So, how old is Buffy in season eight? - BtVS

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January 18 2011

So, how old is Buffy in season eight? In a Portland Mercury blog item about Dark Horse's Buffy birthday event in Portland, there's a little exchange tacked on to the end that addresses something often discussed here.

COURTNEY: I have a pressing nerd question for you. I can't figure out the timeline of Buffy's age. (God, I'm sorry to do this to you). So I understand that in 2011 she's 30, but it seems like in Season Eight it's around 2006, what with the Amy Winehouse name-dropping and all, so Buffy would be 25. (OMG, I hate myself). Is there a little fudging of years in the storyline of Season Eight? Has more time transpired in the comics then I'm imagining? Will this all be explained in the last issue, and I should just settle down and wait? I suppose it could be 2006 or 2007 in the Buffyverse and we're just in the future celebrating her b-day. (I'll shut up now).

SIERRA: Regarding Buffy and her age... We've sort of fudged the age thing a bit. Season Eight takes place a year or so after the end of the show, putting Buffy and her pals in their mid-20s. Vague? Yes. That's the answer/non-answer. We just refer to them as "twentysomethings."

The One True b!X | BtVS | 21:34 CET | 31 comments total | tags: buffy, season 8, age, birthday, fudging, mmm fudge, nerdery

Mid-20s is the best that can be done at this point.

Wyndam_ | January 18, 22:00 CET

My math does not resemble their earth math.

multiplecats | January 18, 22:01 CET

Even the creators have given up!

EvilFirePixie8 | January 18, 22:02 CET

I quite like the fluidity. As much as I like Star Wars and Star Trek, the adherence to an exact timeline can be a hinderance for me enjoying those universes. Do no want to get bogged down in too much detail.

Simon | January 18, 22:05 CET

I always took it to be a year-and-a-half/two years after S7, but the writers use contemporary references (Mad Men, Winehouse, etc.) because making dated 2004-2005 references would just make the dialogue sound clunky and kitschy rather than smooth and relatable while the comic comes out in the later half of the decade.

Andremthefoozle | January 18, 22:09 CET

Clear as fudge. I like mine with toffee bits or caramel in it. (But brownies are the ultimate form of chocolate.) It's nice to finally have a non-definitive answer. ; )

BreathesStory | January 18, 22:13 CET

It's called comic book time.It's why Bruce Wayne is in his 30's still while Dick Grayson,Tim Drake,and Barbara Gordon all aged and grew up.It's why season 8 takes place a year or so after Chosen but you can have things and nods to current events and fads.

Buffyfantic | January 18, 22:32 CET

Finally a definitive answer ! ;)

Personally I like details, they don't bog me down they buoy me up, round-out the universe the way a good back-story rounds out a character (yep, nerd alert, I own the Star Trek Encyclopedia and the DS9 companion) but if the details are hazy then the details are hazy and that's cool too.

Saje | January 18, 22:33 CET

I'm not sure which has been weirder, approaching 30 myself with a number of friends and seeing how we all respond to it, or realizing Buffy and the Scoobies would be 30 now too.

Sunfire | January 18, 23:25 CET

Right? I can't believe I'm thirty five! Oops, left out the <SPOILER> tag :)

zeitgeist | January 19, 00:00 CET

I just turned 32 on this past Saturday.It feels like my 20's flew by.

Buffyfantic | January 19, 00:02 CET

Happy belated, Buffyfanatic! May you have a good year and bless us with many more quality posts. : )

The twenties are over rated. ; ) But I would definitely envy Buffy her timeline if she didn't have such a crap life. As it is, I'll just be happy to share my birthday with her.

Oh. And I see it's now the 19th in CET:

Happy Birthday, Buffy!

BreathesStory | January 19, 01:01 CET

My son's the same age as Buffy and he just turned 30.

redeem147 | January 19, 01:21 CET

I don't have a big problem with Buffy being "in her mid-twenties" in S8 rather than specifically 24 at the start and 25 at the end or whatever.

I do wonder if she'll continue to be "in her mid twenties" in every other season Dark Horse publishes. The fact that the characters got older naturally on the TV show, instead of being in High School forever, was part of its appeal.

stormwreath | January 19, 01:31 CET

Happy Birthday BreathesStory! And belated happies to you Buffyfanatic!

Wow, this thread is turning into something else isn't it?! Well on the Buffy age issue, I think mid-twenties is perfect for her current crisis and not quite being able to feel fitted to her role as leader again. She tried hard in her early 20's and had the confidence of someone who didn't quite know what she was doing, but as she goes on she loses that confidence and hopefully by 30 she'll have grown into it and accepts it.

