Buffy - Season 5 impressions (episode 21)

[thalia_seawood]

The Weight Of The World

For a summary click here.


Glory & Ben

- This was the moment I could finally appreciate all the "Ben and Glory have a connection" jokes. *g*
My favorite line is Spike's exasperated Is everyone here really stoned?.

Spike: Now, uh, don't turn me into a horned toad for asking, but ... what if we come across Ben? (shot of the others listening)
Willow: I-I don't think a doctor's what Buffy needs right now.
Spike: Well, yeah, especially not one who also happens to be Glory. (Everyone looks confused)
Giles: What do you mean?
Spike: You know. Ben is Glory.
Willow: (frowns) You mean ... Ben's with Glory?
Xander: "With" in what sense?
Anya: They're working together?
Spike: No. No. Ben is Glory. Glory's Ben. They're one and the same.
Beat. Everyone looks completely confused.
Anya: When did all this happen?
Spike: Not one hour ago! Right here, before your very eyes! Ben came, he turned into Glory, snatched the kid, and pfft! Vanished, remember?
They continue to stare at him.
Spike: (uncertainly) You do remember...? (squints at them) Is everyone here very stoned?
They continue to look confused.
Spike: (getting annoyed) Ben! Glory! He's a doctor, she's the beast. Two entirely separate entities sharing one body. Like a bloody sitcom. Surely you remember.
Xander: So you're saying ... Ben and Glory...
Anya: Have a connection.
Giles: Yes, obviously, but what kind?
Spike: (laughs sarcastically) Oh, I get it. That's very crafty. (nods) Glory's worked the kind of mojo where anyone who sees her little presto-change-o instantly forgets. And yours truly, being somewhat other than human ... stands immune.
Willow: (frowning) So ... Ben and Glory ... are-are the same person?
Xander: (slowly, like a revelation) Glory can turn into Ben, and Ben turns back into Glory.
Anya: And anyone who sees it instantly forgets.
Spike: (sighs in relief) Kewpie doll for the lady.
He puts one finger on his nose and points the other hand at Anya.
Giles: Excellent. (looks around at them) Now. Do we suspect there may be some kind of connection between Ben and Glory?

- We get the information that Glory has been banned from her hell dimension for 25 years.
By the way, I'm really wondering how the Ben/Glory deal worked in day to day life:
We know that Glorificus was exiled to earth and trapped in Ben's body, a mortal child that was created to hold Glory captive. (In this regard, Ben like Dawn became mortal in an unusual way; like Dawn he's supposed to contain a huge power.)
Does this mean that Ben had no real parents? That his family are a bunch of "house-elves" and a "sister" he never meets personally? Am also wondering if he ever went to kindergarden or school like other children or if he was raised and educated by the "house-elves".
If yes, I'm amazed that he turned out so sane.

- Glory finally has the Key and is close to the fulfillment of her dreams or should I say nightmares. I guess it all depends on your point of view. Strangely enough she feels unsatisfied by it.

Glory: To the hell I came from. Where I'm gonna rain down more super-sized portions of slaughter, mayhem and bloodshed than any of you scabs can even dream about. (pacing, sits down on a sofa) So how come I ain't happy? (shot of the minions looking confused) Got everything I ever wanted ... still, something's off.

- We see that the veil between Glory and Ben is becoming thin. Glory starts feeling some of Ben's human emotions, e.g. the the urge to comfort Dawn and feels guilt.
My theory is that Dawn's prolonged presence is responsible for Glory and Ben starting to merge, but we don't get a real explanation. It could also be that after 25 years of time, the connection between them would have started to change all by itself or that the closeness of the Key ritual affects them.
I love the fact that even Glory will have to pay a price for regaining her position in hell.

Glory: Get him out of me.
Priest: What?
Glory: (crying) Ben! The human meat-sack who's infecting me. (turns to lean against the wall) Do your mojo, make an incision, or removal, or whatever you've gotta do. (sniffles) Help me! (pacing) I'm ... I'm thinking Ben's thoughts, and ... and I'm feeling his feelings! And ... uh! I...
She morphs into Ben.
Ben: ...can't kill the girl.
Morphs back into Glory.
Glory: Damn it.
She collapses to the floor. Supporting herself on her arms, she looks up at the Priest.
Glory: Help me!
Priest: Th-this I cannot do. You risk terrible magicks in opening the portal. Nothing comes without a price. This ... is yours.
Glory: (gets up with a scowl) Gods don't pay.

- Glory's speech reminded me of Angel discovering the "HomeOffice" in the episode Reprise.

