February 2001 posts
"*** "For a few moments I was unable
to tell if they were just normal or if he was going to rape her.
She is strong enough to have stopped him so I will assume it was
not rape."
*** "I agree with you -- it almost makes Spike's chaining
up of the slayer look tame by comparison." ***
*** "Also disturbing to me was the encounter between Cordelia
and Angel." ***
Quote #1-- I suppose I wasn't as disturbed by this encounter since
I tend to expect that sex between vamps would likely tend towards
the rough side. I assumed Darla was just playing along. You do
bring up a good point though in that I'm not shure she would be
strong enough to defned herself if he really did intend to rape
her.
This is an awfully dark topic but it is a good question-- could
a vampire woman be raped psychologically that is? (The physical
fact is obvious). I'm voting yes since we have already seen instances
where vampires do avoid conflict or pain such as in the famous
'vamp hooker' scenario.
Quote #2-- I agree and in fact was think the same thing while
this was occurring on screen. IT's a matter of degree of evil
again. Spike simply isn't in the same class as Darla or Angelus.
This continues to emphasisw what we have already observed over
this pat season and those before-- that Demons in general and
vamps in particular cover a whole spectrum of evil behavior.
Quote #3-- *This* was the encounter I personally found the most
disturbing. For Darla rough play is a pleasant little game. For
Cordy this was real hurt and betrayal-- the clear feeling that
the Angel she knew is slipping away ever faster and Angelus getting
closer and closer.
She had stated in the past that if Angel ever 'reverted' she'd
'Stake him in a minute'. But she has too much invested emotionally
to make this happen as easily as she says it."
She had stated in the past that if Angel ever 'reverted'
she'd 'Stake him in a minute'. But she has too much invested emotionally
to make this happen as easily as she says it.
Thought I doubt we'll see the return of Angelus next week (though
shades of him seemed to appear in the past few eps) if he were
to return I think Cordelia would take him out if he reverted.
I agree it wouldn't be easy but she is the only one of the the
LA SG to know first hand what it means to live with Angelus roaming
in your life and still live to tell the tales. She vowed to Angel
she would and as much as she's hurt now by his attitude she would
stake him to prevent him from doing more harm. I'm sure plan A
would be to call Willow to do another curse but Plan B C & D would
be to stake him.
Made a post and got an error
message when I submitted. That's what I get for not writing it
elsewhere first.
"Ok here's
the real post if I can remember what I said the first time.
I found the Darla/Angel scene disturbing but only in the context
of the story. I too think it's been well established that roughness
is de ridueur for vampiric foreplay. Darla's protest such as they
were had to do with her suspicions of Angel's motives. And Angel
made his intentions clear fairly quickly.
Since stronger vampires like to keep their minions in line with
humiliation and intimidation I would say vampires can and do get
raped. It seems as "good" a method for that purpose
as sticking a finger in their eye.
I have to see the episode again to comment on the Cordy/Angel
interchange. My baby granddaughter decided to honor us with a
song at that moment. All I remember is them bickering over some
book. But I will say this. Betrayal and abandonment can go both
ways."
Well vamp sex in
the Buffyverse definitely seems to have a little violence thrown
in but Angel is supposed to have a soul after all and I was disturbed
by the way he threw Darla around...although Spike's fantasy dream
about Buffy had a little pushing and shoving too. I guess when
you have super-strength a little rough play is a whole different
matter. I flashed back to poor Willow's predicament too when she
gave Oz her virginity and then he later left her to have wild
wolf sex with someone else!
This
goes back to previous line about the symbolism of colour in the
costuming. In begining of Crush Spike has packed away the total
black on black look in favor of green. Once Dru reentered the
picture he struted into the Bronze in he's bad boy black.His leather
coat flying in his wake.
Black = evil bad death etc. that part I get
but why green. Green is rebirth a begining spring life.
that's good...still vague memory
of Spike coming onto the show in season2 didn't he wear a red
scarf too. Very bright could be be blood and carnage.
Wasn't he wearing a grey-blue shirt?
Anyway I spotted another titbit in Blood Ties. When Buffy is coming
out from her fighting practice in the back room of the magic shop
she is wearing browm pants a belt and a brown T-shirt. When you
look at her when she walks... she's wearing the same kind of outfit
Spike is wearing all the time... only the color is different!
(nothing philosophical in this... but you brought up the subject
so I thought I'd say it!) ;)
"I've
been lurking for a while but I decided to test the waters and
post. Forgive a newbie if she steps on any toes.
Season 5 seems to me to be a season exploring moral ambiguity.
The two major storylines thus far this season have been the Glory/Dawn
Key storyline and the Spike Transformation storyline. What ties
these two stories together is that we have three characters who
aren't registering correctly on the good/evil scale of the Buffyverse.
Let's take Glory. She's a god. What is that saying about the mythology?
An evil god? With alternate personalities that appear to be good
(Ben)? Presumably a god in this universe would at least once have
been good: unless we're dealing with gods along the lines of Greek
Roman or Celtic gods who might typify more forces of nature than
moral absolutes.
Then there's Dawn. Is she good or evil? There is one group of
people sworn to protect her and another sworn to kill her because
she is evil.
Spike is another morally ambiguous character right now. I saw
a thread below that called Spike confused. I absolutely agree.
I think Spike is so fascinating this season not because of the
Buffy love angle but because we see Spike struggling against what
he was and trying to become something he isn't yet.
Spike always exhibited more emotion than most of the other vamps
that we've seen; he seemed to form strong attachments (Drusilla)
and he also seemed to be looking for a more heroic (in vampire
terms) existence as shown in his desire to kill slayers and his
comments to Angelus about getting tired of fights whose outcome
you know. Spike is the romantic heroic type translated into the
negative (or evil) opposite. This is probably how the demon has
perverted William's original romantic poetical nature.
The chip prevented him from doing physical harm to a human. At
first after the chip was installed Spike still demonstrated all
his usual evil thoughts despite his inability to translate those
into action. As s5 has progressed however he has been having distinctly
non-evil impulses: his desire to comfort a crying Buffy (even
when he original intention when going to her house was to kill
her); his friendship with Dawn (notice he comforts Dawn with "fairytales"
in the time-honored tradition of all adults -- although his version
are blood-drenched and gory the impulse behind the storytelling
is very human); his instinctive choice to save Buffy when Drusilla
attacked her; his easygoing conversations with Joyce.
Most telling is The Crush. Drusilla arrives and Spike is tempted
to return to his old ways after receiving yet another rejection
from Buffy. Why not try to become himself again? But before feeding
on Dru's kill he has a moment of what -- conscience? it can't
be fear of the chip since the chip only activates if he plans
harm to a human (can't hurt a dead body). Maybe he would have
continued to try to regain himself but Buffy forces his hand by
being in his crypt when he arrives with Dru (remember he didn't
plan to tie them both up -- events forced his hand when Dru attacked
Buffy with the stun gun and he had to react).
The most revealing scene is the confrontation with Dru and Buffy.
Dru says that Spike is so lost that even she can't help him. Is
that true? Spike knows that something is happening to him. He
even tells Buffy he knows that whatever is between them is wrong
and he fears that he is becoming like an empty shell of himself
where only she will remain with nothing left of himself. This
sounds remarkably like what happens with the vamps: the human
soul is gone leaving a memory while demon takes residence in the
shell of the human body. Is Spike's demon leaving or does he perceive
it to be leaving which will leave him with an empty human shell
filled by what Buffy represents (humanity)? This entire scene
sounds too genuine for Spike to be just "putting on an act"
to fool the Scooby Gang. Spike is tranforming but his behaviors
are bizarre as he attempts to demonstrate his transforming self
with the actions that characterized him as a vampire.
Looking at the stalking parallel. Is Spike stalking Buffy? Or
is his shrine to her consistent with what a love-struck William
might have done? It seems like a perversion or perhaps translation
of William's feelings through Spike's actions.
Spike may well return to his evil ways or he may become something
else -- not 100% good but not evil either. If he can translate
his feelings into human empathy (which is what all vamps are missing)
he will have transformed himself. I don't think the writers are
manipulating us with a pretense of a transformation. I think Spike
is on a journey with his final destination in the balance: return
to the Big Bad of s2 or perhaps become something unique in the
Buffyverse: a vamp who transforms himself (without the benefit
of a gypsy curse).
I do think that chip will prove to be non-functional in the end:
when did government issue stuff ever work in prototype without
a hitch?
Yes I guess I'm obsessed with Spike just the way I was with Angel
when the show first started. James Marsters has been too great
a talent to waste on the old one-dimensional Spike (as great as
he was as the Big Bad); as the confused unsure changing Spike
he has been mesmerizing. Who can forget the look on his face when
Buffy barred him from her house? Or the change in his voice when
she asked him if they were on a date (A date? Are you crazy?--do
you want it to be?).
All I can say to the writers is -- keep it up! We're all fascinated.
"
Spike is the romantic heroic type translated into the negative
(or evil) opposite. This is probably how the demon has perverted
William's original romantic poetical nature.
I agree but I wonder if that was the original intention of the
writers? His character as interpreted by the actor is certainly
multidimension and riveting to watch almost to the exclusion of
all other storylines.
I have to admit that I'm watching tonight and next week with much
dread fearful that they will play his character only for laughs
or deconstruct what they have created thus far. Here's hoping
that the writers do not succumb to the easy way out.
I'm really not sure that I should be cheering on such a character
but his transformation has been fascinating to watch.
"You've really expressed alot of my thoughts.
I doubt that Spike is being played out in the original intention.
I think that JW became more interested in this character as the
series progressed. There is something fascinating to all of us
about the potential redemption of evil.
I wonder if Spike will turn out to be a Miltonic Satan exploring
his doubts/regrets about his evilness only to in the end embrace
the "I am Hell" viewpoint and become an even Badder
Big Bad."
"Great post.
It covers all the bases and nicely summarises alot of the arguments
re: Spike's ambiguity/transformation/redemption - whatever it
turns out to be. I do hope you decide to join our discussions
and post with a handle in the future. Welcome.
"I do think that chip will prove to be non-functional in
the end: when did government issue stuff ever work in prototype
without a hitch?"
Yay! Another convert:) *Aquitaine happy now*
"
Oh sorry I forgot my name
on the original post! Meant to post my name. It's rowan.
Wouldn't it be hysterical if the chip had stopped functioning
awhile ago and the pain was (excuse me for the pun) only in his
head.
I think what I find most difficult to navigate in the Buffyverse
is the arbitrariness of some things. Why is Anya okay but Spike
is not? Anya is a demon? Has she expressed remorse for past deeds?
Did she consciously overcome her demonness? Yet it's okay for
Xander to love her and the Scooby Gang has (with some bumps in
the road) added her to the group.
"Very much liked your post
rowan. It's good in a saries when characters change...keeps the
show interesting. I have been watching the Spike character roller
coaster with a lot more interest in the show this season...and
it's been a wild ride. I have my doubts that Spike will be revealed
*aha*! as the several season's back "big bad"...they've
never before decided to rewrite season two...*grin*. Yes I think
Spike is changing and has changed (into what I'm not sure). So
have Buffy and Willow and Anya perhaps most tellingly. Change
is never easy and painless and never in a linear process thus
the roller coaster. Welcome to the board."
Of course after tonight's episode Spike apparently
has taken a little detour from the redemption path. Argh!!! These
writers! They are torturing me with these twists and turns!
Anyanka's evil hasn't been as real for the scooby
gang as Spike's. Then again Anya has made real changes and shown
true unselfish concern for her fellow humans (for Xander for Dawn).
She probably saw them as justified vengeance. [My assumptions
on her transformations]She's completely human again so she's as
non-threatening as any regular human being. Spike....i just doubt
that the demon will reform not so much that it can't. He's just
being conditioned. If he were to be released possibly attachments
to some of the scoobies would make him hesitate to kill them but
i doubt he would remorse killing unknown humans. He loves violence
and destruction in addition to blood hunger.
Welcome rowan :)
I'm with you I am definitely feeling tortured by the writers!
But as Rufus has said it's their show and they'll torture us if
they want to :)
But seriously it would be rather boring if everything happened
in a linear fashion all the bumps and detours have made it so
interesting particularly in Spike's case. I keep going back to
a quote Joss made a bit ago he said Spike may be sympathetic but
he will never be nice or else he would not be any fun to write
for. So what we may end up with (and I hope JM will be back next
year) is a Spike who will pick and choose his good fights with
bad attitude intact. At least I hope so seeing him and Buffy argue
is about as good if not better than seeing them make cow eyes
at each other.
And speaking of tonight's episode how about the look on Spike's
face when confronted by Giles/Ripper? Surprise fear and a little
respect.
"It's interesting
that on 'La Femme Nikita' last Sunday Operations regards Nikita's
sparing his life as sign of her weakness-- proof that she 'isn't
fit' to take a leadership role in Section.
On a grimmer more realistic situation I've often thought that
one of the primary reasons the Nazis could stand by so dispassionatly
while all those people were being exterminated was that they considered
the lack of resistance of many of their prisoners 'proof' of a
lack of worthiness to live. It's like if they don't fight back
they deserve to be victims.
Perhaps this attitude is shared by most demons in the Buffyverse
vamps of course included. Humans aren't fit to be more than food
why they don't even have enough strength to fight us back as we
are trying to kill them.
Ah classic circular reasoning sprinkled with a little rationalizion
and heaping helping of good old 'blame the victim'.
Perhaps one of the influences on Spike's behavious is that he
has come to see that humans aren't as weak as he thought they
are. The Slayer obviously isn't but he has come to see that the
Scoobies aren't complete pushovers either. This probably seriously
confuses the demon-- recall in 'Anne' the outrage at-- "You
don't fight back-- that's not how this works!"
"
Thank
you for the welcome! I love this board! The conversations are
more in depth than what I have seen elsewhere (other boards usually
just talk spoilers which is nice too). As someone with a degree
in Lit I love to talk this stuff to death!
"ATPoBtVS is going to need a new forum for
the great discussions we've been having on the show. I need your
help finding another place on the web that has free message boards
like this one. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Masquerade
"Dear InsideTheWeb message board owner
Since January 1997 InsideTheWeb has provided free message boards
to online communities. Our goal has always been to offer an easy-to-use
and technically superior format for threaded discussions. Though
we have hit a few bumps along the way we feel we have succeeded
in that ideal. As some of you may know internet advertising revenues
have fallen to extremely low levels over the past several months.
Supporting a community service such as InsideTheWeb is impossible
without a secure source of funding and we are being forced to
close our doors. While there are certainly other means of generating
income we do not have the ability to address them without sustaining
significant losses in the foreseeable future. Therefore as of
March 5th we will be shutting down all InsideTheWeb message boards."
Masquerade
How about http://www.ezboard.com/ ? I don't know how much traffic
this site generates but they seem to be able to handle a decent
amount. There seems to be a number of different ways to set up
the format for their forums so you can probably customize it to
mimic the look of this forum.
Good luck finding a replacement. This is my favorite BTVS board
due in large part to the great regulars here. Unfortunately I
think eesites depends on ad revenue the same as insidetheweb.com
so this may just be a stop-gap measure. FYI their rates if you
don't use ads are:
Monthly Page Views -- Monthly Fee
0 - 25 000 -- $19
25 001 - 50 000 -- $49
50 001 - 75 000 -- $69
75 001 - 100 000 -- $99
Have a good one.
"I'm playing
around with a new threaded message board at:
http://disc.server.com/Indices/147745.html"
"The Harmony thread down
below has inspired me to post something that's been on my mind
and I don't think it's been addressed yet. "Crush" was
Harmony's last episode on BTVS from what I understand and I also
hear that she may be appearing on AtS from now on(supposedly there's
an upcoming AtS episode called "Disharmony" which could
be the one that moves her over to LA(that's not confirmed just
what I've heard).
Anyway my point is I've seen a lot of posts discussing this possible
move for Harmony and everybody laughs about it and how incompetent
Harmony will be in helping Cordy and the gang with their investigations
blah blah blah. What I find noticeably absent from any of the
discussions is that this would be a redemption of sorts for Harmony
fighting good instead of being evil. No one has even blinked at
the possibility that it could happen. Contrast that with any post
that suggests Spike could possibly be redeemed which usually creates
a board war within 5 minutes. There seems to be a double standard
for these two characters. Is it because Spike has always been
portrayed more seriously than Harmony who was always used mainly
for comic relief? Is she just too goofy to be taken seriously
as an evil person? Even if she's an airhead it still wouldn't
change the fact that she is a vampire and therefore by the moral
canon of the Buffyverse that everyone likes to quote when talking
about Spike she isn't capable of choosing to be good or being
redeemed. Yet I hear no howls of protest about Harmony potentially
going to LA to fight crime. Why does Spike seem to push so many
people's buttons? I just found that a little curious..."
Well Jade... I don't know if
that answers your question but when I started the thread bellow
I had no idea that people would leave Harmony behind so fast!
:) Personally I find her fascinating and I still believe that
she's the key to a lot of answers about vampires. She's not bright
and she's the comic relief but there's more to her than that.
Cordelia used to be like her and she redeemed herself with Xander.
Harmony has a bigger problem for redemption as she is a vampire
now. The good point for her is that killing and torturing are
not a priority but still she has a lot of way to cover...
---> Warning! This post contains
*Spike* subliminal messages urging you to forget *Spike* the main
topic of the *Spike* thread and concentrate on a certain other
*Spike* character who shall remain *Spike* nameless 'cause frankly
I'm *Spike* getting ti
"LOL!!!!!!!
We really are being brainwashed aren't we? Let's see how long
we can go without saying "his" name!!!!! :)"
Omygod! Like Harmony
would say! That's pretty freaky all right! :)
"ROFLMAO!
"Wonder what song Harmony would sing at Caritas?"
I guess that would depend on whether her drink were 'Spiked' or
not:) but with a name like Harmony hopefully she could hold a
tune better than Cordy;)
OnM remember how I suggested that Riley's staking of Spike could
be interpreted as the transfer of Cupid's arrow? Well I'm thinking
that Harmony spearing Spike in the back might also produce some
kind of transference... LOL. Maybe Spike will start wearing the
blue angora sweater himself.
A few random impressions:
Without Harmony around how will Spike find his way around his
favorite soap Passions which takes place in the fictional town
of Harmony? And in view of the happenings of IWMTLY isn't it spooky
that Spike told Joyce not to worry about Timmy 'cause he was just
a 'doll' that could be sewn back together???
"
Now now... see... it all
goes back to Spike. Can we let him 99% of the other threads and
give a little shrine to Harmony here! LOL!!!
LOL! Poor Harmony certainly does
have problems with that crossbow although that's pretty fortunate
for the ones she's aiming at!
You mean you think that Spike hasn't worn the sweater already?
;) (Xander to Oz-- should we hug? Oz-- No I think we're too manly...)
( --Insert Monty Python Lumberjack song here-- )
HEY! (damn Evil Clone...)
Seriously it never fails to amaze me at all the little hints and
glimmers the writers drop into this show. How do they ever get
anything done in terms of actual like writing?
I really feel that they must do it unconsciously. I know that
happens since I've done it myself a number of times I write something--
even like a post for this board-- and when I reread it I see something
and go How did *that* get here?
Does this happen to you Aquitaine?
"I
really feel that they must do it unconsciously.
And here I was thinking they were geniuses. LOL.
"I know that happens since I've done it myself a number of
times I write something-- even like a post for this board-- and
when I reread it I see something and go How did *that* get here?
Does this happen to you Aquitaine?"
Yep. And I find that writing in this kind of forum really fosters
that kind of free form creativity. Maybe writing by committee
produces a similar effect. Getting feedback and responding to
others' ideas really gets the 'little grey cells' working - sometimes
in ways we aren't consciously aware of. It's a concatenation of
factors.
"
You're right about getting
the synapses all a-twitter it does seem to help.
You has better not be conning any cats whatever nation they might
be in though or Rufus will be after you! ;)
That Timmy comment is very interesting. One of
the things I've learned about the words that come out of Spike's
mouth is that they are usually getting at some of the truths of
the Buffyverse.
Spoiler ahead
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
In IWMTLY I'm hearing that Spike inquires about making a Buffy
robot (creepy Spike is back). Wouldn't it be interesting if that
was linked to the Timmy comment? Sort of well if I can't have
the real thing I'll create my reality i.e. sew Timmy back together
with technology. That would be typical unempathetic vamp thinking.
But maybe Spike will learn in future episodes that you can replicate
a soul which means no robot will ever do him any good.
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Spoiler ahead
"It is difficult
to discuss Harmony without discussing Spike. Spike's true character
is revealed in the manner in which he treats Harmony.
There seem to be parallels between H/S and S/B -- each is pursuing
a relationship with someone who despises them. There was one moment
I felt sorry for Spike (when I saw the look on his face after
he tried to enter Buffy's house) but then I remembered the physical
and emotional abuse that Harmony has suffered at his hands. Certainly
Buffy's treatment of Spike has been more humane than Spike's treatment
of Harmony (and even if there were a B/S pairing in the future
I doubt Buffy would make Spike dress up as Angel and quote existential
philosophy to "get her in the mood"). We laugh at Harmony's
speeches but she has been the giving person in the one-sided relationship.
Spike is an awful creature -- there is far more humanity left
in Harmony than there ever was in Spike. "
I guess I could feel a little more sympathy for
Harmony if she hadn't formed a gang to kill Buffy. ;) But seriously
Spike's treatment of Harmony is very emblematic of the evil Spike
side of his nature: he uses her for his purposes and then discards
her when he doesn't need her. But Harmony participates in this
pattern with her co-dependent ways. After all Spike doesn't pursue
Harmony to abuse her; Harmony pursues Spike to be abused. He's
her crush her addition just like Drusilla and Buffy are Spike's.
I wonder if we're supposed to impose human morals on the vamps.
They all seem to abuse each other fairly regularly in a way that
would be horrific if they were human. It's very clear though that
each character must embrace one way of life: either the vampiric/demonic
or the human. What has everyone captivated about Spike (whether
you love the storylines or hate them) is that he is someone straddling
the two: his behavior is confused contradictory and we're all
dying to know how it ends.
"After
all Spike doesn't pursue Harmony to abuse her; Harmony pursues
Spike to be abused. He's her crush her addiction just like Drusilla
and Buffy are Spike's.
And Buffy doesn't pursue Spike to abuse him; Spike pursues Buffy
to be abused.
One of the things I liked best about Crush was the poetic justice.
Spike whines about the way Buffy treats him but she treats him
with more respect than he treats Harmony.
I cannot understand why there is such a double standard -- we
see that Spike has sent several unambiguous messages to Harmony
(like staking her) that he does not want her and she continues
to pursue him no one suggests that her obsession is in any way
romantic. Spike's pursual of Buffy is identical -- she told him
previously in no uncertain term that "it would never be you."
Yet Spike gets to be the romantic-poet-guy while Harmony is the
desperate-pathetic-girl.
"
I agree there is a double
standard here. I think it has to do with the fact that Spike is
a main character but Harmony is a minor character for comic relief.
Shows are usually slanted to make the main characters more palatable
to us.
Aquitaine you probably
read that already but I thought about you when I read this. It's
a scene that's been removed from Checkpoint (see: Buffy shooting
script site)
LYDIA (V.O.)
You can't hurt anyone?
INT. SPIKE'S CRYPT - DAY
Spike sits on his bier. Two Council members stand in front of
him braced and tense. One holds out a cross the other has a crossbow
trained on Spike. Lydia wearing a turtleneck stands some distance
away holding a clipboard.
SPIKE That's right.
LYDIA
But you are a vampire.
SPIKE
If I'm not I'm gonna be pissed about drinking all that blood.
Lydia doesn't crack a smile.
LYDIA
So it's this chip in your head that keeps you from hurting people.
SPIKE
My goodness you put that together all on your own? That's right.
Leastways that's what I've got 'em all believing.
The humans all tense at that.
SPIKE
Could just be a hoax though. I fake some headaches everyone gets
used to poor helpless Spike. Then one day no warning I snap a
spine bend a head back drain 'em dry. Brilliant.
If she's scared she hides it well. She soldiers on...
LYDIA
The chip. Assuming it exists. It takes away the... ability. But
it leaves...leaves the...
He smiles at her sexily.
SPIKE
Desire? Yeah I've got tons of that.
She's a little shaken by his flirting.
LYDIA
Um... but we understand that you help the Slayer.
(the rest is the scene as we saw it...)
See you weren't the only one to believe that the chip wasn't there?
The interesting thing here is that they removed the scene from
the episode... Was it reveiling too much!? ;)
ROFL. No! I hadn't checked out the shooting script
for Checkpoint only Blood Ties. Thanks so much for posting this
excerpt Nina. At the very least I know that my wacky theory would
we good enough to get me a job as a professorial type WC member.
LOL. The weirdest part of it all is that I sort of look like Lydia
as well...
The scene you have posted together with the scene that was removed
from Blood Ties (about Spike saying he still wants to kill things
etc.) really puts a different spin on his character. I wonder
why TPTB decided to continue to give the impression that Spike
was benevolent?
Ack! It's enough to drive a gal clear out of her mind. And what's
worse recent developments on BtVS have made it a bit of a challenge
to discuss the show in philosophical terms...
Well if you read the entire script you'll see that
they also took off the part where Buffy says that she'll get Spike
his money if he looks after her family...
So I guess they really wanted to show that he wasn't thinking
about killing and money! Still I would have liked to see that
scene with Lydia... should have been priceless! :)
BTW what does ROFL means (I saw that a few times... still can't
figure it out!)
Rolling on (the)
floor laughing:) The acronym often comes with more colourful extensions
as well such as LMAO (laughing my a$$ off).
I'm definitely going to go check out that script now.
Thanks!!!! Have fun! :)
Does
anybody know who the person is at the end of the series who gets
bumped off in Buffy? I am wondering because the preview said that
it is somebody close to the group. Can anyone help?
"As this is not a spoiler's board... if you
want to know more about "The body" I strongly suggest
you to see the C&S Board (Cross and Stake board) Hope you find
your answer there! :)"
Could
you give me a link please. I'm confused by the links on this board
Here you go:
http://www.InsideTheWeb.com/messageboard/mbs.cgi/mb85100
:)
thanx :)
Why are all the main Buffy characters either acting
out of character or feeling strange lately? That's the question
that was discussed on another board yesterday.
First the evidence:
1) Buffy has been noticeably out of form lately (since she speared
the vamp hooker IMO). She did kill a vamp in Triangle but she's
barely gone out of her way to fight anything other than the troll
and Glory. She didn't even bother chasing the two vamps in Crush
and let Dru and Harmony walk away. When she fought Glory and the
Troll Willow had to do a spell to save her butt. She has also
been acting very distant this season except for Triangle where
she had a loolipop emotional tantrum. And finally there is the
fact that she hasn't staked Spike despite being chained up by
him... Just plain weird.
2) Xander: He's been alternately strong and quirky. His fixation
about Dawn's crush is weird in the extreme. His reaction to Buffy's
news about Spike in Crush insincere.
3) Anya: Since when does she care so much? While the other characters
are becoming estranged from their own personalities she is becoming
sensitive? She empathises with Dawn and Spike - two not-quite-humans...
4) Joyce: The tumour - need I say more.
5) Willow: The headaches.
6) Giles - no evidence of change
7) Tara - no evidence of change
8) Spike - a surfeit of evidence of change! I don't think I have
to restate anything here since we've discussed the vicissitudes
of his behaviour all season long.
9) Riley - he has one carrousel-side talk with Dawn and he's off
to the vamp brothel????
9) Dawn's memory loss re: Ben morphing into Glory.
So what is making them feel and act differently? Is it the monks'
spell? Is it Glory's influence? Is it Dawn's presence? The more
I think about it the more I think that not only Spike is acting
like he's out of his mind. Is everyone suffering from some kind
of insanity?
Everyone acting oddly because
of the Key? I like that explanation more than some of the ones
I have been hearing. (grin) Dawn (as the key) is an energy source.
Does any of that power spill over into her human form? Could unknown
electromagnetic 'Dawn' rays be influencing everyone's behavior?
(insert twilight zone-y music here)
My own personal hunch is the writers are having a harder time
than usual keeping character consistancy from one episode to another.
We keep getting good episodes but it is obvious most of the characters
are behaving differently from one episode to the next. Maybe Joss
is busy? Or the writers are uncertain what this season is supposed
to be about? It started off heavy with themes of change evolution
and the search for who we (as in the shows characters) really
are. Has that changed?
"I think we are volontarily
misled with everything that is happening to Spike so we won't
see those wonderful details you bring on Aquitaine.
Look at this board... anytime someone starts a thread... it always
comes back to Spike (even if the subject doesn't call for it!)
It's the first tactic: you don't want people to predict the end...
you give them a bait on which they can poke while you have all
the field for yourself to prepare your unpredictable ending. Pretty
smart on their part. By putting Spike in the center of the Buffy
verse we tend to neglect what's happening on the outside but Spike
is only one player and in a chess game he's nowhere to be a key
figure I'm sure.
I love that remark that Buffy has been rescued two times by magic.
This is true and scary. When you think about it though... those
two times she wasn't fighting vamps one was a troll and the other
one a god! Buffy too is out of her mind. I believe she wanted
to rescue that relationship with Riley to prove that she could
have a normal life. She was hanging to him to be rescued (sounds
familiar???:) She's not been very in touch with her feelings lately
no wonder she says to Spike "No feelings"!
As for Xander his need to be the only crush for Dawn is way bizarre
I grant you that. Is it his way to compensate the fact that Buffy
never loved him back? Did Xander ever got over buffy? He says
he did but his reaction to Angel and the laugh he had about Spike
could maybe bring some old unrequited feelings back.
Joyce since her tumor is rarely acting like a mother. It's Buffy
who's always telling her how to deal with Dawn. She tells work
jokes to Spike(??!!!) she leads Buffy to him even though they
just said that he was twisted.
Willow is travelling on a bad road we can all predict that something
bad is going to happen but why? She's a romantic at heart (she
wants Quasimodo to marry Esmeralda) She's becoming even more careless
in her spells than before. Her emotions and mind don't seem to
be on the same level.
As for Giles he's pretty not there again this season...
Did you noticed that Spike is the center of this week's episode
trailer? Something's fishy here! I thought he was going to disappear
for a while (be a lot less present) and what do they do? They
put him in the center of the trailer! We really are being misled
here.... something is happening to Spike there's no way to deny
it... but he's only the point of the iceberg. While we analyse
the ice ouside... we don't see anything inside the water!"
"Joyce's behavior bothers
me. I'm a little new to the Buffyverse so I haven't seen her before
this season but it strikes me that she doesn't really act like
the mother of a teenage girl (just turned 20!) who goes out and
kills nasty-bad things.
She's not afraid of Spike in fact she talks about her work day
as if he was a friend or a roommate. (BTW I thought Spike was
very polite when he kept her from boring him with her story a
second time.) When Buffy talks about Spike's crush on her Joyce
says Buffy should "nip it in the bud" and go talk to
him in almost the same breath as she points out that Buffy's rejection
of him could be dangerous because of his twistedness. She sent
her daughter to go talk to a twisted killer about her daughter's
rejection of the killer's crush????
And Joyce's other daughter...the one who isn't entirely human
and cuts on herself when she finds out and likes to hang out in
the aforementioned twisted killer's crypt...just how is Joyce
handling that?
I like Joyce a lot but I wish she acted more logically!"
If you think her behavior seems
inappropriate now you should have seen her the first two seasons
before she knew that Buffy was the Slayer. Buffy pretty much summed
it up in Becoming 2 after her Mom finally found out:
Open your eyes Mom! What do you think has been going on for the
last two years? The fights the weird occurrences - how many times
have you washed blood out of my clothes you still haven't figured
it out?
Denial much?
I agree the interference/distortion
caused by any of these things that you mentioned is the only the
only thing that works for me. And since we somehow always get
back to Spike when the end season conflict is resolved and the
characters are faced with the cause of their strange/conflicting
behaviour his crush could be explained away by Buffy and SG as
simply another temporary insanity. Of course the viewer through
Dru's comments would know that Spike's feelings precede this time
and that they are still genuine but none of the other characters
would be aware of that. In a way the writers can bring Spike as
low as they want this season and quickly explain it away and give
him back his cool in a flash. (Not that his cool is gone. I mean
I still see it.)
"To erase
all the season by bringing things like they were (before Dawn
appeared) would awfully ring like a "it was only a dream"
plot. That's stale and so dÈj¦ vue!!!! I am sure
the writers are heading towards something else. Gee... I hope
so!!!! :)"
Of course the
viewer through Dru's comments would know that Spike's feelings
precede this time...
Dru's memory was most probably affected by the monks' spell. His
feelings for the Slayer didn't have to be around prior to the
Key's arrival.
1. I think that
finding out that your sister isn't really your sister and she's
an energy thing that you have to protect from a god is going to
play with your mind. Never mind that she realises that she can't
take Glory on 1-on-1 so she has to figure out another weakness.
She hasn't yet. So she's kind of focused on Glory and Dawn right
now. Then throw in Riley going away and Spike's behaviour and
you end up with a Buffy who isn't going to be focused on killing
vamps.
2. Xander has always been like that. He is strong at times quirky
at others.
3. You answered your own question here. She can relate to those
two because she doesn't feel like she really belongs either (being
an ex-demon)
5. Using a teleport spell on a god has to hurt.
8. Anyone reading my other posts on this board can tell you about
this.
9. They were building up to Riley going to the vamp house for
a few episodes. He was questioning his relationship with Buffy.
He thought that she needed someone dangerous and he was interested
in what she saw in vampires (Angel). So we see him earlier telling
Xander that Buffy doesn't love him. Losing his super powers from
the drugs also left him high and dry and he felt useless. For
the first time in his life he didn't have a purpose. He didn't
know who he was anymore he had always been in the military. And
he knew he wasn't being what Buffy wanted him to be and was exploring
to try to find out.
10. Who knows what affect a god will have on one's brain.
I think Xander's been pretty
much in character so far. His fixation on Dawn's crush really
didn't strike me as being bizarre. First he was smug that a nearly-divine
being could be attracted to him (and it's a big step up from his
usual demon admirers) and then he was abashed to find that she
passed him over. Since it's only been brought up those two times
it seems adequately Xanderish. If he starts harping on it every
episode then yeah it would be wierd and silly. As for his reaction
to the Spike news I thought it was quite appropriate. He considers
Spike relatively harmless and it _would_ be pretty funny if not
for all of Spike's stalking (which Xander and even Buffy didn't
know about at the time).
His alternating strength/quirkiness is something he's always had
and it's a part of his personality that's been emphasized especially
in The Zeppo and this season's The Replacement.
There just seems to be something desperate and
edgy about his attitude in the last couple of episodes. I agree
that on the surface he is acting true to character I just think
that The Replacement and Into the Woods showed him moving decisively
in another direction. At the moment he appears to have regressed
(again). The scene in the alley with Giles in Checkpoint was particularly
inappropriate I thought. But like many other issues that have
been brought up this season Xander's ambiguity could just be X
being X or it could be that an energy source vibrating at blah
blah is interfering with his psyche:)
Of
course I'm Spike obsessed here but it seems to me that the (fairly
thin and obvious) plot device of having Dru claim that her affair
with the Chaos Demon was triggered by clairvoyant images of Buffy/Spike
is the writers attempt to bolster the validity of the feelings.
Hmm the impression I got from
Dru's speech about the Slayer being all over him was that she
was seeing a vision of his obsession itself not of any future
possibility of a relationship between them or validation of his
feelings.
True the Key might
be making him swing faster (Restless connection?) between his
extremes. He was very suaveXander near the end of the latest episode.
^_^
Or maybe being split into
two has affected his brain so that they take turns. Kind of an
internal fight between the two halves.
I'm
sorry if this question has been resloved here before. If it has
please just give me the short-answer response.
When a vampire feeds on a slayer and she dies what is stopping
her from being vamped? Could she resist the urge to taste the
blood on offer? Would reciprocal feeding not affect her hence
no new super-vamp? Or did Dracula know what he was talking about
and its the same for a slayer as for everyone else?
It just seems that letting a slayer become a vampire even if the
next is called would be a bit of a disaster for the PTBs...
I always thought a Vamped Slayer
would be a BAD-A$$ Big Bad
I
always figured the Slayer is mortal so she can die and she can
become a vampire. Maybe she'll fight the urge to survive a bit
more when it comes to drinking the vampire's blood. Angel said
that it's hard to fight because the living don't want to die.
I think the Slayer's powers are a different matter. Once her heart
stops the powers are bestowed on the next Chosen One. Since the
vampire doesn't rise right away there's a gap where she's just
a dead normal person. Once risen the vampire will have all of
the memories and experiences of the former Slayer to use (starting
out as a much tougher than average fledgling) but she'll be just
like another vampire.
I have this image of the Slayer's powers being like Miss America's
tiara. When her term ends she hands it to the next girl she doesn't
get to keep it.
I have thought
that this would be an excellent episode. Buffy going against a
former slayer who has been vamped. We could even say that Angel
was the one that killed her and made her. You could have a real
cool scene from the past. hmmmmmmmmm.
There
are several comics about a Dunpeal (half vampire half human) that
slays vampires. The demon fights at the mortal coil inside her
and the greatist enemy is herself she knows if the demon overtakes
her she dies so she comits herself to fighting evil outside and
inside herself.
That sounds a lot like Blade.
We did not care for that movie because it was too bloody but the
idea of a half vampire half human sounds pretty cool. I am not
sure that in the buffyverse it is possible. But who knows this
is fantasy they can change the rules when they want.
I think your talking about VAMPIRE HUNTER D. An
I have read that a Dhampir is the child of a Vampire and a Human
female usually the recently resurrected Husband in european myths.
Isabel: If the slayers powers get passed on to the next slayer
at death then how did Kendra and Faith have powers? Wouldn't they
go back to Buffy after she was brought back?
Buffy came back to life breathing heart beating
can stand in sunlight. Maybe the Slayer powers are attached to
the Slayer's life (soul? maybe but I so don't want to get into
that discussion here.)
And she did die. So the the next Chosen One was all chosen with
her powers also linked to her life. Hers to keep until she dies.
I think the $64 question is: Is Faith Buffy's co-slayer or her
successor? We won't know until Buffy dies to see if a new slayer
is chosen but boy can we discuss it.
Various
other persons on this board have commented on how Anya is gradually
showing more signs of 'humanity' as this season has progressed
most recently when she showed genuine concern and sympathy for
Dawn upon learing of her true nature.
Do you think that before the season ends Anya will say something
to someone that indicates she is starting to feel some regret
for her demon related activities? If so to whom will she first
say it? (Xander Willow Tara Buffy Giles Spike? Maybe just to herself?)
I'm thinking it will eventually happen just not sure if it will
occur this year or in season 6.
My first choice as to person said to would be Xander but I'm thinking
Spike would be a good possibility also. (Remember when she and
Spike were sitting together at that party and talking about the
'good old days'? She's changed quite a bit since then and if she
had a future meet-up with Spike the exchange could be very different.)
Item last and not directly related to the above-- didn't Anya
look a lot like Faith in terms of her dancing style at the Bronze
in the first act of *Crush*? Pretty free-spirited style for an
ex-vengeance demon methinks! ;)
Why
should she feel sorry for what she did? She was just fulfilling
her job as a vengence demon. If she didn't do the job D'Hoffryn
(sp?) would have found someone else for the job. I could maybe
see her feeling bad for what she did initially for becoming the
demon in the first place but after the Troll rampage I hardly
think she'll feel very bad about that. Which brings us to Spike
(I always seem to get around to him). Why should Spike feel bad
about stuff that he has done in the past. Most things he has done
have been for self preservation. He was made to feed on humans
so he fed on humans. It has only occured to him recently that
he doesn't have to do that. Angel has reason to feel bad. He tortured
and killed people. To him it was a sport not just survival. The
horrors he introduced to people were awful. Spikes style was to
kill quick and get it over with he never was one for torture.
And while we're at it Xander was all over Buffy for dating an
ex-killer in Angel and now he is going out with an ex-vengence
demon. Hypocritical or growth? (I'm not making the decision I
would just like to get reaction)
Since he still doesn't like Angel
I vote hypocritical. I guess we'd have to see how he react if
Angel ever became human. I think Xander still fears Angel could
go bad... any minute now! and doesn't think the same about Anya.
Problem is until the 5th season Anya was always reminiscing about
her demon days and what she'd do if she had her powers back. I
think until recently she'd have said yes if D'Hoffryn appeared
at her door. Now she still doesn't regret her demon days she's
simply having more fun as a human and thinks it might be fun to
stay that way.
"Hmmm...
okay it started as a Anya thread and now we have many subject
to cover... let's start with Anya. Anya did torture men for centuries
(boiling their penis and such - as she says it herself) it may
have been part of her job but at some point I believe she would
have to feel compassion for what she did and even regret it. The
strongest force of the BtVS's writer's teem is that they never
rush things. They give all the time necessary to give some justification
for a character's behavior to change. Anya is starting to change
and I'd love to see a scene with her and Spike again. How different
it would be!
I agree that Spike wasn't for torture and that he killed to feed
but it was also a little more than that. He felt pleasure doing
it. A little more than just the pleasure to eat!
As for Xander... that's interesting. He didn't like Angel from
the start and was angry at the prospect of a relationshipt between
him and Buffy but his reaction when he learned that Spike loved
Buffy was priceless. He laughed. "It's funnier if it's true!"
How weird is that! The fact that Xander overcome his love for
Buffy also shows us that Spike could do that as well. We've had
plenty of unrequited love in the series Spike's love for Buffy
could well turn into friendship or something else..."
" I don't think Spike was ever into the kill
of his victims he liked to kill Slayers because it was a challenge.
There's no challenge in killing innocent people. He told Angelus
once "Don't you ever get tired of fights you know your going
to win?" He was more about fighting and challenges (not anything
to do with people) than killing. Atleast IMO."
I like that Luna. I think it's pretty much that!
To kill slayers he risks his un-life every time.. that's the challenge.
The question is: why didn't he seek for more slayers? He only
killed two of them. Maybe he didn't know where they were sent?
As
you say lots to cover...
I'm not sure Anya will ever truly regret what she did as a demon.
I suspect she saw herself more as a tool than anything else granting
the wishes of scorned women. Do we blame the hammer for our smashed
thumb? She may come to see the vengance gig as Not Such A Good
Idea though especially as her love for Xander continues to grow.
Speaking of Xander his dislike for Angel is rooted more in jealousy
than anything else. He saw Angel as a threat to his (non-)relationship
with Buffy. Spike is no such threat. Notice that he laughed at
the idea of S/B but when he learned that Dawn has a crush on Spike
he got very upset indeed! Deja vu anyone?
As for Spike when left to his own devices he is certianly all
about the challenge. Poor old William is still trying to prove
himself after all these years. The chip on Spike's shoulder is
even more of an influence than the one in his head.
The chip on Spike's shoulder is even more of an
influence than the one in his head.
I'm definitely going to have to find a place for this quotage
on my site!
It's not that late...
but I don't understand the quote... what chip on the shoulder?
Okay... maybe I should re-read this quote tomorrow!
Glad you like it! I'd be honored to be quoted by
you. :):):):):)
"Spike seems
to be caught between two worlds the human and the vampire. When
Dru comes back he immediately appears to revert back to his old
self and throws Harmony away (literally) and goes off with Dru
to the Bronze. It is there that he realises that he isn't the
same anymore. Dru kills the two lovers and you can see Spike decide
there that this is not what he wants to do not what he wants to
be. But he feeds anyway. Why? Well Dru would be pretty upset and
disappointed if he didn't. So then he goes back and ties up Dru
and Buffy. And now he presents the choice to Buffy to throw him
a crumb or to die. He's trying to make her make the choice as
to whether he can be redeemed or not. He isn't sure that he can
so if the slayer says he can he can. But she doesn't say he can
and he still doesn't kill her or let her be killed by Dru. He
has hope but not much. But he knows he doesn't want the life he
did before. Dru gave him that option he didn't take it. So now
as Dru said "Poor Spike. So lost even I can't help you now."
He wants to be redeemed but no one knows if he can be not even
him.
"
"Well I actually
saw "Crush" for the first time Saturday night. The show
comes on later in the week in my part of the country. I had read
the wild feed post as well as the infamous DF interview and was
bracing myself to be disappointed yet I must say that I still
enjoyed the episode. It's amazing how many people can watch the
same show and get something so totally different from it.
I didn't see the old Spike at all. Instead I saw a complex and
confused character who pulled at the heartstrings. He is a creature
torn between two worlds and the fact is that he doesn't really
fit into either one. I was left thinking that Spike with his internal
demon doesn't really understand humans as much as I thought he
did. Granted the emotions that he is feeling towards a human Buffy
further complicates things for him. As much as he doesn't really
have a grasp of what he's feeling and how to deal with it I think
Buffy is even more clueless about the nature of Spike and vampires
in general. This episode really drove that point home for me.
Spike has always been capable of love he was never really loved
in return. I agree that this is what he craves more than anything
and in his present state is incapable of finding it. It's almost
like he's doomed to remain as he was when vamped helpless with
a broken heart seemingly pathetic and the butt of jokes to humans.
I'm sure that this character is going somewhere though. (I know
"The Body" doesn't help his case.) I just think that
we will learn something new or there will be some startling twist
that non of us saw coming. JM is too popular and too talented
to waste. "
I agree. Would
Joss really let us down now? I don't know. I kinda like the new
Spike I always knew there was more to him I was just wondering
when Joss&co. were going to let us in on it. He could anyway
way now kinda like The Great Glass Elevator from the Raould Dahl
Books he could go in each and every direction but which one is
he going to choose?
"This
is going to sound warped and oogy but this has question been floating
around my head for the last couple of days.
Does Spike's chip stop him form harming living things period or
just "hands on" damage? Spike throws a few punches at
Buffy and comments that he's not in pain because he knew that
the punches couldn't touch her. What does that mean with regards
to traps? Would the chip cause him
pain if he dug a pit? Then he puts spikes at the bottom. Not hurting
anything there. Then covers it up. Ditto. Would the chip cause
him pain once something fell in?
These are the things that pop into my head late at night..."
"I don't think it would.
We have seen that if he intends to do harm to a living human he
will feel pain. The chip seems to be connected to direct conscious
actions. In the ep where Faith woke up he told Giles and Xander
that "Just because I can't do the damage myself doesn't stop
me from aiming a loose cannon your way." This leads me to
believe that he has tried it before. Maybe he doesn't do it because
if Buffy found out she would probably kill him and while he can
defend himself he can't fight her back."
If there is one thing that I would bet on (a generally
unwise tactic in the Jossverse ;) it's that Spike would not do
something like this. The fight needs to be a personal one he would
consider it a form of 'cheating' if he got someone else to do
the work for him.
A perfect example from *Crush* is that while he *threatened* to
turn Dru loose on the chained-up Buffy when she actually got loose
he freed Buffy at his first opportunity.
If for any reason Spike reverted to Big Bad status once more and
actually truly tried to kill Buffy it would be him and him alone
that would deliver the death blow.
Very
true. Remember having killed two Slayers is a source of tremendous
personal pride to Spike. That glory comes from having done it
with his own hands.
OnM
I believe you are right. Take the episode when Spike was going
to shoot Buffy with a shot gun. He could have had Harmony do it
but he wanted to do it himself.
"Harmony
is a real moral ambiguity to me. She's seen as the bug Giles tries
to push away in "Restless" like the sexy girl who thinks
more about clothes than blood the not so bright vamp who's there
but we know she won't stay long but ó
I believe that we learn a lot about vampires just to look at Harmony.
She's part of a new generation of Vampires. She doesn't hang out
with her sire. She doesn't have the kind of baggage Darla-Angel-Dru
or Spike have. She's new to the world. Looking at her action proves
us a lot about what a vampire can be.
As a human Harmony as we know was shallow. Friends clothes and
boys were all she thought about. As a vampires she kept pretty
much the same profile. She hired some minions to act as her chorus
She's still care for clothes (only now she doesn't have to pay
for them) and as for guys she won the price becoming the center
of attention by putting her hands on the "coolest guy a high
school girl could go out with".
