"Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsmtsm@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:80a62083-4116-489e-b083-058865f32990@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> On Mar 28, 10:54 pm, "One Bit Shy" <O...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> "Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in
>>
messagenews:fa8b334a-57c9-43e2-aeb3-07cbc0558d92@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> On Mar 27, 12:40 am, "One Bit Shy" <O...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> >> Let me use this op****tunity to make what may be
>> >> my
>> >> only defense of Kennedy this season. Her romance with Willow is the
>> >> obvious
>> >> big deal with her. But as a Potential, her function is to be the
one
>> >> most
>> >> ready and eager for personal empowerment.
>> > [snip]
>> >> Highlighting this is a useful function for Kennedy. She may be
>> >> annoying
>> >> as
>> >> hell, but at least part of that has a righteous basis as she acts as
>> >> agitator and leader for the empowerment cause. One of the curious
>> >> things
>> >> about her is that Buffy doesn't really come down on her, even as she
>> >> speaks
>> >> in defiance of Buffy. Maybe Buffy sees a little of herself in
>> >> Kennedy -
>> >> I'm
>> >> not sure. I think it's more that Kennedy actually takes to heart
what
>> >> Buffy
>> >> tries to instill in the Potentials, and Buffy sees that. Her
>> >> impetuous
>> >> inexperience is a lot easier to forgive than betrayal by Giles or
>> >> undermining by Xander.
>>
>> > I'll give you Giles, but Xander's generally a voice of reason, if not
>> > assertiveness, during S7.
>>
>> Most of the time, yeah. I was thinking of the Get It Done argument
when
>> Buffy pretty much took Kennedy's sass in stride - even trying to make a
>> point out of it - but couldn't get past Xander's. Xander's follow-up
>> retorts.
>> It pretty much undermined the point she was trying to make. Though she
>> went
>> and found another way to get the message across.
>
> I had a different take on that. Especially earlier in the scene,
> Xander's speaking up on behalf of everyone who's getting insulted
> while trying to reasonably respond to what's being said. Everyone
> else is angry, but Xander doesn't raise his voice while telling Buffy
> what he thinks she needs to hear. "But let's not try to forget, we're
> also your friends." The net effect may be to undermine Buffy's point,
> but I don't think it's any harder to forgive than Kennedy's
> confrontational-ness (easier for me, if only because I like him
> better).
So he didn't yell while he pulled the rug out from under her. He still
undermined her. Not only did it take her off point, it made her look bad
in
the process. Kennedy didn't achieve either. Kennedy also doesn't know
better - which Buffy stated. Xander should - which was the implication of
Buffy's statement. Another way in which Xander served to undermine her.
Consciously so in that sense. Even though he probably believed he had
good
reason to.
I may come back to this when we get to the episode. I think it's an
interesting argument - one of the better ones this season. Buffy's
leader****p isn't the only issue. Indeed, it could be argued that the
greater issue is the role of the followers - the ones in need of
empowerment. Xander is being mighty obtuse about Buffy's message that she
*can't* be there for them all of the time - that everybody has to take on
their own responsibility to stay alive. He essentially rejects the
charge,
pushes it back upon Buffy, and then mocks her authority. Not one of his
finer moments IMO.
Buffy stumbles too of course, but I was speaking to the impressions made
upon her. Kennedy didn't throw her - it was almost to be expected.
Xander's response actually hurt. Though in this case it threw her into a
pissed off mode where her "get it done" attitude succeeded in spurring
action and making the point anyway.
OBS
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