"Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsmtsm@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:b0517048-3b35-42b1-a32e-71209c082c25@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Seven, Episode 16: "Storyteller"
> I’ve always been tempted to make more of this than it is. About three
> quarters of “Storyteller” is flat out comedy and Andrewness, but it
> positively begs to be taken seriously and plumbed for depths. At
> least to me. It helps that many of the jokes are funny – I have to
> differ from what some have said and say that whether or not one likes
> the comedy ****tions does highly depend on one’s tolerance for Andrew
> (I don’t think I’ve praised Lenk yet this go-round for his handling of
> an unwieldy sort of role that would sink a lesser actor). Andrew’s
> character development makes a strikingly smooth transition from goofy
> shtick to emotional catharsis. The aspect of the episode that I think
> some people – including yours truly – don’t spend enough time
> pondering is the way it’s a way to view the show, and Buffy in
> particular, from a perspective outside that of the main cast we’re
> normally stuck with. Kinda like the agenda of *every other faux-
> do***entary episode of a SF/F show ever made*. It may be obvious to
> point it out, but it’s a big part of the story being told. Small
> manifestations include humor-with-a-point about how the kids react to
> Buffy’s speechifying. Larger themes come in the ending, with an up
> close and personal look at the Buffy who’ll do whatever it takes to
> win, the Buffy who fills out “none of the above” on multiple choice
> prompts, and the Buffy who has a sense of when and how someone can be
> given a shot at redemption. (Here would be a good place to see
> parallels to Spike, but the story that they hint at is more about our
> hero than anyone else.) I’m a bit hard pressed to really distill
> anything the episode says into a particular moral that we don’t also
> get elsewhere, but I do feel like this reinforcement is good to have.
> Rating: Good
I think it's first a character study of Andrew, so it gives top priority
to
experiencing Andrewocity in full glory. I think it drags a little at
times
since there's not really a lot of story here. But all in all, getting
inside Andrew has never been more fun. And I think most of us appreciate
that he's a better man for it at the end.
There are broader story elements to be found, as you pointed out with the
look at Buffy, who is after all the subject of Andrew's video. We're
going
into a period that's really emphasizing Buffy's apparent coldness to the
people around her. Buffy doing whatever it takes fits nicely into that.
But I think this episode provides some counter to that too as her ploy
with
Andrew bares some of her own soul, betraying an anguish over the likely
death of some or many of those around her. And the ploy itself, of
course,
serves to kind of heal Andrew and put him on the right path. That Buffy
never intended to kill him, that she even cared to go through this
exercise
(surely there's a simpler way to make Andrew cry), shows a lot of where
Buffy's heart really is, however much that may be hidden to others.
(I wonder how Andrew would have reacted to the scene driving Buffy away a
few episodes from now if he'd been present.)
I think there are also some Spike parallel hints, though probably not
terribly evident. Most im****tant is simply finding the answer within by
squarely facing the truth of what you've done. That's pretty much what
Spike will do to heal himself next episode. These two episodes in tandem
are probably the peak of the notion of defeating The First by facing the
demons within. Caleb will show that's not enough, however, and ****ft the
focus. It'll be more group dynamic from there on.
Anyway, it's a fun episode that I happily rate Good, though I remain a bit
puzzled at the extravagant love it seems to get from some quarters.
> Season Seven, Episode 17: "Lies My Parents Told Me"
> I try to be open to whatever story the writers want to tell, as long
> as it’s done well. This isn’t one of those times. Objectivity be
> damned. I *hate* the story being told, the culmination of the
> wholesale destruction of Giles’s character that’s been going on for
> the past two seasons, and no justification could ever make me enjoy
> watching it. When I attempt to step back and analyze more
> objectively, though, it’s also not done well in this case, with his
> irrational mix of impulsiveness and passiveness about the whole thing,
> and the way the assholishness displayed by Wood and Giles forces the
> viewer to take Buffy’s side on a topic that should be morally
> ambiguous.
As conversation here has demonstrated, many people don't take Buffy's
side.
Indeed, my impression of this newsgroup's opinion is that the greater
number
favor Giles. (Though as mentioned earlier, I'm not so sure that it was a
good idea to push the audience into taking sides on something like this in
the first place.) But pushed we are. I, of course, take Buffy's side
within this framework. Not that Buffy is without error. She handles the
lead up to the situation very poorly. But her choices still have the
potential of being correctable. If Giles pulling the trigger had
succeeded
there would be no going back. Certainly the group would have been torn
apart as a result. Even failing it contributed mightily to nearly that.
