Buffy - Season 6 impressions (episode 11)
Mar. 3rd, 2006 08:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thalia_seawoodGone
For a summary click here.
- Another season 6 episode I *really* enjoyed. On the surface, it has some very funny moments, but at the same time deals with some deep issues.
- As always the three geeks add to the theme of acting irresponsibly. Not only don't they much care if others come to harm, they also don't take the time to test their new gadgets before using them on themselves. Well, actually Warren doesn't bother to test them and Jonathan is upset by this attitude.
Warren begins flipping switches again. The diamond begins to whirl.
JONATHAN: Hey! Hey!
Andrew leaps for cover and Jonathan pulls his arms and legs up to shield himself as Warren zaps him again. The chair reappears.
- The episode sets out with both Buffy and Willow trying to distance themselves from their obsessions. Willow will be successful, Buffy... well, not so much, even though initially she has the best intentions.
BUFFY: (on the sofa, moving cushions around) Any reminder of, of what it is that she's trying to stay away from, you know, could cause her to ... give in to temptation.
Buffy digs among the sofa cushions and finds something. It's a cigarette lighter. She flips it open and stares at it.
Flash to Buffy and Spike in the abandoned building, kissing and slamming each other up against the walls.
Flash back to the present. Buffy still stares at the lighter.
BUFFY: And that would be bad.
She turns and tosses the lighter into the cardboard box.
The difference between them here is that Willow has admitted her problem not only to herself, but also to others. It's not easy for her to stay away from magic, but she manages for three reasons: She has the support of Buffy and even Dawn to a point. She doesn't want to let anyone down again; the only way she can win back her friends' and Tara's trust is if she stays away from magic. These points are combined with the fact that Willow always had a lot of will power.
Buffy, on the other hand, hasn't mentioned her relationship with Spike to anyone, so there's noone to who she can talk. She also hasn't officially ended her relationship with Spike, it's just a decision she made in her own mind at the end of Wrecked. Unfortunately, decisions you don't inform anyone about are not very binding.
- When a social worker visits the Summers' place, things get tough for Buffy. Here she has decided to do her best and despite this everything goes wrong in no time at all:
* First of all, Dawn is not only angry at Willow, but also is very cold around Buffy.
* Then Spike shows up and despite Buffy's best intentions, she gets very close to giving in to his advances - in her own kitchen no less when both Dawn and Willow are not far away.
(From Spike's point of view it's easy to see why he would show up and expect to get Buffy's full attention: After all, he helped her find and protect Dawn the night before.)
* Any potential making out session in the kitchen is cut short when Xander shows up. Xander doesn't understand what's really going on here; to him it looks as if Spike is still coming on to Buffy against her will.
His comment kicks a punch. I'm pretty sure that Spike isn't too happy that noone knows he's together with Buffy.
Buffy, of course, is afraid she really might be a loser or "a nut sack".
XANDER: Still trying to mack on Buffy? Wake up already. Never gonna happen! (Spike and Buffy glaring at him) Only a complete loser would ever hook up with you. (Buffy looking insulted) Well, unless she's a simpleton like Harmony, or a, or a nut sack like Drusilla-
* With brilliant timing the social worker Doris Kroger shows up when Dawn says to Buffy: Maybe we can find some time for you to get me into another car accident.
* Over the next couple of minutes, the social worker gets the impression that Buffy is unable to plan ahead (she doesn't remember the week day), is unable to keep the house in order (the living room is a mess), has a very strange boyfriend (Spike is lounging in the living room), that more people life in the Summers' residence than is proper (Oh, so you live with another woman.) and that there are drugs in the house - the assurance that it's only "magic weed" doesn't really cut it.
Just for the record, I love Spike trying to be helpful:
BUFFY: Spike ... this nice woman is, uh, (meaningfully) from Social Services?
SPIKE: Oh, right! (gets up) Uh ... hey! Buffy's a great mom. She takes good care of her little sis. (Both Buffy and Ms. Kroger smiling) Like, um, when Dawn was hanging out too much in my crypt, Buffy put a right stop to it.
All of these things going wrong in rapid succession are funny to watch, but are of course painful for Buffy. So I had to laugh and wince in turn. What's going on means that once again Buffy has no true control over her life. Even when she wants to do the right thing, nothing works out. (In this regard, the episode reminds me of Life Serial. In both episodes, Buffy tries to accomplish something, yet fails due to circumstances beyond her control. In both episode, she starts doing some crazy things when she realises she has failed.)