Even though she acts like her relationship with Spike is only
based on sex I believe that somehow she really has feelings for
him. Probably not a deep and passionate love but there is something
more than a sexual gratification here. I think she understands
pretty well that Spike is using her as sex object but her speech
at the end of "Crush" lets us believe that inside she
was hoping for more. "I gave and gave.." Coming from
a vampire those words are unusual. She seemed to really want to
help him to be more happy. I was impressed at how insightful she
was to see that Spike had "trust" issues. She looked
like she wanted to reform him. Not making him be good but making
him less dark (get rid of the Dru influence)
So Harmorry too is able of feelings. Even though Spike had shoved
her away she came back calling herself "The actual girlfriend".
She was not ready to let go. The couple quarel was very "human"
like. Nothing reserved to the vampire world.
Harmony also proved that a vampire can change. Can improve oneself
and not only physically. She's become a better fighter... but
on a personal level she has changed as well becoming more confident
more able to deal with her emotions.
We probably won't see her much now but I think that she deserved
a little thread. :) "
Vampires
are products of their time. Politics world view sexuality etc
are all going to be informed by their life experiences ( and prejudices).
We have seen examples ofvampires who were captains of industry
prostitutes perennial students magicians...yada yada yada. As
humans run the gamult of mediocrity to genius so shall vamps.
Only vamps get a lot longer to figure out their mistakes.
I don't see that Harmony loves Spike. What I see
is her wanting to be with the coolest guy in school (and there
are very few vampires as cool as Spike still around). She is very
much stuck in her superficial world and with her power as a vampire
I don't see her ever coming out of it. She didn't have the depth
of character or pain that Darla Liam William and Drucilla had
before they were vamped. She was superficial and everything she
does and feels is superficial.
I don't see that Harmony loves
Spike.
I don't say she loves him but merely that there is something more
than just the sex in their relationship. What is fascinating about
Harmony is that she is shallow she is the comic relief and yet
she showed us this week that she was way more than just that.
The reason why I wanted to bring the subject is because I didn't
find Harmony in the ATPoBtVS section about moral ambiguities and
even though she is not a major character I think we can still
learn a lot from her actions. Just thought we could discuss that!
:)
I'll give you that. There is
a certain amount of moral ambiguity to her character. And yes
I agree that there is more than sex. She cares for him as much
as I think she can care for anyone.
"Oh you caught me....
I think Harmony belongs in the moral ambiguity section too but
I put her in the "big bads" section mainly 'cause I'm
still rootin' for her for some reason. I never cared for human
Harmony. It's funny.
She's clearly not a BIG bad... yet. In my section on her (http://home.4w.com/pages/btvs/bigbads.html#harm)
I even use a fan quote that says "she's not evil". Not
evil in the destroy-the-world sense or the gratuitious violence
sense that is.
I'll make a link to that section on the M.A. page."
I'm struck by the comments that Harmony almost
seems more human as a vamp than she was as a human because I feel
the same way especially after seeing her in *Crush*.
It is interesting that during the whole scene with Buffy Dru and
Spike Spike reveals his 'evil' side the most with Harm in that
even by stating he would kill Dru for Buffy in vamp logic that
was actually sort of a compliment to Dru.
On the other hand with Harmony he basically treats her as if she
had no significance to him at all-- this for a woman who was even
willing to pretend to be Buffy to make him happy sexually. (She
should know better of course but there you go...)
I found myself actually kind of happy that she fought him back
as well as she did.
A possible related item for discussion or of course (as usual)
I am reading too much into this: Did anyone take note of the fact
that Spike chained Buffy tied Dru with rope and did nothing at
all to prevent Harmony from interfering with his plans? What does
this say in terms of how he regards the power each of them has
over him?
Well he wanted Buffy
to hear him out. If he didn't chain her she'd have escaped as
easily as Dru did and left.
And/or he just had the one set of chains. ;)
LOL! Spike? Have only one set of chains?? Nahhhh!!
;);)
Did anyone take note of
the fact that Spike chained Buffy tied Dru with rope and did nothing
at all to prevent Harmony from interfering with his plans? What
does this say in terms of how he regards the power each of them
has over him?
I love this OnM!!!!! This is subtext and maybe he didn't notice
it himself but it says a lot about the way he sees those woman.
That even goes with my earliest statement that he sees women three
ways (the virgin the mother and the whore).
Masquerade I didn't want to catch you here!!! I just merely thought
about Harmony and before posting I wanted to see if there was
anything (I didn't want to reiterate what you would have already
said!)
I really do think that if Buffy takes the time to analyse what
she saw in the crypt she really will have no choice but change
her opinions on vampires. Spike was living the man's nighmare...
caught between the ex the girlfirend and the object of desire.
Nothing demonic in that! Really human indeed! :)
As for Harmony... she's been treated so much as a comic relieve
that there has to be something else. Something we can learn out
of her. As Rufus stated she's more of a human now and which vampire
will want to work to improve himself?
"I agree that Harmony cared
for Spike. (As much as that shallow girl could care.) She observed
a lot about him. Since we haven't seen her recently I thought
that she'd been long gone. Maybe now she is.
I keep thinking about how she begged Spike not to try to kill
Buffy at the end of 'Fool for Love.' He's storming around muttering
imprecations loading the shotgun and she yells
"You are so sensitive!... She's the Slayer she will so kick
your ass!" Supportive but concerned. "
Hey I just noticed
that Dawn is taller than Buffy. No real significants in this statement
its just funny watching Buffy lecture her little sister who is
towering over her. If she sticks around beyond this season I wonder
how much more taller she will be than Buffy
Last week Masquerade asked how it was possible
for the apparently large numbers of demons in the
Angelverse to remain effectively hidden from view in Los Angeles.
I mean sheís right there appear to be
demons all over the place but how come so few of them get noticed?
Willful blindness? Magical spells? A
good PR department?
Whatever the reason the idea of an enemy being all around us and
yet seemingly out of sight is a tried and
true theme for a lot of science fiction stories over the years.
I could pick from quite a few movies that have
this idea at their center but for this weekís classic movie
Iím going to select one of the lesser known ones.
While you may not have seen or heard of the flick Iím sure
youíll recognize the name of the director the
one and only John Carpenter.
There are a couple of noteworthy items that distinguish this from
the run-of-the-mill B-movie and yes this
is a ëB-movieí. John Carpenter would probably not
consider his films to be in the class of ëhigh artí
but
they also usually serve up more than could be reasonably expected
from something primarily intended as a
a couple of hours of purely escapist entertainment. (Sound like
anyone we know hummm?)
In the opening sceen of this film for example the lead character
appears in the midst of a railroad yard.
The camera shows him initially as a small figure in a large space.
He walks towards us his visage slowly
growing larger. He is carrying a huge backpack and is obviously
dressed for hard traveling. In the next
shot he is framed on the right by a huge set of railroad cars
all great darkness and shadow to his left is a
road leading into a city somewhat overcast but still very light
by comparison to the shadow of the railroad
cars. He walks down the middle then the camera pans upward. There
are skyscrapers huge office
buildings obviously this city is a major center of commerce. The
next shot shows him looking around
taking it all in-- the grandeur the indifference. He walks on...
You donít know it yet but in one short minute Carpenter
has foreshadowed most of the movies main
theme with just a few clever shots of metaphorical photography.
A B-movie? Yes it is. Art? Yes it is.
This weekís Classic Movie is *They Live* a title which
immediately makes one think of zombies or the
undead but actually it is we the people who are asleep in Carpenterís
vision. This movie wears its
political heart right on its sleeve but we tend to mostly ignore
that aspect since after all itís an ëactioní
movie with none other than (ex?) wrestler ëRowdyí
Roddy Piper in the lead role. Yes you heard me!
Amazingly (or not) he is actually pretty good and wrestling fans
will be happy to know he gets a nice long
fight scene to show off his talents a bit more than halfway into
the flick. (Iím *not* a wrestling fan but Iíll
cut ëem some slack since obviously many people wouldnít
go to see the movie otherwise and then they
wouldnít get caught up in all the ëartyí stuff!
;)
A caution here to all those who rent the DVD the film was shot
in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio (*very*
widescreen) so if you have a TV set smaller than say 35î
consider either going over to the home of a
friend who owns a really bigscreen set or else rent the VHS version
instead. If you do watch the
widescreen version you will get to note another interesting photographic
trick employed extensively
throughout-- the use of an extremely wide-angle lens for many
shots particularly outdoor scenes. The lens
is so short that the edges of the frame actually show curvature
of what would normally be straight lines.
The resulting visual effect is very disconcerting if you take
your eyes off of screen center-- and very
illustrative of what the main plot is all about-- again without
saying a word.
One last caution-- this is an ëactioní movie and deserves
its ëRí rating although most of the first half is
used to ëset the stageí (hummm sound familiar?) and
so has relatively little ëactioní. Those who crave
the
genresí requisite gunfights and fireworks will get your
fix just be patient. (I personally find these a little
tedious but again I understand the nature of the medium here...).
There are several final twists one of
which you may see coming two others you probably wonít
and the closing shot is both humorous and
outrageous at the same time.
Classic Carpenter-- and my Classic Movie of the Week.
E Pluribus Cinema Unum
"I have seen the movie "They Live"
a few times. One scen I like is when Roddy is trying to get this
African American Gentleman to put on the (you know whats) so that
he can see what is going on. The guy refuses almost like he knows
that something is wrong but he doesn't want to believe. "
"As promised I'm reposting
the story on how what Rufus refers to as 'the Re: Technique' came
about. The 'El-Reo-X' or 'El-Re-o-x' as I have referred to it
is just this silly pun on a band that one of Jackson Browne's
bandmates had "El-Rayo-X". (I think it was David Lindley
or Warren Zevon.)
This stuff is all in fun please take it as such since it has absolutely
nothing to do with BtVS or Angel per se. I'll start where it all
started:
Tall skinny posts are occurring. This is bad. Only 800X600 here
ya know... ;)
Wednesday 31-Jan-01 00:51:56
Also keep in mind possible use of Patent Pending OnM El-Re:o-X
technique. That is after 4 or 5 Re:'s
you can use Re:x5: followed by Re:x6:
(Use of this technique might completely change the look of BC&S Spoiler
board! ;)
I can explain this technique in detail if any of you are foolish
enough to ask me. You have been warned!
;)
OnM
Re: Tall skinny posts are occurring. This is bad. Only 800X600
here ya know... ;)
Wednesday 31-Jan-01 00:56:08
Okay O Wonder Brain...tell me how I can change the look of the
posts on the C&S as I happen to be
one of the offenders.
Rufus
Whew! I feel horizontal again... El-Re:o-x explained...
Wednesday 31-Jan-01 01:40:49
It's getting late here Rufus!
But I'll give it a go. It isn't really that tricky. And it's been
my observation (re: your being a guilty party)
that it takes at least two to tango and there must be like 50
of ya'all over there!! ;)
Like I said before after 3 or 4 or 5 re:'s just use the format
Re:x5. When someone responds to that
post they label it Re:x6. The next respondant labels it Re:x7
and so on. So instead of
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re you'd
have--
Re:x20.
Of course you need co-operation from other posters to do this
and they may just think you're insane
but you can always blame me and just say it's that weirdo long
post guy from ATPoBtVS. ;)
One revision I had to make in the otherwise elegant simplicity
of the basic El-Re:o-X plan was what to
do if someone is reading down an existing thread say currently
up to Re:x32 and sees a post at say
Re:x8 that s/he wants to comment on. How would you denote that
this is a branch?
I would suggest following standard program version notation and
make the branch response like so--
Re:x8.1 Followup on that branch would be Re:x8.2. You could also
use letters for people who hate
decimal stuff. Re:x8b Re:x8c etc etc.
Now the really neat thing would be for some programmer much smarter
than little 'ol me (my coding
ability is ludicrously out of date alas...) to write this in the
board software and then it would be done
automatically.
OK that's it. Remember you asked!! ;) ;)
OnM
As of today - 02/18/01
*** Some additional thoughts: One thing I have noticed as my evil
spell continues to wend it way
through the woods or into the woods or... oops sorry. ;)
While it it true that you basically just count the number of Re:ís
and replace that with Re x 5 or
Re x 8 or whatever some posters will not respond to your post
with the next increment. So you
might see ëRe: re x 8í instead of ëRe x 9í.
First remember *never* to hassle anyone about this! You can actually
pretty much write anything
you want in the post response header. All of this is completely
voluntary and even if you do
everything perfectly it *does not* ultimately prevent tall skinny
posts from appearing on the far
right of your screen it just holds them off a lot longer thus
maintaining readability to a greater
extent.
Second if you respond to a ëRe:re x 8í remember that
ëRe x 8í = Re:re:re:re:re:re:re:re or a total
of 8 ëre:ís.
So *donít* count the Re: in ëRe x 8í as *another*
re:-- itís already *included* in the 8!
At the risk of getting overly mathematical you could look at it
like Re+(Re x 8) or 1 + 8 = 9
where re =1.
If you include the re: inside the (Re x 8) then you end up incrementing
by 2 not 1.
Thus what should be Re x 8 Re x 9 Re x10 becomes Re x 8 Re x 10
Re x 12.
Make sense? If not donít fret-- I donít. Just remember
this is the danger of thinking too much
which we encourage on this board!
One last item-- I have adopted the visual format Rufus has used
most of the time which is Re +
space + x + the number or ëRe x 8í. There is no right
or wrong here as long as the result has
clarity.
Also acceptable for example would be formats such as ëRe
x8í ëRe:x8í ëRe/x8í ëRe: x8í
etc. etc. I happen to like the spaces because it is easy to type
and if you use the branching
format it still reads easily-- ëRe x8.1í ëRe
x12.4í etc.
So anybody working on software yet? ;) ;)
(By the way my evil clone made me do this...)
G'nite all."
"I'm not
sure I can come up with alot to say on this topic (and I'm not
usually one at a loss for words:) - the subject line pretty much
sums up my question.
Was I the only one who flashed back to the first Slayer when Buffy
said "No feelings" to Spike in the warehouse? It really
gave me a chill when I heard that. It was as if she were trying
to physically stop feelings (not just supposedly repressed feelings
for Spike but other kinds of emotions as well) from surfacing...
"
" That had never
occured to me but it makes perfect sense. After Buffy's encounter
with the first slayer she had a sort of "fake" relationship
with Riley then they broke up. It suprised me how Buffy didn't
even pause to consider Spike seeing him more of a problem than
a being.
I have a feeling that in this season Buffy may learn more how
to control her powers including this side effect but at this point
they may be getting the human half of her. "
I have been following the debate between Max and
Rufus and I must admit I've been agreeing with whoever I read
last. But for me it is The Host's comment that really puts things
in perspective for me. What good is it to fight a war if you lose
the very thing you are fighting for? In this case it is Angel's
soul. He is the prize I believe that Holland told him as much.
Angel's status may be what tips the balance on the day of the
Apocalypse according to the prophecies. So he may indeed need
to fight a total war but he may not be fighting the right war
if his objectives are merely destructive instead of constructive
(or defensive as the case may be).
Still one definately positive thing has resulted from Angel going
AWOL from the TPTB - his team has more confidence and cohesiveness
than they ever did before when they were just his back-up team.
When they do get back together again they will be far more powerful
together than they ever were before. Of course I am assuming they
do get back together again it would be too hard to maintain this
dual focus for long in a single series.
"He
may find them a lot less willing to simply follow orders. Not
that they didn't question him in the past but now they're not
"Angel minions" anymore."
"
I have the uneasy feeling I'm wading into a quagmire but this
whole discussion confuses me.
For one thing all this argument about collateral damage seems
to skim over the crucial word: acceptable. The bad guys go "Oh
collateral damage. Fine as long as we get what we want."
The good guys go "There's going to be collateral damage.
Is it acceptable collateral damage?" It's a fine line often
hard to distinguish even harder to abide by. But that is the difference
between good and evil. Our heroes on AtS -- and BtVS for that
matter -- have to make a determination about acceptable collateral
damage all the time. And I'd like to say they always make the
best choice but they don't. Just this week on the TTDL Angel's
Ex-crew decided to postpone helping the girl with the third eye
in favor of aiding Gunn deeming it acceptable collateral damage.
Sure it was played for laughs "That eye's not going anywhere."
But they had no way of knowing what the true consequences might
be. IMO they made a bad choice because they abandoned someone
in need and only made the situation with the zombie cops worse.
Angel clearly is deciding on a level of acceptable collateral
damage when after Kate tells him the crime statistics that will
be returned to the neighborhood now that the zombies are off the
streets he replies "I can live with that." Did he make
the right choice? Are evil zombie cops worse then the predatory
humans that will now have free reign there?
Angel is a warrior. He is not going to defeat his enemies with
love and roses. That's not what his story is about. But as far
as Angel using evil to fight evil I don't see it. He's just chosen
the wrong battle. The darkness has to do with him losing focus
on his real goal which is to stop evil. Angel is to be a major
player in the coming Apocolypse and if he makes the wrong decisions
he will end up at least abetting the side of evil if not joining
it. We know it because we heard Holland tell Leilah and Lindsy.
But Angel doesn't know it. He just knows they've been screwing
with him. He's gotten lost in a quest for vengence on W & H and
especially Leilah and Lindsy. This misguided pursuit has put him
in jeopordy of achieving the goal that the Senior partners want.
And concerning the wine tasting incident Angel knew he was putting
his salvation at risk. He just decided it was acceptable collateral
damage."
Good Point.
I thought Cordy was a little insensitive to Angel though. Here
is Angel sacrificing his chance at redeption protecting his friends
by disassociating them from the evil he must do and all she can
think of is herself. Why haven't you visited? Wahh!
Angel came through for them not expecting anything in return.
Knowing for now he must remain apart for they wouldn't understand
the path he must travel. They were the only thing standing between
him and true darkness. But he must go dark to win. There is no
other way. But at the same time he wants to protect his friends'
souls. So yes he cares for them more than Cordy could ever know.
If it wasn't for him the zombe police would have gotten them.
Yet all Cordy could think of is herself.
I do want to see Angel get back on the warpath. What ruthless
scheme can he come up with to torment Lindsey and Lila?
I hope it has something to do with Roses. Either that or puppy
dogs. Perhaps Lindsey owns pet fish.
"Angel
should find some way to make Lila and Lindsay go after each other.
Build upon the mistrust that already exists and let it flower.
Set them up to self-destruct. If he is really clever find some
way to make it in their interest to take Wolfram and Hart with
them.
"Therefore those skilled in moving the enemy use formation
that which the enemy must respond.
They offer bait that which the enemy must take
manipulating the enemy to move while they wait in ambush.
Those skilled in warfare seek victory through force."
-Art of War
"
"I thought Cordy
was a little insensitive to Angel though. Here is Angel sacrificing
his chance at redeption protecting his friends by disassociating
them from the evil he must do and all she can think of is herself.
Why haven't you visited? Wahh!
Remember the LA Scoobies haven't seen the last 3 episodes of Angel.
The last they've seen of Angel he'd just locked Dru and Darla
in with their little smorgasbord. (A month ago.) Then when they
had the audacity to question his actions he fired them. NO EXPLANATION!!
At the time I thought he was embracing evil. I now understand
that he is protecting them from himself and the repercussions
of his actions. But he's said nothing to them not even when Wesley
came to tell him they were keeping the agency. Complete silence
remember.
Don't forget that Cordelia has seen Angel go evil twice Wesley
has seen it once. Cordy was on the first wave of the body clean-up
crew in Sunnydale. She more than anyone else KNOWS what the demon
inside Angel is capable of. While it is obvious to us as well
as the LA gang that Angelus is not back I think that he has retreated
so far into darkness that Cordy could
not see the Angel she knows and loves. And her past experiences
tell her this is bad.
Also Anne only tells them that Angel tried to help her but he
wanted to mess with some law firm more. (The gang gets really
hopeful and then are disappointed at her story.) True but she
didn't tell them everything. And yes Angel helped save them in
"The Thin Dead Line " but he didn't say a word about
it. They don't know he's the reason that the zombies disintegrated.
And I think they have a little justifiable anger at Angel. He's
the one who got drafted by the PTBs and they're stuck doing his
job. Cordelia still gets the "mind splitting migraines with
pictures" (and smells) that were supposed to be messages
for him. The PTBs haven't stopped that. The three of them know
that the people in the visions will die if they do nothing so
being good guys they must risk their mortal lives with no superpowers
to help them fight.
Plus he was their friend. And friends don't drop you cold."
"Then when they had the
audacity to question his actions he fired them. NO EXPLANATION!!
He was only answering what Wesley said to him.
"We are the only think holding you back from true darkness."
Sorry Wes but true darkness is where Angel must go. And you can't
follow.
Good point about Cordy though. She has known Angel as both friend
and foe. Yes Wesley got to see "Angelus" one night but
really didn't have the opportunity to get to know first hand what
he was capable of. Cordy remembers it from Sunnydale. Wesley of
course knows the whole "Angelus" story but "knowing"
is different from "living" it like Cordy did.
But I thought she would use the rare opportunity of seeing Angel
to at least attempt to bring him back into the fold instead of
driving him away."
"
"We are the only think holding you back from true darkness."
"We are the only thing holding you back from true darkness."
Sorry its late.
Angel must remain apart from his friends. For now. Angel is sacrificing
much to win this war.
"
"***"We
are the only thing holding you back from true darkness."***
***Sorry Wes but true darkness is where Angel must go. And you
can't follow.***
True darkness -is- Angelus. No one wants to go there again (not
even Angel) and if by some chance he did then following ceases
to become an option and becomes a necessity so he can be staked
before he goes on another kill/torture rampage like the one on
Buffy.
"
"Ryuei
I'm glad you brought that up. The Host said to Angle "You
just keep gettin darker and darker don't you? But funny thing
your aura beige." (Or something pretty close to that.) Here's
this character that reads people's inner being directs them in
the path they need to go. And he says Angel's aura is beige! What's
up with that? "
"Angel
needs to employ "Angelus tactics" for a good cause.
Good can't defeat evil by employing good tactics. Only though
matching evil with evil can good defeat it. By mirroring then
increasing. Only a focusing of overwhelming force wins. That takes
a degree of ruthlessness.
Every leader needs a degree of ruthlessness (balanced by a sense
of justice) or they become indecisive (See the Star Trek episode
where the transporter split Kirk into two people. One 'good' one
'bad'. The 'good' one couldn't make a decision to save his life
(or actually the lives of others).
World War II is a classic case. They bombed cities and killed
civilians we bombed cities and killed civilians. We were just
as ruthless as the Germans so the difference wasn't there. But
there was a difference. A significant difference. And that is
what we were fighting for.
In La Femme Nikita Section One is as ruthless if not more ruthless
then Red Cell and all the enemies they fight. But the critical
difference that makes them better that makes them the good guys
is that they are fighting to prevent chaos. To prevent the evil
out there from totally getting out of control.
You don't go out of the way to harm "collateral" for
that doesn't serve your aims. If you are like Angel and Section
One you try to minimize collateral to the greatest extent possible.
But you can't let concern for collateral prevent you from doing
what you need to do either. If somehow collateral futhers your
aims or is unavoidable then it is just an unfortunate reality
of war.
To win Angel must be more ruthless than Wolfram and Hart. But
also he must act decisively. For the longer Wolfram and Hart exists
the more innocents will suffer from this war. On all sides."
"And so it begins again....(sigh)
It is interesting you mention Star Trek. In this weeks' Voyager
Capt Janeway is faced with very much a "do we go to total
war to survive" or "do we maintain our dignity and find
a solution to survival that does not force us to become animals"
scenario.
Her answer (and ultimately the salvation of Voyager and others)
is a refusal to lower herself or Voyager to the level of vigilantes
and murderers. She wins and does it without a trip over to the
dark side.
Collateral damage is just another way of saying:
"MY goals are more important than anyone else's."
"MY wants and MY needs are more essential than anyone else's."
"MY goals are so perfect that I am allowed any actions to
further them."
We have been over and over this. One more time into the fray.
Angelus -cannot- win. Using tactics he would have used as Angelus
cannot help him defeat W&H. You cannot use evil to defeat
evil. (not on a cosmic scale and not in the context of a war against
evil) Total war is exactly what the Sr Partners want him to do.
It is the best chance they have of corrupting him.
"
"Ok
You were the one who brought up Voyager.
I thought Janeway's actions in that matter went way beyond ridiculous.
She seemed practically insane in her insistance to 'stick to principle'
beyond every other consideration.
To share supplies with others without even the assurance that
they would reciprocate or join her alliance.
Even her senior advisors thought she was going off the deep end
there. And they were right. To put such a rigid adherence to this
ideal concept of hers it was more about her ego than it was anything
else.
Look I can understand her not wanting to attack ships just to
raid supplies. And I even go along with this alliance thing. After
all all the ships were in a common predicament. All had the common
objective of escaping the void. And Voyager had a viable plan
to accomplish that. She might have thought it principled to form
the alliance but she was just fortunate enough that it was the
practical thing for them to do as well. To pull their resources.
Had their been no chance of excape then her alliance wouldn't
have made sense. It really would have been every ship for themselves
and all Janeway's "principles" would have done would
have been to get her ship destroyed.
I think where she really blew it was when they had the technology
to escape but she would not utilize it to escape. Look if she
could have by losing that technology save the crew of that ship
by all means do so. But the crew was dead. She couldn't go back
she had to think foward. Again her ego getting in way of what
was best for the rest of the crew.
For all this nobility and principle it really concerned me that
after it was all over there was no attempt by Voyager to develop
a solution to help the others left in the void or to someone develop
warings (perhaps place a beacon) to prevent other ships from going
into the void. You would have thought that there would have been
a way of doing that without puting her ship and crew in danger
again. But I guess principle only goes so far.
Give me Kirk Spock and Abe Lincoln fighting evil on some planet
with only rocks sticks and their wits anyday over Janeway's "principles"
Again sorry you asked. I recognize that this is the Buffy and
Angel board."
"One
thing further.
They did spy on other members of the alliance.
How "principled" was that?
Actually it was that "unprincipled" act that saved them
in the end. Without the knowledge that the one ship was going
to break away and form their own alliance Janeway and all her
"principles" would have been so much space dust."
I am not sure why you apologized
you didn't offend me. For Voyager there was only one choice. They
were members of Star Fleet and as such they swore oaths to -not-
do all the things you and I have mentioned. Her officers may have
been arguing with her but no one on the ship actually had a choice
in the matter even Janeway.
Angel on the other hand has a choice. W&H are counting on that.
If they can get him to chose evil actions then they have won.
it makes any decision he makes that much harder.
"The only reason I appoligized was that I
didn't want others to think I am turning it into a Voyager board.
As for Voyager forming that alliance wasn't only the principled
thing to do - it was the practical thing to do.
Now for Angel and Wolfram and Hart this is different. Unlike the
ships in the void who shared a common objective (escaping the
void) Wolfram and Hart and Angel have OPPOSING objectives. There
can be no alliance between them. No compromise. In the end there
can only be one of these two forces remaining. And I am rooting
for Angel.
In such a case Total War is the only option. That and or a defeat
so horrible to be unthinkable. So you see Angel really doesn't
have a choice either. He must be ruthless for if he isn't they
win he loses. And with him humanity.
Again I think back to the "Abe Lincoln" episode on the
original star trek. Kirk had no choice but to fight either. After
all his crew's lives were at stake."
Aghhhh!
Max! Oh great give away our secret plan to convert this into a
Voyager board. Sigh...
As for the total war...I think it will have to be me agreeing
to disagree. I truly feel the moment Angel gives into evil or
as Rufus and others have said the moment he kills humans as a
means to an end he will have lost. You cannot fight evil with
more evil. But I have a suspicion you and I will not come to a
meeting of the minds on this. Besides I am annoyed that you spilled
our grand plan to the masses. ;)
"Rendyl
are you a fan of Babylon 5?
Sheridan practiced "Total War".
The way he used the telepaths against Clark.
"Lyta: Are you all right?
Franklin: No. No I'm definitely not all right. When Sheridan came
back from Z'ha'dum everyone talked about how different he was.
Harder more determined. I really didn't see it. Aside from some
physiological differences it was Sheridan same as ever. But the
Sheridan that I know never would have told me what this one just
did. He's right.... He's right it's the only way. I just wish
like hell that he was wrong. (turns to Lyta)."
And during the shadow war didn't he sacrifice whole planets to
gain stragetic advantage? To lurk them into a trap.
To win Angel must come on as Death Incarnate against Wolfram & Hart.
Fear is the only language they understand."
To lure them into a trap.
To lure The Shadows.
He basically sacrificed the Narns.
It was necessary Yes but that is the point.
In war you must be ruthless.
"If
a war isn't worth winning then it isn't worth fighting. If a war
is worth fighting then you must do everything it takes to win
it for defeat would be too horrible to imagine.
Angel must be ruthless. Angel needs his dark half to give him
strength. Just like Kirk found out how much he needed his dark
half in the episode The
Enemy Within.
For can half a man live? Angel has been trying to run from his
dark side but instead he must learn how to embrace it and focus
it into a power for good."
Ben
I haven't read the other posts yet so maybe someone said this
already. But Cord Wes and Gunn did not know that Angel helped
them. I think that since Angel came to the hospital it shows he
cares for them. Cordy can't see that right now because of the
feelings of rejection. I would guess the others feel that way
too.
I feel for them all(esp
Wes) They have a tough road ahead but I believe Angel will suffer
the most loss. But hey what else is new.
"The
Girl was already dead before Spike fed upon her. Dru killed her
for Spike.
By the way that makes 8 people that Dru killed after Angel set
her on fire (that we know of).
Angel should have finished both Dru and Darla off when he had
a chance. I hold him personally responsible for those eight deaths.
And Buffy should have gone after those "loser vampires"
They might have been pathetic but they are still vampires which
means to continue they must kill humans. That is the only way
they can exist.
Those "loser vamps" will kill again. Buffy should have
at least made the attempt. That is as much as we can ask of her.
That she just let them go means that she holds some responsibility
for what they do after. For the deaths they will cause. If Buffy
did her best to try to slay them and they somehow escaped then
we can chalk it up to "can't save them all" but Buffy
didn't even try to go after them."
scroll
down a few pages there's a big discussion
I'm
not saying you're totally wrong but I have a problem with holding
someone else responsible for the murders that someone else commits
by not stopping or not being able to stop the murderer.
If that is true then is the U.S. responsible for all the people
people killed in Kosovo when we could have sent in ground troops
even earlier to save them from the Serbs?
Is the U.S. responsible for not getting into WWII earlier even
knowing what the Nazis and the Imperial Japanese were doing?
Are the police responsible for not arresting or even killing someone
they know is probably going to commit a crime before they commit
it?
Buffy and Angel may be guilty of negligence in relation to their
calling but I would hesitate before holding them personally responsible
for the crimes that others commit. This is a tricky issue though.
"I'm not saying you're totally
wrong but I have a problem with holding someone else responsible
for the murders that someone else commits by not stopping or not
being able to stop the murderer.
NOT BEING ABLE to stop is one thing. I don't hold Buffy at fault
for that. Buffy can't "save them all" can't be everywhere
at once can't spend all her time slaying.
But when she does happens upon Vampires (even loser vamps) and
doesn't give her best effort to slay them (or when she doesn't
slay because the vamp used to be a former boyfriend etc. etc)
then I do believe there is a certain degree of responsibility
for the people they kill after.
Angel as well for not slaying Dru and Darla at their weakest when
he had an opportunity holds some culpability for what they do
after.
I don't know if any of you are fans of SpiderMan. But when Peter
Parker first got his powers he wasn't interested in crime fighting.
He went to get an agent because he wanted to use his powers for
entertainment. While he was there a criminal ran by being chased
by police. All Peter had to do was stick is foot out to stop the
fleeting suspect. It didn't even require him to use super strength.
But he did't care. Why bother.
Later that criminal murders his uncle who had raised him. He had
an opportunity to have prevented that. His uncle wouldn't had
died if he would have just stuck out his foot."
"I think Buffy didn't kill the vamps because
they were afraid and left... to go after them would have mean
to "kill" them. Usually Buffy fights against vamps who
fight back... We are definitely going deeper and deeper into what
a slayer is and how much her duty is related to killing. As long
as they are bad creatures Buffy doesn't have a problem. But with
cowards or chipped vampires... she does.
It also proves that she has some ethic in her work to some extend!"
"We need to cut Buffy some
slack here. "Crush" was a series of startling and shocking
revelations to her. Most of this episode she was trying to catch
up with the out-of-control events swirling around her. I think
when she shut the door on Spike she went upstairs to her room
for a Big Think about all the events of the past two days."
ROFL. Great coinage Brian. Do
I have your permission to use the turn of phrase in the future?
:)
When Tara and Willow asked Buffy what her opinion of Quasimodo
and Esmeralda was she said she'd 'think about it tomorrow' in
true Scarlett O'Hara style. Buffy's been squirreling away so many
things to 'think about tomorrow' it is almost inevitable that
she'll go 'nuts':)
Aquitaine
please use it freely and thanks for the compliment.
"It also proves that she has some ethic in
her work to some extend!
That "ethic" as you call it will get innocent people
killed. What is so ethical about that?
These vampires might be cowards but cowards as they are they can
still kill. In fact they must kill humans to exist.
What to you tell the wife of the banker they kill? Oh I could
have slayed them but since they were cowards and ran when I came
I thought it much better to let them go.
Innocents will die as a result of Buffy's so called fighting ethics.
If she would have made an attempt and somehow they escaped then
that would be a different situation. But she didn't even give
it a half effort (and with losers like that a half effort would
have been all that was needed).
"
"Sorry. Forgot to
put my name to that last post.
But what to you tell the parents of a teen that those coward vamps
kill.
"Oh Mr and Mrs Jones I could have slayed those vampires before
they came into contact with your daughter I had the opportunity.
But they ran and were afraid so I didn't think it would be right
to slay them."
I still believe that a "let them go" mentality only
results in more happy meals for the vamps. She could have slayed
them easily but decided not to. That decision was wrong. And it
will get people killed. But as long as it is no one that Buffy
knows I guess it's OK.
And by the way she wasn't distracted by anything at that point.
She just didn't think they were worth the effort of slaying.
"
"I still believe
that a let them go" mentality only results in more happy
meals for the vamps. She could have slayed them easily but decided
not to. That decision was wrong. And it will get people killed.
But as long as it is no one that Buffy knows I guess it's OK.
And by the way she wasn't distracted by anything at that point.
She just didn't think they were worth the effort of slaying."
I do think that Buffy was distracted when she entered the "nest"
of the two vampires (btw did you see that they were making Jiffypop?).
She knew immediately that something was wrong -- she just wasn't
sure what. She has trusted Spike before (and Riley almost died
because of it) and have every reason to suspect an ambush or similar
treachery -- a dead slayer cannot stop any vampires.
Compare the actions of Buffy with the zombie cops of AtS -- they
brought the crime rates down dramatically. The decent hardworking
people of the neighborhood were a great deal safer before Angel
ended the spell (just listen to the statistics Kate read to him).
Yet none of us are suggesting that the cops were good or that
destroying them was an evil action. The rule of law is that the
good guys actually have to have proof that the bad guys are doing
something wrong before acting -- killing creatures because of
something they might do or are likely to do is not just. Having
said that I still believe that all vampires should be staked --
but Buffy should be allowed to use her judgment to determine the
risks involved to her personal safety and the risks of letting
them go.
Also keep in mind that no matter how many vampires she allows
to slip through her fingers the Buffyverse is a better place because
of her actions."
-- but
Buffy should be allowed to use her judgment to determine the risks
involved to her personal safety and the risks of letting them
go.
I understand and respect that. But come on these loser vamps posed
no threat to her. She could
that
was me ben
forgot to post the name (though it does say optional).
I understand and respect that. But come on these
loser vamps posed no threat to her. She could have staked them
without breaking a sweat.
Sounds to me that YOU would like to be in her place and enjoy
the kill.... but maybe I'm wrong! ;)
"I
understand and respect that. But come on these loser vamps posed
no threat to her. She could have staked them without breaking
a sweat.
I agree -- but at the same time Spike could have set up a trap
-- the losers could have been a decoy. Buffy knew something was
wrong -- to have charged after them into a potential ambush would
have risked her life as well as placing the Key in jeopardy (if
Buffy dies who will look after Dawn and Glory?)
Faith would have chased them down (and hoped for an ambush) but
Buffy is more circumspect. It would have been different if Buffy
had cought the vampires in the act of feeding and just walked
away -- but even then she has made some difficult choices -- choosing
her own life over meaningless self-sacrifice (leaving Ford to
die in the bomb shelter and leaving Forrest to his death in Adam's
cave).
"(Since the age of microwaves do anyone make "jiffy
pop" anymore? They must have been vamped back in the 70's.)"
If you live in an abandoned tenement without electricity jiffy
pop would be the way to go -- at least they weren't hanging around
outside theaters killing patrons for their popcorn.
"
She was certainly willing
to kill the vamp sluts even though they were even more loserlike
and the SG didn't even agree they should be killed (since they
were prostitutes and not killers). But she did that out of rage
at Riley --- even let the one Riley was visiting go but then killed
her from behind...killing in the back is usually not open to positive
interpretation. It's perceived as cowardly.
"Innocents will die as a result of Buffy's
so called fighting ethics. If she would have made an attempt and
somehow they escaped then that would be a different situation.
But she didn't even give it a half effort (and with losers like
that a half effort would have been all that was needed).
Ben I seem to have touch a sensitive point don't I? ;)
It's easy to look at the slayer's job from the exterior. But are
we the one who have to slay? We see we judge but we are not in
the action. It's easy to say that a vampire is bad and that you
have to kill them. But to be in Buffy's shoes is totally different.
She staked a vampire in the back in "Into the woods"
and this was already freaking. The simple act of destroying something
every day (be it the most horrific demon) is an act that can't
be done cooly as if nothing happened. She does kill... only she's
on the good side. This has to affect her. And don't forget that
she knew that Spike had feelings for her when she was in their
lair. She was confused. She's not a killing machine. She's a human
being with feelings and she cannot be expected to save the world
all the time perfectly.
This could well bring some disaster but I prefer that instead
of a killing Buffy who really doesn't question her actions."
I'll
admit that Buffy is my least fav. character (perhaps because I'm
always afraid I'm gonna see Dru at the end of Mr. Pointy) But
I don't like to judge her because I for one could not be a Slayer.
She's had to give up her whole life to this one cause and she
doesn't even know what it all means? Face it she's been jipped.
But one good thing I see in her is her moral ethics If she kills
every vamp see runs into what will differentiate her from The
First Slayer. She has a life hopes dreams and her biggest fear
is becoming a killer (that and dummies)I think we should enjoy
the show and not judge what Buffy should or shouldn't do if we
think we can do a better job we should send resumes to the WC.
I try to cut Buffy some slack
but this was a no-brainer.
Run the loser vamps down slay them then have it out with Spike.
I understand she can't spend all her time tracking down Vampires
especially now that she needs to protect her family but since
she did run into some she could have taken the few moments it
would have taken to dust them.
"If
that is true then is the U.S. responsible for all the people people
killed in Kosovo when we could have sent in ground troops even
earlier to save them from the Serbs?'
It's a civil war. There was (is) attrocities occuring on all sides
of that conflict but since this is the Buffy board not the Kosovo
War board that is all I want to go into that.
Regarding not getting into WWII earilier. War isn't something
to get into lightly. For getting involved in war involves great
cost.
I think that really isn't relevant here. It wasn't a case that
Buffy didn't want to kill the loser vamps" because she was
afraid it would get her or her friends and family into a larger
war. And I could understand her letting them go if their was a
stragetic purpose for her to do so. If it somehow served some
larger purpose then despite the fact that it will cost some innocent
lives that lost (still tragic) would be weighed against the larger
gain.
Buffy had no stragetic purpose to let them go. She just thought
they were too pathetic to go after. Pathetic yes but they are
such vampires who will still kill humans.
You are right it is more a case of of negligence of their calling
but still innocents die as a result of it.
In Angel's case he better have a very good reason to let Darla
and Dru go. It better be the key to bringing down Wolfram and
Hart because already it has come at a very great cost (eight or
more innocents).
I can't think of any reason for Buffy's actions (inactions). Just
lazy I guess. It would have only taken a few minutes to run them
down and slay them.
"
"
"In Angel's case he better have a very good reason to have
let Darla and Dru go. It better be the key to bringing down Wolfram
and Hart because already it has come at a very great cost (eight
or more innocents)."
I agree if there is going to be some purpose to be achieved by
this then (although not to minimize the cost) it was an necessary
evil.
Fortunes of War
But if it was just a case of oh I still have feelings for Darla
and Dru I just feel so guilty then Angel was clearly wrong. Already
eight people have died who wouldn't have had Angel slayed Dru
when he had the opportunity.
There better be a payoff from this because the cost is very very
high."
"I "agree"
if there is going to be some purpose to be achieved by this then
(although not to minimize the cost) it was an necessary evil.
I met to say I would "argue" that there needs to be
a purpose behind letting Dru go. Otherwise Angel's actions would
be truely evil.
If there was some tactical some stragetic purpose behind sparing
Dru then it would be undestandable. I don't minimize the eight
innocent deaths but in war this happens. Sometimes you must sacrific
innocents to defeat evil. You must be ruthless.
War is in every sense Hell. You do what it takes to win.
But if was no purpose then Angel is negligent in the deaths in
the deaths of those innocents.
And the whole "burning Dru and Darla" thing would be
an evil act as it serves no purpose in winning the war. It is
just an act of revenge."
"I'm
coming back to the original thread...
I just watched the scene again. It reminded me of a French movie
called "Les comperes" (there was an American version
made later on with Robin William and Billy Crystal called "Father's
Day" - though I am not sure it's that good!) In that movie
a 16 year old boy flees from home and joins a gang. In order to
be part of that gang he has to smash a car. I can swear that the
looks between Spike and Dru are the same as the chief of the gang
and the young boy. It says:"What are you ready to give up
to be one of us?"
"
"I've been wondering
about everyone' "false" memories of Dawn. What if they're
not? What if the monks made some type of time travel spell (kind
of like on Angel-don't know the name of the episode but the one
where he becomes human and is with Buffy but takes back the day
so only he remembers what happened) so that Dawn really was there
and everyone's memories are not fabricated. I know it's a bit
of a stretch considering the monks didn't really have a lot of
time cause Glory was knocking down the wall.
Or what if the spell kind of like the Jonathan Superstar spell
but only 100x stronger since everyone didn't become aware of it.
"
To
complete that type of spell would require a lot of power. Of course
Dawn may be the most powerful force in the Buffyverse. If the
spell did work this way then the folks in LA would hav ememories
of Dawn as well.
Ripped off from
the buffy shooting script http://www.mustreadtv.com/buffyscripts/
<<<<<<<<<<
ANGEL
You should have seen her face. It was priceless. I'll never forget
it.
SPIKE
So you didn't kill her then?
ANGEL
Of course not.
SPIKE
I know you haven't been in the game for a while mate but we do
still kill people. It's sort of our raison d'etre you know
ANGEL
Spike my boy you really don't get it. You tried to kill her and
you couldn't. Look at you. You're a wreck. She's stronger than
any Slayer you've faced. Force won't get it done. You gotta work
from the inside. To kill this girl... you
have to love her.
>>>>>>>>>
I thought of it for some reason.
Could Spike possibly be planning
that far ahead?? That he allowed/forced himself to fall in love
with the Slayer just so he could eventually kill her??
Pre-chip Spike was already fascinated/obsessed with the Slayer.
(Dru told Spike as much in the flashback with the chaos demon.)
So Spike came back to Sunnydale to act on those feelings got himself
chipped (oops!) and now is stuck with feelings of fascination/obsession/love
and can't kill the Slayer. And having the chip just makes it worse
because not only can he not hurt the object of his obsession he
can't even think about hurting her.
Yikes!! What inner turmoil for poor Spike!
"I'm glad you brought this up. This is really
fantastic foreshadowing. Hard to believe the writers were thinking
that far ahead especially considering that JM's wasn't contracted
as a regular at the time.
Spike's transformation pains seem too real for it to be an act.
In Crush he really seems to be agonizing at the end over these
changes that are happening to him against his will which has characterizes
as "wrong."
My personal opinion is that there will come a moment where Spike
is able to kill the slayer. That chip is not going to keep Spike
down. He will have a very real choice to make. Maybe he will return
to evil but maybe he will prove that he's become something different.
Wouldn't this make a great s5 cliffhanger? Buffy at Spike's mercy?"
Why dose the Hellmouth open when
the Master gets free of the Church as that is still bloking the
Mouth to hell like a cork in a bottle is it not? Also how did
he get stuck in the first place?
"I
didn't know where to put this comment so I put it here...
"Angel has also cut himself off from his friends and from
humanity. We've been told repeatedly that engagement with humans
is important to keep the demon at bay. With Angel now reverting
to "lone stalker" mode will he continue to slide into
darkness?" (Humanitas - in an earlier thread)
The thing that is fascinating in the journey both Spike and Angel
are taking is that they both mirror themselves in their actions
(even if it's for different reasons). Both stalking (Angel reminded
me of Spike in the last A:tS episode... just less scary) both
are now alone and shut from the human world both are trying to
overcome their vampire state (We still need more proof from Spike
as a change of clothes isn't enough to convince us - even me!
:).
Dawn said that Spike's chip was like Angel's soul... Could that
be true in some ways? The writers don't want to diminish Angel's
quest with what Spike is going through. But there is really a
similar pattern in their actions. They look like two faces of
a coin. The good and the bad... who's the ugly????? LOL"
Darla's definitely the ugly here
Her situation just gets worst and worst.
What
exactly kept the Master inside the Church ruins. I mean were did
that forcefield come from? And why did the Hellmouth unblock when
he excaped the church must have been blocking it still?
He tried to open it but got stuck 'like a cork
in a bottle.'. He had to get out to open it up.
"I wonder if perhaps the forcefield itself
was related to the "invitation" clause; maybe his messing
with the Hellmouth effectively uninvited him from everywhere else
in the world."
"I'm
absolutely confused by "Crush". I don't know to which
Saint I must turn to! I got many answers and many new questions...
One thing did disturb me very much and I couldn't even sleep (yeah...
no good when a tv show interfers with your life at that extend!)
That was the scene when Spike tells the horror bed-time story
to Dawn. There's something eerie in that scene and what disturbs
me even more is that it's my favorite scene.
Dawn and Spike are not human and can connect in a way together
that no one else will undertand from the exterior. I am under
the impression that the whole B/S is only running water under
ice... we haven't seen the surface yet. That story line was necessary
to make Spike care for something but it's only the point of the
iceberg. I think that the Dawn and Spike relationship is the real
thing (not romantically speaking of course). If Spike is ever
going to find any kind of inner peace or become good or whatever
(that's another discussion!) it will be through Dawn. A relationship
that is not based on love or sex or attraction. She's the only
one who is willing to see him. And she might just be the key to
his redemption! (pun intended!)
But that said. I'm still freaked out by that scene in the dark.
It's so hypnotizing...and yet she was perfectly safe there. He
wouldn't have done a thing. I'm looking forward to more Dawn and
Spike scenes... check them out... I'm sure they will tell us more
about Spike and Dawn than any other scene!"
Nina I've been thinking that too. They look each
other in the eye and say exactly what's on their minds and I think
there is a mutual appreciation in that. I also wonder if William
had a little sister :) There is an ease between the two of them
that isn't there when they interact with the other characters.
As for the ghost story that scene works also because kids at that
age love ghost stories the scarier the better and what's scarier
than a true ghost story? And I love his backpeadling when Buffy
got there :) I hope this relationship is pursued though it will
be more difficult now when Spike definitely off the guest list.
Lynn
I hope this relationship
is pursued though it will be more difficult now when Spike definitely
off the guest list.
If you mean that Spike can't enter the house I won't be surprised
if Dawn invites him in. Or even Joyce since they seemed to be
getting along rather well together when Buffy came home.
I really do have a problem with Joyce sending her
little girl to the wolf. Joyce says it over and over that she
has read many parental guides and books and what she did was really
dangerous. I don't think she will let Spike come in anymore but
she certainly underestimated him.