I mention that because Giles is too smart not to know that. This is not
the
surreptitious throat slitting of Ben that Buffy may not know of even today
and likely would find easier to accept if she did. Spike is a universe
more
im****tant to her than that. Combined with the sneak assassination attempt
behind her back in direct defiance of her expressed wishes, it could not
help but feel like the worst sort of betrayal. Indeed it was. Giles
would
understand that too - no matter how much he prates on about how generals
win
wars. There are many reasons why I think this culmination of the
estrangement between Buffy and Giles falls short, but the clincher for me
is
that Giles could never be so stupid as to believe this would improve
things.
So, yes, there is a great flaw in the episode. However, it is the only
substantial flaw I see, and one not entirely this episode's fault, which
is
saddled after all with having to climax a conflict not set up all that
well.
I go into this a lot in the prior run through, so I'll just say that there
is some good historic setup over the course of several years that
establishes a distance between Buffy and Giles that could be revealed to
good effect at this point. The more proximate setup is considerably less
effective as Giles has been a very part time presence this season - much
of
it consumed by the Giles as First charade. Much is absent going into this
episode. Most of all, I think, an existing schism between the two so
evidently vast, and an urgency to deal with Spike right now so great, that
Giles would truly feel there is no choice. Instead we get a hasty
decision
that seems built out of momentary pique over not getting his way in a
short
argument.
Perhaps part of the problem is the way this episode is constructed to echo
Revelations from Season 3. In that episode, Xander's betrayal was in
considerable part born of a fit of pique. But that's Xander. That fits
his
character. (Not to mention that the cir***stances seemed more immediately
pressing.) I don't think that behavior suits Giles so well.
Be that as it may, the effect works. It sets up the immediate
confrontation
between Spike and Wood. And it sets up the greater group schism going
into
the season climax. It works for the way it hits Buffy, isolating her
further. It even works with the competing understandings of how Spike
fits
into the mix and how Buffy's behavior towards him comes across to the
Potentials and Scoobies both. (The setup for that is considerably better
than the setup for Giles personally.) Hell, I even appreciate (in a
saddened way) the notion of a big break between Buffy and Giles. By this
point there's a lot of history to sup****t it. The episode conclusion of
the
door being shut on Giles fits.
As unsatisfying as the play is of Giles going with Wood's plot, I can't
toss aside an otherwise superb episode for it. To me, this is the second
best episode of the season. Possibly the most tense.
> (Meanwhile, doubters like Anya are made to look as selfish
> and whiny as possible.)
Anya has pretty much been that way since Selfless and will continue to be
for a while yet. I'm not fond of that choice, but I don't see it
as a particular quality of this episode.
> The Spike/Wood confrontation itself still
> doesn’t do much for me either; I thought I was burned out on heroes
> fighting, but maybe it’s just that I’m not in Robin’s head yet, since
> we only really got to know him a few episodes ago.
Works for me. A lifetime of rage finally about to be released - but he
ends
up inadvertently healing Spike. (Or so it seems. It's probably really
the
aftermath of the worm working its magic.) All the self righteousness of
him
blown up inside his head and punctured by Spike's devastating insight into
Nikki's real priorities. (As I mentioned before, the side subtext to
Nikki's story is that she's a kind of ultimate example of being victimized
by her calling. The Slayer trap caught her big time.)
> On the other hand,
> some truly great scenes are mixed in with all the dross, most notably
> anything involving Spike’s mum. Or Spike himself, really; this one
> hits the balance of ****traying a Souled!Spike who’s as much Spike as
> William. But those flashbacks… As I said originally, Langerfelt,
> with help from Marsters, makes me very fond of her pretty quickly, and
> then gets me to despise her in record time once vamped. It’s a strong
> origin story of sorts that rivals anything about Spike in “Fool For
> Love” or about Angel in ATS. For that, if nothing else, the episode
> is worth watching.
> Rating: Decent
I covered this episode pretty thoroughly last time. Let me repeat one
thing
just 'cause I like it.
