Maggie Walsh
Encyclopedia
Professor Maggie Walsh is a fictional character
in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Lindsay Crouse
.
's Psychology
professor University at California Sunnydale, but is later revealed as the leader of the government-controlled Initiative, a military project intent on capturing, studying, and modifying the behavior of various demons
. Unknown to many in the Initiative, Walsh is also involved in Project 314, a secret program within the Initiative that is creating a hybrid demon-humanoid-mechanoid (demonoid) known as Adam
. Various creatures captured by the Initiative were dissected to provide the parts for Adam.
Maggie maintains a close relationship with Riley, who is her favorite soldier; she appears to think of him as a son. After Riley learns that Buffy is the Slayer, they inform Walsh of her role. Walsh initially thinks that Buffy can be a useful ally to the Initiative, but soon takes a dislike to her unpredictability and unwelcome curiosity, especially with regards to the "314 Project". Cameras installed in Riley's room allow her to spy on Buffy and Riley while they have sex, and later to hear Buffy ask Riley about the 314 Project. Perceiving that Buffy poses a risk to the project, Walsh tries to kill Buffy by sending her on a mission on which she is ambushed by two demons released from the Initiative's holding cells. Buffy defeats the demons and appears on the monitors after Walsh has prematurely announced Buffy's death to Riley, who walks out. Walsh retreats to the labs of Project 314, where she plots how to use Adam to defeat Buffy. However, Adam awakens and impales Walsh, killing her, and escapes from the Initiative.
Walsh appears in the penultimate episode of Season Four, "Primeval
," as a zombie, working under Adam along with others Adam has killed. Attempting to finish off Project 314, begun by Walsh, Adam has his workers manufacturing more creatures like himself; part demon, human, and machine combined. Adam activates the chip Walsh had inserted into Riley's heart, making him biddable to Adam's command. Zombie Walsh attacks Buffy when she comes to Riley's rescue, but Buffy knocks her down and defeats her, and with some help from the Scooby-Gang of Willow, Xander, and Giles, she defeats Adam as well. The Initiate project is shut down permanently.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Lindsay Crouse
Lindsay Crouse
-Early life:Crouse was born in New York City, the daughter of Anna and Russel Crouse, a playwright. Her full name—Lindsay Ann Crouse—is an intentional tribute to the Broadway writing partnership of Lindsay and Crouse. Her father and his writing partner, Howard Lindsay, wrote much of...
.
History
Professor Maggie Walsh is introduced in Season Four, as BuffyBuffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
's Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
professor University at California Sunnydale, but is later revealed as the leader of the government-controlled Initiative, a military project intent on capturing, studying, and modifying the behavior of various demons
Demon (Buffyverse)
In the fictional Buffyverse established by Buffy and Angel, a Demon is a kind of nonhuman life form separate from the animal kingdom.The definition raises complex issues. Roughly speaking, the series uses demon to describe any creature that isn't a god, robot, unmodified human, or standard...
. Unknown to many in the Initiative, Walsh is also involved in Project 314, a secret program within the Initiative that is creating a hybrid demon-humanoid-mechanoid (demonoid) known as Adam
Adam (Buffyverse)
Adam is a fictional character on the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . Portrayed by George Hertzberg, he is a monster created from parts of demons, vampires, machine, and a man, as a perverse experiment which the main character Buffy Summers encounters in the fourth season...
. Various creatures captured by the Initiative were dissected to provide the parts for Adam.
Maggie maintains a close relationship with Riley, who is her favorite soldier; she appears to think of him as a son. After Riley learns that Buffy is the Slayer, they inform Walsh of her role. Walsh initially thinks that Buffy can be a useful ally to the Initiative, but soon takes a dislike to her unpredictability and unwelcome curiosity, especially with regards to the "314 Project". Cameras installed in Riley's room allow her to spy on Buffy and Riley while they have sex, and later to hear Buffy ask Riley about the 314 Project. Perceiving that Buffy poses a risk to the project, Walsh tries to kill Buffy by sending her on a mission on which she is ambushed by two demons released from the Initiative's holding cells. Buffy defeats the demons and appears on the monitors after Walsh has prematurely announced Buffy's death to Riley, who walks out. Walsh retreats to the labs of Project 314, where she plots how to use Adam to defeat Buffy. However, Adam awakens and impales Walsh, killing her, and escapes from the Initiative.
Walsh appears in the penultimate episode of Season Four, "Primeval
Primeval (Buffy episode)
"Primeval" is the 21st episode of season 4 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Plot synopsis:Following Spike's interference in the previous episode, Buffy and the Scoobies are not talking to each other, consistent with Adam's plans...
," as a zombie, working under Adam along with others Adam has killed. Attempting to finish off Project 314, begun by Walsh, Adam has his workers manufacturing more creatures like himself; part demon, human, and machine combined. Adam activates the chip Walsh had inserted into Riley's heart, making him biddable to Adam's command. Zombie Walsh attacks Buffy when she comes to Riley's rescue, but Buffy knocks her down and defeats her, and with some help from the Scooby-Gang of Willow, Xander, and Giles, she defeats Adam as well. The Initiate project is shut down permanently.
Writing and acting
- Crouse viewed her character "no nonsense, and she seems to be a real teacher. She's like a President. She really would like to fashion the world in her image. She's not a mean person, she's just a straight-out scientist."
- In a gender studies text, Jowett includes a section on the character, and argues the character is "masculinized by her roles as professor, scientist and leader"
- Crouse has explained how her character was initially explained to her, "Joss tried to explain to me who this character was. He said that she was a scientist, and that she was going to be doing research and eventually, she might hatch an evil plot, but her front was being a psychology teacher."
- Crouse gave some insight into her view on her character, "She's such an extremist. She has a vision of what she wants to do. She feels like she's testing the boundaries of something, and any human being always feels important no matter who they are. I'm sure she admires Dr. Frankenstein - or Einstein. She's probably a mix of those two. I like her caustic nature, because she's not a mean person. I have always imagined that Maggie treats people like grown-ups. That she doesn't want to live in a world of babies. She doesn't have the time for it. The Initiative is her baby."
- Crouse outlined her view of Maggie's relationships with Riley and Buffy, "Her teaching assistant Riley is really the child she never had, and there's probably confusion there that he's a potential something for her that's slightly out of her reach, but she's willing to prevent anyone else from being interested in him. I think she feels she's in direct competition with Buffy. The most complicated situation for her is having Riley fall in love with Buffy. Finding out that Buffy is the Slayer is a kind of a gas, and its nervous-making and exciting to have good people on her team; she's like a president - she wants a great cabinet underneath her. I think she'd like to fashion the world in her image, but Buffy puts a wrench in the works".
- Buffy writer, David Fury, said in an interview that "I don't think Joss had envisioned Maggie Walsh as being entirely villainous. As opposed to just sort of misguided"