On Apr 14, 12:55 am, "One Bit Shy" <O...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> "Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in
messagenews:902a6786-c142-4cbe-a08e-f647fa0266c0@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
> > On Apr 13, 10:35 pm, "One Bit Shy" <O...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >> "Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in
> >>
messagenews:20eb82a7-2734-4ff5-adeb-e97840938158@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> >> > On Apr 12, 12:08 am, "One Bit Shy" <O...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >> >> "Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in
> >> >>
messagenews:a1bad5f4-8477-4684-9270-0262824a8fd4@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> >> >> > Season Seven, Episode 13: "The Killer In Me"
>
> >> >> Part of the problem with using that as a misdirect is that the
issue
> >> >> of
> >> >> Willow living with the power strikes me as more -er- powerful than
the
> >> >> issue
> >> >> of letting go of Tara. I know that there's a personal emotional
> >> >> element
> >> >> to
> >> >> the Tara question that the more abstract power issue lacks. But
come
> >> >> on,
> >> >> even Willow understands (when she thinks about it) that she has to
let
> >> >> go
> >> >> some day - and the guilt along with it. Living with the power,
> >> >> however,
> >> >> is
> >> >> a genuine mystery that never really does get effectively
addressed.
> >> >> Unless
> >> >> you think that white eyes are better than black eyes is good
enough.
>
> >> > It's not really an either-or question, since the show feels it
needs
> >> > to address both topics, separately. Living without Tara gets
covered
> >> > here. Living with what she can do is supposed to be this
background
> >> > thing running through S7 as it weighs on her, and she slowly learns
to
> >> > live with it, day by day. In theory. Actually, what happens is
that
> >> > the series runs out of story for Willow around the time of "Bring
On
> >> > The Night" and then slaps a few protentious lines in the last
couple
> >> > episodes and gives her white eyes instead of black. But as much as
I
> >> > jump at the chance to find another flaw in TKIM, I don't think it's
> >> > this episode's "fault" that the rest of the season skimps on
Willow's
> >> > arc.
>
> >> I'm not so sure. As incomplete as it seems, she did learn from the
Coven
> >> and Giles early on and before the season. The power is part of her.
> >> Everything's connected. And so on. What the season seems to focus
on is
> >> how Willow is scared to use the power and is pushed to get back on
that
> >> horse. Indeed, living with the power seems to center on actually
using
> >> it
> >> in order to be liberated. The Tara story isn't just about living
without
> >> her. I think it's about being released from her restraints - mainly
the
> >> restraint from using magic. Remember that the First's primary ploy
in
> >> CWDP
> >> was to reinforce Willow's commitment to Tara not to use the magiks.
And
> >> Kennedy's primary function with regard to Willow is to push her to
use
> >> her
> >> power.
>
> >> I think the show pretty much adopted the stance that Willow doesn't
> >> really
> >> have a problem with power anymore. Maybe she learned her lesson.
Maybe
> >> the
> >> Coven's dose of humanizing magic really transformed her. Maybe the
> >> circumstances of Tara's death created an aberrant result. Maybe the
> >> balance
> >> she had is who she is and shall always be - a balance that's actually
> >> mainly
> >> good. Maybe some combination of that and other influences. I don't
> >> know.
> >> But whatever it is, the problem they actually deal with this season
is
> >> Willow's shyness from grasping her power. I'm not sure the story in
S7
> >> ever
> >> wanted to go further than that - and that the big reveal was always
going
> >> to
> >> be how Tara was holding her back.
>
> > Okay, that's not something I'm seeing at all. Partly because tying
> > the story of this particular episode with the power theme... well, it
> > can be done, but it jumps through more philosophical hoops than I
> > think it can sup****t And partly because this isn't the turning point
> > of that part of the arc, and only someone watching for subtle nuances
> > would really say that things are any different, magically speaking,
> > pre and post TKIM. Willow still won't-a at the beginning of GID,
> > still worries about whether or not she can use her power without it
> > taking her over through to the end of the show, etc. Tara isn't so
> > much as mentioned again after TKIM either, so if the episode has an
> > effect on Willow's magic story that the writers wanted to clearly
> > establish for the viewer, it'd be something additive from being with
> > Kennedy rather than something subtractive.
>
> CWDP linked (reminded us) Tara to not using magic. A central difference
> with Kennedy is that she encourages/pushes Willow to accept and use her
full
> power. Since they seem centered on Willow's resistance to using magic,
> that's how I take the intent of this episode.
>
> As for taking a couple episodes to manifest and not referring directly
to
> Tara, this isn't an epiphany. There's no conscious thought from Willow
> that, oh, it was the memory of Tara stopping me. It's the removal of a
> subconcious, emotionally charged block. She still has to get over the
> trauma of the day and get out of the habit of restraint. Inertia and
all.
> But when the issue is forced in Get it Done, I think she's more ready
than
> she was before this episode.
I don't see much of a difference in readiness.
> I'm not saying it's the only block. She's scared of loosing control
too.
> She still needs to be pushed. I'm just suggesting that it was the
hidden
> element making it all that much harder.
>
> Besides, what else would it be? Was it all just so she can have a new
girl
> toy?
Basically, yes. Don't underestimate how im****tant getting Willow
hooked up and out of "gay celibacy" (Joss's term) was to ME. That
shows up often enough in the comments from both the people who worked
on this episode and Joss's general reflections that I do in fact
believe that giving Willow a girlfriend was a major agenda of Season
Seven. If Joss is to believed, he (rather uncharactertistically)
wanted to bring back Tara, and creating a new character was the backup
plan.
I don't know whether you're right or not, but I'll say that if this
was really an attempt to make a big statement about Willow's relation
to power and to be a turning point in that arc, then I have even more
contempt for the episode than I did before. Fortunately (I guess) for
my opinion of TKIM, it doesn't emerge as a major point for me.
-AOQ
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