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Post by William the Bloody on Jan 20, 2004 21:59:36 GMT -5
Let the discussion begin.
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Post by Laura on Jan 20, 2004 22:48:42 GMT -5
I am awed. Simply awed. Yay Spring!
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Post by Kerrie on Jan 20, 2004 23:45:55 GMT -5
Bravo Spring! Another excellent analysis. I think you are right. This episode does set up a lot of the identity issues for the season for the various characters. Your description makes it sound like finding your own identity is hard work. Willow is adverse to doing emotional hard work and I have to admit that given seasons 6 and 7 I wonder whether Willow's aversion to doing identity work is pre-empted in this episode.
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Post by SpringSummers on Jan 21, 2004 8:00:49 GMT -5
I am awed. Simply awed. Yay Spring! You are awed? Oh, if only you knew the real me! Seriously, thanks so much for taking the time to let me know you liked the analysis. |
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Post by SpringSummers on Jan 21, 2004 8:04:36 GMT -5
Bravo Spring! Another excellent analysis. I think you are right. This episode does set up a lot of the identity issues for the season for the various characters. Your description makes it sound like finding your own identity is hard work. Willow is adverse to doing emotional hard work and I have to admit that given seasons 6 and 7 I wonder whether Willow's aversion to doing identity work is pre-empted in this episode. Thanks, Kerrie. And yes, I do think finding your own identity is hard work. I am not sure what you mean about Willow's aversion to doing emotional hard work being pre-empted in this episode. Willow definitely does have a tendency (that she gives into absolutely in Season 6) to look for an easy way out when it comes to dealing with her emotions (particularly, though not exclusively, pain). |
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Post by Nickim on Jan 21, 2004 16:38:37 GMT -5
Great review, Spring, as always. I have the exact same reaction when Dawn says that about being more than Buffy knows.
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Post by thelittlestvampire on Jan 23, 2004 18:23:48 GMT -5
Great review as usual Spring.
I can't wait til my husband goes out of town so I can post late night and typsy.
I love the scene with Spike and Harm. I was always kind've suprised he went to the trouble of trying to impress her. Maybe he's lonely and horny, but I guess I keep hoping it means something.
The Harmony part of myself is happy that my RL Spike figures live far away.
TLV
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Post by ellie on Jan 23, 2004 18:53:24 GMT -5
thoughtful and stimulating review Spring-
I particularly like what you wrote about the importance and necessity of having meaningful work as the means to achieving a real sense of identity and validity in the world-
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Post by ellie on Jan 23, 2004 19:01:13 GMT -5
Thanks, Kerrie. And yes, I do think finding your own identity is hard work. I am not sure what you mean about Willow's aversion to doing emotional hard work being pre-empted in this episode. Willow definitely does have a tendency (that she gives into absolutely in Season 6) to look for an easy way out when it comes to dealing with her emotions (particularly, though not exclusively, pain). kerrie /spring- i guess I took Kerrie to be saying that Willow's tendency to assuage her pain b/c of her aversion to hard work being pre-empted to mean that she did not have to pay the hard price of facingup to what she had done- not really- Tara left her and everybody was angry but she kind of blamed them for theirreactions- there were no real repercussions toher behavior- kind of like when Spike allowed Buffy to walkout on him - she stopped b/c it was painful to her and tangentially to him- not b/cthere were any bad side effects- Willow did not really learn from the episode where she did aspell and she did not really learn formthe episodewhere buffy revealed that her return wasless than optimal- /willow was really only able to learn fromher mistakes when she came face to face with the destruction she had caused. |
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Post by Kerrie on Jan 24, 2004 18:00:28 GMT -5
kerrie /spring- i guess I took Kerrie to be saying that Willow's tendency to assuage her pain b/c of her aversion to hard work being pre-empted to mean that she did not have to pay the hard price of facingup to what she had done- not really- Tara left her and everybody was angry but she kind of blamed them for theirreactions- there were no real repercussions toher behavior- kind of like when Spike allowed Buffy to walkout on him - she stopped b/c it was painful to her and tangentially to him- not b/cthere were any bad side effects- Willow did not really learn from the episode where she did aspell and she did not really learn formthe episodewhere buffy revealed that her return wasless than optimal- /willow was really only able to learn fromher mistakes when she came face to face with the destruction she had caused. Yes, ellie. I wondered about Willow's self-knowledge. The theme for the episode was self-knowlege and Spring describes how different people construct their self-knowledge or project it onto others (i.e. Buffy's "little idiot" comment about Dawn) and even Xander's slip and correction about Dracula. Willow doesn't do anything like that. According to one of the features/commentary in season 5, Willow was supposed to be the Big Bad for season 5, but JW delayed it for a year. However, he still set up Willow turning evil because she doesn't know herself: she doesn't know that she can be arrogant and powerful and vengeful. I think the reason she doesn't know these things is because she tries to be the "good girl" rather than trying to be herself: to find her own identity. In short Willow relies on her academic and witch-craft achievements as proof of her performing identity homework. They are not the same. She does not know her core self. |
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Post by Linda on Mar 7, 2004 18:04:58 GMT -5
Hi Spring,
I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed your analysis. Actually, I enjoy ALL of your analyses. In fact, the reason why I am so late in posting my appreciation is that I tend to print them out so that I can think about them as I re-watch the episodes. And I am away from my computer when I do that.
So, in other words, it is all your fault that I haven't been posting my appreciation in a timely manner. ;D
And thanks for pointing out Harm's behavior was modeled specifically after Spike's. It adds another layer to their relationship that I will keep in mind when watching their later interactions.
Thank you again for your wonderful analysis.
Linda, who is actually working her way to becoming current...
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Post by SpringSummers on Mar 7, 2004 19:50:33 GMT -5
Hi Spring, I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed your analysis. Actually, I enjoy ALL of your analyses. In fact, the reason why I am so late in posting my appreciation is that I tend to print them out so that I can think about them as I re-watch the episodes. And I am away from my computer when I do that. So, in other words, it is all your fault that I haven't been posting my appreciation in a timely manner. ;D And thanks for pointing out Harm's behavior was modeled specifically after Spike's. It adds another layer to their relationship that I will keep in mind when watching their later interactions. Thank you again for your wonderful analysis. Linda, who is actually working her way to becoming current... So I am contributing to your deliquency, then. I hope you are over 18, or I could be in trouble. Yep, Harmony has such a thing for Spike. He's her blondie bear AND her hero. |
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