"Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsmtsm@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:f6dce363-bd58-4ec1-87c2-e67834452266@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> A reminder: So... wheelchair fight?
Show me the box full of ointments, you little freak.
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Seven, Episode 20: "Touched"
> One of the nice things about the end of the season is that this is
> about the time when I’ve fully come to terms with no longer expecting
> the plot to fill in all the holes. I wouldn’t want the show to make a
> habit out of it. It’s contrast from ATS4, where I work harder at
> making sense out of it; that season of _Angel_ is closer to making
> sense, but by the very end of the year of _Buffy_, such concerns feel
> much less im****tant.
The thing I notice about the closing episodes is how the impending end of
the series makes the looming apocalypse seem so much bigger than anything
we've really been shown. In a way, this one really will unavoidably end
the
world.
> That lets “Touched” itself be all about human
> relation****ps and passions,
<cough> Spike. Human.
> and what does BTVS do better? Although I
> do have some room for admiration at the way Buffy comes up with a way
> to beat Caleb that’s so obvious that it never would’ve occurred to me
> – return to form for the Buffster – or the way it lets Buffy and Faith
> both have been part right and part wrong in their tactical
> disagreements.
How is Faith part right because of this?
> The second half of “Touched” is essentially a montage
> of reaching out for comfort and contact before things go right or
> wrong.
I may have mentioned this before, but I've always wished that Anya and
Xander had suffered their way through the sounds of *** without indulging
themselves. For one thing, I liked the idea of their prior *** encounter
really being the end of their relation****p. It had the virtue of Anya for
the first time handling rejection OK. And it would also make it a little
more fun for her to be turned on by Andrew taking her to rob the hospital.
(She was a little turned on I think, but it loses the edge what with her
still hanging onto Xander so much.)
But mainly I think it's just funny for the old ***aholics to have to sit
this one out.
> I compared it to prom night once, but the feel is actually
> more “Graduation Day I.” The most obvious highlight is the exchange
> between Buffy and Spike, which comfortably balances the deep sentiment
> and closeness that’s developed between these two characters with the
> need to hit about five thousand topics, all without forgetting to
> leave time for quotable back-and-forth. I can almost forget that
> Spike’s speech has been outlined and then scripted, since it seems to
> be coming spontaneously from him as we watch him struggle to work out
> what exactly he knows he has to convey. Speaking as someone who’s
> never been a huge B/S person, it’s ****ing beautiful.
Their big conversation next episode has some of that quality too. Superb
acting.
I like the Spike/Buffy scene a lot, but it does run on a bit. (All 3 of
the
final episodes have an odd sense of both being rushed and laden with extra
filler. The effect isn't all that bad. Just a little odd.) So I find
myself thinking of disconnected things, like neither take their shoes off
before going to sleep in that bed. Is that position really comfortable
for
Spike? Is Spike sitting there worrying that he'll wake Buffy if he ****fts
just a little? Heh. The biggest sidelight I always notice is how Spike
emphasizes that he's not a big thinker; that he follows his "blood" rather
than his brain. It's accurate for much of his career on BtVS and
appropriate for the moment. It's just that I can't help also thinking of
all the times he's been smart and perceptive and even logical. I think
Spike's got an inferiority complex.... Yeah, we already know that. But
right here I always feel like yelling at Spike to stop dissing himself.
> I also want to
> give props to the acting during Faith’s all-too-real visit from
> Wilkins, which I think is a bit of a forgotten favorite among great
> scenes involving Faith, what with there being so many to choose from
> and so much other good stuff going on.
I guess you like that scene more than I, though I do enjoy Wilkins. What
I
mostly notice about that scene is the implication that The First has been
listening in and knows what Faith is planning. I think that's Faith's
biggest failing in her plan. Either that or the biggest hole in the
episode's plot.
I like the follow-up scene with Wood a lot more. First, what a great way
to
make a connection as Faith speaks of Wilkins being a father figure and
Wood
speaks of the First coming as his mother. There's some very thoughtful
writing in their scene. Dushku also just nails the Achilles heel joke
with
perfect natural acting. That's my odd choice for one of Faith's peaks.
