| Catherine Madison | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catherine Madison | |
| Aliases: | Amy Madison [1] Catherine the Great [2] |
| Franchise: | Buffy the Vampire Slayer |
| Type: | Witch |
| Gender: | Female |
| Location: | Sunnydale, California |
| Known relatives: | Amy Madison(daughter) |
| Status: | Alive(presumably formerly)
Deceased(presumed) |
| Born: | Late 1940s or early 1950s |
| Died: | 1999(presumed) |
| Introduction: | "Witch" |
| Actor: | Robin Riker Elizabeth Anne Allen |
Catherine Madison is a fictional witch featured in the WB Network television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Played by actresses Robin Riker and Elizabeth Anne Allen, she appeared in the third episode of season one, "Witch".
Biography[]
Catherine Madison was a resident of Sunnydale, California, as well as a powerful witch. In her youth, she attended school at Sunnydale High and was captain of the cheerleading squad. Nicknamed "Catherine the Great", she made the team tri-county champions, a feat that had never been accomplished before or since. In senior year she and an unnamed male student were crowned Homecoming Queen and King. After graduation Catherine and he were married. Not long after, they gave birth to a daughter named Amy. As years passed, Catherine discovered and began practicing witchcraft. She grew quite strong, but when her husband found out about his wife's practices, he refused to deal with it. When Amy was twelve-years-old, her father divorced Catherine and ran off with a local girl known only as "Miss Trailer Trash". The severity of the break-up left the Madisons in financial ruin. Catherine and her now ex-husband both fought for custody of their daughter, which Catherine won. She then refused to let he ex-husband and his new partner have contact with Amy, Catherine persevered and eventually put herself in cosmetology school. She proved to be very successful and was able to afford an elegant home and buy Amy anything she ever wanted.
As Amy grew older, Catherine became more obsessed with reliving her glory days on the high school cheerleading squad. With the intent of having Amy join the squad, Catherine put her through a rigorous regiment of training six hours every day; three in the morning and three in the evening. She was militant about Amy's weight control and if she suspected that her daughter was even an ounce overweight she would padlock the door to the refrigerator. Despite how often she practiced however, Amy could not meet her mother's high expectations. Catherine came to realize that no matter what, Amy would never have the manual dexterity to become a cheerleader. Feeling as if Amy was wasting her youth, she literally took it away from her. Using her magic, she crafted a spell that allowed her to switch minds with her daughter. Although she still possessed all of her old skill, she was still restricted by Amy's body. When she tried out for the cheerleading team, she failed to make a very strong impression and only became a third string alternate. Catherine could not abide this. The only way Catherine/Amy would be able to make the team however was if another girl was to lose her spot. She used her powers to make one cheerleader, Amber Grove, burst into flames. Amber was replaced by Cordelia Chase. Catherine stole one of Cordelia's undergarments and used it in a spell to render her temporarily blind. When Cordelia was forced to resign her position from the squad, she was replaced by Buffy Summers. Catherine crafted a vengeance spell, which lowered Buffy's immune system, giving the appearance of one who was severely intoxicated.
When Buffy's mentor Rupert Giles learned that Buffy had become the victim of a witch, he took her to the Madison house in the hopes of finding the witch's spell book. At the time, he believed that it was actually Amy Madison who was the witch. It was Buffy who deduced the truth and figured out that Catherine was conducting her affairs through Amy's body. They located Catherine's spell book and were able to find a counter spell to all of her effects. They brought it back to the high school while Catherine was serving on the cheerleading squad at a pep rally. Giles recited the incantation to reverse the spell and Catherine's mind returned to her rightful body. Catherine fought against Buffy and tried to kill her with a powerful hex. As she hurled the mystic bolt however, Buffy deflected it with a mirror, reflecting the blast back upon her. In a spectacle of dazzling light, Catherine Madison's body disappeared. Catherine’s backfired spell was revealed to have trapped her inside her old cheerleading trophy housed in the school trophy cabinet, the only signs of her presence were her moving eyes and a muffled voice. [3] When Sunnydale High School was destroyed two years later during graduation ceremonies, it is more than likely the trophy was destroyed as well, presumably destroying Catherine in the process. [4], in the unlikely case the trophy was not destroyed, Catherine would have been sucked into the hellmouth in 2003.
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Catherine Madison was created by director Stephen Cragg and writer Dana Reston based on concepts originally developed by Joss Whedon.
- Elizabeth Anne Allen, who primarily played Amy Madison, also played Catherine Madison during the scenes where they were occupying each other's bodies.
- Catherine Madison is the first supernatural entity to fight up against Buffy Summers who was not a vampire.
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Assumed her daughter's identity when she took possession of her body.
- ↑ This was Amy Madison's nickname for her mother.
- ↑ Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Witch
- ↑ Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Graduation Day (Part 2)