Re: Joss has NO point (re: Tara's death, Joss's excuse, and gullibility)

["ebailey140" <ebailey140@xxxxxxx>]

--- In buffywantswillow@y..., danspector@w... wrote:
> E,
> 
> One, I don't "hate the series". Not liking your beloved Heroic 
Rapist
> or that the series has lost all meaning does not translate to "hate 
the
> series".

What ARE you going on about?!! "Beloved rapist"?!!! Do you really 
not see the problem, here? Does there being complex characters on 
the show that people find interesting that don't happen to be Buffy 
or Willow really bother you, that much? 

The show seems to have driven you into an all consuming rage, judging 
from your posts. Your points might come across more if you'd tone 
down the hyperbole. I take your posts as indicating hating the show 
with a fiery vengeance because that is how you are presenting them.

So, you not liking the show = "the series has lost all meaning"? How 
so? Being soulless, and out of touch with your humanity, makes you 
do bad things, but regaining it allows for redemption, goes against 
what the series is about? Well, then, I suppose she shouldn't have 
forgiven Angel. 

Of course, if Spike's irredeemable even though he now HAS his soul, 
doesn't that mean Buffy can never forgive the friend who just tried 
to murder her and everybody else, even though that friend has just 
regained HER humanity? What was that about consistency, again? 
> 
> Two, nowhere do I say Joss is homophobic. I say that his current
> treatment of gay characters is forced and unfair and reinforces the
> gay-bashers' beliefs, and that Mr.
> Look-How-Award-Winningly-Progressive-I-Am Whedon should have known
> better and should be ashamed, and that his current "equal treatment"
> story is bullshit.

How so? Tara's hardly the first character in the show to die at the 
hands of a bad guy. That goes back to the very first episode. 
Remember Jesse, close frind of both Xander and Willow? What, 
exactly, is reinforcing gay bashers beliefs? What does Willow's 
sexual orientation have to do with grief, rage, and addiction? 
Suppose Willow's sweet, sensitive, magical girlfriend had been a 
sweet, sensitive, magical boyfriend? What DIFFERENCE would it have 
made?
> 
> Joss has been blind to his implications (in ways he had no excuse 
for
> being), insensitive to his audience, too immature to admit that he
> goofed, too lacking in character to apologize for months of "Tara 
isn't
> going anywhere" lies, and sadly mealy-mouthed in trying to weasel 
his
> way out of it. Also he told a cliched story very poorly (this in 
part
> due to the failures of DeKnight, Noxon, and Fury, as well). 

Joss's viewpoint on the subject of killing a major character, and not 
letting that character's sexual orientation enter into it, is 
different than yours. Just because you disagree with him doesn't 
automatically mean he's "blind to his implications", "insensitive to 
his audience", "immature", "lacking in character", "sadly mealy-
mouthed", or that he's trying to "weasel his way out of it". It just 
means that YOU, PERSONALLY, DIDN'T LIKE IT. And no, he has nothing 
to apologize for. 

Take a look at the terms you're using. Think about it. Those are 
personal attacks on Whedon. They can't be interpreted as anything 
else. But then, that "beloved, heroic, rapist" bit was a personal 
attack on every fan of the show who thinks Spike can be redeemed, 
especially now that he has his soul. 

My only gripe was Buffy's role, or lack of one. I suppose, on one 
level, it was right that the climactic moment be between Willow and 
Xander, but it didn't give me the sort of emotional punch that the 
climax of Becoming 2 or Graduation 1 did. I guess I'm a little too 
Buffy-centric, there, but this IS her show, and all. I guess she 
can't take down her loved ones when they've gone over the edge EVERY 
time, and I guess she's had enough angst over the last two years, so 
needed to finish the season feeling positive. And, it saved Willow 
having to spend the Summer in a demon dimension (These things NEVER 
go well for Buffy), and surprising Buffy in the first episode of next 
season by dropping naked from a portal into her bedroom. Not that 
Willow ending up naked in Buffy's bedroom would be a bad thing, far 
from it. It should be under more pleasant circumstances, 
though :) 

E