On that note, Happy birthday to Buffy! She's kind of a big deal!!

BlueSkies | January 19, 02:04 CET

LOL. I will be 58 on April 5. All you young'ns are the age of my older kids! Except for redeem147, that is. ;-)

Dana5140 | January 19, 02:24 CET

Yeah, comic time is never the same as real time. If nothing else, it should be clear that the final arc took place over days rather than months.

But I can say that she seemed as mature as she ever has in Season 8 Issue #40.

(Dang, I sooo want to talk about this issue, just waiting on the thread to be started. :) )

Risch22 | January 19, 02:42 CET

You've read the issue Risch22?

vampmogs | January 19, 03:19 CET

It was always my impression that Season 8 took place a year after Not Fade Away, when Angel ended. I thought that that was the time given out during the beginning of Season 8, at least, and it made sense for me. I might be connecting the two shows too much, but the comics have always been the continuation of the Buffyverse as a whole, rather than just the original series.

Arison | January 19, 03:39 CET

Hmm, my only problem with this is now the idea that I may begin to zip past Buffy in age. This is uncomfortable.

And Risch22, really? You got it already? Some people have all the luck!

BlueSkies | January 19, 03:42 CET

Yeah vampmogs

My comic store got it in today, though they weren't allowed to sell it. Because I know them very well then they allowed me to read the issue this afternoon. There's an especially great letter from Joss at the end (and even a crossword puzzle in the letters page).

Risch22 | January 19, 03:43 CET

That's awesome! I know you can't give away any spoilers but can you say if you liked it or not?

[ edited by vampmogs on 2011-01-19 04:08 ]

vampmogs | January 19, 04:04 CET

First, my apologies to The One True b!X for this off-topic tangent.

There are a lot of things that I liked about it, overall I liked it more than I didn't. But it did have some elements (such as the art which struck me as rushed in places, especially in the beginning when I really needed it to be clearer) that I was frustrated by. And it ended. Darn it Joss, why did it have to end? ;)

Risch22 | January 19, 04:21 CET

Hm, I sense you're being cryptic with the last part. Thanks for sharing! I'm looking forward to it :D

vampmogs | January 19, 05:05 CET

Can I ask... How many episodes are there in the animated season 8? Is it all finished or are there more to come? Because currently the season pass is $19.95, but the single eps are $1.45 each and there are only 13 listed, so it's cheaper to buy individually if that is all the eps done and dusted.

Ivalaine | January 19, 06:17 CET

The weirdest thing for me isn't the idea of Buffy turning thirty, but of Buffy being older than Angel and Spike. In my mind she won't pass 26 until someone Shanshus. :)

Kairos | January 19, 06:57 CET

Can I ask... How many episodes are there in the animated season 8?

The DVD/Blu-rays apparently have 19 episodes so 13 isn't quite the entire [incomplete] series (link to Amazon).

I might be connecting the two shows too much, but the comics have always been the continuation of the Buffyverse as a whole, rather than just the original series.

Maybe you are, yeah. The "official line" has always been that it's 12-18 months after 'Chosen'.

If the comics run for long enough that the forward progression of time actually matters then i'm pretty sure they'll move it forwards, ageing's always been a big part of the Buffyverse. It's not like Batman in the sense that there's no need to preserve a franchise (in fact since Slayers don't usually - ever ? - reach past 25 i'd say there're potential stories dealing with what happens as they get older - is the power finite, do they feel entropy the way the rest of us do, will Buffy start to slow down a bit as she ages ?).

Saje | January 19, 08:24 CET

in fact since Slayers don't usually - ever ? - reach past 25 i'd say there're potential stories dealing with what happens as they get older

Buffy only slays vampires if they venture onto her front lawn?

Kaan | January 19, 08:46 CET

*Buffy shakes fist at vampires on lawn*

"Get off you crazy kids, or I'll stake you with my cane!"

redeem147 | January 19, 13:34 CET

Or she reminds each vampire that "This was all fields when I first started Slaying and if a vampire was cheeky they'd get a clip 'round the ear. And then staked. That bit hasn't changed much... *poof*".

Oodles of potential, telling ya. "The Golden Slayers" they could call it.

Saje | January 19, 14:34 CET

Potential. Heh.

Oh, by the by, anyone remember Desperate Slayerettes? That was a fantastic show.

Jaymii | January 19, 14:56 CET

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