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Post by Dalton on Feb 19, 2004 1:21:39 GMT -5
This thread contains the reviews for Season Seven of BtVS.
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Post by Dalton on Feb 27, 2004 23:08:12 GMT -5
by Hunter Maxin 9/24/2002
My apologies in advance…this is going to be a long one.
Fight or Flight…The basic human instinct response mechanism, and much in evidence in our faithful flock well before the opening of this season. Long before cementing itself into necessity, we’ve been splitting hairs over heirs apparent.
Will Dawn or won’t Dawn? (Be the titular slayer.)
Will we or won’t we? (Accept this reality, should it come to pass.)
Not that we didn’t know it already, but week one ran a long way with the Dawn as next generation premise, so we’d better batten down the hatches and, I don’t know, get used to getting used to the idea. It was certainly funny (as in "ha ha") each time Buffy got mistaken for Dawn’s mother, but it also bears noting that it is funny (as in "ironic" fore/past-shadowing) that this point would be hammered home.
As far as slayage goes, Buffy is Dawn’s mother. She is the teacher, the provider, the giver, the guide. She blazed the path that, I now whole-heartedly assume, will be taken up by the Little Bit. This level of literary license is relatively obvious.
But on another, slightly less shallow level, we have Buffy’s life as the mother of Dawn’s to be. Much has been made of returning BtVS to it’s original roots, to bring it back to the excitement and emotional trauma of the teenage years to resolve all those unresolved slings and arrows that the popularity dispossessed inevitably experience in high school. This is the right of passage for the tragically uncool, to pass through their school years vaguely traumatized and exact revenge later in life. As the lawyers, doctors, television writers/producers/directors the "cool" kids wish they now were, as they sip warm Bud Light from the dusty stoops outside their doublewides.
Or, so we pray as we change, paranoid, for gym class.
However, Joss has rebuilt Sunnydale High School not to re-create Buffy’s early years. At least not just to do so. Sunnydale High has returned to give Dawn the same training ground, the same foundation, to establish her…what now? Worthiness? Our respect?
The fact is, either we’ll give the Little Bit the chance to prove herself, or we’ll reject her out of hand. Many have made up their mind, and, to a degree, rightly so. No television show really survives into the next generation. At least not while pretending to be the same show.
Which leaves us with a choice, really. We can fight the future. Or, we can embrace it, nurture it. Further it. Fighting the Future did nothing but bury the X-Files, still the best (albeit imperfect) template for the success and rabid following we find with BtVS. Fighting the future, changing it, wielding it as an entirely different weapon, animal, story, sunk the X-Files faster than you could say "multi-galactical alien conspiracy.
"I call it hubris.The real question is, will our abstinence, our pestilence, our violence against this idea…will it stop it from happening? Will Joss listen? Will SMG listen? Or Eliza, for that matter?
I think not.
Joss has traditionally stood up in the face of those who told him he was wrong, that it couldn’t be done, and proven them wrong. Time and time again. Will our bitching alter that in the slightest? Will we "save" Buffy by dismissing Dawn?
Again, I think not.
But, can we be instrumental in guiding the hand that feeds us? Can we, by embracing the Dawn, coax an existence that rises above what we fear we will be served?
I think so.
Joss is no dummy. He is no Chris Carter. And we are smarter than those X-Philes ever were. I say the campaign starts now. If we are to have Little Bit as a headliner (and, make no mistake, we will), it’s time to make it clear what will be required…from Joss, from Michelle, from the story. From the Scrappies, even. It’s time to lay out our half of the contract.
If you do this, we will come…, er, stay.
Whatever.
And to that end, I saw something tonight that brings me hope. At first, I thought that going back to the beginning was a gimmick, but I was wrong. The title itself should have tipped me off (because Joss is smarter than your average bear), but better late than never. Going back serves a far more important purpose, and there are more important lessons here that at first meet the eye.
And the first lesson goes thusly: Those who forget, or ignore, the past are doomed to repeat it. Like our ancestral cave dwellers, in the before time, in the long, long ago, we must pull ourselves up to the campfire and remember the lessons of our mothers and fathers.
For us, here, in our BtVS world, what Joss has done is teach Dawn these lessons first hand. But make no mistake, this season will – in addition to being a new story arc in its own right, and a promising one at that, I might add – be a shorthand for Dawn to learn the lessons of her mother. By experiencing them.
In the beginning, both Buffy and Buffy were raw, but promising. To compare Michelle to our current SMG, or Dawn to our current Buffy, is both unfair and myopic. But compare her to Buffy in the beginning…the learning curve isn’t as steep as we once feared. Given the right story, the right development, and the right friends (too early to really tell about the Scrappies), Dawn could really be a character worth loving.
That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. And now to the details, big and small…
Location, Location, Location…the three most important words in real estate, and apparently a lesson lost on new Sunnydale High principal Robin Wood. This new guy interests me. I don’t know what to make of him just yet, in all truth he could go either way, but his earnest smiley-eyed optimism makes him a prime candidate for good guy status. But, this being the Hellmouth and all, one never can tell. Just so long as we know that the season finale arc has to (simply has to) take place, at least in part, in this guy’s office. For my part, I hope he’s a white hat, but I wouldn’t mind him pulling a screw job and turning heel either.
Fire Bad, Tree Pretty…So Willow just wants to be…Willow. Personally, I’m happy that there was at least acknowledgement on her part of the horrid things she has done. Nice touch, her believing Giles brought her to England to kill her, or worse. The twisted side of me kind of wishes he did, just so we could see that dynamic, but this will do. The two of them were underused, time wise, but I dig the set up.
Finally, belated acknowledgement that Willow wasn’t really a magic addict. She was simply that damn powerful. Some people are just born for their lot in life, and Willow is a witch of the highest order. Better to try to mold it and harness it than deny it, which is the mistake that the Giles-less Scoobies made last year.
But there are seeds of the old Willow in there, and I like it. The desire to just be, but know that a calling, a gift, a curse, and, most importantly, a responsibility, carry the day. Willow will be both a player in the final battle to come, and, I suspect, in the future of all things Slayer, whether it be Dawn or the Council.
Istanbul, Not Constantinople…so, what now? By that I mean, what the hell was that? What did it mean? Where does it fit in? When does it fit in? Was that the past, the present…WHAT? Bottom line, I don’t like when something means absolutely nothing to me, and, while I’m sure we’ll be let in eventually, having that itty-bitty opener just didn’t need to be in this story.
Double-O-Xander…pressed for space, let me just say, my boy’s grown up. You go, Xander.
Back to your roots…I’m going to leave Spike along for the time being, save a quick couple of notes. I was right, he’s loonier than a ‘toon. He came back too soon. And I just might have been right when I posited that question about a vampire with a soul and the final battle. This cat figures in the final story. Has to. Otherwise, I see no reason for the Big Evil (see below) to even bother with the mental torture.
Come on up for the Rising…so the lower demons are all in a-twitch. Willow can feel the "teeth of the earth…blackness rising…" The Hellmouth is coming for one last (really the last?) big showdown…and they are making it out to be one hell of a fight to be. It’s nice to know that the Hellmouth will figure in the storyline again, as it’s been too long for the supposed reason for Buffy being in Sunnydale in the first place.
So what do we know? We know the Hellmouth figures prominently in the big evil for the season. We know that, this time around, they are making its opening out to be a very scary and insurmountable thing to come. We know that, this time, when they start talking about the end of the world, they probably mean it. The demons can feel it coming, and they better choose the right side or there will be hell to pay. Anya was being warned to get bad or get lost, pure and simple, because whatever is coming won’t need wafflers on its side.
What interested me most, more than Anya’s intervention, however, was that little conversation Spike had with Warren/Glory/Adam/The Mayor/Dru/The Master/Buffy at the end of the night. The parade of once and future foes was touching in its way (I really miss the Mayor, I really don’t miss Adam or Glory), but it was the between the lines bits that really got me thinking.
Let me put it to you this way…who do you think Spike was talking to? Play the conversation again, whether in your mind or on the VCR, and tell me what the Master hinted at. Before the word…I’ve got a big old hunch as to what is really rising out of the Hellmouth, and, in my opinion, it’s one hell of a gutsy call on Joss’ part. Some evils you don’t take lightly, and, if I’m right, this is the hardest one to pull off.
But it also makes the most sense.
Seriously. What else would a Hellmouth be for?
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Post by Dalton on Feb 27, 2004 23:21:59 GMT -5
by Hunter Maxin 10/1/2002
Spike is back. SPIKE IS BACK! Back, I tell you! Back!
(easy...easy)
And in a big way, which doesn’t surprise me at all. What did surprise me was how many steps we went through in such a short period of time. The transition from Almond Joy Spike (sometimes you feel like a nut...) to Mounds Spike and back again...well, I didn’t see that one coming. I had William penciled in as somewhat bonkers until at least after Columbus Day.
In fact, when "costumed" sane Spike showed up in the Summer’s foyer, I was tempted to write him off as, first, a figment of Buffy’s imagination (until after the commercial break), and, later, some form of the big bad in disguise (until Anya looked into his eyes). So this is how Spike has decided to wrestle with his demons: he’s spliced himself into halves.
On one side, we have William...tortured by the things he’s done. Soft at heart. Weak and misguided. Living in the past. Tormented. Unkempt hair.
On the other, we have Spike. Neutered Spike, yes, but still Spike. British cool. Devious, yet charming. Misplaced. Misguided. In love with Buffy.
Last week, I was sure that Spike’s reference to "just the three of us" meant Buffy, himself, and the big evil lurking in the shadows. Now, I’m not so certain. Now, I think it might just be Spike, William, and Buffy.
And how much more interesting is that?
In the end, however, I think the two came together. Maybe not for the first time, but the first for us. In the end, Spike met William half way and became something not entirely not unlike...a man.
Flawed and lost. Strong and with purpose. Confused about who he is in relation to what he wants. Vulnerable and pathetic, and all the more worthy of our love...if only because he is real.
The evolution was fast and furious, however, and I spent much of the last half of the night wondering what, exactly, I had witnessed. Then came the last five minutes...five of the coolest minutes of BtVS I have ever seen.
For starters, JM has gotten so good that...what? What can you actually say about him? He transcends, now. At this point, more than any other slight the show has received, his lack of recognition borders on criminal. We watched him swing, quickly back and forth, from William to Spike, arguing with himself, pleading with God, helpless to hopeless to threatening...with the smoothest of transitions and subtle, subtle power.
The performance itself left me confused. As if I could possibly write about something else. Because tonight I felt I saw JM truly come into being. And I was somewhat awed.
And why? And how? The truth came out. The deep truth, the real truth. We were off the scent. Put there by Joss who prodded us to believe that Spike left for surgery. To have a chip removed, thank you very much, to free himself to kill Buffy. To rid himself of her. To give her what she deserved.
But no! How could that be? He loves her. Spike knew, deep down inside, he was searching for his soul all along. It’s what he was asking for in Africa, even if the words never came out of his mouth.
To give Buffy what she deserved.