When Buffy tells Robin, "The mission is what matters," she repeats the
last
message we hear Nikki give her son. That's what makes Robin's head jerk
up
at those words. It can be easy to miss if the earlier lines from Nikki
have
receded from your memory. Evidently it has an impact. Wood pretty much
sticks with the mission from here on. Just doing what mom told him.
Lastly, since I was talking about cold hearted Buffy last episode, a big
undercurrent of this episode is about making the hard decision. Giles is
very much caught up in the notion that Buffy can't do that - even as Buffy
patiently explains to him that she can and does. The great irony is that
the next big decision Buffy makes is to cut off Giles. That aspect of the
episode works very well for me. But least it all seem so cold, there are
again contrary moments. In one of the more surprising moments of the
episode, Buffy confesses that under different cir***stances she might be
willing to sacrifice Dawn - a seeming retreat from her S5 hard line that
so
defined Buffy then. Perhaps, but the notion seemed to have disturbed
Buffy
enough that in the midst of all the angst of the episode, she pauses to
sit
by a sleeping Dawn and lovingly stroke her hair. There are other moments
too. As I've said before, I believe a strong undercurrent to the season
is
how, hidden to others - maybe sometimes to herself - Buffy's heart never
really stops ruling her.
I rate this episode Excellent. Second only to Selfless this season.
> Season Seven, Episode 18: "Dirty Girls"
> I know there are too many characters already, but I enjoy watching the
> Special Guest Stars here. If Faith didn’t stop by for this last bit
> of Slayer business, We The Viewer would wonder why. The way she
> bounces off other characters is great, especially in the cemetery, but
> also in the subdued chat with Spike, a fellow aging and responsible
> wild’un. And of course she’ll unintentionally leave a trail of misery
> behind her again, for old times’ sake.
I like Faith well enough - perhaps most this episode, though she'll do OK
the next couple too. But her function is awfully narrow. She's
essentially
here so that there's a viable alternative to Buffy when they kick her out
-
and then of course she sucks as leader. She's very briefly im****tant and
then is just another in the too many faces. The ultimate impression for
me
is disappointment that she didn't matter more. This is one way in which
viewing AtS years later diminished BtVS a little by further contrasting
the
impact Faith can have.
> Caleb is a more questionable
> addition,
Caleb, on the other hand, works very well for me. I'll have more to say
about that in your general comments.
> and the flaws with both the character and the construct have
> been well plumbed in this NG. But is it just me, or does he seem
> better rounded in “Dirty Girls” than in the subsequent episodes?
> Usually one is anxious for him to shut up, but here I’m fine letting
> Fillion pontificate (nice use of voiceover at the end too).
I think this episode is Caleb's best, though he has notable moments
throughout his run, and his part in the next episode is pretty strong too.
The thing about this episode is that the characterization is so thoroughly
filled out that there isn't much left but a few cracks to fill after. So
it's mostly deeds after this while the character repeats himself. I think
that's less bad than it sounds since I find him a fun character to watch
and
he's only in 5 episodes. But he never again has quite the same chance to
make the big impression that he does in Dirty Girls.
> The
> defining moment of the episode, the depiction of a cru****ng defeat, is
> very nicely done, with our heroes attacking (ha) a problem the same
> way they usually do, and watching everything fall apart so quickly and
> brutally.
Poor Xander. The fight is a terrific scene, but for me, the defining
moment
of the episode is Xander's speech to the Potentials about Buffy's heart.
It's one of my favorites from Xander, who's had his share of big ones.
"I've seen her heart, and this time—not literally. And I'm telling you,
right now, she cares more about your lives than you will ever know. You
gotta trust her. She's earned it." In a season often aimed at summing up
the series, this is a high point for summing up Buffy's quality across the
years. It also sums up Xander's attitude - a recap of the lesson he
learned
from Revelations that Giles has forgotten. It's about retaining faith in
her even when it's hard to see the reason.
Buffy tears up at this point as she listens in. I think it touches her
because it is indeed what she feels - seemingly without recognition. For
a
moment her gratitude for Xander's understanding and faith overwhelms.
But,
as usual this year, that goes largely unseen. The actual face she wears
walking in is all business. I keep coming back to her heart below the
coldness partly because the show keeps sneaking it in, but mostly because
of
the criticisms I often read of S7. Not so much here, but in other venues
I
read before coming here. Before I grasped the nature and scale of
controversies around S6 I saw an awful lot of people positively disowning
BtVS over what was done in S7. (Perhaps because it was still quite recent
-
and the conclusion.) One of the common complaints was how much they were
repelled by Buffy's coldness.
