Re: A Second Look: BTVS S7D5

"vague disclaimer" <l64o-1rj5@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:l64o-1rj5-C5691B.08562830042008@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> In article <NIednTsUqtF-z4jVnZ2dnUVZ_vyinZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
> "One Bit Shy" <OBS@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
>> (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.
>
> Not sure I agree. I think the joy of this episode is how very
> uncomfortable it feels: nobody is right and nobody is wrong. Peachy sums
> it up excellently else thread.

Well, Peachy was talking about Empty Places and the above quote was in 
reference to LMPTM (Giles vs.Buffy) - complete with the note that an awful

lot of people seemed to have taken Giles' side rather than Buffy's
(contrary 
to AOQ's perception of what side was artificially favored).

Be that as it may, to some extent I think both pushed viewers to pick
sides 
by framing them into seemingly insurmountable divides.  It's not that
there 
aren't good and points to both sides, making it uncertain which is truly 
correct.  (In this particular story, the real answer is eventually
revealed 
that both are wrong and an entirely new framing is required.) 
Irrespective 
of where objective truth lies, sides are established upon set lines no 
matter what anybody thinks.  Giles won't back down, so Buffy shuts the
door 
on him.  Buffy won't back down, so the crew kicks her out into the cold. 
Those are no compromise results.  Nobody in the room when Buffy is kicked 
out is allowed the luxury of sitting on the fence, even though they might 
desperately want to.  As a viewer drawn into the passion of the story, I 
think it's hard not to feel pushed into which side of the shut doors to 
stand on.  My observation of comments and discussion on these events
suggest 
to me that an awful lot of viewers do in fact take sides.

That's not a criticism of the dramatic effect, which I think is quite 
potent.  (My criticisms lie elsewhere.)  But I do wonder if the effect on 
the viewer riding the emotional tiger of the story had unintended 
consequences of turning a lot of people off who really don't want to take
a 
side or are unhappy with the side they feel pushed into.  That sense, 
incidentally, gets worked into the story with things like Amanda's belief 
they're being punished and Buffy's own self doubt.  And, it's quite
possible 
that it was intended to leak out to the audience.  It would be quite like 
Joss to push people the audience into an uncomfortable place in order to 
make them more receptive to the coming solution.  But if so, I think he
lost 
some people along the way.

OBS