And then those five minutes. I don’t do...I won’t ever do this again...but tonight I have to. I have to actually have the words in front of us, to see them. To be sure of what we heard. To see it for ourselves.
Buffy: Spike, have you completely lost your mind? Spike: Well, yes, where have you been all night? Buffy: You thought you would just come back here, and be with me? Spike: Well, first time for everything. Buffy: This is all you get...I’m listening. Tell me what happened. Spike: I tried to find it, of course. Buffy: Find what? Spike: The spark. The missing...the piece, that fit...that’ll make me fit. Because you didn’t want...I can’t. Not with you looking. (Gets up and walks into the shadows.) I dreamed of killing you. (Buffy picks up a stake.) I think they were dreams. So weak. Did you make me weak? Thinking of you? Holding myself and spilling useless buckets of salt over your...ending. Angel, he should have warned me...it’s here. In me. All the time. The spark. I wanted to give you...what you deserve. And I got it. They put the spark in me and now all it does is burn. Buffy: Your soul. Spike: Bit worse for lack of use.Buffy: You got your soul back. How? Spike: It’s what you wanted, right? (Looking to heavens and raising his voice) It’s what you wanted, right? And now everybody’s in here...talking. Everything I did. Everyone I...and him. And it. The other. The thing...beneath. Beneath you. It’s here too. Everybody failed to tell me. Go. Go. To hell. Buffy: Why? Why would you do... Spike: Buffy, shame on you. Why would a man do what he musn’t? For her. To be hers. To be the kind of man who would never...to be a kind of man. And she shall look on him with forgiveness and everybody will forgive and love. And he would be loved. So everything’s okay, right. (Leans on cross and starts to smolder) Can we rest now? Buffy...can we rest? (cont. next post)
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Post by Dalton on Feb 27, 2004 23:22:21 GMT -5
Honestly, what can you say after that? What can you write? My friend, Jack Blair, who was watching with me, said it best – Spike has become the greatest vampire in all of movies and television. His character is so evolved, so complex, so, for lack of a better word, real, that to dissect him...to say that this is what he means and this is what he is offends.
People – real people – can’t be explained so easily. Only characters can.
Angel is a character. A beloved one, to be sure, but limited and confined by his motivations. I am a vampire with a soul. I atone for my past transgressions. The memories haunt me everyday. I brood therefore I am.
But not Spike. Not anymore. He is William and he is Spike, that which is beneath Buffy. But unlike Angel, in which Angelus was just a variation on a theme, this Spike, this current William, they are different. At opposites. And in the middle is just this...man.
A tired, tired man who just wants someone to explain to him what it’s all for. What it all means? Who is he here? Who is he now? And he suspects the only person who can tell him is this woman who doesn’t even really know who she is.
Forgive me.
As to what it will all mean...for us, for the future...that we can discuss. At length. In the days to come. But this is all I have now, and I didn’t even say it first.
Tonight, Spike became a kind of man. It’s exactly what Buffy deserves, and that might be the most dangerous thing of all.
Tremors...I’m not going to discuss the monster of the week, because, frankly it was beside the point. What it did do, however, was indicate some talking points for the future. Namely...
Xander is trying to move on post-Anyanka.
He has also nearly become a father figure.
Dawn showed some interesting backbone tonight, both with Secrets & Lies Buffy and Spike.
Anya might be a lost cause. Don’t be surprised if Joss keeps her on the wrong side of the law this year.
Willow...let’s just wait and see. I like how she and Giles are communicating and it raises some interesting questions about her future as a watcher. I also like how much they are making it clear that magic – and using it – are foregone conclusions in her life.
Sunnydale High...um, wasn’t everyone under the impression that this episode had everything to do with her starting work at school. The previews have been giving us the snowjob for a few years now, to the point where you absolutely cannot trust them for any semblance of information.
The episode titles, however, have been rife with meaning, and much attention should be paid to them until further notice.
From Beneath You It Devours...well, they have certainly poured it on thick, and Joss might have trouble living up to it. The big bad is officially The Big Bad. Capital B and that rhymes with T, which spells Trouble.
There are some signs now that point in some directions we haven’t previously discussed. Some things about the nature of the earth itself. Some things that suggest what it might holding, and what it might be for.
This hellmouth...this Hellmouth...it’s got teeth. And from beneath it devours. There isn’t that much to go on, but this big bad, this first evil...it’s as old as we feared. Older than time as we know it. And perhaps, just perhaps, both Earth and man were put here to hold it and keep it.
Discuss amongst yourselves.
The Next Big Thing...I think it is now probably pretty clear what happened in Istanbul last week, and, of course, again in Germany tonight. Put another way, if these poor unfortunate girls aren’t Slayers-in-waiting, I’ll wash Joss’s BMW for a year.
With my tongue.
Just so long as he listens to my pitches.
Version 2.0 seemed a great deal tougher to me than the original, and, I think, offered up a nice little nod to fellow network Powerpuff grrrl Sidney Bristow. This means, of course, we have to deal with the fact that Joss is affirmatively establishing that all intended heirs to Buffy (well, Faith, actually) are being made to go the way of Jennifer Love Hewitt’s career. Not to beat a dead horse with a dead horse...but someone has to be next in line.
For now, I’m gonna take a hiatus from that line of thought and take a look at the flip side. Who are these guys in the funny robes? Why are they trying to end the slayer line? Who do they work for? Are they first cousins to the Knights of Byzantium?
Are they even forces of evil?
For now, I fear, we have to stick with the questions...and all the speculation you can bear.
Wait for it...
Wait for it...
It’ll come.
Count our blessings...And last, but certainly not least...an extremely grateful shout-out to Little Willow for an episode synopsis that flat out rocked (Editor Kara’s words) and went well above and beyond the call of duty (mine own) last week. Her weekly episode BtVS synopses here at ScoopMe provide those who missed the details of an episode with an amazing, witty, thoughtful breakdown of the action. Wow! Let’s just say that again...Wow!
Well...that’s all folks. I’m going to pop in those last five minutes again and then I’ll catch you on the boards.
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Post by Dalton on Feb 27, 2004 23:31:34 GMT -5
by Hunter Maxin 10/8/2002
There is nothing you can do when you’re next in line.
If any one thing can be written about the opening bars of Episode 7: The Attack of Year One, it’s that, before Buffy can start taking on the (demon) world again, she first must get all of her affairs, vis-à-vis season 6, in order. Week one got Little Bit squared away. Hell mouth, Dawn. Dawn, hell mouth. Which way to chem. lab?
Week two brought the artist formerly known as Spike back into her fold. Soul, Buffy. Buffy, Soul. Which way to hell?
Week three brings not-quite-entirely-cured Willow to American soil for the first time since she went all Cher on us. Willow, doubt. Doubt, Willow. Which way to redemption?
Hey, you just gotta go, domino.
Rapidly fading Genesis references aside, tonight was entirely about Willow’s return. Everything else got put on hold, save some interesting Anyanka developments (she cares, she knows which side she wants to be on), to be sure we didn’t miss a single nuance of The Return.
Spike has a soul and Buffy knows about it? Let’s save that for next week (we can only hope, tragic UPN promo ridiculousness notwithstanding). Forget that it’s not clear that Buffy shared this miniscule detail with Xander or Dawn. Forget that we still don’t know how Spike got off that cross. Or why? It can wait. It’s Willow’s turn.
The hell mouth is brewing some boil, boil, toil and trouble? It’s potentially the biggest crisis to face humanity since the cola wars went lemon. Just relax. It can wait. It’s Willow’s turn.
I’m thrilled, mind you. I love Willow. I love everything about her character, even the things I can’t stand. Hands down, Willow is the one character on the show I couldn’t live without. I’d miss Xander, mind you, but I’d survive. I’d wade cautiously into a Buffy without Buffy. SMG would be missed too, but, hey, what can you do? I’ve already been forced to live without Giles for extended periods. I hate it, but I’m still here.
Dawn? Puh-lease. I still remember life before her.
Anya? We’d better get used to it, anyway.
Spike? I’ve already lost Oz and Angel.
But never Willow, which is really scary seeing as her career away from Buffy most resembles a career. Eliza Dushku would stab the deputy mayor of a mid-sized city through the heart with a jagged slab of wood for a career in the neighborhood of what Ms. Hannigan has carved out for herself. I mean, she was in My Stepmother Is An Alien, for god’s sake. This movie breeds Oscar winners! After American Wedding, where Alyson is reportedly bumping all the way up to co-star status, motion pictures might make an offer she can’t refuse.
I can’t even think about it, life without Willow. Won’t.
So, "Yea" for my team when Willow got the Very Special Buffy Reunion treatment tonight. As you can no doubt tell from some of the above, I wish they brought her back in a more consistent outing – one where Spike’s soul wasn’t brushed under the rug, nor one where the impending doom of the hell mouth wasn’t idly forgotten – but, in the end, Willow’s still back.
Thank you very much.
You’ve got to hand it to Joss for dealing with her issues head on. In a world gone so incredibly awry, where Chris Carter believes he can end the X-Files with more questions than from which he began...in a world, where Zach from Saved by the Bell has a starring role on NYPD Blue...in a world, where Jason Alexander has gone from the heights of George Constanza to the depths of KFC and Carrot Top is on my television upwards of 20 times a night, it wouldn’t have been much of a surprise if the Scooby gang was just a tad too accommodating, a tad too joyous, a tad too complacent.
But to have Buffy worrying – actually believing – that Willow was flaying new victims immediately upon her arrival...that’s ballsy. It’s also honest. Few shows ever adhere to their own reality as well as BtVS does on a weekly basis. It’s why we love it. It’s why critic after critic, fan after fan, rants about just how real Buffy is to anyone who will listen, knowing full well we are talking about a show that prominently features vampires, man eating insects, and government initiatives to harness the demon underworld.
No wonder the world thinks we’re nuts.
But they do it every time.
Personally, I was quite moved by Willow’s isolation, nor was I surprised at its eventual cause. Putting the flesh eating hobgoblin histrionics aside for the moment, I think they did a decent job of setting the tone of Willow’s reintroduction into the gang. Without them ever sharing a scene, the Scoobies’ concerns, fears, and doubts – about Willow, about their own loyalties – really came across.
BtVS has gone mature on us. It happened last year, and the process was, at times, brutal. The last vestiges of adolescence have been cast aside. Now the gang’s all here, and they all have their own adult baggage. Forgiveness, doubt, remorse, and loss...they were all here too. And once again, they made me believe.
It isn’t just Willow who needs to come to grips with what she has done. It isn’t just for Willow to learn what she has become. Our favorite Scooby is in uncharted waters here. She has gone beyond power, beyond evil, beyond control...but what is she now? We trust she is good. We have to. And, knowing her the way we do, our trust is most likely well-placed. Yet, the possibility – of the other - exists. Giles, and, by extension, the Watchers Council, are taking a risk, even if they have no alternative. Willow is too strong to destroy. Too connected to all magic to be severed from it.
