Halfrek or Hallie is a recurring fictional character on the
TV series ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...
.'' She appears as a vengeance demon in seasons 6 and 7, and has previously appeared as Cecily in season 5. She is played by actress
Kali Rocha
Kali Michele Rocha (born December 5, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Karen Rooney, the mother of four Rooney children and school's vice principal, in the Disney Channel sitcom ''Liv and Maddie''. She has also co-written f ...
.
Halfrek
Halfrek is a long-time associate and sometime friend of
Anya
Aanya, Anya or Anja is a given name. The names are feminine in most cultures especially Indian, and unisex in several African and European countries.
Origins and variant forms
* Aanya or Anya is an Indian name that means inexhaustible, limitless ...
, who knew her from her days as a vengeance demon. The two had worked together in the past, notably during the
Russian Revolution of 1905
The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...
. However, Halfrek's ''raison d'etre'' differed from Anya's. Whereas Anya was an avenger of scorned women, Halfrek's "thing" (as Anya put it) is to perform vengeance for children who have been wronged by their parents or guardians. Anya attributes this to "daddy issues". Even after Anya ceases to be a vengeance demon, she continues her friendship with Halfrek. Like Anyanka used the name Anya when masquerading as human, Halfrek's mortal persona goes by the name Hallie.
In her second appearance in season 6, Halfrek poses as a guidance counselor and coaxes
Dawn
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horizo ...
into making a wish. Feeling that no one wants to spend time with her, Dawn wishes that people would never leave; Halfrek therefore casts a spell that prevents anyone from leaving the Summers residence. The crisis ends when Halfrek herself is caught in the spell and has to break it. Halfrek also appears as a bridesmaid at the failed wedding of Anya and
Xander Xander is an abbreviated form of the name Alexander and pronounced like "Zander". Alexander is the Latin form of the Greek name "Alexandros". The name's meaning is interpreted from "alexein" which means "to defend" plus "andros" which translates to ...
. Early in season 7, Halfrek attempts to coax Anya back into vengeance, but Anya has spent too long as a mortal to return to her old life; while she was initially successful in her return to demonhood, she subsequently regrets the deaths she has caused.
D'Hoffryn
D'Hoffryn is a fictional character on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', played by Andy Umberger. He is a powerful entity high in the demonic hierarchy. He's the master of the vengeance demons, a cabal which includes humans who are "elevated" to demoni ...
asks Anya what she wants, and she says that she wants to reverse the vengeance she had done. D'Hoffryn grants her wish, telling her that it'll require the sacrifice of a vengeance demon's body and soul. Believing she is about to die, Anya is resigned to her fate—only to watch helplessly as D'Hoffryn summons her friend Halfrek and incinerates her in front of Anya.
Cecily
In the season 5 episode "
Fool For Love", Halfrek uses the persona of Cecily while on a job to kill all the guests at a party Spike is attending. Cecily, being the upper-class object of the then-human
William's affections in
Victorian England circa 1880 spurns William's advances, saying he is "beneath her", and upsetting him greatly. This sets in motion the events that lead William to accept comfort from
Drusilla
Drusilla is a female given name deriving from the Roman cognomen Drusilla.
History
The name has its origin from the Latin cognomen (and later praenomen) ''Drusus'' which itself derived from the Greek ''drosos'' (dew). The diminutive "illa" t ...
, and become a
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
. (Cecily's surname was implied to be ''Underwood'' in the episode "
Lies My Parents Told Me
"Lies My Parents Told Me" is the 17th episode in the seventh and final season of the television show '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. It was originally intended to air on March 18, 2003, a day before the ''Angel'' episode "Orpheus", but was postpon ...
", but stated to be ''Addams'' in the script and credits of "Fool for Love" and the non-canon tie-in novel ''These Our Actors''.)
Identity
In the season 6 episode "
Older and Far Away
Older is the comparative form of "old".
It may also refer to:
Music:
* ''Older'' (album), the third studio album from George Michael (released in 1996)
** "Older" (George Michael song)
* "Older", a song on the 1999 album ''Long Tall Weekend'' ...
", Halfrek recognizes Spike and calls him by his human name, William. Spike also recognizes Halfrek, but when asked to explain this they both sheepishly deny being acquainted. This implies that Halfrek had previously been Cecily. However, Halfrek and Anya witnessed the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...
(circa 1853) which is mentioned in "
Lessons
A lesson or class is a structured period of time where learning is intended to occur. It involves one or more students (also called pupils or learners in some circumstances) being taught by a teacher or instructor. A lesson may be either one ...
" and shown in "
Selfless". The timing of this event would indicate that Halfrek existed as a demon at least three decades prior to the adoption of the youthful human form in Cecily. Joss Whedon and Kali Rocha have both stated that, in their minds at least, Halfrek and Cecily were indeed the same entity.
Halfrek later appeared in the comic ''
Spike: Old Times'', which established that she was 'on a job' at the time that William fell for Cecily. She seems to have had at least some pity for William in spite of her rejection of him, as the night he became a vampire, she caused the deaths of the rude party-goers who had laughed at his poetry.
Continuity-wise, the comic story takes place in Buffy Season 6, and assumes that Spike briefly left
Sunnydale
Sunnydale is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2003). Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all ...
and visited
LA.
Appearances
;''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...
'' : Halfrek/Cecily has appeared in 7 Buffy episodes as a guest.
*Season 5: "
Fool for Love" (as Cecily)
*Season 6: "
Doublemeat Palace
The sixth season of the television series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' premiered on October 2, 2001, with a two-hour premiere on UPN and concluded its 22-episode season with a two-hour finale on May 21, 2002. It maintained its previous timeslot, ...
"; "
Older and Far Away
Older is the comparative form of "old".
It may also refer to:
Music:
* ''Older'' (album), the third studio album from George Michael (released in 1996)
** "Older" (George Michael song)
* "Older", a song on the 1999 album ''Long Tall Weekend'' ...
"; "
Hell's Bells
Hell's Bells or Hells Bells may refer to:
Music
* "Hells Bells" (song), a 1980 song by AC/DC
* ''Hells Bells'' (album), a 1980 album by John Hicks
* "Hell's Bells", a piece of music written by Art Kassel and recorded in 1932
* "Hell's Bells", ...
"; "
Entropy
Entropy is a scientific concept, as well as a measurable physical property, that is most commonly associated with a state of disorder, randomness, or uncertainty. The term and the concept are used in diverse fields, from classical thermodynam ...
"
*Season 7: "
Lessons
A lesson or class is a structured period of time where learning is intended to occur. It involves one or more students (also called pupils or learners in some circumstances) being taught by a teacher or instructor. A lesson may be either one ...
"; "
Selfless"
References
{{Reflist
Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters
Female characters in television
Fictional characters who can teleport
Fictional telekinetics
Buffyverse demons
Television characters introduced in 2000