> Rating: Excellent
The chaos of the gang trying to figure out how to make a decision is, I
think, mainly aimed at the resolution of Faith just being the new Buffy.
As
has been observed of other revolutionary groups, the only way they know
how
to do things is how it's always been done. Which kind of defeats the
point
of the revolution. Or - meet the new boss - same as the old boss. So
it's
not just a failure of leader****p by Buffy that's at work. It's the whole
structure that all of them have bought into that needs to be changed.
(That doesn't mean that Amanda's wrong that they're being punished.)
This is a fun episode, but you seem to like it even more than I. I can't
get terribly close to Excellent. It's just Good.
It's greatest attribute is effectively flowing out of last episode's
traumatic ending and setting up next episode's reversal.
> Season Seven, Episode 21: "End Of Days"
> This re-watching, during Buffy and Faith’s conversation, I was
> overwhelmed with the sudden feeling of how much I was enjoying just
> listening to these two talk. I felt like I could watch an hour of the
> two of them addressing their shared connection without quite
> forgetting their past and ongoing conflicts, and bouncing half-jokes
> off each other.
It's a really good scene, though it carries a burden that might be a bit
much for it. This is the main stab at the two getting right with each
other
after their years of oppressive history. Still, it's a pretty good stab.
There's nothing quite like filling someone else's shoes
for a while to understand them... Oh, wait a minute. Faith had done that
before. I guess she's better at it now.
I'm impressed it works on that level as well as it does, because the scene
is just as much about seeding Buffy's brain with the solution to the
Scythe
and the whole Slayer trap.
> Well, that’s pretty much the way I feel about most
> pairs of characters in the Buffyverse, and most scenes in this
> episode.
Yeah, the show spends most of its time wrapping up people's relation****ps
and patching up broken pieces. Although they also take the time to kind
of
make a new relation****p between Anya and Andrew that works really well for
such a last minute rush job.
> At this point of a sequential re-watch, I realize anew how
> much I don’t want the show to be over, and how much I care about these
> people. Whether they’re color-forming and tasering each other, having
> ****rty little not-lovers’ quarrels, or making hospital runs (love
> almost everything in or about those sequences), they make a good group
> to hang out with, speaking as a viewer and a fan.
Yeah, it's really sentimental too. In a very good way.
> There’s something
> about late-series Buffy/Xander scenes where they reaffirm their love
> and trust in each other after a rough patch that melts me, every damn
> time.
That's another really good scene, but the odd thing about it for me is
that
it's the furthest away of those Buffy/Xander scenes from overtly patching
up
anything. The rough patch isn't mentioned or even a hint given that
anything had been wrong that needed fixing. Not that the effect of fixing
things up hasn't been achieved - it most certainly has. But boy, talk
about unspoken... If you didn't know that Buffy had been kicked out of
the
house a couple days
before, is there anything in the scene to suggest that something was being
patched up?
> My biggest problem with EOD is the entire stupid concept of the
> Guardians and everything that goes along with them, but hey, they’re
> not a problem for very long.
Perhaps this is politically incorrect, but boy does the face of that
Guardian look like a man. Just another element that makes that whole
scene
weird and annoying. I suppose, from a feminist perspective, the Guardians
are an attempt to introduce a matriarchal heritage with some kind of
equivalency to the patriarchal heritage. For a time the notion of
pre-historic matriarchal societies was pretty popular in feminist thought,
though I think that's largely declined now. Be that as it may, the
Guardians don't strike me as an effective stand-in for that. Perhaps more
simply they're intended to establish an historic link to all women (as
opposed to the forced link of Slayers) to get across the idea that Buffy
is
acting for all women - or something like that. It's all pretty muddled to
me and I don't like it much either.
I suppose the more practical near term reason is to offer some kind - any
kind - of justification for The Scythe to have the mystical power that it
does. But that gets into issues with The Scythe, which I think goes
further
than I'm up to tonight. I'll limit that to saying that since the basic
structure of BtVS is metaphor come to life, then it's probably necessary
for
anything as big as the solution to the Slayer trap to physically manifest
itself as well. So something akin to The Scythe is probably necessary.