So they’d better take care to surround her with as much comfort and reassurance as possible.Which brings us to the emotion, the state of mind, the location that signals the full embodiment of what it means to truly grow up.Home.Welcome home, Willow. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + My Precious...did anyone tell Peter Jackson (or J.R.R. Tolkein for that matter) that Gollum is loose? In Hollywood? With an agent?
UPN (in its continued "scenes" ineptitude) touted the monster du jour as, oh dearies, and I quote, "the Hannibal Lector of the demon world," when they really should have been sending a basket of mini-muffins over to New Line Cinema for the loaner. To be fair, this guy wasn’t exactly like Gollum. He was more like the ill-fated off-spring of a chance drunk encounter between the Lord of the Rings beasty and that S&M General guy from FarScape...performing in the all male review at Caesar’s Palace.
Cringe worthy, simply cringe worthy.
This is a common complaint of mine with Buffy. The only consistent one, in fact. With a few notable exceptions (Hush), the demon makeup on BtVS always leave me wanting more. Not true, actually. They leave me demanding less.
Memo to Joss: I don’t really need to see the demons. Not really. I just need to believe that (a) they’re there, and (b) they’re terrifying. Let’s be honest, with Buffy, we get a lot of latex. Steven Spielberg simply never showed us the shark. (He did it because the damn thing wouldn’t work right, but that doesn’t matter.) Show me less, let me believe more. Because it just doesn’t do it if you are seeing Richard Simmons in a Lord of the Rings rubber suit when you should be seeing your worst nightmare.
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Post by Dalton on Feb 27, 2004 23:31:50 GMT -5
by Hunter Maxin 10/15/2002 Editor's Note: Hey guys, computer difficulties caused a burp in the article, so it's reposted with minor changes. Thanks!
Lest we needed a reminder, once again Joss boiled his overarching theme back to the surface. The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.
Parents leave. Parents die. Friends leave. Lovers too. A lot. Friends die. Lovers too. For some of us, a lot.
Ultimately, we stand alone in our own lives.
Or do we really? Time and time again, Buffy stands out amongst all the countless slayers who have come before her not because of who she is, but who stands with her. She owes her life to her friends. She owes her strength to her friends.
Buffy is the slayer, even if she is no longer The Slayer, because she places trust in those she can when she can. As a group, the Scoobies survive - and often thrive - because they don’t believe in the no win situation. They look at fate, and they know that, when it all matters most, they can trust each other to try and fight.
To try and fight for each other.
To try and fight against their destinies.
To try.
When you know, that’s when you try harder. Because some realities are unacceptable. Buffy died. Twice. Didn’t matter. They brought her back. Willow became a psycho-killer of the darkest order. Didn’t matter. They brought her back.
But in the end, sometimes, fate just needs to win. And, every once in a while, fate needs to stick it to Buffy and her friends. To remind them. Joyce will die, and for all of her powers, Buffy can’t save her. Tara will die, and for all of her powers, Willow can’t save her.
To remind them.
Perhaps, the lesson here is that to fight the good fight, you must remember what it is you are really fighting. Perhaps, the lesson is that trying is not always enough, but trying is still all you have.
Honestly, I’m not sure.
But I do enjoy thinking about it.
I enjoy remembering how hard it was - how hard it still is everyday - being me. Being you. Being what I thought I should be. What I think I should be. I enjoy remembering how hard it is to try.
To remind me.
Because even in defeat, especially in defeat, we are reminded who we are and why we do what we must.
The thing about it, Cassie was worth saving. More than most. As a fan, I would have loved for Buffy and friends to save the day, to undo that which must be done. Cassandra could have been, should have been, just the sort of person we get for a Scrappy gang, if such things are preordained. This is some one who could have, should have, filled a Willow-style role in Dawn’s life, again, if such a thing is inevitable.
This is a girl who got it. She completely understood - comprehended even - what it meant to live in Sunnydale.
For that reason alone, I allowed myself to believe that, like nearly every other time, the power of will exhibited so honorably from our heroes would prevail. There is no demon, no gang of pimply-faced teenagers with evil designs, no preternatural, supernatural big bad that Buffy can’t handle without a little help from her friends.
Blood clots, stray bullets, and weak arteries, however, are another story. They are for Buffy as much as they are for us.
Which is why we stand by her side as much as we do. Which is why we would gladly stand up and be counted in her number.
For all her gifts, her curses, her destinies...she reminds us...of us.
"Someday..." Cassandra did get to leave us with a Plymouth Rock-sized nugget before her parting, however, and I imagine it will be all anyone is going to ask me about tomorrow in the waking world. "She’ll tell you. Someday, she’ll tell you."
The implication from where I sit is that the aforementioned she is Buffy and that she’ll be telling Spike she loves him. Someday. When it matters most. It reminded me of the time on the X-Files (in their very best episode, Clice Bruckman’s "Final Repose," guest starring Peter Boyle as man who can see everyone’s death) when Scully was told she doesn’t die. Ever. I mean, what can that possibly mean? How can Scully not die? Ever? And, while we never actually got the answer, the meaning of that moment haunts me still.
When are we going to see this particular moment happen? In what context? Will we ever actually get to see it? What does it mean? What does it all mean?
My roommate, the larger than life Jack Blair, insists that I’m wrong, that Joss will spring something different, something that moves the earth and sky...that "she" might not even be referring to Buffy, and, knowing Joss the way we do, he’s probably right. (Editor’s Note: And your smaller than life editor thinks it’s not "I love you," but rather "I forgive you" or "Thank you.")
But that doesn’t even matter, because thinking about those seven words is going to occupy all the available space in my already overtaxed brain until he deigns to provide us with an answer. Any answer.
All by itself, those seven little words force "Help" into the pantheon of must see episodes. It’s part of the mythology now, and we are always going to remember that moment.
Thank You... by the way, and this is no small thing, I want to give a shout out to you guys. Somebody picked up on "effulgent" last week (amongst many other things), and the post blew me away. For all I know about BtVS, and I think I do fairly well, it’s so nice to know that you are out there to kick it up a notch every week. The beauty of Buffy is the fans, and the joy of ScoopMe is the boards, and, together, I trust, these two things really make this a special place.
Also, one of our new posters made a point of mentioning the seeming importance of the last scene of each episode. Last week’s - Buffy giving of herself to heal Willow - went unmentioned by me, but it bears, at least, a brief note in light of my thematic focus for the evening as I saw it as a perfect example of the trust that ultimately holds our group - and, hence, the world - together.
It also made me focus carefully on tonight’s last scene. I don’t think there was any big mystery in it, but I felt it summed up where we have gotten to on BtVS after all this time - resignation and hope, all tied up in one.
So what then? What do you when you know that? When you know that maybe you can’t help?
Followed by a lingering shot of Buffy returning to her desk, ready to try again. Because she knows no other way. Resignation and hope.
That’s Buffy in a nutshell. That’s life.
Thanks for reminding me.
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Post by Dalton on Feb 27, 2004 23:32:17 GMT -5
by Hunter Maxin 10/22/2002
We each see the world in our own way. It is our own world after all. As the sole products of our own unique physiology and personal histories, we each bring to the table our own world view. All of our actions, all of our judgments, all of our opinions are colored by it, and as much as we would like to pretend to be able to walk that extra mile in someone else’s moccasins, we can’t.
Not really. As much as we try. As much as we would like to believe that we can view the whole of everything with true empathy through another’s eyes, even that is no more than an opinion formed of the opinions in which we hold each other. All I can see is what I think you see, born of my own preconceptions whether I like it or not.
The same goes for our friends on Buffy. For all of the shared experiences unifying Buffy, Willow, Xander, Anya, and Spike, there is that much more that is so personal about each event that none could hope to see eye to eye when all is boiled down to the bare essentials of who they actually are.
Only Buffy killed Angel. Only Xander loved Anya. Only Willow flayed Warren. Only Anya passed from odd human to odder vengeance demon, back again, and back again once more. Only Spike chose to give up everything he remembered for a soul...for a woman.
Instinctively, we all knew that each carried with them their own desires - wishes, really - for the way the world should be.
And each, constantly, is forced to make certain choices in their quest to make those wishes reality. Often - most often - these five have found that their goals flowed on such parallel paths that their actions were seemingly for the benefit of all and one.
But tonight reminded us that this has not always been the case. In a swell of painful nostalgia, we were treated to a litany of nearly forgotten secrets and lies that have lain dormant beneath the surface of our idyllic facade. In a way, it was shocking, that Joss would hang onto to all of these hidden grudges and half-truths for so long and then spring them back on us all at once.
We should have known better. BtVS reminds us often that actions have consequences, that for each choice there is a price to pay. You want the world to think of you as the coolest man ever? There is going to be a butt ugly demon hunting you down. You want to combine your essences to call upon primeval forces? You’d better believe that those forces are going to want to get paid. You raise your best friend from the dead? You sure as hell better know you are going to release some evil hell-spawn to make you think twice about ever doing it again. And, if you want to restore your soul? Well, you get the point.
You asked for it, and, god knows, you are going to get what you deserve. In some circles, especially those that pre-date the so-called civilization of man, this is known as justice.
Sometimes the price you pay is immediate. Sometimes justice takes its sweet ol’ time. Either way, however, what’s right won’t always seem it. We, maybe without thinking about it, knew this already. So did our heroes.
What has changed, what is significant - and it’s been building for quite awhile - is that they’ve called each other on it. For a long time now, a storm has been gathering over the trust - and lack of it - that the gang can hold in each other. At the time when they know that they will need each other more than ever before - quite possibly, even, for the last time - their confidence in where each other truly stands has been shaken to the core.
So much has happened to them since Buffy sacrificed herself for Dawn. Too much. They’ve been so damaged, so changed. Even as we watch them rebuild across the chasm that has grown between them, even as over a year of disaster and distance is finally atoned for, we can still see how far they have yet to go.
From beneath, it devours.
A battle is coming. The battle, perhaps. And the last best hopes for all of us is splintered by the realization that they don’t truly know each other. Not anymore. They aren’t sure what each of them will do, when that battle begins.
Fitting, then, that these differences, these deficiencies be revealed on a battlefield. More fitting, perhaps, that the battle be over Anya’s destiny, if only because of the way each can only see her. More importantly, it is only Anya that bring each of their personal world views to the forefront.
Buffy is the hand. She is the law. She is the sword that metes out the justice. She is the duty, incarnate. What must be done, must be done, because she has purpose. She has a mandate. It is hers to undo that which evil would have done. That is why she is here. It is why she has been called, and none, ever, has been better suited, in all of history, for the task.
But the hand, for all of its efficient purpose, is still only a blunt object. It is a means to an end, but neither always the best means nor the better end. It is the hand’s duty to kill the demon.
Willow is the mind. She is the understanding. She is the comprehension. She is the knowledge. And, as far as Anya is concerned, she is the empathy. Only Willow has tasted the vengeance. Only Willow has crossed the line into that darkness and come back. Only Willow has touched the power, satisfaction, and confusion that this darkness can imbue. It is the mind’s duty to understand the demon.