Perhaps that's a tribute to M.E.'s story skills since that's how too many
around Buffy reacted in story as well. But they didn't get to see as much
as we did, so the complaint always made me want to cry out that it was all
driven by the largeness of Buffy's heart - the class protector writ large.
This is the same Buffy that insisted nobody was going to die even as they
were surrounded by an army in Spiral. Wiser only in the knowledge that a
full fledged nervous breakdown when confronted with the reality of a body
strewn field doesn't help. She's trying to find a better way, though you
know she'd give her life again if she thought that would do the trick.
For purposes of this season, Xander's speech brilliantly displays the
expectations about to be shattered by Caleb's fists, blade and thumb to
Xander's eye. The awfulness of that moment is highlighted all the more by
what Xander said going in. (You later ask about Caleb's purpose. One
element is simply to be the thing Buffy, and the promise of the protector
Slayer, shatters against. There's more than that - and Buffy ultimately
defeats Caleb sort of alone as The Slayer. With a little help from Angel.
And a lot of help from a Scythe representing something greater than her
alone. The symbolism of that, however, I think is overly obscure. But,
in
the mean time, a good starting point is for Caleb to break Xander's faith
-
and by extension everybody's faith in The Chosen One.)
The shattering of expectations laid down in Xander's speech works
spectacularly well as lead in to the sundering of the group to follow.
But
there are flaws. Not so much in what is done here, but in how things
unsaid
fail to get their due next episode. Xander also said in that speech,
"She's
stopped everything that's ever come up against her." Eventually yes, but
that's awfully misleading. Xander also well knows that Buffy is hardly
infallible, that she's faltered badly many times before recovering for
final
victory. (Indeed, it is in recovery from terrible failure that many of
her
greatest victories have come.) Xander is quite familiar with the pain of
battle - including the loss of dearly beloved. Battle hardened is the
perspective of enduring terrible loss as the price for success. The real
understanding that a merciless foe will resist cooperating with the best
laid plans or the finest judgment. The ability to cope with loss and act
without absolute certainty seems to disappear next episode.
But in the meantime the moment makes this episode soar.
> I know I told this story last time, but I’m still endlessly
> amused by the fact that I was “spoiled” that a late-series episode
> called “Dirty Girls” would make Xander playing Oedipus in the bonus
> scene from “The Puppet Show” suddenly seem more appropriate in a way
> that no one (including ME) would’ve imagined back in ’96. I kept
> waiting for them to set up a way for him to kill his dad or screw his
> mom.
Even without the misunderstanding I find the connection endlessly amusing.
> Rating: Good
This creeps up a little in my esteem this time, but I think I'll keep it
at
Good - a tad below Excellent. Caleb's pontificating is quite entertaining
in its peculiar fa****on, but it does run on a bit. And I think my
appreciation for Faith actually declined a little.
With two major cast additions and all the turmoil around them, plus the
return of Buffy as First and other Buffy centered moments, it's perhaps
easy
to miss how much of a Xander episode this is. The speech and the eye are
of
course quite big. But we also get the pillow fight dream and sergeant
Xander interacting effectively with both troops and generals. A kind of
late series snapshot of Xander in sum.
> Season Seven, Episode 19: "Empty Places”
> The early scenes of “Empty Places” are among the best in the episode,
> whether we’re saying goodbye to Clem
I don't really care for the Clem scene. It doesn't tickle my funny bone.
But I will say this for it, when I saw it originally, just the notion of
people abandoning Sunndale like that really brought home how the series
was
careening to its end.
> or watching the stellar (in both
> writing and acting) bedside chat between Xander and Willow.
I like Willow's Jedi mind control scene too.
> After
> that I get less enthusiastic, despite the continued energy in
> situations like the girls’ night out (feeling like an empowered
> group…) and the clash between Slayers. There’s less energy in meeting
> Caleb again without much new information, except that he doesn’t like
> women, in case one needed to be reminded of that subtle point.
Caleb: I'm gonna take such sweet pleasure in taming you.
