Previous April 2003

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The obvious mystery of the universe is certainly one of the primary reasons that humans affiliate themselves with
deities. From this general association, I would posit that the faithful tend to fall into two broad camps, those that have
to know all the answers, and those that can let the mystery be. To the extent that Iím not an officially religious
individual, I do count myself among the latter group in the sense that curiosity is not the be-all and end-all of my
existence-- I can sleep quite well at night without obsessing that Iím ëgoing down the right pathí. It isnít that the path
lacks importance, itís more a matter that the path winds about and around in such complex ways that to think a
complete understanding of it can be had is sheer hubris.

That wonít stop people from trying, naturally, and I most sincerely donít object as long as they donít get too full of
themselves. When that does happen, heartache inevitably follows for the unenlightened souls who happen to be the
innocent bystanders on the periphery of The Great Truth.

Fírinstance:

Caleb: Drink of this, for it is my blood... You know, I loved the story of the last supper, the body, the
blood of Christ becoming rich red wine... I recall as a boy though I couldn't help thinking, what if you're at the last
supper and you ordered the white? Nice oakey chardonnay, or a white zin, was he gonna make that out of his lymph or
some all? I never did bring it up, but... well I suppose there was reason I never could stay with the same parish for very
long. Just looking for answers -- looking for the Lord -- in the wrong damn places. 'Til you showed me the light.

( The First, as Buffy, steps out of complete black shadow. )

Buffy/FE: Do you think I'm God?

Caleb: I surely do not. I'm beyond concepts like that.

Buffy/FE: But you still wear the outfit...

Caleb: Man can't turn his back on what he come from. Besides, black is slimming. Everyone knows that.

Buffy/FE: How do you like what I'm wearing?

Caleb: Just another dirty girl. And since you only dress up in dead folk, I'm guessing it's one has been paid her
wage.

Buffy/FE: Look hard.

( He does, looking her up and down. Not lasciviously, just calculating. Comes close and stares in her eyes. )

Buffy/FE: What do you see?

Caleb: Strength. And the loneliness that comes with real strength.

Buffy/FE: Nothing about my pert and bouncy hairdo?

Caleb: (realizing) You're her.

Buffy/FE: The Slayer.

Caleb: At long last...

~ ~ ~

Itís traditional in the seasonal ebb and flow of the Buffyverse to have Big Bads that come and go. Typically, in the
early portion of the year we are presented with a ëLittle Big Badí whom Buffy has initial trouble with but soon knocks
out of the picture, while in the background the Big Big Bad lurks away, biding his/her/its time and changing size as
suits the moment. Last fall, we had the Turok-Han, or Qubervampí, a primal, feral form of vampire that was particularly
nasty and equally hard to dust. Ostensibly a henchman (henchdemon?) of The First Evil, the seasonís true Big Bad,
Ubee gave Buffy a taste of the pain to come, nearly killing her in the process.

In the most recent new Buffy episode, Dirty Girls, we are duly introduced to Ubee II, a new/old creature
residing at the other end of the evolutionary scale, a human without a soul (or so it might seem) who shares Ubee Iís
priapic bloodlust but adds the benefit of reinforcing the vampireís desire for destruction with the rationalizations his
forebrain gives rise to.

Thatís right-- we meet Caleb, who possesses all the strength of a vampire (and then some) without the untidy side
effects of having to be dead. Caleb, who has a thing about women-- he doesnít care for them very much, although he
couches his opinions in vague attempts at learned indifference:

Caleb: There's no blame here. You were born dirty. Born without a soul, born with that gaping maw that
wants to open up and suck out a man's marrow. Makes me puke to think too hard on it.

~ ~ ~

Pretty nasty stuff, but it most assuredly isnít a new thought. In fact, the writer seems to have relied on at least one
ancient philosophical/historical tome for inspiration:

The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein.