Xander is the heart. His is the compassion. His is the love. His is the humanity. It is his job to see the good where it might not exist. It is his job to save that which might not be saved. Of all the Scoobies, he is the most human. There is nothing supernatural about him, and, in that he is alone.
Buffy is the slayer. Willow a witch. Dawn a bright ball of reality bending energy. Oz a werewolf. Angel and Spike vampires. Anya a demon. Even Giles has crossed into places Xander couldn’t possibly comprehend.
In the end, it is Xander, and his kind, that the gang has been fighting for all along. In that, he is the only one. And, often, he is the only one who can understand what it really is they are fighting for.
It is the heart’s duty to save the demon.
But, as we have seen in the past, it will take all three to save the world.
The other side of Tuesday... this was, by far, the most difficult piece I have had to write. At least, to date. So much happened, and so much needed to be discussed, but I just couldn’t do it all. In reality, my mind, some 4 hours later, is still reeling from all of the possibilities.
Dark Willow. All of the secrets revealed in the conversation amongst the original Scoobies, particularly the parts concerning Angel.
The Olaf flashbacks.
The once more, “Once More With Feeling.”
But mostly the book I could have written about Anya. In truth, this entire article should have been about her. It was, as I would have said, her turn. It’s what I originally intended, for what it’s worth.
For some reason, however, every time I went to put down the parts about the price Anya has paid for the life - lives, really - she has lived, I kept coming back to the ways in which is related and mattered to Buffy, Xander, and Willow. Partially, this was because we have usually viewed the aspects of Anya through the eyes of the gang on the show. Partially, this was because I never allowed myself to view Anya’s life as her own, in it’s own time and order, and through her eyes.
It turns out that Anya, herself, never actually lived her own life. She always cast herself as an addendum to someone else’s purpose, whether it be Olaf, D’Hoffryn, or Xander. This was one price she paid for the choices she made, to be a shadow of those around her.
It will be interesting to see what she chooses next, particularly with the knowledge and experience she brings to the table. What she knows of Spike’s soul, what she might now of the impending doom, will make all the difference in the end. I fear, before this story plays out to completion, someone’s form of justice will be served and she will pay in more serious and permanent ways.
The consequences of her final action - to undo her last bit of bloody Abercrombie vengeance - resulted in the destruction of Halfrek. This lends an added dimension to Anya, because, in a way, this is the first in the forming of her own personal world view.
Anya now understands sacrifice in way she never did before. This was one thing that always kept her apart from the Scoobies, because the losses they suffered - as empathetic as she might have been - were never actually hers.
Where will she go from here?
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Post by Dalton on Feb 27, 2004 23:32:31 GMT -5
by Hunter Maxin 11/5/2002
Ahh, good times.
Things had gotten to be a tad serious around here. The mood was, dare I say it, getting downright dramatic. It was looking, for a while, like the Earth was going to open up beneath us and devour us all whole, dragging both the Scoobies and our little gang down into the pits of eternal damnation. What, with our hyper-serious discussions on the pain of living in this world, and all.
You could cut the doom and gloom around here with a double-edged battleaxe.
I didn’t even realize it until tonight started bouncing around my room like an ADHD superball. At first I’m wondering if teenage female angst is really this crazy insane or is Dawn just insane crazy? And is this really the character turn the possible next Slayer needs at such a critical juncture in her relationship with the fans?
Then the reality set in: it’s the love spell stupid.
I haven’t had this good a time with Buffy-related hijinx since “Tabula Rasa,” with Randy Giles and all of its I’m like a super hero related fun. For me, this was up there with “The Zeppo” on the comedy scale, as what started as Dawn melodrama careened unexpectedly off in caffeinated glee.
Not that it wasn’t strange. Not that it wasn’t absolutely bizarre. Not that, at times, it wasn’t downright uncomfortable.
Until it became clear that Dawn wasn’t just an off-the-wall psychotic, I felt I had to bury my head in the couch out of shame. Out of sheer pain.
But it was worth just it to watch Spike tackle Buffy outside of Principal Wood’s window. Or Willow try to turn R.J. into a woman to prove her undying love for him, er, her, er him. Or to have Xander reminisce his own ill-fated brush with a love spell with blissful joy.
I just had to laugh. Out loud. A lot.
I want to write about “Him” seriously, I really do. I want to discuss – with a straight face – the dangers of losing yourself in another person. I want to howl at the insane lengths to which we will go when we are blinded by our passions.
But how can I? I mean, is it even possible?
Surely, there is the opportunity to see this as a sly (*wink wink*) gibe by Joss at his own characters for continually defining themselves by their mates. Despite their grrl empowerment and highly evolved combat skills.
After all, Buffy lost herself in Angel. She drowned herself in Parker. She needed Riley like the air. She drank Spike like the water.
Willow blinded Giles, turned Xander into Demon fodder, and betrothed Buffy to Spike over Oz. And let’s not forget what she did to Warren after she lost Tara. I mean, she skinned the dude, people.
For god’s sake, Spike got back his soul because of his punch-drunk love.
And, we only spent our last little meeting running Anya through the blender for her dependency issues.
These people have a problem, when you get right down to it, and don’t think for a moment that Joss doesn’t know it. I haven’t seen this much dysfunction between men and women since my last pop-in to the neighborhood Sex in the City support group at the corner coffee shop.
But even after knowing that. Even after becoming painfully aware that a discussion of the twisted dependency issues that plague the Scoobies is long long overdue. Even after planting the seed here and now, I still cannot lead the charge.
“Him” was just too funny and out there. It would have been like debating the socio-political merits of Jackass: The Movie.
First of all, Spike moved in with Xander. We have a re-pairing of the original BtVS odd-couple going on and we haven’t even really seen it yet, save Buffy sending Spike to his room without supper. I’m doubling over just thinking of the possibilities. They have to find some excuse, I don’t care how flimsy, to get Spike back into Xander’s Hawaiian shirt and Skidz.
I’m not kidding. This has to happen, right? The anticipation is killing me.
Did anyone else want to see Willow actually succeed in turning this poor unsuspecting kid into a woman?
Is anyone else wondering how Buffy is going to explain to this kid why she was straddling him on a teacher’s desk? How can this not come back to haunt her and her career?
What was Anya going to do with the money from all of her heists? What is she going to do with it now?
And, again, I’m left to submit to you that this is simply another reason that BtVS is the best show on television. When it wants to nail dramatic seriousness, as when we found Spike smoldering on a cross, it nails it. When it wants to convey the quiet desperation with which we battle our life, as we did with Cassie Newton and her pesky depressing fate, it comes through.
And when it wants to be side-splitting funny and cleverly tongue-in-cheek with a wink and a nod to ‘70s mainstay Charlie’s Angels, it does so seamlessly.
From week to week, BtVS weaves drama, humor, romance, and adventure better than any show on television ever has. And we are misunderstood and made fun of for our devotion.
Makes you want to laugh.
The Other Side of Tuesday...there are some things to make you go hmmmm as you wait for the rest of the season unfold. Buffy has begun to admit, for example, that her feelings for Spike are complex and not entirely resolved. She came up short of professing love for him, twisted as that might be, but some groundwork was laid. She might not ever love him in a traditional sense, but there is something complicated and deep between them, and, for a chance, she seems willing to try to figure out what it might be.
Additionally, Anya’s place in the Scooby gang has been quickly and neatly resolved. While it is true that her usefulness knows no bounds – even as a pure human she possesses a knowledge and resourcefulness that rivals any of the other members – it was curious that there seemed to be little residual anguish left over from that time Buffy stuck a sword through her heart.
Maybe it’s just me, but seems like a bigger deal.
Also bearing some mention is D’Hoffryn’s decision to have Anyanka killed after all. It will be interesting to see if that remains a one-time problem or if it develops into an on-going issue for the gang.
Just so long as I get at least one glimpse of Spike doing Xander’s laundry before the year runs out.
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Post by Dalton on Feb 27, 2004 23:32:52 GMT -5
by Hunter Maxin 11/12/2002
"To absent friends, lost loves, old gods, and the season of mists; and may each and every one of us always give the devil his due. " -- Hob Gadling
We stand at the abyss, the end is nigh, and evil now walks amongst us. And, no, I’m not referring to Dr. Phil. It is, clearly folks, the end of the world as we know it, and I’m not exactly sure if my soul is prepared.
Is yours?
For all of you holding with the whimper theory, I’m sorry to disappoint. Joss has thrown down the gauntlet, and if I’m understanding things correctly - and I believe that I am - the bang not only eats you starting with your bottom, it will also reign down from above in a rain of fire. (It also positions my man Marshall as a $54.5 million opening man, but we can save that talk for another day.)
Much strutting and fretting has been done in this space these past few weeks about what exactly the big evil actually is this season. Much breath has been wasted on debates over whether the big bad could actually be some incarnation of Lucifer, of Morningstar, of Satan, insomuch as we could allow ourselves a concrete expression of such a frustratingly elusive idea.
Much hand-wringing has been exerted in my apartment over whether Joss could possibly deliver on something so massive, so iconographic, so beyond us.
It is too early to tell, of course, but we definitely have a start.
I don’t care what you say, BtVS, in all of its infinite wisdom, is tackling its version of The Devil. I don’t pretend to know what their version will amount to. We were right, in discussions past, to note just how important it is to view such a thing through the prism of its own mythological rules and worldview.
We’re talking about duality here, and, not to put to fine a point on it, we always have been. For every Zeus, Jupiter, or Jesus, there is a Hades, Pluto, and Satan.
For Joss, the players are The Powers That Be and whatever this Mighty Morphin’ Power Cassie decides to ultimately call itself. As Al Pacino would say, he’s got so many names, but, when you get right down to it, it all amounts to the same thing.
The Penultimate Evil. The opposite of God. The opposite of good, slouching its merry way to Bethlehem. And that, dear friends, can’t be a good thing, especially when you factor in the shenanigans happening over at Angel’s place.
You don’t know hurt. This last year is gonna seem like cake after what I put you and your friends through, and I am not a fan of easy death. The fact is, the whole good vs. evil, balancing the scales thing, I’m over it. I’m done with the mortal coil. But believe me, I’m going for a big finish.
From beneath you it devours.
Oh, not it. Me.
Balancing the scales? Mortal coil. If this isn’t Lucifer, I don’t know what is.
No matter how you slice it, the gloves are now clearly off, on both shows, and I can only guess what it will all add up to.
The Other Side Of Tuesday...where to begin, where to begin. Spike’s not so neutered anymore. He sired Holden Webster, he of the Psych 101 and the connection to the powerful all-consuming evil that is going to suck the world into a fiery oblivion, as well as at least one other. What can this mean? Is the chip out? He has his soul back, so I’m not going to assume he is necessarily evil, but there are questions.
Jonathan and Andrew - you know, the "other guy" - came back, and just as Jonathan completes his face turn, Andrew guts him. With a little help from Warren. On top of a seal bearing a demonic visage eerily reminiscent of Cordelia’s vision at the end of Sunday’s Angel. Add in the fact that the seal seems to be directly beneath the Principal’s office, and, therefore, directly above the gateway to the Hellmouth...well, we have problems.
