Buffy - Season 5 impressions (episode 7)
Dec. 29th, 2005 06:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thalia_seawoodFool For Love
A summary can be found here.
For Spike fans, here and here are links tospikeylover's LJ with a screencapped summary of the episode. Very nice!
This is definitely one of my favorite Buffy episodes. The interaction between Spike and Buffy is brilliant and all the flashback scenes are so lovely.
This was the second episode of Buffy I've ever seen and recently I watched scenes of it for a second time. It's nice to finally see this episode in the larger context of the show. While I'd felt in the past that Buffy treats Spike too harshly, I see things differently now. It's not as if she has any kind of friendship with Spike at this time, instead they are both very antagonistic. Buffy either ignores him or punches him while Spike tries to be as insufferable as possible and to keep everyone at a distance. (I suppose he prepares being punched to being ignored.) Spike also works very hard on his Big Bad image and tries to be appear as someone who can't be hurt, so Buffy tries to push him as hard as possible to finally score against him.
On to the details:
- Buffy losing the fight against a vampire:
This is something that has been building up over the last couple of episodes. She has been fighting with a "I don't care about anything." attitude recently. I guess it's all the responsibility she feels (her duties as a Slayer, her mother being sick, having to protect Dawn) - in a way she just wants to be rid of it all. She also hasn't lost a fight in a very long time and so has gradually become overconfident in her fighting style.
- Dawn covering up for Buffy and Riley without even knowing any of the details is very neat. It shows that when it's necessary she is willing to help Buffy - despite being a brat at other times.
- Riley on patrol:
He's trying so hard to prove himself, however, the other scoobies clearly refuse to take him seriously. I have to admit that I wasn't entirely convinced by their attitude. I mean Buffy has been wounded by a vampire, wouldn't they try to help Riley catch him? Makes me wonder if Buffy even told them what happened or if her stab wound is something only Giles, Riley and Dawn know about. If Buffy told all of them about what happened, I think the writers wanted to show that Riley is not really part of the Scooby Gang.
- Spike lets Buffy pay him for the information he provides. Not the best way to get people to respect you...
- The flashbacks scenes seem to provide some sort of parallel to Riley's story line in this episode. Riley is ridiculed by the Scoobies, William gets mocked by his peers. Riley decides to work independently from the Scoobies, Spike stands up against Angelus. Riley kills up the vampire gang by himself, Spike kills two Slayers by himself.
- Flashback # 1 - London 1880:
William is such an innocent. He obviously still lives at home with his mother. (mother's expecting me)
Do we ever learn if he has to work or if he's still a student? He comes across as someone who studied Classics at Oxford or Cambridge.
What's interesting is that he's an outsider to society. Absolutely noone in the club takes him seriously. Ironically, he has no become an outsider again who's neither on the sides of his fellow demons nor on the side of Buffy and her friends.
Quite funny that William has no interest in violence whatsoever.
Aristocrat #2: (to Spike) Ah, William! Favor us with your opinion. What do you make of this rash of disappearances sweeping through our town? Animals or thieves?
Spike: (haughty) I prefer not to think of such dark, ugly business at all. That's what the police are for. (looks at Cecily) I prefer placing my energies into creating things of beauty.
I love irony:
Aristocrat #1: Have you heard? They call him William the Bloody because of his bloody awful poetry!
Aristocrat #3: It suits him. I'd rather have a railroad spike through my head than listen to that awful stuff!
It's not hard to guess who William's first victims were and what he did to them.
Cecily is neither very pretty nor very intelligent. I wonder why William has fallen in love with her. Seems to me he needed an unattainable lady for worshipping her. Still his love for her is sincere. What he says to her about his feelings is quite touching. Cecily, however, is simply embarrassed by the attention of an unsuitable suitor.
With her dark hair, dark eyes and pale skin, Cecily is the same type as Drusilla.
I love that the episode Darla on Angel reveals that William knocks into Drusilla and Angelus when he runs out into the street. Since he's emotionally so open, Drusilla with her empathic abilities wouldn't have any difficulties on picking up what he's feeling. What she wants for herself is a companion and William's spirit and imagination call to her.
The scene between William and Drusilla is absolutely wonderful. William really is the perfect match for Drusilla.
