Guide to Writing Mr. Gordo
Gordo's Relationships With the Scooby Gang (et al)
Mr. Gordo and Buffy - Obviously, Buffy is the main person in Gordo's life. As a stuffed animal, his whole purpose is to provide her with comfort and companionship, through better or worse. It makes sense that he would always want what he thinks would make her happiest to happen. He would probably be her closest confidante, her one person who would always be on her side no matter what. It's unclear exactly when Mr. Gordo and Buffy first met, but it's likely they have been friends since she was a Little One. Theirs is a sweet, pure love.
Mr. Gordo and Angel - Gordo and Angel have been formally introduced by Buffy. Their first meeting involved a lovelorn Angel poking through Buffy's possessions in a way similar to, but less sexually overt, than Spike's underwear drawer reconnaissance. There's no reason to believe Gordo would have disliked Angel at this point. Angel had, of course, visited Buffy's room before this time, and it's reasonable to assume Gordo's Girl would have talked to her furry friend about this First Dark One. After Angel turned into Angelus, he returned to Buffy's room several times without her knowledge, including the occasion when he sketched Buffy in her sleep. Mr. Gordo most likely would have been very upset about this. Also, he more than likely understood that Angelus was bad, again because his Girl would have confided in him
Mr. Gordo and Joyce - Undoubtedly, Gordo's Girl's mother would have been well-known to everyone's favorite piggy. When Buffy was little, most likely Joyce took care of any mishaps involving Mr. Gordo, perhaps giving him rides in the washing machine. Whether he found that fun or not is entirely open to reader interpretation. Of course, through seasons one and two, he knew more about his Girl's life than Joyce would ever have dreamed. It's possible he might not have understood why this Big One never seemed to know what was going on. Also, we aren't sure whether Buffy took Mr. Gordo with her when she ran away to L.A. after season two. Joyce and Mr. Gordo may have had some bonding time together, both worrying over the fate of their girl. We're not sure if he understands the concept of death, so he might still wonder where Joyce is.
Mr. Gordo and Dawn - Mr. Gordo isn't a human or a demon, so it's possible that he's the only member of the Scooby Gang whose memories of what life was like before Dawn was created are still untouched. He might remember this Brown Fur girl suddenly showing up and wonders why no one else thinks it's odd. Dawn herself had many stuffed animals in her bedroom, so it's possible she liked Mr. Gordo. In addition, Mr. Gordo may have had stuffed animal friends who lived down the hallway. Of course, Dawn was also very jealous of Buffy, so that jealousy could have extended to Mr. Gordo as well.
Mr. Gordo and Willow - Willow lived with Buffy both in their dorm room and at Revello Drive in the later seasons, so Mr. Gordo and the Rusty Fur girl would have met. Not only that, but Willow must have been formally introduced to him since she knew his name when she was speaking to Riley about Buffy. It's even possible she may have appropriated some cuddle-time with the piggy in question following Oz's departure as Buffy was extremely busy and Willow apparently spent a lot of time alone in their dorm. Buffy and Willow were friends, so that would probably have been enough to make Gordo like her by itself. Also, Willow told Dawn in "Forever" that she knew a spell to make a stuffed animal dance. Gordo may have been her practice-Baryshnikov.
Mr. Gordo and Xander - Again, the two have met. Xander and Willow often came over to Buffy's room to watch TV, including those rather bizarre Indian films, when they were in high school. Xander was a friend of Buffy's, and I think that would be enough for him to get on the piggy's good side. At least outwardly, Xander doesn't seem to be the stuffed animal type, but then he does come from an unhappy home that he doesn't like to talk about in public. Mr. Gordo could have been a confidant of his at some point.
Mr. Gordo and Spike - With the amount of time Spike spent in Buffy's room, Gordo and the Yellow Fur vampire have most likely met. It's interesting that we don't see Mr. Gordo during season five. Could he have been one of the things Spike took for his Buffy shrine? He'd certainly smell like her. Also, Spike the big, bad, rough, tough vampire seems like a guy who might possibly be into secretly talking to stuffed animals. I'd be willing to bet human William had a woolly animal somewhere in his closet. Again, Gordo would be in favor of anyone who makes Buffy happy and against anyone who doesn't, so the opinion he holds of Spike depends a lot on the writer's view of the Spike/Buffy relationship.