............ Proverbs 22:14

~ ~ ~

(Sigh). What goes around... Anyway, Caleb has big issues, as do many humans, but Caleb, much like Mayor Wilkins of
BtVS season three, has obviously made some kind of pact with the forces of darkness in return for superhuman gifts,
and these gifts have in turn been willingly used to serve the needs of Calebís new Master-- or is it Mistress?

Caleb: Well that was... are you all right?

Shannon: (nodding) Thank you. Thank God you were there...

Caleb: (smiles) Well, let's not give Him credit for everything...

~ ~ ~

Jossís Caleb seems to be depicted as a somewhat over-the-top character, but I think that this assumption may be
premature-- weíll surely learn a bit more about him as the next four episodes finish out the season. At first observation,
the stereotypical ëEvil Southern Preacherí archetype seems like something weíve seen over and again in films and
television until you feel the need to groan at the sheer pervasiveness of the image. But whatís truly scary is just how
common his belief system seems to be in so many different world cultures, and the American one is hardly excluded, as
evidenced by the excerpt from Canadaís Globe and Mail that I quoted near the very beginning of the review.
Itís only a matter of degree, and it isnít just about misogyny-- Iíve made the point before that Joss often uses feminism
as an introduction to humanism. Hatred can be directed at a whole host of ëminoritiesí, not just women. BtVS is a
show about a young womanís journey, so it naturally takes on a feminist slant. But Buffy is human before she is
female-- the latter is the subset of the former.

Caleb: There once was a woman. And she was foul, like all women. For Adam's rib was dirty, just like Adam
himself, for what was he but human?

~ ~ ~

Eve - (female) - English, French, Biblical - Pronounced: EEV

From the Hebrew name Chavvah, which was derived from the Hebrew word chavah "to breathe" or the
related word chayah "to live". According to the Old Testament Book of Genesis Eve and Adam were the first humans.

Adam - (male) - English, French, German, Polish, Russian, Romanian, Biblical - Pronounced: A-dam

This is the Hebrew word for "man". It could be ultimately derived from Hebrew adam meaning "to be red",
referring to the ruddy colour of human skin, or from Assyrian adamu meaning "to make". According to Genesis
in the Old Testament Adam was created from the earth by God (there is a word play on Hebrew adamah
"earth").

~ ~ ~

Hereís another insight into the character by another reviewer who sees Caleb similarly to the way I do:

To begin with, I liked how Caleb's misogyny tied in with Joss's original reason for creating the show: the girl in slasher
movies who goes down a dark alley and gets killed by a monster (left implicit by Joss was the requisite accompanying
fact that the victim's death always serves as a punishment for her having had sex). Caleb's attitude toward women is an
excellent compliment to Joss's original concept. In the same vein, the scene in which Caleb re-enacted his past murders
with the First-Evil-as-Buffy portraying his victims was powerfully creepy, in large part because it was such an astute
comment on the way some men enjoy watching depictions of violence toward women. It's good that the show is
returning to its original point in its waning days. It's even better that it manages to make such perceptive comments
(which are all the more disturbing for being so perceptive) on the still prevalent misogyny in our culture.

............ wwolfe - The West Coast Review: "Bad Girls" - 04/16/03

~ ~ ~

ëBack to the Beginningí, indeed. Iíve commented in the past about misogyny being a rather odd form of discrimination
in that effectively one is dening the value of creation itself, which seems quite bizarre considering the powerful
biological imperative to reproduce. Since only females can recreate the species, one would think that females would be
honored, not scorned.

Much as I hate to say it, I canít help but feel that this is one of those instances where our normally useful forebrain
betrays us. To a less complex animal, survival typically entails direct reactions to external events, not extended analysis.
If your dog senses that you are in danger, heíll go after your attacker-- he wonít sit there and debate if getting some
revenge for serving his dinner 2 hours late one night last week might be a more appropriate course of action. Naturally,
he might be in error if he bites someone who turns out to be your friend, and not an attacker, but at least the
motivation is pure (by dog standards).