- Flashback # 2 - Yorkshire 1880:
As flashback #2 takes place in the same year as William was turned, it's obvious he tried to completely transform himself as quickly as possible. My impression is: The more someone hated what he was as a human at the moment of his death, the stronger the urge will be to change. Darla, Drusilla and Angelus in comparison don't change all that much after they are turned. They become ruthless, but still have essentially the same character trait. William on the other hand, doesn't only change his name, he also changes his way of dressing and even more noticably the way he talks. (Angelus: I'm not your mate. And when did you start talking like that?) And he's no longer the dutiful son, but tries to be as rebellious as possible.
The differing view points between Angelus and Spike are interesting:
Spike: Sod off! (laughs) Come on. When was the last time you unleashed it? All out fight in a mob, back against the wall, nothing but fists and fangs? Don't you ever get tired of fights you know you're going to win?
Angelus: No. A real kill. A good kill. It takes pure artistry. Without that, we're just animals.
Spike: Poofter!
If both of them were to create a picture, Spike would just hurl colours at at a canvas whereas Angelus would create one of his detailed drawings.
As I recently wrote about the relationship between the tarot court cards and the Fanged Four, this line is intriguing:
Drusilla: The King of Cups expects a picnic! But this is not his birthday.
Characterwise, the King of Cups is definitely Spike. Apart from that I have no idea what Drusilla means. :-) However, I've noticed that even her most crazy talk sometimes makes sense at a later point.
- Flashback # 3 - China 1900:
Spike is absolutely fearless in the fight against the Slayer. This mirrors his behaviour around Angelus in Yorkshire. - I think Spike knows that he could get killed by Angelus or by the Slayer, he simply doesn't care. The rush of the fight is more important to him than anything else. (Becoming a vampire is a profound and powerful experience. I could feel this new strength coursing through me. Getting killed made me feel alive for the very first time.)
Spike wins the fight because he's fast enough to grab an advantage. The Slayer gets distracted by an explosion outside and he uses the moment to win the upper hand. The fight against the second Slayer is won the same way when he uses the sudden darkness to pin Nicky to the floor.
Love how these two moment change their perspective after watching Darla. I'll be going into this in my review for Darla in order to keep the surprise for anyone who hasn't seen this episode yet.
Angel: Congratulations. I guess that makes you one of us.
Drusilla's attention is suddenly drawn to something behind Angel.
Drusilla: I smell fear.
It's quite obvious that Angelus isn't really happy about Spike's achievement. I guess Spike will be bothered by this later on, but at the moment he's still high from his victory.
- Buffy: (disgusted)You got off on it.
Spike: Well, yeah. I suppose you're telling me you don't? (laughs)
And, of course, Spike is right here. Buffy usually has herself under control, but ever since she was fighting with Faith by her side she has discovered the thrill of slaying.
Spike: (laughs) Hey! You asked and I'm tellin'. The problem with you, Summers, is you've gotten so good, you're starting to think you're immortal.
And once again Spike hits the mark. Small wonder Buffy gets so angry with him. He's getting to close.
- Flashback #4 - New York 1977 interwoven with present day:
One of the best scenes on TV, IMO. I *love* how the fight scenes are switching from past to present. Brilliant! And because I love this scene so much, full quotage. :-)
Spike: (to Buffy)The first was all business but the second, she had a touch of your style.
Spike and the Slayer trade blows. This Slayer does indeed fight much like Buffy. She runs Spike headfirst into the train car's window, smashing it. Spike looses a cry of delight and attacks again.
Spike: (to Buffy) She was cunning, resourceful... oh, did I mention? Hot. I could have danced all night with that one.
Buffy: You think we're dancing?
Spike: That's all we've ever done.
Spike breaks one of the subway car's hand rails and wields it as a weapon.
Spike: (v.o.)And the thing about the dance is, you never get to stop.
Spike flips the pool cue up and spins it like the hand rail.
Spike(to Buffy)Every day you wake up, it's the same bloody question that haunts you: is today the day I die?
He brings the pool cue down in a vicious arc and Buffy counter-attacks, enraged.
Spike cracks the Slayer across the face with the metal rail, sending her reeling to the floor and pounds her repeatedly with it.
Spike: (v.o.)Death is on your heels, baby, and sooner or later it's gonna catch you.
Spike brings the rail down for another blow but the Slayer catches it and slams it back into his face.
Spike: (to Buffy)And part of you wants it... not only to stop the fear and uncertainty, but because you're just a little bit in love with it.
Buffy has heard enough. She backhands Spike across the face.