Glory: Funny. 'Cause I look around at this world you're so eager to be a part of ... and all I see is six billion lunatics looking for the fastest ride out. (smiles) Who's not crazy? Look around. Everyone's drinking, smoking, shooting up ... shooting each other, or just plain screwing their brains out 'cause they don't want 'em anymore. (looks at Dawn) *I'm* crazy? Honey, I'm the original one-eyed chicklet in the kingdom of the blind. (sighs) 'Cause at least I admit the world makes me nuts.

- Near the end of the episode, Glory and Ben start changing into one another more and more quickly and for the first time in their shared existence get the chance to actually talk to one another.
Glory convinces Ben that she will make him immortal when Dawn is destroyed.
Now Ben's change of heart happened too quickly for me here. The quote I add below is their last interchange before Ben goes along with Glory's plan. Here he still states that he doesn't accept Glory's plan, but right afterwards he grabs Dawn's wrist and leads her back to Glory's headquarter.
I don't think Ben's decision is out of character - he has been playing with the idea of Dawn's death before - but here the change was too sudden for my taste. First "I don't accept that.", then "I'm sorry, I got no choice. It's you or me.".

Glory: Baby, baby, baby Ben. (lets go of Dawn who falls to the ground again) Why do you worry so much? When you're immortal, all this crap you've been carrying around inside ... (leans against the wall) the guilt, the anger, the crazy-making pain ... (smiles) Ooh, it all just melts away like ice cream. Trust me. When all this is over I can set you up real nice. I'm making it easy. It's you ... or the girl.
She slides down the wall and morphs halfway down.
Ben: (panting) I can't accept that.
Glory: Accept it. (chuckles) I'm a god, stupid.


Dawn
Dawn is remarkably strong in a very difficult situation. She still has enough courage to stand up to Glory in some moment. She's also completely convinced that Buffy will rescue her and defeat Glory.


Buffy and the Scoobies
Buffy has completely withdrawn into herself and noone can get through to her.

Since Buffy is incapable to lead them, Willow takes up the leadership role.
This is an interesting development. In the past, Giles would have been the one to make the decisions. Even if he had been wounded, he would have told the team how to proceed.
What's also remarkable is that she puts her own difficulties aside: She asks Anya to take care of Tara so she can help Buffy.

Willow: (very quietly and with authority) All right. First we head back to Sunnydale. Xander'll take Giles to a hospital. Anya's looking after Tara. And Spike, you find Glory. Check her apartment, see if she's still there. Try anything stupid, like payback, and I will get Very Cranky. (looks around at them) Everyone clear?
Anya cautiously raises her hand.
Willow: Anya.
Anya: Um ... w-what will you do?
Willow: I'll help Buffy.

- Willow enters Buffy's mind.
I like the "Buffy's mind" sequence a lot. We see that the arrival of baby Dawn is a very important even in her life - even though this scene never actually happened, but is a memory created for her when the monks gave the Key mortal form.

It's very poignant that Buffy feels guilt over something that is either not her fault or that didn't happen. She's stuck with the line Death is your gift. and interprets it in the bleakest way possible.
She seems to think that she cause her mother's death and that she will kill her sister.

Buffy #1: Glory's going to win.
Willow: (turns to Buffy #2) You can't know that.
Buffy #2: (turns to Willow) I didn't just know it.
Buffy #1: (staring at nothing) I felt it. Glory will beat me.
Buffy #2: (looks away) And in that second of knowing it, Will...
Buffy #1: I wanted it to happen.
Willow: Why?
Buffy #1: I wanted it over. This is ... all of this ... it's too much for me.
Buffy #2: (staring at nothing) I just wanted it over.
Buffy #1: If Glory wins ... then Dawn dies.
Buffy #2: And I would grieve. People would feel sorry for me. (looks at Willow) But it would be over. (looks away) And I imagined what a relief it would be.

So far in season 5, Xander has been Buffy's closest friend. He was the one who gave her advice and tried to comfort her. This time around it's Willow's friendship that saves Buffy and allows her to step out of herself again.

Willow: You've carried the weight of the world on your shoulders since high school. And I, I know you didn't ask for this, but ... you do it every day. And so, you wanted out for one second. So what?
Buffy #2: (pensive) I got Dawn killed.
Willow: Hello! Your sister, not dead yet! But she will be if you stay locked inside here and never come back to us.

- In the meantime, Spike and Xander have taken an important ritual text from the Doc who is actually a supporter of Glory. Unfortunately, they have failed to really kill the Doc - always chop of a demon's head to make sure it's dead.

- The final scene kicks a punch with Giles' revelation: Giles: Buffy, the only way is to kill Dawn.
After all, Buffy snapped out of her catatonia to *save* Dawn and now she's told that the only way to save the world is to kill her. Which eerily mirrors the nightmares she had while trapped in her own mind.

Comments

[ladyaeryn.livejournal.com]

Ben being mortal - I always took that to mean that whoever exiled Glory simply chose an existing human child/fetus as the vessel to trap Glory in, or perhaps used an existing couple to conceive said child. Ben/Glory was born human, raised human, and was to die human.

