Buffy the Vampire Slayer Re-Watch: Inca Mummy Girl (Season 2 Episode 4)

While not a stellar example of the show at its greatest, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 2 Episode 4, “Inca Mummy Girl,” is a nice bit of filler featuring many of the ingredients that make the series so memorable.

My love for Buffy the Vampire Slayer dates all the way back to the first airing of the pilot episode when I was in high school. So, fair warning, I have a serious weak spot for the early seasons of this show thanks to the tingles of nostalgia I get as soon as I hear the opening theme song.

The logical portion of my brain understands this isn’t a knock-out episode, but the rest of me is busy remembering how it felt to see every new episode as it first aired – and that I still have the original VHS recordings of every Season 2 episode in a box somewhere.

Plus, pictures of me dressed up as Buffy for Halloween in my freshman year dorm room that was also plastered with posters and magazine clippings about my favorite show . . .

Anyway!

As someone who works in the public history field, it is kind of funny my first official review of my all-time favorite show opens with Buffy on a museum field trip. Instead of seeing this storyline as a tragic tale of a cursed young girl, I choose to believe it’s actually meant as a warning to –

NEVER, EVER TOUCH THINGS IN M– USEUMS.

Our story begins with Buffy, Willow, and Xander visiting a local museum to stare at the mummified remains of an ancient Inca princess. Things start to get scary when a dumb, stupid boy BREAKS A PRICELESS ARTIFACT ON EXHIBIT and is then gruesomely murdered by a re-animated mummy corpse.

Reader, I do not feel bad about his fate in the slightest.

One of the defining elements of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is that it often works to overturn the expectations of its viewers. Here the show transforms the classic movie monster, the Mummy, into a beautiful princess with the unavoidable destiny to die young.

The episode digs into the parallels between Ampata, the Mummy girl, and Buffy, the Chosen One, pretty quickly. These are not really parallels so much as giant anvils clunking down every time the two characters share screen time.

Both are young girls with unavoidable destinies already set out for them. The similarities are so clear it is difficult to even see Ampata as being evil. Certainly, as antagonists go, she is one of the more tragic villains in the series of the show.

Set free from her mummified existence, Ampata attempts to live as a modern teen girl. Many of these experiences, such as going to school and dating, are all things Buffy constantly struggles to balance with her own destiny as the Slayer.

Luckily Ampata’s character is written with a great deal of sympathy so her story does not end up feeling repetitive. Instead, it’s just sad.

It is this focus on character that still sets Buffy the Vampire Slayer apart from other shows. It’s easy to overlook ridiculous plots and cheesy production values when the characters you see in each episode are so well executed they feel like friends.

This approach means even the B and C plots in “Inca Mummy Girl” feel just as important as the main storyline. Xander’s romance with Ampata is really more about her than him, which is refreshing. However, Willow’s disappointment in overhearing Xander tell Buffy she’s just his friend is pretty heartbreaking.

Obviously, Alyson Hannigan is the master at ‘sad face’ but who hasn’t been through an unreciprocated crush? Willow’s pain is pretty relatable, is what I’m saying.

I also like the way Buffy continually throws worried glances at Willow as Xander and Ampata grow closer. It demonstrates how much she cares for her friend and it is those type of quiet moments that make these friendships feel so real.

In the end, Ampata is unable to hurt Xander and becomes Mummy dust. Poor thing, I genuinely wish they could save her so she could meet cute boys and go on amazing adventures around the world.

Things That Seem Problematic Now That I’m Older

Xander. His constant harping about the male exchange student coming to stay at Buffy’s house makes him seem like a giant douche-nozzle at the beginning of this episode.

The gang’s expectation that Ampata, who they believe is a modern day teenager, can read ancient writing just because she’s from the same continent the writing originates from. I really feel like Giles should know better.

Is Willow’s Eskimo costume cultural appropriation? Or is it cool since she is respectful of the subject and probably spent hours making sure everything on her outfit is accurate and authentic?

Some of the, okay, most of the fashion choices are so very terrible. Especially Willow’s overalls.

Delightful Moments I’d Forgotten About

Cordelia ordering her exchange student, Sven, around.

Buffy making fun of Giles’ tiny, awful car.

Oz! It’s fun to watch his first appearance again. Love it when he spots Willow in her Eskimo costume.

 

What did you think of this episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Reviewer Rating:

User Rating:

 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is available for streaming on Hulu.

Follow us on Twitter @telltaleTV_

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!