In article
<68087f11-eceb-4976-a170-b09541bfcfab@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
Arbitrar Of Quality <tsmtsm@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> A reminder: These threads are a nightmare. They're a plague.
> They're like a nightmare about a plague.
SNIP
> Season Six, Episode 6: "Once More, With Feeling"
> Writer: Joss Whedon
> Director: Joss Whedon
>
> OMWF has Xander being the one responsible for the spell. Not
> only that, but he continues to hide his involvement after people start
> dropping dead. Remember the part where Xander had seemingly learned
> his lesson long ago about this kind of magic...
One, musicals follow their own logic, which does not resemble our Earth
logic. Two, why should Xander be unique in learning a lesson the first
time? Did Jonathan? Did Willow? Three, once Xander has made the original
error of invoking Sweet, the logic of musicals is in control of the
characters. He cannot confess until it is the end, when a twist is
required by the musical convention. In any case, it wouldn't have
changed anything had he confessed earlier. People would still have been
controlled by the musical. Sweet would still have wanted the girl with
the amulet.
SNIP
>
> Season Six, Episode 7: "Tabula Rasa"
> Writer: Rebecca Rand Kirshner
> Director: David Grossman
>
SNIP
> So, good times... despite being marred by another of the big-ass nagging
> things that dampens my enjoyment of the season - Giles's departure, of
> course. I'll talk about it in the general comments rather than here,
> I think, but I hate it, and most of my "blame" gets ap****tioned to
> "Tabula Rasa." OMWF had him coming to his "understanding," but also
> had him backing out when he realized how much Buffy needed him. This
> is also Tara's apparent departure from the group, although unlike
> Ripper, she actually only misses a few more episodes before her
> untimely death by angry nerd. It's a step that she needed to take,
> confronting Willow this way, and no matter how sad the breakup may be,
> I've never felt the slightest doubt that the character was in a better
> place after TR than before. That's even though in a way she fails to
> talk her girlfriend down from the ~edge of madness!!~, but Willow's
> close to being beyond help at this point. I've never felt so
> disappointed (disappointed at Willow, not at the show) in a character
> as in the moment in which she magically gets dressed - doesn't she
> know that there's a viewing audience clamoring for more towel-clad
> scenes? Oh yeah, and also because that's the moment that shows how
> irrevocably locked she is in her "fixing" mindset. My brother
> comments that this may be the saddest of all the series's many mopey
> ending montages, and I think it's a strong candidate.
SNIP
>
> Besides, the treatment of Giles is a much more significant complaint
> for me. I've never felt that the show's willful desire to destroy the
> character's integrity in its last two seasons served it very well, but
> this is kinda beyond the pale. And I'm still not sure whether or not
> the writers realize it, but either way, it bothers me. One more
> repetition, to keep things in perspective: Buffy is nineteen years
> old. She's saved the world many times over, and as a result is
> currently suffering from an extreme case of post-heeeaven stress
> disorder. She effectively has no living parents, no source of income
> (and little time for work, given her night job), and a sister to
> sup****t. Giles, with no advance warning, abandons her completely when
> she needs him most, financially, professionally, and emotionally.
> What a complete dick. It doesn't feel like an organic in-character
> development. That's keeping in mind that the show has taken plenty of
> time to show us his ridiculous notion that he's getting in her way,
> her tendency to avoid certain responsibilities entirely when she can
> dump them on him, his strong discomfort with the idea of being a
> father figure, and the fact that this NG discussion has touched on
> this whole topic several times. I still don't come anywhere near
> buying it.
The show doesn't have to persuade the audience that it is right for
Giles to leave, only that Giles is convinced that he should. It does
that. For him there is no easy answer. It shows that, too. In the end,
Buffy and he both switch sides on the matter, so there is no right or
wrong to it. It's hard for both of them, either way.
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