From: Kimber <kacoe@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: buffywantswillow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: BWW <buffywantswillow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, BLW
<buffyloveswillow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: ::BuffyWantsWillow:: Listmum's guide to 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'
Plotty Goodness
Date: Fri, 04 Oct 2002 21:06:11 -0700
Okay, here goes:
This season is something that must be met with new eyes. Joss Whedon
in his infinite genius has created this lil ditty called Buffy The
Vampire Slayer for all of us to embark on with him. It all comes from
his mind and the minds of his writers. Such a fantastic crew. I'm
very sad to see a lot of people ranting and raving about how the show
is lacking luster and plot and that the first two eps sucked or were
filled with padding. In my infinite listmum wisdom, I've decided to
intervene here before it's too late. Before you all wind up hating
the show you've loved SO much for seven years. Stop being so cynical
and give it some thought. Please?
I'd just like to add in here I'm spoiler-free. Anything I say is
speculation, discussion and general knowledge from the past seven
seasons combined.If you haven't seen "Lessons" or "Beneath You" there
is discussion here from both eps.
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A long, long time ago, a one-hour episode aired called "Amends". If
wouldn't mind, I'd like to take you on a journey.
In this episode we find that Angel is confused about his return to the
living so to speak. He is haunted by visions of Jenny Calandar -
Giles' girlfriend he killed. We learn of 'The First' in this episode.
We learn of the 'Harbingers of Death'. All very important stuff.
But we never hear about it again.
Stay with me here. Remember this?: Season 3, Episode 2 "Graduation
Day II"
Cut to Buffy walking through Faith's apartment her arms crossed in
front of her. There are cardboard boxes stacked everywhere. Buffy
stops and sees a cat jump up on Faith's bed.
Buffy: "Who's going to look after him?"
Faith: "It's a she. And aren't these things supposed to take care of
themselves?" walks up behind Buffy and stops next to her.
Buffy: "A higher power guiding us?"
Faith looks at her then turns away and keeps walking towards the
camera: "I'm pretty sure that's not what I meant."
Buffy looking down: "There's something I'm supposed to be doing."
Faith: "Oh yeah. - Miles to go - Little Ms. Muffet counting down from
7-3-0."
Buffy grimaces: "Great. - Riddles."
Faith standing in front of the broken window looking out: "Sorry,
it's my head. A lot of new stuff."
This is the first EVER mention of Dawn. We don't see her until Season
5, Episode 1 "Buffy vs. Dracula". It took two whole seasons to lead
up to her introduction and acclimation into the fold. Keeping that in
mind, lets think about Buffy for a while. Hell, lets throw Kendra,
Faith and every other Slayer into the mix while we're at it.
"In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand
against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is
the Slayer."
Dun dun dun!! Cue the creepy music.
Oh but wait. There are two Slayers. My bad. Buffy was "Gone for a
minute" and that brought Kendra into the mix. Kendra didn't last very
long because Dru turned her into snackish goodness. And here comes
Faith.
I could do miles and miles of text on Faith, but lets not. Lets
concentrate on the fact that we have a catastrophic fuck up on our
hands here. Two Slayers. Off the bat we can't see the problems.
"Two Slayers, no waiting." But delve into the consequences for a
moment. Two Slayers. Twice the agility, speed, prophetic dreams and
ass kicking of all the evil in this little piece of spinning granite
we like to call earth.
Kicking evil's ass.
Hmm. Interesting.
So here we are at the beginning of season seven. Seven. Wow. Just
look at that number for a moment. Yeah, kinda rings a bell, doesn't
it?
COUNTING DOWN FROM 7 - 3 - 0.
Seven. We've had two eps so far in season seven and this is how they
played out. . if you were paying attention.
Join me in Season 7 now if you will. We have two episodes behind us
and twenty to go. In the first two eps there is one thing that stands
out that it seems EVERYONE is having a problem with. The random scene
's with the girls being chased by. . .by. . .by. . .
Oh gods!!! Could it be GUYS IN BLACK ROBES?!?!?!?!
Why yes my little list children, it can and is. Guys in black robes.
The same creepy bastards we saw first in 'Amends' that were channeling
all of their power into bringing about The First. The Harbingers of
Death. The Biggest Bad Of All The Bads Ever Seen Ever In Sunnydale.
Come on guys. . .this is Joss' Satan. The is THE evil. It's here, it
's really friggin strong, and it's definitly NOT going away. But you
know what is going away? Know what's disappearing one by one?
All of the future Slayers. Don't tell me warning bells didn't go off
in your collective heads when you saw how fast the girl in Istanbul
was running? Don't tell me you didn't notice what height the girl in
Germany jumped from and the kick she got in on one of the robed guys
before they ganged up on her and stabbed her? How about Buffy's
dream? "The girls are gonna die." COME ONE PEOPLE!!! It's so
obvious. And just how exactly are we gonna get to see Faith for five
episodes in good old Sunnydale? You think the L.A. correctional
department is running a special this year on letting inmates visit
with the ones she tried to kill? No. She's either gonna break out in
fear of her life from these robed guys OR they infiltrate the prison
and capture her to bring her someplace to kill.
