could do so much better. But we saw that they understood how she was important for the family. They firstly couldn't handle it.

What do you think about her?

[major_buffy_fan]

Joyce

I thought Joyce was a good mother and helped buffy out i thought it was abit unfair in end of season 2 when buffy was going to save the world and such and her mother found out she was a slayer and said if you leave the house now don't come back. But she did save buffy from spike with a axe lol.
Joyce was a good mother thought i think it was unfortante that she died

[KingofCretins]

Joyce was an exceptional mother, certainly for TV moms. Her only moment of actual shortcoming was "Becoming, Part II" and reiterated briefly in "Dead Man's Party", but in both circumstances, she was under stress that *any* parent would have performed poorly in. Forbidding Buffy from leaving in the strongest terms a parent can was really the only thing left she could do to try to cling to the essential parental hope that her child is basically safe.

"The Prom" was some of her best parenting ever in the show, I would say.

[selenspuffy]

She tried to help Buffy, but some of her helps were more like torture for Buffy.
I don't love her much, anyway I don't really think that she was a really good mother, but what would you do if your daughter was a vamp slayer?
I hated her in Gingerbread at most, then Prom, etc. comes..

[vampmogs]

I don't get the hate for Joyce during 'Gingerbread'? We do all remember that Joyce, like everyone elses parents in the town, were under the influence of Hansel and Gretel right? (God that sounds lame) It was no more Joyce's fault than the time she was under the curse in 'B,B&B' as far as I can tell.

And as far as 'The Prom' I wouldn't count on it our parents haven't all done things that we aren't aware of for what they believe is best for our future Joyce made the right call, no vampire could give Buffy the life she deserved or at least should have had the chance to love without any more obstacles she already faced. She wasn't doing it to be mean, Angel understood this, and she was the only one with the guts to actually come out and say it other than the Mayor, Angel, Willow and even Buffy concede they think the same as Joyce.

[vampmogs]

I don't get the hate for Joyce during 'Gingerbread'? We do all remember that Joyce, like everyone elses parents in the town, were under the influence of Hansel and Gretel right? (God that sounds lame) It was no more Joyce's fault than the time she was under the curse in 'B,B&B' as far as I can tell.

And as far as 'The Prom' I wouldn't count on it our parents haven't all done things that we aren't aware of for what they believe is best for our future Joyce made the right call, no vampire could give Buffy the life she deserved or at least should have had the chance to love without any more obstacles she already faced. She wasn't doing it to be mean, Angel understood this, and she was the only one with the guts to actually come out and say it other than the Mayor, Angel, Willow and even Buffy concede they think the same as Joyce.

[selenspuffy]

I don't get the hate for Joyce during 'Gingerbread'? We do all remember that Joyce, like everyone elses parents in the town, were under the influence of Hansel and Gretel right? (God that sounds lame) It was no more Joyce's fault than the time she was under the curse in 'B,B&B' as far as I can tell..

She was more familiar to this stuff than other parents, remeber, her daughter is a slayer. Also she was the one who created MOO also her speech about being a slayer, that it's fruitless was ridicolous! Think, her daughter is pulling for all she was worth! Even if Joyce thought that it's fruitless, she shouldnt have told it to Buffy..

[KingofCretins]

The Mayor knew more about the supernatural and Slayers and the rest than Joyce likely ever did, and he was just as helplessly in the thrall of the demon's spell. I don't blame Joyce for *anything* in "Gingerbread".

And, like I said, "The Prom" was fantastic parenting in action. Good parents aren't always going to sit by and watch their children walk into disaster.

[Anon]

I don't blame Joyce for what happened in Gingerbread, and I think she did the right thing in The Prom. The only thing I really hold against her is her behaviour in Dead Man's Pary. Regardless of circumstances, if you kick someone out of your house you have no right to be upset when they listen to you.

[Nina]

I think she was a flawed mother but I liked that. Nobody is perfect en neither is Joyce. She was a sweet and caring person and she tried to be a good mother.
Buffy is not easy and there were a lot of things she didn't understood. But I can't really blame her. I wouldn't be really understanding either when my kid came home with a undead boyfriend, or left to save the world from that same guy.

[montos]

No one is perfect, that's for sure. the older I get the more I see Joyce as being an excellant mother.
How is she flawed?
She was always written as a good person, a good mother doing the best she could and for a huge part of the series she had no idea what wqs going on. Imagine your own mother/daughter/sister being a slayer. She was having normal reactions to abnormal circumstances. When Joyce died it was one of the few moments that I really felt emotional, and up to that point I never really even gave a second thought to Joyce. In season 6/7 you really see Buffy struggling and see what Joyce did for them.

Sure, "the prom" was a bit harsh but if your parents can't give you the harsh honest truth then who can?

[Sosa lola]

Sometimes I see fans sympathizing with Buffy too much to notice or try to understand the other characters. I can't blame Joyce for yelling "If you walked out of this house, don't you dare come back", it was a well known parent strategy to keep their children from leaving the house. How was Joyce supposed to know that her daughter was a vampire slayer? That's clearly illogical, put yourself in her place. Pretend you're a mother and look at it from her point of view, I think Joyce had handled the situation much better than I would.

Joyce was a good mother, really good. She was flawed, but compare her with Willow and Xander's mothers, and she's really a saint.

[Kold]

I agree with Sosa Lola... Joyce was a saint. She had a light, humorous but ultimately incredible responsible touch with Buffy. Her actions in "The Prom" can not be reproached and the amount of support she gave Buffy was phenomenal.

Her actions in "Becoming"... how can she truly be blamed? What Buffy was saying to her was like a slap in the face: Joyce wasn't hearing "I'm a vampire slayer, the world is on my shoulders", Joyce was hearing "you don't know anything about your only daughter". Besides, Buffy didn't return because Joyce said "don't come back". Buffy didn't return because she didn't want to. She wanted to lose her identity -- you can't do that living with your mother.

Joyce's actions in "Dead Man's Party" may be a little unfortunate, but certainly understandable -- after all the stress she's been through, all the useless frustration that was shown in "Anne", there's going to be something pent up.

[potterfanatic]

The Mayor knew more about the supernatural and Slayers and the rest than Joyce likely ever did, and he was just as helplessly in the thrall of the demon's spell.

I don't think he was under the thrall of the demon. Don't forget the mayor was a tad on the evil sode. It could be that he knewexactly what was going on and was trying to add a little fuel on the fire and watch te town take out what could be his biggest problem (Witches)

[spuffbeste]

She was Ok but sometimes she irritated me so much! Sometimes I just can't stand her behaviours, but she was a good mother in general.

What I really like in her is her relationship with Spike. I really find the talk about ''Passions'' very funny! They have a common point. I can't imagine they watched passions in the episode when they stayed with Spike.

[selenspuffy]

She was Ok but sometimes she irritated me so much! Sometimes I just can't stand her behaviours, but she was a good mother in general.

What I really like in her is her relationship with Spike. I really find the talk about ''Passions'' very funny! They have a common point. I can't imagine they watched passions in the episode when they stayed with Spike.

Yes, beste! Joyce would have been a great mother for Spike, they would watch TV, talk joke'n laugh together Maybe Joyce would read a story to his dear son, before he sleeps..