In the episode “Normal Again,” the very concept of ‘reality’ becomes entangled in a complicated web of mental delusions.  Faithful viewers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are surprised when the fantastic, yet familiar, world of demons and monsters gives way to an alternate history in which Buffy is an undifferentiated schizophrenic who has been confined in a mental asylum.  The constant interplay between the Buffyverse and this alternate, perhaps delusional history, problematizes the very notion of which is ‘real.’  This is further emphasized by the fact that her experiences in the mental institution account for events that have happened in the Buffyverse, such as the sudden introduction of Dawn into the series or the gradual deterioration of the Scooby-gang. 

Drawing upon Frederic Jameson’s groundbreaking essay “Postmodernism and Consumerist Society” (1983) and Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s controversial book Anti-Oedipus (1983), this paper will explore the episode’s deployment of subjective identification through an analysis of schizophrenia.  Given Buffy’s double-life, schizophrenia seems a particularly apt, if not complex, metaphor for her postmodern existence.  I also plan to examine how the media simulates the schizoid experience and how Buffy fans responded to the question of the shows ‘reality’ in light of “Normal Again.”