On the subway, Spike falls to the floor and the Slayer jumps on his chest, straddling him.
She pounds him repeatedly in the face as the train car's lights go out.
When they come back on, the Slayer is on her back with Spike straddling her, his hands around her throat.
Spike: Death is your art. You make it with your hands, day after day.
Buffy stares at him, her face a blank mask.
The Slayer struggles beneath Spike.
Spike: That final gasp. That look of peace. Part of you is desperate to know: What's it like? Where does it lead you? And now you see, that's the secret. Not the punch you didn't throw or the kicks you didn't land. Every Slayer... has a death wish.
Spike grips the Slayer's head between his hands and twists violently, snapping her neck and killing her.
Spike: (to Buffy) Even you.
Spike stands up and faces Buffy.
In the subway, he walks to the end of the car and pulls the emergency cord. As the train grinds to a halt, he returns to the dead Slayer and pulls off her black leather coat.
Spike: The only reason you've lasted as long as you have is you've got ties to the world...
your mum, your brat kid sister, the Scoobies. They all tie you here but you're just putting off the inevitable.
Spike shrugs into the Slayer's coat.
Spike: Sooner or later, you're gonna want it. And the second- the second- that happens...
Spike claps his hands together inches from Buffy's face.
Spike: You know I'll be there. I'll slip in... have myself a real good day.
He stares intently into Buffy's eyes, then steps back.
Spike: Here endeth the lesson. I just wonder if you'll like it as much as she did.
Buffy: (cold)Get out of my sight. Now.
Spike: Oh... did I scare ya? You're the Slayer. Do something about it. Hit me. Come on. One good swing. You know you want to.
Buffy: I mean it.
Spike: So do I. Give it me good, Buffy. Do it!
The tension is rising between them.
Buffy: Spike...
His passion aroused, Spike leans in to kiss her. She backs away in horror.
Buffy: What the hell are you doing?
He grabs Buffy by the arms, his words coming in a breathless pant.
Spike: Come on. I can feel it, Slayer. You know you want to dance.
Buffy: Say it's true. Say I do want to.
She shoves him to the ground and looks down at him with disgust.
Buffy: It wouldn't be you, Spike. It would never be you.
She tosses the wad of cash at him contemptuously.
Buffy: You're beneath me.
Buffy turns and walks off into the night, leaving Spike alone in the dark alley. He begins to gather up the money, stifling a sob. As Buffy's words ring down through the years, he becomes the same spurned and awkward young man he once was. Her words have hurt him more than her blows ever have. He closes his eyes in anguish, takes a deep breath, and when he looks up again, only murderous hate remains.
Buffy and Spike have a great talent to hurt one another. Spike always has been very perceptive of people's strength and weakness and what he's telling Buffy here is the truth. However, nothing can hurt us as much as a truth we don't want to hear. And Buffy verbally striking out at Spike is her way of retaliating. It's quite ironic that her remark "You're beneath me." is exactly the comment that would hurt him the most.
I wonder why Spike doesn't drink the blood from the second slayer. It was after all a very pleasurable experience the first time.
- Flashback # 5 - South America 1998:
So this scene happens before Lover's Walk, doesn't it?
Quite ironic that Spike returns to Sunnydale after Drusilla tells him he's obsessed by the Slayer. And when he's in Sunnydale he rants at Angelus, tries to force Willow to make a love potion for him (which he obviously couldn't have got any other way...) and doesn't do anything to hurt Buffy. Seems to prove Drusilla's point. :-)
Having a relationship with a psychic vampire is not easy. Even if Spike wasn't interested in Buffy at the time, Drusilla can sense that he will be one day. Of course, if Drusilla had accepted him back, Spike would probably have stayed with her and not gone back to Sunnydale. So in a way, this is a self-fulfilling prophecy for Dru.
- I heart the final scene between Buffy and Spike. How he sets out to kill her and then can't when he sees her crying. Spike is obviously not quite sure how to be comforting, but he tries.
It definitely says something that Buffy doesn't send him away. Yes, she doesn't want to be alone right now, but she also could have gone to see Giles or Riley.
A lovely, lovely scene, it's so subtle.
A summary can be found here.
For Spike fans, here and here are links to
spikeylover's LJ with a screencapped summary of the episode. Very nice!This is definitely one of my favorite Buffy episodes. The interaction between Spike and Buffy is brilliant and all the flashback scenes are so lovely.