Even
if Dawn doesn't invite Spike in she'll certainly be sneaking out
to his crypt for more ghost stories. The plot possibilities are
endless!
I have to object to
the characterization that Dawn is not human. The monk explicitly
said that she is human. I suppose there is a chance that he was
wrong but since he was involved in her creation I think we need
to believe until shown otherwise that Dawn is human. Plus she
certainly shows human emotions.
"I
have to object to the characterization that Dawn is not human.
The monk explicitly said that she is human. I suppose there is
a chance that he
was wrong but since he was involved in her creation I think we
need to believe until shown otherwise that Dawn is human. Plus
she certainly shows human emotions.
Well I simply said that she wasn't human because she says it herself
to Spike. She seems to like the idea that because the both of
them are not humans it's why Spike is nice to her. The bed-night
story shows how much he doesn't treat her as a child. He doesn't
want to frightened her too much ("is it too much?" he
asks her) but for once she is has the right to listen to things
that are normally forbidden.
Her words "he has cool hair and cool leather coats"
(quoting from memory) is really a reflection of what many teenagers
thinks in many of the message boards that you find on Buffy. I'm
not sure she really has a crush tough. She's conscious that she
doesn't stand a chance. I think her feelings are mixed because
he is a father figure for her and for once it's a father figure
who accepts her as she is. Her mixed feelings might just develop
into a new emotion soon.
"
If I recall correctly
Spike said he used to be human and Dawn said she used to not be
human... They bonded on the basis that neither of them was what
they original were. Both have undergone a metamorphosis.
I believe that Dawn the teenager is human. Who knows how the 'glowy
key thing' will manifest itself.
You
are absolutely correct Aquitaine. Thanks for clearing thing for
me! :)
It's pretty common for
adolescents to imagine that they are adopted or aliens in disguise
or in some way different or special. Now Dawn actually -is- unique
but she doesn't feel anything other than human. In fact thanks
to the monks' spell she is human for all intents and purposes
(physiology place in the collective memories of the world). I
think her assertion that she is not human has more basis in fantasy
than (Buffyverse) reality. That's why she is attracted to Spike
on an in-human level: it feeds her fantasy.
"I just read your comment on Spike and Dawn's
relationship being...paternal and I thought "bi ngo"!
Dawn feels safe with him and he is definitely giving her the attention
and understanding that she needs."
"I
know I'm going a little off topic here... but while we're talking
parental figure I wanted to bring two things up. Two times it
occurs that some characters are acting like babysitters while
Buffy looks like the mother figure.
1- When Buffy comes home after her night at the Bronze. Giles
looks like the babysitter who's been reading while the children
were watching tv. Buffy accompanies him to the door and asks about
the "baby" of the family. They have a babysitter talk.
In the babysitter metaphor Giles is a lousy sitter (he was reading
alone in his corner)not even strong enough to protect them.
2- When Buffy goes to Spike's crypt to ask help Spike was really
the good sitter telling stories and keeping the child safe. Buffy
again has a sitter talk with him. But as he his the bad guy he
doesn't get to babysit again!
Buffy is clearly carrying too much on her shoulders to behave
that way. I'm sure she isn't even aware of her mother-like behavior
towards Dawn. But as the babysitter talks happened twice it had
to be noticed!
"
Good observation Nina!
That would also jive with the Restless scene where Giles and Spike
are dressed alike etc...
Oh. My. God!!! I didn't go that
far. But I LOVE it Aquitaine!!!!!
"I
know I'm going a little off topic here... but while we're talking
parental figure I wanted to bring two things up. Two times it
occurs that some characters are acting like babysitters while
Buffy looks like the mother figure.
It is a good thing that someone is acting as a mother to Dawn
-- Joyce certainly isn't up to the job.
I found the conversation between Spike and Dawn a bit disturbing
-- it was a little too seductive for my tastes. Spike is a "cool"
older guy and Dawn is a teenager -- and he is doing his best to
impress her. (I work with teenagers and I am always unsettled
when I hear a 15 or 16 year old girl talking about her college
boyfriend). The "is this too much for you" line in particular
was rather Parkeresque.
As for the "ghost story:" it sounds more like Angelus'
modus operandi than Spike's (up until the part about putting her
up for adoption anyway.) I think Spike was trying to impress Dawn
with some of Angelus' old exploits (that he witnesses and participated
in) which he has claimed as his own -- he is a bit of a poseur
after all.
"
Buffy was a teenager
when she fell in love with Angel. Sweet 16 I believe (maybe 17).
Dawn is 14 not a little kid anymore (although she still acts like
one due to how protective everyone is being with her).
Give Dawn just a few years and she and Spike could be quite an
item.
(Actually I agree with you about the disturbing part but I felt
the exact same way about the Buffy/Angel relationship. Buffy was
a teenager Angel an adult.)
By
the way does anyone know how old Angel is? Not chonologically
(around 200 years) but physically as when one becomes a vampire
physical aging stops.
How old was Liam when he died and Angulus arose?
"Dawn is human.
But she is also something much more.
This reminds so much of Indian Mythology. The
Ramayana.
Ramayana relates the adventures of Rama who together with his
three half brothers collectively made up the seventh avatar (incarnation)
of the Hindu god Vishnu.
What I found in common with Dawn is that one of the half brothers
was the avatar of Vishnu's sword etc. So the brother was human
but also some thing "a sword."
Also Rama didn't know his divinity. He didn't know he was Vishnu.
But others around him did.
I am not trying to make any direct comparisions here and I am
certainly no expert on Hinduism.
But would it be appropriate to say that Dawn is the key's "avatar"?
Would I be using that term correctly?
"
Spike is also similar
to Dawn because they are both immiture in different ways. Spike
is acting like a love sick teenager while Dawn is actually going
through adolecence.
I think Dawn may like Spike so much because he was sitting with
Dawn in Bloodties when she found out the truth about herself.
The current basis to Dawn's life are words that came out of Spike's
mouth. Spike was the only one who could support during that critical
moment so maybe she feels a special sequirity and connection with
him.
I think the connection to Dawn and Spike may have a signifigant
role in the future. I also think it's neat because I'm around
Dawn's age and I really like Spike.
Ramo
Do you think Dawn likes Spike so much because he doesn't talk
down to her? Everyone else is always busy protecting her and shielding
her from harm. She even gets sent out of the room if the conversation
gets too intense. Do you think her new semi-crush on Spike is
because he doesn't treat her like a little kid?
Yes ironically part of me thinks that the more
Dawn bonds with Spike the safer she is. Apart from Buffy who else
has much of a prayer of protecting her or in helping her fight?
Dawn knows Glory wants to destroy her.
Okay
I get it now. (blushes) Apologies to all for getting off topic.
"I too hope that the spike
and Dawn friendship continues. The both need someone to be on
their side someone to talk to that wan't judge them. Dawn has
never known Spike to do anything truly evil she only sees that
he isn't like anyone else not really a vampire not really a scooby.
She has empathy for him a "you and me against the world"
sort of thing because there is no one like her either. I think
they'll either be really good for each other or be the end of
each other. "
OK playing
devil's advocate again.
Why is it not okay for Buffy to react to Spike's stalker tendencies
in the way that she has (by hitting him which he unfortunately
sees as a sign of endearment) but it's okay for Dawn to have a
friendship with Spike??? This is still Spike chipped vampire used
to be the Big Bad maybe again someday.
Just some thoughts before I go away for the weekend.
I got the impression that Spike really is changing.
Certainly he has burned a lot of bridges by his rejection of Dru
and Harmony.
I also think Buffy is in denial. She may have been encouraging
Spike of a subconscious level that she was never aware she was
presenting. As I look back over several episodes of their scenes
together it certainly seems like there is a sexual subcontext
to their conversations.
Spike's choices for good appear to be coming harder and harder.
He has to fight the demon within him and try to convince the world
around him that he really is differnt. He appears to have found
an ally in Dawn.
"Brian
I just love your posts! They always cheer me up! You keep me up
with my original beliefs! I just watched "Crush" again
and I still can't pinpoint my emotions to get into a philosophical
debate here... but thanks! "
"Ever
told stories around the campfire?
Like the one about the person who was driving one night and heard
on the radio about an escaped murderer with one hand...
There is something very human about wanting to hear scary stories.
And for Dawn protected all her life (6 months of it) by her mom
and big slayer sister this fasination with the darker aspects
of life has been suppressed far more than most. Remember Dawn
is 14. Buffy was about 16 when she became the slayer. But as the
baby Dawn has been far more shielded and protected than Buffy
ever was.
When you are younger and more innocent there is most often a desire
to become less innocent. You see it as a sign of growing up. You
don't want to be sheilded. You don't want to be protected from
hearing about life's darker aspects.
Ironically once you do grow a bit and lose some of your innocence
you form a great desire and longing for the times that you were
more innocent and didn't know about life's darker aspects. But
of course then it is too late.
We humans are strange. Can't win.
Dawn is tired of walking into rooms and having all "grown-up
talk" stop. But Spike he doesn't treat her like a kid. No
he is willing to tell scary stories. And what makes the stories
all the scarier is that they are true. She is hearing it from
the source.
Sure they frighten Dawn but she wants to prove that she isn't
a baby. She wants to prove that she can handle it."
Here's a wild idea based on Dru's comment that
Spike tastes like ashes and Spike's own comment that he is only
a shell. As his relationship to Dawn continues to grow he becomes
her personal defender. In the final battle with Glory Spike the
Vampire is destroyed but Dawn uses her energy to recreate him
as something else. Something that could become a Watcher or a
friend to the Slayer.
"I
love that idea! It makes perfect sense. The writers must comes
with a special season finale. They always do something very disturbing
and Spike's death would be exactly "something disturbing'.
The idea of Dawn being the key to Spike's redemption would add
a great deal to the mix!
"
Yes. That's how I think
it might happen too.
Count me
in-- I like it too. 'Wayout' is so often just how it turns out.
Hmm..Do you suppose it would
annoy Spike to suddenly be human? Would he consider it a punishment
or a gift? ;)
If he isn't a
vampire anymore... why would he consider it as a punishment? He's
trying to do everything to become more than a vampire lately.
And he could teach English or
poetry at University! All tweedy....*grin*
I could probably learn to accept the tweed...maybe...but
if he shows up with a pipe I am calling Dru rescue him.
If Spike were to end up human would Buffy pay
any attention to him? Spike the Vampire has dash:
Spike the Academic sounds...well academic.
"Rofl Brian. Like Giles only with better
cheekbones. "Fix us a cup of tea Spike." Rofl rofl.
One wonders if Drusilla is capable of feeling mortification?"
I think that would be interesting.
We would maybe see another vampire with a soul or a human who
has to deal with the fact that he was once a vampire. I think
we would get some interesting insights into Angel if just his
soul was restored. We see Angel after 100 years of having a soul
what would happen if we're able to see a vampire just after his
soul in reintroduced. An interesting concept.
Oh and what would Buffy think
if Spike dies because he saves her? That would sure throw her
for a loop.
"I've been thinking that.
Maybe the writers will think that if Buffy returned Spike's affection
posthumously people will overlook the "moral betrayal."
And think of the angst factor... ;)"
I
think that Spike and Dawn relate quite well because they both
are now looking at the world in a similar way. Teenagers can be
the most selfish people on the planet (can be). I knew people
in high school who thought of nothing but themselves and the only
reason they did anything good was so they wouldn't get punished
or they would get something. They 'loved' but it was a selfish
or obsessive love. I see Spike as very much the same way. He is
the 'bad boy' teenager who in time MAY end up changing his ways.
And maybe his connection with Dawn is the way he can do it. As
Dawn grows up maybe she can teach him a thing or two.
Am I the only one on this board
who was utterly FREAKED OUT by the eye in the back of the girl's
head in this week's Angel episode? For some reason it bothers
as much as anything I've ever seen on Angel or Buffy INCLUDING
the Gentlemen!!! It was only a minor sub-plot but a major freak
out. I can only speculate as to why it was so disturbing.
Partly it's because the girl herself was presented as young and
very scared. Her mother was with her obviously highly worried.
This humanized the situation. It wasn't treated as a joke as sometimes
happens with strange situations in the Buffyverse.
Then there's the eye itself. It was obviously not human but was
attentively looking at the world around it. It tracked Wesley's
motions. (It seems to be hard-wired into the human brain to react
to eyes. This seems to apply to all mammals if not some other
vertebrates. Consider the eye-spots that evolved on the wings
of some butterflies to freak out predators!)
Thirdly there's the fact that it was only a minor part of the
episode and could have been removed without changing much. A major
freakout is used as a throw-off. That eye could have been the
subject of an entire episode.
I am very curious as to whether or not there will be any follow-up
on this. It's CREEPY!
That eye
reminded me of the creature that eventually becomes part of Londo
on Babylon 5.
I too was freaked out especially when the story line wasn't resolved.
Could this be the start of something big?
"I
believe so. It was too eerie not to come back. I guess they thrown
that part in there as a teaser (like Ben was there as a teaser
in "Crush") just to keep us on our toes... they sing-song
at us :there is something coming!"
Agreed
that was one of the nastier freakier things we saw probably because
the eye was aware of its surroundings. There was a weird vibe
from the mother - was she just worried or was she feeling guilty
about something
I too picked
up on something from the Mother as if she was holding something
back. Not fair if this subplot doesn't come back for the Gunn/Chase/Wyndam-Pryce
Agency to resolve.
"Am
I the only person thinking asexual reproduction? What else is
going to pop out of that poor kid's head?
pause "... just me then."
"On
second thought my post is a little off-topic for this forum. It
is about the Buffyverse but not really about philosophy unless
unless you consider the question of WHAT FREAKS PEOPLE OUT? to
be a matter of philosophy.
On third thought maybe the subject fits right in though most posters
write "As If" the Buffyverse were real. There was a
German philosopher named Vaihinger who lived about a century ago
who developed an entire philosophy based on "Als Ob "
which is "As If" in German...."
Gosh dang it BobR! Here I was trying to procrastinate
and you make me go learn something again : )
http://www.buildfreedom.com/language/bentham.html
http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/4/0 5716 9874+1 00.html
That eye totally freaked me
out! I just wasn't expecting it. Monsters Demons people who turn
into demons we've gotten used to them. Jos just wanted to shake
us up with something we weren't expecting. I think the Mom and
the child were way too calm. The mother said she woke up with
it this morning I'd be so totally freaked out if that was my kid!
I'm thinking maybe the mother tried to do a spell and the eye
was a mistake.
I was thinking
that perhaps what the mother was hiding was possible motives for
the kid getting the eye. Didn't she say she knew Virginia? Perhaps
they're also from one of the organized magic families and one
of the rival groups gave the girl the eye as a means of spying
on/terrorizing them.
I'm glad
to force you to learn something. I enjoy learning things myself.
Does this make me a Sadist a Masochist or a Hedonist?
Years ago I read de Sade's _Philosophy in the Bedroom_ which was
a UNIQUE intellectual experience. I recommend you read it only
if you want to take a lack of any moral standards to an extreme.
De Sade managed to mix pornography and philosophy. (If this note
inspires to you to read de Sade I suppose that this makes me a
Sadist in more ways than one. The book is utter filth!)
What it reminded me of was Bill
Murray's little speech in the original *Ghostbusters* where he
and the other 'busters were trying to convince the mayor that
he needed to let them do their thing because an apocolyptic event
was about to occur.
You remember the one that listed all sort of horrendous creepy
portents and that Murray finished up with 'Cats and dogs living
together!!'
We know that an apocalypse is coming in the Angelverse the eye
may be a portent. If so other similar events should occur.
Also it just occurs to me that this has happened before in the
Buffyverse Jenny was talking to Giles about it but I can't recall
the specific season/apocalypse. There was something about a child
being born with the eyes facing inward or something equally horrific.
(I'm sure some other more alert poster can give us the specifics).
Yes i'm pretty sure it was a
child with (an) eye(s) inward and a cat giving birth to a litter
of snakes.
" To qoute the
Slayer "Ewwwwww" Creepy yet strangely effective. Sometimes
Joss is just to much for me."
We've
talked about Spike and Buffy relationship extensively but what
about Dru? Why did she return to Sunnydale?
To kill the Slayer?
To return Spike to his former ways?
To heal herself psychologically from Angel's roasting?
To revenge herself on Angel by trying to hurt Buffy?
To get Spike to love her again?
To help Spike get rid of his chip with a little vampire exercise?
And didn't all of Dru's conversation make sense?
Or am I so far gone that it just seemed that way to me?
Spike asked her why she came back - was it nostalgia?
Dru said she wanted to bring the family back together. Spike didn't
want to go because he didn't want her to know about the chip but
she knew anyway.
Lynn
"Exactly how far around
the bend is Drusilla exactly if she wants her "family"
back together?? This is a family where Angel tries to burn her
to death Darla belittles and berates her and Spike (the love of
her un-life) tells her he now loves someone else. And she wants
to gather these to her bosom once more?!?
Or is this a case of a dysfunctional family is better than no
family at all. Dru is stronger than she used to be (both physically
and mentally) but she is still extraordinarily needy.
"
It's all a question of
psychology here I think. What were these people before they were
vamped and what did they gain and lose by becoming a vamp? Dru
was pious. She wanted to be good and was afraid not to be loved
by her god. She lost her family because of Angel. To me it makes
perfect sense that all she thinks about is being a family again.
She despereatly tries to hang on something she lost as a human.
Spike didn't have women love in his life and all he wants is to
be loved and love. It seem to me that becoming a vampire is a
big psychological experience. And they will have to relive indefinitely
the same pattern over and over again until they can make it stop.
Spike's speech about women was harsh... but I'd love to see his
mother... I'm sure she has more to do with it than he even thinks!
"Although I finally did
read the DF article because it really upset some people (you know
who you are) I didn't pay much attention to it and I didn't read
the wildfeed. So I watched the show with few preconceived notions.
Although it is by no means my favorite episode it was a good one.
The main thought that occurred to me (other than the fact that
it very clearly prognosticated what was going to happen by the
Quasimodo reference and the "Willow there is something you
can do for me" line) was that the writers (I doubt if DF
was the sole author of this episode) wrote as if they had been
reading this discussion board for the past 3 months because at
different time different characters expressed various views that
have been posted on this board in recent months. Just a few examples
(I apologize for being too lazy right now to research who posted
these thoughts.)
1. In the Buffy/Dawn argument when they left Spike's lair Dawn
equated his Chip to a soul.
2. Whether or not vampires can love.
3. Does Spike really love Buffy or is it just an obsession (base
on Spikeís actions I would say both are true ñ he
threatened to let Dru kill Buffy but then he saved Buffy from
Dru). What will he do when she rejects him?
4. Serious consequences for Willow's overreaching herself with
spells.
5. That Buffy hitting Spike was like foreplay to him.
6.The whole issue about whether or not Spike can be redeemed (juryís
still out on that despite DFís remarks).
7. The Quasimdo discussion was a thinly disguised portrayal of
the pros & cons of a S/B romance with Willow on the pro side Tara
on the con side and Buffy not having any idea what was going on.
"
Man you are so right
that was really spooky and I noticed all the same things that
you did!
Me being one of the 'electrochemical soul via chip' concept promotors
the comment by Dawn to that effect really jumped out at me. (You
will also note Buffy's pretty much immediate rejection of the
idea).
One of my favorite quotes from the ep would have to be Dru's 'Oh
yes we can love.. just not always wisely.' She certainly isn't
entirely crazy now is she?
"I totally agree with you
all about the fact that the episode reflected so many themes that
were discussed on this board. "creepy"!
Other little tidbits I noticed not that it has anything to do
really with the thread but I felt they had some meaning (fel free
to discuss them):
1- Buffy says to Spike" Are you out of your mind?" and
her words when she realizes the answer are the same that Spike
said in OomM "Oh my god oh no". Interesting no?
2- The whole red riding hood story. On the sofa by her house Buffy
is sitting in defensive pose when she talks about Spike loving
her. She's sitting with her legs under her. Her mother brings
her a jacket and sends her to the wolf (do I need to say that
Buffy wears red?)
3- In the train Buffy sits down on the seat where there was a
dead guy and says "it's creepy"! The fact that she has
chosen that seat is in fact really creepy!
4- Buffy says to Dawn :"Why doesn't it register with you?:
crypt+vampire= bad". She's really talking about herself here...
who was she coming to see to seek help in finding Dawn?
I know I've been very upset with the article at first. I haven't
read the chat and probably won't. With all the stuff they put
in that episode... all the question that they brushed... the writers
will have to come with answers one day. The wonderful thing that
happened is that Buffy's world is now very shaken. She'll have
to think over the whole vampire thing and her duty as a slayer.
More good episodes for us to see!"
"Hmm
so the writers are possibly reading this board eh? I kind of wondered
about Angel's reference to people wanting him to wear plaid in
Happy Anniversary because at least twice on this board I have
mentioned that if I was a vampire people who wear plaid would
be on my "to do" list. Not that I hate plaid all that
much I was just being facetious."
Since
I agree with you all:) I'll just say that the fact that the DF
interview referenced Masq's site *cannot* have been a fluke. What
surprised me the most about the episode was that on the surface
it seemed to provide trite answers to the Buffyverse's *big* questions
it really just set all those questions in a row for Buffy to have
to deal with sometime.
BTW I too loved the OomM reference. I have to say though that
my favorite thing about the episode was Buffy's heart-shaped red
lace top. It just screamed oxymoron don't you think? LOL.
"Curiouser and curiouser as Alice would say.
I know I did kind of jump a little when Dawn equated Spike's chip
with a soul.
Here's a thought:
What if David Fury *does* lurk on this board took ideas/theories/wild
guesses posted here and incorporated them into the script for
"Crush?" Then because he can't possibly admit that he
got his ideas from a bunch of fans (heaven forbid!) he blows smoke
by dissing those very fans?? Probably a little far fetched but
who knows. Fans have been an influence on other shows (Star Trek
Roswell). I'm sure Joss has got the season pretty well outlined
with only the details to be filled. (I just read in an interview
that Joss already knows how Season 5 will end.)"
"Okay here goes. Not that it excuses some
of the remarks David Fury said in the chat but (you all knew there
was a but) I found some statements he posted after that and he
seems really frustrated. He said he likes to joke around and every
comment he makes seems to end up insulting someone. (paraphrased
of course)
I think much of the problem is he reads the message boards where
80 comments are devoted to "Buffy is a b****h" or over
20 comments on "how sexy Spike and Angelus are when they
torture people". This isn't to disparage any other board
but as a writer it must be frustrating to read endless "Spike
is kewl" posts. (grin)
I still feel he was a little harsh (especially in light of how
the 'stalker' theme was dealt with but I was thinking we could
find him a cat to pet and send over some chocolate. Surely that
would solve the problem?"
"***He
said he likes to joke around and every comment he makes seems
to end up insulting someone.***
This man obviously needs to think about what comes out of his
mouth before he says something. (They have classes for that you
know. ;-) ) If his jokes are misinterpreted (which they most likely
will be since all most of us saw was the printed word - no voice
inflections no facial expressions no gestures no body language)
then tell it straight. Don't try to be "cute." He's
a writer you'd think he'd know better. I realize that not all
writers are good public speakers. Then maybe he shouldn't be allowed
to do interviews. Does Joss realize how upset some people are
by what DF said in this interview?"
"Ackkk!
The statements I was referring to were not from an interview.
They were postings on a message board. And I agree as a writer
on the show he has a responsibility to his comments about the
show. I would just hate to be him and have my every post picked
apart for insults or hidden meanings. "David said -green-"
"oh no! Green??" "Buffy is doomed green is the
color of vengeance in the Maisy Mouse demon clan!" etc. ;)"
I suspect that all the writers
at BtVS are also rabid fans -- each with their own viewpoints.
They may have discussions much like ours -- but the main difference
would be that they have the power to make their particular viewpoint
part of the BtVS mythology merely by writing it into the script
-- which their opponents would be forced to acknowledge in the
interests of continuity. In fact the inconsistencies we see are
likely the result of competing philosophies held by different
writers.
In fact the inconsistencies
we see are likely the result of competing philosophies held by
different writers.
Probably the most insightful thing said on this topic yet Malandanza.
How could that NOT happen? Well except that Joss is supposed to
have the final word. But he can't edit every thing written nor
does he have the time to scrutinize scripts with a fine tooth
comb to catch every thing that doesn't fit his vision. Plus the
way the writers talk they have plenty of meetings where they debate
the ramifications of going in various directions with characters
which means they do have a say.
Writing by committee. Gotta be a tough job keeping as much consistency
as they do.
Okay the vampire slayer's chief
duty is obviously to slay vampires. However yesterday Buffy let
several vampires go when she could have killed them.
Spike - Okay this is nothing new. He's helpless and killing him
would be pointless. So its understandable that Buffy let him live.
Harmony - Okay Harmony isn't exactly a danger to humanity. But
she has killed people. And Buffy had a perfect opportunity to
kill her but instead chose to punch Spike.
The two vamps Spike leads Buffy to - Buffy didn't even try to
chase them.
Druscilla - Druscilla probably would have been a challenge for
Buffy to kill. Remeber what happened to Kendra? But it's Buffy's
duty to fight and kill vampires regardless of whether she is risking
her life in the process.
Bottom line: Buffy let four dangerous vampires get away yesterday.
Is she neglecting her slaying duties because of the anguish Dawn
and Spike are causing her? What would the WC think of this?
"If Spike is confused Buffy is ambivalent.
She just *stood* there as both Dru and Harmony made their little
break up speeches. She *let* Spike follow her home after being
tied up in his lair! All she had to say to Spike when she was
tied up was "OK you may have a chance someday". A crumb
so to speak. But no she wouldn't even lie to get rid of a dangerous
predator like Dru (who had killed 8 people in the last 48 hours!).
Buffy is neglecting something. What? I don't know yet. I guess
that in good Season 5 form we have to chalk it up to the ubiquitous
'out' statement that Buffy is exploring her dark side;)
"
"Spike - Okay this
is nothing new[Buffy not killing him]. He's helpless and killing
him would be pointless. So its understandable that Buffy let him
live.
Spike is not helpless and killing him would not be pointless --
it would be good policy (for Dawn's sake). Consider the following
possiblilities:
1. Spike goes to Glory and tells her Dawn is the Key. We have
no way of knowing why Glory wants the Key -- perhaps merely to
escape a dimension to which she has been exiled perhaps to regain
her former power to take over or destroy the world. Yet other
creatures have tried to destroy the world and Buffy has always
won. Spike could safely betray Dawn to Glory (he could even deliver
his little friend to her himself.)
2. Dru foreshadowed that it was possible for Spike to break the
programming of the chip. it seems as though there are different
levels of pain for different actions -- hence Spike's assurance
to Harmony that if he shoots Buffy he'll br unconscious from the
pain for a few hours but Buffy will "be dead for alot longer."
He could start small -- torturing captives to inure himself from
the pain and working his way back up to murder. Afterwards all
it takes is an invitation from Dawn and he has access to Buffy's
family once more (he's probably still invited into Giles' house
and he can enter Willow and Tara's dorm because it is not a permanent
dwelling.)
3. Dawn isn't human. Spike might be able to harm her. It probably
depends on the chip -- is it a human detector or does it cause
pain to Spike when he thinks he's injuring a human. I favor the
latter -- I think it would be easier to build such a device than
to install a sophisticated human detector in a single chip. In
any event Dawn may be just inhuman enough."
"Is Buffy neglecting her duty?
Well... yeah! I think too many things are happening to her recently
for her to keep up with her normal routine. Slaying was something
she "had" to do over the first seasons. She didn't want
to and needed Giles to tell her to do so before she would go.
It has slowly changed and now it's a job a hunt. She does it quite
mechanically. She kills bad people who are a danger to her fellow
neighbors.
So what is it that she didn't stake Spike yet (despite the fact
that JM's contract is up until the end of the season!)? That's
very disturbing. As I said in another thread once you know your
ennemy it's hard to kill him. She keeps saying that he's harmless
but he's not and somewhere she knows it. She just can't kill him.
It's not just the chip that stops her but to kill Spike is in
some sort of way a real "kill" for Buffy. Usually she
stakes unknown vampires with vamp faces and all. I think she is
afraid to make the jump.
"
I think you are really
on to something there. Killing Spike would not be the same as
dusting some anonymous blood sucker. Still if I were the Slayer
I would dust him. This is the second time this season he has tried
to circumvent the chip with the help of allies. He really needs
to be put down but then that would not be as entertaining as letting
Spike complete his journey (wherever he's going).
I am not surprised that Buffy didn't kill Dru. I am just surprised
that even she could survive fighting Dru while chained up.
O.k. maybe Harmony was not worth chasing and she was to appalled
at the whole chain of events to try.
But letting those two vampires go earlier on? She really is off
her game. I think she was starting to suspect that Spike was playing
games with her and was too disturbed to worry about those two
small fish getting away.
Maybe
her dark journey into the deepth of the Slayer real identity has
something to do with this whole Spike thing after all. She might
still deny it but vampires have feelings (maybe not human feelings
but they feel things). As long as she believed she only killed
dead people everything was fine. Now it's more than just the issues
with Spike. She will be confronted to the fact that Slayering
might equal killing in some circumstances. This has to be very
disturbing for her.
"> she will be confronted
to the fact that Slayering might equal killing in some circumstances.
Remember how disturbed she was when Dracula called her "job"
"hunting"?"
"Just
going to address #3. Dawn is human. It was said by the monk that
she is now human. And in Spike's eyes "It doesn't matter
where you come from." So he sees her as human.
"
"Dawn is human.
It was said by the monk that she is now human. And in Spike's
eyes It doesn't matter where you come from." So he sees her
as human"
I tend to agree. If the chips works through his senses anything
that looks smells feels sounds and tastes like a human would be
off-limits. I think it is unlikely that the chip it the part doing
the detection (although if it is remember that Adam could see
through Jonathan's made-up universe just like the crazies see
through Dawn) -- it stretches my credulity too far. "
"For luna (from the post below) on how we
never discuss Drusilla. And in seeing her back on Buffy. There
is something that I've wanted to bring up since I've been trying
to catch up a lot of the posts I missed and the updates Masquerade
has done.
There is a sentence note under The Metaphysics of "Lie to
Me" that had me question a certain point of the moments of
Dru's lucidity and madness.
"...And she displays no genuine disdain for the vampire who
aided and abetted her mental breakdown. "
Maybe I'm missing a point and please clarify me if I am wrong
or I'm not seeing the scene in the context others may see it but
in the scene of What's My Line Part 2 when she's torturing Angel
and he's about to (I guess apologize) she says:
"Bite your tongue . . . They used to eat. Cake.
And eggs. And honey. Until you came and ripped their
throats out"
In my mind not only was she enjoying the sadistic relationship
that she once shared with Angelus and at that time shared with
Spike but I think part of her in moments of lucidity is also torturing
Angel for pulling her into the unlife of darkness and madness
and in doing that killing those she loved as a human. Or is that
just too much of a human feeling for a demon to feel?
"
Dru as Spike were good
persons as humans. I think that there lies the difference.
I have that sound clip of Dru torturing Angel
and it really sounds as though she's generally pissed off and
wants revenge which she deserves. She is probably one of the most
tragic of characters on btvs. So whatever badness she causes I
give her leeway 'cause if I were her I'd do the same thing I think.
She's just my fav. Character and I like yammering about her. And
Rufus--The concept makes me a little angry too.
I haven't seen a lot of the old ep's with Dru
just read the transcripts but I've noticed this season that her
madness combined with her psychic abilities from when she was
human often give her some interesting insights. She can sense
the chip in Spike's head and Darla's repressed obsession with
Angel. The trick to writing or playing an insane character is
to remember that everything they say and do makes sense -to them-.
I'm going to have to go over the transcripts for Crush once they're
up - doesn't she say something about vampires being able to love?
Yes. And then the scene cuts
to Spike and Buffy but Dru is still speaking in the background...
wonder what she was saying? Maybe if we play the tape backwards
the insane but accurate rantings of Drusilla will provide the
key to Season 5:)
"Dru
says: "We can love quite well. If not wisely."
"Dru says: 'We can love quite well. If not
wisely.'
The Judge said of Spike and Dru that they were tainted by love
and jealousy -- he did not indicate that each vampire was tainted
by both emotions.
Spike's reaction to Dru and Dru's quote suggests to me that Spike
was motivated by jealousy while Dru was motivated by love. Everything
else Spike has said and done has been mere romantic affectation
("natural to a poet.") Certainly if Dru had been the
great romantic love of his life he would not have been willing
to sacrifice her. Even his devotion to Buffy is absurd -- he hesitated
before making the "sacrifice " to bargain with her.
His "love" for Buffy is no more real than his "love"
for Dru -- had he really been in love with either of these women
neither would have found themselves chained in a crypt. Obsession
lust passion jealousy -- sure -- but not love.
"
"His love"
for Buffy is no more real than his "love" for Dru --
had he really been in love with either of these women neither
would have found themselves chained in a crypt. Obsession lust
passion jealousy -- sure -- but not love. "
I've made a great deal of analysis about "what is love"
in my life. Wrote so many pages that at the end you are left with
the only realization that love is not something you can analyse
and label. Love in the pure sense of the word is suppose to be
inconditional. Give not take. It's pretty on paper and I believed
that for years unable to accept other forms of love. But we are
people not sheets of paper covered with statistics on what love
should be.
I think that Spike feels love but doesn't know what to do with
the emotion he feels. He doesn't want it. He tried to fight it.
He can't. It's just there. It's resilient. At least he's man enough
to accept it and not refute it.
That doesn't forgive him for what he did in the crypt though.
I don't agree with his method. But I don't think that as equiped
as he is sentimentally he had other choice. He wanted Buffy to
listen to him that's all he found.
Spike's relationships with women seems to be rooted in an archaic
way to see women (remember? women are either virgins mothers or
whores!) what do we have here? Dru is definitely the mother Harmony
the whore (in the sense that she's the sex object) and Buffy is
the virgin - the unattainable woman (like Cecily was).
I believe that Spike loved Dru. And to offer to stake her was
probably something he couldn't do anyway. She's the mother figure.
Spike caught between the three women of his life (Buffy representing
Cecily) is just confronted to his most inner depths. He never
was loved as a human and still suffers from love as a vampire
and that's the tragedy. There are no way out for him. Love (even
if it's not pretty) is just what he thinks about all the time
be it as William or Spike."
Obsession
lust passion jealousy....
In some circles this is what passes for love. Love cannot be defined.
It is nebulous as changeble as the persons and circumstances involved.
A twelve year old has a crush on her music teacher. Is this not
love? As adults we may shake our heads knowingly insisting that
only with maturity can one really understand the depths of true
love. But tell that to the twelve year old when her heart is crushed
by the news that her beloved is about to marry another.
On a darker note the stalker believes that to possess his victim
will bring completeness to both their existences. Unable to achieve
that goal his frustation drives him to ever more depraved actions.
Is this not love? We rational humans shake our heads assured that
love is an unselfish emotion which demonstates itself with acceptance
and trust. Yet who among us can say we have never been angered
and hurt because our loved one behaved in a manner that violated
our ideal of love.
Of course as we mature we do realize that youthful infatuations
are not lasting. Of course when we recover from out disillusionments
about our significant others we learn to accept them for who they
are. And of course vampires can love. What they can't do is demonstrate
that love in a healthy selfless way.
Vamps
surely do have a defect when it comes to love. But we can't define
love anyway it's variant. So I just don't know if Spike really
loves Buffy but if he does I feel sorry for him it's just not
going anywhere. I think that he does still love Dru (more than
he could ever realize) and she finally has love to offer him.
Tragedy much? Spike really is Love's Bitch!
"*** "Spike's relationships with women
seems to be rooted in an archaic way to see women (remember? women
are either virgins mothers or whores!) what do we have here? Dru
is definitely the mother Harmony the whore (in the sense that
she's the sex object) and Buffy is the virgin - the unattainable
woman (like Cecily was)." ***
Very nice insight Nina.
"
"Okay from what
I got she says something like "we can love only we're silly"
does it make sense? I should listen to it again!"
Thanks Diana Michelle! Way better than what I
said! Bad memory! :)
"That
indeed is the quote but Drusilla keeps speaking after that...
something about knowing that Spike loved Buffy before he did and
... ?
Dru's line is adapted from Othello's line where he claims to have
"loved not wisely but too well". And we all know what
happened to Desdemona. Yikes! In The Hunchback of Notre Dame Quasimodo
ends up dead; in Othello the 'hero' kills Desdemona. I think we
are being set up for some high drama folks.
Othello has got to be the most fatalistic of Shakespeare's plays.
The experience of reading or watching it is akin to watching a
car crash from afar. You know something bad is going to happen
and both you and the protagonists are powerless to charge the
course of events the course of pure inevitable tragedy. "
I've never heard Othello described
quite like that before - I like it!
So is Spike Othello Desdemona or Iago?
I
was *just* thinking about that myself ñ considering the
fact that Drusilla not only says the line but modifies it as well...
Hmmm. Spike fits the profile for Othello (possessive) but then
he doesnít ëhaveí the girl. He fits the profile
for Iago because heís the outsider and he has that suave
way with words that makes people paranoid. I always thought that
the play was more about how Iago screws Othello over (*cough*
in the same way Lindsey wants to screw over Angel *cough*). Of
course if he were Iago Iím not sure who Othello would be
(perhaps an absentee Angel? or maybe Buffy herself?)...
I donít know how useful it is to transpose the plots of
Othello and The Hunchback of Notre Dame onto the actions of the
Buffyverse characters. It certainly tells us something about what
the writers are thinking about though.
For my part I can see few parallels (beyond the all-bumpy factor:)
between Quasimodo and Spike. Spike has always been remarkably
perceptive and in tune with the reality around him. Yes he is
marginal but he is neither as dim nor as single-minded as the
Hunchback. Equating Spike with Q is a drastic oversimplification
of his complex character mainly because Spike is so much more
self-actualised. But then Buffy is no more an Esmeralda than Spike
is a hunchback is she! These paradigms provide great tools for
analysis but I hope BtVS finds its own unique way of dealing with
this singular plot.
Arguing from analogy is always
dangerous. We all do it and it's a neat rhetorical trick but it
doesn't actually prove the argument. I agree that the writers
will come up with an original way to handle this but the literary
references sure do add something to the episode. Foreshadowing
is fun!
"Serial killer/stalker
issues aside I love the way the scene between Spike Buffy and
Drusilla was written. Between that scene and the one a few ep's
ago between Buffy and Reily I have to say that the writers for
this show have the best handle on how these conversations go that
I've ever seen on TV.
I may disagree with Spike's choice of display of affection but
I know just how he feels when he offers up something he thinks
is precious and has it tossed back in his face as worthless. And
I can't count the times I've said something in the midst of "The
Talk" and it was misinterpreted forcing me to backpedal furiously.
I don't think my love life has been particualrly tragic but we
all have learned to dread hearing "Honey we have to talk."
I also think the characters handled it in the only way they could.
Spike is still very much William given to overdramatic gestures.
Of course nowadays he kills people (or vampires) not just the
English language but still the principle is the same. Buffy on
the other hand is stuggling with all the things in her life she
cannot control: Joyce's cancer Glory etc. Now pile this tremendous
and sudden change in perspective regarding Spike on top of all
of that and it's no wonder she lashes out.
I think there is some sub-conscious attraction to Spike on Buffy's
part and that's why she keeps hitting him. Of course violence
-is- the natural reaction of the Slayer to stress involving vampires
so she kind of gets the double-whammy there.
Now that I think of it Buffy and Spike are very alike in how they
handle relationships. Niether is very good with words and their
actions tend to be violent. Both also have significant trouble
opening up (Buffy stonewalls Reily Spike stalks Buffy). Clearly
a match made in...well Sunnydale.
I think the most intriguing part of the whole issue is the potential
for and process of growth on both sides. (You were wondering where
the philosophical angle was weren't you ;) The need for redemption
is more obvious for Spike but it can be argued that Buffy is also
in need of redemption as a human being. She has allowed Slaying
to become her life and has lost a lot of her connection with other
people. (Hey that sounds like Angel doesn't it?) She keeps making
progress (the SG as of the end of last season her mom this season)
but then Slaying interferes and pulls her away again causing her
to try to protect everyone. In doing so she ends up isolating
herself once again.
Redemption ain't just for vampires anymore!"
Hi I'm a newbie poster delurking with a quick
thought with regards to the whole debate about whether by seeking
him out again and subsequently decking him after describing such
behavior as a turn-on to him (from now-on I'm going to refer to
punches as third base:).
Remember the shallower-than-Cordelia pre-Slayer Buffy in the Becoming
flashbacks? She was going on to her friends about being completely
over this guy (I want to say Tyler?) and I think something about
a unhealthy relationship and then saying she was staying after
school to get him to ask her to Homecoming. Teasing much?
Maybe there's more of that self-absorbed teenage beauty queen
- the one who adored being the object of everyone's attention-
than we thought.
Welcome Greta!
I would say that this characteristic of Buffy (self-absorption)
has been steadily diminishing over the last several years as she
has gained in maturity and responsibility but I'm not sure just
how much of it she is really aware of.
Buffy is a person of strong emotions and convictions and has a
good sense of the proper moral direction to take when the ultimate
crunch time comes.
That being said I don't think that she is very self-analytical
and it may simply not be in her nature. It may come with age and
experience.
Do Vampires change
as they get older and if so who is older the Master or Kakistos
"I think that Buffy up
to this point has considered Spike a thing...not a being. We already
have seen how self-centered she is with her friends and family
(justified or not). She has dealt with Spike in a largely reactive
way either as a villian - or a tool. As a tool she thought that
she understood the way that he worked. Now she has been forced
to see him as a sentient being with a capacity for feeling. This
has understandably freaked her out.
From that standpoint it is entirely in her nature to have treated
him the way that she did.
I think that she viewed this (to her) inexplicable change in attitude
from Spike as a threat. She often views thing that she doesn't
understand as a threat in fact it's her job. It is entirely in
keeping with her character to have tried to shut him down/out.
And Spike - in typical Spike fashion - went way way overboard..which
would be pretty darn freaky you have to admit.
That all said I think that things have come back into balance
in the Buffyverse. I think that the way Buffy has been treating
Spike - as a tool is far "meaner" than the way she's
treating him now. The fact that she freaked out is actually an
acknowledgement that he still has power now it's in his court
as to what to do with it."
"Jen....you
are very right about Buffy and her treating Spike like a thing
and the way she has been with her family. Here's where the dilema
is going to pop up for her....Dawn is not human and Buffy "cares"
about her. There's an arguement for Spike (Dawn hasn't killed
anyone but still...) Dawn has feelings and she is not human....hmmm...."
"As Angel said to Buffy
"I'm just an animal right?"
Thinking of vampires as sentient beings turns Buffy's world upside
down. She kills vampires. It is easy to kill a "thing"
or an "animal." When the things she fights are sentient
beings it becomes harder to kill them.
With Angel Buffy was able to tell herself that he had a soul and
was therefore more than an "animal." Spike doesn't have
a soul. So Buffy is horrified by the evidence that he an ordinary
vampire is more than an animal."
Gee
I just had to burst in and clap my hands here! I just saw the
episode and I'm still completely too overwhelmed to come with
something sensible to say right now... but I just had to say that
I agree with you! :)
"ITA
as well. I just saw the show and though I was completely spoiled
for this episode wildfeed DF interview and all it still didn't
prepare me for the actual thing. As far as I can see what's going
on with Spike (and with Buffy) cannot be labelled yet. Talk of
Spike having a chemical soul being a stalker being redeemable
being damned... it's way too simple. As for Buffy's feelings I
have no clue what they are at this point and I don't think she
does either.
"This with you is wrong. I know it. I'm not a complete idiot.
You think I like having you in here. Destroying everything that
was me until all that's left is you in an empty shell. You say
you hate it but you won't leave."
WHAT was that little speech about? Is *Spike* the vessel we are
hearing so much about? If I'm interpreting this correctly Spike
feels like he is being taken over by Buffy... interesting possibilities
present themselves don't they?
***
And what about Buffy's clearly ironic: "You can't love without
a soul" - so there (insert Cordelia sticking out her tongue).
LOL. Of course Buffy can't admit the possibility to herself. It
would be the end of the world as she knows it. But then maybe
the world as she knows it is about to change quite dramatically.
***
All I can say is that after all the hoopla and the controversy
I feel that the episode's import cannot be reduced to one or two
issues and thank god for that.
Like you Nina I think I'm going to take some time to digest what
I just saw:)"
Aquitaine
I agree with you too. All I can say is that I saw exactly what
I wanted to see without knowing what it was! Does that make sense?
I feel it inside that we are going just into the right track and
that it will lead us to one very emotional season finale!
"And you know what the biggest clue to the
episode's irony was? It was Xander's fake laughter when Buffy
told him (on the fourth attempt LOL) about Spike's feeling. Xander
is supposed to be the 'heart' guy and his reaction really caught
my attention. Actually Anya did have that one line about Xander
maybe having hurt Spike's feelings at the Bronze.
Loved the way Buffy was completely out of touch with the conversation
that Tara and Willow were having about Quasimodo and Esmeralda.
Talk about being out of touch with your own reality.
"All I can say is that I saw exactly what I wanted to see
without knowing what it was! Does that make sense? I feel it inside
that we are going just into the right track and that it will lead
us to one very emotional season finale!"
I do understand. It really is hard to put the 'je ne sais quoi'
into words. Isn't it?
"
This with you is wrong.
I know it. I'm not a complete idiot. You think I like having you
in here. Destroying everything that was me until all that's left
is you in an empty shell. You say you hate it but you won't leave.
This was my favorite part of his speech in the crypt. Our William
has improved I thought it was very poetic :)
Seriously though it seems to me that his love for Buffy has totally
come to him unbidden didn't want it but it's there and he embraces
it and feels it must be returned by her. He says what they have
isn't pretty but it's real. Could this be one of his insights
or is he just projecting how it feels to him on Buffy?
I think the unconscious reason she can't bring herself to stake
him is because deep down she knows he is capable of feelings and
his professing his love to her is making her come to terms with
that and she so doesn't want to.
Lynn
Right on people! I always
saw the humanity in Spike so nothing this season has caught me
unawares. It's just I got all emotional when Dru walked away like
that--Poor Dru she's letting her little boy go. What about Dawn?
Drush on Spike!! Since when?? Whocares it's mega-cute and Spike's
twisted little bedtime story--brownie points for MT's acting lately
she has me conviced for someone so young.
"Dawn
is human.
She wasn't before she may not be again but right now she is human.
And she loves Buffy very much (even if she would never come right
out and say it).
And Buffy doesn't "care" for her. She CARES for her.
It isn't about her being some "key". Dawn is her sister
regardless of how she became that way. None of us can choose our
family. Buffy loves her little sister no matter how much her sister
might also annoy her.
Spike is a souless blood thristy demon. If he ever becomes human
then perhaps he has a chance with Buffy (not likely though). At
the very least he should attempt to get himself a soul."
"Angel and Spike are both
killers. They will be killers forever no matter how they change
their lives. They have both killed and caused all sorts of terror.
Angel now has a soul and has devoted his life to helping others.
What does the soul give him? A conscience....the knowledge of
right and wrong. He feels bad about horrible things he did in
the past. Spike has a microchip. The microchip is like a soul
in the way that it makes him "feel bad" when he does
something wrong. Just a thought...
Is a vampire capable of loving someone? Is a vampire capable of
having feelings? I think so. I know there are different vampire
"rules" among different authors etc. (i.e. Bram Stoker
Anne Rice etc...) Anne Rice's vampires feel. They want companions
(male female children). I think feelings can be more intense for
them.
The soul debate makes me think of a new question....do only humans
have souls? Do animals have souls? They react out of primal needs
(hunger etc.) Hmmm....
Anyone wish to help me organize my thoughts?"
First I noticed than Anne no longer has the half-heart
tattoo that she had in the Buffy season opener a few seasons back.
How did she get rid of this? I doubt that she had enough money
to get it removed.
Second Angel must really be losing it. He kicked the head off
of a policeman! And this was before he realized that the cop was
an undead something-or-other. I noticed that he seemed shocked
and horrified that he had decapitated the man until the head started
talking to him. Maybe Angel needs to be more careful about cutting
loose.