I think a lot of people don't really like this episode since it doesn't seem to do very much. (In a way the premise reminds me of what little I remember of the ST:TNG episode "Family" - taking the time after a big hella-action/crisis episode to actually deal with the human repercussions of it instead of just breezing on to the next action episode. I think that was yet another 'unpopular' episode I found myself kind of liking.) But I like it a lot, largely for the "Buffy's mind" sequences, and especially the moment after she comes out of her catatonia and breaks down in front of Willow, when she finally allows it all to hit her. It's all always struck me as very "real," for want of a better term.

Buffy has always taken a lot on her shoulders, has always been expected to carry on 'normally' and still save the day even while still continuing to take more and more - and it finally gets to her. She has a very human reaction, in briefly hoping Dawn would actually die, just so she could feel relief - and when it looks like Dawn is actually going to die, she finds that one moment and fixates on it. (Though not on the same scale as Buffy, I find this very relatable to my personal life, especially lately, which is probably another part of why I find this episode moving.) Perhaps the only comparable situation she's been in was the end of season 2 when she'd lost Angel, was kicked out of school, as well as home, and so she just ran away. But she'd already done that here, and that failed - so she retreats to the one place left to her.

[thalia-seawood.livejournal.com]

Finally catching up with all the posts. :-)

Perhaps the only comparable situation she's been in was the end of season 2 when she'd lost Angel, was kicked out of school, as well as home, and so she just ran away. But she'd already done that here, and that failed - so she retreats to the one place left to her.

Oh yes, you're right. By the end of season 2, she has also lost everything that was important to her. However, this development isn't fatal yet, because things are looking up again in season 3: Her mother is still there for her and Angel comes back.
In Season 5, she loses more and more - and many of her losses are forever.

[ladyaeryn.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Poor Buffy - girl can't catch a break, can she? Can't even die without people hauling her back to fix things. ;)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Yes, that was what the jokes were all about.*g*

I think Ben spent his childhood with the "houseelves", yes. Also, presumably Glory in the beginning would not have emerged as often, perhaps only once a year or so, with the pace of her appearances increasing the older Ben got.

Ben finally giving in and selling Dawn out to Glory: I think in addition to the other groundwork you mentioned, one should add that if Ben's emotions affect Glory, Glory's selfishness presumably affects Ben in return.

I thought that The Weight of the World dragged in parts, but the revelation that Buffy feels guilt over wishing, for a moment, that Dawn would be dead so it would finally be over really resonated for me. The sheer emotional exhaustion of it. In the time between seasons, before we got any season 6 episodes, I thought that any resurrection would have to take into account that Buffy had really reached her limit at this point and giving her back her biological life would not be enough.

Willow guiding Buffy out of her mind is a reminder of how Willow at her best can be, after that glimpse at Willow's darker side in Tough Love.

[thalia-seawood.livejournal.com]

Ben finally giving in and selling Dawn out to Glory: I think in addition to the other groundwork you mentioned, one should add that if Ben's emotions affect Glory, Glory's selfishness presumably affects Ben in return.

That's a very good point!

Re. Willow: She was never one of my favorites.
Oddly enough it's not because of her dark side, but because of her extreme fuzziness - if that makes sense. It just makes me nervous how she never quite comes to the point and never tries to hurt anyone when giving her opinion. I always get the urge to tell her: Oh, Willow, just *say* what you really mean! If you're pissed off, please say it out loud!
Now that we see more of her dark side, I've come to find her more interesting and also appreciate her moments of extreme kindness more.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Now that we see more of her dark side, I've come to find her more interesting and also appreciate her moments of extreme kindness more.

Same here. As I told you, early seasons Willow was incredibly popular, but she was always too sweet for me - I liked Cordelia better. I find later seasons Willow far more interesting (though she never became a favourite).

[thalia-seawood.livejournal.com]

Yup, am totally with you on this.
I prefer female character to have a bit of bite. So my love for Kaylee is the exception and not the rule.

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

I like this ep a lot, especially the mind sequence. A great moment for the Willow/Buffy friendship.

And I just have to point out the scene where we see Spike in the hospital, smoking in front of a no smoking sign. And at one point, he smacks Xander on the ass (I'm almost sure Marsters ad-libbed that) which once again, keeps the shippers happy.

[thalia-seawood.livejournal.com]

he smacks Xander on the ass

Heh. I didn't catch that. Which shows that I don't have the makings of a Spike/Xander shipper. *g* Too many other pairings that are way more intriguing.

[spikendru.livejournal.com]

I didn't see that either. He did smack Xander on the back of the head, but I never saw a smack on the ass - I'll have to rewatch this ep and specifically look for that. *g*