So far, we havenít been given any clues as to why our dog/vamp/god Caleb has such a hate-on for the ësplitsí
(as he so crudely puts it), but he does state over and over again that he desires and respects power. It is
fascinating that he does not mock the First Evil for appearing to him in the guise of a woman-- it appears that the
(boundless?) power the First holds trumps all other factors. Or perhaps he considers the First to be ëpureí due to its
incorporeality (see the comment above re: Adam/humans as also being ëdirtyí). This would follow-- many religious
people consider all that is not God to be ëimpureí to a least some degree, so twisting this around into the negative,
Caleb could consider all that is not ultimately powerful to be impure, and he sees Evil as the greater power because
God chooses not to directly confront it.

This last idea returns us to the dog world again. Dogs, like many pack animals, organize themselves according to a
vertical hierarchy within the overalll structure of the pack. There is an Alpha dog (typically male) that assumes
leadership on a basis of physical strength and cunning. For another dog to take the Alphaís place, combat is the norm,
and the defeated animal must either become submissive to the successful Alpha, or else leave the pack. At a basic,
biological level, humans do much the same, we just extemporize above and beyond our primitive sectors of DNA and
decide to assign reasons for doing so. We think, therefore we politicize.

Buffy: We've got a new player in town. Dresses like a preacher. Calls himself Caleb. Looks like he's working
for The First.

Dawn: So he's like... The Second?

~ ~ ~

That last line got cut out of the actual show, but did appear in the earlier shooting script. It tends to confirm what I was
just saying, although I am wondering if Caleb is content to serve the First as he is currently. When I saw the scene at
the vineyard where he almost casually backhands Buffy, and she goes flying across the room and gets knocked
unconscious, the very first thought that popped into my head was Glory. And that thought led to
another, one which I have had long before this year-- did the death of Glory, who after all should have been
unkillable, open a slot in the cosmic hierarchy for a new hellgod to take her place? Or maybe a god of any sort?
Suppose the battle is between the new god being on the side of good vs. being on the side of evil? Is Buffy the other
potential, and is that why the First appears as Buffy across from Caleb?

Youíve noticed that we havenít heard anything about what the Beljoxaís Eye had to say regarding the ëdisruptioní in
the ëforcesí. I am assuming that like the Dagonsphere and the Enchanted Troll Hammer, this is going to be one of
those short ëforgottení diversions that suddenly pops into relevancy on or about the last episode of the year. As you
may recall from Lies My Parents Told Me, in the original shooting script Giles told Buffy about what he did to
Ben, and how he thus killed Glory. I have been puzzled ever since about why they chose to delete this part-- it really
wouldnít have made the scene any longer, it would have just been cut differently. Are they going to fit it in later, at a
possibly more effective time? Did Giles bring about the possibility of Calebís ascendency by defying Buffyís will and
killing Ben?

What would Caleb gain by becoming a god?

Buffy/FE: Most people don't like visits from their dead, you know.

Caleb: It's okay with me. Might unsatisfying's all. I must confess I miss the bite of flesh on a knife. Freeing a
soul from its body should have a, a tug to it.

~ ~ ~

Could it really be that simple? The simple satisfaction of the power exercised by taking a life? It does fit the misogyny
angle that I mentioned earlier-- the negation of creation made both metaphorical and literal. And for comparison, we
have our previous hellgodess, Glorificus, who also was intensely fond of causing death, although to her credit she
apparently didnít care about the gender, as long as the intended suffered and died in mass quantities.

Caleb would take Gloryís work one step farther, in that he not only covets the creation of death, but the death of
creation. In his earlier, presumably ëmere humaní days, he settles for killing human women. Now, part demon or part
god, he raises the supernatural power stakes by bringing about the destruction of the Slayer line, the supernaturally-
endowed female protectors of humanity. If he succeeds? All of humanity follows, and the First gains a great victory.