"About the tatoo:
I was reading an interview (with Joss I think) that said she had
it removed. But they gave no details like how she got the money
to pay for it etc.!! There are some things I just accept by repeating
the following mantra: "This is TV this is TV."
:-)"
"Remember the
decapitation of the zombie-cop was not an isolated action. It
comes after a considerable build-up. Angel had already seen the
cop take a considerable beating and not only get back up again
but continue to attack. There is no way that Angel was unaware
that "something is up" by the time he got to the fatal
move. This fight was a great example of storytelling through movement:
Angel starts off with as little force as possible and the cop
escalates the level of violence with each new attack. Every time
the cop got back up Angel put him down a little harder culminating
in the decapitation. Kudos to the choreographer!"
Remember the Brachen demons and Lister demons
from Hero? They were the innocent victims of the Scourge. The
Ano-movis demons from the Bachelor Party had a few quaint customs
but it seemed like they were capable of getting over those. It
did not seem like they were pemanently wired to eat the former
husband or anyone else. How about the women of the Oden Tal from
She? Then there is Whistler whose very function is to be force
for balance between good and evil. The Host's reason for being
seems to be to put demons and people on their Path (whatever that
means). The Prio-Motu converted to Buddhism and became a warrior
for good. The Host referred to other champions besides Angel (though
they were unavailable) and it would seem that some of them might
be demons too. And is Merle evil? Pathetic yes but evil? So I
think we have been provided with ample evidence that the demons
are more like extra-dimensional beings some of whom have specialized
functions (which are not always inimical to humanity). It seems
we are seeing something more akin to Stargate than to Lovecraft.
Don't forget the peaceful Kwaini!
I agree on the extra-dimensional diversity but it still leaves
the taste that although some demons and supernatural creatures
are neutral or nice to humans the great majority are not so stay
on guard. Personally I find the good demons more interesting than
Angel since they've got to have an even more confusing place in
the world than he does. I felt really cheated that we didn't get
to learn more about the Buddhist Prio-Motu!
I was also wondering about Merl last night. If he doesn't do anything
nasty how did he earn all of his underworld information sources?
He's a demon but what's so demonic about him? I mean they mentioned
he doesn't have a tongue (which I guess explains his bad Christian
Slater impersonation) but is that all? I would like it if it turned
out that Merl is the one that bit the little girl and gave her
a third eye.
"THANK YOU!!!!
Christian Slater goodness I have been trying to figure out who
Merl sounded like but couldn't quite get it. I'm a little slow...as
my daughter would say "duh"
"Ah
the Kwaini. I had forgotten about them. I think the "demons"
in Joss's multiverse are starting to seem more and more the the
Faerie of Celtic legend. There was a Seelie court and an Unseelie
court. The Unseelie court was malevolent whole the Seelie court
was more benign. However neither court could really be said to
be good or evil by human standards. In fact the standards of either
court were just inhuman and operating according to a very different
and alien outlook. Thus the "evil" of the Unseelie could
range from mischievious to sinister and even monstrous. The "good"
of the Seelie could range from the kind of help you really could
do without all the way up to saving the kingdom from the Unseelie."
I still maintain the women of
Oden Tal were not demons but something more akin to aliens. Which
brings us to the question of the difference. Are they typed by
the type of soul they do or don't have? Or by something else?
Now we have opened the same door again with the same questions
and the same debate. What is a soul who has it where did it come
from.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water the
story repeats itself.
Just to add to the self interest
point Spike allowed Drusilla to kill at least the guy in the club
and possibly the girl too. Why? So he could lure Dru into trusting
him enough so he could capture her and make his point of worthiness
to Buffy. I think he could have stopped Dru if he wanted to especially
as wounded as she was from that fire.
So are we all clear on this now? Ladies I don't care how attractive
and cute he is. Buffy's right - he's a killer. Evil through and
through. Frankly if I were any Scooby I'd stake him right now.
How long before he tells Glory who the key is just to spite Buffy?
No we are not all clear. If
anything the water looks murkier than ever. I don't think even
Spike realized the extent of changes in himself until Drusilla
killed the couple. I think he expected to enjoy it and realized
in the moment that he did not.
David Fury did a chat(?) at the Bronze where he insulted what
he perceives as a 'we want a Buffy/Spike relationship' crowd.
While Mr. Fury is entitled to his own opinion (however harsh it
might be) he missed the entire point. This is not about whether
Buffy and Spike get together this is about Spike and his journey.
Can he evolve into more than he is? Can he learn and grow and
control the monster inside him? Is he capable of sacrifice? Can
he overcome the inherent selfishness that is essential to vampire
survival?
I think the 'oh you all just think Spike is cute' diatribe is
wearing a little thin.
I just
have this feeling that Dawn has no fears from Spike letting Glory
know she is the key. Glory getting the key means end of the world
am I correct in assuming that? If so remember Spike is a fan of
the world as it is. To betray Buffy in that way would be self-defeating
and Spike is a self-serving kinda guy. If he were to get even
with Buffy I think it would be in a more personal way. But I hope
he doesn't but I'm not in control of the storyline. Which leads
me to agree with those of you who feel the writers have painted
themselves into a corner giving us a character they obviously
enjoyed creating and that the fans love along with a storyline
that had the potential to mislead. I never would have imagined
such a storyline for Spike and Buffy I would have found a way
to exploit that wonderful chemistry without a romance it is possible
they light up the TV screen just trading barbs back and forth.
I keep thinking of Something Blue when Buffy is wigging about
the spell Willow tells her that at least they were getting along
but Buffy said that was the thing they weren't :)
As for Angel and Darla and Dru there are some innocents dying
from the result of what he did - all the people Darla and Dru
have killed since that evening and will continue to kill until
he stops them.
Lynn
I agree that Spike and
Buffy are the fun couple of the year. Their relationship with
barbs makes for great TV. But looking at Dru and Spike at the
Bronze (I assume) they make a visually spectacular couple. Dru's
darkness in contrast to Spike's blondeness are a striking image
that the camera just seems to love.
I
agree Brian Spike and Buffy the couple that fights together stays
together :) And they are a hoot always and I hope we continue
to see them lighting up the screen.
Spike and Dru yes visually stunning as were Buffy and Angel for
the same reason. Do you think the PTB's planned it that way at
the beginning? The two major couples of S2 with the same contrasts
in appearance.
Lynn
Good observation Lynn.
Perhaps it's a visual image of good and evil that there has to
be balance. If so then Buffy and Spike will never work until he
goes back to his natural color.
"Or
she goes back to hers :) I can just hear Spike: "Now luv
beauty before age I've been a blonde far longer than you have
so you have to change."
On the other hand Brian maybe they would work - both of them the
lighter side of the equation. With their other darker partners
things fell apart.
Lynn"
Agreed Brian. The
camera does love Spike and Dru. :-) Also Spike becomes just so
much putty in Drusilla's hands.
And their on-screen chemistry may have something to do with the
actors off-screen (non-romantic) chemistry. JM has said that he
enjoys working with JL and was looking forward to her return to
the show storyline permitting.
Yes
JM and JL are spectacular together! Really sexy!
They work well together and add a depth and tone
to the show that I don't think Joss ever expected to have. I kinda
miss them together.
Is it just
me or was anyone else concerned that Willow was still suffering
headaches due to the teleportation spell she used on Glory?
I couldn't help wondering if the headaches are a result of something
else like maybe the spell the monks used to put Dawn in everyone's
memories. Joyce's tumor started out with headaches and we still
don't know (for sure) whether or not the tumor was a physical
reaction to the Dawn spell. Could Willow be heading down a similar
road?
I find it somewhat alarming that the teleportation spell took
so much out of her. She did a similar spell to banish the troll.
I can't imagine that opening holes into alternate universes is
any easier than sending someone somewhere else in your own universe.
Oooh I hadn't even thought about
the connection. Very ominous.
There
have been several warnings that Willow's magic is out of control.
Her spells are too intense. I think there will be some bad stuff
happening to Willow soon and I'm worried. Really worried.
I too am worried about Willow. She's heading for
a fall that's for sure. Maybe next season will be the Willow Season
as this season is the Spike Season! I know she's not everybody's
favorite person but I'm fond of the character and she certainly
has the potential for growth that makes for good watching.
The question about opening a door to another world vs. moving
things around in our own is intriguing. We don't really know much
about the rules magic operates under in the Buffyverse other than
that it's important to keep the elements in balance. I have to
wonder if the Law of Conservation of Mass/Energy is involved.
It may be that spells involving moving things around in a given
dimension are harder to keep balanced than cross-dimensional spells
perhaps because there is a smaller (by one dimension) pool of
elements to absorb the disturbance.
Now that I think of it the mass difference would also explain
why de-ratting Amy has proven such a challenge!
Seems to me I read somewhere that true magic does
not follow the rules of physics i.e. the Law of Conservation of
Mass/Energy. Magic is outside of these laws (or maybe parallel).
Hence Amy can become a rat and a rat can become Amy. Or in the
Baba Yaga story a comb becomes a forest and a towel becomes a
river.
"This is always
the hard part about writing a universe that includes magic. What
rules must it follow? Anytime there are no rules magic becomes
an easy out. That's not to say that the rules have to have anything
to do with the laws of physics in the realverse. Either of us
could easily be correct. We just don't know yet!
I am pleased that there do seem to be cosequences for the use
of magic. Keeps things "real." As to why those consequences
happen well we'll find out if the writers want us to."
Back in the 70's I taught courses in Sci-Fi.
As I recall there were four major catagories:
Hard Sci-Fi which was Physics math astronomy.
Soft Sci-Fi which was Biology Antropology Socialogy etc.
Semi-Fantasy where fantastic things could happen but the laws
of nature were upheld
Fantasy where magic ruled the universe and anything could happen.
"I think I'm going to disagree
that magic means "anything can happen." Yes many things
defy the laws of physics but there are laws of Magic. You can't
do anything
1. you can only do those things you have the right spell or powers
for.
2. if you do the spell wrong there will be consequences. Sometimes
there are specific ways a spell can go wrong that are predictable
before hand.
3. magic has limitations set by those who use magic. Without sufficient
power in the user the spell won't work the way its supposed to.
This is no doubt why magic for medicine is a bad idea. Those who
try these spells have probably often never tried magic before
they used it for this purpose (driven to it by desperation).
4. Magic is especially altered by the intentions (good evil impure)
of the caster (witness Xander BBB)
No fantasy story can be well-told and compelling if you can pull
a rabbit out of hat at the last moment. Magic must have limitations
and rules or you will tell an unsatisfying story.
"
"For a good explanation
on the workings/rules of magic (sorcery in particular) read the
the "Bellgariad" series by David Eddings. This is a
10-book series of novels broken into two halves. You could easily
just read the first five books and have a finished story. By Brian's
classification these books are fantasy but there are rules to
the magic."
The White Wolf
game Mage: The Ascension has a very intriguing magickal system.
In the game the Mages can become attuned to and gain growing control
over different spheres of reality - such as Entropy Force Matter
Prime Time Space Spirit Life and Mind. Either alone or in conjuction
they can manipulate these spheres to bring about various effects.
These effects can either appear as coincidental so as not to disturb
the concensus reality or they can be blatantly magickal thus risking
a paradox backlash. Getting headaches and nosebleeds would be
one kind of backlash. Accidently freeing a troll would be another
kind. Also in the game the mages focus their will over reality
by using different magickal paradigms. Some use Hermetic magick
others use martial arts others even use technology or wierd science.
Magickal spells can also either be rote spells that are learned
from books and/or teachers or they are created on the spot by
the mage using whatever tools are at hand and most importantly
the Mages own will and imagination. Non-rote spells would of course
be the most difficult and only true Mages can use them whereas
anyone who has access to the spell books or procedures could potentially
perform rote magick. If Willow were translated into the game she
might be a Hermetic Mage who mostly relies upon rote magick and
is building up a lot of paradox due to her constant and blatant
use of spells that defy concensus reality. Beware the backlash!
"This is a wonderful series
of books but it doesn't totally deal with magic per se but with
sorcery.
With the spells that Willow does there are incantations and certain
ingredients needed to make them work.
In the David Eddings realm it deals with "the will and the
word" concept which is similar to mind over matter.
So I disagree with the reference but whole-heartedly endorse the
goodness of the Belgariad!"
Didn't
Tara say something about how Willow has been having problems since
the troll incident? I think what's going on is that she got really
drained from sending Olaf into another dimension and the teleportation
spell with Glory just made it worse.
I
agree that it should take more power to send someone to another
universe then a 1/2 mile away but CONTROL is another matter the
more precise you try to be the more difficult it is. Willow didn't
say where she tried to send Glory only that she didn't know where
she had sent her. If she was trying to execise precise control
(even if in fact she was completely unsuccessful) it could have
taken a lot out of her. I first heard aboout how exhausting control
can be from a comment by Scott Hamilton on doing figure skating
movements with style and polish (sorry I can't remember his exact
words). Later I experienced it myself (to a much much lesser degree
of course) when I studied ballroom dancing. It doesn't seem that
it would use much energy but when you try to control EXACTLY all
you various body movements at the same time it takes a lot of
concentration and effort.
Another possibility is not how far she sent the person but WHAT
the person was. It may take a lot more octane in the spell to
send a god than a person or even a troll.
Another
possibility is not how far she sent the person but WHAT the person
was. It may take a lot more octane in the spell to send a god
than
a person or even a troll.
I'm happy you brought that up gds. That was exactly my concern.
Glory being a god it must take a lot more energy than anything
else!
And does anyone feel that Buffy didn't really cared about the
headaches? She said a few words and then went to Ben and she was
all smiley face. Tomorrow when I will be rested I'll probably
start a Buffy analysis profile. We did that plenty for Spike.
She needs one too! A deep one!!! :)
And BTW (not that it's anything philosophical - but you knew I
was going to bring this up don't you) there was a great deal of
interesting things to remark about the outfits they were wearing!
Might just keep that for a Saturday post when we don't know how
to wait for next week episode though! :)
Two
possibilities present themselves:
(1) Dru killed the girl (we heard her neck snap even if it didn't
seem to rotate as far as it should have). Since the girl was dead
Spike could drink from her just like he can drink blood from a
blood bank.
(2) We've seen that its not whether or not he can hurt someone
its whether he thinks he is (ie when he pointed the toy gun at
Xander). This is a stretch but if he thought he was helping the
girl (ie he fed on her a bit but left her alive like Angel did
to Kate during the Museum heist). By feeding a little he saved
her life from Dru and thus did more good then harm.
(3) He did feel the blinding pain but managed to tough it out
for one bite (because he loved Buffy enough to fake out Dru) and
just faked the rest of it.
On a Spike note he was seen being blocked from entering the Summers
house even though he'd been inside earlier. Though not shown I
assume Buffy had Willow and/or Tara uninvited him. I think the
look of surprise at hitting the barrier backs this up.
I go for the girl being dead. I did not see a
lot of pain in Spike's face. He did seem aprehensive though which
puzzled me a little at the time. But as you say he is trying to
make Dru think He is the big and bad again.
I agree that the girl was probably dead. My only
problem is that though we heard the sound of the neck snapping
the girl's head (and the boy's for that matter) weren't turned
far enough and showed no signs of damage. Still as you say the
most logical solution is that the producers just slipped up a
little.
I agree with the girl
being dead. I also think Spike was struggling with his bloodlust.
Should I be evil or shouldn't I?
Isn't
that Three possiblities? (oh-so-evil-grin)
(Good ideas btw)
>>On
a Spike note he was seen being blocked from entering the Summers
house even though he'd been inside earlier. Though not shown I
assume Buffy had Willow and/or Tara uninvited him. I think the
look of surprise at hitting the barrier backs this up.
I can't help wondering how long Spike's uninvited status will
last this time. I think its pretty likely that Dawn will let him
back in when Buffy and Mom aren't around. She doesn't seem to
take Buffy's warnings about him too seriously.
I may be completly out to lunch
here but I thought the reason Spike could bite the girl was because
Dru had short circuited the chip. In the scene before she talked
about how she could feel it all plasticy sending electric shocks
through his brain or something to that effect. Later when Buffy
comes they have a cattle prod or stun gun of some sort. I just
assumed they had somehow used that to nuetralize the chip.
Now that's an interesting idea. If the chip in
Spike has been neutralized and he still does good works then the
possibility for redemption seems clearer.
All credit to JM for making me like Spike so much. When he was
blocked from Buffy's house I really felt for him. That's the second
time my empathy for him has overwhelmed my reason.
Neutralizing the chip would have been a much bigger
deal than that. The chip is at the core of what is going on with
Spike right now. I don't believe that they would have Dru neutralize
it somewhere off camera where we couldn't see it. **just my opinion**
"Willow is the one who
uninvited Spike... when Buffy was leaving to confront him Willow
wanted to go along but Buffy said "No but there is something
you could do for me". It took me a while to realize that.
I love the subtlety of this show...."
Spike killed her first
Just
a thought
If Spike wanted to neutralize the chip there are a few ways he
could do it. An EMP (Electric Magnet Pulse) would fry the chip
but it might also fry his brain in the process.
Also a large magnet could create interfearnece to destroy it.
Does anyone else have any ideas?
He
could probably electrocute himself. A vampire should find it painful
but not fatal. It would almost be guaranteed to destroy the control
circuits in the chip. Electronic circuits can be so fragile. The
EMP idea is a good one but it is usually referred in the context
of nuclear explosions - and I really don't want to see Spike playing
around with one of those
My
feeling is that Dru killed the girl first thereby making Spike
able to feed off of her. Also I remember Spike telling Dru how
very painful it is when the chip is activated. (I can't remember
if this was before or after the him feeding though) This may be
the reason Dru would kill the victim and give them to Spike. Kind
of like what Spike did for her when she was sick.
I too really felt for Spike when he hit that invisible barrier.
Even though I agree with Buffy a part of me wanted her to run
into his arms. But Tara was right when she said that people who
do things out of love for another are only doing it for personal
gratification and It Can't End Well.
I really liked the parallel between BtVS and The Huntchback of
Notre Dame. I see Spike as Quasimodo Buffy as Esmeralda but how
would be Pheobus? Possibly Ben?
I loved the foreshadowing in
the line about knowing it can't end well because the main character
was all bumpy! LOL
Seriously the parallel between Quasimodo and Spike is pretty impressive.
Very nice touch.
Would you care
to elaborate on specific parallels? My Victor Hugo is rusty. :
)
"So's mine that's why
I didn't elaborate! Ya busted me. :O
I was referring to the conversation onscreen though. I think it
was Tara who described Quasimodo as having "no moral compass
" and doing everything in the hopes of winning Esmerelda's
love. Sounds like the Clockwork Vampire to me!
OK someone up on their Victor Hugo come bail me out please! :)"
Now that you mention it Tara
and Willow's exchange sounds a lot like fan discussions of Buffy
and Spike.
Willow thinks all that effort should have won Quasi the girl and
Tara points out that Esmerelda had no interest in him and he his
attempts to do good were done out of his own self-interest and
there was no reason for her to return his affections.
Kind of makes you wonder if they read this board
doesn't it? :)
I'll try my best!
Quasimodo acts out of love for Esmeralda without thinking of the
ramifications those actions will have on other people; like the
Court of Thieves or Phoebus or Gypsies in general for that matter.
Spike acts the same way he allows Dru to kill the couple in the
Bronze when he knew he was going to set her up later. He accompanies
Dawn to the Magic Shop when he knows deep inside that Buffy will
thrash him when she finds out also he doesnít tell Buffy
that Dawn knows sheís the key.
Both Quasimodo and Spike are failures when it comes to showing
their emotions in a good way
They both are confused about what love really is.
Neither one knows how to deal with normal people. One's so hideously
deformed that he doesn't dare go outside. The other is a demon
inside a once human body.
Both keep souvenirs of their respective loves.
Both are insanely jealous when the object of their love shows
another man affection. For example if Spike didnít have
feelings for Buffy or a Chip for that matter he wouldnít
have exposed Rileyís secret or if he did it may have been
in the form of a newly vamped Riley or a dead Riley.
Both are willing to protect their loves to the death if need be.
In Hunchback Quasimodo does die time will tell if Spike with make
the ultimate sacrifice for Buffy.
Thanks
for the save! I'm in your debt.
When
I heard the Hunchback discussion in Crush I thought two things.
1) The writer is trying tell me something.
2) Forget the Quasimodo parallel. What about Frollo? Now before
I start I must admit that while I knew it was wrong I was totally
a Frollo/Esmerelda shipper when I read Hunchback. I'll explain
Frollo has dedicated his entire life to the pursuit of his passion
knowledge. (Gosh smart people are sexy). He is articulate driven
intelligent. H has had few close personal relationships. He doesn't
really know how to relate to people. And then he falls in love/passion
whatever. He doesn't know what to do. He thrashes he crashes he
burns everything down. He becomes jealous to the point of destroying
the thing he loves. And yet he can't stop. He visits her in prison
(where he put her) and offers her freedom if she'll run away with
him. Offers to give up everything for a price her love. Of course
she hates and despises him so you (by which I mean me reading
the book) know the relationship isn't going to go anywhere. But
when the object of Esmerelda's affections is a shallow and unfaithful
man its hard not wish her affections on someone who is at least
passionate about her.
Anyway Quasimodo. Mostly blind partially deaf not terribly bright.
The poor guy just never stirred my shipper heart
Although glad to see someone is taking some lit classes. I wonder
if we should imagine them a syllabus.
OK lit class syllabus. How about
this:
Comp Lit 302: Relationsips in Literature
Hugo - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Dickens - Great Expectations
Shakespeare - Measure for Measure
Leroux - The Phantom of the Opera
I'm missing a lot. What are your suggestions?
And of course the World's Greatest
Love Triangle:
The Arthurian Legend
(yup that's where I got the nick although the way my love life
goes it's more Elyane--the one who was hopeless over Lancelot--than
Guenevere)
Good call Gwen! For
sake of consistency shall we use Mallory or Tennyson? I think
White's version is more interested in things other than the relationship.
Or do you have another version you prefer?
All of the above! : )
But most interestingly there is a story in the French Vulgate
cycle been a long time since I read it and I think the name is
Morte Arthur (very similiar to Malory) that like the Holy Grail
cycle starts to turn the legend upside-down.
In fact the Arthurian Legend now that I think of it may be an
interesting analogue to Spike in another way: in the Grail cycle
all the values that the knights saw as good: murder anybody who
gets in your way ask questions later suddently stop them from
achieving their Holy goal. For Spike everything he used to believe
and do now has the opposite effect in this Vita Nuovo of loving
Buffy.
Damn this board! : ) I read it to procrastinate on all the science
I'm supposed to be studying and it makes me want to go back to
all the literature I once studied.
For
Spike everything he used to believe and do now has the opposite
effect in this Vita Nuovo of loving Buffy.
Gwen
Huh how coincidental. I just reread the Vita Nuova yesterday.
(I saw Hannibal over the weekend and he quoted from it. Literature
gets me every time. Anyway...)
So do you think they are going to use:
Love as a socializing force (a la 12th cent France) which brings
to heel destructive elements in society (young men with swords
and nothing better to do)
or
Love as an spritualizing force (a la Vita Nuova/Divine Comedy
13th cent) in which Eros/Psyche acts as a enabler to a comprehension/turn
towards Agappe.
Yes Dante's got to be on the Syllabus maybe some Lais from Marie
de France (that's where I get fresne)
Bronte - Wuthering Heights
Coleridge - Christabel
Comp
Lit 302: Relationships in Literature
or almost but not quite requited loves:)
Mill on the Floss
The Great Gatsby
The Sun Also Rises
"Who's the author for "Mill
on the Floss?" "
George
Eliot:)
All right thus far we
have:
Comp Lit 302: Relationsips in Literature
Hugo - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Dickens - Great Expectations
Shakespeare - Measure for Measure
Leroux - The Phantom of the Opera
Malory - Le Morte d'Arthur
Dante? - Vita Nuova
Eliot - Mill on the Floss
Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
Hemmingway - The Sun Also Rises
>whew< I've only read about half of these. I have some reading
to do. What over-arching themes do we want to look for?
"It is not litterature...
but Jacques Brel's song "Ne me quitte pas" (don't leave
me) comes to mind. When Spike says to Buffy "Give me a crump...anything"
This is so pathetic like in the song when Brel sings (probably
bad translation here):"let me be the shadow of your dog the
shadow of your hand"
Let me be anything but *something*."
Maybe
my French lit classes are rearing their ugly (o laids) heads but
I'm thinking of Madame Bovary (Flaubert). Emma wanted romance
so much she destroyed her and her husbands lives then she takes
arsenic. (I always though she was a ditz.) Or Germinal (Zola).
Lots of Unrequited love and GREY areas. Survival and death and
even if you win you lose situations.
OK
who did I offend to have my syllabus selections left off the list??
Sniff.
Bronte - Wuthering Heights
Coleridge - Christabel
Someone else on this board compared Angel to Healthcliff in Wuthering
Heights. And Christabel is one of the first vampire stories -
and deals with relationships.
Shall I take my toys and go home??
;-)
Oops! Sorry purplegrrl!
You offended no-one I just missed them when I went through compiling
the list. I owe you chocolate.
Let's try this again:
Comp Lit 302: Relationsips in Literature
Hugo - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Dickens - Great Expectations
Shakespeare - Measure for Measure
Leroux - The Phantom of the Opera
Malory - Le Morte d'Arthur
Dante? - Vita Nuova
Eliot - Mill on the Floss
Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
Hemmingway - The Sun Also Rises
Bronte - Wuthering Heights
Coleridge - Christabel
Now how 'bout those themes?
I've been thinking about those
themes former English teacher that I am and I hope to post something
maybe in a new thread once I get home from work.
"I got to think of a new one. "The marriage
of Figaro" by Beaumarchais. There's the famous "women!
women! women!" monologue by Figaro that is a real relationship
101 catastophe!! Goes perfectly well with Spike's speech about
the bloody women of his life!!!! :)"
Spike
acts the same way he allows Dru to kill the couple in the Bronze
when he knew he was going to set her up later.
My take on the lingering close-up on Spike's face--the confusion
the disgust--when he bit the girl was to allow us to watch the
very moment he came to the realization that he had irrecovably
changed. There were hints of it before but now he was fully experiencing
how his old habits had become repulsive.
She was already dead he could drink so he might as well but he
didn't do it with the lustful joy he'd once thought he'd experience.
I think up until then he was pretty much in full rebound mode
with Dru given her timing just after Buffy's rejection.
Given that interpretation I don't think Spike thought of setting
up Dru until later probably when she was trying to kill Buffy--that
was the moment when his loyalties over the women became most clear
to him.
Are we watching the
same show? Because in that moment when Spike vamped and bit into
the girl he looked like he was was Really enjoying the thought
of being able to bite into someone again. It was all over his
face--his lust for the kill.
Hmmm
interesting. Unfortunately I didn't tape the show (yeah I know
I know foolish dumb pitiful etc... : (
Seriously I am going on my memory of having seen the scene only
once. I felt and here's where I'm wondering what I'm seeing--and
what I'm projecting--that Spike was really struggling before he
bit into her. He may have gotten into the taste of blood but at
least I though I saw a whole range of conflicted emotions--and
that showing all that to us was the point of the close-up before
he bit.
Or was I just overlaying a whole lot of good guy conflict on everybody's
favorite serial killer?
You are both correct. The way
I read it he was first unsure (disgust may be too much of an emotion)
but eventually gave in. The question for me is whether or not
he did it to please Dru or to convince himself whether or not
he is still the Big Bad (or both).
OnM
I do think it's a combination of the both. Spike sees Dru as the
person who delivered him from his mediocre life. Then he went
around killing all the people he could to boost his self image
as the big bad. That image is all important to him and the chip
has emasculated him in more ways than one. Add the fact that the
first warm person he has fallen for since Cecily has just run
off in not terror but disgust well seeing Dru at that moment couldn't
help but start all the old feelings again. He is on the brink
of his destruction now if he kills again he will have to give
up his romantic fantasy with Buffy I wonder when that will happen?
I only watched that part twice
now but I really got the impression he was hesitating. Almost
as if he realized the full significance of what he was doing by
feeding on humans for the first time as a vampire and it made
him hesitate. He really looked to me as if he had developed a
qualm or two.
Really? I originally
saw it as hesitating because he was afraid of being shocked. But
then I believe that he was able to bite her because she was dead
- something i think he knew. Maybe he is developing attachments
to humans.....I don't think he's stopped enjoying murdering humans.
"I originally thought that
Spike was somehow overcoming the pain the chip caused but your
idea of Drusilla killing the girl for him makes a whole lot more
sense. After all wouldn't he have been able to "beat"
the chip before now if it was that easy? and why would the wirters
make such a small deal out of it when the chip has been a defining
part of Spike's character for the past season?"
For anyone who hasn't seen 'Crush' yet skip the
post. :)
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
As enamored as I am with Spike (after all -I- don't have to live
in the same space with him or worry about his crazed ex-girlfriends)
I was very disturbed by the rabid Buffy-bashing at a couple of
prominent message boards. Buffy is a bitch (pardon the word but
it was used by all) seemed to be the theme of the evening.
(I don't hold by the 'Spike the Stalker' comments because I see
him much more as someone who for over a century never had to control
his actions and suddenly he 'must' control them. He strikes me
as very inexperienced with women before he was vamped and after
years of being 'cool' suddenly he is back to being William the
bad poet. He really seems to me to be confused about how to act
and what to do.)
Regardless of my impression Buffy Joyce and Willow seemed to consider
him crossing the line and possibly stalking so much of their actions
are based on this assumption.
I was worried about the episode (mainly about Spike of course-grin)
but after watching it Buffy seemed to react the only way possible
for her at this point. She found his 'shrine' to her complete
with drawings. This -had- to bring up Angelus issues and freak
her out. Then he chains her up and offers to kill Dru??? How could
she possibly give him an answer he wanted. No matter what her
feelings for Spike after all this I truly think she was incapable
of telling him anything but go away. Truth or not she looked and
acted extremely wigged out.
If Buffy accepts that Spike (who has no soul) is capable of love
then she has to accept that Angelus was as well. I am guessing
Buffy cannot let herself even consider that possibly. Buffy loved
one vampire and that love turned him into a demented and sadistic
killer. Attracted to Spike or not Angelus and all the pain he
caused has to be spinning around in her head. I cannot imagine
she is eager to go there again.
"Regardless of my impression
Buffy Joyce and Willow seemed to consider him crossing the line
and possibly stalking so much of their actions are based on this
assumption.
I don't think that Willow and Joyce take Spike seriously enough.
They asked Buffy if there was the possibiltiy that she had unintentionally
"encouraged" Spike as if the stalker's victim were somehow
partially responsible for the stalker's actions. They also convinced
her to go confront Spike a second time. The Buffy shrine was straight
out of every serial killer/stalker movie I've ever seen. Very
creepy.
I do not agree with the notion that Spike's behavior is indicative
of his lack of understanding of the modern world and his inexperience
back when he was alive. With the possible exception of Mr. Trick
Spike is the one vampire we have seen who has fully adapted to
modern times. And Spike's willingness to sacrifice Dru calls into
question whether his passion for Dru was truly love or simply
lust mixed with a penchant for romance and poetry."
"You bring up an important point. Fury keeps
stating that Spike is evil. That he is a serial killer type. But
yet he writes in a 'maybe it is partially Buffys' fault she is
being stalked' undercurrent to the episode.
As for Spike he may be very up-to-date on with the modern world
but his experiences with women are Drusilla. There is nothing
about that relationship that was normal. Even for vampires it
was out of the norm. Many times he seems to be struggling with
"this action would have left Dru swooning why isn't Buffy"?
He often appears to be stumbling around in the dark where proper
behavior is concerned. After all he may be comfortable in the
modern world but he is comfortable as Spike-big bad and wild-not
as Spike -chipped and in love with the Slayer. "
"Did you encourage him bothered me too--because
it was so damn blame-the-victim. But I chose to interpret it as
another example of how often the people closest to Buffy don't
really understand her--and how often Buffy doesn't really understand
herself. Because she is in this odd state of denial where she
does the very thing she knows will encourage Spike.
As far as the show's influence on younger viewers the easy answer
is: kids don't try this at home. If some guy's being a stalker
you're NOT a Slayer with superpowers call the police.
But maybe there is a more complex answer in Buffy's denial and
(one view) Joyce and Willow's attempts at "intervention".
I had a college friend who claimed to have been date-raped FOUR
times. At that point even close friends have to shift from you're-not-to-blame
to "Hon you have GOT to examine your interactions with men."
Maybe the lesson is that Buffy *is* in denial and that denial
and other unresolved emotions can be very dangerous."
"I have been generating a theory about vampire
personality and philosophy (hasn't everyone!). I've been thinking
that perhaps what happens when a human is "vamped" is
that the invading demon integrates itself with those parts of
the particular human's psyche that are most "Demon-like"
( violence will to power lust etc). Those parts of a human least
Demon-like (love compassion fellow feeling) will be more difficult
to integrate and so will either be suppressed or overcome by the
demon or just left lying around in the subconscious with no outlet
to the personality.
Once invaded by the Vampire Demon the former human is removed
from human interaction both by virtue of the fact that it now
feeds on human blood but also that it no longer can relate to
humans in any emotional or social way. Most vampires have no reason
to deviate from this mode since it would serve them no purpose.
Spike's case is unique then in that he must interact with humans
far more than the average Vamp. Those parts of his character that
were incompatible with the Vampire Demon are slowly working their
way to the surface as he is forced to live again by human rules.
It may also be that the human aspects of his personality are more
integrated into his demon self since he's had such extensive contact
with Drusilla who also was a very loving person before being driven
mad and vamped. (Drusilla's a whole other topic...)
Coming soon my theory on the Soul...
Thanks for reading! -jen
"
Wow. I like this theory.
It does make sense based on what I've seen. Living in different
worlds by different rules also means different ways of surviving.
Humans are very social animals so when dealing with them you have
to be social too. Vampires can be social but in a different way
and the rules are very different.
(see my post a few pages down on Spike's self interest/torturing)
"A number of threads ago
(about 60 if I counted correctly) we discussed the possibility
that the philosophy of Sartre had some influence on Angel considering
his current attitude about his redemption his role in the coming
apocalypse etc. etc. Angel seems to be ignoring signals sent by
the Powers That Be believing that he is free of their influence
due to recent events (his failed effort to safe Darla to name
one).
However I suggest that perhaps Angel needs to balance his readings
of Sartre with a little Nietszche. Nietszche may have been an
influence for Hitler but I don't think he should be discounted.
One quote in particular sticks in my mind and directly applies
to Angel:
"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process
he does not become a monster."
This quote could also apply to Buffy. But she is more centered
relying on family and friends to keep her so. Angel has sundered
his ties with those who would be considered his family thereby
losing his center."
"First
a quote from Nietzsche's 'Beyond Good and Evil' that *might* relate
to our humble endeavours here;)
"A new species of philosophers is coming up: I venture to
baptize them with a name that is not free of danger. As I unriddle
them insofar as they allow themselves to be unriddled - for it
belongs to their nature to want to remain riddles at some point
these philosophers of the future may have a right - it might also
be a wrong - to be called attempters. This name itself is in the
end a mere attempt and if you will a temptation."
As for Sartre (and Angel)... somewhere between 'La nausÈe'
(Nausea) and 'L'Ítre et le nÈant' (Being and Nothingness)
he found a path that shows that a form of redemption may be achieved
through 'engagement'. That is to say he found that any attempt
at connecting with life while not in itself a solution to the
condition of absurdity was worthwhile and 'essential'.
I know I have oversimplified in the above but I think that Sartre's
'progression' can offer a clue to Angel's quest. "
"That does not bode well in light of Angel's
confrontation with Cordy last night!
The issue of engagement has been raised several times in the past.
When W&H decided to raise Darla the first thing they did was cut
Angel off from TPTB. Now it seems that Angel has done their work
for them!
Worse (from the perspective of moving toward redemption) Angel
has also cut himself off from his friends and from humanity. We've
been told repeatedly that engagement with humans is important
to keep the demon at bay. With Angel now reverting to "lone
stalker" mode will he continue to slide into darkness? His
actions thus far have not been too horrible (providing Darla with
the stationary for her memo notwithstanding). Further he showed
signs of humnity in his interation with Kate. However Cordy's
scathing "we don't need you" obviously hurt a great
deal. This may serve to push him further away from humanity and
closer to the Senior Partners' wishes.
More generally is engagement with other people necessary to lead
a good life? Sartre is ambivalant on the subject. On the one hand
as has been pointed out Engagement can be a path to salvation.
On the other hand "Hell is other people." (I think that's
Sartre - it's been a while.) I wonder which of Sartre's works
Angel has been reading? "
I
admit that it's been a long time since I've seen a slayer film
(Halloween 20) but this movie was bad real bad. No spoilers here
but I feel that it was a waste of space time and money. What was
DB thinking? What was WB thinking?
"OK
not the greatest horror film ever made. But then I'm not a big
fan of slash-and-gore so what do I know! ;-) What little horror
I do watch tends to be on the small screen (i.e. TV). Somehow
it seems a little less scary with all the lights on and a cup
of hot chocolate.
When I went to see "Valentine" I had probably read too
many spoilers - I knew who the killer was supposed to be and was
just waiting for them to be revealed. But hey we had popcorn we
had eye candy we had fun!!
The review in the newspaper here remarked that if AOL had waited
until after the release of "Valentine" they could have
knocked several million dollars off the purchase price of Time-Warner.
There *are* some pretty big logic holes in the movie. And unfortunately
the women are fairly typical horror-movie-babes.
Supposedly David B. did the movie because he liked that the director
was so passionate about making a horror film. Maybe the movie
sounded better on paper. And maybe DB just wanted to do something
different than Angel - hey he gets to be seen in broad daylight
and it's not a dream sequence!! And instead of "Garbo talks!"
it was "Angel smiles!"
;-)"
"And the only
funny line in the movie is:
"He's no angel."
"Ooohkay
although I've posted here before I'm not even gonna put my name
on this one. But does anybody else out there find the Host uh
I dunno I mean not up there with Spike but kind of well
intriguing?
Apologies Masquerage I realize that's hardly a philosophical question
unless "Why do Smart Women fall for Green-skinned Demons"
counts"
"Well I certainly don't have a 'crush' on
the Host but I am really pleased that they are giving him more
to do. When the season first started I thought the karaoke thing
was ridiculous and that the Host was a bit too over-the-top but
now I look forward to seeing him. Another example of how you can
take something that seems ludicrous on the face of it (karaoke
precognition???) and make it into art.
He also got to read one of my favorite lines of the season "I
think going to regret this... In fact since I'm precognitive I'm
sure of it." (by memory so that may not be exactly it but
the jist is still hilarious).
"
"Amen! He does get
the lines--and just gotta love the delivery kids. "What day
is today Thursday? Tomorrow's the world's gonna end. Just thought
you might want to know."
The Host and Angel in the car was like this hysterical parody
of a buddy pic."
I love
the Host. He was just what the show needed the way he throws out
those pithy lines while keeping us ROFLOAO. Angel can't help but
listen to him. Makes me think sadly of Doyle not because they
killed him off but for how poorly they used him while they had
him.
Funny what you said about that scene in the car. Your right it
could have been a take on many movies like 48 Hours or Midnight
Run. On that same note I had the eerie feeling they were doing
a riff on the original Dragnet in that seedy kareoke bar. And
then there's Wesley's imitation of Hercule Poirot. Wonder if there
were more?
"Wesley's Hercuile
Poirot was right on my mom used to watch those terrible Agatha
Christy mysteries constantly and after seeing at least twenty
stories with the same characters same plot and same music you
get the formula memorized. So seeing Wesley show how the crime
had more than meets the eye run through the assembled family from
most suspect to least making each one seem guilty until mentioning
more evidence that cleared their name and then finally giving
the damning evidence for the one person no one really suspected
it was just beautifully done.
And of course with all the talk of demons and wizards and the
lines "He had reason to do it. but he couldn't have he's
just too stupid" and "If you go through the evidence
long enough it just hits you" I doubt Diana Rigg would be
able to keep a straight face during the post-episode explanation.
"
"I have to relate
this:
Two of my friends (a married couple) were watching the Season
Premieres together (I heard this from the wife). The husband was
a bit grumpy about BvD. He thought Dracula was taken too lightly.
So on to Angel: The lights come up the screen is filled with the
face of a big ugly green demon. The husband says: "Well at
least THIS is serious!"
...and the Host begins to sing.
ROFL!"
He is as Gay as
Liberace
LOL. Yeah well I never
said I was being really logical about this! Comes from the same
school of denial that says gee just 'cause Spike's a serial killer
who'd drain you as soon as look at you...
And hey (hoping) the Host *did* drool over Cordelia. OTOH I geuss
any male--gay straight mortal vampire or demon--would!
He drooled over Cordelia like a gay guy would
drool over Judy Garland. At least that's my take. He flirts with
that broodin' hunk of hero sandwich at every opportunity.
He certainly does flirt with 'our' Angel every
chance he gets. LOL. It's strange because in doing so he actually
brings out an entirely different side of Angel's personality a
rather profound one at that. It's as if the Host's garrulity rattles
Angel's frosty broody exterior in a manner similar to Cordelia's
and Wesley's but in an 'in your face' style that simply *cannot*
be ignored. The Host succeeds where Cordy and Wes have failed
because he is more detached emotionally from Angel. C&W were just
too close to be objective about Angel's actions too close and
too... is dependent the word I'm looking for?
Lets be more accurate. If the Host were a human
he would be believed to be gay. For his own demon species he might
be their version of straight. We can't always impose our human
perspective on other life forms-well except for cats. They are
nearly human. Just ask one. On second thought don't. You would
get the retort that no we aren't nearly human. We are a superior
species don't insult me like that again and by the way feed me.
Now.
The Host is _so_ rooted
in the world though he knows exactly what image he's giving off
to other species (especially slash fans!). I think his comment
about Cordelia was just him being a sillybuns. ^_^
Does anyone else think the Host was totally sleeping with Ramone
the last bartender guy? He complains about the new guy so much
that I think Ramone's betrayal was hurtful for more reasons than
his drink-mixing skills.
Oh
my i love the host he's a sillyhead with a lot of good things
to say. He says really deep things with the best comedic delivery
and i love how he flirts with Angel. I don't know if he's gay
maybe probably i think he's just a swingin demon who likes to
have a good time. He was definitely getting it on with Ramone
though just the look in his eyes when he mentions his name.
Purplegrrl - You are batting 100% today. I too
was quite surprised to realize that many of people on this board
are in the over 30 catagory (and we still trust them). BtVs and
Angle give my TV watching focus and purpose. I ignore the smirking
jibs of my fellow workers who don't get it. They appear to be
unable to get past the title of the show. Finding this board was
a real plus in my life. My emotions and my brain cells get a workout
every week. And we all know that if you don't use it you lose
it!
OK I don't know what purplegrrl
post you're responding to because I'm not reading the Spike/Crush
threads for fear of spoilage but I am pleased to hear (read?)
you enjoy the discussions on this board.
I'd be VERY curious to know ages of folks who post here. I'm 37
and have loved BtVS since I was 32.
Everyone
here is old??? Everyone here is old and -still- has the brain
function to be witty and eloquent??
(excuses herself to go bang her head against the wall for a few
minutes)
There goes my wonderful picture of all these college or graduate
students who could remember books and philosophies pertinent to
the show because they were still studying them unlike myself who
was just old and once spent an entire day (off and on) just trying
to find the box I packed my Campbell in for the last move. My
frazzled and old (36) brain and I will go rest now. ;)
31:) And loving it here at ATPoBtVS.
I'm not able to type a number that large. Suffice
it to say the last time I was this obsessed with something I was
14 and it was the Beatles. I'm at a total lose to explain it but
I'm grateful for the net. Thanks to the examples I can give them
of people more obsessed than me I have been able to convince my
family that I don't need to be institutionalized. So far.
I've assumed that most of you post or have posted in the Bronze
(probably with different screen names) and are familiar with the
Age Game. But for those of you who aren't check out the page below:
http://home1.gte.net/mlmclell/pages/agegame.html
I've posted this in the past but for the benefit
of all the newbies showing up here recently (thanks to all of
you your contributions make this great site even better!!) be
it known that I'm 0.047 millenia a mere pipsqueak on the cosmic
scale!
Great idea! I should have used
the millenia scale too.
I had
to have a private tutor for algebra after I was an adult (hey
ask me about literature or something) so I have no clever mathematical
ability to disguise my age (I don't even know how to count cat
years!) So at 44 I seem to be one of the older posters.
As a man at first I felt almost embarrassed to
admit loving a show which seemed to be aimed at teenage girls
but now I admit I'm a 49 year old Buffyholic.
I'm one of those teen buffy fans Dawns's age or
maybe a year older. I'm also kind of new to this thread and it
seems there aren't many teens who like this philosophical stuff
but I love it. I'm a deep thinker and I'm proud of it!
ramo
I'm
29.
"I'm 34 and still studying
all the stuff I go on about. When I was in College the professor
I studied Buddhism with remarked to another student in reference
to me "Oh he loves all of it. Even the boring parts."
That remark still gives me a chuckle. Anyway I just try not to
make my seminars or posts boring. Buffy and Angel certainly give
me new ways to relate to and think about all the big picture existential
metaphysical stuff that I am constantly trying to process.
I also have to say that in comparison with just about all the
usenet groups folder clubs etc that I post on ... this discussion
group has been one of the most rewarding. I have found the posters
here to be considerate thoughtful open-minded well-educated and
very profound. All this while maintaining a light and good-humored
touch. This place really is marvelous. Thank you Masquerade for
this disucssion board and for ATPOBtVS."
"Brian
keep going and ignore people bad comments about the show! People
around me don't get it either. I'm a fairly new to the Buffy world
(but I've read and seen all I could in a month and a half) so
I know my comments can sound very newbie-like but so far this
board is the only place where I've found people who are willing
to past the "I like him/I don't like him" kinda thread.
I'm really impressed by the deepness of people thoughts on this
board. And I take this opportunity to thank you all for welcoming
me aboard! :)
So now to answer your question Masquerade I'm 31!"
I'm only 20 but I love philosophy and how deep
this sight truly is. I'm sick of the soap opra little 14 year
olds that respond to the other pages.
Soap
opera can be fun as long as its philosphical subtext soap opera.
Just past 40 though I really
think I should go the Rufus route....as you all know Rufus measures
in Cat Years.....making her eternal by now I suppose. I'm older
than Angel...in Cat Years....
Since
in a way I started this thread: I need to post the truth.I must
be the old guy on the board at 56. But in my heart I'm still a
teenager or at least someone who is open to new ideas and experiences.
I know that teaching teenagers for 25 years has kept my POV young.
I am 28..no..yeah 28. Look a
little younger feel a hell of a lot older!!!!
BTW...no fair Rufus....you are not telling!!!
"OnM I
work occasionally at a Comic Book Store in Louisville.One of our
regular customers Tony in his forties kept telling me that BtVS
was a great show. I finally gave in and watch the end of Season
2 "Becoming" and became hooked. Since then I'm at home
on Tuesday nights with my VCR so I can watch them over and over
again. BtVS and Angel are a joy in my life and when I watch or
talk about them I feel young and hopeful."
I am 33 and the father of four. I have never watched
an episode of Friends ER Seinfield JAG The West Wing NyPDBlue
Law and Order Chicago Hope and I can go on and on. But I never
miss Buffy and Angel. If I am not home I tape them. If I am home
I tape them and cut out all the commercials so I can rewatch them
later. I have seen Angel cut off Lindsey's hand probably 50 times.
Lol. Pehaps I am demented but at least I am having a good time.
When you say demented is htat
a reference to Dr Demento?
I
am originally from Indiana. I do not believe we got Dr. Demento
on the air. I have heard of him though so I am not at a total
loss.
Actually you did in the
mid 1970's. I listened to him when I lived in Indinapolis.
It's sort of depressing to think that I am probably
the same age as Joyce and yet identify with Buffy. I don't need
philosophy I need psychology!!
