Everyone knows that genre storytelling can do great things through the power of allegory. The Matrix can hide a message of trans rights, the mutants in X-Men are stand-ins for an oppressed population, and Star Wars originated as a plea for pacifism. But when it comes to television, things get a bit more complicated. With only one episode to communicate a message, what is intended to be a clever metaphor can become about as nuanced as a club to the head.
In 1999, Buffy the Vampire Slayer tried to make an allegorical episode that would speak to the show’s new college setting, but all it managed to do was prove the limitations of the format.