So one one level, we have the shifting balance of power on a cosmic scale, and on the other level(s) we are watching
the balance of power shift among the humans and superhumans who surround our Buffy. There are several, all taking
place at the same time:

The most obvious one is between Buffy and Giles, and this is also the most critical of the conflicts, because of the
generational link involved. Giles represents the collected knowledge of the past, and the imperative need to pass that
knowledge on to the next generation. Buffy is angry, and understandably so, at the recent betrayal by her ëfatherí, but if
this unfortunate rift is not repaired, the flow of knowledge will stop, and the wisdom of oneís elders doesnít suddenly
vanish when the child reaches early adulthood, disagreements or no. Buffy still needs Giles, and for that matter, Giles
needs Buffy.

The re-introduction of Faith into the events currently taking place in Sunnydale is placing another power play into the
mix. I was very curious for weeks before this show aired to see just how the writers would handle the interactions
between the two Slayers-- the one time friends or at least ësisters-in-armsí, then foes, then bitter enemies. Now-- what
is Buffy really thinking? Frankly I was impressed at the degree of acceptance she is offering to Faith. Considering the
raging anger Buffy once held towards Faith for betraying not only Buffy personally, but for betraying her calling as
Slayer, Buffy is being pretty darn reasonable and controlled. Granted, ëmost of [Buffyís] friends are murderersí as
Andrew stated in all technical accuracy, so why should Faith not be forgiven also? The theory might work that way,
but of course practice is quite another.

The scenes with Spike and Faith both paraphrase and emphasize this psychological dilemma nicely. Buffy comes down
into the basement only to find Spike and Faith becoming very chummy with one another. One the one hand, Buffy is
obviously unsure about what Faithís true motives may be in returning to Sunnydale, but sitting right there beside her is
Spike, a murderer on a scale that makes poor Faith look like a rank amateur, and Buffy has not only not killed Spike,
she is actively protecting him from those who now want to kill him. This new reminder canít help but rub her nose in
Gileís accusations that she ëirrationallyí favors Spikeís welfare all over again.

Another struggle for power soon arises between Buffy and the proto-Slayers. Buffyís apparently reckless desire to
engage the new and nearly unknown enemy in open combat with minimal advance preparation makes the protos
question her leadership abilities. Considering the prior examples Buffy has set, I would think that the ëtroopsí would
give her the benefit of the doubt without the need for Xander to stick up for her (in what was, for sure, a lovely and
heartfelt vote of confidence on his part). I suspect that the SITís, much like Dawn did in prior years, subconsciously
pick up on the fears that Buffy is trying so hard to conceal, and that unsettles them in turn. One of the great myths that
the very young harbor about their elders is that adults always know just what to do, and itís one of the most chastening
revelations of oneís life to realize that it isnít remotely so. Once this fact becomes known, itís very easy to let the
pendulum swing back the other way, and assume that your elders know knowing-- an equally grave misconception.

Naturally, things go bad in the worst possible way. Buffy makes the reasonable assumption that however tough Caleb
may be, so far all heís done for certain is attempt to kill one girl with a knife-- hardly something a supernatually
powerful, god-like being would do. She also knows that he has some association with the Bringers, and that their
power is also reasonably limited. The is planning an attack that employs not only herself, but another Slayer of equal
power to herself, her usual experienced Scooby Gang, and a whole raft of protos. What are the odds that they wonít
succeed? Is it logical to assume that Caleb has god-like strength?

Logical or not, the resulting disaster leaves Buffy with a staggering loss of credibility in the eyes of the surviving
protos, and Buffy herself is emotionally devastated. Once again, she has resisted her own initial instincts and attempted
to play by the rules as defined for her by others:

Buffy: You're firing me? I just refrained from kicking your ass!

Wood: Buffy, there's nothing here for you. People are leaving town, half the kids don't even bother to show up
anymore... You've got things to deal with that're worse than anything here. Look at the big picture.