It's true though that few understand our obsession with BtVS and
Angel certainly not my mother! I have a few friends that watch
but do not take their viewing to the obsessive depths that we
do here. (At least one watches mostly for the cute men. Not that
there's anything wrong with that! ;-) )
!
At 30 I am one of the older members of my group of friends (many
of whom are fans of BtVS and AtS as well). I'm relieved to know
that there are lots of other grown-ups watching the show who are
as intrigued by the philosophical and ethical aspects of the shows
as I am. Woo-hoo!
Being the
BIG 40 I chose the name Miss Marple because I often feel like
an old lady watching Buffy. I started watching with my son. We
often have to battle my husband for the TV. It airs on Saturday
nights during the big Hockey Night in Canada timeslot the holiest
of nights for the Canadian male.
I saw somewhere that Joss Whedon was 36.
For Masquerade et al. FYI: Using the 23 responses
to the Age question I calculated that the average age is 36.
Brian I guess that makes you the official ATPoBtVS
statistician! I never would have guessed that the median age would
be so... median. LOL. I feel even more at home:) Thanks for doing
the math.
Is not every major
character on BtVS & Angel on a journey in and out? Sometimes for
every step forward a character may take two steps back and have
to regroup. It is the difficulty of their choices decisions and
eventual consequences that make these shows so interesting to
its viewers. I often think of these shows as express trains headed
for a final destination. There's no getting off until jorney's
end but along the way what wonders to behold!
"Yes it's all about the journey! When you
take season two for example who could guess that Angel would lost
his soul? He did. Some wackiness ensued and the plot resolved
itself in the end.
We are about to be swallowed into this "after Buffy's birthday"
syndrome. Things always take a new path then. We are about to
see episode 14... still 8 whole episode to follow. Many steps
back and many steps forward. It's like a dance. And the dance
changes from mambo to slow to disco to alternative each week...We
all want to dance don't we? :)"
***We
all want to dance don't we? :) ***
I don't have anything brilliant to add (everyone else is stealing
my thoughts-grin) but Nina gave me a mental flash of Spike singing
Springsteens' 'Dancing in the Dark'. I must go now and ponder
the er..uh..hmm...the...cough..philosophical..yes yes the philosophical
implications.
"Not to typecast but I
see Spike rocking to "Dancing by Myself."
" You know what I think that whatever happens
with Spike it will not be his end I choose not to give up on him.
In the middle of season three I made a comment to myself like
"I have faith in Faith" And I'm pretty happy with how
things turned out. I never really knew how much I liked Spike's
character it just never really occured to me how popular he was
getting. I can't really imagine btvs without him so I have to
have faith that Joss won't "Crush" us on Tuesday. I've
been getting bad Buffy vibes for a long time now--I think it's
just me though--Sometimes I think they should just vote her off
the Hell-mouth. Oh well. I just need to ajust I guess."
Oh yes definately more Billy Idol than Bruce Springsteen!!
Although maybe not dancing. Perhaps demon bashing instead. He
could do a drum solo on someone's head!
"I
just read the shooting script for "School hard". I wish
it didn't but it made me think even more ("make it stop make
it stop"!!! LOL) I know it's been discussed for ages but
if I want to keep what's left of my sanity I've got to write this.
You're all such wonderful people that I hope you won't mind me
rambling for so long!
I've been thinking about the influence of the Sire vs the Sir-ee.
The parents vs child relationship they have. In the first episodes
of Season two while Dru is insane Spike has to cover for her.
He's bringing her food he has to be strong he has to be the parent
figure (like a child would be with a sick parent). So he's violent
and anarchist. He feels he has power even more than before because
he's more powerful than her.
Then an organ falls on his head Dru gains her strenght back and
their roles come back to normal. Not really normal because now
Spike is the one who is incapacitated. Incapable to be the vampire
Dru is dreaming of. We've seen them when they were both at full
capacity and there was a balance in their power. Now there's none.
Dru is the strong one and he's ashame not to be able to give her
want she wants. He wants to leave and go to Vienna (the choice
of the city is quite romantic BTW). He looks more like a guy who'd
rather have a good time with his sweatheart instead of fighting
against bad odds but he'll stay for her. He'll even prepare her
party (not his - he doesn't care about "Big Blue") He'll
destroy the world with her if that's what she wants. Considering
he can't do more stuck in the wheelchair!
"Father" Angel comes in the picture and Dru acts like
a child around him. She wants to attract his attention. The only
way out for Spike is to leave Sunnydale.
I don't know if it's common for a Sir-ee to get dumped by his
Sire but if the Sire gives meaning to the life of the Sir-ee it's
no wonder that Spike was so affected. It's not only love that
he lost but his only link to the vampire world. It's the ultimate
nightmare of the child: to discover that their parents don't love
them. The only way to get back the attention is to be like the
parents wants you to be. Dru wants him violent. He'll be violent.
All he wants from this relationship is love.
Chipped Spike is like a wild animal who has been tamed. He's reluctant
at first and slowly adapts himself to the new circumstances (away
from familly). You can tame a lion love him give him affection
but he'll remain a lion (maybe that's what DF meant in that article
after all). He will always remain wild at heart. It's been seen
that "good" lions ate their masters it's also been seen
that they didn't. How much of the wild remains?
Now if the parental figure comes back... how will the child (Sir-ee)
will respond to that? Does he closes his eyes and just goes back
to what he was... or is it even possible to go back to what you
were when you've been tamed (even by a chip!)? It might be interesting
to see what happens to wild animals that have been tamed and then
released in the wild.
Okay I'm pushing this methaphor a little on the edge. Vampires
are not lions. And a Sire is not a parent per se... but considering
all this... I do believe there's a way to redemption for Spike.
(I know I don't have to convince you! :) maybe I'm just trying
to convince myself after all! :) From what I can see he's been
violent to get his way to Dru's heart.
What becomes really interesting in the episodes to come is the
choices that this wild animal that has been "tamed"
will take. It's not about a romantic journey.. it's a journey
inside the self. What you really are. Same journey Buffy's taking.
They can both stumble make mistake the road to self-discovery
is a long one!
I hope I did bring something new.. if not... just ignore this!:)"
Can't ignore it Nina it makes
a lot of sense :)(See Austin's take on Crush on the C&S board
if you haven't don't want to post spoilers here)
I have always thought that Spike's bad behavior was mostly for
Dru's benefit some male posturing and perhaps some of it was turning
his back on what he was as a human. But the chip has suppressed
the demon and his more human feelings have surfaced not always
though for the demon is still there and can cause trouble. But
he may have gone too far forward to revert back to his old evil
self. At least I hope he has.
Lynn
Oh I'd love to read what
Austin has to say about it... but I'm afraid of too much spoilers.
I'm already too much spoiled right now!!!! :)
I don't know that board but if I go back there next Wednesday
I guess I could read it. Then I might just get hooked! Not good
either! What a misery to be so addicted to a show! LOL
The fact about being able to go back to what we were in the past
is very fascinating. One thing for sure is that whoever we are
things can never be the same. We are all dependant on our actions.
They mold us they make us become someone else at every second.
I never intended to get this
obsessed Nina but here I am :) I guess we could be doing something
worse so I'm content to be obsessed :) And I never liked to spoiled
either and I told myself I wouldn't be for Crush but I did and
I'm kinda glad.
I think you will find it interesting.
Lynn
I'll try to wait a little...
how long I don't know though!
Thanks for the tip. If you insist it must really be worth it.
Makes my hell to spoilering-land even closer! Let's just call
it Spoil-Paradise! Feels better like that! LOL
"I agree with your theory Nina.
"We are all dependant on our actions. They mold us they make
us become someone else at every second."
Indeed. We have seen in Season 5 just how much Buffy is affected
by her choice of actions whether it is to face Dracula's thrall
battle Glory the deity extract information from Spike uncover
the secret of her sister's existence... A few months ago we talked
at great length about Buffy's new darker more mature side. We
also discussed the ethics of her spear-slaying the vamp hooker.
In the space of just a few episodes Buffy has integrated this
action into her being and as viewers we seem comfortable once
again with her as a hero-type. But change (a many such changes)
of this sort is constantly working itself into the fabric of the
Buffyverse.
Which brings me to Spike where else (lol) and the issue of redemption.
As far as I can gather he like Anya is experiencing major growing
pains. Anya continues to exhibit some rather childish tactless
attributes but seems to be more in touch with the finer human
emotions lately. As was pointed out elsewhere Anya is fortunate
enough to have the love of a good man and can explore or unleash
her inner child at will. Spike has a different problem on his
hands. We have seen him act like a lovesick teenager and collect
personal items of Buffy's on one hand and we have seen him interact
in more sophisticated ways in Blood Ties ITW (his talks with Riley
and Buffy) and FFL. Where Anya *never* passes as 'normal' Spike
sometimes can. I think that's what makes him interesting and frightening
to us the viewers and to the SG and Buffy.
The big problem for Spike is that he's never achieved his goal
of finding love and acceptance. He is more motivated to please
than is Anya. IMO this need for acceptance is what constitutes
seeking redemption. But what do you do if you are Spike and you've
done everything you know how to do to 'please' and you are still
not accepted?
Oy. This was rambly."
The
big problem for Spike is that he's never achieved his goal of
finding love and acceptance. He is more motivated to please than
is Anya.
IMO this need for acceptance is what constitutes seeking redemption.
But what do you do if you are Spike and you've done everything
you
know how to do to 'please' and you are still not accepted?
Wanting to please to get love is what most human struggle with
all their lifes. Not only a vampire thing. Psychologically many
people are still children even in an adult body. The child needs
affection and inconditional love. That's what William was craving
for that's what Spike is still craving for. But we all need to
get past that to really achieve a real none destroying love. Love
is about giving... not taking.
That's a long struggle for anyone. And I don't know how Spike
will be able to deal with that!
I
think Spike's need for acceptance is his overriding motivation
for nearly everything he does. I think redemption is something
different.I think redemption is finding peace. For Angel that
is gaining his reward-being made mortal. Since he already has
a soul that works out. But how does it work for Spike? If he is
given a soul he is a souled vampire. That is no redemption! If
he is made human he is a human without a soul. That isn't redemption
either. Can lightening strike twice? That is two vampires both
be given souls and mortality. Seems like a rare enough gift the
first time. I don't think Spike will be redeemed. I haven't read
any of the spoilers but I think he will live out his unlife as
a lookin-for-love-in-all-the-wrong-places vamp until it permanently
ends for him. I'm sorry to see that because he is so appealing
on every level (except that kill and eat humans part that he is
currently having to work around). BtVS without Spike would lose
its...bite? ;)
I might have
just used the wrong word by calling it redemption. Maybe it should
be called some kind of inner peace... I don't know but your comments
sound right. I might just be looking for another way to say it
then! :)
"I think redemption
is finding peace. For Angel that is gaining his reward-being made
mortal. Since he already has a soul that works out. But how does
it work for Spike?
How indeed. I'm not convinced that redemption is reserved for
the souled. It smacks of humanistic chauvinism. Also I have a
real problem with the fact that it is somehow 'just' for Angel
to seek or obtain Shanshu if... he does xyz while it is 'impossible'
for Spike to find some measure of peace within his own frame of
unsouled-vamp existence by choosing to behave in a more human
manner. Perhaps we all (including Angel) have an unrealistic vision
of what constitutes redemption. You call it peace of mind; I like
Rilke's line about "the possibility of Being". In the
end redemption is not only a personal journey and choice. It is
also a self-defining and self-fulfilling process.
IMO at this point because of the chip and because of his personality
Spike is far less likely to regress in his progression towards
redemption than is Angel. Why? Quite simply Angel has a great
deal more to lose (a shot at Shanshu). Spike is already at the
bottom of the barrel. He can either choose to stay hidden away
in its depths or he can choose to get out. If he does manage to
crawl out of the barrel escaping the barrel will be its own reward.
I don't expect there will even be a box of chocolates waiting
for him let alone Buffy. Wonder what Spike'll do?
***
Judging from his low tolerance for boredom I'm thinking he'll
find a creative way to hoist himself out of the pit:) if only
to watch Passions. LOL. "
"Okay
I've been looking in my French and English dictionaries and haven't
find anything convincing about "redemption". From what
I've gathered it's either a redemption of the sins or in larger
meaning a redemption of your actions: asking for penance. Do we
need a soul for that? Hmmm... difficult to imagine what it is
to be souless. We can speculate but not really know. I'll think
about this over and over during the night... so I'll give you
my thoughts on it tomorrow! LOL
Now something else caught my attention. Whistler says to Angel
:"You don't wanta go all bloody revert to your demon roots
then you better start getting' involved with others - that's what
keeps you humanÖ" (in "City of...")
So with Spike hanging around humans for a year and a half... does
that "keeps him human"? Or do you have to win the soul
lotterie to have that privilege? ;)"
It's
all a confusion for me. Angel's soul hasn't been able to keep
him on the straight and narrow this year which doesn't make him
any different than any other human being. I think the jury is
still out on Angel for now but I hope he gets his equalibrium
back soon.
As for Spike...I think this is a case of his having retained more
human feelings and emotions than the average vampire - maybe some
sort of mistake in the transition :) But he still has to do battle
with his demon which undoes all the good he tries to do. I think
he's smart enough to realize it but doesn't know what to do about
it. He's so immature in so many ways - the clothes and picture
stealing sounds like something a teenager would do. But then he
has that keen insight into people and a way of speaking the truth
that hits home.
I don't like to bring fanfic into this discussion but one story
I read had an interesting premise - Whistler comes to town to
claim another vampire to retain the balance of good and evil -
Spike. The premise is that there are degrees of evil in demons
and the demon that possesses Spike is not totally evil. It also
goes onto say that when a person is vamped they do not lose their
soul but the demon takes control. And because his demon is not
totally evil he has retained more humanity than the average vampire.
An interesting premise I thought what do you all think?
Lynn
This is getting philosophical.
I'm not a formally trained philosopher (background in classics
& critical theory) but it seems to me that all the main characters
in the Buffyverse have 'souls' by any common definition (Aristotle's
'psyche' or the New Testament for instance). If we're going to
talk about 'souls' in this context (or 'redemption' for that matter
- Redemption of what exactly?) we need to establish a narrower
more specific definition.
Having a soul gives Angel the ability to have compassion to love
and to be altruistic. Spike is dangerously sociopathic - moderated
by an artificial chip. Faith is also pretty antisocial but is
able to be redeemed by Angel (so it seems - though she always
shows glimmers of compassion).
Does Cordelia have a soul before the end of the first series of
Angel (on the rainy side of the Herring Pond we haven't seen further
than this yet)? She's a bit crass and can't really form relationships.
Angel 'redeems' her too (is he a Christ like figure perhaps?)
What are we talking about here.
S
I like to think Cordelia always
had a soul corrupted by being spoiled and rich. But she came to
follow the scoobies around like a whiney puppy strangely and inexplicably
in the beginning of season 2. No good explanation why since she
disdained them so much in season 1. Except she saw a place she
felt good for being good. It gave her a sense of purpose she didn't
have with the popular shallow crowd. This is also what made her
join up with Angel so quickly when she moved to LA.
Since there seem to be so many questions dangling
regarding the journey to redemption I thought Iíd post
these definitions from the Oxford Concise Dictionary:
Redemption:
1) the action of redeeming someone or something or of being redeemed.
2) A thing that saves someone from error or evil.
To redeem:
1) compensate for the faults or bad aspects of.
Redeem oneself: make up for oneís poor past performance
or behaviour ñ save from sin error or evil.
2) Gain or regain possession of in exchange for payment.
3) Fulfill (a pledge or promise)
4) Buy the freedom of.
And a few random thoughts:
Angel is in a reverse-kenotic position ñ his imposed or
superimposed soul suppresses the immortal demon self and the result
is that he appears and acts human. Still he has a long way to
go before he attains any kind of redemption. In fact he needs
to find a way to redeem himself before he can help others on the
path to redemption. That others such as Wes and Cordelia chose
to ally their destinies with his is very interesting particularly
in light of the fact that Angel has currently given up on his
quest. Are Cordy and Wes also seeking a measure of redemption?
If so what have *they* done to need redemption?
While I firmly believe that in order to be redeemed one must redeem
oneself I do think that having companions in arms in ëthe
good fightí makes the journey that much more rewarding.
***
For his part Spike has certainly tried to ëgain or regain
possession of in exchange for paymentí. LOL. Playing the
definition game can be an eye-opening and downright funny experience
at times... Furthermore IMO he bought Druís freedom in
B2. He also kept Giles from getting killed in Passion by non-intervention
and by keeping Dru out of the mix (the same is true about him
helping Buffy in B2). Iím sure there are more examples
I am not thinking of at the moment. I hope other posters can add
some. Spike also has a habit of fulfilling the promises he makes.
Of course there is no evidence that Spike has ever tried to ìcompensate
for the faults or bad aspects ofî. Yet:)
***
How can you redeem something you never had or which you may have
lost forever? Does Angel have a greater shot at redemption because
he has a soul or does Spike because he knows he needs people?
***
The dynamic between Dawn and Spike is very intriguing because
they are both at the same stage of development in a way. Moreover
Spike can also serve as a much-needed father figure for her. The
dynamic between Angel and the Host has a similar energy to it.
No-nonsense no holds barred. Both relationships are refreshing
to watch.
"Those definitions strike
me as astoundingly commerce-like. Redemption = trading good deeds
for bad until they are somehow erased. I'm thinking of Ryuei's
post on the Buddhist notion of redemption "Angel's Karmic
Baggage & Angulimala" below that I hopelessly chopped up
and put on my site. What interested me most was the notion that
you could never redeem yourself in the "commerce" sense
of the word--its much too long and complex a task.
Some Christian notions of redemption are like this as well--redemption
isn't about "making up" the bad deeds with the good
deeds until they're erased. It's more a change of attitude that
means you go on from that point in life no longer being the self-centered
person you were the person who committed those deeds.
"
***Redemption = trading
good deeds for bad until they are somehow erased***
For some reason this makes me think of Green Stamps and those
little savings books that we used to paste them into.
Not only is Angel not currently collecting Green Stamps but they've
taken his little book away as well. If he doesn't shape up he'll
be getting the Cosmic Barbeque rather than the lawn furniture.
I'm not quite sure why there's
this discussion over the definition of 'redemption'. It simply
means 'buying back' something that you should rightfully have
possession of i.e. like a ransom payment or getting something
back from a pawn shop (remember those?). It has a religious (specifically
Christian) meaning in that God demands a blood-payment for sin
which Christ paid thereby 'redeeming' all of mankind.
Also in Classical Tragedy Oidipous the 'original and best' tragic
hero (according to aristotle) 'redeems' his people from the curse
brought about by his own uncleanness by taking the penalty for
it.
What is interesting and important is that this is not a moral
thing. Oidipous' 'sin' was in simply being who is was and redemption
came in facing this truthfully.
Angel is able to redeem both himself and those around him in a
very similar way: he has not only faced evil but actually carries
it with him (presumably this is how he was able to 'escape' from
'hell' - though this is possibly taking it too far).
It is interesting (on a slightly different note) that the metaphysical
world of BTVS is exactly that: other dimensions are 'meta-physical'
as opposed to 'spiritual' so metaphysical threats can be dispatched
in more or less physical terms. In this the cosomology has more
in common with Classical Greece than the New Testament (or indeed
Judaeo Christian culture generally). Someone mentioned Gnosticism
recently and there may be something in that - but I'm still looking
for oriental analogues.
S.
"Aquitaine I think what
you said here is a step or two before redemption.
>>IMO this need for acceptance is what constitutes seeking
redemption. But what do you do if you are Spike and you've done
everything you know how to do to 'please' and you are still not
accepted?>>
There is the comprehension that you've done everything you can
do on your own followed by the realization that you can't do it
for yourself. Most major religions have the concept of "Let
go and let God." Even Buddhism I believe has the concept
of total abandonment of self before the cycle of reincarnation
can be broken.
With the mention of souls demons and demi-gods on BtVS I think
it is impossible for us not to consider the topic of redemption.
We may call it a journey or some other term but it's pretty much
the same thing. To have a character like Spike unable to complete
his journey because he lacks the nature to do so would be a tragedy.
I also have to accept the possibility that may be the ultimate
fate intended for Spike by his creator Joss Whedon.
Next week's program is supposed to be about a robot who falls
in love with her creator and is consoled by Buffy (not meant to
be a spoiler I think that information is widely published). This
surely cannot be a coincidence that it follows an episode where
Spike professes his love and is rejected by her.
I'd like to think that this week's episode also shows that Buffy
on her own journey just isn't ready to accept Spike at this time.
"
"Great post Dalwes.
You makes excellent points regarding self-awareness and 'letting
go'. You may be right that Spike is still in a pre-redemption
stage...
"There is the comprehension that you've done everything you
can do on your own followed by the realization that you can't
do it for yourself."
That is a 'fateful' identity shattering moment. It can be your
ultimate salvation or it can squash you into dust.
"To have a character like Spike unable to complete his journey
because he lacks the nature to do so would be a tragedy. I also
have to accept the possibility that may be the ultimate fate intended
for Spike by his creator Joss Whedon."
It would be a tragedy but I have to agree that it would certainly
make sense thematically.
I think the problem I am experiencing right now as a viewer (and
I don't think I am alone in feeling this way) is that I feel more
empathy for Spike's quandary than I do for Buffy's. Buffy is becoming
more and more strident and forceful. She has been a bit difficult
to like this season. In many ways Spike seems more human than
Buffy at this point. A strange state of affairs:)
"
Where can I find Austin's
Take on Crush? I love to be spoiled :)
Please
feel free to vent any and all your pet theories regarding any
Buffyverse storyline or character in this thread. Consider it
a generic pick-me-up thread.
OK all start us off here. My brand spanking new theory posits
that there actually *is* a chip. It's a pretty conventional aversion
therapy sort of contraption and Spike's pretty much up Titicaca's
Creek without a paddle. He wants it removed pronto. After much
prevarication he decided his best bet to get the chip removed
and protect Dawn (I know I know - please let me wallow in denial
a bit) is to convince Glory that his chip is actually the key!
By the end of the season Glory does her finger voodoo on his brain
to try to retrieve the key. Miscellaneous messiness ensues.
Voil¦! Isn't the simplicity of the concept a beauty to
behold? LOL.
"Love that!
;) Let us all wallow in denial with Spike and Dawn. Since Dawn
told him "mostly I think Ewww" (hilarious!) in Checkpoint
I felt there was an interesting connection between those two.
He's definitely concerned when she tells him she's going away
in BT. It's not only the music! (more denial here!!!)
I'd love it if at the end Spike would have to do an altruistic
act and save Dawn. That would beat Dru out of her feet!
So why don't we all forget about S/B and all become Dawn/Spike
worshipper!!! LOL (Not romantically of course!)
At some point they have to bring back the chip... your theory
Aquitaine would be just great. Does anyone know if fans ever have
been able to predict the end of a season? We could give you an
award or something! :)"
And
if Glory tries to use the key by putting it in her own brain (just
a thought)....
And if Glory
tries to use the key by putting it in her own brain (just a thought)....
The chip seems to prevent to kill or hurt humans... I'm not sure
Glory would like that! :)
Now
wouldn't that be something Glory getting the chip and not able
to hurt humans - but I wonder if that works on gods as well as
demons? :)
Love your theory Aquitaine it makes perfect sense :)
Hmm if Spike did get the chip out to protect Dawn it would be
something Buffy should consider as the Knights of Byzamtium are
human and with his super strength he'd be a big help. But as of
right now Buffy is not thinking of asking him for help ever again.
Chiped Glory trying to hurt
humans: LIke OWWW!
Sadly though
Glory just might be crazy enough to enjoy the monstorous headaches.
Did anyone else notice Anya's
emotional reactions about Dawn? When they me in the magic shop
she was so uncomfortable she turned away and then finally found
an inane (if you didn't know Dawn was the key) compliment. Has
Anya ever complimented anyone before (except Xander). Has she
ever been afarid to speak her mind before? She was also affected
in the Dawn-Buffy sea shell scene and she was sad and concerned
when Buffy told the SG that Dawn had left.
"Didn't especially notice it at the time
gds but you are right now that I flash back on it.
Perhaps this will be a subject of future contrasts especially
if it turns out that Spike is going to do more of the evil-thing
in future eps. That is the contrast between two 'ex-demons' (the
jury's still very much out on Spike of course) and their ability
to *genuinely* have empathy for others. Now that Anya's human
again there has been debate whether or not she has a soul (I'm
voting yes at least for the moment) and of course we know Spike
doesn't whether or not the chip emulates one.
So Anya may grow and become more and more 'soulful' and Spike??
Thus these two characters would serve to mirror one another's
growth process in interesting ways.
I'd like to take a brief moment to pat myself on the back (doesn't
happen too often so I'll go for it while I can! ;) by saying that
there was something about Anya that I liked from the day she asked
Xander out to the prom that part about him being "less obnoxious
than most of the alpha males around here."
Good call Anya. The Xan-man's been very good for you and that's
been good for humanity."
Love
can move mountains. Despite the fact that Anya is selfish (note
the remark she says about Buffy's dress! :) despite the fact that
she's over interested in money and sex despite her way to talk
to customers her usual lack of compliments to others she has something
that other demons don't have. Love. Xander is her miracle in some
way. Someone who hasn't known love can't love. (well that's my
opinion) I believe that Anya is changing because whatever she
does thinks or says... she feels complete support from Xander.
Was Xander to diappear from her life I would bet she wouldn't
change that much anyore.
As for Spike rejection can only lead him to become violent again.
To see what someone has to offer you have to love them. When you
are always rejected you can't believe in love anymore and there's
no point to do good. The fact that he's a vampire makes it all
more difficult. Would Spike changed if he was really loved for
himself? I don't know but it seems that love is changing Anya
slowly so we could still wonder about that!
Anya knows more about alternate universes that
the rest of the group (having had a hand in creating them over
the centuries). It may be that Anya understands that whether Glory
is defeated or not a day will come when Dawn will cease to exist
and be forgotten.
that's kinda
what happens to all life though from the point of the living.
Depending on what you believe eternal after-life with God karmic
rebirth etc.
"First let
me get this out of the way (the caps are mine):
Marya on the ATPoBtVS Board:
"When the vampire demon aquires the memories and personality
of it's victims it also gets ECHOES of the soul and conscience....
[and].... those echoes might get IMPRINTED on it's soul"
David Fury in Zap2it interview:
"We feel like there's a GHOST of the person you once were
inside them -- a phiisophical ghost...[and]...the demon is INFUSED
with some of the characteristics of the people that they possess."
Echo/ ghost. Imprinted/infused. 'nuff said?
Ok I read the article. I don't think DF was condemning Spike as
a serial killer while exonerating Angel. Nor do I think he ever
meant to imply that Angel was a more suitable lover for Buffy.
It looks that way because of the way Ms. O'hare places her comments
among the quotes but such are the hazards of journalism. We can't
know for sure but I think in that part of the interview he was
focusing on Spike's role on BtVS. He was reminding us that all
this excitement about a potential love affair between Buffy and
Spike is just so much hormonal romanticism. Spike is "charasmatic
" a "good looking guy" and "does carry a lot
of ... romanticism." And the way JM plays him all swagger
smoldering eyes and flaring nostrils is just well hot. But he
"is in fact a demon .... infused with some of the characteristics
[the person in this case William] that they possess." So
basically we're reminded that although Spike has remnants of the
mushy poetic William in him he's still a vampire. And vampires
like to be bad. They like to do damage. And they like to kill.
DF of course does make comparisons between Angel and Spike later
in the article. There I think his focus was to preserve the uniqueness
of Angel in the Buffyverse. But in doing so he does kind of murky
things up. In defending Angel's singularity he says that "other
vampires can[not] choose to fight evil or choose not to be evil......To
afford that kind of conscious choice on a character like Spike
would diminish both of them." Yet we know Spike can in fact
fight evil and choose not to be evil. Because we've seen it starting
with Doomed. But what I think DF was driving at here was a matter
of motivation. Due to the curse and his restored soul Angel is
"driven by guilt." He reminds us that Angel is tormented
by his desire for redemption and his unsurety of it's possibility.
These don't neccessarily prove Angel to be good but we have to
agree they are compelling motivations to at least not align himself
with evil. He also says he is "driven by blood lust"
aknowledging that there's still a lot of evil in the old guy putting
him in constant conflict with himself. So what motivates Spike.
Mostly that danged chip. Can't kill can't feed. But we've clearly
seen it doesn't diminish his desire to do violence. The only thing
he can do damage to are demons hence the fighting evil. And now
he has that randy infatuation with the Slayer. And she's really
into the not being evil. Hence the choosing to not be evil. Or
at least look that way.
Mostly I don't think the article had anything new to say. Just
reinforced what we all really know even if our attraction to Spike
and the actor that plays him makes us want to believe differently.
Personally I don't think having Buffy and Spike getting together
romantically would ever work. It's just not good storytelling.
DF sums it up when he says "It cannot end well." But
how the writers get themselves and us out of this moral quagmire
is going to be interesting.
It's very late and I should have been in bed hours ago but I know
I won't sleep it I don't finish this so here's another point about
some of the things that have come up in these last few threads.
Many of you especially those who lean toward the romantic resolution
for Buffy and Spike seem to argue for the possiblity of redemption
even for vampires. This often leads to one of the many discussion
of the nature of vampirism and the role of the soul. It seems
to me that whenever we get into these discussion no matter how
great the theories we come up with the stumbling block is always
Angel and that cursed soul of his. I've come to the conclusion
that the problem is we always end up using Angel as both the foundation
and a kind of litmus test for our theories. I have come to the
conclusion that herein lies our mistake. If we are reminded of
anything in that article we've all gotten so excited about it's
that Angel is unique in the Buffyverse. Not just because he has
a soul but because he's CURSED with a soul. The goal of the curse
was to make him suffer. To make him feel horrific guilt and remorse
for all the evil he had done. We all assume that the soul is what
created that guilt and remorse. But I've come to believe that's
not so. It is the curse that makes him experience these painfull
emotions. Among the magics involved was the requirement that his
soul be restored. The soul is not the source of his guilt it is
merely a device to facilitate it's delivery.
For those of you debating Angel's desire for redemtion and why
he should need it you've made some very good points. But I was
wondering if you've all read the mini-thread by Ryuei a couple
pages back. He says things simiar to some of your points from
the Buddhist perspective. But he says it more elequently than
most of us can ever hope to. I suggest you all take a look.
Ok now I can sleep.
BTW what's this wildfeed thing you all are on about?
"
Where's
the discussion on the wild feed? I find only Brian asking about
the feed--no discussion.
Dalwes
we don't really discuss the wildfeed at ATPoBtVS. But if you're
feeling so inclined you can find all sorts of discussion and speculation
at the Buffy Cross and Stake Spoiler Board.
for Crush. You may not be able
to stomach watching the show afterwards. I am cringing at the
thought of the visuals that must accompany some scenes. *shudder*
In case you were wondering the DF interview appears not to have
been disinformation:(
Me too
Aquitaine. I won't get into it on the other board though just
too upset for words. *Shudder* is right.
Lynn
"I love the way you
put things into perspective Marya. I just wanted to add that I
know that I am always (not only with Buffy) trying to see good
in people. Well that's the way I am and I'd try to reform the
devil himself!
LOL Even though the romantic side of me would like a romance between
B/S I wouldn't like to see it. It would be too easy. And if I
were on the writer's staff I'd make Spike change in "Crush"...
make him turn to his evil way just the way they did it (that's
what Aquitaine confirmed!) It's the best scenario possible for
now. He can't stay all mushi-mushi for rest of the season. I'm
really looking forward to see him bad. BUT I am also looking forward
for some realization on Spike's part after a few "angst"
episodes. It can wait until the 100th episode if they want...
but I want something (or a better explanation for all we have
seen so far)
"
"And if I were on
the writer's staff I'd make Spike change in Crush"... make
him turn to his evil way just the way they did it (that's what
Aquitaine confirmed!)"
Wait just a minute there... I will neither confirm or deny such
rumours. LOL. Seriously though I don't think that it was made
at all clear *what* Spike's mindset is at this point and his next
move is not at all clear. It could still go either way and I suppose
that if I look at this from the most positive angle I can think
of (I took a nice long nap to recover from the wildfeed so I am
better disposed to think about this rationally:) the fact that
he has been stripped of every last vestige of his social connections
(Harmony the SG Dru Buffy other vamps) makes him as compelling
a wild card as ever in the Tarot deck that is the Buffyverse.
Remember how he told Buffy in FFL that her social connections
were the reason she was still alive? As with many things he said
that faithful night I think the statement about family and friends
can just as easily be applied to Spike himself. Spike has no reason
to 'live' at the moment. He'll have to find one or do himself
in. What do you think of suicide by Slayer?
"
Hee hee! I just meant
you confirmed it in the wildfeet post. Don't want to say that
you posses all the power to predict future! LOL
Of course I was a little too rash to involved you in that! :)
Buffy and Spike journey might just take a parallel road. Buffy
loosing people around her and Spike as well. They may will both
be put into positions where they will have to answer some unresolved
issues. The famous grey zone!
"He
was reminding us that all this excitement about a potential love
affair between Buffy and Spike is just so much hormonal romanticism.
Spike is charismatic " a "good looking guy" and
"does carry a lot of ... romanticism." And the way JM
plays him all swagger smoldering eyes and flaring nostrils is
just well hot."
More like Gothic Romanticism -- like Wuthering Heights where the
"hero" (Heathcliffe) is a thouroughly wicked individual.
Yet at the same time there is something romantic (I'm not sure
why) about a doomed love than spans two generations.
"If we are reminded of anything in that article we've all
gotten so excited about it's that Angel is unique in the Buffyverse.
Not just because he has a soul but because he's CURSED with a
soul. The goal of the curse was to make him suffer. To make him
feel horrific guilt and remorse for all the evil he had done.
We all assume that the soul is what created that guilt and remorse.
But I've come to believe that's not so. It is the curse that makes
him experience these painful emotions. Among the magics involved
was the requirement that his soul be restored. The soul is not
the source of his guilt it is merely a device to facilitate it's
delivery."
I share your opinion. A soul is not enough to create guilt --
the gypsies cursed Angel with both a soul and a high performance
conscience. I think the soul was necessary for the conscience
to function -- the demon animating the vampire is an amoral creature.
A conscience would serve little purpose for a monster that didn't
understand that it was doing wrong.
I do think the article puts to rest the notion that the soul of
the victim is still in the victim's body -- just supressed. Everthing
from Joss & Co. points to the soul's flight when the demon takes
over.
"
Thanks for explainng
the wildfeed. I like to be a little spoiled but I'm afraid that
would be too much. So far I'm resisting but with every post I
read I find it harder and harder. OTOH I used to get a double
dose of Buffy when my cable carried WGN. I always thought I enjoyed
the second showing better because I didn't have to worry about
what was going to happen. Maybe reading the wildfeed wouldn't
be much different. (See I'm weakening already.)
I'd also like to apologize for the atrocious spelling in the opening
subject of this thread. My only excuse is that if you look at
the time I posted it was very late even considering my being on
the west coast. It makes me cringe every time I see it and I'm
sure it bothers some of you so please accept my apologies.
"Rufus mentioned in her earlier post that
there's an article on Buffy at this site:
http://tv.zap2it.com/science fiction/otherworlds.
html?15513
Mr Fury says in that article that it could be a possibility to
send Spike as the big bad in "Angel".
I do have some serious doubts about the success of that transfer:
1. It would mean that if Spike is all big bad we've really been
misled all season hoping for redemption (or something!)
2. Maybe it's just me but whenever Spike and Angel have had scenes
together... it was never Angel who won the day. It may be a question
of taste but David Boreanaz doesn't have great actor's skills
(sorry for David's worshippers). He is okay but not great. With
James Marsters joining the show... how would it affect his image
as the hero if the show?
Many fans have asked to see more angst from Spike and making him
part of "Angel" might just bring that on but what does
it say about everything that happened so far?"
I'm not sure it's a question of acting talent
or style. DB and JM have very different approaches to the craft.
That's a given. The thing is if Spike were to go to Angel it would
be a one-joke gag. Angel has the stronger body Spike the stronger
wit. One episode of that was enough (In the Dark) IMO. Actually
I find that both Angel and Spike become caricatures of themselves
when they play off each other...
Besides A:tS already has 3 criminally underused actors (CK AD
and AR - Lindsey Wes and Gunn). Also BtVS cannot afford to lose
any male characters at this time. I really don't see bland Ben
filling Spike's boots. LOL.
Also
the dilemna of second-half story arcs.
In order for Spike to be a 'big bad' he needs that pesky chip
removed. He can't actually pose a threat to the human race personally
and that takes away a lot of his scare factor.
Btw I completely agree about the severity of the underuse of the
actors and the fact that Spike would be beyond difficult to replace
on the show.
I don't know about
the ratings but maybe they are hoping to get more viewers into
watching A:tS!
It just that turning Spike into Lex Luthor would be reducing the
show to something it's not.
That's why I was wondering... I just hope it will stay on the
table and not get more support!
BTW I don't want to be mean to DB when I say he's only an okay
actor. It's only a constatation. A writer made a wonderful and
hilarious Buffy parody in which she says that Angel has 2 faces
and that when he becomes Angelus et gets 3 more for a total of
five.
Maybe playing the brooding guy isn't something easy to do. You
can't have a happy moment. Can't really smile. Doesn't give you
a lot of option to play with.
Just
so you know I'm not skirting the issue... LOL... I do know what
you mean about DB and that fanfic you refer to was absolutely
hilarious wasn't it?
However I can't imagine anyone but DB playing Angel. It is no
small feat to carry an entire show. His character is so 'larger
than life'. It can't be easy to be in perpetual brood mode. And
while JM *seems* to have a greater range of talents to work with
I can't imagine that there is a Spike: The Series in the works
if you know what a mean. LOL.
Oh...
for those of you who don't know what we are refering to you can
read the Buffy parody at:
http://dittdo.homestead.com/buffyparody1.html
It's hilarious really!
Hmmm... If every Buffy character had to have his or her own series
who would stay on Buffy? Instead of having the Slayerettes she
would be left with fighting cranky demons all alone! We wouldn't
want that do we? :)
I agree
with all of you Spike belongs on Buffy there he is a big fish
in a small pond and a great contrast to the other characters.
The actors on Ats are getting more time now that Angel has set
them free so I hope that once he comes back to the fold (as we
know he will) they will continue to.
In The Dark was a perfect episode in that it was a one-shot deal
all that makes both characters (Spike and Angel) what they are.
But to repeat it every week would be monotonous. Love the Lex
Luthor analogy I use it myself :)
As for acting styles JM comes from a stage background that emphasizes
more versatility and ensemble work which makes him a great co-star
at this time. DB has that big dark presence which bodes well for
a leading role. Different approaches same result we like watching
them.
Lynn
Spike belongs on Buffy
there he is a big fish in a small pond
Maybe that's why he has burning baby fish swimming around his
head! LOL.
Kindred Lynn where have you been hiding lately? Missed you.
LOL! Somehow I knew you would mention that :)
Thank you kindred Aquitaine missed you too. I've been busy and
work and a little under the weather (arthritis - it's a pain ;)
) But I'm feeling better and glad to be back to discuss our favorite
unsoulded vampire and wonder what in the world is going to happen
to him?! I was not going to read the wild feed but I think I am
going to need to be forewarned regarding the next episode in order
to maintain my composure while watching it. My sister too :)
Lynn
Ergh. Sorry to hear about
you being under the weather:( Glad you are back though.
Rufus contracted Riley to keep me from reading the wildfeed but
he backed out on account of some bogus mission to Belize. The
Host was his backup but he's gotten pretty tipsy on Sea Breezes
so I think I will 'cave' once again. I have absolutely no self-control.
Time to change the battery in my chip no doubt!
How typical of Riley to bail out :) We'll excuse
The Host he was out saving the world and needed something to calm
his nerves :) I never used to read them but I am now officially
addicted. What kind of batteries do you need I have some extra
lying around.
Thanks it's good to be back :)
Lynn
With all the ups and downs
around here I'm thinking lithium batteries are in order:)
"I read in an interview
with Joss or JM (or maybe both) that JM is contracted on BtVS
through this season (5) and possibly next (6). Buffy/Angel crossovers
are always a possibility but I seriously doubt Spike will go to
L.A. permanently.
Even if Spike does turn evil again I don't think he will be two-dimensional.
He wasn't before he got chipped why would he be now?? I can't
ever decide if I like Spike better chipped or unchipped. He has
had some of the best lines on either show - one of my favorites
is his voice-over on top of the building when he goes to L.A.
to get the magic ring from Angel talking about "Nancy-boy
hair gel" and all. LOL! Also his little speech to Buffy and
Angel in "Lovers Walk." Etc. etc. etc.
Actually I think David B. is a pretty good actor (or maybe I'm
partial ;-) ). The interviews I've read/seen with him make him
out to be a fairly goofy guy. So playing brooding Angel is sort
of opposite of his personality. I also recommend going to see
"Valentine " David B.'s new movie. Not a great horror
flick maybe not even a good one - fairly formulaic. But worth
the price of popcorn. As my girlfriends who saw it with me said
we went for the eye candy!
On another note:
I definately missed something. Where was this interview with this
Fury guy?? Was it over at BC&S? I don't go over there much
except to read the fanfic."
It's
at www.zap2it.com. Click on TV then Science Fiction buttons on
the left. You should see a picture of JM under Poll. Click that
and you should be at the article.
I agree with you that DB is a pretty good actor. . When Angel
was announced I was one who had doubts whether DB could carry
a show but I have been pleasantly surprised. And his abilities
have grown along with the series. It's not easy playing a character
where so much is interior. I think JM is very talented but with
Spike he really gets to use those broad strokes while DB mostly
has to stick to those fine details. OTOH I will say as dialecticians
JM seems to be a master while DB well it's much easier when the
flashbacks don't involve his Irish accent. :-)
Well that's what I get for avoiding spoiler threads.
Why din nobody tell me the gal who wrote the article about this
ep for zap2it mentions my site? The author sure didn't tell me
she was going to give me free publicity in a big spoiler article!
*happies*
Masquerade did you
find it strange that such a 'black and white' article would plug
your very beautiful shades of grey site? LOL.
Congrats by the way. It's great to know that your site is getting
the recognition it deserves:) Also I'm sure we will be seeing
a lot of new faces around thanks to the advert. That's gotta be
a good thing.
Oh I didn't actually
read much of the article. As soon as they started giving details
of where the actors were on the set I went to the bottom to find
the button that took me back to the article list and saw my URL
and site name! I only went there in the first place to copy the
article to read tomorrow AM. It is the one where they quote Fury
right??
Yes it does contain
the now 'notorious' Fury quotes:) I think you'll find it a very
interesting article though more 'spoilery' than seems wise to
me... which is probably what led to all the 'fake interview speculation'.
Fake or not the plug for your site made me 1) very happy and 2)
got me to thinking about what exactly the article was designed
to do...
Things that make you go hmmmmm.
"Allright this has been
bothering me for a long time. How could a few monks be able to
think up 14 years worth of memories and physical evidence for
the key's human form? Even if there were thousands and thousands
of monks it would still be impossible to do because of how complex
and unpredictable life is (especially on top of a hellmouth) and
how many people it would affect. The only way I think "making"
Dawn's life could work would be if they went back in time and
took the moment when Joyce first became aware that she was having
another child and use that as the "seed" for some kind
of alternate-dimension spell to generate the momories needed for
everyone who would be invloved with the slayer's "little
sister" put together Dawn's room and belongings and then
use another spell to tie together all the loose ends. For instance
in the memory-verse from the first spell Dawn learns to ride a
bike and falls over so the monks put a bike in the garage and
the loose-ends spell puts a scar on dawn's knee.
If that's true wouldn't the "fake" memories everyone
has be just as good as the real thing? And wouldn't Dawn really
and truly be Buffy's little sister in every way except genetically?
"
I always thought the
monks' spell was like a computer program that used a template
to create a data group. The data being the existing memories of
the people who lived the current time line. It may still be a
work in progress because you don't remember all of your memories
at once. Of course she did have those diaries ... hmmm.
If they time-traveled Dawn into the past she'd be 14 years old
not 6 months.
We are indeed the result of our memories and I think yes Dawn's
'fake' memories are just as good. Especially if everyone around
her remembers them too.
We are
indeed the result of our memories and I think yes Dawn's 'fake'
memories are just as good. Especially if everyone around her remembers
them too.
I suspect that if the memories were examined extremely closely
there would be some inconsistencies. Certainly I believe that
Spike at least must be confused about why he never thought to
use Dawn in a scheme of his. Although one of things about memories
is that not everyone remembers the same thing in the same way
so a few inconsistencies might go unnoticed.
What I find intriguing is the
apparent lack of inconsistency regarding people's memories of
Dawn. Clearly the 'real memories' the SG had had to be altered
so that the 'new implanted memories' made sense. How is it that
no one feels violated by this little trick? I mean their realities
and perceptions are irrevocably altered too.
And let me just throw this little tidbit into the mix once again:
We *still* haven't had any contact between LA and Sunnydale. Maybe
Dawn hasn't risen in LA yet?
As to whether Dawn's life really happened I wondered that myself
especially when I saw all those diaries spread across her bed.
Somehow the diaries made her non-life seem tangible. But like
the fake-Swami said Angel could see his reflection in the people
around him so can Dawn. She exists because she and those around
her share the knowledge and memories of her existence.
"A couple of weeks ago I was reading in the
newspaper about a German woman who had come to the United States
to meet a convicted serial killer in prison. She had seen him
on TV in Germany as a model in a commercial for a clothing line.
Let me restate that for emphasis. The commercial had used convicted
American serial killers currently serving time to attract buyers
to their clothing line.
I personally can't think of anything more tasteless than that
commercial but whoever thought up the idea must have a keen insight
to some part of the human psyche. I don't even want to get into
the whole blame thing about a commercial like that only being
possible in Germany since American women have been falling for
convicted killers for generations. Ted Bundy received tons of
letters from women up to his execution.
The German woman did meet with her convicted killer and they are
now "in love." She believes that he is a changed man
and that anyone with his eyes couldn't possibly still be evil.
I'm sure she helps him relieve the tedium of prison life but I
have no idea as to his current state of "grace" or for
that matter his real feelings for this woman. I don't think he
has any chance of parole but they hope to marry.
Well it looks to me as though something very similar has occurred
on BtVS. Many of us have fallen prey to the seduction of another
serial killer the character known as Spike. Every so often an
actor in this case James Marsters does his job so well that the
audience can't get enough of him. We are so fascinated by his
voice his mannerisms and his personal appearance that we even
want him to possess the star of the show Buffy. The fact that
he is a vampire and she the vampire slayer only adds to the fascination.
Anything less than full involvement with the Slayer would relegate
Spike to a minor character and many of us want him to have more
airtime.
We create various excuses or scenarios that would make it possible
for Buffy and Spike to have a romantic relationship. Is it possible
for a souless vampire to love? Can Spike be redeemed? Will Buffy
be able to overcome her instincts and give that peroxided hottie
a break?
Well I don't think that is the intention of the writers although
they would be smart to play it as a possibility for as long as
possible. From everything I've read it was never the intention
of the creator Joss Whedon to have Spike win & keep Buffy's heart.
The vampire seems to be able to read Buffy better than any one
else because he is just that good a predator. Right now he has
a chip that prevents him from killing anyone human.
It's kind of like that American serial killer I mentioned earlier.
Those prison walls restrain him from doing what he would really
like to be doing as well as giving his German sweetie the opportunity
to see his beautiful eyes in relative safety.
Will I tune in next Tuesday to watch Buffy & Spike do their dance?
I wouldn't miss it.
"
the dancer from the dance!
Buffy and Spike are dancing around something. It could be love;
it could be death.
Spike is smitten with the idea of love and it is virtually impossible
not to find *that* an endearing quality. But Spike seems just
as committed to 'killing things' as he ever was. I noticed when
reading the shooting script for Blood Ties that they cut some
of his lines about still needing to hunt and kill things...