The point of Caleb's appearance I believe is to reinforce the central
message of who's in charge. This isn't just usual bad guy bwa-ha-ha,
though
I can understand how Caleb can confuse. It's very theme connected. The
above line isn't merely goading and boasting, though there's no lack of
either to be found in Caleb. (And there is the in-story objective of
pu****ng Buffy into an ill-considered choice.) It's also a very literal
objective. Caleb is here to put Buffy in her place. I'll have more to
say
later.
There is something about this scene that really bothers me, however. It
has
nothing to do with Caleb's characterization. Buffy's big realization is
that Caleb is guarding the vineyard rather than the hellmouth, so there
must
be something at the vineyard. OK. But how does she conclude that by
being
knocked out by Caleb at the school? It seems to me that the most recent
evidence doesn't have him holed up at the vineyard. Oh, well. This kind
of
plot logic commonly isn't BtVS's strength.
> On a
> related note, each Andrew joke gets one or more repetitions more than
> it needs – it can’t be a good sign when someone who’s always more or
> less “gotten” Andrew starts thinking “c’mon, could anyone really be
> that oblivious to the world?” Everything’s just a little… overdone?
I didn't notice that with Andrew. I rather like him this episode. "I'm
Andrew. I'll be your bad cop this evening."
> Off? As far as the ending, my comment as a first-timer was that if
> one wanted to tell a story about Buffy being deposed as leader of the
> group and alienated from her friends, this would be one of the better
> ways to do it;
I'm not certain what you mean by that, but by my terms I agree. A lot.
Unlike the skimpy focus on Giles leading up to LMPTM, the setup for this
schism has been lovingly worked on all season from as many directions as
possible. The proximate event bursting people's confidence in Buffy is
suitably powerful. I very much approve conceptually of such a huge schism
at this point in the series. Aside from the great drama of it, it is
itself
representative of the great Slayer conflict that conspires to separate
duty
from friends. It's a very fitting way to dive into the final run. I also
like how they go for the great argument - a source of so much BtVS drama
over the years - as the vehicle for splitting our heroes.
The stars are all aligned. It ought to be great.
> I’d been spoiled about that before even starting the
> season, so was worried it’d be more out of character. Again, though,
> having her get kicked off the proverbial island seems like an extra
> step beyond what the scene merits, a little forced. The way I see it
> now, “Empty Places” doesn’t feel like a story that’s driven by the
> motivations of its characters. My impression is that there are
> certain ways things need to end up, and the rest of the episode is
> wrapped around itself trying to push events towards the prescribed
> ending. Not to suggest that this isn’t frequently or always true in
> the Whedonverse, just that it’s not usually so obvious about it.
I guess I mostly agree with that, though I think the problem is more
centered on the argument itself than everything leading up to it. And I'm
pretty sure that I find the result far worse.
I loathe the argument - absolutely loathe it. It is the single worst
moment
for me in the entire BtVS run, making it my least liked episode of the
series. (Though objectively not the worst.) I'm reminded of your
reaction
to the argument in The Yoko Factor for the artificiality of it, and of
other
people's reactions to DMP for the ugliness of it and questionable
characterization. Of course, in those two cases, I went along with the
arguments just fine - as I almost always do. This time... A bridge too
far
I guess.
I struggle to explain exactly why it hits me so wrong. But it doesn't
feel
real to me at all. The way the conversation keeps jumping ahead of itself
leaving thoughts behind and unconsidered. The notable lack of natural
counter thoughts that I would expect from these people. (Such as I
discussed in Dirty Girls.) The lack of alternate ideas and silly
obsession
with certainty. A lot of this I might very well accept in the context of
an
all out fight where the anger of the moment overrides judgment. (A common
element to many past BtVS fights.) But most people affect a manner of
calm
and reason here that poorly fits what is said and done, largely ruining
the
excuse of ill considered pique. That probably is most expressed by Dawn
so
lovingly booting Buffy from the house in a particularly excessive jump in
logic and non-believable manner.
(Side note 1 - In no reasonable way can I take Buffy's "ultimatum" as a
literal stay in charge or kick me out message. It's not even an
ultimatum.
It's just Buffy sticking to her argument. But then the whole thing falls
short of sup****ting an overthrow. All that's really been sup****ted IMO is
a
much simpler case for open defiance to a specific order. Related to that
is
the ease in which everybody looks to Faith as a reasonable alternative.