Buffy: Right. The big picture of the big war with all the dead little girls.

Wood: Not dead. Not if you get them ready.

( Buffy sits down. )

Buffy: I don't want to lead them into a war, Robin. War can't be the right thing.

Wood: Most wars aren't. They aren't right and they aren't necessary and humans kill other humans. This isn't
that war. The only question about this one is are you going to be ready for it?

Buffy: I don't know. These girls... they haven't been tested in battle.

Wood: Then I guess... maybe you should test them?

( Buffy thinks about that. )

Buffy: Couldn't I just come to work part-time? I could make flyers for encounter groups and post them around
the school. Kids could bring snacks--

Wood: And you're fired again. Remember, Buffy... (beat, tiny bit bitter) "The mission's what matters."

( Buffy's affects a resigned look )

~ ~ ~

Poor Buffy... deep down inside she knows that what she is doing is wrong, but she doesnít know why, and what all
these other mentors keep telling her just seems so logical, and sensible. Letís be perfectly fair here, what
Wood is telling her is absolutely true-- ìMost wars aren't (...) right and they aren't necessary and humans kill other
humans. This isn't that war. The only question about this one is are you going to be ready for it?î What Wood
doesnít understand is that when he says that ìthis isnít that warî he really doesnít get it either-- as usual, heís
making pronouncements of ëfactí when he out of his depth. Remember Rileyís classic old line about needing to know
the plural of Apocalypse? Riley was newly in awe of Buffyís abilities and knowledge when he said that, and Riley knew
a lot more about fighting demons then than Wood does even now.

So Buffy doesnít press the issue, and do what she needs to do, for her own sanity at least-- keep her job as school
counselor and gain some self-assurance that sheís doing some good by means other than killing things. So half
of the student body isnít showing up? What about the other half that is? Isnít it reasonable to presume that they
may be terrified, and now the one person inthe school that they could go to and look for reassurance, a person who by
reputation wonít consider them psychotic for thinking that somethingís out to kill them. I have to tell you, Wood is not
thinking clearly here, and certainly not for the welfare of his students. I personally recall only too well the ëbig pictureí
type of administrative thinking when I was in school, and even with only realverse demons around and about, it was
pretty damn dismissive.

This internal divisiveness resurfaces again in Buffyís talk with Faith as they scout the vineyard prior to engaging Caleb
in battle. Perversely, this time itís Faith who wants to hold back and get a better handle on things before attacking, and
Buffy who wants to press ahead, but Faith knows she has to tread lightly here-- sheís carrying some of her greatest
guilt as regards what she did to Buffy, and she doesnít want to trigger the latent feelings that she knows Buffy is
keeping repressed under a layer of reluctant civility.

Faith: They say your other senses get better. Maybe all blind people are smokin' in a knife fight. (off her look)
Not sayin' it's likely. (then) They just roam free 'round town?

Buffy: Well, normally they show up out of nowhere and either stab or get stabbed and then run off. (pause)
This guy seems like he wants to be found.

Faith: Lends weight to that whole "it's a trap" theory.

Buffy: (with barely restrained anger) I'm through waiting around for people to attack us!

Faith: (attempting nonchalance) Hey, I'm with you. Drop me in the hornet's nest. What the hell.

( Buffy nods, keeping her eyes on the Bringer she's tracking. Faith awkwardly takes the moment to try to connect. )

Faith: You've got a rough sitch here. Trying to turn a bunch of little girls into an army.

( Buffy doesn't like that description )

Buffy: They're potential Slayers. Just like we were.

Faith: Right. Maybe they'll do as good as us.

( Buffy shoots a glance at Faith... was that sarcasm? She's not sure. )

Buffy: They're getting better.

~ ~ ~

As the scene continues, Faith again tries to lighten things up just a little to ease the tension, and makes a very
amusingly Buffy-like comment about ëfashion senseí and the SITís. Finally it happens, what weíve all been waiting for
since Faith returned to Sunnydale-- Buffy gets to the heart of whatís eating at her:

Buffy: Why'd you come back?