This was the second episode of Buffy I've ever seen and recently I watched scenes of it for a second time. It's nice to finally see this episode in the larger context of the show. While I'd felt in the past that Buffy treats Spike too harshly, I see things differently now. It's not as if she has any kind of friendship with Spike at this time, instead they are both very antagonistic. Buffy either ignores him or punches him while Spike tries to be as insufferable as possible and to keep everyone at a distance. (I suppose he prepares being punched to being ignored.) Spike also works very hard on his Big Bad image and tries to be appear as someone who can't be hurt, so Buffy tries to push him as hard as possible to finally score against him.
On to the details:
- Buffy losing the fight against a vampire:
This is something that has been building up over the last couple of episodes. She has been fighting with a "I don't care about anything." attitude recently. I guess it's all the responsibility she feels (her duties as a Slayer, her mother being sick, having to protect Dawn) - in a way she just wants to be rid of it all. She also hasn't lost a fight in a very long time and so has gradually become overconfident in her fighting style.
- Dawn covering up for Buffy and Riley without even knowing any of the details is very neat. It shows that when it's necessary she is willing to help Buffy - despite being a brat at other times.
- Riley on patrol:
He's trying so hard to prove himself, however, the other scoobies clearly refuse to take him seriously. I have to admit that I wasn't entirely convinced by their attitude. I mean Buffy has been wounded by a vampire, wouldn't they try to help Riley catch him? Makes me wonder if Buffy even told them what happened or if her stab wound is something only Giles, Riley and Dawn know about. If Buffy told all of them about what happened, I think the writers wanted to show that Riley is not really part of the Scooby Gang.
- Spike lets Buffy pay him for the information he provides. Not the best way to get people to respect you...
- The flashbacks scenes seem to provide some sort of parallel to Riley's story line in this episode. Riley is ridiculed by the Scoobies, William gets mocked by his peers. Riley decides to work independently from the Scoobies, Spike stands up against Angelus. Riley kills up the vampire gang by himself, Spike kills two Slayers by himself.
- Flashback # 1 - London 1880:
William is such an innocent. He obviously still lives at home with his mother. (mother's expecting me)
Do we ever learn if he has to work or if he's still a student? He comes across as someone who studied Classics at Oxford or Cambridge.
What's interesting is that he's an outsider to society. Absolutely noone in the club takes him seriously. Ironically, he has no become an outsider again who's neither on the sides of his fellow demons nor on the side of Buffy and her friends.
Quite funny that William has no interest in violence whatsoever.
Aristocrat #2: (to Spike) Ah, William! Favor us with your opinion. What do you make of this rash of disappearances sweeping through our town? Animals or thieves?
Spike: (haughty) I prefer not to think of such dark, ugly business at all. That's what the police are for. (looks at Cecily) I prefer placing my energies into creating things of beauty.
I love irony:
Aristocrat #1: Have you heard? They call him William the Bloody because of his bloody awful poetry!
Aristocrat #3: It suits him. I'd rather have a railroad spike through my head than listen to that awful stuff!
It's not hard to guess who William's first victims were and what he did to them.
Cecily is neither very pretty nor very intelligent. I wonder why William has fallen in love with her. Seems to me he needed an unattainable lady for worshipping her. Still his love for her is sincere. What he says to her about his feelings is quite touching. Cecily, however, is simply embarrassed by the attention of an unsuitable suitor.
With her dark hair, dark eyes and pale skin, Cecily is the same type as Drusilla.
I love that the episode Darla on Angel reveals that William knocks into Drusilla and Angelus when he runs out into the street. Since he's emotionally so open, Drusilla with her empathic abilities wouldn't have any difficulties on picking up what he's feeling. What she wants for herself is a companion and William's spirit and imagination call to her.
The scene between William and Drusilla is absolutely wonderful. William really is the perfect match for Drusilla.
- Flashback # 2 - Yorkshire 1880:
As flashback #2 takes place in the same year as William was turned, it's obvious he tried to completely transform himself as quickly as possible. My impression is: The more someone hated what he was as a human at the moment of his death, the stronger the urge will be to change. Darla, Drusilla and Angelus in comparison don't change all that much after they are turned. They become ruthless, but still have essentially the same character trait. William on the other hand, doesn't only change his name, he also changes his way of dressing and even more noticably the way he talks. (Angelus: I'm not your mate. And when did you start talking like that?) And he's no longer the dutiful son, but tries to be as rebellious as possible.