I have some problems with the serial killer analogy and vampires
though because it assumes that vampires are human. A human who
kills other humans is a serial killer but it is in a vampire's
nature is to kill humans to feed. Therein lies a difference I
can't really find the words to explain.
Of course Spike does not make human-like moral choices. He's a
vampire. With his chip he is learning to mimic moral choices and
to look at things from the perspective of others. It is artificial
conditioning.
It must be very confusing to be Spike at this time and I think
most of us can relate to his generalised confusion about love
and life. Spike's fascinating because of all the characters in
the Buffyverse his world offers the most opportunity for change
(for good or for bad) in the most entertaining package.
As I was just going to point
out--though you did a better job than I could Aquitaine--Vampires
and serial killers are very different though we as humans seem
to have the same sort of attraction to both. I was watching The
Silence of the Lambs last night and couldn't help thinking Hannibal
Lecter scary...yet o so cool at the same time...it's in all of
our natures to want a little monster in our man/woman not just
Buffy's because she's the slayer. I think we all fell for Angel
before Buffy did nevermind he's a vampire but I hate people using
his having a soul as an excuse because it really makes no difference.
I look at Spike and Angel equally they both have a shot at redemption
though whether they reach it is up to them-and Joss ofcourse.
" nevermind he's a vampire
but I hate people using his having a soul as an excuse because
it really makes no difference.
Sorry i'm compelled to add my take again -
In the buffyverse the soul does seem to be a conscience and the
defining essence of who we are. Angel is a dead unrotted human
body with a demon soul and vampire/demon power that had the human
thrown back into it as the dominant being. It has the memories
of it's pure vampire existence and we are also the sum of our
memories. Angel is a different person in the growth of personality
way from Liam and that his mind is a human mind contaminated by
the dark impulses that are the demon part's attempts to resurface
and control. An urge to be evil but repulsed and horrified at
the same time; a human trapped in a demon's existence. I remember
that a soul doesn't guarentee being good but for the human Liam
he was at least opposed to evil deep down. I don't see Angel as
responsible. And assuming a "christian" universe I don't
see the human part as being cupable to the sins of the vampire.
Redemption.....well i don't think Spike is not given as much of
a chance as Angel. Can a demon"soul" reform? What's
the nature of evil?
Too much..........urgg"
same
here but i guess in the end that's up to Joss
-AP
"I think the point
that some of us are missing is not that Dalwes is calling Spike
a serial killer but rather rather that s/he is comparing this
German woman's fascination with/romanticization of an American
serial killer to BtVS fans' fascination with/romanticization of
Spike-the-character/James-Marsters-the-actor. Whether we are fascinated
by the character of Spike or appreciate JM's acting (or both)
many of us have slipped into a romantic (see definition below)
view of Spike overlooking to a certain extent that he *is* a vampire.
And the only reason he is not out killing drinking blood causing
mayhem and generally making a really big nuisance of himself is
because he has a chip in his head (presumably) that will not allow
him to harm humans.
romantic -
Marked by the imaginative or emotional appeal of what is heroic
adventurous remote mysterious or idealized.
If BtVS and A:tS were not so well written and acted would we have
such an emotional investment in the characters and how they interact
with each other?? We identify/empathize with these characters.
To some extent we fantasize/romanticize about the actors who have
given us these characters. Some may argue that these characters
are written strongly enough that any good actor could play them.
Possibly. But can you imagine "Indiana Jones" played
not by Harrison Ford but by Tom Selleck (Lucas and Speilberg's
first choice for the role)? The actor brings something of himself
to the role either consciously or not making the character his/hers
such that we could not conceive of another actor in the role.
So our attraction/appreciation for the actor colors how we feel
about the character they play.
All of this may have to do with our "need" to see the
good in another human being - or even a vampire a monster that
appears human. Despite how cynical some of us can get we all still
want to see the good in others. Sometimes this "good"
is based on truth and sometimes it is based on a romantic view
of the person or situation. I'm not saying that either way is
right or wrong. It is just a human tendency that we must see for
what it is and deal with it as best we can. "
"As to how we romanticize the characters
in BtVS and A:tS:
On this board alone we have:
* Offered up chocolate-covered (with or without sprinkles) versions
of our favorite characters.
* Offered to let Riley swap psychotherapy sessions for housework
(and offered to swap Riley himself!).
* Offered to make Angel "cheerful."
* Considered canonizing Spike and/or James Marsters.
Granted all or most of this has all been good clean naughty fun.
But it shows the depth of emotional investment we have with these
shows and their characters. I venture to say that a goodly number
of us who post regularly on this board are in the over-30 demographic.
You'd think we'd know better!! ;-) We're not just silly schoolgirls/boys
pining for the lastest cutie served up by the Hollywood promotion
machine. We have made an investment (of time emotions thoughts
etc.) in these shows and want to continue believing in the characters
portrayed on them.
"
Guilty as charged purplegrrl.
LOL.
And now not only am I exposed as a hopeless romantic and a character
dipper/swapper I was also caught cackling unbecomingly at work
while I read your post surreptitiously:)
Work at home so no surreptiousness
involved. Just unbecoming cackling.
Purplegrrl
- How right you are. Many years ago I used to watch a certain
set of soap operas. Occasionally when one of the lead actors was
sick. etc there would be a substitute in the role. The character
was different and I felt cheated. I taught acting for years and
used to tell my students this formula:
the role multiplied by the actor equals the character. So RxA=C.
The equation is always unique. Different actors bring different
qualities to the role. Think how many different actors have played
Hamlet in the last 20 years and how different each character appeared.
Our thoughts about Spike would be quite different if it were to
be played by another actor rather than James Marsters. No matter
how good the written word it is the actor who brings those words
to life.
What is nice about BtVS is that there are so many good ones.
There has been quite a lot of
debate on this board about the Watchers Council particularly as
to whether
or not the motives of those within it are benevolent or primarily
ones of self-interest. At the moment it
seems that Our Heroine has the upper hand with the WC but of course
they could just be playing along
until they get the chance to restore the balance of power in their
favor.
What me paranoid? You betcha! In my humble opinion itís
generally a good idea to have at least a *little*
paranoia in oneís life it keeps your senses on edge just
enough to prevent your getting burned by various
and sundry individuals/organizations who may not have your best
interests at heart.
Of course you have to know where to draw the line. This morning
on the way to an installation job I
stopped at a mini-market to get some coffee and a danish. Most
of the clerks in these places tend toward
the grumpy side which I probably would be too if I had to work
in some place where the wages are low
the lights are flourescent and the chances of armed robbery are
high. But the lady in this mart was not only
not bummed out she was positively cheerful. And friendly. So friendly
in fact that as I strolled out of the
store I found myself wondering what she was up to!
Ah yes. Paranoia...
...and there has never been a better film made about paranoia
than this weeks classic film *The
Conversation* written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Starring
the great Gene Hackman this 1974
release is now available on DVD in the original widescreeen presentation
and with a commentary track
both by the director himself and also film editor Walter Murch.
Hackman plays a surveillance specialist Harry Caul one of the
best in the business. He takes a job that
involves investigating and collecting evidence on a young couple
who are planning... what? Neither the
viewer nor Harry knows at first but as the plot develops Harry
begins to lose his professional detachment
and become more and more involved-- and more and more paranoid.
Everything builds (or unravels?) until
the question finally becomes who is the most damaged by all this--
Harry or the people he was hired to spy
on.
The final scene which takes place in Harryís apartment
is one of those ëperfect momentsí in cinema.
Released in between *The Godfather* and *The Godfather Part II*
few people got to see this film but
anyone who has will certainly remember it.
* * * * * * *
Next week-- Are they zombies? Aliens? Evil government agents?
Who knows? But theyíre taking over the
world (again???!!!) and itís up to one ex-wrestler type
to save us all in this much-better-than-youíd-expect
B-movie classic. Stay tuned!
E Pluribus Cinema Unum
"Not to mention that "The
Conversation" stars a very young Cindy Williams and Harrison
Ford as the couple that Gene Hackman is tailing.
Interesting movie. A character study rather than an action film.
Has a definate 1960s-paranoia/big-brother-is-watching sort of
feel to it.
Hey OnM. No fair looking at the TV Guide to pick your Movie of
the Week - I think this one was on AMC over the weekend. ;-)"
purplegirl it was Frederic Forrest
who was walking around in circles in that park with Cindy Williams.
Harrison Ford played the assistant to the rich and powerful executive
that supposedly had hired Harry Caul.
Sorry
it's been a while since I've seen the movie. Thanks for the correction.
I *knew* Harrison was in there somewhere!!!
Until you mentioned I had forgotten Harrison was
in it. But I knew he wasn't the one walking in circles.
Ahh there goes that synchronicity thing again!
Actually I had picked this film as my second posting before I
had even finished my first so either I am being possessed by the
Caritas demon or else AMC is reading this board! ;)
Was this the first time you've seen the film? One thing nice about
AMC is that they usually letterbox the film and while on some
flicks this doesn't make a huge difference FFC did use the whole
frame very effectively in *The Conversation*.
(I know that some folks don't like this technique especially if
they have a smallish TV screen but it is one of the few things
I am kind of picky about. I still owe a great debt of thanks to
Siskel & Ebert many years back for turning me on to the way films
were being butchered just to 'fit' on a standard squarish-shaped
TV screen.)
(Rant over now! ;)
So if Joyce is the cast member
who leaves (dies) will it be by natural causes or because she
is some part of the Glory-Ben equation? If that is the case will
Buffy be forced to destroy her to protect Dawn? I shutter to think
of her emotional state if this happens. There are links and parallels
between BtVS and Angel.
Will Buffy join Angel on the dark path to retribution and/or redemption?
"There was a cartoon in
the newspaper here yesterday that proves that Buffy/Angel fans
are everywhere.
The cartoon went like this:
Two men obviously down on their luck are sitting on the ground
next to a brick wall surrounded by junk and trash. One man says
to the other "I was a wealthy divorce lawyer until a gypsy
put a curse on me and gave me a conscience."
LOL!!"
I'm at work just
dying to answer some of today's posts but I am doomed to the tedium
of work instructions...
The fact that it's a lawyer... Cackling unbecomingly. Must sign
off now.
One of the stranger things I noticed during this
week's Buffy and Angel episode was on a Pepsi commercial. It was
set on a subway train. A homeless man held a sign which concerned
the Nag Hammadi Library and the Jung Codex. Those were Gnostic
texts found in Egypt back in the 1940s. (I've studied Gnosticism
in some depth.) The sign is easy to miss. In order to read it
I had to use the freeze-frame on my VCR.
Gnosticism has become fairly well-known and would fit into the
Buffyverse but I hadn't expected to see it mentioned in a soft-drink
commercial. The movie _The Matrix_ is very Gnostic in outlook
and I've read that Joss Whedon loves it.
The commercials shown during Buffy and Angel are somewhat off-topic
but this was weird enough the warrent a post. This year 2001 is
Post-Millennially Weird except for vampires for whom it is Post-Terminally
Weird.
"In "Blood
Ties " there is more evidence that the Knights of Byzantium
are actually Christian. They pray to "God": "The
Key is the link. The link must be severed. Such is the will of
God." As they pray they hold their swords as crosses. Confusing
matters theologically the "god" Glory and her minions
break up their prayer circle.
Religion in the Buffyverse is complex.
It probably wasn't intentional but the name "Knights of Byzantium"
could indicate either Eastern Orthodoxy or Roman Catholicism.
Within the Roman church there is the "Byzantine Rite "
which uses the Eastern Orthodox liturgy and other customs but
is also under the Pope and agrees with the Western church on such
theological matters as the filioque."
"When the Watchers Council told Buffy that
Glory was a god they didn't say of what of who or of where. The
spoilers I've read say that Glory is a demi-god of Hell.
In the Buffyverse there is a "rich pantheon" of gods
goddesses and beliefs not adhering to any one world view. Personally
I think that's what makes it interesting - there is a little something
for everyone not matter who you are or what you believe in or
how your world goes around.
Do the Knights of Byzantium know that Glory is a god or just that
she is evil and must be destroyed? Since they believe so fervently
in their own god I suspect that they view Glory as a demon devil
or other evil entity - since recognizing her as a god would conflict
with their world view.
Personally I think the Knights of Byzantium are a cross between
the knights of the Crusades (Knights Templar Knights of St. John
etc.) and the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword from "Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade" (note the similarity of each
group having an identifying tatoo). The name "Byzantium"
sounds exotic and vaguely church-like therefore a good choice
for a group crusading knights looking to battle evil to glorify
their god."
I'd guess that
the Knights would likely consider Glory to be a devil. The way
they refer to 'god' clearly suggest to me that they are monotheistic
and so would never consider Glory to have true 'god' status.
In Christian theology after all Satan was cast out of heaven but
he was never considered a god. (There is only one or three-in-one
depending on your interpretation of the 'Trinity' concept.) Satan
is very commonly referred to as the 'anti-Christ' but reaching
waaaayyyy back to my Sunday school lessons I remember the nuns
stating that Satan's powers were always inferior to Christ's.
Glory kind of follows in the tradition of taunting believers in
(whatever) god that 'how come he/she isn't saving you?' therefore
supposedly proving their godhood status.
Okay
okay. Maybe not Aquitaine induced but she did bring up the question
that is threatening to drive me bonkers. IS there a chip?
I have only seen one episode from seasons 1-3 so all my impressions
of the characters are from the way they act in seasons 4 and 5.
Aside from the fact that a trip to Blockbuster is in order I have
been diligently searching the net for shooting scripts and episode
guides to try and get an idea of what Spike was like before he
got chipped.
Questions my search has brought up. At what point does Spike make
the change from deadly enemy to uneasy ally? Does Dru dump him
because of what she sees in the future or because she is hurt
he doesnt share her desire to destroy the world? Did she think
she could cause him to be obsessed with Buffy if she told him
he was? Does she do this hoping to hurt him back?
Why didn't Buffy kill Spike in 'Harsh Light of Day'? Knowing he
would go to those lengths why did she let him get away?
When spike wakes up from -the dream- why doesn't he just assume
it was a nightmare? Why does he accept that it was showing his
true feelings?
and finally (grin) Why did they try to drug Spike after they installed
the chip? What were planning to do to him? Why wasn't there an
override or control built into the chip? Why were they so motivated
to get him back? Was it just because he knew of them or did they
still consider him a danger?
Please help so I can sleep again. :)
"I'll
do my best to answer some of your questions.
>>Questions my search has brought up. At what point does
Spike make the change from deadly enemy to uneasy ally?
The first time Spike made such a transition was near the end of
season 2...I believe the ep was Becoming pt.1. Angelus was planning
on giving the entire world a trip to hell and Spike allied himself
with Buffy to counter this threat. After all Spike likes the world...something
about dog races and happy meals with legs.
>>Does Dru dump him because of what she sees in the future
or because she is hurt he doesnt share her desire to destroy the
world? Did she think she could cause him to be obsessed with Buffy
if she told him he was? Does she do this hoping to hurt him back?
My impression is that Spike's obsession with Buffy was fated and
that Dru could see that in his aura. She is pretty psychic. She
dumped him because of it.
>>Why didn't Buffy kill Spike in 'Harsh Light of Day'? Knowing
he would go to those lengths why did she let him get away?
Good question. My best guess is poor judgement. Buffy was under
considerable emotional strain from being played by Parker and
before Buffy managed to take the Gem from him Spike gave her some
first rate beatdown. Another possibility is that she didn't want
to risk the Gem falling back into Spike's hands.
>>When spike wakes up from -the dream- why doesn't he just
assume it was a nightmare? Why does he accept that it was showing
his true feelings?
This wasn't merely a picture show for Spike...he actually felt
love for Buffy. You can feel emotions in your dreams...fear love
guilt etc. He knew that it was true when he awoke. At the same
time he wasn't ready to accept it yet. In "Fool for Love"
Spike set forth to kill Buffy and I think he was more surprised
than anyone how much seeing her tears affected him.
>>and finally (grin) Why did they try to drug Spike after
they installed the chip?
Spike shoved around scientists and Willow after being chipped...it
wasn't until he tried to feed on Willow that the chip took effect.
The scientists probably knew that he was still dangerous.
>>What were planning to do to him? Why wasn't there an override
or control built into the chip? Why were they so motivated to
get him back? Was it just because he knew of them or did they
still consider him a danger?
They didn't consider him a danger. (foolishly) However he was
a prototype and an experiment. Probably a very costly one. With
him running amok in Sunnydale they're missing out on their valued
research data.
There can be only one purpose to the experiment. Chipped Hostiles
(a la Spike) can not harm humans in any way but they can beat
maim and kill demonoids. Seems to me that it was part of the Initiative
agenda to harness the sub-t's as a weapon.
>>Please help so I can sleep again. :)
Hope that helped. If not try some warm milk.
Jolly
"
"Jolly's post covered
things very well but another thing to keep in mind if you have
only seen recent seasons is that Spike has *always* been atypical
as a vampire one reason I personally find it so puzzling that
some fans find his most recent behavior so 'impossible' for a
vampire.
As to why Spike would be both so terrified of and yet accepting
of as 'truth' that he would be in love with Buffy is based on
the famous "I'm love's bitch and I'm man enough to admit
it" speech. Just like Dru has her visions Spike seems to
have an inner awareness when it come to human emotions even though
he's technically a vamp. So if he feels that it's 'real' he won't
try to deny it even if it's something he's not especially happy
about. It's this same 'gift' that allows him to manipulate others
to his benefit so easily.
This explanation's a little clunky sorry but I think you can get
the gist of it.
Someone commented a little while back on whether Riley had somehow
'passed the torch' to Spike as far as Buffy was concerned just
in a kind of plastic-stake-through-the-heart sort of way. As we
know Riley played the part of the 'Salesman' in 'Restless' (a
rather clueless one maybe?)
Salesmen are sometimes characterized as manipulating people for
their own needs. Is the 'Death of a Salesman' now referring to
Spike and whether or not he will stop manipulating and start treating
Buffy in a more honest selfless fashion?
I know I'm reaching but hey 'Restless' does that to you! ;)"
"I have to disagree that
Spike is "atypical." Over the years we've seen a lot
of "red shirt" vampires and minion buffoons but only
a few that we really got to know well. And each one has had a
very unique personality. The overriding similarity seems to be
that they're really a fun loving bunch in a "we like to kill
maime and generally cause as much havoc as possible" way.
I really do think the chip exists. We saw one physically when
Riley pulled his out of his chest. Excuse me while I pause to
say Ewww!"
"But we
don't really know that much about the chip's functions other than
giving Spike a whopping headache when he tries to hurt something
human. And does it come with an un-lifetime guarentee?
BTW Riley was "Cowboy Guy" in the play. He was looking
for "a man. A Sales-man." Now if we apply the characteristics
of a salesman to Spike and we add the dead darkly clothed figure
on the floor that Harmony was crying over what do we get? I have
no idea but I'm sure it's something important.
Back to Spike's not being atypical. The whole ending the world
thing mostly seems to be a priority for the other demons. The
ambitions of vampires seems to run more in the wanting to rule
the world category. Or at least thier little corner of it. Although
I'm not quite clear on why the Master wanted to open the Hellmouth
in the first place. Think Trick Sunday Dracula and even Darla.
So Spike's attitudes seem to fit right in with the average havoc
wreaking wanna be the big honcho in town type of not so dumb vampire.
The chip hasn't really changed that just put a big dent in his
ability to accomplish it. So he allies himself with whoever he
thinks can.
"
"*** "BTW Riley
was "Cowboy Guy" in the play. He was looking for "a
man. A Sales-man." ***
Egad! You're right! I forgot that Riley was 'Cowboy Guy' not 'The
Salesman'! So this would make even more sense if you figure Spike
is the 'salesman' that he was 'looking for'!
Darn it now I'm going to have to watch *Restless* again! ;)"
"We talked a bit about
Riley and "Cowboy Guy" and the dead "Salesman"
a while back. The thread was called "Thoughts about Riley...and
Buffy (long post)" It was the beginning of January and it's
about 13 pages back but it's still there.
Not that we can't discuss it here too. These are interesting ideas."
"So sorry my theory was
insomnia inducing... Welcome to the land of TtM (thinking too
much)! I pretty much agree with most of Jolly's answers to your
questions. I'm only a bit fuzzy on Drusilla's motives no surprise
there! Can Dru really see far into the future? It seems she is
more in tune with proximate things and vibes. I don't think that
she was seeing into the future when she said Buffy was all around
Spike. IMO she was aware of Spike's subconscious leanings at the
time.
I *definitely* don't agree that Spike is just a typical vampire.
Whether it is JMs performance or the material they write for Spike
he's just not 'ordinary' in any way and the fact that his insights
into Buffy's behaviour are so dead on just amplifies that fact.
"What Spike was like before he got chipped"
I have come to the conclusion that he was pretty much exactly
the same except once in a while we got to see him kill something.
I say 'something'
because despite a whole lot of effort we didn't really get to
see him 'chow down' on too many humans. Even before getting the
chip (or should I say pre-Initiative tampering) he seemed quite
as happy doing away with demons or other vampires who happened
to annoy him. Also numerous times he was easily distracted from
killing Buffy on very flimsy pretexts. He has always seemed more
than a little impressed with her with her fighting style with
the fact that she has family and friends... Spike seemed to prefer
interacting with humans even then. Right from the start in Season
2 he is shown as
being ruled more by his human-like whims than by his bloodlust.
For example when he kills the New York Slayer he doesn't even
bother to drink from her. Something else is up with him. Too bad
there is no prophecy to explain Spike to us...
"
I don't know if you read
my rather rambling posts above but just in case...
When I said I don't think Spike is an atypical vampire I didn't
mean he was your average run of the mill vampire either. Just
that his behavior is not particularly un-vampirelike. He is certainly
a very unique individual as are all the major vampires we have
come to know on BtVS. I've proposed in earlier threads that this
is due to the absorption of the orginal personality and possibly
more. The more interesting the original the more interesting the
resulting vampire. Spike is a really good expample of this.
I agree the chip didn't change who he was just his activity level
"From the David Fury interview:
"But one wonders looking at Spike's little Buffy shrine (complete
with photos drawings Hershey Kisses and stolen lingerie) how much
of William still exists? "That's a good question " says
Fury. "We've talked about that as well. We feel like there's
a ghost of the person you once were inside them -- a philosophical
ghost not an actual spirit. It is in fact a demon but the demon
is infused with some of the characteristics of the people that
they possess."
It looks like at least one writer agrees with your Vampire personality
hypothesis -- a demon animating the body plus fragments of the
original victim making up the personality.
"
Don't read any further
if you don't want to know who dies in episode 16...
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-
-
-
-
-
-
BC and S confirmed today that it's Joyce who will die(not just
leave) in episode 16. Anyone want to speculate on the ramifications
of this for both Buffy and Dawn?
"Well
I personally think that it could lead into Buffy being very protective
of Dawn... but in the long term it could lead to the "dark
side" of Buffy which was supposed to come out this season.
I think (if they're still going to go with "DarkBuffy")
it will start to come about late this season leading into next
season. I can especially see this happening if Dawn is destroyed
in the fight against Glory or whoever the Big Bad is at the end
of the season. It would be like the end of s2 - a darker ending
with not much of a positive future (in contrast to "The Future
Is Ouors!" at the end of s3). As much as I love Joyce and
will hate to see her go I think it could move the storyline in
wonderful places. Joyce dies. Dawn dies. Buffy gets in touch with
her darker side demons are rampaging throughout Sunnydale because
the Slayer's not doing her duty... it would be absolutely amazing.
I don't wanna see Joyce go but the consequences could make for
some amazing storylines. And I've always thought that the best
way to improve on a god as the enemt is to have one of the core
Scoobies go dark of their own free will. Back to some of the angst
the we haven't really seen all that much of the past couple of
years.
RIP Joyce.
On a different note though wasn't KS contracted for 16 episodes?
Is she going to truly die and stay dead or just "leave"
as the spoilers say? Ormaybe there'll be flashbacks or a ghost
or something... I don't know. Anyway as much as I try to stop
myself from being spoiled and as much as I like Joyce this is
going to be one heck of a storyline. Season 5 is shaping up as
something truly amazing. There hasn't been a death of a major
character for a long time - it will certainly shake them up. I
think they've become rather complacent (although it's all changing
now with Glory being a god and all).
I just realised something - yet another possible romantic interest
for Giles is going to die. Poor guy. I hope he gets back together
with Olivia sometime."
They
decided to reveal that Joyce is going to die in The Body because
they fear that viewers will be upset by Buffy 'rejecting' Spike
in Crush and want viewers to feel 'advanced' sympathy for Buffy?
The timing seems very strange. Methinks Spike's popularity has
created quite an interesting problem for BtVS... The blatant irony
and misrepresentation of the A Buffy Valentine promo is quite
delicious. Talk about a Sales-man 'ship!
***
I'm also going to forego the wildfeed this week even if I had
to pay someone to tie me down from Sunday to Wednesday. LOL.
"when
dawn ran away that night...she was at some sort of playground.
and then she was all having flashbacks of her "memories"
with buffy. and there was this one flashback that showed two girls
playing on the swings one older than the other and i inferred
that it was buffy and dawn.
buffy didn't move to sunnydale until she was sixteen right? but
in Dawn's flashback the older girl pushing the swing--which again
i inferred as buffy looked SO much YOUNGER than sixteen! what's
up with that..."
I haven't
seen the episode so I'm going by the shooting script. If I remember
correctly the script said that Dawn was ten in the flashback...
which would make Buffy sixteen. Maybe they should have just used
SMG to play this particular sixteen-year-old Buffy - after all
she played sixteen-year old Buffy when she was about twenty a
few more years wouldn't make much more difference. ;)
And that playground scene... seems to come directly
from Xander's dream! First time we see one at least!
Wow! I didn't think of that! Man I love Restless.
Damn Australian delayed s5... I really wanna see.... *pouts*
"Just because Dawn was in a Sunnydale park
when she experienced the memory doesn't mean the incident "took
place" in Sunnydale. (Although with Dawn/spell/memories this
gets a little tricky.) The visual stimulation of seeing a swingset
made Dawn remember a time when she was considerably younger and
Buffy was pushing her on a swingset."
I vaguely remember after watching last night's
show after Tara and Willow transported Glory somewhere else and
Buffy ran to Dawn when Dawn mentioned Ben being there and then
Glory showed up and she said she didn't *remember* what happened
to him or where he went. I'm wondering did she actually forget
this or was she covering up the fact that Glory took over Ben's
body. Her expression seemed as if she actually couldn't remember.
I wonder if that whole Ben/Glory body exchange affected Dawn somehow
in a way that she is unaware of. Maybe that body exchange or the
presence of both gods (or all 3 gods) affects her human state.
I don't know. I haven't ever posted anything but it's been bugging
me.
In the shooting script for
the episode it's clear that she was affected somehow so that she
doesn't remember Ben morphing into Glory. They don't make that
clear in this ep though.
Wow!
You must have been typing that as I was typing my little theory.
But affected by what? Hmmm
"I
too found that little bit very intriguing. At first she suddenly
remembered Ben and was very concerned with what had happened to
him. Then it seemed she had second thoughts about revealing the
truth. It did seem she was deliberately holding back. I thought
perhaps she wants to think it out get it clear in her head before
she reveals what happened. Or perhaps she thought "Aha! Now
I know stuff they don't know." But then like you I saw her
expression change. She seemed genuinly confused. Maybe the memory
was beginning to slip. Or maybe there is a quality about Ben that
induces some sort of amnesia. Or maybe and this is my favorite
there is something in Dawn/the Key's nature that compells her
to protect Ben. It would explain why she started to talk but them
suddenly changed her story. And that perplexed look on her face.
Maybe even she didn't understand why she wasn't telling the truth.
It will be interesting to see how much of what Glory told her
gets to Buffy "
Just wondering
if anybody has any idea about that.
Of
course he had a soul. Soull-less persons are not in the habit
of dying to save countless innocent lives. 'Sides he loved Cordy
and I believe that anything that can love has a soul.
And the last bit of that was a shameless paraphrase from what
show?
So you like Andromeda
too eh?
Of
course he did. It was from his Mother's side.
Has anyone noticed that Doyle was just POOF forgotten?
Since Angel's been all broody with a lot of time to think... and
think... do you think Doyle was crossed his mind? For one of his
only friends he's had since the Scooby Gang he sure hasn't depressed
the least bit over him since Wesley pranced into the picture.
I miss Doyle!
Alas you're right.
Doyle seems to have gone to that great TV Valhalla--right up there
with the infamous older brother on Happy Days.
Which is unusual considering that characters tend to reappear
so often in the Buffy/Angelverse. Perhaps there's still hope...
You gotta love a man who can look like a rose bush at will!
"The reason i was wondering is that apparently
all the "demons" on earth are really tainted by Humanity.
So does that mean that all Demons have souls and doesnt that make
killing them murder?"
If
you've read some of my other posts you know I think there's evidence
in the text that demons do have souls whatever they are. I think
in the Buffyverse there are different types of souls; human souls
demon souls and who knows maybe even energy matrix souls.
As for is it murder to kill a demon just like killing a human
it depends on the perspective. Is it an evil being killing an
innocent or at least well meaning one? Or is it the good guy killing
a villain?
"What's up with
Anne's saying "I'm not naive" to Lindsey in reference
to the existence of supernatural creatures. And now the Karaoke
bar owner's comment "We don't get many of your kind here."
Then thinking back Buffy's whole graduating class knew that Buffy
was fighting monsters and demons even before the mayor tried to
eat them. The government and the military (or portions of it)
obviously know. It would seem like the existence of demons and
vampires is either a big open secret or just an unspoken fact
of life in Joss's world. Very odd. But then again lots of horrific
or just awkward stuff goes on in the real world that we just don't
talk about or acknowledge in polite company unless we have to.
In Anne Rice's novels for instance (especially the Vampire Lestat)
she draws parallels between the vampire community and the formerly
underground gay community. I wonder if in Joss's world there will
be a demon liberation movement? Equal rights for the undead affirmative
action for demons the "coming out" as it were of the
supernatural community. It certainly seems as though it's going
that way at times. Of course there are big differences here. Racial
sexual ethnic and religious minorities are not out to drink blood
and bring about the apocalypse (though mainstream cultures have
often depicted minorities of having these traits).
At the end of season four of Buffy the government committee seemed
to be concerned about keeping the existene of "subterrestrials"
a secert. It certainly seems to be a moot point though if even
karaoke club owners in LA know about them (or was that just a
commentary on the owners and clientele of karaoke bars?) Having
been made to sing in one once (I actually chose Scarborough Faire
- ouch!) I would agree that there is something demonic about them.
"
Perhaps these bars are
the seedy underside of LA or Sunnydale and if you are a barfly
you might just think it's the alcohol giving a good high? That
is the only explanation I could think of on seeing demons and
vampires.
Joss's world is something parallel to our world and it's an interesting
view point. I don't truly understand it but then I don't want
to. It's pure enjoyment on my part and I don't want to dwell too
much on it. I may end up with a mighty migraine.
"One reason I ask the question is a street-wise
cop like Kate had never seen these creatures before Angel and
Penn and the other demons who popped up after that. Many characters
like Kate think of their world much the way many think of our
world--they don't believe in the supernatural.
Now maybe we get the wrong impression of how plentiful demons
and magic are because the people we view this universe through
are the ones most invested in fighting the demons to protect the
normal folk.
But when the Host stood in the university library in full view
of everybody chatting with Angel I was just like will somebody
please turn and look at him and say "fraternity prank?!"
"I can only speak for Anne
here. We have seen her exposed to a couple of different types
of demon on BtVS. Anne first shows up as a part of the vampire
cult in 'Lie to Me' (BtVS Season 2) but there she is known as
Chanterelle. We then see her in "Anne" (BtVS Season
3) but here she is known as Lily. So she has seen vampires and
been in a demon dimension. Fortunately Buffy helped her get her
life turned around and "Lily" took on Buffy's former
identity of Anne."
"I
think that in the Buffyverse demons have always been on earth
to some degree but the amount of them has gone up and down through
the centuries form various spells slayers hellmouths openeing
and closing whatever.Right now they're on the increase. Also since
Sunnydale is on a hellmouth and LA is well LA there are going
to be a lot of demons running amok in southern California more
than almost anywhere else in the world. So now the whole world
has more or less gotten used to demons "not existing"
because of there being very few of them many people will be in
denial while on the other hand some people in the demon hotspots
of the world are catching on to the existence of supernatural
beings."
"There were
a lot of things about Happy Anniversary that intrigued me but
I'll start with Angel's comment to the Host that he had 100 years
of evildoing that he can never atone for and 200 lawyers out to
push him over the edge. Angel's predicament is a universal one
according to most religions but I will (of course) look at it
from a Buddhist angle.
In Buddhism it is said that if one collected all the tears we
have shed in past lives it would fill an ocean. Likewise our past
evil deeds (actually akusala = unwholesome) of body mouth and
mind are said to be vast and uncountable. So the point is there
is a heavy karmic debt which would take countless lifetimes to
pay off. In addition to that whenever we do try to escape the
wheel of karma (karma means the unfolding of our actions and their
consequences it does NOT mean fate or destiny) and rebirth we
immediately draw the attention of Mara and his seductive daughters
and demonic armies. Mara is almost the Buddhist equivalent of
the Devil but there is a difference. The Old Testament devil is
the Perry Mason or prosecuting attorney of the heavenly court.
The New Testament devil is the Che Guavera or cosmic rebel against
heaven. Mara however is more like the cosmic jail warden who wants
to make sure we don't escape the prison of karma and rebirth in
the six realms (as a hell-dweller hungry ghost animal fighting
demon human being or heavenly being). So from the Buddhist point
of view we are also burdened with a karmic debt we can never pay
off in this lifetime and belaugered by demonic forces who want
to keep us from trying to free ourselves or atone for past wrongs.
Now here is the kicker though. During the Buddha's lifetime a
serial killer named Angulimala was converted by the Buddha and
became an Arhat - that is a saint who was free of rebirth and
whose karmic debt was therefore considerably mitigated. Let me
be more specific. Angulimala was a fanatical devotee of a false
guru who demanded that he collect the finger bones of 100 victims.
Angulimala had collected 99 but was having trouble catching his
100th. He was on the verge of going home to kill his own mother
when he happened upon the Buddha. Now killing one's parent's or
even harming (let alone killing) a Buddha are viewed as unpardonable
crimes that will instantly lead to the deepest hell in the next
life. He could not catch up to the Buddha though even though he
was running and the Buddha was walking. Finally he called out
"Stop! Stop!" The Buddha turned around and said "I
stopped long ago. When will you stop?" By which he meant
"I stopped creating karmic actions that will lead to rebirth
whether good or bad. When will you?" Angulimala was deeply
impressed and renounced his evil ways and became a monk right
then. He soon attained insight into the true nature of things
and became an arhat. Shortly thereafter the local Prince came
looking to catch and kill Angulimala but the Buddha convinced
the Prince that the serial killer was now a saint. The Prince
then allowed Angulimala to continue to live as a monk out of respect
for the Buddha's judgement. Soon after however an angry mob lynched
Angulimala who forgave his attackers because he knew that he had
brought this upon himself and that this was the last karmic effect
that would come to him because he would not be reborn having severed
with spiritual insight (vipassana) the clinging to actions and
their results which bind one to the wheel of rebirth.
So the lesson here is that even a serial killer can escape his
karmic debt if (and only if) he lets go of the "self"
that accrued that debt through awakening to the selfless nature
of things. One must repent not only of one's actions but even
of the self that did them and the self that futilely seeks to
atone for them. In Buddhism it is clinging to self that motivates
all our greedy angry and deluded actions and on a subtler level
it motivates our attempts at self-improvement and self-seeking
efforts at salvation. Only letting go of the self completely will
bring about liberation from the endless cycle of actions and their
retributions. Once the delusion of self is let go of the reality
of interdependence with all other beings and phenomena becomes
clear and can become manifest in our actions.
So Angel has not reached this realization yet. He is still stuck
on himself. He still thinks that he can save himself when what
he really needs to do is let go of the self which is causing this
predicament. He needs to awaken to that which is selfless. This
selfless nature is at the same time the source of genuine compassion
altrustic joy loving-kindness and equanimity as well as generosity
virtue patience effort calm and wisdom. This realization of selflessness
also puts one beyond the temptations and intimidations of Mara
and his daughters and armies.
Here is a final thing that just occured to me. In some vampire
lore a vampire can not cross a running stream. They are stuck
as it were and can not enter living waters. In Buddhism however
someone who has begun to actually live the Buddha Dharma and is
on their way to full sainthood within 7 lifetimes is known as
a "Stream Enterer." So it would seem that Angel is stuck
on himself whether through giving in to his vampire nature or
through wallowing in guilt and depression. What he needs to do
is let go of that self-conception and "enter the stream."
"Thank you for your long
and intriguing post.
To me what's being asked of Angel almost seems more Jewish (well
the incessant guilt certainly is : ) the idea that the only way
to really atone is through good deeds. In Judaism it's not enough
to say "I'm sorry God I screwed up please forgive me."
You need to go out and ask forgiveness from the person you injured
and you may have to work a long time to earn that forgiveness.
Although that does brings up another question--most of his Vampire
crimes were committed in Europe yet most of his good works are
being done in America. There's no attempt to atone directly to
the descendants (probably mostly collateral descendants) of his
victims.
Unless I'm terribly misunderstanding it and my deepest apologies
if I am the Buddhist story you describe sounds like many Christian
stories where accepting Christ as a savior is enough to be redeemed.
(With any number of denominational variations on whether or not
you can then go straight to Heaven or have to spend several millennia
in Purgatory.)
Similiarly in the Buddhist story--there's no this world atonement
to the families of victims. From this western Jew's perspective
that loss of self seems very selfish indeed. Once again I apologize
that statement's not meant to be rude or provacative just a full
admission of my incomprehension. I welcome your explaination.
"
"I think you understood
the story very well because you are asking the right questions.
In Buddhism one does not necessarily pay back one's karmic debts
to those one has harmed in this lifetime but one may end up doing
it in other lifetimes or in one's relationships with others. So
the person I kill in this life may be my killer in the next. It
does not always play out in such a tit-for-tat way. Similarly
this idea could occur in a Kabbalistic perspective through the
process of Gilgul (reincarnation).
The Budhist idea of liberation is very different from the Christian
idea of salvation however. In Christianity one is saved from sin
and death through reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ.
In Buddhism one is liberated from delusion through attaining right
views which allow one to vanquish the greed anger and ignorance
which bind us to the wheel of birth and death.
Is this selfish? The Mahayana Buddhism (which is the camp I'm
in) says yes it is and excoriates the goal of becoming an arhat
and leaving the world behind as a Hinayana (Small Vehicle) goal
because only one person is liberated. Mahayana (the Great Vehicle)
teaches that the true meaning of no-self is that we are all interdependent
and bound up with one another. In other words we're all in the
same boat together and the seperation between self and other is
delusional. So for one to be liberated all must be libarated.
The bodhisattva who works to liberate all sentient beings and
not just him or herself then becomes the ideal as opposed to the
spiritually "selfish" arhat who is just looking to their
own liberataion. The bodhisattva ideal of staying in the world
indefinately to liberate all beings could be compared to the Kabbalistic
idea of Tikkun (the restoration of the world).
The idea that one can atone through mitvot or good deeds is one
that Buddhism would raise question about however. On one hand
with a huge backlog of karma from innumerable past lives how could
we ever presume to do enough good deeds to make it all right?
In addition by trying to rely upon the self that has caused all
the problems in the first place we actually dig ourselves in even
deeper. So the idea is that by recognizing the selfless nature
of things through right views we can then act in accord with reality
and open ourselves up to that greater reality. Our finite efforts
then merge with the infinite efforts or activities of all buddhas
and bodhisattvas. So here again because there is no real seperation
between self and other all our efforts become a huge pool of merit
that is shared by all beings. The key to this might be - the less
self-centered our actions (whether for good or evil) the more
reality-centered we become and that reality is interdependent
and therefore the locus of true compassion and loving-kindness.
So in Buddhism right views transcends mere worldly ethics (based
on dualism and the finite efforts of individuals). This true nature
of reality then unfolds in people's lives as supremely loving
and compassionate actions for the benefit of all beings. I would
wonder if the Talmud or at least the Kabbalah does not also teach
that there are levels of understanding Torah that transcend mere
worldly ethics and the imperfect efforts of human beings. Perhaps
the teachings relating to the Shekinah (presence of G-d) in respponse
to mitzvot (good deeds) would be relevant here. Not being an expert
in either of these I can not say.
Getting back to Angel I think that he is too wrapped up in *his*
guilt and *his* own ability to make it up and he has forgotten
that he is operating in a larger context than just his own problems
and shortcomings. I think it was very telling when The Host told
him that he had gone from helping the helpless to hunting the
guilty. Angel has gotten off-track because when he was following
the agenda (possibly the wiser big picture agenda) of TPTB he
was regaining his humanity and atoning for his past evil (though
not necessarily directly to those he harmed but at least he was
working to help people and in a selfless interdependent universe
that counts) but now he is setting his own short-sighted and self-absorbed
agenda that is not as healthy and may have many unforseen destructive
consequences both to himself and those around him. So from my
point of view he needs to let go of himself and get back on track
with the bigger picture that was being provided on a need to know
basis by TPTB through Coredelia's visions (right view?). "
"Something I noticed in
last nights ep was that in terms of body language mannerisms and
speech habits Dawn seems to be acting more and more like Buffy.
For example climbing out the window and upon meeting Spike give
forth the pithy response "Lurk much?". This comment
in particular struck me as very Buffy-like.
Later in the scene where Joyce and Buffy are arguing over how
best to handle Dawn's new knowledge of her Key-ness (right before
Dawn freaks and leaves the house) Buffy sounded awfully Joyce-like.
Then even more Joyce-like when they burst in Dawn's room and discover
the fire ("She could have burned the house down!")
(I know one of the scarier things that happens as you get older
is that you start to recognize yourself acting and sounding like
your parents! ;)
Anyone else see/hear the same and if so some other examples?"
"Hi OnM. Thanks for welcoming
me the otherday on my reply to the pain of repeats. I came across
this board quite by accident and soon became very impressed with
the ideas and disscussions flying around. I like the way you all
are able to see things and express yourselves without flying of
the handle like other forums that can get quite nasty. There's
alot of maturity here.
I'd like to reply to your observations. (My humble opinions) Yes
the idea of getting older and becoming the parent is always a
horrific idea. Although I think it happens to everybody in the
sense of developing responsibility and acting on it. You're right
in saying that Buffy was somewhat 'parent like' in her manerisms
but it could as easily be her sense of protectiveness. I always
saw my elder siblings as 'parentlike'.
I think though that Buffy's way of handling things is nothing
like that of Joyces. I really like Joyce but she seems rather
clueless to me most of the time. She tends to bury her head in
the sand where Buffy's concerned and tends to want to fix things
with with making food soup (i.e. for Dawn) or dinner followed
by four course snacks (i.e in the episode after Anne. I forgot
the name). I know its her way of offering comfort but Buffy's
right. Some things you cannot force and fix by hugs and kisses.
It takes time. I think Buffy knows this better than anyone. She's
gone through so much trauma that she knows when to back of the
onslaught. As for Dawn I'm not surprised that she's acting like
Buffy. The are both willful and stubborn. It's also quite common
for younger siblings to emmulate their older siblings too. O.K.
this way way too babbly but I rushing it a bit to get off to College.
P.S. So in my twisted way of thinking is Dawn really Buffy's younger
sister or way way older sister you know having existed "just
this side of forever'? "
"Buffy's
ability for compassion continues to grow with her growing maturity.
She appears to see the bigger picture and have more ability to
empathize with friends and family.
Her scene with Dawn when they were both wounded by Glory reminded
me of a line from Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters "Blood
calls to blood." They share the same blood the same family
no matter who the creator. Buffy has moved past Dawn as Key and
sees and understands Dawn as sister.
Side note: During this tender scene I kept wonder what Spike was
thinking with all this blood being tossed about. There was never
an insert of his reaction so I all I can do is speculate. Does
Spike's blood call out to Buffy's?
"
"This is a little
off the subject of Buffy/Dawn/Joyce and more to Brian's -side
note- of Spike.
*&*^%Spoiler*&%%%
Does anyone else find it interesting that Glory even referred
to Spike as "boyfriend"? Didn't she say somehting like
"Next time tell your boyfriend to..."? And the trailer
for next week...WOW!!! Any thoughts?"
Spike was knocked out by Glory. She threw him
against a wall right before Xanders crowbar entered the fight.
He didn't get to see the blood flying.
"Some
things you cannot force and fix by hugs and kisses.
Actually in this case Joyce was right and Buffy wrong.
They shouldn't have left Dawn alone for a second.
Dawn might have felt like she needed to be alone but the exact
opposite was true. She needed to know she belonged.
Hugs and kisses might have not "solved" anything but
it would have made things better. No matter how loud Dawn would
have screamed they should have stayed there in her room right
with her. Should have stayed there until she was too tired screaming
and fell asleep and then stayed there until morning. There would
be enough "alone" time later to process. This was "hugs
and kisses time" and cookies and hot chocolate time to boot."
Is it possible the spell/ritual
used by the monks to form the Key into Dawn used Buffy as a template?
I think Dawn is more focused on mental pursuits than Buffy but
they do share many similar traits. (including the conversation
with Spike where she sounds like Buffy)
As an aside... Niblett? (rofl) My hubby and I didn't know whether
it was cute or creepy for a vampire to call you a little food
item.
"Is it possible the
spell/ritual used by the monks to form the Key into Dawn used
Buffy as a template?
I think the spell went even further. I am a believer in spells
following the path of least resistance when particulars are not
explicitly specified. I think it would be easier to steal a few
of Buffy's memories and personality traits to create the new person
than to manufacture entirely new memories which would certainly
have affected (and required to be altered) existing memories.
So when we see Dawn speaking about gathering sea shells with her
father this could have been Buffy's memory transplanted into Dawn's
mind with a simple name change. Perhaps Buffy is so much more
mature because Dawn "inherited" most of the immaturity
in the family. "
"This
isn't necessarily an example of Buffy becoming more Joyce-like
but definitely a sign of a new-found maturity which is kind of
what you're talking about. When Buffy tells the SG about Dawn's
identity and Willow gently chastises her Buffy starts to defend
herself then stops and simply apologizes. That showed some personal
growth. Even the whole idea in Checkpoint of Buffy whisking her
family off to safety is generally something you would expect the
"mom" to do. Buffy telling her mother the best strategy
for how to handle Dawn is another example of their role reversal."
"Buffy's outfit (yeah I'm
a real outfit fan LOL!) in BT in the first scene shows also a
new side of her. Red and Gold... very mature look. More like a
women and less like a girl.
Dawn and Spike also have this weird relationship. She's not afraid
of him. She even competes in badness with him and obviously Skike
follows her by saying "who's bad now?"( a weird and
twisted contest!). Did anyone else found that Spike looked very
mature in that episode too. Lots of frowns serious looks. He looked
like a father to her (a surrogate father at least).
And what's with the cigarettes? He's been smoking so much in that
episode as if they wanted to tell us: don't fool yourself...this
guy is bad to the bones.LOL. Cigarettes in Buffy are smoked by
bad persons (I guess it's their way to keep teens out of smoking)
is it a way to tell us that next week something bad will happen?
(a little out of subject here I grant you that!)"
"as for the smoking although Spike is frequently
seen smoking(I'm guessing to alleviate the boredom as he spends
countless hours outside Buffy's house LOL) I think in Blood Ties
it was primarily used as a plot device to let Buffy know who helped
Dawn break in the shop.
I agree Spike did seem somewhat more mature (although the "who's
bad now" line was typical immature Spike) as he helped Dawn
make sense of Giles' diary. I was a little disappointed that we
didn't get to see what was said between them on the way home.