Kudos, by the way, on the excellent Empire Strikes Back homage. The question remains if that was Warren or a manifestation of the big evil (which begs the question of how big the evil DVD collection is), but, either way, the gateway is now exposed.
Either way, I’m sorry to see Jonathan go. I always had high hopes for him, and, when one considers how inconsequential he always appeared to be, Short Round has played an unproportional role in our on-going saga. I can’t shake the fact that it seems that both Jonathan and Andrew were privy to some particularly useful information, even if there translations were off.
Interesting too that these pathetic human enemies would still be such an integral part in the battle to end all battles. Think about, when the histories of the Armageddon are written, these three human characters get significant face time. In a way, it is a culmination of all of their dreams, to be main players in their own real Lord Of The Rings.
Sad and effective to use Cassie Newton as the face of evil. Just goes to show that Joss knows us so well. To recognize that we would embrace a bit character so easily that we would let our guards down when she returned. Using Tara to get to Willow was a no-brainer, but using Cassie to make us believe the messages were truthful, that was brilliant.
Of course, Big Bad has tipped her hand going after Willow so hard. Whatever it is, Evil clearly has something to be afraid of in our Wiccan friend. Specifically, Willow’s magic is going to be key in what is to come. If Holden is connected to the all-consuming evil, good thing that our gal Wil be connected to the earth. Good thing we’ll have that power working for us.
Unless, of course, The Big Bad was trying to trick Willow into using her magic, because, let’s be honest, she was never falling for the suicide gambit.
And, last but not least, we have Joyce’s message to Dawn.
"Things are coming Dawn. Listen, things are on their way. I love you, and I love Buffy, but she won’t be there for you. When it’s bad, Buffy won’t choose you. She’ll be against you."
Holy S!
So, um, was that Joyce, or was that yet another manifestation of the big evil? It makes a big difference, and I, personally, don’t have a clue. It makes a big difference on the one hand, because if it is Joyce...well what then? One of the sisters must be stopped to save the world? Is that it?
And if it’s not Joyce, then it is imperative that both sisters stand together to save the world, and the dividing has begun.
Only time will tell.
But when the time does come, may each and every one of us give the devil his due.
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Post by Dalton on Feb 27, 2004 23:33:11 GMT -5
by Carter Bell 11/19/2002
Editor’s Note: Hunter’s viewing of "Sleeper" was pre-empted by sports in Philly, so Carter agreed to pinchhit for him. Hunter will return to the line-up next week.
Years after being implanted with a chip that prevents him from unleashing the violence he so adored, Spike is once more capable of feeding on human flesh. All it takes is a few bars of "Early One Morning" and a conversation with his sham alter ego.
Soul or no soul, chip or no chip, it seems Spike can be manipulated into committing acts that he has recently and voluntarily forsaken. It’s not sleepwalking, per se, more like post-hypnotic suggestion a la "The Manchurian Candidate." He is neither in control of his actions nor aware of them after they’ve been committed. He is the ultimate pawn, one who doesn’t even know when he is being played.
Spike has never, ever been more dangerous – or more vulnerable. Since his unconscious rampage began, ten people have gone missing in Sunnydale. Buffy, in what must have been one of her highest vamp body counts to date, dusted seven in the basement where Spike had buried them. Spike himself dusted one to glorious effect at the Bronze during Aimee Mann’s otherworldly performance of "Pavlov’s Bell," and, of course, last week Buffy took out Holden.
By my count that makes nine. I’m not sure if the vamp that Buffy knocked through the basement wall ever returned to the fray or if he did and is part of Buffy’s seven in the basement total, but as far as I could tell, Spike still has a kid running around out there.
The irony is deafening. After so many failed attempts to remove the chip and become what he once was, Spike is again a killer, and entirely against his volition. Obviously, Initiative hardware means nothing to this new, all-improved Big Bad, and neither does a soul or conscious will. Spike was putty in its hands. Someone to be used, bullied, and abandoned to his pointy fate. A pawn not worth defending.
Luckily for Spike he has friends. Buffy’s never been one to cut his royal bleached blondness much slack, but last night she proved that she wasn’t going to forsake anyone she cares about, no matter what the evil, without a fight, not even Spike. At the episode’s end when Spike is begging her to "Do it fast OK?" there was no doubt in my mind that she wouldn’t stake him. Buffy passed the point of no (dusting) return with Spike the second she began descending the basement stairs into what was orchestrated to be her final resting-place.
The new Big Bad was counting on it, as it was cocky and certain that Spike could be easily channeled into becoming the instrument of Buffy’s undoing. However, a funny thing happened on the way to the "in your face, bitch" forum. Spike tasted Buffy’s blood and it freed him. All the memories, the lost time, the heinous acts, THE SOUL, came rushing back into Spike like a tidal wave. Suddenly the ultimate pawn became a Trojan horse and the Slayer’s carefully scripted demise came undone.
Blood. Who knows how it will affect characters on this show? As Spike relived his recent past misdeeds, I recalled Buffy’s own liberation after tasting Dracula’s blood back during the beginning of season five. We already know that blood equals power in the Buffyverse, but does it also equate truth? And if so, what is it about Buffy’s blood, and Dracula’s blood for that matter, which elicits truth even when its donor is intent on continuing deception?
One person who’d like the answer to those questions and more is Dawn. The poor kid doesn’t know what to think. One second the gang is telling her that her maternal visitation was an unholy ruse from the new Big Bad and the next they’re affirming that their conversations with the dead might actually hold some validity.
One thing that isn’t being told is what Joyce said to Dawn. It looks like little sister is cribbing a page from big sister’s dysfunction and withholding crucial information from the gang by agreeing that all recent weirdness was solely a product of the new Big Bad. I can’t really blame her, however, as Buffy is all that she has, and to doubt her is to doubt everything that she has come to believe in during her strange, short life.
Was Dawn’s apparition actually Joyce last episode? I’m thinking yes. If only because Dawn had to fight so hard to talk to her. Obviously Dawn is feeling the same thing or she’d come forward with Joyce’s information. Perhaps she hasn’t because she’s protecting it. The conversation cost her many cuts and scrapes and a whole lot of "Youch" and she isn’t yet ready to share it with anyone.
This new Big Bad is a dirty fighter. Dawn said, "That night, we were all told things that weren’t true," and Anya added, "I used to tell the truth all the time when I was evil." Most tellingly, Buffy said, "There’s something evil working us." This new Big Bad is unlike any foe the gang has ever faced. They don’t know when it’s lying or telling the truth. When it’s just a figment of their imaginations or in the same room with them. It’s bad – really, really bad. It has no agenda, or attack strategy, or even a recognizable face. It’s able to climb inside them and become them. It’s able to operate in several different places at the same time while corrupting several different times within the same place.
Willow’s little run-in with Gnarl is beginning to take on a whole new significance in light of this Big Bad as it seems able to manipulate the time/space continuum in as many limitless ways as Willow’s magic. No wonder it wants her suicidal, dead, and gone.
Every member of the Scoobies feels it, and every member is experiencing its effects.
What’s up with Anya and her quick-thinking yet highly flawed tack at distracting Spike from her sleuthing intentions? First she’s afraid, then curious, then rejected? For a moment I almost believed that if Spike had taken her up on her sexual offer she would have complied. Was the Big Bad’s magic mojo working on Spike even then? It must have been when he shanghaied all those youthful bar hopping souls because the rapidity of Spike’s meet, touch, score, carousals can’t simply be attributed to his physical attractiveness. No one’s that irresistible.
And what’s going on with Willow? Did her encounter with the ersatz Cassie really freak her to the point of no longer running defense for Spike? She, more than anyone, (other than Xander, of course) cautioned Buffy about her reliance on the validity Spike’s soul. Her warning of Spike having tasted human blood and what that would do to him seemed a far cry from the young freshman of season four who balked at Spike staking himself by calling it "ookie."
And lest we forget, this new Big Bad doesn’t even seem capable of respecting international borders or time zones. I’m not quite sure what to make of the London footage we got last night. Obviously these in black ninja assassins are targeting special young women and those who help them but it’s still too early to say definitively that Nora and Robson were a potential Slayer and her Watcher.
What we do know is that somehow and in some fiendish way these ninjas are connected to the new Big Bad in Sunnydale and that Giles knew their victims and as a result might become the latest spooky apparition to float through Sunnydale.
For pity’s sake Ripper, duck, or we might never get to enjoy your eponymous spinoff!
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Post by Dalton on Feb 27, 2004 23:33:38 GMT -5
by Hunter Maxin 11/26/2002
Fine.
I was wrong.
I admit it.
The Big Bad of the season is not, as I aggressively surmised, Satan. Not in any of his readily identifiable forms, anyway. Not Lucifer. Not the Devil. Not Beelzebub. Not J-Lo. Not even Strom Thurman.
No, the BB is The First Evil. Capital "T", capital "F", capital "E." Welcome to the Hellmouth, people. Many of you speculated that we were dealing with The First from the start, but I resisted.
To you, I say "congratulations.
"I also say, "not so fast my friends.
"The thing is, I’m pretty darn tootin’ sure than none of you realized that The First Evil meant the first vampire. I didn’t see that one coming at all. It literally took Nosferatu DaFoe rising out of the ground for it to start to sink in.
The big bad is the first vampire. THE FIRST VAMPIRE! Think about this people. Think about the legend. The first is the source of all power. It is the bloodlink. Most, though admittedly not all, vampire mythologies hold at its center that if the first vampire – the original sire – were to die, it would end it all right then and there.
No more vampires.
End of story.
It makes a twisted sort of sense now that so much has been revealed. Of course the worst evil of them all would be a vampire. Why else would there be a chosen one vampire slayer? Why else would she be in all of the prophecies? Last I checked, there wasn’t a Charlene the Ghost Catcher or Deborah the Invisible Man Hunter.
As far as mythology is concerned, it takes a duality for the whole thing to work. They are two sides of the same coin. With the vampire comes the slayer. With the slayer, the vampire. In the beginning, that meant the first slayer, whom we’ve already met, thank you very much. It stands to reason there would be something as old as her to complete the picture.
The first vampire.
The First Evil.
The Big Bad.
If you think about it – and I know you did the second Quentin made his St. Crispin’s day speech – why else would the Watcher’s Council be so concerned with vampires at all. If we are going to live in a world with unspeakable paranormal evil, without question our species would come up with something like the Council. It’s how our little minds work. It’s how we deal with things.
But the more you think about it, the more the dependency on vampires becomes clear. If all evil – diabolical evil in the root word sense of things – were the main culprit, we’d have an organization more like the Talamasca. Vampires would be on the agenda, sure, but the real issues would be more diversified. If the devil were real and such a big horrible thing, that’s what the big secret organization would be truly focused on.
But it’s always been about the vampire.