(Much the same argument applies to Spike's amulet too, though I think it's
less essential.) But it sure leaves the series terribly reliant on the
sudden arrival of a couple of magical doo-dads. Not it's finest moment.
> Hey, it’s Angel! Now, unless the agenda
> is for Fillion to collect an extra check, I don’t see why Buffy
> doesn’t finish off Caleb here (you can even keep the splitting from
> the groin up, show, if it’s that im****tant to you); this is a fitting
> place to end it.
> Rating: Good
Special props from me for the Spike/Buffy "****rty" scene. Even though
it's
not their last scene together before the climax, this is the one that
really
wraps up their relation****p for me. I like how Buffy charges in to
finally
force the issue of what they mean to each other, but by the end it's her
that's suggesting there doesn't have to be meaning. The conversation is
erratic and muddled and naturalistic for all that. Passionate and
reserved
and as confused as that sounds, really catching their own confusion. It's
so perfect for them to finally put it aside so they can go off and be
heroes.
So it doesn't exactly settle anything. Except I don't see how anybody
watching that wouldn't see that they love each other. (No matter what
Joss
says.) I think that the confusion is that there's so much more than
desire
and romance involved. (Which was part of Spike's point the prior night
too.) Right now they matter more to each other than anybody else and need
each other like nobody else.
So, my opinion on the love question is that, yes, Buffy loves Spike.
Possibly more than Spike loves her, because his feelings are more colored
by
idolizing. However, there's a caveat to that. It's all about the moment.
It's not like marriage would be a good idea. (Even forgetting the
immortal
vampire element.) I think a life together would prove to be a love
killing
chore.
You didn't mention the scene of Buffy saving the Potentials - a big
favorite
of mine this episode. I like it way more than the fight with Caleb. I
get
a little tear in my eye when Buffy comes cra****ng through the roof. In an
episode of final moments, this is the final moment of the traditional
Buffy
the protector role. And it's a good one where you really feel how much it
matters to those being saved. (Not to mention that she's instantly got
those pesky rebellious Potentials back in the palm of her hand.)
Speaking of Potentials, in the category of remembering that Kennedy isn't
just Willow's girlfriend, this is a big Kennedy episode. Last episode she
showed Buffy style thinking by wanting to go to the hellmouth seal rather
than to the armory. But she got shot down. (To much grumbling by her.)
This episode, after Faith is injured, she becomes the leader and does
pretty
good. She certainly keeps her head while those around her aren't. Of
course she proves no match for an ubervamp anyway - the final message that
empowerment requires more than an empowered attitude. If you're denied
the
tools of power, then you'll still fail.
It's good character stuff for Kennedy, though the acting still isn't too
great. I also finally figured out why she always looks odd to me. She's
got a big head. Literally.
I used to really hate this episode. Almost as much as Empty Places. But
I've softened my feelings a whole lot. Mainly because - well - it's
really
good. What's in the episode anyway.
My problem was the way that it handled the reconciliation to the Empty
Places schism by pretty much skipping it entirely and just making
everything
good between everybody. Oh, there's no lack of good reasons for people
getting back on good terms with each other and working together again like
they do here. Even working better than ever. It's just that there's no
process. It suddenly is.
The way I mostly look at it now is that it's DMP to an extreme. (And,
AOQ,
you're largely responsible for getting me to actually think about that
episode and see how it acts as precedent.) The Scooby gang have never
been
good at, you know, saying stuff to each other. So things are often left
unsaid when patching things up. But DMP was an extreme example where the
reconciliation occurred entirely through the act of a battle (with Buffy
saving the day). They looked at each other and just knew the fight was
over.
It's not a perfect example. (As S3 progressed, it was shown that trust
issues continued to fester.) But something quite similar must happen
here.
What everybody experienced (often independently) after Empty Places has
quite naturally endowed a heaping load of wisdom on them that mostly says
to
put it all behind them. Indeed, part of that wisdom may specifically be
that unsaid is what it should always be.
I'm still not entirely satisfied. People universally seeming to be on the
same page is so abrupt and practically magical that it feels a little
unreal
to me. And I still really miss not having more done between Giles and
Buffy. That was such a central part of the season's schism that it
strikes
me as demanding a more powerful resolution.