Did he try and comfort her at all? He must have known that it
would devastate her. "
Spike
smokes so much now because of the chip. He can't kill so he smokes
to alliviate his cravings. He definately seemed more mature especially
when he blew up at Buffy. No more take out my anger on poor helpless
Spike for Buffy. But I think that we paint Spike alot darker than
he really is even when he first arrived in Sunnydale(School Hard)I
never saw him as much of a threat. I fear her Druness I also revere
her She loony creepy and E-Vil. But she's my fav. character. Spike's
never been the Big Bad he cant fill those shoes anymore so he'll
fill another. I guess it's just real easy for me to see Spike
as a good guy I accept it.
Spike
did seem to have a brother/sister or father/daughter relationship
with Dawn. Was calling her nibblet a nickname or a threat?
"I saw "niblet" as an affectionate
nickname especially since he used the same term when talking to
Buffy. But it's funny how many of Spike's pet names have to do
with food and/or drink: Niblet Pint-sized Sweetbreads just to
name a few. I say you're nobody on the show until Spike has given
you a nickname. :)"
I'm
in Canada and Buffy isn't coming on before 7pm tonight... so I'm
gonna go for something not spoilery! :)
There's been a discussion earlier on costumes and Buffy's cross
around her neck. I'm interested in the color they choose when
they dress Buffy! Wardrobe designers and prop masters always work
closely with the director and there is usually a reason for choosing
one outfit instead of the other.
The color white as made me wonder... Buffy is wearing white in
Spike's dream in OomM and she's wearing white again when she asks
him to take care of her mother and sister. Drusilla used to wear
white when she first arrived with Spike in season 2 (until she
changed for red)
White is the color of purity. White against black...maybe I'm
rambling... but maybe there are other occurences that you've noticed
about colors in Buffy!
White
is a symbol of purity. But in the Buffyverse it may stand for
innocence clarity of purpose light Good (as in Good vs. Evil).
Some of this color symbolism in the Buffyverse may be done consciously
- vampires in black/dark colors Buffy in white/light colors. But
I have a feeling that most of it is done subconsciously or unintentionally.
And we are just reading more into it than is there! ;-)
I have several books on color symbolism. I'll try and do some
research and get back to you.
Dru's
white dress symbolized her weakend and vulnerable state at the
time. I think Buffy wore white symbolically making herself vulnerable
to Spike so that he would do what she asked.
"I know that when I read "Restless"
script some details on the colors were very intriguing. First
there is a description of the ball the kitten is playing with
in Willow's dream. There is red and gold around (Glory wears red
and gold dresses) then there and other mention of color: the dead
man in the theater play is wearing a black suit. (Maybe it's Spike
who will die at the end of the season...) It's just that when
color is used in the script we can be sure that it means something!
But I do agree with you that we could see and dig way too much
in these kind of matters! ;) "
Buffy
also wore red in BT red with a gold and red scarf with a red cross
(more crusades paraphenalia).
I also thought that Spike getting squished in the sarcophagus
was a bit ominous and hopefully not premonitory.
On the whole I thought Buffy was made to look very mature in BT.
BTW. Does anyone know what item Spike pocketed from the countertop
at the Magic Box?
Aquitine if
you go to the Buffy shooting script site you can read the script
for BT. They say it's a cristal (from memory!)
Oups! Sorry for the misspeling here!
"I kept trying to see what he pocketed. Thanks
Nina.
I have a Restless color related costume idea. Buffy's wearing
that white dress with the red cherries on it in her dream. I always
thought the cherries looked like splatters of blood. That dress
had a 4" crimson hem like Buffy's been standing in blood
up to her knees and the stain is creeping upward.
Is the white supposed to be Good Innocence Justice and the Red
stands for the Violence that she must do and also endure? (Implying
that she can't do her job without getting the stains on her.)
For some reason I think of the Inferno where Dante and Virgil
have come to the boiling river of blood and the sinners at that
level are standing in it. Their level of 'badness' was indicated
by how deep they stood. (Only up to their knees or all the way
to the scalp.) I think he put a couple of Popes there. (No wonder
he was excommunicated.)"
The
following definitions of color symbolism are summarized from ìAn
Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbolsî by J.C.
Cooper.
BLACK
General: primordial darkness the Void evil corruption grief Time
chaos night
Buddhist: the darkness of bondage
Christian: the Prince of Darkness Hell death sorrow mourning humiliation
spiritual darkness despair
Egyptian: rebirth and resurrection
Hebrew (Qabalism): understanding
Heraldic: prudence wisdom
Hindu: sensual and downward movement
Mayan: death of an enemy
BLUE
General: Truth the Intellect wisdom loyalty fidelity chastity
peace coolness sky water
Buddhist: the coolness of the heavens the wisdom of the Dharma-Dhatu
Christian: Heaven eternity faith fidelity
Chinese: heavens clouds Spring
Hebrew (Qabalism): mercy
Mayan: defeat of an enemy
BROWN
General: the earth
Christian: spiritual death death to the world (as worn by religious
communities) renunciation penitence
GOLD
General: sun divine power the splendor of enlightenment immortality
the highest value glory the masculine principle
Alchemic: the essence of the sun congealed light turning base
metal into gold is the transmutation of the soul
Celtic: fire
Hindu: life light truth immortality
GREEN
General: ambivalent as both life an death in the vernal green
of life and the livid green of death; youth and hope but also
change transitoriness and jealousy; the color of Venus; Spring;
Nature; the Green Knight (from King Arthur) denoted death as impartiality
and represents treason as slaying youth and beauty
Buddhist: vernal green is life pale green is the kingdom of death
Celtic: earth goddess
Chinese: interchangeable with blue
Christian: immortality; hope; life; triumph over death and Spring
over Winter; good works; pale green is associated with Satan evil
and death
Hebrew (Qabalism): victory
GRAY
General: neutral depression ashes humility penitence
Christian: death of the body and immortality of the soul hence
a color worn by religious communities
Hebrew (Qabalism): wisdom
Heraldic: tribulation
ORANGE
General: fire flame luxury
Chinese and Japanese: love happiness
Hebrew (Qabalism): splendor
PURPLE
General: royalty pride truth justice temperance
Aztec and Inca: majesty sovereignty
Christian: royal and sacerdotal (of or relating to priests or
a priesthood) power truth humility
RED
General: the sun and all the war gods fire love joy passion energy
ferocity sexual excitement health strength blood blood-lust blood-guiltiness
anger vengeance desert and calamity supernatural power
Red with white: death the Devil
Red with white and black: the three stages of initiation
Alchemic: man sun sulfur the zenith point of color
Aztec: fertility blood desert evil calamity
Celtic: death disaster
Chinese: sun joy Summer fire happiness luckiest of all colors
Christian: Christís blood and passion zeal in faith love
power dignity priestly power martyrdom cruelty
Greek: the active masculine principle as opposed to the purple
royal and passive principle
Hebrew (Qabalism): severity
Hindu: activity creativity energy of life
Mayan: victory success
Roman: divinity
SILVER
General: moon feminine principle virginity
Chinese: purity brightness
Christian: chastity purity eloquence
VIOLET
General: intelligence knowledge religious devotion sanctity sobriety
humility penitence sorrow temperance nostalgia grief mourning
old age
Christian: sacerdotal rule and authority truth fasting sadness
obscurity
Hebrew (Qabalism): foundation
WHITE
General: the undifferentiated transcendent perfection simplicity
light sun air illumination purity innocence chastity holiness
sacredness redemption spiritual authority surrender truce friendship
goodwill; associated with both life and love death and burial;
in marriage it symbolizes death to the old life and birth into
the new; in death it represents birth into the new life beyond;
a woman robed in white carries the love-life-death connotations
White with black and red: the three stages of initiation
White with red: death the Devil purgatory
Alchemic: woman silver quicksilver (mercury)
Aztec: the dying sun night
Buddhist: self-mastery redemption the White Tara the highest spiritual
transformation through womanhood ìshe who lead out beyond
the darkness of bondageî
Celtic: the terrestrial goddess
Chinese: Autumn metal mourning
Christian: the purified soul joy purity virginity innocence the
holy life light integrity
Egyptian: white with green depicts joy
Greek: mourning love life and death
Hebrew: joy cleansing
Qabalism: the Crown
Hindu: pure consciousness self-illumination light upward movement
manifestation
Maori: truce surrender
Mayan: peace health
YELLOW
General: ambivalent light
Golden yellow: solar/sun intellect intuition faith and goodness
Dark yellow: treachery treason jealousy ambition avarice secrecy
betrayal faithlessness
Yellow or yellow and black flag: quarantine
Yellow cross: the plague (in the Middle Ages)
Buddhist: renunciation desirelessness humility
Chinese: the Earth the lunar hare metal
Christian: golden yellow ñ sacredness divinity reveal truth;
dull yellow ñ treachery deceit heretics
Hebrew (Qabalism): beauty
Hindu: light life truth immortality
Another good source for color symbolism is ìSymbol Sourcebook:
An Authoritative Guide to International Graphic Symbolsî
by Henry Dreyfus.
----------------------
A number of these color symbols are relevant to the Buffyverse
whether consciously or subconsciously. The meanings of colors
are very ingrained in our lives. We use them and wear them often
without thinking about what they mean yet use/wear the appropriate
color in a given situation.
Dressing Drusilla in white and then later in red symbolizes her
renewed energy and health (remember she was weak from being attacked
by a mob in Prague when she and Spike first came to Sunnydale).
Buffy wearing white to ask Spike to look after her mother and
sister symbolizes her feelings of truce. Vampires wearing black
symbolizes their evilness and corruption and their alliance with
the night.
Iím not sure that all the use of color is symbolic in the
Buffyverse ñ it may be just what photographs best for that
particular scene what the wardrobe mistress bought or the latest
trendy color. But on the other hand I wouldnít put it past
Joss & Co. to use some color symbolism deliberately.
Wow purplegrrl I didn't know
I would give you such work to do by posting a simple thread! :)
Thanks for the research! I agree that to try to give meaning to
insignificant details will bring to madness... and we don' want
that do we? But as you mentioned some colors really do have meanings
withing the Buffyverse. I'll keep your post for further research
on other subject! Thanks again! :)
I
just saw Invisible Girl for the first time and I noticed that
Buffy was wearing a white skirt with cherries on it a virtually
identical pattern to the Restless dress. I was completely freaked
out by this. What can it mean? It can't be a coincidence. Some
of the themes of Invisible Girl are: the idea of alternate realities
the concept that what we see becomes our reality and the fact
that people aren't necessarily what they seem on the surface.
There was also a desert-y wind heard in the background of certain
scenes (of course the version I saw was dubbed in French so maybe
the sounds are different). What else... words as metaphors painted
on walls and curtains. Argh. Thinking too much.
This show may drive me crazy yet. LOL.
"Spike
is evil. Anyone who still doesn't get that needs to stop kidding
themselves.
Whether Spike "loves" Buffy or is merely obsessed with
her is irrelevant. The romantic notion that love cannot exist
in an evil being is tripe. Whether or not it can exist in a soulless
vampire in the Buffyverse is a different topic.
In any event evil serves it's own self interest. Obsession or
love Spike has deigned that getting on Buffy's good side is that
self interest. He walked with Dawn to the Magic Shop hoping for
a chance to win brownie points by saving the little brat and stayed
in the shop for kicks. His yelling at Buffy while justified was
saving his own skin. And being reinforcing guy while searching
for Buffy? Again in his self interest.
If Spike wasn't evil he'd have seen Dawn home and warned Buffy
what Dawn found out. Buffy'd be pissed at him...not in his self
interest. But he's smart enough to know that that kid might have
really killed herself that night. Instead he hid in his den hoping
he wouldn't get busted.
Evil will always act in it's own best interest and until Spike
does otherwise I'll see him as evil."
"Spike did a few moraly questionable things
in last nights show:
Spoilers coming up
1. He certainly was not reluctant about breaking and entering
and didn't for a second try to dissuade Dawn from that course
of action.
2. The excuse that if he hadn't gone with her she would have gone
anyway reminds me of a pimp I saw on Jerry Springer who excused
his pimping of 14 year old girls by saying they would turn tricks
anyway so better that he is around to watch over them. Sorry that
dog doesn't hunt as a friend of mine likes to say.
3. As far as we know Spike did bring Dawn back home. But it certainly
didn't seem like he tried to warn anybody about what she found
out nor do I think he did anything to calm Dawn down. Spike is
good at pointing out the ugly truth but he is not so good with
comforting words (though he tried last night with Buffy).
So given all that Spike is certainly not a "good guy."
More like a helpful bad guy due to circumstances.
I also agree that even an evil person can know love or at least
romantic desire and/or sentimental affection."
At least Spike didn't try to auction Dawn off
to Glory when he discovered she was the key.
Perhaps he's waiting to see just how that will
be in his self-interest. His evil isn't about doing whatever is
nastiest it's all about Spike. Right now he had no way of knowing
if helping Glory would help him.
"Jolly
I do agree with you. Skipe is lead by self interest and has always
been. I wouldn't say that Spike loves Buffy right now. He's obsessed
with her. But many psychologist would say that "get the attitude
right and the rest will follow". Joss wouldn't bother to
show us Spike that way if he wasn't getting somehwere with it.
Maybe I'm too much like Jean-Jacques Rousseau and I like to believe
that everyone has good inside them (even Angelus - okay I push
far here... but I'm an idealist!) The fact is that even if you
act out of self interest it doesn't mean you can't be affected
by things that are happening around you.
I still believe that Spike even with a chip is dangerous but some
looks he has can make us wonder if the ice isn't melting inside.
Those little looks very rare and very short seem to indicate some
changes. I'm far more interested in the good vs evil dilemma then
to know if Spike is going to go with Buffy. The whole dilemma
being "what is really a vampire"?"
"Jolly I do agree with you. Skipe is lead
by self interest and has always been. I wouldn't say that Spike
loves Buffy right now. He's obsessed with her. But many psychologist
would say that "get the attitude right and the rest will
follow". Joss wouldn't bother to show us Spike that way if
he wasn't getting somehwere with it.
Maybe I'm too much like Jean-Jacques Rousseau and I like to believe
that everyone has good inside them (even Angelus - okay I push
far here... but I'm an idealist!) The fact is that even if you
act out of self interest it doesn't mean you can't be affected
by things that are happening around you.
I still believe that Spike even with a chip is dangerous but some
looks he has can make us wonder if the ice isn't melting inside.
Those little looks very rare and very short seem to indicate some
changes. I'm far more interested in the good vs evil dilemma then
to know if Spike is going to go with Buffy. The whole dilemma
being "what is really a vampire"?"
Don't forget about the Judge who burned the book
worm vampire (I forget his name) because he had too much humanity.
The Judge also mentioned that Spike and Drusilla were tainted
by humanity as well. Only Angelus passed with flying colors. It
would seem as though there is a continuum among vampires running
from the very human vampire who got burned all the way to the
thoroughly inhuman Angelus with maybe Spike and Dru in the middle.
Now however it would seem as though Spike is drifting ever closer
to the human end of the continuum.
The
book-worm's name was Dalton. And I wonder what would have happened
if the Judge had touched Spike and Drusilla. I'm sure that Spike
would have gone up in flames but I'm not so sure about Dru. She
did have some feelings. But wether there would have been enought
to burn her is another question.
Spike is a selfish jerk no doubt and if he got the chip removed
right now the only thing that would keep him from killing the
SG is the fact that it would destroy any chance of getting close
to Buffy. But he can feel and he does do some unselfish things.
Eg he kept caring for the girl in the Bronze even after Buffy
walked away.
"I don't see
Spike as evil. I see him as a work in progress. I don't know why
people expect him to be this white knight now acting purely selfless
as if totally evil or totally good are his only choices. That
would be no more credible than saying he's a total villain with
no redeeming qualities. He's somewhere in between sitting on the
fence in my opinion and about to be pushed off in one direction
or the other. Or I should say he's about to jump off because he's
been set up to have a choice in what he wants to be. That may
not be true to vampire mythology and I'm the first to say they're
making an exception for Spike because of his enormous popularity.
But now that they've introduced the concept of a creature without
a sould nevertheless being able to choose his state of being I'm
going to go with it.
And I disagree about some of the examples you used. Spike has
no moral center. It didn't occur to him to tell Dawn not to steal(or
later steal something himself). We'll never know why he didn't
warn Buffy about Dawn knowing--maybe it was self-preservation.
But that's a very human response not necessarily an evil one.
When Dawn told him where she was going Spike immediately had a
look of concern on his face; it took him a few minutes to think
about "Big Sister" not liking it. His first reaction
was to Dawn not to Buffy's sister. That's not self interest. As
for comforting Buffy in the park I could see him fighting him
own inner demon before he could even utter the comforting words
to Buffy; this shows me a creature struggling against his own
worst nature in order to do the right thing. Any SG member might
have uttered similar words of comfort under the circumstances;
why is it more sinister because it's Spike who's saying it? I
don't think Spike is as black and white as you paint him. "
"Dawn has been alive for
six months. When we first saw her in "Real Me" (the
10 second glimspe in BvD doesn't count) she was basically an infant.
Now she's a toddler. Physically mentally emotionally she's a 14
year old girl. But she came into this world with the personality
of a typical 14 year old and she's developed since into something
more.
An infant learns to walk to talk etc... by emulating those around
him. Dawn has done the same. Dawn was a coward in "Real Me"
against Harmony and in the face of one crazy. Since then she's
grown. She was one of the first to stand up to Tara's father in
"Family" she fended off the Queller in "LtF"
and now she scored the first real victory face to face with Glory
standing up to her and playing her for information about the key.
Dawn has learn to be a hero. Is it any surprise? EVERYONE in her
life is a hero.
Jolly"
Tonight's episode
mentioned that the demon universe where Glory is from was ruled
by three gods. Smacks of a trinity to me. I'm assuming Glory is
one person Ben is the second and I wonder if we will get to see
the third? The morphing of Ben into Glory was a bit of a surprise
to me although I'm not sure if they are actually sharing one body
or are two separate entities that can switch bodies. It's probably
more likely that they are sharing one body because Ben made such
a big thing about Glory never causing him any harm and didn't
she take that dress out of a nearby locker?
Last night's episode seem to re-enforce my belief
that Ben and Glory are the ying and yang of power. Ben does good;
Glory does bad. Is Dawn the key the power that merges them into
one? Is Dawn the third demon of that demon universe. That her
power is all about balance?
sorry for the unintentional post - what i was
going to say was that something may have happened to this mysterious
third and it is that which will give buffy the clue to defeating
glory
I wonder if the third
might not be connected to the Knights of Byzantium. It would explain
their obsession with the key. Also it would explain why their
prescence alarmed Ben and Glory so much even though Glory defeated
the advance force with ease.
"Ben
does good... like dealing with the crazy person problem by killing
them off? Or beating the stuffing out of Glory's minion apparently
just for the Hell of it?
Ben clearly isn't allied with Glory but he just as clearly isn't
good either.
(My theory? Well whatever Ben is (and his being one of the other
three "Hellgods" seems a reasonable supposition) it's
likely that if Glory leaves our dimension he goes too. Which I
doubt he wants; note that being here doesn't seem to have the
same deleterious effect on his mental state as it does on Glory's.
So his goals coincide with the good guys' in that he also doesn't
want Glory to get the Key - but the fact that he's willing to
kill to achieve his goals indicated that he's just as evil as
she is if less dangerous.)
"
Good point. I've had
trouble seeing Ben as a good guy from the beginning. He seemed
to be lurking an awful lot. And what was the point of summoning
the Queller? It sure didn't stop Glory. And why is Ben in the
hospital disguised as an Intern? Just so he can count the crazies
as Glory stacks them up?
Oh
mighty spoilers below.....
In AD&D there is a character/storyline device called alignment.
Each character you play or encounter has a moral designation and
certain behaviors they are likely to follow. Good and Evil get
broken down into subcategories like Lawful or Chaotic or Neutral
(which is a balance between law and chaos not an absence of them).
Ben and Glory definitely seem to be polarized with Ben as law
and Glory as chaos. Glory's feedings and the resulting insanity
would be considered chaotic as well as evil while Ben's calling
of the Quellar(sp) is a Lawful act even though is evil. My question
is where is the neutral face in all this?
In AD&D there is a character/storyline
device called alignment. Each character you play or encounter
has a moral designation and certain behaviors they are likely
to follow. Good and Evil get broken down into subcategories like
Lawful or Chaotic or Neutral (which is a balance between law and
chaos not an absence of them).
Ben and Glory definitely seem to be polarized with Ben as law
and Glory as chaos. Glory's feedings and the resulting insanity
would be considered chaotic as well as evil while Ben's calling
of the Quellar(sp) is a Lawful act even though is evil. My question
is where is the neutral face in all this?
I like your AD&D anaology of Order vs Chaos rather than Good vs
Evil with Ben and Glory. As for the NE God -- I never really saw
neutral as being a balance (except for Druids) but rather as a
more utilitarian approach -- that is a Neutral Evil creature was
willing to serve either Law or Chaos as long as he was doing evil
in the process.
The problems with Glory and Ben being two of three Hell Gods are:
1. Ben has done nothing miraculous
2. The third god is missing
3. Ben has no interest in the key
We know that Glory is one of three Hell-Gods but we do not know
how she came to be confined to the Buffyverse -- perhaps she was
on the losing side of a war with the other two gods and they banished
her. The key would be her portal back to her realm where she might
regain her place in the demon dimension. The problem with this
theory is: why does everyone want to keep the key from her? --
why not just let her go? Buffy and her friends have a reason to
keep the key -- it's Dawn -- but what about the monks and the
knights?
I think the key must be an object that will allow Glory to let
something in rather than let her out. Perhaps she was the first
of the Hell-Gods through the portal and the monks sealed the passage
(with the key) before her fellow dieties got through.
Warning: wild speculation ahead.
I see Ben as a formerly mortal follower of Glory's. Glory's enemies
incapacitated her by binding her into the body of a mortal --
namely Ben. He now has an extended lifespan (as long as Glory
is there) and when Glory fails to get her daily dose of sanity
she reverts to Ben -- although I don't know what might trigger
the transformation back -- maybe it's random. And maybe the key
to defeating Glory will be by destroying her mortal host (or maybe
that will just release her).
The one thing I don't understand is why Buffy and her family moved
back into their house...
It
seems to me we have a god with a multiple personality disorder
for 3 reasons:
(1) the morphing
(2) we have NEVER seen Ben and Glory at the same time
(3)Ben says Glory knows she can't harm him
(4)Ben feels Glory's personality starting to manifest.
We have seen 2 of the personalities but I expect at least 1 more.
These 2 personalities are unaware of what each other are doing
but in many movies & TV shows (I don't know about real life multiple
disorders) there is a personality which does know about it's other
personalities.
MPD's are interesting...there are actual cases
where for an example one personality h as cancer...and the others
do not. The mind is amazing isn't it? Yes I've heard that there
may be a personality that is aware of the others but perhaps that
is a therapeutic point to be worked toward...to re-integrate many
of the personalities.
">>We
have seen 2 of the personalities but I expect at least 1 more.
These 2 personalities are unaware of what each other are doing
but in many movies & TV shows (I don't know about real life multiple
disorders) there is a personality which does know about it's other
personalities.>>
That's a very good point! Isn't that what all the TV movies show
us? There's always a more well adjusted personality that overseas
or controls all the divergent personalities at least when there's
a happy ending.
I'm really going to step out on a limb now. Have we ever seen
Joyce in the same scene with either Ben or Glory? If that is the
case then I'm shot down right away. Two weeks ago Glory left the
house and there were a few moments before Joyce walked into the
room but I can't remember if she and Ben have ever been in the
same scene.
Anyway we know that Joyce is supposed to be leaving the series
this season and in a few episodes Buffy is supposed to experience
something unlike anything she ever has before. This is tied in
with someone close to her "leaving." What if Joyce is
the third personality the third person of a very strange trinity?
This is the most shocking thing I can think of in order to have
Joyce leave rather than die.
Imagine the effect this would have on Buffy. She would be an offspring
of a demon god! How's that for a walk on the dark side. "
"Oh my god! Very interesting
point here! So far the best theory that could explane the third
entity!
Maybe there's something to look deeper into "restless"
again. What was Joyce doing between two walls?. Was she caught
between Ben and Glory? Could be a hell of a metaphore!!!"
"I find the idea of a MPD
diety with 2 or more non-interactive personalities hard to believe
in this instance. Ben and Glory kinda have to be able to exist
at the same time. The first time we see Ben he's holding down
the now insane security guard that found the Dagon Sphere and
he talks to Buffy about her Mom's headaches. At that same time
Glory is at the warehouse torturing the monk to find the key.
(Not to mention that Ben'd lose his job if he's only at the hospital
when he's not Glory and not his scheduled shifts.)
I think Glory is connected to Ben possibly by parentage and since
she is way more powerful she can co-opt his body when she wants.
As for what the Key does does anyone else think that Glory's pregnant?
The first time we see her go 'crazy' she rants "Someone's
gotta sit down on their tuffet and make this birthing stop!"
Maybe she needs the Key to have 'a hellbaby' on Earth. That would
certainly cause lots of death and destruction. Another clue is
the way she clammed up about the Key when Dawn asked what it was
for. Glory talked about her "Unmentionables." That always
makes me think of underwear and bodily functions.
I could be wrong though. We'll find out."
I've never thought about Glory being pregnant--
great idea though! Perhaps the crazy episodes are hell-god equivalents
of morning sickness! ;)
Further rampant speculation on this theme-- Glory has to get the
Key because she can't give birth while she's trapped in this dimension
she has to get back to her own plane of existance to do so and
as a result the birth keeps getting indefinitely prolonged with
nasty consequences for her.
Another (even weirder!) possibility is that the 'birthing' refers
to us i.e. humans. Perhaps we are 'taking over' in her former
dimension like we took over from the demon races in our own and
the 'birthing' of humans is what she wants to get back and stop.
(Humans in her dimension may have been responsible for expelling
her from it).
"Nina's post
below (Is *seeing* enough?) got me thinking.
In Xander's dream Giles makes the comment about Spike that "he
is like a son to me." Elsewhere on this board it has been
postulated that this meant that Spike would turn good/human and
become a Watcher like Giles. But I give you this theory: Each
of the four dreams (Willow Xander Giles and Buffy) had a nightmare
element to them. What if this was Xander's nightmare? That Giles
thinks so little of Xander that Giles would consider Spike an
evil blood-sucking vampire who has wrecked havoc and tried to
end the world more of a son than Xander. I think Xander despite
a lot of his remarks to Giles looks up to Giles like a father
- the father he doesn't really have due to his inadequate homelife.
Xander would like to be more like Giles. Not a Watcher necessarily.
But a confident knowledgable man who can get things done in a
pinch. Yes we have seen Xander come a long way since Season One.
But due to his insecurities I'm not sure Xander sees the progress
he has made. Perhaps he has some understanding of this after Buffy
defended him to the Council in "Checkpoint."
"Very interesting reflexion here! There's
also one more thing that is puzzling me about that watcher's bit
in Xander's dream. Spike says that he's going to be a watcher
and Xander answers that he was into that for a while but that
now he has his thing. It's been hinted that "watching"
here means that Spike is watching Buffy. He is watching her back
saving her from attackers (Familly Triangle Checkpoint) He's looking
for her safety like a watcher does with the slayer. Now if watching
means to watch Buffy (having a thing for her too) Xander's answer
could mean that he once was attracted to Buffy (as we all know)
but that now he has his own "thing" (that would be Anya)
I think that Xander is the character who will probably face the
more changes this season. "The replacement" wasn't just
there as a fill in episode. And the fact that the CM emphazise
his being only a boy will definitely bring us to explore something
more in Xander. We want him to stay a joe normal... but Joss once
said that he wasn't writing what we want but what we need..."
"*** "He's looking
for her safety like a watcher does with the slayer. Now if watching
means to watch Buffy (having a thing for her too) Xander's answer
could mean that he once was attracted to Buffy (as we all know)
but that now he has his own "thing" (that would be Anya)"
***
I like that it makes very good sense at least in the context of
the dream. Xander has been changing quite a bit this season.
While we're discussing Xander's dream what do you think the meaning
of Anya's statement about 'steering with emphatic gestures' is?
Taking into account what we've seen so far this season is this
about Xander Willow the SG's in general or about Anya herself?
"
Along that same line
of missing elements we've yet to seen Xander's heart torn out.
While Anya is enjoyable to watch as a character the two seem more
bonded by sex than anything deeper; it's hard to picture a split
between these two as a heart break much less a gaping chest wound.
Any theories on this one?
Another
thing caught my attention. The Xander/Joyce interaction. Joyce
is wearing a red silk robe (Glory wears red silk dresses) and
she is acting really sexy-Glory like.
That part mixed with Buffy who sees her mother between two walls...
may mean that Joyce is sharing her body with Ben and Glory (unknowingly).
"On various occasion people
have made some parallel between Buffy and Star Wars. Spike himself
considered Angelus as his Yoda. But there is something very interesting
in the way both universe consider evil creatures. In Star Wars
once you enter the dark side you are lost. That's what Yoda and
Ben taught Luke. Neither Ben nor Yoda believed that Darth Vador
had some good inside him. Ben says in the return of the jedi:"he's
twisted and evil". Luke chooses not to believe that theory
and wants to *see* the good inside Vador. And when he does and
believes in him Vador can become good...someone has giving him
the chance to change. Someone has *seen* what was inside.
In Buffy we have something similar. You have the Watcher Council
(Yoda) and then Giles (Ben) who have told Buffy since the beginning
that vampires were bad people and that her job as a slayer was
to kill them (like the Jedi has to kill creatures of the dark
side to protect the humanity).
Is *seeing* the way to save someone from the dark side or from
being a vampire? Is that enough?
In FFL Spike wants to be *seen* for what he is. Drusilla sees
what he wants and he lets himself fall in her grip. But if someone
like Buffy wanted to see the good inside him... could he turn
good? He said to Cecily "I'm a good man"... is it possible
that even as a vampire he longs for someone to see this side of
him?
About *seeing*... there are other very interesting example.
- In "The little Prince" by St-Exupery it is said that
we have to see with the heart not with the eyes. Even more interesting
to see that the WC test was to make Buffy fight with something
covering her sight in "Checkpoint"! So she has to feel
and see from the inside.
- In "The X-files" a few years back there was an episode
called "Folie a deux". Only Mulder could see the zombies
who took control of human bodies because he chooses to see. Once
Scully wants to see...she sees it too. Mulder said something like
"you have to believe it to see it"
As we are exploring shades of grey this year... Buffy is learning
more about her dark roots as a slayer but maybe also she will
learn more about what is really a vampire. After all Joss does
what he wants... he can go a lot farther then what all the movies
and litterature have done so far and break a barrier!
And it could maybe explain Giles' dream in "Restless"
when he sees Spike making poses in the crypt. He is photographed
making threatning poses like an actor would. That's the surface
of his being. With the flahes the black and white it looks irreal.
A facade. Inside he may just be the good man who wants to be rescued
(the one we see in Xander's dream. The good mannered guy who comes
from the same kind of milieu as Giles - hence the "Spike
is like a son to me"). Okay that sounds mushi-mushi for Buffy
but it would bring the comprehension of demons and vampires a
notch higher! :)"
"Good
points Nina...I like your ideas. I have been wondering about the
Spike posing as a vampire and "going to be a watcher says
I have the stuff"....It's a very interesting change for Spike's
character. I think you're right that William was "a good
man" and that on some levels so is Spike. Spike is already
affected by popular culture...look at the punk remnants of his
clothing/chipped black nail polish etc....And what are we to make
of the garden gnomes? Is it Spike's wish for middle class Englishness?
And home? "
If you think
about it this all could relate to the 'reality as collective unconsciousness'
theorem. Buffy jumps out a 2nd story window carrying a monk falls
on her back and isn't killed or even seriously injured.
She believes she can do this so she does. *Seeing* would be another
way to refer to this a kind of internal 'sight' that then begins
to mold reality.
If she would begin to *see* Spike as potentially good then would
Spike change to conform to the new reality? This seems very possible
at least for Buffy.
It might be interesting to know on a statistical basis whether
these instances of Buffy 'changing reality' have increased steadily
over the past several years. For some reason I suspect they are.
The use of 'magic' might even be a round-about way of doing the
same thing. The incantations are like calling a subroutine on
a computer program. You send the correct 'message' the machine
responds-- otherwise the routine lies dormant. What Willow and
Tara do would be analogous to writing a script in Visual Basic.
What Buffy would be doing is like making a call to the kernal
or BIOS. (Sorry if this leaves non-techies baffled but it's the
best analogy I can think of at the moment! ;)
Last question-- Wonder who the powers are/were that wrote 'the
big program'?
"Now you're
getting into the territory of my all-time favorite White Wolf
role-playing game - Mage: The Ascension. In Mage the characters
play people who have awakened to the ability to alter reality
at will to varying degrees - and they get more powerful the more
insight or "arete" they attain. Yes arete is the Greek
word for "virtue" and is I believe the same word used
in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance which is one of the
influences on the game. Anyway these mages can alter reality by
using coincidences to their advantage or by blatantly altering
the laws of the concensus reality. If this sounds trippy - that's
because it is. This game is a struggle over who gets to shape
reality and what do you do with reality once you have that power?
The game also draws upon all world mythologies as well as the
Cthulhu mythos and Asian paths to enlightenment - so it does end
up resembling Joss's vision in Buffy and Angel.
"
"I've been musing
over the episode 16 spoiler which says Buffy will go through a
trauma unlike anything she's ever known when someone she knows
leaves. Most of us assume it's the death of Joyce including me.
But the more I think about it the more I wonder how carefully
the word "leaves" was chosen as opposed to the word
"dies".
I'm wondering if what really happens is that Joyce does leave
the show in ep 16 without being killed. Perhaps Dawn is somehow
temporarily transferred back into her energy form which I'm assuming
makes her a portal to either heaven or hell or both and Joyce
is accidentally sucked through. Maybe she's in some sort of purgatory
until she can be rescued by Buffy in the season finale. For some
reason I just don't see them curing Joyce's brain tumor only to
have her die at the hands of Buffy's enemy(unless Kristine Sutherland
has just ticked off some of the BTVS writing staff) :) Nor do
I see them making Buffy totally on her own for the duration of
the show. We can't even be sure Dawn will be sticking around.
Would they really leave Buffy all alone like that? I know the
SG is in a sense her family as well but there's no substitute
for your mother. Anyway that's my farfetched theory. "
"Could
we go with the foreshadowing from last night and say that Glory
will suck thebrain co-heesiveness out of Joyce's head - not killing
her but she would no longer be "there"
Borrowing a lead from matthew I'm voting for a
character to get vamped and going with Willow. Thus Willow 'leaves'
and VampWillow takes her place.
(Side note: In a poll I read some months back when asked what
character they would most like to see brought back into the series
for some additional appearances guess who was the top vote getter?
That's right we bad... ;)
Of course Buffy is devastated and furthermore she simply can't
bring herself to dust the creature who previously was her best
friend. (BTW note how this would mirror Angel's problem with Darla
and how their tactics would differ on dealing). On the other hand
she can't let VampWillow go about killing and maiming et al. So...
She goes to Spike and offers to get his chip removed (he's returned
after a little fling with Drusilla who btw is how our favorite
redhead get the bite put on her). He's happy to say the least
but then again if the chip's out.. might he not end up killing
the woman he loves? (*not* Dru after all...) Oh man *still* more
Spiky angst!
Guess who the chip is for and who isn't very happy to think about
getting one...
Now is *that* farther-out enough? ;)
(OnM grins evil grin and then says... G'nite!)
"Well it would certainly
come from out of left field. There hasn't been so much as a hint
that something like that might happen(which might make it a good
idea). All indications are that this is Xander's year for a big
story. Could that be a red herring? I just don't know if they
would do that to Willow who is one of the most beloved characters
on the show. Even if she were chipped I think some fans could
have a problem with it. I see plenty of fans still smarting over
her becoming gay.Anyway if your theory is correct Dru would follow
Spike back to Sunnydale and vamp Willow in episode 16 right? It
would certainly explain why Willow hasn't been featured very much
this year. And a good explanation of the "leaving" without
the "dying". In fact it could tie into the whole Buffy
sees that there are exceptions storyline. Maybe it's not just
Spike who she has to change her thinking for; vamp Willow would
make that gray area even grayer. That's a good theory!"
"Some interesting ideas and as much as I
loved the Alternate-dimension Vamp Willow and the chaos she created
in her short time with the gang I don't want to see Will turned.
I went back to check out the spoilers and my mind too niggled
on the fact that the word "leave" was also used instead
of "dies". But as purplegrrl stated in another thread
I also rewatched "Checkpoint" and went back to my 2nd
favorite part in the final scene. When the Watcher who had intereviewed
Anya and Xander stated quite snobbishly that Xander had no special
powers I couldn't help but feel this might be some forshadowing
for what is to come for my favorite member of the gang. But then
again what makes him so lovable is that he is just a regular joe
doing his part to help his friends and help save the world. He
shouldn't change.
But then you have Cordelia who was presented with her gift in
that fight against evil. (Always wondered how he'd react in knowing
his ex had a superpower while he had nothing.)
Oh heck I don't know just rambling anxious to see what does come
of all these spoilers and the interesting theories that I've read."
Maybe Joyce in episode 16 will
have a very close call with Glory and Buffy and everyone else
will agree that she's the most safe far away from Sunnydale. Joyce
going away would prevent Glory from using her as a hostage. Even
though Joyce might leave Dawn would stay because the slayer has
the ability to protect her the most. I can't imagine that anything
odd like getting sucked through a protal would happen to Joyce
but her leaving like Riley did would make more sense.
ramo
but that wouldn't be a
tragedy beyond anything Buffy's ever known which is what the spoilers
say. It's got to be much worse than that IMO.
I saw in an earlier thread that many of you liked
the Council Member women (and so do I!) but where the hell did
she took her informations to write a *thesis* on Spike?
It's a great and funny moment in the episode but it seems that
it opens a door to something else. A thesis is a very long work.
And she did it without actually meeting the man. Did I miss something
or does this make sense to you?
I
can imagine the watcher's council found out about the vampire
that killed two slayers and whose name origionated from killing
with railroad spikes and the seemingly British scholarly types
anlyzed it in every possible way. I'm guessing the CoM could use
Spike as a good example to relate this to psylogical reasoning
Freudian techniques and uninportant facts that look good on paper.
Don't forget a thesis is not
a doctoral dissertation. I did a thesis to get my B.A. It was
30 pages long and analysed Italian literature.
#1) She could not submit that thesis to Oxford. It was probably
to fulfill her requirements to become a Watcher.
#2) It depends on the topic she chose. It could have been a psychological
analysis of his choice of first victims. (And we know why and
probably who he chose.) Remember Angelus complained that 'William
the Bloody' liked the 'attention' so he probably got written up
by the daily newspapers as some wacko who signed his kills. The
Watchers would recognize the deaths as being by a vampire and
took note.
#3) She didn't have to get any of her facts right either. The
Watchers don't know him at all.
What
about the Watchers' Diaries? Spike's killed two Slayers... if
Spike was into stalking his Slayers first (I don't think he was
but I haven't seen FFL yet) then maybe the Slayer/Watcher saw
him around a lot took note of him and his patterns (after all
Buffy noticed that Angel was following her way back in Welcome
to the Hellmouth when she wasn't that strong a Slayer). Even if
he wasn't the stalker type I'm sure that there would have been
*some* information gathered on him. Plus he probably bugged other
Slayers as well - I doubt that someone like him who enjoys killing
Slayers so much would have only gone after those three (Boxer
Rebellion Slayer/Subway Slayer/Buffy) in his whole existence.
I'm not saying that information gathered by Watchers would be
enough for a thesis - but I'm sure they had something. After all
in 'Angel' and 'Hallowe'en' the old Watchers' Diaries have information
on Angel(us) so why not Spike?
Plus as Isabel said newspapers and the like may have had information
too. And I'm sure that the CoW has people - maybe not Watchers
but agents at least - around the world. I mean Kendra was trained
as a potential Slayer well before she became an actual one. You've
got all these CoW assassins running around such as the ones that
go after Faith. And Sunnydale is on *an* Hellmouth - implying
that there are others elsewhere. I'm sure the CoW would keep an
eye on these too if not actually taking steps to reduce the evil
there. I'd be very surprised if an organisation as ancient and
knowledge-oriented as the CoW (sorry that sentence just makes
me laugh) didn't have people around the world taking up positions
from high-ranking powerful types down to the common person in
order to gain knowledge. And this ramble has gone on longer than
I intended. Sorry.
Wensleydale
you don't have to worry about being too long here. We're not afraid
of the long posts.
BTW: Am I right in guessing you're a Wallace and Gromit fan?
"LOL... I am... but I actually got the name
from the Monty Python Cheese Shop sketch. Cheese references abound
(although that wasn't my intent. My first-ever post here was on
Restless and then about an hour later I thought "oh god Wensleydale
was a cheese man" :) )."
I
watched this episode again last night (in preparation for tonight!)
and what struck me as bizarre was not so much that the woman had
done her thesis on Spike (Spike was probably fairly notorious
and there was info to be had in the Council library) but that
the Council would go and talk to Spike about Buffy!!! How weird
is that?!? The Council wanted to stake Angel back in Season One
when they found out the Slayer was hanging out with a vampire
even one with a soul. So why would the Council go to a vampire
even a chipped/neutered one for scoop on the Slayer??
Also did the Council know Spike had been chipped and could no
longer harm humans? If yes then why the big show with the giant
cross and presumably other precautions?? If no then what the heck
were they questioning Spike for in the first place?? Did they
think they were going to get reliable answers from an evil creature
of the night??
More weirdness in the Buffyverse!
I
doubt they would have questioned Spike if they didn't know about
his chip. They were being the WC through and through--Giles says
your chipped and harmless but you're a blood-sucking creature
of the night and we don't trust you.
Sort of the way they treated souled Angel.
"I presumed that Xander "accidently"
told the WC about Spike. One of the Watchers is asking Xander
about how the Slayer protects her friends from 'all' the demons
in Sunnydale and Xander gets a weird look on his face then cut
to Watchers interviewing Spike.
Fill in the blanks between scenes and Xander told them about the
chipping.
Also I don't remember the WC trying to kill Angel on the Buffy
show. When Wes and the Watcher's come to get Faith in Season 3
they have crosses and a net not stakes. In the Angel episode where
they (again) are trying to get Faith it is Council Operatives
not Watchers that try to kill Angel. It's clear that they are
acting on their own initiative here. There was no council order
to kill the vampire with a soul.
Despite all their flaws the Watchers Council does seem to agree
with Buffy's philosophy that you don't kill a vamipe that isn't
killing humans (currently). Otherwise they would have staked the
notorious William the Bloody right in his own lair."
I think the CM woman didn't become a watcher for
the power trip of controlling the slayer like the head of the
council or because of family tradition like Giles. I think she
probably came from upper-class british society and found it so
stuffy that she became interested in demons and the dark side
of life but still didn't want to let go of the perks of being
in control of the situation so she became a watcher. Why would
I think that? well she seems to have a different point of view
from the other watchers from the way she talked to Buffy nicely
instead of commanding ('course that night be because the guy who
talked before her got a sword thrown at him...) and as for liking
the dark side didn't you see her eyes light up when she told Spike
about how she wrote her thesis about him?
"I'm
cracking up each time I hear her say "yes". She really
has a crush on Spike and it's like a dream come true for her to
interview him. Notice that every member of the SG was interviewed
by a different watcher. I bet she asked to go to Spike's crypt!
Girl has some courage. Gotta like that. I really hope she'll come
back!"
"Yet another
email I got that I wouldn't mind getting some thoughts on from
the varied and interesting minds of ATPoBtVS posters:
"Hi
I'm about to embark on what will probably turn out to be a book-length
serious study of BVS and Angel in terms of their social and cultural
context and
possible impact. I'm particularly interested in pursuing possible
links with Japanese pop culture.
I can find reams of junk written on the subject but very little
that actually takes us anywhere or assists in understanding.
Is this entire universe invented (I doubt it but it certainly
isn't one I recognise)? Or is it drawing on an existing mythology?
Even invented mythologies like
Tolkein's have tracable roots.
This is an important debate to have because of the impact the
shows have and their deeply transgressive nature in terms of Western
culture.
Can you point me to any relevant material especially sources for
Wheedon's cosmology and critical reviews of the series.
I might be interested in your comments on my text as it develops
- I expect it will take most of this year - if you're willing.
Thanks in advance and best regards
[name withheld]"
One place
for the Questioner to start would be comic books. Particularly
Batman (for Angel) and Superman (for Riley).
Also slasher films - or rather the antithesis of them. Since Joss
chose to create a heroine who was attractive blonde and petite
who instead of being the first to die is the one who kicks the
bad guys butt.
And of course the whole vampire mythology.
Actually I would look to Captain America for the
inspitation for Riley. Both were scientifically enhanced to be
all-American super-soldiers. In fact I could see Marc Blucas playing
the role of Captain America.
Joss
had a very very rich background in comics. We all know he has
a personal interest in the hobby what with his writing one to
be released this year entitled 'Fray'.
I know that he focused on the Marvel comics but he had a very
large expansive variety of comics in his life. He has recently
written the introduction to a trade paperback entitled 'Earth
X' which is a new take on the entire Marvel universe.
I would also suggest the writer look to film history.
In many episodes the theme or plot is an homage to old films of
course often putting the original convention on it's head. Heck
most of the first season episodes were riffs on old horror films
And all this time I thought
Angel was more the John Constantine type. If we going to get all
comic-bookie though I see significant differences between Angel
and Batman. Batman is fundamentally good and his evolution into
the vigilante persona was caused by external forces. Angel is
fundamentally evil (Angelus is not gone just repressed) and his
changes are caused by internal forces. (lack of a soul introduction
of a demon replacement of a soul etc) If one were looking for
comic book counterparts for Angel then John Constantine or the
Demon (during his time trapped in the guys body-sorry can't think
of the guys name) or others might be a better comparison.
Riley just never seems like a suitable superman clone. Although
some of the initative experiments are similar to the underground
genetic lab in the superman comics (cloning of the newsboys Adam
as a Metalman? -grin- or the genetic 'accidents' running amok)
Riley is much more a Guardian rather than Superman type constantly
either cleaning up after the Initative or running missions for
them. Guardian was even a clone of his former self which fits
with the experiments done on Riley as well. Riley also kills his
enemies with little or no remorse. The one time Superman executed
criminals (excellent storyline btw) he went insane for a short
time.
However none of this is likely helpful to the original writers
questions. (grin) In looking at any mythos you have to realize
that it isnt the mythos that is copied it is the themes and archetypes
that are used and reused and turned inside out to be reused again.
Joss may have developed a new mythos or retooled older ones to
fit his ideas. What is more likely is that he took themes (good
and evil sacrifice power redemption descent into darkness etc)
and archetypes (the hero the shapechanger ect) and reworked those
to form his own mythos. If I were going to write about anything
with a strong muthic content I would go back to those basics even
if only to see how he worked them into his storyline.
As for practical help try http://buffyguide.com/ for reviews and
other info.
I could argue that BtVS and Angel push the limits of TV rather
than the limits of culture but I am not positive what you meant
by the statement so I will end before my post becomes a book itself.
I'm glad you brought up John
Constantine. He is one of my all-time favorite characters (though
I haven't read Hellblazer in years ). Anyway if Giles had
retained more of his Ripper persona I think we would be more like
Constantine. Of course Constantine is more ex-punk and working
class than Giles. Giles seems to have been a bit earlier than
the punks - maybe a mod. He also seems to have come from a more
upper class background. Still both seemed to have been rebels
who dabbled in black magick and then straightened themselves out
(more or less). Constantine is a lot more cold-blooded and much
more of a con-man than Giles. Giles seems to have more integrit
and wears his heart on his sleeves at times.