Faith: Willow said you needed me. Didn't give it a lot of thought. Do you... am I getting you want me to be
not here?

( Buffy is startled. )

Buffy: No. That's not what I meant. I'm... glad you're here. It's good. ( making an effort ) Thank you.

Faith: No prob. You know me, I'm all about the good deeds.

~ ~ ~

I really liked the way this whole scene was handled, and in fact the way the entire episode detailed the awkwardness
between these two women. I was afraid that Faith would either overcompensate for her guilty feelings and not be her
usual assertive self, or else go too far in the opposite direction and aggressively blow her chance at mending the fences
that she obviously so desperately want to mend. Instead, she walk right down the middle, much as she did during her
recent weeks in the Angelverse. I was just as afraid that Buffy would dig in her heels and hold Faith at extreme arms
length, but she didnít. Of course, things could go downhill from here, and very well might, but this does establish some
solid foundation to work on. This is certainly important if, as I speculate, Faith is going to be the one who gets
ëchosení at seasonís end, and will officially take over the role that Buffy hold now. (Yes I know, the Faith spinoff is
said to be out of the running for next season and possibly forever, but that wouldnít really change things as regards this
season. Destiny doesnít depend on spinoffs).

Andrew: Her name alone invokes awe. Faith-- A set of principles or beliefs...

( Let's make sure we get that shot of Faith putting her hands above her head from "Bad Girls" in here. )

~ ~ ~

One more little intriguing item from the shooting script that didnít make it into the show, which is a shame, because itís
really revealing about Faithís new insightfullness in a surprising way (see part in italics):

Buffy: You were in Angel's mind.

( Faith picks up on Buffy's annoyance. And, despite herself, enjoys it a little. )

Faith: Yeah. Very weird. We got close. Saw all sorts of heavy stuff from his past. Tripped me out.

Buffy: Uh-huh.

Faith: That whole vampire-with-a-soul trip, interesting isn't it? I mean, the darkness and the light. I can see
it in Spike.

Buffy: So... how much did you and Spike--

( Faith cuts her off. )

Faith: Buffy. ( She nods towards the Bringer up ahead. )

~ ~ ~

Finally, a few words about Xander, and then itís a wrap for this week.

Owww!

OK, thatís one word. You expect more, I know you do, but OWWWWW!

What can I say-- no good deed goes unpunished in the Jossverse, and we should have known that the beautiful speech
about his hero, Buffy Summers would only bring him suffering. (Sigh) Forgive me if the ëOne-eyed man in the kingdom
of the blindí homily will soon apply as I suspect it will somehow, being a good carpenter without decent 3D vision is
gonna be a bitch, and I donít mean in bitch-as-empowering mode. At least, Caleb proves that heíll eventually get
around to being an equal-opportunity destructor.

Such an un/happy thought

(Sigh yet again) -- Letís not go out on it.

*******

Rona: Xander! Goddamn it.

Xander: Wha -- What's going -- ( panicked ) I'm sleeping.

Rona: Dominique has the stomach flu and the toilet's backed up.

( Behind her we see some of the girls sleeping or standing around, grumpy, wearing unflattering full-body pajamas,
and one girl has orthodontic headgear on )

Rona: It actually backed up while she was on the toilet. And she has the stomach flu. (beat) You should
probably visualize that before you go in there, it'll make it easier to deal with.

Xander: ( flustered ) Be right out. Just have a... leg cramp.

~ ~ ~

Well, thatís better... but happier yet, please.

Faith: Damn! I had no idea you were that cool.

Buffy: Well, you were always a little slow.

Faith: I get that now.

~ ~ ~

Almost there... running up that hill... ( if I could make a deal with God... )

For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.
Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;
Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.

............ Job, Chapter14:7-9


*******

Ahhh......

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