I Think You Know The Way.

Really a companion piece to; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2020/12/welcome-to-hellmouth.html

In which I explored the mini-existential crisis that finally watching; "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" has been causing me.

I think the show might actually have a similar effect on the popstar Rihanna. Who I am now more than happy to describe as my former ex-wife. Mainly due to my love of lingustically redundant sentences.

The second season features another Vampire Slayer. "Kendra Young" played by Bianca Lawson. She is black and from the Caribbean islands. All of them by the state of her accent.

Although I have since heard David Boreanaz's attempt at an Irish accent. So am starting to think there might have been a little bit of onset teasing going on.

I think primarily the Kendra character is an attempt to include a prominent black character. In a positive role. In a major US network show. In 1997/8.

However the particular Hellmouth I grew up over was very ethnically diverse. 

At the time it was the sole port-of-entry for all immigrants into the UK. By which I mean it is where they had to go to get their applications legally processed. It wasn't actually anywhere near the sea.

So I effectively grew up on the UK equivalent of New York City's Ellis Island. Although it was a lot bigger.

It was actually the Balkan Wars of the 1990's, particularly the Kosovo War, which changed this. Britian was forced to open more ports-of-entry across the country. In order to stop my local area being completely swamped by Irregular Migrants/Refugees.

Which is why I have so much knowledge on the subject just stuck in my head. In much the same way as people who grew up near sea just know an awful lot about tides.

My particular Hellmouth was though still majority white. 

In the sense that it was around 50% white. Around 23% black, Carribbean and African. 23% South Asian, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi. Plus around 4% "Refugee, Other."

We had plently of Polish and Eastern European immigrants. Long before it was fashionable.

So the Kendra character could be a reference to any number of young women I knew growing up. However no one in particular. Suggesting that the sheer number was the point being made. If a point was being made at all.

It was actually something that struck me in the wake of the Trayvon Martin case in the US. Back in 2012. Social Media was suddenly full of black women complaining about white people trying to touch their hair.

For a good long while I genuinely could not work it out. Why anyone would be so interested in knowing what a black person's hair felt like.

Then I remembered. If you're 3 or 4 years old and you want to know what someone's hair feels like. Well, you just bloody well grab hold of it, don't you.

Likewise. If you've got a Stormzy-like kid. Sitting at the desk in front of you in class. And you want to playfully slap him around the back of the head. Well, sometimes that urge becomes to great to resist.

One kid I was particularly friendly with. At one of the schools/colleges I attended was a black guy. Named, no seriously; "Floyd George."

So I think I deserve a medal. For everytime this past year I've stopped my brain from doing what it's desperately wanted to do.

Just as I think I deserve a medal. For every time I've resisted the urge to roll Rihanna Rrr's.

In relation to the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest I wrote about a bisexual Israeli Jewish woman I briefly dated at this time. I almost completely managed to omit the detail that her girlfriend at the time was black.

In part that was to protect everyone's privacy as much as possible. It was also though that I'd almost completely forgotten. In that area mixed race relationships are not uncommon enough to warrant commenting on.

In Buffy the Vampire Slayer the Buffy character is a completely normal American High School girl. Who one day suddenly discovers she's got this incredible power. Much of the show is about her rebelling against the responsibility that comes with it.

In contrast Kendra knew from a very early age that she potentially had this power. So was actually given away by her parents as an infant. To a "Watcher" who would train and prepare her for the day her power was realised.

So in contrast to Buffy's rebelliousness Kendra has this sort of intense, almost military discipline. She has spent her entire life reading and studying all there is to know about Vampires, Demons and how to slay them.

While she sometimes hides it well Rihanna is actually something of a nerd. Prior to becoming a popstar she was actually a member of Barbados' Military Cadet force.

So the Kendra character certainly does remind me of Rihanna. As does the "Rona" character played by Indigo from the Patriot Act season 7. Who herself seems to be a nod back to the Kendra character.

The problem is that when the Kendra character appears in the show Rihanna would have been about 9 years old.  So at that time bore absolutely no resemblence to the Kendra character. For example this was before she became a military cadet.

So if the old cocercive control did use Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a something of a blueprint for my life?

Then it's certainly possible that they just grabbed the first teenage girl who reminded them of the Kendra character. Then decided to make her into a popstar.

It would certainly explain the collision course Rihanna and I seem to have found ourselves on.

Including her work with Eminem. Who has long had to suffer the indiginity of being used as one of my avatars.

Probably because we both grew in areas with large black populations. Something which seems to have seeped into our own personalities.

Also I think an honourable mention must go to the actress Sandrine Holt.

She appeared as an FBI agent in the 2015 movie "Terminator; Genysis." She also appeared as; "Director Thornton" in early episodes of the 2016 reboot of the; "MacGyver" TV show.

Notably she appeared in the "Blindspot" Season 1, Episode 16; "Any Wounded Thief. Find What You Need" Playing a spy who stole a Novichok-like Nerve Agent.

A role which probably led to her being cast in the penultimate Season 7 of "Homeland" in 2018. Where she played a Russian spy who kept poisoning people with a Novichok-like Nerve Agent.

Sandrine Holt is only slightly older than me. She also grew up over the same Hellmouth.

So I'm sure she's really enjoyed the last couple of years.

Anything's got to be an improvement. 

18:30 on 28/12/20 (UK date).