"As I have mentioned in various other places
I would also look to Chinese Buddhism and Chinese mythology. The
sixth century monk Chih-i's teaching of the "mutual posession
of the ten worlds" really seems to be operating in Joss's
universe. The moral ambiguity of Chinese cultural heros like the
Monkey King or the Heroes of Liangshan March also seem to be part
of Joss's vision. Not to mention the many hells many heavens the
celestial beaucracy and the many demons monsters and ghosts that
seem to choke the countryside (at least in the story Journey to
the West). Movies like Green Snake (available at your local Chinese
video store) also portray a world where non-human beings like
Dragons can humanize themselves and even become human. The Green
Snake story also prominently features an intolerant and fanatical
Buddhist monk who refuses to let these beings remain or become
human. That monk actually would make an ideal member of the clumsy
and intolerant WC as seen on Buffy. The old Hammer/Shaw Brothers
film The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires is also a fun little
piece of cinematic trash that features Chinese vampires and their
zombie armies vs. seven brothers and their sister in a supernatural
display of martial arts mayhem. The sister in that movie would
actually be the first appearance of a kung fu using female vampire
slayer in any medium that I know of.
Also others have pointed out that Joss's universe also seems to
borrow quite heavily from the Cthulhu mythos of H.P. Lovecraft.
Especially the idea that demons were here first and are working
very hard to reclaim the world for their own once again. Joss's
vision however isn't quite as bleak as Lovecraft however. In fact
it sometimes seems more dualistic in a Zoroastrian sense in that
the forces of good (The Powers That Be and the Watchers's Council)
seem to be fairly evenly matched against the forces of evil (The
First Evil and the Senior Partners).
The main thing about Joss is that his vision is very post-modern
in that it weaves together new and old elements from many cultures
into a very contemporary synthesis. Joss also refuses to confirm
or deny the existence of any particular meta-narrative (such as
Christian or Buddhist or Lovecraftian) which fits in well with
the post-modern suspicion of the universal validity of metanarratives."
According to my sister Japanamation
may have influence over btvs. Sailor moon (not the cheesy dubbed
version but the subtitled one) is similer. It has a heoin with
a legion of friends it's antihero tuxedo mask (aka spike) is in
love with her and two of the female cadets are verrry close to
one another. Also Vampire hunter D is somwhat similer though warped.
Also Sonya blue a novel is similer accept the slayer was half
vampire and more punk/goth than buffy.
"Well
off the top of my headÖ
Archetypal
BTVP is of course a fairly good example of a bildungsroman which
is the story of a hero who journeys from innocence/childhood into
adulthood/experience. Other examples: Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship)
Evelina David Copperfield or the classic example Star Wars.
Angel gosh I wish I had a fancy Lit Crit German term for this
is the classic sinner seeking redemption story. Other Examples
the Divine Comedy ("Halfway through the journey of our lives
I came to myself in a dark wood and found that I had lost the
true way." One of my favorite lines in literature) Pilgrims
Progress and of course Forever Knight (best damn vampire cop show
ever made).
Horror Films
They've managed to have just about every kind of horror film creature:
Vampires (of course) Witches In-human Femme Fatale (Preying mantis
woman etc) insane robots the mummy creature from the Black Lagoon
werewolves zombies trolls demons possessed computers demons in
their generic brand. Did anyone else think of Nosferatu when watching
Hush?
Conversely most of the named species of demons appear to be unique
to the Jossverse.
Buffy herself is both a reversal of the typical female in the
classic horror movie (blond babe who foolishly runs into a dark
alley and gets killed) and the embodiment of the slasher movie
female heroine. You know I wish I could remember the name of the
book that talked about this (check your local university library
for Horror Movie Criticism). It discussed how in many slasher
pics the villain is a man with some sort of phallic/stabbing weapon.
He attacks a series of sexually active characters who die while
the predominantly pre-adolescent male audience cheers. Then the
female main character who is shy/tom boyish/not sexually active/not
comfortable with her own sexuality seizes (often literally) control
of the villain's weapon in some way and defeats him while the
predominantly pre-adolescent male audience cheers. The first Slumber
Party Massacre movie is a great example of this.
Comics
I'd have to agree with the Batman/Angel analogy. He belongs to
that long tradition of damned and brooding in it hero. Do good
brood. Brood some more do good. Spike strikes me as fairly John
Constantine-esk. Accent hair trench coat punk past cigarette smoking
choice of swear words. I can also imagine Spike flipping off the
Lords of Hell. Course Contantine is kinda sorta more heroic. Riley
is very Captain America/G.I. Joe corn fed and true American blue.
I just can't place our title character. I mean there are plenty
of Amazonian hiny kicking comic book heroines but I'd be hard
pressed to say Character name=Buffy.
Literary
Mustn't neglect literature: Dracula Lovecraftian primordial monsters
(Bad Eggs and come to think of it Go Fish. Fish freaked Lovecraft
out.) and Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde (Beauty and the Beasts).
Of course Beauty and the Beasts makes me think of the whole reoccurrence
of the Doppelganger/character possessed by evil/characters who
mirror each other darkly thing. Willow/Vamp Willow Xander/VampXander
Xander/split in two Xander Xander/Hyena Xander Rupert/Ripper Janus
Buffy/Faith Angel/Angelus every main vamp/their pre vamp days.
HmmmÖactually there are too many to list.
Random thoughts
After watching Fool for Love I went and reread Andreas Capellanus'
The Art of Courtly Love (aka How to pick up Chicks in Medieval
France). I wanted to think about how the Courtly love tradition
gave disenfranchised/but armed to the teeth landless young knights
a role/investment in the overall culture. (A whole big long not
going there here discussion) I'm sure they weren't thinking of
that when they started the whole Buffy/Spike arc. However it means
that you can find connections pretty much anywhere you want to.
I look forward to hearing more about the project.
P.S. Oh and thanks purplegrrl and OnM for your reponses to my
Total War Post. I'm afraid it takes me so long to think about
these things that I probably won't post much.
"
Thanks folks - there
are a lot of good ideas here. I've been looking at Sailor Moon
& one or two other Anime productions vis Buffy. I'm seeing her
as a kind of post feminist anti DiD - I think Masquerade has something
similar.
Angel is pretty much a regular Hero with a hamartia which brings
both the necessity for and the means of redemption: he's kinda
Sophoklean almost Christlike in some respects and most like Beowulf
or more exactly Beowulf's Danish analogue Bothvarr Bjarki.
What is fascinating is the cosmology where does this demonology
and the idea of the Slayer come from? Is t purely a post-feminist
response to the 'Isabella' syndrome in Gothic literature?
S
A good deal of Joss's vampire
mythos is drawn from Anne Rice's novels. For example the way vampires
are sired.
This has already been mentioned but BTVS also draws a lot from
the Japanese version of Sailormoon. For instanceo this season's
story arc is frighteningly like the second (R) season of Sailormoon:
Young girl (Dawn/Chibi-Usa) appears out of nowhere. People's memories
are modified so that they think she has always been there. It
turns out she has been sent to the heroine (Buffy/Sailormoon)
for protection from villains (Glory and the Knights of Byzantium/Black
Moon Family). The villains want to use the young girl to open
a door and in the process kill many people.
I researched this whole thing much too thoroughly didn't I?
And isn't Glory just a bit like Galexia?
Hee my roommate and I love making Buffy/Sailormoon
connections but I didn't realize other people do. Scary in the
reassuring way. ^_^
Glory is frighteningly like Galaxia as SJH said. Both super-strong
& invulnerable both absorb something essential from their victims
both are mean to their minions etc. Dawn is quite like Chibiusa
but also a bit like Chibichibi in that she's related to/being
hunted by Glory/Galaxia. Oh and Chibiusa was also once kidnapped
by an inept female vampire. ^_- You could also draw a paralell
between Dawn and Sailorsaturn. One group wants to protect Saturn
because they love her one group wants to use her power for evil
from another world and one group wants to kill her to prevent
that. If Dawn get glowing purple eyes when she awakens her Keyness
I'm going to find Joss and scold him.
Also in the fifth season the sailor senshi gave their power to
Sailormoon enabling her to become Eternalsailormoon just like
the scoobies performed the spell that put their essences into
Buffy turning her into Eternalslayermoon.
Then there's the boyfriends who easily undergo personality changes
the demonic high schools the lesbians . . . I'll stop now.
I'm beginning to realise that I'm at considerable
tactical disadvantage on this side of the Herring Pond. We're
about a season behind you (on terrestrial tv and I disdain satellite
cos it's run by a bunch of power hungry crooks). I get the gist
of what you're saying but anything past #P4ABB15 is a bit of a
blur.
S
"One more place for your
Questioner to look for cultural references in BtVS is the new
book
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Monster Book" by Christopher
Golden Stephen R. Bissette and Thomas E. Sniegoski.
Although the book focuses on the monsters there is a lot of information
about where certain influences for the show came from including
interviews with Joss and others. "
"Hi
everyone! I'm new here but I love your discussions so I'm gonna
throw my two cents too.
After rewatching "Out of my mind" for the "x"
time a thought came to me. Why the hell Spike is having that dream
now? Why that particular timing?
If we look at Spike so far he has always wanted to kill the slayer.
He's still looking forward to killing her in "Out of my mind".
He makes the dive can't bite her because of the chip he has a
dream about Buffy and suddenly BOUM! he becomes all silly putty.
The attraction Spike feels towards Buffy has always been semi-present
(James Marsters says himself that he always acted that way on
purpose even if it wasn't written in the script) so it's not a
very new fact that he's attracted to her. Only now he knows it
and can't seem to get past it.
So again my question: why now Spike gives in to his feelings?
He says himself :"This has got to end" and after his
dream:"Oh no! Please God no!" He doesn't want it and
still the next time he sees Buffy he's all different around her.
A little dopey (it's in the script!) acting like a child on his
first crush (not unlike the way he was when alive). So could the
chip be responsible for this? I mean could the doctor have activated
something new in him? Something that allows his former self to
come to the surface? What do you think?"
"Great Idea! And I love the irony that Spike's
attempt to reclaim his "Big Bad" status resulted in
him falling in love with his "hated enemy."
He went from the frying pan into the fire."
"Question is was it the chip that made him
say "This has got to end" or was it just that his failed
attempt at biting her was the straw that broke the camel's back?
Also once Spike has decided (on his own or because the doctor
upped the potency of the chip) that 'this has got to end' does
he dream that he loves Buffy because he has given up and the focus
of his desire to kill her is revealed as latent attraction or
has the chip converted his evil spade and weeds thoughts of killing
her into hearts and flowers?
Nina: We've been discussing this a great deal on this board (scroll
down a few pages) and each poster has a pet theory about the chip
and what it does. Mine goes like this (I'll give you the short
version;): Spike's chip was removed by the doctor in OomM but
its removal amplified the effect of the chip or cause some kind
of brain damage. My other pet theory is that the chip never really
existed in the first place and that the easter egg Harmony saw
was actually a part of the brain stem.
One of the biggest questions re: the chip is whether or not the
chip (assuming it exists) can sense if Spike is going to bite
or harm a human or whether it keeps Spike from harming entities
*he* thinks are human. Seems to me this is going to be put to
the test soon.
"
"This has got to
end. This is the line I find most significant as well. Because
Spike couldn't best Buffy physically he may have sublimated the
hate into a more manageable emotion i.e. love. He may subconsciously
figure this is his best chance of "conquering" Buffy.
His dream the following week where he's fighting her instead of
kissing her tells me that there is still some violence mixed in
with whatever tender feelings he has towards her. That doesn't
mean I don't think his love is genuine but the motives that led
to his feeling that way are a little suspect. "
"Thanks Aquitaine! I've been reading the
message board all day and discovered quite a lot of theories!
(should have waited before posting!) but well I seem to have nothing
else to do these days then obsessing about the Buffy universe
(time to get a life I know).
What's really getting my attention is the "why now?"...
it could have been anytime in the season for that matter. A little
later a little sooner. But it seems that the writers are paying
a lot of attention to these details so hence the reason why I'm
wondering if the chip has something to do!
Now if the chip exists or not... that's another very interesting
question. How would you explain the pain Spike feels when he wants
to kill humans if?"
I was
reading through some earlier posts in regard to what Willow's
dream means and someone mentioned there was discussion at some
point that Willow is a spy. What's this all about if anyone knows.....
" There wasn't really anything
much to it. It's just that there was a spoiler around awhile back
that there was a CoW spy around Sunnydale quite possible one of
the Scoobs. I think this spoiler has pretty much died since Checkpoint
so I doubt very much that it has much truth (although why the
CoW wouldn't have a spy on Buffy when they had one on Faith when
she was in a coma I will never know). Some of us at a different
board were just going through the possibilities y'know which characters
it was most likely to be. We just thought that Willow's dream
could possibly point to it being her you know because of all the
"hiding" and being in the play in "costume"
and all that sort of thing. There were people who were saying
the spy was Xander because of the "Big Brother" reference.
Really it was all just speculation and not being overly serious.
I was just using that as an example of how you can read pretty
much anything you want into Restless. Sorry sisn't mean to freak
you out! :)"
Thanks so
much for taking the time to answer me. I was really curious!
"I've never asked a question of the board
before so I'm a little nervous. This has stuck in my head for
the last week and since things have been kinda quiet while we
wait for the new episodes to start I decided to take the plunge.
Now that Spike's basically told Buffy that her threat to stake
him has "gone stale " what will she do now? Will she
think up another threat to keep him in line? Give up on threats
all together? Admit she won't stake him now unless he gives her
a reason?
Does anybody have any ideas on this?"
"Don't be nervous. LOL. The worst thing that
could happen is that no one answers you (which won't happen since
I'm posting this). BTW the fact that no one answers doesn't necessarily
mean no one cares about what you wrote; could be that what you
wrote was inherently rhetorical. It's a weird dynamic (and now
I'm babbling - sorry).
As for your question "Will Buffy Have to Sing a New Tune?"
I think the answer is 'she already is'. Spike's tune has changed
and therefore she has no choice but to change as well (witness
her passive listener mode in FFL her agreeing to go with him to
the vamp brothel her taking her family to him for protection...).
The dynamic between them was established in Season 2 and has been
pretty consistent up 'til now. It went like this: I try to kill
you (but fail) you try to kill me (but fail) let's work together
on this because it suits both of us (and succeed) if you do this
I'll do that (and it works). It's always been a give and take
tit for tat reciprocal (in a bizarre way) relationship".
I suppose you could call it co-dependent when one element changes
so does the other. It is clear to me that this is the case but
the show has never really explained *why* this co-dependency exists
(maybe that's what's so intriguing about it). What exactly is
the connection between these two?
***
Since his 'chipping' Spike has gradually accepted the fact that
he needs the SG and Buffy in his life and now that he has discovered
that his obsession with Buffy is 'love' he clings to the fringes
of Buffy's life. Buffy is less aware of the 'need' for Spike in
her life and many would argue that Buffy *has* no need for him.
I side with the camp that says she does need something from him
or else he'd be dead. I don't know what that something is however.
A great deal hinges on the manner in which Spike deals with Buffy's
reaction to his declaration of love. I'm not referring to his
initial reaction but to his long term reaction. Will he be satisfied
with and settle for living on the fringes of Buffy's affections
and of her life? Or will he choose another path? (Sorry it appears
I'm still babbling and now have generated more questions!)
Back to your question. Yes. Buffy will have to sing a new tune
especially when 'new' info re: Spike's feelings for her come to
her conscious attention rather than lurk in her subconscious.
She clearly has no overt wish to kill him or she'd have done it
in NPLH after he tried to get himself de-chipped. I can only see
her initially and on the surface at least being very confused
and grossed out by his declaration. But without a doubt she'll
have to find a new way to deal with him and to think about him.
She'll never see him the same way.
The real question is will the new song she sings be a love song
a heavy metal song a bluesy number or something... alternative:)
I vote for the last. "
"Co-dependency...that's
a good analogy for the weird relationship they have. As Buffy
told Riley last year "Spike is hard to explain". Personally
I don't think he's hard to explain she just doesn't want to examine
the explanation. In OOMM there are numerous references made by
both Buffy and Spike that they are ever-present in each others
lives and that it's driving them mutually crazy:
Buffy: I so don't want to deal with Spike right now. He's really
starting to bug me in a "I wanna shove something wooden through
his heart" kind of way.
Spike: She follows me you know tracks me down. I'm her pet project
drive Spike 'round the bend.
For two people who profess distaste for each other they seem to
frequently end up seeking each other out for one reason or another.
What I liked about that scene you mentioned in Checkpoint is that
Spike finally called Buffy on her endless empty threats. And Buffy's
silence spoke volumes. It's finally acknowledged by both parties
that Buffy isn't going to hurt him. Does that mean Buffy will
start to sing a new tune? No Buffy is not one to be introspective
unless forced to be. I believe the upcoming episodes 14-16 will
bring their relationship to a head force Buffy to confront Spike's
place in her life(or lack of one) and that's when we'll know what
the new tune is Buffy will be singing."
Aquitaine's right Isabel... how a thread gets
answered or not tends to be very unpredictable. I've posted quite
a few by this time and there are topics were I thought Oooo! Oooo!!
This'll really get a discussion going and I get like 2 responses!
;) Then I'll just throw something out that pops into my head for
a moment and there's 30-some responses! Go figure! ;)
The long slow dance between Buffy and Spike has sustained more
interest than I would venture any other Buffyverse subject. I
personally think it has something to do with some innate subconscious
sense that Buffy has (and isn't even aware of) that tells her
*not* to dust him. It is the same sense that 'told' her to protect
and remain mum about Angel returning from hell. When push came
to shove and Angel was going to kill himself and Buffy couldn't
convince him not to the 'snow' appears. A sign from the PTB? Most
fans assume so and that gives us good reason to follow Buffy's
instincts no matter how peculiar they may seem at times.
Whether Buffy is a 'messiah-in-training' or just really *really*
lucky we will as always (~sigh~) just have to wait and see.
"Thanks guys. You've given me things to mull
over. Their relationship has changed already. Hmmm.
Has Buffy even hit Spike since "Fool For Love?"
For a while she socked him on sight then he asked her to do it
and now she won't. Those two are warped. No matter what the relationship
evolves into they'll probably be singing something by 'The Kinks.'
We'll see in the next few weeks anyhow.
"
"In the long run
though I'll be glad when this story line is over. "Slayer
in love with a Vampire?" Been there done that."
"Well we've heard a good theory that maybe
Willow's dream was actually about Dawn and it got me thinking
about the other dreams and how they are fortelling what's to come.
specifically Xander's dream. Snyder tells him he is a "whipping
boy set on a sacrificial stone". The writers have said that
this season Buffy will suffer a loss greater than she ever has
before. Will it be her actually sacrificing a human life? Xander
specifically?
it's been a long time since the writers have thrown us for a loop
like this not since Buffy sent Angel to hell after he regained
his soul. And not all would be lost for Xander either. Remember
in the Angel episode the Trial they owe Angel and he now has a
sort of voucher to bring someone back from the dead.
Just imagine if they ended the season with Xander being dead?
Shades of the old unpredictable BtVS methinks."
I think what you suggest is eminently possible
and I think Xander may 'leave' as early as episode 16... My reasoning?
Well episode 17 of A:tS is Cordy-centric and I'm thinking that
Xander's 'leaving' the Buffyverse might affect Cordy in many significant
ways. Without a doubt Cordy was emotionally scarred by Xander
and Willow's betrayal. She hasn't been in a relationship since
then. Notice that I say 'leave' and not 'die'. The spoilers say
that someone very close to Buffy 'leaves'. Maybe Xander will sacrifice
himself for Buffy in the Glory debacle and end up in another reality?
I know this sounds sick but I'd actually find that a very refreshing
plot twist.
Well spoilers say
February will be a big month for Xander but they seemed to indicate
he had a big destiny to fulfill something that might come between
him and Anya. I thought it would be something a little more noble
than to just die. His death would certainly be a big surprise
for episode 16 when most of us think Joyce is going to die. I
agree it would be nice for the writers to zig when we expect them
to zag since we haven't had very many of those surprises in a
while. Of course if Xander is the one who's going to die then
we're going to have to consider the possibility that those time
travel spoilers are also correct since I don't think they'd write
NB off the show permanently.
My money is still on Joyce though.
"Well
since the door has been opened let this fool rush in. My thoughts
are not about Xander but about Dawn. I think that Glory & Ben
are the yin and yang of some sort of god-dom. Eventually they
along with The Key will merge and evolve to some other dimension.
The Key will separate itself from Dawn as it leaves and Buffy
will truly have a "little sister." And that Little Sister
will be left with some sort of special powers to aid Buffy in
her neverending fight against Evil."
So
you see Dawn becoming a regular on the show? I just always assumed
her role would be written out for maximum angst. Something along
the lines of she has to return to her previous energy form for
the good of mankind and to thwart Glory and Ben so Buffy has to
say goodbye to her sister and much unhappiness ensues. Your theory
could work though if they want to keep MT on the show. I'm wondering
if in the huge season finale also the 100th episode(?) we're going
to have a huge clash between Gods and demons as the gates of both
are unlocked somehow by the Key. I'd love to see some sort of
Excalibur type battles with hundreds of warriors fighting!
Have to go with jade here as to Dawn being the
one who dies/leaves/vanishes/returns to energy form whatever thus
causing Buffy significant heartbreak. I think most fans are assuming
it will be Joyce.
What I like about the Dawn angle is that there is the irony (a
Jossian favorite) of Dawn having not existed until he monks 'created'
her. It knid of brings up similar questions as to what constitues
actual 'life' much like the Doctor or Data in the Trek universe.
The reason it will cause Buffy so much heartbreak is that I'm
wondering if she has ever realized just how lonely it was growing
up as an only child. I think this was also a factor in her overall
dynamic with Faith who at least for a while was sister-like to
her. (Also insert appropriate Faith/Buffy dream refs here-- 'little
sis' etc).
I very much doubt Xander will get gone at least not permanently.
I also seem to recall a Joss interview where he expressed something
to the effect that the 'core' of the group-- Buffy Giles Willow
and Xander-- will always be around. Anybody else-- anything is
possible (evil Joss grin).
"Couldn't
this be the "loss" that you are all discussing? I like
Dawn but Zander is such an integral part of the show...it would
lose something very special if he were gone."
"I have to say I'm torn between Brian's and
jade's theories. They both make for good storytelling. Brian's
would be a great way to introduce a new character in the show
permanently. And there were the spoilers that Dawn was supposed
to have some sort of powers that would help out Buffy. But for
gut wrenching angst jade wins the prize. Even though Buffy knows
that Dawn isn't her "real" sister in her head all her
emotions and memories tell her otherwise. She has no memory of
not having a little sister. So losing her would be a great loss
for Buffy a loss like no other. "
But
what i was saying was that Xander could be brought back with the
help of Angel (the favor he is owed from the Trial). This could
cause angst for Buffy because she let one of her friends die even
if they were brought back she would have the knowledge that she
sacrificed one of her friends.
i like the Dawn causing Joyce's death thing though...that would
be really interesting.
Thanks
to the requests of my many fans (all 3 or 4 of them!) and for
your greater viewing pleasure here is
the *very first* installment of OnMís weekly Classic Movie
Recommendation! (Assuming of course that
Masq doesnít kick me off her server for hijackiing her
webspace in this manner! I mean hey the chocolate
& sprinkles crowd have *their* little section of ATPoBtVS cyberspace!
;) ;)
* * * * * *
Regular ATPoBtVS posters are likely aware of my propensity for
suggesting a movie as evidence in
support of some given point being discussed. This is possible
because movies have been with us for so long
now and are such an ingrained part of modern Western culture that
they serve as a kind of cultural
shorthand. If someone else has seen the same movie you have you
have both enjoyed a commonality of
experience that makes illustrating a point of discusson much easier--
even if the person saw the movie and
came to a completely opposite conclusion!
So as not to go too far off-topic I will try to stick with selections
that relate to threads/topics we have
discussed or are discussing here on the board. Nonetheless be
forewarned that I have a certain affection
for tangency and may very well go off on one on occasion. ;)
A secondary benefit of this beyond feeding my ego (which in non-cyber
reality is fairly small and could use
some fattening up) is that youíll end up being entertained
and perhaps provoked into thought in ways that
could be pleasantly unexpected. I am most certainly not a movie
snob I enjoy some good mindless
entertainment as much as the next prole as long as said entertainment
itself wasnít *made* by mindless
people. I do tend to seek out the unexpected in movies and like
many people I live where the local
cinemas shy away from anything that isnít fairly mainstream.
So praise be for video!
My recommendations will not include any lengthy analyses such
is not the intention. If however you see
something in a film Iíve recommended especially if it relates
to the Buffyverse please feel free to start a
thread on the topic you want to comment on or discuss. (Earlier
this week I urged one and all to hasten
forth to see ëCrouching Tiger Hidden Dragoní-- a film
with multiple BV resonances). These weekly
excursions will primarily involve ëclassicí films
which I define as anything not in current release so that
can cover a lot of territory!
Well thatís enough for now... letís commence to
do the thang!
* * * * * * *
About a week or so ago we were discussing the Watcherís
Council in particular and bureaucracies in
general one of the salient points that all seemed to agree on
was that bureaucracies are 1) seemingly self
perpetuating often to the exclusion of whatever it is they were
originally supposed to do and 2) able to
wield great power with little oversight by those they are supposed
to serve.
So with this in mind my Classic Movie of the Week is Terry Gilliamís
brilliant reworking of George
Orwellís ë1984í dystopia *Brazil*.
Iím pretty sure this has been re-released on DVD but whatever
format you choose be certain to get the
ëDirectorís Cutí edition. If your tape or disk
has a happy ending surprise!-- you have the version that the
studio wrested away from Gilliam re-edited to the point of making
it a pale resemblence to the original
intent and even tacked on a bogus ëhappy endingí.
Of course the resulting studio ëimproved versioní
flopped miserablyat the box office. Gilliam eventually regained
control of his creation and over the years it
has grown into a nearly cult phenomenom. Witty ironic dark visually
striking beautifully written and as
is the norm for Gilliam totally unlike anything else out there
in movieland.
* * * * * * *
Next week Fearís evil twin Paranoia-- in a great movie
very few have even heard of let alone seen
recently re-released on DVD.
E Pluribus Cinema Unum
Wow sounds
like a good movie. I'll have to keep a look out for it next time
we're in the video store.
Unfortuanly because I live over an hour from the nearest city
we only get two stations. Two startions where they never show
anything good (except for Buffy once a week and the one time showing
of 'The Meaning of Life' by Monty Python). End rant and now geting
back to the topic.
I'll make sure to keep an eye out for 'Brazil'.
I look forward to you next pick OnM. :)
"I've
heard of the movie Brazil. Most people seem to love or hate it
but most seem to agree it's visually stunning. I know my local
library has a copy so I'll have to check it out.
Also I don't know if we were supposed to add our own connections
we saw between movies and BTVS but in season 4 with the Initiative
storyline and Spike getting chipped I immediately thought of "A
Clockwork Orange" an extremely disturbing film in which a
violent criminal undergoes a sort of mind control experiment by
the government to cure him of his violent urges. It worked very
similar to Spike's chip without there being an actual chip. Of
course the irony became that the criminal once "cured"
was then helpless and vulnerable to other criminals. Anyway this
isn't a movie for everyone's taste but I can say that it was truly
unforgettable. "
A number
of people have made reference to this movie (the book was by Anthony
Burgess I believe) in connection with Spike so you're not alone
in picking up on it jade. What I always wonder is if the writers
of Buffy/Angel think of these connections before or after they
do the screenplay. As I mentioned movies are such a great part
of our collective consciousness we can easily make reference to
them without really thinking about it.
Look at Ronald Reagan-- at times during his administartion he
made references to things that he seemed to think were real and
it turned out to be something that he saw in a movie and internalized
to the extent that it became 'reality' for him!
"I believe the BTVS writers intentially mimic
some movies. For example in OOMM when Spike and Harmony kidnap
the doctor the shooting script calls for them to walk in and take
charge "Natural Born Killers" style. And although I
haven't seen "Casper" I heard that the W/T dancing scene
in "Family" was an imitation of a scene from that movie.
Moments like this aren't what you're talking about though I don't
think. Aren't you talking more about themes from movies?"
Don't
sweat it. People come and go from discussion boards so as long
as the same point doesn't get repeated like every other week it
doesn't hurt anything. Besides you may have a different spin on
the point than someone else has.
Both specific scenes or moments or general themes are perfectly
acceptable topics for commentary. One of the greatest pleasures
I get from frequenting this board (ans occasionally a few others)
is that other people see things that I don't or put a different
interpretation on things that I did see.
For the same reasons I enjoy DVDs or laserdiscs that have directors
and/or cast members commentary tracks on them. Everything I learn
accumulates and enhances my enjoyment of movies/books/etc. that
I experience in future.
My pick for a movie of the week
and in trying to keep it with a related BtVS moment would be a
New Zealand film called Bizarre. The main character has a heart
attack and then has an out of body experience. When he is revived
by medics he comes to believe that he really did die and now he
is living in Hell as he discovers more and more evidence of nasty
craziness and betrayals by his family and friends.
"Unfortunately I think "Brazil"
loses something when translated to the small screen. I originally
saw it in the theater but when it was shown on TV some time later
I couldn't keep focused on the story. You sort of need to immerse
yourself in the movie without other distracts."
Do Dawn or Anya have souls?
Dawn is energy manifested into a human body. She appears to be
pure hearted and can show compassion. But since she isn't technically
human does she have a soul?
As for Anya she is without a question human. However she does
not show much evidence of having a soul. Unlike Angel she does
not feel guilty about the people she tormented and killed while
she was a demon (and Anyanka was wreaking havok for 850 years
more than Angelus). And moreover Anya does not show much human
kindness or compassion (her utter lack of tact).
So who has a soul?
"Not
sure about Anya but Dawn has a soul. As the monk told Buffy "Made
the key human sent it to you." Then later he says something
like "Just human now."
Sounds to me like Dawn is completely human two arms two legs and
a soul. The monks gave her the works!
I know there were some early rumors last summer that Dawn would
be able to channel demons and stuff but I don't think she has
any special powers. So far we haven't seen them and I'm guessing
Glory will have to do something to Dawn in order to achieve her
goal whatever it is.
Perhaps Glory will need to convert Dawn back into energy or say
some sort of spell when the planets come into the right alignment
to unleash the power that is within her.
We haven't had any indication (yet!) that Dawn is anything more
than human so she must have a soul.
"
That would be some feat
if those monks created a soul as a side effect of putting the
key into human form. I agree that Dawn certainly acts like a full
human being and certainly believes herself to be one - but does
that mean she really is? Jury's still out on that one as far as
I'm concerned though if I were Buffy and the gang I'd have to
bet that she does and treat her accordingly just to be on the
safe and compassionate side.
As for Anyanka it seems as though she were human once and that
in turning into a demon nothing was really taken away from her.
In other words she was augmented but not really changed. I've
certainly known (or know of) women who display the same kind of
rutheless hatred and contempt of men (or people in general) that
Anyanka seems to have had. Anya however strikes me as someone
who has been detached and on the outiside looking in for over
a thousand years. I don't think it is that she lacks a soul I
just think she needs time to reconnect and learn a new way of
relating to men (and women). Having a sould doesn't automatically
grant empathy or even a strong conscience. Anya is certainly a
more loving person than the Wolfram & Hart folks - and we know
that Lindsey and Lilah have souls!
I hope Dawn turns out to have
an ability that nobody else has. It would give her something to
add to the Scooby Gang.
Ryuei-
I always thought that the statement made to Dawn by those who
were victims of Glory walking around town insane stating she was
a shell or empty or there was nothing there was because she had
no soul. She was human form but had empty inside.
e.
"Anya has shown kindness
and caring to Xander. To relearn humanity she is having to experience
it again first. I don't think she has been any less hateful than
Cordelia used to be. I like Anya. I believe her employment is
also helping her integrate back into society. Admittedly she is
having to learn retail skills ("Here is your package. Please
go.") but she has found something she has a knack for (gift
wrapping handling money)and was adamant about protecting Gile's
merchandise (I think she would have protected it from anyone although
with Willow she probably was a little more touchy.) She also offered
herself in Xander's place to the troll.
I think she has a soul. Vampires don't. Do other demons? Are all
demons soulless? Since she was basically herself after becoming
a vengeance demon (only with the power)was her soul simply overprinted
with her new demon power and when the amulet was destroyed the
power left and her soul was again exposed?"
I have a question about the soul in the Buffyverse.
Please excuse me for not going through all the postings and references.
I'm really enjoying this site now that I've discovered it and
going through all the episodes a few a day. I still have a tremendous
amount to read.
Anyway in the Buffyverse is it true that humans are the only ones
with souls and the conscience or the ability to discern between
good and evil and then choose good (providing the conscience is
well-formed) resides in the soul? When the human is turned into
a vampire the soul leaves the body but the memories remain behind
helping to form the newly created vampire?
Everything else--Demons gods and angels (if there are such although
we haven't seen any) are spiritual beings without souls although
they have physical forms housing their spirits. I'm having a real
problem with getting a handle on choice and free will regarding
vampires. This has probably been discussed to death but it's new
to me.
I did some exploration of the
nature of the soul in this thread below. It doesn't answer all
you questions (not that I'm suggesting I even know any real answers
just theories) but it's a jumping off point.
My impression is that souls are an intrinsic part
of human beings--like a mystical internal organ. Perhaps its much
harder to make a human *without* a soul than with one.
But another impression I get is that demons have something analogous.
Whereas humans use their souls to (among other things) feel compassion
demons use what-ever-they-have to power their predatory instincts.
Yet really impressive vampires--The Master Angelus Darla Spike
Drusilla VampWillow--evidently can develop something like compassion
or even love (albeit usually for their own kind). Interestingly
vampires were also inspired to loyalty by Adam.
So I'd assume both Dawn and Anya *do* have souls.
"This whole matter of who does and doesn't
have a soul and what having a soul means is very murky in the
Buffyverse. There always seems to be this assumption that soul
= human and good. And that no soul = demon and bad. In Gingerbread
when it first appeared that the villains may be people performing
black magic Buffy is horrified "Someone with a soul did this?!"
The basis for these assumptions seems to be Angel who stopped
his killing ways when his soul was restored. Add to that his speach
in "Angel" the episode "When you become a vampire
the demons takes your body but it doesn't get your soul. That's
gone." But note he says YOUR soul not THE soul. In addition
there is some evidence in the show that demons do in fact have
souls the most significant being Giles explanation of vampires
in The Harvest
"The books tell the last demon to leave this reality fed
off a human mixed their blood. He was a human form possessed infected
by the DEMON'S SOUL."
Of course there are plenty of examples in both shows that humans
presumably in possession of a soul do great evil. Note all the
episodes where the villain does turn out to be a human (the list
is too long to cite each episode here) anything involving Ethan
Rayne and of course the whole W&H organization. And being revivified
as a human also presumably with a soul did not automatically endow
Darla with a will to do good or even regret for her past evil
deeds. We've also seen that being a demon does not automatically
= evil. This all leads me to assume that in the Buffyverse there
are different types of souls human and other and that sentient
beings all probably have a soul of some type. So either way Anya
has a soul.
As for Dawn that's harder to call. The monk said she was originally
just energy. Did that energy have sentience? Did it qualify as
a being? Maybe the energy was pure soul. In which case Dawn would
be the housing for that soul. Just like any other being in the
Buffyverse.
"
"I like Marya idea's
about Dawn being a human 'housing' for a sentient energy based
entity that its 'soul' is now hers. This would apply assuming
Dawn is 'for real' in a corporeal sense as the monk asserted.
But is this the case?
One thing that has puzzled me is a certain inconsistancy between
what the monk said-- "We molded it made it human"--
and the comments of the 'insane' people who said she was 'hollow'
or 'empty' or words to that effect. Also there was the spell Buffy
performed when she first discovered that Dawn was 'different'
you will recall her form or visage faded in and out in the pictures
and when Buffy went into her room.
If Dawn is fully corporeal why would she fade in or out of 'reality'
or be perceived as 'empty' by any other human insane or not?
In a thread below I wondered if in fact Dawn is possibly not the
Key at all but a diversionary tactic for the monks to protect
the Key should Buffy fail in her quest to protect her 'sister'.
Suppose Dawn is *not* corporeal but has an existence only in the
collective unconscious of those the spell affects? (See also my
related posts on the spell as a 'virus' if you haven't already).
This could explain why 'insane' people don't see her or see her
as 'empty' they are no longer tuned in to that collective.
Also when under the effects of the Magick Buffy used to locate
what she thought was the source of her mother's brain tumor why
the fading in and out phenomena.
Thoughts?
"
OnM
Your idea that Dawn is really some sort of illusion a deception
by the monks seems problematic to me. For one if Dawn is not really
the Key than who or what is? I saw your post earlier suggesting
it might be Willow or some other character. Asking us the viewers
to accept that an established character's true nature is so entirely
different from anything we've been shown so far would require
a leap of faith that I think even us most loyal fans would have
trouble with. I suppose the Key could have been put in hiding
in one of the characters but there are still problems. It would
require us to believe that the monk was completely lyng to Buffy.
While the monks certainly were capable of deception -- they had
to be or they wouldn't have been able to protect the Key as long
as they did -- I don't see them as being so totally duplicitous.
And what would they gain by telling Buffy she had to protect the
Key and then denying her the knowledge to do it. As for hedging
against her failure then why tell her at all. Just hide it and
keep it a secret from everyone. As far as why she blinks out when
seen by someone freed of the spell haven't a clue. Maybe they're
just seeing what the world should have or would have been like
if the monks hadn't done the spell in the first place.
"Also there was the spell Buffy performed
when she first discovered that Dawn was 'different ' you will
recall her form or visage faded in and out in the pictures and
when Buffy went into her room...If Dawn is fully corporeal why
would she fade in or out of 'reality ' or be perceived as 'empty'
by any other human insane or not?
Maybe for the same reasons that Adam was able to see through the
Jonathanverse in Superstar. I see the Superstar situation not
as a full fledged alternate reality but as a false reality superimposed
over the true reality. I think that had Jonathan been able to
sustain his spell long enough there was the possibility that the
new reality could supplant the original and the original would
slowly fade away. It does not seem to be an AU in the sense of
Wish with separate characters and new destinies. In Wish when
Anya's spell was broken Cordelia was transported back to the moment
in time when she had made the wish -- in Superstar life had continued.
Yet no characters had gaps in their memories for the time period
when they were in the Superstar universe (not even Jonathan) and
the memories of the Jonathanverse faded almost immediately (the
next day Jonathan could not remember the specifics of his conversation
with Buffy -- and he was the focal point of the spell).
I think the same thing is happening with Dawn: there are two competing
realities -- and insane people and people in trances can glimpse
the old universe. If Dawn is killed or her energy is consumed
(by whatever nefarious scheme Glory has in mind) the universe
will slide back to the way it would have been without her -- and
the memories of Dawn will quickly fade away (in spite of how hard
Buffy might try to retain them).
It wasn't that Dawn was "fading " but that Buffy was
viewing a world with Dawn in one instant and a world without her
in the next.
"
As usual Malandanza very
logical and well reasoned. I've been pondering this whole issue
for a goodly part of the day and I still haven't sorted out everything!
Later on I'm going to try to come up with a theory that has few
enough holes in it that I can stick by it until something on the
show proves me wrong (not that *that* ever happens... uh-huh...
if you don't count the dozen or so times I get proved wrong *every*
season!).
"If a soul were
to be removed from a human body what would be the result? Would
the person continue to function oblivious even to the fact the
his soul was gone? Would he suddenly fall into a coma baffling
medical experts? Or would he be something in between -- an automaton
devoid of any real personality but with the memories and perhaps
mannerisms of the original?
It seems to me that the soul is distinct from the conscience.
I believe that when the Ethros demon spoke of Ryan (in IGYUMS)
being without a soul he was merely being poetic. Ryan was without
a conscience. Ryan is the only human we have heard of on the show
as not having a soul -- yet there is plenty of evil (presumably
even Hitler Stalin and Pol Pot had souls).
It also seems as though the soul is different from the "life-force."
Animals are alive -- yet the lower animals can be frozen -- suspending
all life functions -- then reanimated even after years when the
temperature returns to normal. To say that the soul is that which
animates our bodies suggests that the animal souls either never
leave their bodies or are called back when reanimated. Neither
of these ideas seem satisfactory.
I have stated previously that I felt that the soul was what allowed
people to distinguish between right and wrong while the conscience
punished them for choosing wrong. So soulless beings would be
amoral rather than immoral. Now I am leaning toward another possibility:
the conscience alone is what determines morality. The soul may
be no more than that part which survives death -- a psychic imprint
of the person's memories and personality. In this case being soulless
would simply mean that the individual has no immortal part; they
cease to exist when they die and return if revived like the lower
animals. Dawn could be entirely human yet at the same time have
no soul. "
It's true that
the whole matter of having a soul or not is very murky in the
Buffyverse. Spike doesn't have a soul and yet he seems to be developing
very human feelings for Buffy and he clearly loved Dru. I think
when someone is vamped it's more than a matter of losing the soul
a demon craving blood is inside of the former person and the lack
of the soul is what enables them to take human life without remorse.
I think in a fit of anger Spike could kill Buffy(although that
probably won't happen) just because the demon is still part of
him but i think he would definitely feel remorse for it and remorse
is something that comes along with having compassion something
that we generally assosciate with a soul.
a lot of philosophers argue about the existance of a soul i will
try and find some stuff about that it's really very interesting
i wish we had a more clear cut definition on what a soul is in
the buffyverse.
Malandanza-
What happens when a person is turned into a vampire pretty much
answers your questions about what happens when a soul is removed
from the body. Since the memories and personality remain that
argues against that being the nature of the human soul. They seem
to reside in the body. Perhaps in the human the soul conscience
and personality are somehow intertwined. This could explain why
some vampires seem to have a capacity for feelings and actions
that are usually ascribed to humans only. When the vampire demon
aquires the memories and personality of it's victims it also gets
echoes of the soul and conscience. And if you agree with my earlier
post that there are demon souls as well as human those echoes
might get imprinted on it's soul. The more evil the original the
more evil the resulting vamp and vice versa. That ties in the
whole concept of free will even more than just whether a victim
chooses to be vamped or not I think. Of course this all only applies
to the Buffyverse. I have no idea what happens in RL. Although
I do think a lot of this could be analogous to the Id Ego and
Superego. None of this solves the problem of whether or not Dawn
has a soul. She has a personality but that was artificially created
by the monk's spell. She seems to have a conscience although she
is prone to acting thoughtlessly. But does she have a soul? Without
more information on her previous nature and how that was effected
by her transformation it's hard to tell.
"What happens when a person
is turned into a vampire pretty much answers your questions about
what happens when a soul is removed from the body. Since the memories
and personality remain that argues against that being the nature
of the human soul. They seem to reside in the body. Perhaps in
the human the soul conscience and personality are somehow intertwined...
Actually the memories and personality seem to reside not only
in the body but the soul as well. Consider Angel/Angelus -- when
Angel is resouled in B2 he remembers nothing about what he has
done as Angelus. If the memories/personality resided solely in
the body he would not have had that moment of disorientation before
Buffy ran him through with the sword. It seems to take some time
for the soul to integrate with the body. Remember the Faith and
Buffy body switch -- Faith did not immediately have access to
all of Buffy's memories (it is entirely possible that she would
have eventually; in fact it may be some of Buffy's personality
rubbing off on Faith that helped her repent -- and perhaps Buffy's
newfound focus is a little bit of Faith influencing her). When
a vampire is first reborn it is an unreasoning animal -- it does
not have access to the memories and personality until after the
first feeding. Which leads me to another question (posed long
ago by Rufus but never addressed) is the animating spirit in the
vampire sentient?
"Although I do think a lot of this could be analogous to
the Id Ego and Superego."
I have also been thinking in terms of Id/Ego/Superego. As I understand
this concept the Id represents the basic drives (the want/take/have
part of the personality) while the superego represents the conscience.
Suppose that vampires are nothing more than a powerful Id with
a new set of drives (drink blood kill etc.) and the process of
becoming a vampire suppresses the Superego. At first the vampire
is ruled only by the id but after the first feeding the residual
memories and personality of the host become available. In lieu
of a true personality of the possessing spirit this personality
(the remains of the Ego) becomes dominant. However without a Superego
the new creature is much darker than the original. This could
explain how basically good people (like Penn who had a very strong
conscience) could become such evil creatures. Variations in how
strong the vampiric Id is could also affect how often the base
urges are obeyed.
The point of all of this as it relates to Dawn is that it may
be possible for a creature to behave exactly as a human complete
with conscience and not have a soul. The soul seems to be an immortal
copy (an "imprint" of an "echo" -- very poetic
:)of the creature's personality and memories. "
Just an idea here...
As mentioned above Ryan had no soul. But he still lived breathed
and was able to think.
It seems as if the Soul has two purposes. One is to make it's
host feel bad about doing things that are wrong.
And it's second purpose is to be a tally of all the good and bad
things that the host has ever done. That way when the body dies
the soul can be judged and go to either Heaven or Hell.
This would explain why Darla doesn't remember what happened after
she was staked. Becuase when the vampire died she just became
dust. The soul had already left. As for the memories that Darla
has about being a vampire W&H must have included them when she
was rencarnated. And this would explain why Angel couldn't remember
the things he had done as Angelus at first.
The conscience would be the part that allows the host of the soul
to decide what it belives is right or wrong. And the personality
(or spirt) would be the template the thing that makes up the person's
likes and dislikes.
When a person is vamped the Soul leaves talking the part that
punishes for wrong deeds. The conscience would remain but is probluly
ignored by the demon. And the personality stays at the fore front.
Only now it follows the demon's agenda instead of the conscience's
agenda.
As for the Soul it zips off to be judged and sent to the afterlife.
This would allow Dawn to function without a soul. All she needs
is her conscience to guide her from right and wrong while the
personality makes up her.
As for Anya the reason she doesn't seem to feel bad for what she
did is because she did what she felt was right. She belived that
men were pigs and that if they hurt woman they desereved to be
killed. Since she did what she felt was right her conscience is
not bothering her and her soul sees no need to punish her.
"I know we've nearly beat
this horse to death. ;-) But I had one more thought on this subject.
What if the reason that Spike is pursuing Buffy is not because
he is necessarily in love with her or his fascination with Slayers
but because he has become one of those men who cannot go for very
long without a woman in their life (or un-life in this case)?
Spike was with Drusilla for 100 years (give or take). When Dru
ran off with the chaos demon Spike rebounded with Harmony. Why
did Spike hook up with Harmony if he found her so annoying? And
now that the "relationship" with Harmony has cooled
Spike has turned his attentions to Buffy. And because Buffy has
yet to return his "affections" (assuming she will) Spike
is reduced to panty pilfering front yard haunting boyfriend ratting
and demon fighting to get her attention or merely to be near her.
Any other thoughts??"
"I
agree purplegrrl....Spike (or William or the two of them) is indeed
the sort of person who simply can't tick on without loooove. We've
seen ample excreable poetry quoting from torch songs the fact
that no one would put up with Dru else and his outright statements
(" I am love's bitch"). Yes his romanticism is his weakness.
Of course I think it's Buffy's too...of all the SG's she's definitely
the most starry eyed. "
More
starry-eyed that Willow? Yes she had a big heart-break with Oz
but she was always wanting to hear about other's romances (always
talking to Buffy about the subject) and pining for her own.
"I agree JoRus. Buffy's a big-time romantic
idealist. Witness her "they have a miraculous love"
statement in Triangle. It is completely in contrast with her kick-ass
Slayer persona in the same way Spike's romanticism goes against
the vampire grain."
Hmmm.
Somehow I started talking about Spike and everyone else ended
up talking about Liam/Angelus/Angel and Darla.
I may need more than chocolate to puzzle this one out.
LOL. It sort of like sending your innocent child
into the world and having him or her come back unrecognisable:)
And now *I'm* talking in parables...
"GWBG
just aired here and it got me to wondering and to speculating
about a few random elements.
"He helps demons reads their souls senses their futures..."
Can the Caritas Host *only* read the future of demons with souls?
Have we ever seen another vampire in the Karaoke bar? Darla was
human when she sang there. I may be giving the writers too much
credit but I don't think they'd throw around the word soul that
casually...
Also is it just a coincidence that Holland Manners and Mr. Bryce
are the same age? And does Mr. Bryce had anything to do with the
SPs?
Virginia mentioned working at a tire store... The wild-goose-chase
vision in Reunion had the gang stopping off at a tire store. Hmmmm...
Maybe all roads lead to Virginia after all:)
"
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