- After the social worker has left, we see that Spike is still there. It's interesting to take a brief look at their interaction: Spike offers sympathy to Buffy at first. When she doesn't accept it, he seems to offer sex instead - and Buffy would give in. Sex with Spike is a way for her to escape the problems of the real work and right now she wants nothing more than a way out. However, Buffy has to make the experience that this time around Spike is toying with her which makes her defeat even more bitter. She would have been willing to give up all her resolutions - if only for a brief moment - and he didn't take her up on the offer. So when Spike leaves, Buffy is deeply upset with herself because of failing on so many levels.
- Her act of cutting of her hair right then is an act of self-hatred.
It's also motivated by the fact that Spike mentioned her hair several times (You know I love this hair. The way it bounces around when you-). So cutting off her hair gains several more layers of meaning: It's meant as a punishment for him, it's also an in-your-face action ('You like my hair? See if I give a damn about your opinion!') Part of her probably hopes she will be less attractive to him like that. And, of course, due to Spike's comment her hair now has become oddly connected to the act of having sex with Spike. So getting rid of it, might also get her rid of her desires.
- When Buffy's brain kicks back in, she does what most women would do. She goes to the hairdresser to get a proper hair cut. *g*
- On her way back from the hairdresser she is made invisible by a pure accident.
This is a nice contrast to Life Serial where the geek trio tried to make life hard for Buffy to test her abilities.
Another contrast is that Buffy relishes being invisible. Invisibility appears to first give her ultimate freedom: She can intervene any way she want, she can do whatever she wants.
- I love the irony of this scene: Both Xander and Anya are right. It turns out that Buffy is invisible right now ("gone"), yet right here all the same as we can hear when she comments on the seating arrangements.
Open on a close shot of Xander in the magic shop, staring at something.
XANDER: What happened to Buffy? She's gone.
ANYA: She's right here.
We see that Xander and Anya are studying a diagram of seating arrangements.
[...]
INVISIBLE BUFFY: She's got a point.
- Buffy, how did this hap ... wait a sec, have you been feeling ... ignored lately?
Xander's comment creates a great bridge to Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight in season 1 where Marcie Ross turned invisible because noone ever noticed her.
While Buffy doesn't get ignored by her friends, she does have noone with who she can talk about her problems. So Xander does phrase a real problem here without realising it.
- Buffy starts acting in a really wacky way - and I adore her for her surreal sense of humour.
XANDER: Can we get back to freaking out about no-show Buffy? (Anya looks chastised) This is serious.
INVISIBLE BUFFY: I know. It kind of fits the day I've had.
The camera moves over to a table where there's a basket full of baseball-sized balls. One of them lifts into the air and begins moving around as if Buffy is tossing it from hand to hand.
INVISIBLE BUFFY: Willow's still a wreck, Dawn's mad at both of us, and the social services lady put me through a wringer. Says she's gonna watch me. I'd like to see her try now.
Invisible Buffy holds up a second ball. The balls have symbols painted on them that make them look a little like eyes. She holds them next to each other, moves them as if the eyes are looking side to side.
[...]
A human skull floats up beside Xander's shoulder. Its mouth moves up and down.
INVISIBLE BUFFY: 'Saright!
XANDER: (annoyed) Buffy, could you focus please?
INVISIBLE BUFFY: (making the skull 'look around') I am! Just ... this is kind of fun.
The scenes in the Magic Shop are on the one hand *extremely* funny, on the other hand they show that Buffy is unwilling to take this problem seriously. Life has been so hard for her for such a long time; the only way she can handle it is by refusing to take anything seriously.
So while Xander and Anya try to figure out what happened to her, Buffy simply leaves.
- After playing some pranks on Sunnydale's citizens, Buffy pays Doris Kroger, the social worker, a visit.
Buffy is ingenuous in coming up with methods to make Doris doubt her sanity. When the file for the Summers' family only contains the words "All work and no play make Doris a dull girl.", Doris' boss decides to send someone else to investigate the Summers' family. Buffy has successfully accomplished her mission of getting a second chance.
This is another scene, I found very funny and where I wanted Buffy to succeed, but at the same time felt sorry for Doris Kroger... Doubting your own sanity must be an awful experience. -- It's interesting that Buffy who has been fighting for her own mental stability forces someone else to experience something like this.
- Buffy's next stop is Spike's place. Apparently, being invisible she can do as she pleases and have sex with him. After all, technically he's not "seeing her".
SPIKE: (tentatively) Buffy?
INVISIBLE BUFFY: I told you ... stop trying to see me.
The scene starts out wickedly funny:
XANDER: What are you doing?
SPIKE: What am I ... What does it look like I'm doing, you nit? I'm exercising, aren't I?
Spike turns back to the bed and does a couple of what might look like push-ups if you didn't know better. We hear a small yelp from Invisible Buffy.