Mr. Gordo and Riley - We know that Riley and Buffy did... things... in her room during "Into the Woods," so Mr. Gordo would have been aware of this Second Dark One's presence in his Girl's life. Also, Riley was in her dorm room several times, and his discussion about "courting" Buffy with Willow not only took place in front of Mr. Gordo, but Mr. Gordo himself was mentioned by name as something he could use to form a connection with her. Whether or not Riley ever chose to mention Mr. Gordo is unknown. However, Mr. Gordo would also have witnessed Riley getting up and leaving his Girl in the middle of the night in season five, which really doesn't seem like a very polite thing to do from a piggy perspective.
Mr. Gordo and Mr. Giles - We're not sure if Mr. Gordo and Mr. Giles have ever met. In any case, this Big One with the Sparkly Face Decorations was a friend of Buffy's, and Mr. Gordo would probably like him for that reason. Mr. Giles lived with Buffy briefly in season seven, but there were so many Slayers in Training around at the time that it's possible they never met. One could speculate that Buffy took her prized piggy to the library on occasion. If so, perhaps the two misters shared a cup of tea.
Mr. Gordo and Anya - While this Multi-Colored Fur one had a fear of bunnies, there's no evidence of her fearing pigs. Again, she and Mr. Gordo did not share lodgings until late season seven, but she did help in the moving of Buffy's personal belongings into and out of her dorm room in season five, so they may be acquainted. Actually, these two characters may have quite a bit in common. Neither one completely understands the human world due to inexperience.
Mr. Gordo and Tara - Tara lived at Revello Drive with Willow following season five. If any of the characters on the show seems like someone who would be a stuffed animal type person, Tara is it. Both Mr. Gordo and Tara are very quiet and good listeners, too. Most likely, though Mr. Gordo would have been missing his Girl a lot after season five, he probably liked this Quiet One. Also, Tara could read auras. Could she have noticed some pretty colors clinging to a certain pink plush piggy?
Mr. Gordo and Oz - Again, so far as we know, these two would only have become acquainted if Buffy brought Gordo to the library or if this Rusty Furred One's Boyfriend bumped into him in Willow and Buffy's dorm room. Oz usually didn't talk very much, and his fur kept changing colors, so Mr. Gordo may not have known what to make of him. However, he made his Girl's friend happy, which would have been good, but then he made her sad, which would have been bad.
Mr. Gordo and Faith - Faith also visited the Summers home on several occasions, both as friend and foe. This Wild One may have scared Gordo a little. She did, after all, try to hurt the Big One, but we're not really sure whether Faith in her own body made it up to the second floor of the house. An interesting question is whether Faith's body swap with Buffy would have fooled Mr. Gordo. We do know she entered Buffy's room at that time, so Mr. Gordo would have seen her, provided he was not still back at Buffy's dorm room.
Mr. Gordo and Sunday - This is Mr. Gordo's arch nemesisisisis. Sunday and her gang kidnapped Mr. Gordo from Buffy's dorm room in season four's "The Freshman." One can assume Mr. Gordo would have been terribly frightened of this mean person with the funny facial ridges who tried to take him away from his Girl. However, Buffy came to save him, so things turned out okay.
Mr. Gordo and Andrew - Andrew also lived with Buffy in season seven... then again, who didn't? However, Andrew is specifically worth mentioning because he liked action figures, which are the stuffed animals' cousins once removed, of course. I doubt he found many Boba Fetts lying about in the mostly girlie house, so perhaps he struck up a friendship with the plush piggy instead. Andrew started off as a prisoner, though, so Gordo may have been a bit ambivalent about him, at least at first.
Mr. Gordo and the First - The First infiltrated Buffy's house several times, and it's possible Mr. Gordo was present during one of them. As Mr. Gordo is a symbol of innocence and goodness, it's a safe bet he would know the First when he saw it and really, really not like it.
Mr. Gordo and Miss Kitty Fantastico – After Willow moved into the Summers house, in between seasons five and six, her cat (or was she an eternal kitten) must have taken up residence there as well. As a general rule, felines and stuffed animals do not get along, particularly if said feline is in possession of claws. The crossbow incident may not have been entirely unwelcome to Gordo.
Mr. Gordo and Clem - Clem ate kitties, which are often regarded as being a stuffed animal's natural predators. Clem also got trapped at Buffy's house during the birthday party that wouldn't end. Clem, or Mr. Wrinkles, was so unusual that it's possible Mr. Gordo might have thought he was a very large, unfurry stuffed animal himself. In any case, the two would probably have gotten along for no other reason than the cat issue.
