Buffy's scariest monsters, they are after all, only humans. Granted, they are very smart humans and capable of understanding and manipulating supernatural influences, but they often have a bumbling dynamic that undermines their menace.

However, this perceived disappointment masks a crucial narrative purpose. Far from being merely irritating, the Trio serves as a potent precursor to the insidious First Evil of season 7, embodying the chilling concept of banal evil. Their terror lies in the fact that they are normal people trying to fulfil a need for dominance. They also reflect a wider portrayal of toxic masculinity in the season, and its pervasive threats to autonomy and consent within the Buffyverse, which makes for some of the most controversial Buffy episodes.

Why Buffy Fans Can't Stand The Trio As Season 6's "Big Bad"

They Seem Underwhelming

The Trio is highly unpopular with Buffy fans, but not merely because they are irritating. The real reason Warren, Jonathan, and Andrew are so despised is because they are the next Big Bad after Glory in Buffy season 5. Glory was a god, and represented an almost insurmountable challenge for Buffy and the Scoobies — one that it often seemed like they were unable to face. Buffy gave the ultimate sacrifice to stop Glorificus’ ritual. After fulfilling the First Slayer’s prophetic statement that death is her gift, the Trio storyline felt like a letdown to a lot of viewers.

The Trio perfectly lays the ground for the First Evil.

However, an essential challenge to this common gripe is that the Trio perfectly lays the ground for the First Evil. There is an underlying theme in BtVS seasons 6 and 7 surrounding the banality of evil — the First is faceless and the source of all evil in the world. It doesn’t appear as a supernatural entity, but takes on the mask of beloved characters in the show. It is the most insidious villain yet.

The Trio set viewers up for this, a their evil is banal. Some of the most grim threats the Scoobies have to face are of the ordinary, reckless variety. Tara has one of the most horrifying deaths in Buffy because she is killed by mortal means. The Trio are simply ego-wounded, entitled men who want to feel a sense of power over others.

The Trio Are The Worst Villains Because Their Toxic Masculinity Is Too Real

Lack Of Agency Is A Major Theme In The Season

Warren, in particular, is one of the evilest villains on Buffy the Vampire Slayer because of his core misogyny and entitlement. He is the most overt, while Andrew and Jonathan, although clearly wanting a sense of belonging, ultimately make their own choices and engage in the same behavior. One Trio's lair scene in Buffy takes a dark turn, starkly exposing their banal evil and view of women. Initially, Jonathan and Andrew are oblivious to the horrific nature of their mind control over Katrina, Warren’s ex-girlfriend. Dressed in a subservient costume, she serves them champagne and calls them "master."

This casual normalization of coercion and lack of consent is shattered when Katrina regains consciousness. The scene pivot, highlighting her as a victim deprived of free will, transforms the earlier humor into a chilling commentary on the normalization of sexual assault. While serving to solidify Warren's villainy, the scene equally underscores Jonathan and Andrew's comparatively unexamined misogyny.

In addition, Jonathan’s confusing arc in Buffy after endearing viewers with the Class Protector trophy scene in season 3, highlights how corrupting these ideas are, even to a tertiary character who has previously shown promise for heroism. The evil all three men engage in, though dabbling in magic, feels very real-world, which is an uncomfortable shift from past Buffy villains serving as metaphors for real issues, and the "high school as hell" tone of the earlier season.

Buffy Season 6 Is Full Of Toxic Masculinity

This Flaw Isn’t Restricted To The Trio

Toxic masculinity presents not only via the Trio, but also across season 6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Warren's toxicity is overt and unapologetic, manifested in his explicit desire to dominate and defeat strong women. It’s further exemplified by his attempt at forcing his ex-girlfriend into sexual slavery and his subsequent murder of her when she regains her free will. He consistently disregards consent, plants cameras to spy on Buffy, and orchestrates schemes to undermine her reality and autonomy.

Xander is also not without his toxic moments, in this season, especially. He is convinced he has good intentions, while consistently shirking emotional responsibility, along with showing unfair judgment about his friends' lives. He elbows his way into his female friends’ business under the guise of concern. He also leaves Anya at the altar, and later beats up a largely defenseless Spike upon discovering them together. Spike, too, abuses Buffy in season 6, including the assault in the episode “Seeing Red,” which James Marsters has described as his “personal hell” (via Deadline).

The complex and often volatile relationship between Buffy and Spike also highlights destructive patterns, as they frequently hurt each other, with Spike's aggressive tendencies directed at Buffy even prior to this. The series uses this dynamic to explore the difficult reality of relationships formed under duress, where Buffy, emotionally isolated after her resurrection, finds herself relying on Spike for . This is because her friends, consumed by guilt, cannot provide it.

The Trio At Least Got Fitting Endings (Mostly)

Their Endings Portrayed Their Varying Capacity For Redemption

Although flaying Warren didn’t alleviate Willow’s grief, it was an incredibly cathartic moment on the show, especially as Tara is so rightly loved by viewers. Dark Willow spiralled and took things too far later, but Warren being on the receiving end of Willow’s vengeance is easily understood.

It simultaneously highlights that there can be no ultimate justice for what Warren has done — it doesn’t cure Willow’s heartbreak, as shown by the Dark Willow storyline, and the loss of Tara’s gentle soul makes it feel all the more unfair. Similarly, Jonathan’s death is not 100% satisfying because he is on the cusp of redemption when he dies, having come back to Sunnydale to answer for his crimes.

Andrew is arguably less deserving of the opportunity to atone than Jonathan, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 7 shows that is just how the chips have fallen, like in real life. He then has to take the chance Buffy has given him to be better. He sought redemption in the final season, and he mostly achieves this, eventually showing remorse for his past actions. In a season of moral grays, there is the additional factor that Andrew is heavily implied to be in love with Warren, influencing but not excusing his decisions.