The differing view points between Angelus and Spike are interesting:
Spike: Sod off! (laughs) Come on. When was the last time you unleashed it? All out fight in a mob, back against the wall, nothing but fists and fangs? Don't you ever get tired of fights you know you're going to win?
Angelus: No. A real kill. A good kill. It takes pure artistry. Without that, we're just animals.
Spike: Poofter!
If both of them were to create a picture, Spike would just hurl colours at at a canvas whereas Angelus would create one of his detailed drawings.
As I recently wrote about the relationship between the tarot court cards and the Fanged Four, this line is intriguing:
Drusilla: The King of Cups expects a picnic! But this is not his birthday.
Characterwise, the King of Cups is definitely Spike. Apart from that I have no idea what Drusilla means. :-) However, I've noticed that even her most crazy talk sometimes makes sense at a later point.
- Flashback # 3 - China 1900:
Spike is absolutely fearless in the fight against the Slayer. This mirrors his behaviour around Angelus in Yorkshire. - I think Spike knows that he could get killed by Angelus or by the Slayer, he simply doesn't care. The rush of the fight is more important to him than anything else. (Becoming a vampire is a profound and powerful experience. I could feel this new strength coursing through me. Getting killed made me feel alive for the very first time.)
Spike wins the fight because he's fast enough to grab an advantage. The Slayer gets distracted by an explosion outside and he uses the moment to win the upper hand. The fight against the second Slayer is won the same way when he uses the sudden darkness to pin Nicky to the floor.
Love how these two moment change their perspective after watching Darla. I'll be going into this in my review for Darla in order to keep the surprise for anyone who hasn't seen this episode yet.
Angel: Congratulations. I guess that makes you one of us.
Drusilla's attention is suddenly drawn to something behind Angel.
Drusilla: I smell fear.
It's quite obvious that Angelus isn't really happy about Spike's achievement. I guess Spike will be bothered by this later on, but at the moment he's still high from his victory.
- Buffy: (disgusted)You got off on it.
Spike: Well, yeah. I suppose you're telling me you don't? (laughs)
And, of course, Spike is right here. Buffy usually has herself under control, but ever since she was fighting with Faith by her side she has discovered the thrill of slaying.
Spike: (laughs) Hey! You asked and I'm tellin'. The problem with you, Summers, is you've gotten so good, you're starting to think you're immortal.
And once again Spike hits the mark. Small wonder Buffy gets so angry with him. He's getting to close.
- Flashback #4 - New York 1977 interwoven with present day:
One of the best scenes on TV, IMO. I *love* how the fight scenes are switching from past to present. Brilliant! And because I love this scene so much, full quotage. :-)
Spike: (to Buffy)The first was all business but the second, she had a touch of your style.
Spike and the Slayer trade blows. This Slayer does indeed fight much like Buffy. She runs Spike headfirst into the train car's window, smashing it. Spike looses a cry of delight and attacks again.
Spike: (to Buffy) She was cunning, resourceful... oh, did I mention? Hot. I could have danced all night with that one.
Buffy: You think we're dancing?
Spike: That's all we've ever done.
Spike breaks one of the subway car's hand rails and wields it as a weapon.
Spike: (v.o.)And the thing about the dance is, you never get to stop.
Spike flips the pool cue up and spins it like the hand rail.
Spike(to Buffy)Every day you wake up, it's the same bloody question that haunts you: is today the day I die?
He brings the pool cue down in a vicious arc and Buffy counter-attacks, enraged.
Spike cracks the Slayer across the face with the metal rail, sending her reeling to the floor and pounds her repeatedly with it.
Spike: (v.o.)Death is on your heels, baby, and sooner or later it's gonna catch you.
Spike brings the rail down for another blow but the Slayer catches it and slams it back into his face.
Spike: (to Buffy)And part of you wants it... not only to stop the fear and uncertainty, but because you're just a little bit in love with it.
Buffy has heard enough. She backhands Spike across the face.
On the subway, Spike falls to the floor and the Slayer jumps on his chest, straddling him.
She pounds him repeatedly in the face as the train car's lights go out.
When they come back on, the Slayer is on her back with Spike straddling her, his hands around her throat.
Spike: Death is your art. You make it with your hands, day after day.
Buffy stares at him, her face a blank mask.