The way I see it, the last time around – all of the previous times around, I suppose – TFE could not be killed. It just couldn’t be done. Oh, "we" won, I guess. We locked it away somewhere…else. We bought ourselves time, and in that time, a détente formed. The Council went about its business of killing the vampire spawn on the local level, warding of minor Armageddon after minor Armageddon. But all the while, the fear was in the background. Someday, they’d have to face the root of all of it. Someday the first vampire would return.
Enough time passed, I’m guessing, that people in the know started to believe it wouldn’t happen on their watch. Sure, it was something to worry about, but for the next guy.
Well, Quentin got caught with his pants down. The minions of the first have been traipsing about the countryside, weakening their forces, decimating their ability to fight back.
This is quite literally war, but understand that this is a war to be fought in our world, on our lands. The Council wasn’t attacked to prevent them from thwarting the release of the First Evil. That had already happened. This was, distasteful as that seem to you, an act of terrorism enacted upon men.
Upon an infrastructure.
That last big explosion, hot on the heels of Quentin’s determination to take a fighting army to Southern California, was designed to disrupt our ability to fight back, but not just on the level of spells and curses and magics, but on a human level.
Now, I’m not going to pretend to know what happens next. Clearly we have a number of questions that need answering and there is much we have yet to see. The whole Council can’t be gone, but I doubt they’ll be much of a factor from here on out. The blowing up of the HQ was a "Holy S" moment, no doubt, and they certainly had a big part yet to play, but, best I can tell, Giles is highest ranking member of the Council still alive.
Assuming he’s still alive.
I’m also led to believe that Giles was important to this entire scenario. Quentin seemed pretty eager to have Ripper located, and I doubt that it was simply because the chosen one was checking up on him. Additionally, Giles seemed to be on the case already when he showed up at the end of last week’s ep.
To paraphrase, Ripper might be our last hope.
The good news in all this is, at least, TFE is a vampire. It may be tough as nails and posses powers we cannot possible conceive of, but Buffy is the slayer. This is exactly what she was put on this earth to do, and nothing, not even dying (twice), is going to keep her from this date with destiny. If ever there were anyone’s hands to put your lives in, these are the ones.
But first things first…we’ve got a war to fight, and I’ve got to find my axe. Happy hunting.
The Other Side of Tuesday. This was one of those episodes that started big and just kept getting bigger. Every time I had a handle on what I believed to be the biggest thing they could show me, Joss upped the ante. That means a number of talking points went right out the window in quick succession. Among them…
Did Principal Wood have any idea what he stumbled upon when he found Jonathan’s body in the basement? It is clear that he knew more about Sunnydale and its history then he previously let on – and did you really believe any different – but the full extent of his involvement remains to be seen. I, for one, doubt he had anything to do with TFE, but it also isn’t outside the realm of possibility. Don’t count out the fact that he might be a good guy or even possible…wait for it…wait for it…a member of the Council.
Is it just me or is there no justice in this world if "the other guy" is the last living member of the trio?
When Spike burst through the wall and bit the living crap of Andrew, Jack Blair nonchalantly noted from his ever-present place on the couch, "big deal…they can just wait until he turns into a vampire and then keep beating the information out of him." Just thought I’d share that worldview with you.
"Her exact words were, ‘it’s coming out of both ends.’" Classic.
The Spike-Buffy love angle got pushed a little further. She believes in him now. Which is nice, he’s got that going for him. Of course, he’s hanging upside down and bleeding like a sieve in the basement of the high school. At first I found it interesting that TFE would have such a fixation with all the vampires with souls it came across, but, now that I give it further thought, I’m not so sure there is anything to that. As far as personal affronts go, I think TFE would take particular umbrage with one of its own walking around with a soul all the time. Still, we’ll have to keep our eyes peeled for signs of what might be to come for Spike in all of this.
Shocking also that we’d have two simultaneous Armageddons in southern California at one time – and neither would have anything to do with each other.
Is this, like, the best season ever, or what?
To my way of looking at things, there hasn’t been a single episode off the big topics since the season started. Everything is just coming together so well in that this is the end of the world as we know it mini-series extravaganza sort of way. Storylines like this just don’t happen on television, and, let’s be honest, this is exactly what we’ve been waiting for from the beginning. Only those who have been with the show for years and years can fully appreciate the absolute magnitude of these moments, and the words fail me when I try to express my gratitude in the faith I have put into watching this show.
Tonight, BtVS became the LOTR of television history.
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Post by Dalton on Feb 27, 2004 23:33:57 GMT -5
by Hunter Maxin 12/17/2002
Things are always darkest before the dawn.
“The Zeppo” was on FX today. It happens to be one of my personal faves, and not just because it may be Alexander Harris’s finest hour on the entire show. It is the other part of the ep, the background story wherein Buffy, Willow, Giles, and Angel beat back the apocalypse from the open hellmouth, that perfectly crystallized for me why I love BtVS so much.
As a viewer, we know that all of those scenes were, basically, full of crap. The world wasn’t ending, not that way. If it were, that’s what the episode would have been about. Really, what they’re doing there (and this certainly isn’t insight to you) is poking ultimate fun at the melodrama that often sits at the heart of Buffy. The end is always nigh. The world is always on the brink of apocalypse. Our heroes are always the last thing that stands between us and total annihilation.
At the time, “The Zeppo” served as somewhat of a release valve, because it did seem like the world was always about to end for the Scoobies. Without it, they would have been in danger of becoming the proverbial boy who cried wolf.
The thing of it is, though, it’s been a long time since that release. Since then, there have been a number of near misses, and, in their own way, each has been worse than the one before. The gang had to unite their essences to invoke the first slayer to defeat Adam. Buffy died to stave off total chaos in the wake of Glory. But, as bad as things got, we’ve always known (deep down in that place we don’t like to talk about at parties) that we were building to something worse.
Someday, the biggest bad would reveal itself.
Someday, the end would really be upon us.
It’s been clear from moment one of this season that the end of which I speak is now. Through all of our discussion and argument (The Devil versus The First Evil, The First Evil versus The First Vampire), no matter what reality held the day, it still would amount to the same thing. No matter what actually came, no matter what it was that eats you starting with your bottom, it was going to be the biggest test.
The last test.
The battle has now begun, but, as with all beginnings, we’ve witnessed the end of what came before. The détente that was formed between the Watcher’s Council and the First Evil ended in a ball of flame. The Council became complacent with their role in the eternal struggle, and they paid for it. Buffy said it herself, the “good guys” became accustomed to allowing evil to set the tone, the rules of the game. Evil rose up, and then – only then – did the forces of light align themselves to beat the darkness back.
All this time, Buffy and her cohorts have been reactionaries, but no more.
With a single speech (and mind you, I am aware that it is only a speech at this point), Buffy has changed the entire philosophy of her calling. No more is hers to protect and serve, now it is for her to root out, to destroy, to prevent by striking first.
(I’m loathe to bring it up here, but you realize that this – more or less – puts B and W on equal footing here. They are both saying the same thing for what they perceive to be the same reasons. Just thought I’d bring that up so I could get enough hate mail to truly brighten my Christmas.)
I’m not sure what Buffy intends to do, of course. Saying a thing and doing a thing are vastly different animals. She got her ass kicked by our Primordial Uber-vamp, and he didn’t appear to be trying all that hard. From what we’ve been told, they know woefully little about TFE, and they really don’t have much hope of getting any new information soon. Spike is out of commission, for now, but also very important for all that is to come. And Drusilla makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
(At one point, I thought she said something about a “bug war” in regards to our Uber-vamp, which I instantly dismissed…but then she would click at him to give him orders, and I would doubt myself all over again. She’s making me insane.)
Still, simply by drawing a line in the sand, Buffy has changed everything. This, all of this, is no longer about a chosen one. It isn’t about a One at all. This is a battle for all of us, and it is going to take an army to win this fight. No more do we get to stand on the sidelines and cheer on our heroes. If we want to survive, all of us are going to have to take up arms and risk everything. We must be prepared to sacrifice all we have to give so that all that come after us may live in peace for all time.
That was her rallying cry.
Buffy asked every person in that room to accept that they might die so that others might live. It didn’t matter if they had the training, or the skill, or the strength, or the calling. It didn’t matter if they be witch, or ex-demon, or slayer to be, or carpenter, or librarian, or mystical ball of energy.
The time for Buffy standing alone has come to an end.
Our war has begun.
The Other Side Of Tuesday…looks like Willow is getting a new girlfriend. I for one like her best of all the slayers-in-training.
While I’m on the subject, did we hit the nail on the head (down to the name SiTs) with the slayers-in-training or what?
Now that Wesley is packing heat (and looking cool enough to be the next James Bond) over on Angel, I wish he were here for this. Sure, he’s got his hands full with...whatever the hell (no pun intended) is tearing up LA, but as a former member of the Council, and the closest surviving member (in locus) to Faith, I do hope they could find a way to bring him over.
We knew that Faith was coming back in February, but now we know her role. It makes sense, now that I’ve heard it out loud, that Faith would be protected until all of the slayers-in-training were offed. We wouldn’t want a new slayer running around now, would we, but eventually TFE is going to have to try to kill her.
My money is on her dying, by the way.
Which means that they all will have to be killed first (sorry Willow), except for the one that The First didn’t consider...Dawn. Which means we’ll probably have two Summers sisters as slayers for at least part of one episode this season.
I’m so intrigued by what Principal Wood is up to that it is literally killing me with anticipation. Joss, throw me a bone. Please. Every time I lean in one direction on him – good or bad – he does something to change my mind. I’m not even convinced that he has a real clue about what is going on around him. Sure, he knows things are very strange, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he completely fails to understand its size and scope. Even his cryptic warning to Buffy about viewing horror changing someone forever could be in reference to any of a number of “small” things that Buffy is on record as having been part of. To a “normal” person, just the incident with Kendra in the library would drive one to conclusions.
Has it occurred to anyone else that Giles might actually be dead? Let’s look at the facts for a moment. Last we saw him, there was an axe swinging dangerously close to his head, TFE, we now know for sure, can manifest anyone who has died (kudos to all those who caught that a few weeks back), and, let’s be honest, Rupert’s acting a little off right now. I know he keeps saying that he put all of his eggs in his Buffy shaped basket, but when has he ever been this passive before?
Don’t get me wrong, I consider this no more than a fun theory. I’m definitely not putting it out there as FACT, but it does add up, at least to some degree. For one, from a story perspective, it allows TFE the opportunity to spy on the Scoobies without suspicion. It helped facilitate bringing a large percentage of the remaining forces of good together in one place. And, it has the added benefit of making Giles somewhat creepy (in a good TV watching kind of way) every time he’s on screen. Is he being honest? Is it all just a ploy?
Also, if it is true…if Giles did kick it back in England and is now no more than Morphy badness, Buffy and crew (ourselves included) probably won’t know for some time.
One final thought…I got the distinct impression that the season had something to do with all of this. It could be coincidence that the rise of the TFE has coincided with Christmas in both of “its” stories, but the fact that Buffy noted it as well, gives me pause. Again, I’m not sure what it might all mean, but I thought it was something for all of us to consider.