But, hell, there's too much good stuff in this episode not to rate it
Good.
In time maybe I'll soften more and rate it Excellent. The dialogue is
worthy of it.
> Season Seven, Episode 22: "Chosen"
> We’ve discussed this enough that I can’t see any major changes of
> opinion or re*****sments. Other than my increased love for taking the
> time for a Trogdor-enhanced D&D game the night before the final
> battle.
Giles: Could it possibly get uglier? I used to be a highly respected
watcher, and now I'm a wounded dwarf with the mystical strength of a
doily.
Considering our earlier conversation about Giles, I think that's
appropriate
self commentary.
That's a funny scene, albeit rather filler like. And that's the odd thing
about Chosen. What with your later (accurate) commentary about things not
quite getting done and SMG famously saying this should have been a two
parter and Joss whining about working himself to exhaustion over it, you'd
think this episode was packed to the gills. But it's not. There's tons
of
filler and a surprisingly brief final battle. (Which, incidentally, I
don't
think needs to be longer. Just tuned a little differently to give a
stronger impression of the Chosen army turning the tide.) So, for
example,
another scene that I find quite entertaining is the Faith/Wood scene where
we learn that Robin is much prettier than Faith. But it's not like the
series closer is really crying out for more quality time between Faith and
Wood.
Round two of killing Caleb is also probably not necessary, though I don't
mind it as much as you since it at least provides some early episode
action
before a long wait to the closing spurt of action. It's the following
scene
with Angel that I find tedious and dragged out. I suppose it's essential
that Angel appear. I just wish it was a better scene.
Still, I've come to better appreciate some of what the scene accomplishes,
even if I still don't like it's play. For example, it gives a little more
meaning to Buffy being with Spike. Angel went to Buffy, but Buffy went to
Spike. Spike's not really stupid. I'm sure he grasps how that signifies
Buffy making a choice. Besides, it's a great op****tunity for some Spike
one-liners.
"Most people don't use their tongues to say hello. Or I guess they do,
but—"
"He wears lifts, you know."
"You got Angel breath."
The not finished baking analogy is a bit much, but then she'd already used
the fry-cook analogy, so what's a girl to do? Setting the cookie dough
aspect aside, the thought fits quite well thematically. It pairs up with
the smile on Buffy's face at the conclusion of the episode. This girl has
a
world of possibilities in front of her. And it largely shuts the door on
her prior overly romanticized notion of love is forever. I'm reminded of
a
line from Joyce years earlier.
"When it comes to you, Angel, she's just like any other young woman in
love.
You're all she can see of tomorrow."
Aw, Buffy's all growed up now. For all the filler and things left
incomplete, there's still an astoni****ngly lot that does get wrapped up.
The episode can be quite succinct too. One little kick to Buffy's ****n
pretty much settles things between Buffy and Dawn. Though Dawn is also
used
as the primary vehicle for saying that there are still things waiting for
Buffy in her future - that it would be a mistake to look upon this as
another ending like The Gift. One of the more touching things in the
episode is Dawn's refusal to say goodbye, and Dawn desperately looking for
Buffy from the retreating bus. It provides the necessary extra oomph to
Buffy's rooftop run, a reason to live that ties back to the S6 closing
message for them and to the contrasting S5 closing notion of Dawn being
worth dying for. So Dawn serves a similar function in the close of all 3
seasons she's on the show, and yet more of the series is pulled together
into a cohesive whole at its conclusion.
> For instance, contrary to what the special features may suggest, I
> feel no inclination to cry during the power-sharing scene,
You mean when the Potentials around the world are awakened? That doesn't
evoke any tears in me either. A little sappy for my tastes. But it still
works. I like how it feels as if it's directed out to the audience for a
moment. This means you. You can all make the same choice. Maybe some
people are "chosen" to have more power than others, but only you can
choose
to use the power you have. BtVS is a metaphor for everybody. You all can
be heroes - if you choose.
The framing of chosen vs. choosing crops up throughout S7 and is one way
of
describing the essence of Buffy's inner conflict across the series. I
know
elements get a little muddled here at the end, but that's real too. Duty
and free will are forever an awkward mix.