The Slayer struggles beneath Spike.
Spike: That final gasp. That look of peace. Part of you is desperate to know: What's it like? Where does it lead you? And now you see, that's the secret. Not the punch you didn't throw or the kicks you didn't land. Every Slayer... has a death wish.
Spike grips the Slayer's head between his hands and twists violently, snapping her neck and killing her.
Spike: (to Buffy) Even you.
Spike stands up and faces Buffy.
In the subway, he walks to the end of the car and pulls the emergency cord. As the train grinds to a halt, he returns to the dead Slayer and pulls off her black leather coat.
Spike: The only reason you've lasted as long as you have is you've got ties to the world...
your mum, your brat kid sister, the Scoobies. They all tie you here but you're just putting off the inevitable.
Spike shrugs into the Slayer's coat.
Spike: Sooner or later, you're gonna want it. And the second- the second- that happens...
Spike claps his hands together inches from Buffy's face.
Spike: You know I'll be there. I'll slip in... have myself a real good day.
He stares intently into Buffy's eyes, then steps back.
Spike: Here endeth the lesson. I just wonder if you'll like it as much as she did.
Buffy: (cold)Get out of my sight. Now.
Spike: Oh... did I scare ya? You're the Slayer. Do something about it. Hit me. Come on. One good swing. You know you want to.
Buffy: I mean it.
Spike: So do I. Give it me good, Buffy. Do it!
The tension is rising between them.
Buffy: Spike...
His passion aroused, Spike leans in to kiss her. She backs away in horror.
Buffy: What the hell are you doing?
He grabs Buffy by the arms, his words coming in a breathless pant.
Spike: Come on. I can feel it, Slayer. You know you want to dance.
Buffy: Say it's true. Say I do want to.
She shoves him to the ground and looks down at him with disgust.
Buffy: It wouldn't be you, Spike. It would never be you.
She tosses the wad of cash at him contemptuously.
Buffy: You're beneath me.
Buffy turns and walks off into the night, leaving Spike alone in the dark alley. He begins to gather up the money, stifling a sob. As Buffy's words ring down through the years, he becomes the same spurned and awkward young man he once was. Her words have hurt him more than her blows ever have. He closes his eyes in anguish, takes a deep breath, and when he looks up again, only murderous hate remains.
Buffy and Spike have a great talent to hurt one another. Spike always has been very perceptive of people's strength and weakness and what he's telling Buffy here is the truth. However, nothing can hurt us as much as a truth we don't want to hear. And Buffy verbally striking out at Spike is her way of retaliating. It's quite ironic that her remark "You're beneath me." is exactly the comment that would hurt him the most.
I wonder why Spike doesn't drink the blood from the second slayer. It was after all a very pleasurable experience the first time.
- Flashback # 5 - South America 1998:
So this scene happens before Lover's Walk, doesn't it?
Quite ironic that Spike returns to Sunnydale after Drusilla tells him he's obsessed by the Slayer. And when he's in Sunnydale he rants at Angelus, tries to force Willow to make a love potion for him (which he obviously couldn't have got any other way...) and doesn't do anything to hurt Buffy. Seems to prove Drusilla's point. :-)
Having a relationship with a psychic vampire is not easy. Even if Spike wasn't interested in Buffy at the time, Drusilla can sense that he will be one day. Of course, if Drusilla had accepted him back, Spike would probably have stayed with her and not gone back to Sunnydale. So in a way, this is a self-fulfilling prophecy for Dru.
- I heart the final scene between Buffy and Spike. How he sets out to kill her and then can't when he sees her crying. Spike is obviously not quite sure how to be comforting, but he tries.
It definitely says something that Buffy doesn't send him away. Yes, she doesn't want to be alone right now, but she also could have gone to see Giles or Riley.
A lovely, lovely scene, it's so subtle.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-12-29 06:43 pm (UTC)She also hasn't lost a fight in a very long time and so has gradually become overconfident in her fighting style.
Yes, and it's a realistic consequence.
No, we dont find out whether William is a student, but... we do get to meet mother. I shall say no more.
Cecily: yes, that would be William being a good Victorian and going for an unattainable lady.
Riley: I'm not sure whether the Scoobies ridicule him - Xander at least is sincere with his admiration. He's been pro-Riley ever since The Yoko Factor.
One of the best scenes on TV, IMO. I *love* how the fight scenes are switching from past to present.