With the history in that group, that should only work as an act of
desperation. What's shown is way insufficiently sup****ted. Side note 2 -
This episode opens with Sunnydale emptying itself out in a mass evacuation
and the police running wild. We've already seen how the Bringers are
openly
working through the town. Buffy may be The Slayer, but she's not
invincible
and even she needs a reasonably safe place to sleep. Kicking her out of
the
house is also kicking her out of the fortress into a very dangerous wild.
The heartlessness of physically booting her includes putting her in
physical
danger. Something else that doesn't play true for me.)
I think you may hit on part of it by noting how "the episode is wrapped
around itself trying to push events towards the prescribed ending." So,
for
example, the follow-up requires physical separation, so somehow she has to
leave. Related to that is that there are times in the argument (such as
Anya's part) that seem more about overtly connecting to prior setup than
providing natural conversation.
Whatever the elements may be, the effect is a belly flop of a scene - with
all the pain and nausea of a literal belly flop. And since the scene
dominates the episode as much as one scene can, the whole episode
collapses
in my eyes.
> Rating: Decent (down from Good)
In addition to earlier good scenes there's the true episode closer of
Buffy
imploring Faith not to be afraid to lead. To protect and lead. It's a
genuinely heart breaking moment where even a humiliated and rejected Buffy
still thinks first of everybody else's welfare. That, plus how the
cir***stances created allow for the next episode, keep this from being the
only BtVS episode I would rate Bad. It still gets a Weak rating from me.
This is where I disappeared in your first run through - maybe just as well
considering my distaste for the episode. So this is the first of a brief
run of episodes not previously rated by me.
> Additional comments on S7D5: One of the very few problems with all
> the animated discussion that AOQ Reviews generated originally (all the
> attention was like instant gratification!) is that whenever I want to
> re-examine something, I feel obligated to take a shot at trying to
> read through the entire threads to remember salient points and to make
> sure we don’t rehash the same territory. I inevitably give up, at
> least on the BTVS side of things, since my posts were averaging 100 or
> more responses, about a third of which were short novels. Even during
> the first round, I wasn’t always able to read every last one
> carefully, although I always tried my best.
As one responsible for a few too many of the short novels, I can't tell
you
how much more difficult it is for me with you generating four reviews at a
shot. You're a very evil man.
> One of my goals this time through was to try to make some sense,
> character-wise, out of Caleb, since he’s always confused me. It’s not
> quite congealing for me beyond a potentially interesting collection of
> traits. As seen in “Dirty Girls,” Caleb looks down on people.
> There’s his thing with women, obviously, although in DG it’s not just
> the whores – the whole human race is dirty and “can be so damnably
> weak.” He’s rarely angry and doesn’t blame people for being the way
> they are, but that doesn’t stop him from taking pleasure in torturing
> and/or killing them. Preacher Tightpants would seem to be self-
> righteous and convinced he knows everything, and that everything’s
> simple, yet he still has room for curiosity, confusion, and musing,
> provided it’s about lymph. Caleb is enamored with the First, finding
> something pure about its malevolence that answers his questions –
> maybe because he’s comforted by simple definitions, or maybe because
> it frees him of his societal obligations to pose at non-evil. Perhaps
> most notably, when asked about his connection to the First, he
> mentions the power and enormity (“they're just sinners. You are sin”
> – “Touched”). He’ll do the “it’s about power” routine several times,
> which also leads him to be intrigued by Buffy.
He's directed to Buffy, not merely intrigued by her.
> His former profession
> notwithstanding, he’s spiritual but not religious. Is there a
> defining principle that makes him tick?
Go to the seasonal themes. Not just the feminism, though that defines
many
of the particulars. It's an allegory of liberation from cultural
oppression. He represents the immediate in your face physical obstacle to
that liberation. In feminist terms he's the rapist with the physical
power,
the boss with the financial power, or the husband, boyfriend, brother and
any other man acting to hold women in their place. In broader social
terms,
he's the slave master with whip and chains. He's unconcerned by his
victims
deaths - may even revel in it - but his object is control. Keep the
slaves
down.
> **** if I know. I guess then
> we have to go with the boring old allegory, which would have to
> incor****ate the way he gives himself totally to being an agent of the
> First (including letting it metaphorically “peg” him in “End Of
> Days”), meaning that… uh, what did we decide the First represented
> again?
