It’s hard to think of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer prop more iconic than Buffy’s Class Protector Award, and the upcoming revival just gave it a big status boost. Jonathan presented Buffy with the award in season 3’s “The Prom” — which happens to be Sarah Michelle Gellar’s favorite Buffy episode — on behalf of their graduating class.
Sadly, one of Buffy‘s worst villains, Sunday the vampire, broke the little decorative umbrella in the season 4 premiere. However, the director of the upcoming Buffy revival, Chloé Zhao, gave the Class Protector Award the ultimate happily ever after story, thus further cementing the prop in the beloved show’s lore.
Chloé Zhao Gifted Sarah Michelle Gellar A Replica Class Protector Award
In addition to the Buffy revival, Oscar-winning Chloé Zhao is making headlines for helming the recently released awards-season contender Hamnet. In an interview with Lauren Veneziani, aka DC Film Girl, the director discussed both her upcoming film and the revival, with Zhao even revealing that she’s Team Spike.
Zhao also told an incredibly heartwarming anecdote about the Class Protector Award. She said that, while filming, Sarah Michelle Gellar mentioned that she regretted not keeping the iconic Buffy prop from the original show. Thus, Zhao had a replica Class Protector Award made up, and presented it to Gellar as a wrap gift on the last day of shooting the revival’s pilot.
That would have been sweet enough, but Zhao took things a step further. She memorized the speech Jonathan gave before presenting the award at the prom, and delivered it to Gellar in front of the entire cast and crew. While not everyone understood the reference, those who got it became emotional, with Zhao confessing that a producer’s son even started crying.
The fact that this moment is still so touching to the Buffy fandom over 25 years after it aired speaks to the enduring power of the show. Plus, Zhao being enough of a fan to not only remember it but recognize Gellar for it speaks to the revival being in excellent hands.
Why Buffy’s Class Protector Award Is So Iconic To The Show
Buffy’s Class Protector Award is so much more than a “little toy surprise” — it’s a symbol of both her utmost heroism and everything she had to sacrifice to keep her classmates, the town of Sunnydale, and the entire world safe.
At the beginning of the series, Buffy resented her calling as the Slayer and wanted nothing more than to be a normal teenage girl. Though Buffy initially tried to be on the cheerleading squad and date cute boys, she realized that these ordinary youthful pleasures would never be fully available to her, and she began to accept that she would always be different.
Buffy’s classmates were also not always kind to her, and many treated her as a freak and an outcast. When it came to the supernatural forces of darkness, Sunnydale liked to bury its head in the sand, and this was made all the easier by the fact that Buffy was essentially forbidden from revealing her Slayer identity to the general public.
So, when Sunnydale High’s class of 1999 bands together and flips the status quo on its head by openly acknowledging and celebrating all that Buffy has done for them, it’s beyond tear-jerking. It’s extra special that Jonathan is the one to present her with the award because, in addition to saving her classmates en masse, Buffy personally saved Jonathan when she convinced him not to harm himself in season 3’s “Earshot.”
The physical award itself is also noteworthy, as the toy umbrella is girlish and sparkly, much like Buffy herself. As Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s seasons progressed, Buffy began to take more responsibility as the Slayer, but she always insisted on doing things her way, always staying true to who she is as a person.
We may not relate to being a Slayer, but we can relate to having that value, and that’s what makes Buffy a true hero. We can’t wait to see Buffy and an entire new generation save the world again in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival.
