Re: A Second Look: BTVS S7D5

"mariposas rand mair fheal" <mair_fheal@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:mair_fheal-8A95AF.17482901052008@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> In article <jagk14dkohh9rrjac8siol51v5o49m9h8i@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
> William George Ferguson <wmgfrgsn@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:52:03 -0700, mariposas rand mair fheal
>> <mair_fheal@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>
>> >In article
>> ><47efa01d-310f-41a9-9d3d-08e8f8165707@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
>> > Arbitrar Of Quality <tsmtsm@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> >
>> >> On Apr 28, 11:18 pm, mariposas rand mair fheal
<mair_fh...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>> >> wrote:
>> >> > In article
>> >> >
<86183f0f-f016-42fa-9f08-05fe835d9...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
>> >> >  Arbitrar Of Quality <tsm...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> > > save others?  Instead, I feel like the show is apparently trying

>> >> > > to
>> >> > > make the other side as unlikable as possible.  Its tactics
involve
>> >> > > Wood attempting a killing of an ally motivated less by reason
than 
>> >> > > by
>> >> > > hot-blooded revenge, and Giles being passive while betraying 
>> >> > > Buffy's
>> >> > > trust.
>> >> >
>> >> > and buffy betrayed giles
>> >>
>> >> Except for the betraying part.
>> >
>> >buffy agreed to let potentials stay in her house as giles asked
>> >
>> >buffy agreed to protect them as giles asked
>> >
>> >buffy decided to let a known murderer
>> >who could be triggered to more murder
>> >at any time to have access to said house and potentials
>>
>> And yet letting Willow stay worked out rather well.
>>
>> Or did you mean Anya (or Andrew, or Giles)?
>>
>> "Confidentially, a lot of her people are murderers."
>
> other than andrew none of the others had a known trigger
>
> after spike is cured he ****fts into the same category as the rest
> andrew makes that ****ft in storyteller

Not really, no.  Aside from noting that Andrew is let loose before 
Storyteller, the im****tant comparison is Willow.  Her trigger is magic. 
The 
Warren experience demonstrates that it's still capable of taking over. 
And, 
as with Spike, the feared issue isn't the kind of person she is, but what 
damage she can do when a malign force takes over.  Furthermore, she is 
repeatedly pointed to as the most powerful entity around - far more
powerful 
than Spike.  Yet she runs free with people actually encouraging her to use

her "trigger" more.

Part of the story being told is that Spike is singled out as different,
when 
he's not really that different.  That a good part of the problem is the 
persistent perception of him as a thing that doesn't count as much as the 
others rather than a souled being deserving as much sup****t as anybody. 
When looking at Buffy's function as leader, remember that she's Spike's 
leader too.  When looking at her function as protector, remember that
she's 
sworn to protect Spike too.  When looking at betrayal, the victim and most

betrayed of the bunch is Spike.

Buffy certainly makes mistakes in handling Spike.  Most consistently in 
failing to fully comprehend and deal with how scary he looks to others and

how her treatment of him comes across.  But at the same time, one of the 
points of multiple redemption arcs simultaneous with the Potential
training 
is that Buffy is trying to uplift everybody and treat everybody fairly. 
The 
variance is much more to particular need than favoritism.  And just about 
everybody gains something from her effort.

The story isn't so simple as failed leader****p.  Buffy does make mistakes 
and does need to change.  But so do the followers, whose perceptions
strike 
me as more skewed than Buffy's.  And a considerable amount of what Buffy 
does as leader both works and is correct.

OBS