> and the
> climax to Willow’s S7 arc feels like reading the Cliff Notes of what
> sounds like a powerful book.
Nifty.
> There’s been some discussion about what happens
> between everyone’s favorite or least favorite vampire/Slayer couple
> after the screen goes dark and the viewers are left to complete the
> story however they want. I originally assumed ***, because that’s the
> convention, but I’ve been won over to the ways of those who think
> their relation****p is in a different place now, and specifically that
> Spike wouldn’t hop into bed with Buffy if he didn’t really think she
> loved him. A little sad, perhaps, but they’ve both got much bigger
> personal triumphs ahead of them.
The look on Spike's face in End of Days when he asks Buffy if she was
there
with him suggests to me that he's really not that certain that she doesn't
love him. "What does that mean?" Neither really knows.
I'm also a little amused at the notion of Spike having that kind of
restraint. He may be getting all noble and such by Spike standards, but
really....
Spike: I've got my pride, you know.
Buffy: I understand. (turns to walk away)
Spike: (cuts her off) Clearly you don't, 'cause the whole "having my
pride"
thing was just a smokescreen.
Buffy: (sighs with relief) Oh, thank God.
Spike: I don't know what I would have done if you'd have gone up those
stairs.
That of course is the *other* time that Buffy spends the night with Spike
this episode. (And could very well have had *** then too.) Neither of
them
sound exactly hung up on the different place their relation****p is at.
Indeed that specifically follows the jealous over Angel bit - complete
with
tongue references.
I'm not totally certain of the sequence of days, but I believe the scene
you
reference would make for the third night in a row that Buffy has slept
with
Spike. I've got to believe that somewhere in there they'd both want it to
get a little hotter.
Besides, I struggle to believe that staying chaste serves any purpose to
this relation****p. The value in that was completely satisfied two nights
earlier. Point made. Now it's a matter of finally experiencing that kind
of love with their far more mature relation****p before either or both die.
> And so everyone’s set free for
> whatever may come next, with this big allegorical growing up tale
> behind them and an open-ended question ahead of them. (Speaking of
> that question, are people still annoyed that Dawn gets the last
> word?)
No. Buffy's answering smile is obviously the thought of private school
for
Dawn occurring to her.
> Rating: Good
I spoke this time of how lots of things get pulled together for the whole
series. The big one, of course, is the solution to the Slayer trap, which
remains a wonder to me. Such an elegant conclusion to the series. In
spite
of some issues with the episode, that's such a big thing to me (and the
rest
of the episode isn't really so awful) that I'm raising the rating to a low
Excellent.
> So, that’s it for _Buffy The Vampire Slayer_. I’ve spent more time
> diving into this show than I’ve ever spent with TV before,
Me too.
> and
> certainly sunk a higher pro****tion of internet time into doing so.
> It’s both a great show to watch casually and a series that rewards
> intense scrutiny and discussion, so that worked out nicely.
I've had a history of getting even more deeply into on-line discussions in
other areas... but let's not go there. Past life and all. This was way
more fun.
> On a show-
> by-show basis, I still find the series to be frustratingly
> inconsistent, particularly during the first two years, which is a bit
> of an obstacle when introducing newbies. But taken as a whole, it’s
> quite a journey. I’ve become a fairly character-driven person, and
> BTVS shows the potential of long-term character-driven storytelling,
> given seven years to develop it and given personalities like those of
> Buffy, Willow, Xander et. al. that were strong to begin with. I don’t
> know if it’s my favorite program ever or anything like that, but any
> short list I ever make will certainly have to include it. Although I
> feel like I’ve more or less said my piece about the show now, it took
> a lot of speaking to get to that point. Thanks as always for reading.
And thank you. I expect that I'll probably be withdrawing from further
BtVS
discussion myself. (Except as it fits into AtS S5. And I suppose I could
always go make a nuisance of myself at TWOP or something, though I don't
expect to.) This was fun, but I did find it hard not to keep repeating
myself this go around.
However, the S1 and S2 season discussions were great for me since I hadn't
participated much the first time through.
OBS
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