The Dark Age. In which we learn about the mark of Eyghon. Eye – gone. Well, no wonder it’s dark. (Yes, folks, we do have a Jossverse theme here, don’t we – eyes!)
Does the dark age refer to Giles looking back at his own time of youth – back in “the dark ages” as the kids might think? Does the dark age refer to the bad things that happened then – the friend that died because they were playing with something far more powerful than they were and far more dangerous than they thought? Does the dark age refer to the teen/young adult “age” as being prone to getting in trouble, getting in over one’s head?
I love the way Giles’ character is revealed in all its complexity here. He’s tweed, he’s leather, he’s “that’s not music, that’s noise”, he’s rock’n’roll guy, he’s reprimanding father figure, he’s “it was a marvelous high” with grinning reminiscence, he’s a sexy fuddy duddy, he’s a killer, he’s Giles (don’t be sorry, be Giles!”), he’s Ripper (“Why did he call him Ripper? Oh!”).
And we get to see all the various reactions to that exploration of all the facets of him.
At the end of the episode, for example, Jenny reacts by backing up, a slight flinch and withdrawal. Reminds me of Kennedy when Willow drained her during the spell to get Buffy back through the portal, but there is an important difference. Jenny, (like Kennedy), dismissed too easily the dual nature and the very real power of the magic that Giles (Willow) was involved with. Unlike Kennedy, however, Jenny had her own family background and personal experience that prepared her for the magic element – that isn’t what surprised her. I think that what is surprising and disturbing Jenny isn’t
just the experience she had, having her life threatened by Eyghon’s possession and so on. It’s also the view she’s just been given of Giles. She knew he was involved with the supernatural, she knew he was a sometime magic user, she even knew (at least to some extent) that he was a Watcher. But she still had a vision of him in her mind – staid, tweed-clad, “sexy fuddy duddy”. Someone to tease and cajole into trying new (she thinks) things. She’s been looking at a one dimensional Giles and now she’s not sure she’s ready for the full fleshed version. Suddenly she’s gotten a very real glimpse of why Giles holds back so much.
Interestingly enough, Buffy sees these additional sides of Giles and
isn’t very bothered or upset. Yes, she has a bit of the same teenager reaction that the gang does (ewww, grown up and sex, ewwww) but frankly she reacted more strongly that way during Band Candy (because her mom is involved and also, actual sex – on top of a police car! With handcuffs! Wow! **cough, cough** Sorry, went to the happy place but I’m back now. ;D ) Buffy at first is “action slayer” – all “snap out of it” and “you’re too wiped out, I need to go take care of things” gal. Then at the end, she’s really rather wonderfully understanding - “I’m so used to you being the grown up and then I find out you’re a person”. To me, this seems a very good example of the two of them bonding over their similar struggles with a destiny or “chosen” status. The most important thing to her is just understanding what is going on.
Well, I had other little bits and pieces of fluff floating around my brain, like: I can’t believe that Buffy is dumb enough to turn her back on Ethan; love the Cordy books about computers babble; wondering how bad the vamps at the hospital can be if they’re bagging it;
when Giles says “you’re back” to the mirror is he talking about Eyghon or Ethan or Ripper?; etc. etc. But they’re all pretty much staying fluff.
So perhaps I will return later and post some more ramblings.
Lola