Mr. Gordo and Drusilla - Now, so far as we know, these two never met. However, of all the members of the Buffyverse, Drusilla is the one character who had a known history of playing with dollies. It isn't too much of a stretch to see her liking a certain stuffed pig as well. Dru was never invited into Buffy's house, but then again, she was at the library once. Mr. Gordo may have been present at the time. As to Mr. Gordo's feelings for this Black Fur girl, she could possibly have understood what he was saying, which he might have liked a lot, and there would probably have been some sympathy from him about her condition. At the same time, a lot depends on what he knew about how she treated Buffy.
Mr. Gordo and Bear in the Red Bow - Perhaps the greatest tragedy of the series occurred when Mr. Gordo's place on Buffy's bed was usurped by the Teddy (sometimes referred to as Tom Teddy, though his nomenclature remains in doubt). We don't really know much about this bear besides the fact Buffy chose to place him in the position of honor. It's possible Gordo had left Buffy's service at this time, or it's possible Dawn had taken him or that he was still in her room but in a different spot. Was the bear to blame? Was he an innocent victim of circumstance? Did Gordo feel jealousy or unhappiness? The world may never know.
Mr. Gordo and Miss Edith - Black Fur's best friend, a dolly of distinction and beauty, may have come to Mr. Gordo's attention. Who else but the plaything of another supernatural girl would understand Mr. Gordo's responsibilities and secret sorrows? Can you think of a doll who would need a plush shoulder to cry on more than Miss Edith did? If they ever met, what a conversation they could have had! Is it possible that there was a romance? Could a love have bloomed between porcelain and porcine? Mr. Gordo isn't the type to kiss and tell.
Mr.
Gordo and Hank Summers - Assuming that Buffy and Gordo have been together
since long before her parents' divorce, the pig would know Buffy's father. More
than likely, much like Buffy's opinion, Gordo would have changed his mind about
Hank over time. In fact, Gordo may have caught on that Hank was something of a
rat fink earlier than everyone else. It's possible Buffy took Mr. Gordo with her
when she spent the summer in L.A. with her father after season 1.
Mr. Gordo and Kendra - Though she wasn't
around very much, Gordo and Kendra may have bumped into each other at the
Sunnydale Library. Poor Kendra never had a stuffed animal in her
far-too-demanding life, only Mr. Pointy, so Mr. Gordo might have puzzled her.
They could have struck up a friendship. It's possible that, being a Slayer like
his Girl, Kendra also might have smelled a little like Buffy to Gordo.
Mr. Gordo and Cordelia - Again, if Buffy had
taken Mr. Gordo to the library, he may have encountered Cordelia. Remember that
Buffy and Cordy didn't really get along all that well most of the time. Kween
Cee might have struck our piggy as a bit too mean to his Girl. On the other
hand, Cordy had a softer side as well, and perhaps she showed this to Gordo.
Mr. Gordo and Wesley - If they met, it would,
again, have been in the library in season three. Wesley was not, at this point,
a big fan of Buffy's. For that reason alone, I doubt Gordo would have liked this
Englishman with the far too good posture.
Mr. Gordo and Jenny - Although they wouldn't
have had much time to get acquainted before she went away, these two could also
have had a library meeting. Jenny was a techno-pagan, if not an actual witch, so
it's possible she might have noticed something unusual about our fluffy friend.
She made the Big One with Sparkly Face Decorations happy, which Gordo probably
would have liked, though. However, he may have been confused by the shiny box
she spent so much time working with.
Mr. Gordo and Harmony - It's hard to imagine
Harmony willingly spending any time at the library, but perhaps these two bumped
into each other in the halls at some point. Harmony didn't like Buffy very much
at all, so I doubt Mr. Gordo would have liked this girl all that much. On the
other hand, she was also pretty easy to understand, and in that way had a very
Gordo-like simple view of the world.
Mr. Gordo and Principal Snyder - We know
Snyder made a point of visiting the library sometimes, so it's possible he met
the Slayer's piggy. Again, he didn't like Buffy at all, so Mr. Gordo probably
really disliked this Man Whose Fur Was Slipping Off.
-Melpomenethalia Feb. 2004
-Perletwo Feb. 2004
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