TV Show Comparison: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Fringe

My favorite characteristic of the Giles and Buffy relationship was always that he was a father to her.  She had an absentee father, and Giles filled that role with education, wisdom, and love.  In Fringe, Walter is that real life father, only Peter takes his time admitting as much.  The relationship between Buffy and Giles had a rocky start, she wanted nothing to do with him, and it wasn't until she realized her true calling in life that she had to let this man in to help the world.  Their relationship grew from there, we see bits and pieces from Giles troubled past, he keeps it as hidden as possible, he has already created redemption for himself and there is no going back.  In Walter's case, Walter is a nut-case.  Walter has always been Peter's father but Peter surely doesn't want anyone knowing that the man raving about an alternate universe is related to him.  In time, Peter grows to love and care for Walter but that is a long, hard, road.  Walter's past haunts him daily, the same with Giles, the audience sees bits and pieces of it as Walter literally recollects pieces of his mind that his has hidden for the betterment of society. Both of these men are way too smart for their own good.  Walter will forever want to be more than he is, constantly wanting to make up for lost time, while Giles is trying to suppress the past and make a perfect future that doesn't exist.

Both shows leading ladies have an epic series of episodes where they are not in control of their bodies anymore.  Faith takes Buffy's body when she switches them out to get out of trouble, and Olivia from the alternate universe takes Peter's Olivia's place right when their romance is getting good.

Both of these switches came at not so ideal times for the ladies, Buffy was falling in love with Riley, Olivia was falling in love with Peter but both men fell for it!  Ladies:  don't you think your man would know if it wasn't you behind the wheel? Neither Peter nor Riley knew their girlfriends had left the building, they were intimate with another woman.  Buffy and Olivia both eventually get their lives back but not after a huge amount of damage is done.  It was tough to watch and neither woman was able to forgive and forget very easily.

The love stories encompassing these two shows are the kind of epic love stories that get you up in the morning.  They are the reason you believe in love, you can scream at the television HE LOVES YOU but she will never seem to hear it.  These are two television romances that have particularly stuck out to me and I believe their commonalities have a lot to do with it.  Angel and Peter are both bad boys falling for the blonde badass.  Yes Angel is technically a vampire, Peter is technically not even from this universe.  Both of these men are supernatural phenomenon, gorgeous, and oh so bad.  Their blonde badass counterparts are literally the law.  Olivia works for the government and Buffy, she fights vampires.  These relationships sound doomed from the start.  That is the best part about it!  Both relationships fought when all the odds were against them and made it through.  Though Buffy and Angel do not end up together, you know they are soul mates.  Olivia and Peter have so many moments you just want to give up on them but you can't.