Character points
Willow - Gotta love her. Still craving acceptance and reassurance
that she's a good person. Ever notice she's never said this once
herself and really meant it? Good, so did I. She's in a coven in
England when we first see her, but she's not with the coven per say.
She's sitting under a tree doing magik. ::gasps:: Magick you say?
Good gravy call the troops in!! A wicca is performing magik. Look at
it from a plot perspective. She went all veiny and evil in the season
six finale. She drew on the deepest and darkest magicks there are in
this world - and out of it - and all of it was harnessed into her
little body, soul and mind. That has to change a person. But not
only does it change a person, it creates something. It creates a
little nitch inside where it belongs now - and you're not gonna get
rid of it. Willow developed into this all powerful being - and you
expect her to just not be any longer because Xander saved the day and
told her he loves her? Not gonna happen. She harnessed it, therefore
she must now live with it. And THAT, my listkids, is why she was sent
to England in the first place. Not to 'cure' her of her magick, but
to teach her how to allow it to grow inside of her in a non
destructive way. It's something she was blessed with and given and
now she must learn how to be responsible for it. It pisses me off
when people akin her magick use to a drug addiction. It wasn't about
that. It was about developing her character for the following season.
Slowly and painstakingly giving her issue after issue to deal with and
keening her sense of responsibility. Magick is something to be cared
for and nurtured - NOT something you try to 'cure' someone of.
There's a lot of guilt going on behind those beautiful green eyes of
Willow's. If you know her at all and her character's history, you
have to recognize that right from the beginning she was unsure of
raising Buffy from the dead, she was unsure about Amy, unsure about
Rack. . .about everything. Didn't restless teach us that? Inside,
she's still this dorky redhead dress by "the softer side of sears"
craving attention from anyone around her. She needs to feel useful,
validated and part of something. If it wasn't computers ("I'm such a
computer geek!"), magiks ("I'm a badass wicca!"), relationships ("I'm
a groupie" and "No candles? Well, I brought one. It's extra flamey.")
It's always been about belonging and fitting in. at the Halloween
party her anger at Buffy and then going off to do magick in the wrong
state of mind and the fear demon makes the spell go haywire. when Oz
cheated she came close to cursing him. when she did the My Will Be
Done spell and Da'Hoffren seeing vengeance potential in her. The power
Tara saw in her....Season 5...deeper into the magick. spells with
ease. tougher spells cause physical pain and injury. Tara gets hurt,
angry, wrong state of mind, goes postal on Glory. After Buffy's
death, she just loses all common sense. part of her reasoning for the
ressurection is to get Buffy, but the other is to prove to her and
everyone else what's she's capable of, and she wants praise for it.
obviously, the black magick she used on Glory got into her and started
affecting her.....then it got worse. Don't even make me go there
about Vamp Willow. How could you forget about that?
Spike - Yeah okay. . .there's a few points of contention here. Namely
the ATTEMPTED rape of Buffy. Whether he stopped himself or Buffy
stopped him or both - I'm not gonna argue the points. His character
has come a long way from being Dru's whipping boy and Angelus' butt of
all jokes but I must admit - he's still evil. BUT. . .we do insane
things for love. He knows no other way to do things other than be
aggressive and forceful, so the ATTEMPTED rape was well within his
character. So was his trying to get a soul. Spike is the epitomy of
extreme - there is no in between. I don't believe Joss is trying to
redeem him in our eyes - you can't excuse the evil he's done. I think
that Joss is handing him to us, bad stuff and all and saying "accept
or don't but this is the most straight forward no bullshit character
you're gonna get outa me."
Buffy - I really don't see the whole mommish side coming out as much
as people are complaining about. I mean, she's gone through a lot -
it changes a person. Loosing her mother, not hearing from her father,
dying, coming back and having to live with knowing what heaven was
like and that her friends took her out of it, protecting 'the key' who
is also now your sister for the rest of your life. Deal with that
within 18 months and see how much it doesn't change you. It will,
believe me. I have to disagree with the whole 'Buffy turning evil'
line of thought too. That is SO not where Joss is going. He's
bringing her to the next stage of life. Responsibility for a younger
sister, to her heritage as a Slayer, to herself and her friends.
There are still a lot of amazing turns, hills and valley's left for
our Slayer, but evil ISN'T one of them.
All in all we're in for a hell of a ride this season. The Harbingers
of Death are out to kill the Slayers ONE by ONE. The First has moved
on from Angel to Spike. . .proof being the whole shape shifting deal
we saw in 'Lessons'. Willow has harnessed the magic, good and bad, of
the earth and on her way back to Sunnydale - right where the most
active hellmouth is. Giles had all that power put into him in the
season finale so as to temp Willow - don't count that storyline out.
Faith is gonna be on for a WHOLE FIVE EPISODES. Anya has to have a
storyline in there other than being wishbitch - I predict an
Anyacentric eppy where we see shots of her past. Xander is mystery
man now but look out - His storyline is gonna explode. And don't
count Tara out yet - I'm sure Joss has a really interesting Ace up his
sleeve where she's concerned.
But hey. That's just my two cents ;-)
Your listmum,
~~Kimber