You asked me to hold that thought earlier. As I recall, I believe I said
that its objective is to enslave humanity. I suggested that Joss's idea
of
ultimate evil may be oppression.
In the original Dirty Girls thread I spoke of Caleb being tied to the
concept of the Shadow Men. It was a rushed comment just before I
disappeared. Malsperanza rightfully observed in response:
"I see the connection you're drawing, but it seems odd to me because it
suggests, however obliquely, that the Shadow Men were also in cahoots with
the Frist, back in the day. But on the contrary, they created the Slayer
as
a weapon against the Frist and Its
demons. Caleb may be a degenerate descendent of the Shadow Men--what the
worst of them became, crossing over to the Dark Side. But the linear
connection between the Shadow Men and the Watchers' Council seems much
more
clear to me." ["Frist" derives from a typo of mine and is just teasing
me.]
That's a misunderstanding of my intent, which I didn't have the
op****tunity
to respond to then. Quite understandable considering my obscure
connection.
But it serves as entry to a broader point. Just about everybody this
season - even Buffy herself - plays a part in perpetuating the cultural
oppression that this is an allegory for. The WC is indeed the linear
connection to the Shadow Men. In combination they are the traditional
face
of the patriarchy, preserving proper order in a dangerous world, sincerely
believing they know best and are the force of good for mankind. (One of
my
objections to the depiction of the Shadow Men is that it so over plays
their
evil as to somewhat obscure the good they believe they are doing - and to
a
significant extent really are achieving. In a similar fa****on, over
playing
the incompetence of the WC tended to obscure how impressive the construct
they created and maintained really was.)
The allegory goes much further than a battle with the stodgy
representatives
of official patriarchy. It's looking at an entire cultural paradigm where
everybody is both victim and oppressor. The battle between Buffy and the
Scoobies and Potentials that comes to a head on this CD speaks to the
resistance of the oppressed to their own liberation and their tendency to
self enforce the status quo. There's more than a little irony that their
first great foray into self empowerment is to put down the leader that has
pushed them so hard to exceed the constraints they place on themselves.
They remain constrained by narrowness of outlook. In the big break-up
argument they repeatedly reach for the safety of certainty (not terribly
natural in play, but well directed thematically), which Buffy cannot
provide. Alas, they will find their choice an illusion itself. Buffy's
far
from immune, though. She will need this kick in the ass to finally
consciously grasp the nonsense of power defined by what the patriarchy
doles
out. The irony for her is that her first instinct 7 years earlier was to
reject the idea that everything must flow through her alone. She had been
right from the start and saw how much stronger and better they all were as
a
team to boot. She just couldn't make the ****ft in thought to stop asking
why her, instead of why not everybody.
There are many examples of this kind of thinking to be found. Back to the
Malsperanza's point. The WC and Shadow Men definitely are not the direct
agents of the First or evil in general. But they none the less serve its
ends through their part in perpetuating cultural oppression. Which they
do
with conviction. Ah, the madness of conviction. Here is the connection
with Caleb. He holds no illusions over the brutality of his deeds. How
can
he with so much meted out by his own hands? But he believes in what he
does
every bit as much as the Shadow Men and WC. He's just a more direct
enforcer of the natural order as he knows it. He's the slave master in
the
fields and camps on the front lines of the social divide, demanding
submission with whip in hand. His methods are brutal. His lusts are
admittedly perverse. And his belief is positively devout. His florid
language is little more than the insane belief system of oppression that
has
always sought to define the "lesser" humans around them as a bundle of
uncontrolled base animal urges.
In this part of the story we are seeing the oppressed struggling with
themselves to want to cast aside their chains and even to know what that
means. Caleb is there to stop them. As wily slave master he constructs
the
scenario to turn the slave revolt against itself. But even without that
he
stands as a major power unto himself, ready to force submission from any
who
resist. There's nothing easy about liberation. Even when you break out
of
the slave camp and slay the slave master, there's still a whole world of
tradition aligned against you, able to raise whole armies to oppose you.
I can't think of any Big Bad quite like Caleb. Personally I think he's
quite remarkable.
> It hadn’t occurred to me until listening to the commentary that Marti
> was the one who wrote the basement Spike/Faith scene in “Dirty Girls,”
> but now that we know, doesn’t it seem obvious?
Because of the chains? It's just a florid imagination. I'm sure Marti
would be a chaste and proper date.
OBS
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