Oh yeah. Fantastic. Also, if you're watching Darla immediately after, you'll notice that it, too, has a climax of past and present scenes intercutting (Darla and Angel in China with Angel leaving, Darla and Angel in the Hyperion with Darla leaving).
Self fulfilling prophecy for Drusilla: that is my take as well. The Chaos Demon makes me laugh each time.
Last scene: Buffy and Spike have many violent encounters, but also some quiet scenes, and this is the first of them. And yes, lovely moment.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-31 11:46 am (UTC)You're right. It becomes more clear over the following episodes that Xander is a Riley fan.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-29 07:10 pm (UTC)Some interesting things here, that people have pointed out that are interesting.
Spike is "born" in a stable, his mother is Drusilla, the saint. (as you saw her called in Darla) The one Spike looks up to--his yoda--is Angel. Greenwalt and other writers purposefully use religious imagery in their storytelling.
Also, some of Drusilla's lines in this episode and DARLA are haunting and prophetic as is Spike's poetry.
As for Spike himself, he is being prickly because he doesn't want Buffy to know how he feels about her. Spike senses sexual attraction and his line speaks as loudly about the "Little death" as much as it does the big one:
Sooner or later, you're gonna want it. And the second that happens...You know I'll be there. I'll slip in... have myself a real good day.
In the final scene, Spike finds Buffy in a vulnerable moment, and the look of pleading sadness in her eyes does him in. He tries his best to comfort her, and she lets him.
The main thing we find out about Spike is that much of our sensitive William is hidden. The accent, the scar, the coat--it's part of the facade... When Spike is rejected, the mask comes down, and we see a glimpse of the vulnerable William.
First time reaction to this episode? Here's a good one:
http://www.the11thhour.com/archives/122000/tvreviews/buffy_foolforlove.html
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Date: 2005-12-30 03:21 am (UTC)Oh well, still find it interesting that they use so much Christian imagery in this show, especially with Whedon being an atheist.
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Date: 2005-12-31 11:50 am (UTC)I'm pretty sure that both Drusilla and Spike never had sex before being turned into vampires. They were both such innocents.
Spike has retained a lot of his humanity. It's amazing to see that vampires without a soul can feel so much. Of course, Spike would never had given his humanity free reign if he hadn't been forced by the chip to stop killing.
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Date: 2005-12-31 04:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-02 11:36 pm (UTC)Speaking of self-fulfilling prophecies -- I'm not sure that Buffy really has a death-wish prior to the events of this ep, but Spike certainly plants the idea in her head very effectively. Her treatment of him at the end also represents a recurring pattern, seen earlier with the first slayer and with Dracula, in which Buffy quips/insults her way out of a situation with a person who is insulting her, but clearly takes what they said to heart more than she'll admit.
What I love about the last scene of the ep is that Buffy doesn't even comment on Spike showing up with a gun. It's like she's thinking, "Oh, here's Spike with a gun, one more crappy thing about my day." I don't think she ever believes he intended to use it, and I agree.
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Date: 2006-01-03 01:31 pm (UTC)LOL, about Buffy/Spike, like I have always said, they are a big enigma. I'm sure it must have passed in her head, "Oh, I've pissed Spike off and he's going to shoot me." She snarls at him (what do you want?) but then gives him such a look (with those pleading tear stained eyes)..
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Date: 2006-01-03 09:56 pm (UTC)Just commented to
"William having had sex with prostitutes doesn't really work for me. I think his character is supposed to be Angelus' opposite in the same way Drusilla (the novice) is Darla's (the prostitute's) opposite.
It could be that he gathered some sexual experiences with other boys at school, but I think he would have been ashamed of it. He just seems to be very inexperienced and shy."
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Date: 2006-01-03 09:54 pm (UTC)William having had sex with prostitutes doesn't really work for me. I think his character is supposed to be Angelus' opposite in the same way Drusilla (the novice) is Darla's (the prostitute's) opposite.
It could be that he gathered some sexual experiences with other boys at school, but I think he would have been ashamed of it. He just seems to be very inexperienced and shy.
Her treatment of him at the end also represents a recurring pattern, seen earlier with the first slayer and with Dracula, in which Buffy quips/insults her way out of a situation with a person who is insulting her, but clearly takes what they said to heart more than she'll admit.
Yes, that's an excellent observation.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-09 10:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-12 09:21 am (UTC)