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Post by Dalton on Feb 27, 2004 23:37:17 GMT -5
Buffy Report from the Trenches: Twelve Til Seven Up: BtVS Season Seven So Far
by Little Willow 12/30/2002
"Tomorrow is a clean slate with no mistakes on it." -- from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
There's something to be said for the end of summer. There's a certain moment when you can smile, embrace your inner moppet and prepare for the new season. Come on. Close your eyes.
Right now, you might be picturing the leaves changing colors and your children being whisked off to school. A typical Ross Back-to-School commercial. Me? I'm picturing a fresh pack of blank videotapes and a brand new notebook ready to be filled with episode highfrights. I was talking about a new television season. Isn't it pretty?
For the past few years, as prompted by friends and discussion lists, I have drafted a Wishlist shortly before the season premiere of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I choose things and events which are plausible. For example, although I'd love to have a musical episode with Miss Kitty Fantastico called Once Meow, with Herring, I doubt it's going to happen and you won't see it on my list.
December is upon us. Season Seven has presented us with ten episodes so far, with twelve episodes remaining until the season is complete. Outside, the colors are changing from fall brown to winter white. This means it is time for my Season Seven Wishlist to come up for review.
Symbolism 1. Dream sequences 2. Blood (whose, where, why) 3. Jewelry (cross necklaces, vampires/sects wearing rings) 4. Attire (colors, styles, event-indicative, borrowed items)
I admit it. I am a sucker for symbolism. I'm not ashamed of it. If you are just tuning in now, you missed my nail polish symbolism theory during Season Two, or my screaming, "Buffy's the cat!" last year. Fun times. Seriously though, I've been pleased with the symbolism so far this year. I hope that it keeps on keeping on.
Buffy had a prophetic dream at the beginning of "Beneath You," seeing a girl in Germany being pursued and ultimately stabbed by figures in black robes. The girl uttered the now infamous statement, "From beneath you, it devours." I uttered, "Boo yah!" (Well, perhaps not "boo yah," but I'm trying to appeal to the young and hip readers right now.) In any event, I have been begging, pleading and wishing for a return to dreams since their sudden absence in Season Five. Recently, Joyce began appearing to Buffy in dreams. Fans are speculating as to whether it is really Joyce (and if she is helping or hindering her daughter) or the First Evil in disguise.
Blood is all around - no need to waste it. We've seen multiple girls stabbed all around the world, we've seen Jonathan stabbed, we've seen Andrew buy blood, we've seen Buffy feed Spike blood, we've seen Spike tortured and bled. Personally, I didn't want to see Jonathan stabbed. I didn't want him to die. I felt unsettled when he was killed and then later when dirt was thrown on his body. I don't have issues though. Mm-mm. Nope. Not me. But why kill the everykid? Why kill Jonathan, who has been around since Season Two? Note that actor Danny Strong has been around since the original unaired pilot. Andrew and Warren said Jonathan had to die, that it was for the ritual - then it didn't work, the portal didn't open after the bloodletting of Jonathan, and I cannot help but feel at this point like he died for nothing. I would have much rather seen him go out in a blaze of glory, fighting alongside the Scoobies like he did in Graduation Day, than be murdered by Brutus - er, Andrew. However, if this was for a good reason, if Jonathan's spirit somehow helps the Slayerettes later on this season, okay. If not, I'll continue view his death as pointless and cruel.
In the first episodes of the series, it was the cross necklace that gave Buffy a slight advantage over Luke when he tried to bite her. Throughout the first few seasons, Buffy wore crosses often, and the jewelry complimented her outfit rather than being bulky or what the Sunnydale citizens might call "overly." In Conversations with Dead People, Webs mentioned that some of Buffy's peers back in high school thought she was very religious. This year, Buffy has been wearing cross necklaces again. Good Slayer!
Attire is key. Dawn is dressing slightly older. Willow is dressing slightly older. Xander has been seen in a business suit. Anya's ensemble varies depending on her hairdo and her status - demon or not. Spike wore a bright blue shirt in Beneath You and later ranted that his costume did not help him. Andrew recently acquired a long black duster, which he enjoys walking around in. Most importantly, people are dressing in character, with the exception of times that they are consciously choosing to don costumes.
Familiar places 1. The Bronze (fun at times, apocalyptic at others) 2. 1630 Revello Drive 3. Xander's apartment 4. Main Street, which includes . . a. Espresso Pump b. Sun Cinema c. The Magic Box (who is running it now, etc) 5. Sunnydale High School (same address, but new look, not as familiar as the other locales)
The answer is: All of the above.
The group has been at the Bronze on a more regular basis this year than two or three years ago. Bands are playing, singers are singing, people are dancing, foes are fighting. It makes a girl grin.
At the Summers residence, Dawn still has her room, but Buffy and Willow have switched rooms. I think this is better for Willow's mental state, since Tara died in her arms in what was their room.
Spike has moved in with Xander's apartment, much to his chagrin, and is living in a room that used to be a closet. I do wish they would explore that situation more; the brief scene in Hush did more in that way than the past few episodes have now. Watching their scenes from that bit of Season Four makes me laugh. Watching people let Spike walk around freely in Sleeper makes me cringe.
The Magic Box is apparently in shambles since Willow's reign of destruction, but no one has said exactly what is going to happen to it. We wait on pins and needles.
Sunnydale High is shiny and new, with the Principal's office were the library used to be. Principal Wood has sharp suits, a pierce ear and really cool windowblinds. Buffy has her own workspace, a wicked cool computer and plenty of pencils. The basement has symbols, dirt and rats. Oh, and don't forget about the desks, some blackboards and some mean kids.
Familiar faces 1. Giles (stick around) 2. Miss Kitty Fantastico 3. Faith (only if done right)
Giles counseled Willow in England. Later, he walked into the scene of a crime and someone was about to attack him as the end credits came up. Now Giles might be back in Sunnydale, and some fans assume he is alive and he is there to assist the Slayer defeat The First Evil. Others think he is dead but he is a good spirit, there to assist the Slayer defeat the First Evil. Still others think he is dead and is there to assist the First Evil defeat the Slayer. Then there are those who think Giles is in a coma in England while his spirit is true in Sunnydale because they, like Cordelia, always thought Giles would wake up in a coma someday. A few people think he was abducted, but that's another story and will play out in The X-Files: Ripper Takes All.
Miss Kitty Fantastico has not yet been seen in the flesh -- err, the fur -- but there was a small picture of her in the drawer Willow pawed through in "Selfless." Cat owners and people who are obsessed with small details cheered upon seeing that snapshot.
Faith has not been seen on the Sunnydale streets yet this year. The last time she was in town was in Season 4, with This Year's Girl and Who Are You? (cont. next post)
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Post by Dalton on Feb 27, 2004 23:37:59 GMT -5
Moving past last season 1. Tara's funeral / memorial service / graveside 2. Notifying next of kin for those lost (Tara, Warren, Katrina) 3. Grief-stricken redemption-seeking consequence-feeling Willow 4. Giles being a Watcher to Buffy, a teacher to Willow, a friend to all 5. Being single for a while (applies to almost everyone) 6. Dawn: New and Improved! (older, less whiny, with a plot/purpose) 7. Anya being definitive (if she remains a vengence demon, narrow down and stick to certain powers) 8. Spike faces the music (consequences, remorse) 9. Life-loving Buffy (seize the moment, cease the depression) If services were held for Tara, they were probably done over the summer, in that time period which is lost between television seasons. However, we did get to see Xander and Willow walk to a cemetary, and Xander let Willow go off alone to Tara's graveside. She set rocks on the top of it in a Jewish tradition to symbolize respect. She sat down and we saw that it reads: Tara Maclay, October 16th, 1980 - May 7th, 2002. If next of kin were contacted for any of the aforementioned parties, we have yet to hear about it. Willow's guilt was the center of "Same Time, Same Place." However, she has been more jovial and flippant in recent episodes. Some fans are happy that Willow is back in Sunnydale - other fans wish that she had stayed in England longer. Some fans think that Willow should be punished by the legal system and with jailtime - others think that guilt / remorse is enough punishment. Some think she's been punished enough and others don't think she's been punished much at all. I personally think that Willow needs to pay for what she's done. And pay and pay and pay. I don't have issues though. Mm-mm. Nope. Not me. Giles went "all Dumbledore" for Willow this summer. As per his recent return to Sunnydale, see the earlier paragraph full of fun theories to know and tell. Everyone is single. Woo hoo! I think they are stronger that way. Fewer distractions. I prefer when episodes and seasons focus on plot rather than pairings. Dawn is attending Sunnydale High School. I hope Willow, Xander and Buffy have taught her not to write, "Have a nice summer," in yearbooks and not to blow up the school. Directing, editing, filming 1. Crane shots (when needed) 2. Backlit sets 3. Pairs/groups with their backs turned 4. Dark when naturally dark (crypt/cave scenes should not be brightly lit) 5. Lines leading/merging plots (running off one line into the next scene) 6. Slow-motion (only when needed and when done right) I have many of the same directorial wishes every year. This year, when I restated my love of natural light (and dark) in scenes, some of my friends did not understand why I could enjoy half-darkened scenes. I attempted to explain that if a scene is in a crypt or a tunnel underground, it should not be as bright as the midsummer sun down there. It also lends itself to symbolism. In the series premiere, Buffy had to leave school on a bright, sunny day in order to check out the dark, dank sewers. It is all about the descent. The environment. The ambience. This year, I have been very happy with the lighting. True standouts include Giles and Willow in England, being sunny one moment, then later rainy; Gnarl's hideout, lit by flickering flames; Spike in the basement; Spike and Buffy in the darkness of the church. When episodes are written by Jane Espenson, Directing Wish #5 often comes into play. That wonderful woman has a knack for utilizing the ensemble, making everyone count, and scripting great transitions from point A to point B. I really enjoy steady segues. Stylistic devices and plot points 1. Fractured fairy tales 2. Monster of the week (mixed with the following) 3. Season-long arcs that are worthy, weighty and meaty 4. Character arcs that are not out of character 5. A Big Bad that is evil and, again, worthy of being around all season 6. Personal demons/fears manifested into actual demons/foes 7. Dramedy (comedy and drama, delicate balance) 8. Pop culture references There have been many nods to past episodes so far this season. We've been reminded of "The Witch," "Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered," "Reptile Boy," "Villains" and "Amends," just to name a few. Fans who read the official BtVS novels have noted innumerable comparisons to Christopher Golden's amazing work "Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row." "Beneath You" had an opening sequence akin to Run Lola Run and a monster reminiscent of Tremors. I am quite intrigued about the power trip - no pun intended - that was focused on at the close of "Lessons." I have been anxious for such an exploration on this series for years. We have had hints of it before, with episodes such as "Choices" and "Checkpoint." We have had characters such as Faith, Warren and Willow taste power and then develop an unquenchable thirst for it. I highly doubt that the similarity between Buffy's speech in "Checkpoint" and the ending run of "Lessons" was not intentional. I do so look forward to the theme of power being a seasonal story arc. This is what we should have seen one, two seasons ago. Oh, someone shut me up before my hopes climb too far up the beanstalk. I enjoyed Buffy's speech in "Bring on the Night" because it was strong instead of weak, it was personal instead of hokey, it was true to character instead of overblown. Years ago, in "Consequences," Willow worried that Buffy didn't think she was "cool enough for [Buffy] because I can't kill things with my bare hands!" Now Willow has. I want to see her struggle with this, to come to terms with it, to become a good witch once more, to be a strong young woman. I don't want it to drag on and be the same thing every single episode, like we had to deal with in Season 6, what with Dawn being unattended every week and whining about it, Buffy being alive and whining about it, Willow using magic like a drug and whining about it. I loved to hate Spike in Season 2 and the beginning of Season 4, with the episode 3 crossover between BtVS Season 4 and Angel Season 1 - "The Harsh Light of Day" and "In the Dark." As Season 4 continued and Spike was neutered, I didn't adore him but I didn't abhor him. In Season 5, I grew tired of hearing the same dialogue week in and week out - "I've got a chip," "You're a pig, Spike," and so forth. I did not enjoy his relationship with Buffy one bit during Season 6. I was outraged when he attacked Buffy at her home. When he returned insane in the Sunnydale High basement in "Lessons," I was happy that he was mad. I quite liked the wacky dialogue he offered in the first few episodes of this season. I disliked his walking around unwatched once Buffy decided Spike was fit to live at Xander's and go out freely. I do not want this to be The Spike Show again. James Marsters is an awe-inspiring actor, but I do not want this season to be all about Spike. I want it to be balanced between all of the characters. The season started off very strongly. Though "Lessons" did not rank a ten in my book, it was a decent set-up for things to come. We saw Giles helping Willow in England; Willow feeling as if she wasn't ready to see her friends; Spike, resouled but insane; Buffy, getting her feet back on the ground, getting a new job; Dawn, going to Sunnydale High, making her own place in the world; Xander, continuing his construction work; Anya, torn about her vengeance gig. By the time December rolled around, Willow was back into the normal swing of things with her friends; Anya, returned to human status, was also part of the group again; Spike was possessed to kill people due to the big bad influence; Warren taunted and tutored Andrew, who killed Jonathan; and a building inhabited by the Watchers Council was blown to bits. Now, with the revelation that the First Evil has been behind the attacks on various girls throughout the world, the psychobabble and the visions of dead or undead people, the action is kicking into high gear. I only hope that characterization and subplots do not suffer because of it. If this ends up being the last season, I want it to go out with a bang, not a whimper. I want all of the characters to have lives and to truly be a part of things, not just there because they are in the main credits, but because they matter and are important to the group and the plot. I want the errors from last season to be recognized, not ignored. I want emotions, recovery and redemptions to be real, not automatic, but not drawn out for far too long either. I want them to suffer the consequences of their actions but not whine and whimper about it every week. I want the final episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to make me laugh and cry, to applaud and to scream, and to remember and to rejoice. I want to be amused, entertained and fascinated. If this is it, I want Buffy, Xander, Willow and Giles - the Core Four - to remember where they came from, to wonder what's to come, and to discover who they are. Until next week, sweet slaying dreams. Little Willow www.slayground.net
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Post by Dalton on Feb 27, 2004 23:39:11 GMT -5
by Hunter Maxin 1/7/2003
As BtVS ended this evening, I was immediately reminded of a sequence in Preludes & Nocturnes, wherein Dream travels to hell to claim something that once belonged to him. His helmet has come into the possession of a demon, Choronzon, who refuses to give it up without a fight. The challenge will be a game, like chess, but with words. Ideas.
The arena will be reality. Each side will choose a form of existence, each in turn, trying to find something that the other cannot overcome with his own. To Choronzon, it is just a game, but for Dream, alone, surrounded by enemies, weakened in the recent past, and on unfamiliar territory, there is much more at stake. If he loses, he will surely not leave hell alive.
The battles begins.
Choronzon moves first.
Choronzon: I am a dire wolf, prey-stalking, lethal prowler.
Dream: My move. I am a hunter, horse-mounted, wolf-stabbing.
Choronzon: I am a horsefly, horse-stinging, hunter-throwing.
Dream: There are many ways to lose the oldest game. Failure of nerve, hesitation...being unable to shift into a defensive shape. Lack if imagination. I am a spider, fly-consuming, eight legged.
Choronzon: I am a snake, spider-devouring, poison-toothed.
Dream: I am an ox, snake-crushing, heavy footed.
Choronzon: I am an anthrax, butcher bacterium, warm-life devouring.
Dream: A change in direction, but still an old gambit. I think…I think I understand how Choronzon plays. How I can turn it against him. I think I will abandon the offensive. I am a world, space-floating, life nurturing.
Choronzon: I am a Nova, all-exploding, planet cremating.
Dream: I am the Universe – all things encompassing, all life embracing.
Choronzon: I am anti-life, the beast of judgment. I am the dark at the end of everything. The end of universes, gods, worlds,…of everything. And what will you be then, Dreamlord?
Dream: I am hope.
My thoughts, for some time now, have been on Buffy’s declaration of war – the stirring speech she gave when last we left her, rousing her new found troops, mustering her forces. Her vow to take the fight to TFE was a bold, refreshing move on her part. Buffy grew some brass ones in a heartbeat, and, for a few hours there, I could breathe easier.
Sure, The First is the biggest, baddest of them all.
Sure, our uber-Vamp kicked the living sausage out of the slayer when last they met.
Sure, I spent most of my fitful winter vacation positive – positive – that Giles, as we see him now, is no less than The First. (While I now have my doubts on this, I’m also not willing to abandon this notion entirely either.)
Buffy, and BtVS, have been irrevocably changed forever. In a strange way, so has television, though few will note it now, and fewer will remember. We have never really seen a program attempt what BtVS is now doing. All conventions, all pretense have been dropped. The mythology has completely overtaken the universe in which it exists.
Gone are the malls, the restaurants, the coffee bars.
Gone are the cops, the politicians, the governments.
They still exist, mind you, somewhere out…there. They exist in a place of total irrelevancy, now, beyond the scope of the struggle of mankind. All that is left is the slayer and her merry band, and their troubles.
All that is left is The First.
Nothing else matters. Nothing else should.
(Didn’t this bother all you X-Files fans? Mulder and Scully knew, absolutely knew, of the alien plans to enslave the world, and still, immediately after uncovering some huge portion of this nefarious plot, they would head out into the woods to chase mothmen. This is what I’m talking about people.)
This, we understand, is serious.
Yet, still, I have been concerned. For all of Buffy’s strengths, for all of her experience and understanding, she has never truly been a great leader. Her friends, the gang, they stand by her and help her, and she often leads them. They believe in her, even. But, for all of the brief flashes of strategic aptitude she has shown through the years, they have usually been overshadowed by her inexperience as a commander, her rages of selfishness, her rash, impulsive oneness.
In short, Buffy has never been a general. She has never once shown the inclination to be that kind of leader, planning ahead, plotting, strategizing. A general’s arena is as much the chess board as the battle field, and I doubted Buffy’s ability to lead in this manner.
We open, in fact, with no semblance of a plan. It is days, if not weeks, since we last saw our friends (Buffy’s wounds have mostly healed), and, still, we are stuck on simply gathering the slayers-in-waiting. Packing them in a tight space where they can more easily be surrounded and killed. If The First were so inclined, it could easily lay siege to the house and starve them out. All it would take is a sufficient number of lackeys.
Are the slayer potentials even training? Not seriously. Even if you accept the fact that Buffy is now extraordinarily busy, there are others who can adequately fill that function. Most, if not all, of the other people living in that house has combat experience and something to offer. Xander has military training and experience. Giles, obviously, is skilled in the training of slayers. Willow, Anya, even Dawn, have combat experience.
Is the house secure?
All I see is a piece of plywood over the downstairs window. There should be a constant stream of improvements and innovations going into that house. Xander has the know-how, and, let’s be honest, an army of physically capable young woman who need something to do so they don’t crack under the pressure (which they were doing nicely for awhile). I’m talking tearing this house up from the inside and making it strategically safe. I’m talking booby-traps. I’m talking reinforcing points of entry. I’m talking re-configuring the house to provide escape routes and strategic advantage should anyone get inside. Isn’t this a good use of their time and energy?
What is plan B?
Obviously the gang is under the proverbial gun here. Gathering to achieve safety in numbers and to preserve the slayer line is an admirable, necessary step, but also only the first step. They know The First knows where they are. They know it’ll be coming. Probably very soon. They don’t even have a car, or enough of them, to move everyone, and they certainly don’t seem to have a safe house ready.
These were the things that were plaguing me these past few weeks, and, I think, for good reason. If Buffy intends to form an army, and she has said as much, then it falls to her to be the general. A general needs to think of these things. I feared Buffy hadn’t, and, more importantly, wouldn’t.
When tonight’s episode began, all of my worst fears had come true. There were more potential slayers, but none of them were receiving any guidance or training. They had idle hands, which led to bad thoughts. Too much time and too little to do. The house was a mess. It had become a potential slaughter house, with little in the way of supplies, and less in the way of purpose.
Other than a false sense of refuge.
For god’s sake, they even let The First into their midst. And, the girls fell apart. TFE, via Eve, poisoned their fertile minds, and they were very nearly lost. Already scared, on their last nerve, in a strange place with strange people who they had no choice but to trust, Eve broke their spirits. In that kitchen, that night, they all quit. They gave up on the last shred of belief they had left.
As the events of that night unfolded. As the uber-Vamp crashed through the door, as Willow’s barrier fell, as they ran helter-skelter into the night, all seemed lost.
Who knew that the same kitchen scene contained so much more? I noted Xander’s strange disconnect in the conversation ("What?!") when it first happened, but I wasn’t sure what I had seen.
Little could have I guessed just how far Buffy had come.
Little could have I known her depth of understanding what her new role required.
Little could I have seen that her troops needed one thing, and one thing only.
So Buffy, with her most capable lieutenants, devised a plan. She used the potentials as bait, and lured the enemy into a trap. She lined up her charges to show them what the slayer was capable of. What they were capable of.
It seemed there, until all was revealed, that this would be the last night. It seemed there that all was lost.
Then just as darkness fell, Buffy offered the only thing her new soldiers needed to, ultimately, win this war.
Hope.
Here endeth the lesson.
The Other Side of Tuesday…I know Kennedy can’t live, but it’s a shame. I like her. No disrespect to Tara, of course, but I like her with Willow, as well. She’s also the best hope in this current crop of potentials to be of use.
Andrew, too, for all of his pathetic evilness, is also turning into one of the most amusing parts of the new gang. It certainly be ironic if he fulfils his potential and becomes the most memorable and important member of the trio.
Emma Caufield. Darkness Falls. I’m sold.
Spike. She will come for me. She will come for me. And she did. When he realized it was her, truly her, the look on his face broke my heart.
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