XANDER: Exercising. (comes closer) Naked. In bed.
Spike stops moving, stands up on the bed and wraps the sheet around his waist.
SPIKE: A man shouldn't use immortality as an excuse to let himself go. Gotta keep fit for the killing. (sits on the edge of the bed)
But then it moves on to the underlying issues Buffy is trying to avoid:
SPIKE: This vanishing act's right liberating for you, innit? Go anywhere you want. Do anything you want. (walks along the bed, holding the glass) Or anyone.
INVISIBLE BUFFY: What are you talking ab-
SPIKE: The only reason you're here, is that you're not here. (drinking)
INVISIBLE BUFFY: Right. Of course, as usual there's something wrong with Buffy. She came back all wrong. (moving around on the bed) You know, I didn't ask for this to happen to me.
SPIKE: Not too put off by it though, are you? (drinking)
INVISIBLE BUFFY: No! Maybe because for the first time since ... I'm free.
She tosses the sheet aside. Spike looks around, trying to figure out where she's going.
INVISIBLE BUFFY: Free of rules and reports ... free of this life.
SPIKE: Free of life? Got another name for that. Dead.
INVISIBLE BUFFY: Why do you always have to ... (pouty) I thought we were having fun.
Invisible Buffy comes up to Spike and he grabs her by the shoulders, holds her away from him.
SPIKE: Yeah, now! But sooner or later your chums are gonna work out a way to bring you back to living color. (lets her go) You need to go. Get dressed if you can find your clothes, and push off. 'Cause if I can't have all of you, I'd rather-
Spike breaks off, looks down toward his waist.
SPIKE: Okay, that's cheating.
Buffy is still deeply troubled of "coming back wrong" from the dead. By doing whatever she pleases, she tries to avoid her fears.
She defines herself as being "free" for the first time. The way I see it she isn't experiencing true freedom, she's living out escapist fantasies.
At this point in season 6, it becomes increasingly clear that Spike wants more from Buffy. So far he has taken whatever he could get, now he gradually pushes for more. He doesn't want to be Buffy's shameful secret, he wants to be her boyfriend. So this time around he proves remarkable Buffy-resistant and makes her leave - even though we get a clear hint that Buffy offered some special favours to distract him. *g*
- Starting with Buffy being kicked out by Spike, she can no longer escape the demands of real life though she continues trying.
When she meets Dawn and makes some flippant jokes about being invisible, Dawn really gets upset.
DAWN: Do you even care about, about who did this to you, or, or if you're gonna be stuck this way? You're making jokes and flying pizzas.
INVISIBLE BUFFY: I don't think that's-
DAWN: (upset) I can't talk to you like this. I can't see you! How can I talk to you if I can't see you?
This is when Buffy starts regretting her attitude.
- Immediately afterwards, Xander confronts her with the fact that if her invisibility isn't reversed, she will just fade away. Which is what Buffy had been hoping for ever since she was resurrected.
- In the meantime, we have seen Willow struggling with her resolve to stay magic free. She gets sorely tempted to resort to magic several times, e.g. when faced with Xander's distrust or when she considers speeding up her Internet research. Despite this, she stays true to her promise.
- Willow gets caught by the three geeks who have turned themselves invisible to be able to operate incognito.
- Prior to that scene, Warren has once again declared that he doesn't really care much for a human life. (His disregard for life was first voiced in Flooded.)
JONATHAN: Wait a minute! We're not killing anybody. Especially not Buffy!
WARREN: (sighs) You guys are so immature! (angrily) We're villains! When are you gonna get that through your thick skulls?
JONATHAN: We're not killers, we're crime lords!
ANDREW: Yeah! Like, like Lex Luthor. (gesturing with a comic book) He's always trying to take over Metropolis, but he doesn't kill Superman!
- Buffy arrives to free Willow and we get a wonderful action scenes involving four invisible characters. *g*
During the course of the fight, Willow successfully reverses the invisibility for Buffy and the geeks. Which means: Buffy sees her opponents for the first time and realises she already knows two of them. (Andrew is once again the nobody of the team. His one feat (I summoned the flying monkeys that attacked the high school?) isn't known to anyone. People only get who he is when he's defined as "Tucker's brother".)
This is yet another scene that's hilarious and sinister at the same time. Warren actually plans on killing Buffy and it's Willow who realises what he's up to. Despite this the scene ends on a light-hearted note: Buffy is unable to take her enemies seriously.
BUFFY: I give you my arch nemesises...ses. (frowns)
Considering what happens the next times she is confronted by them, Buffy's (understandable) refusal to view them as a threat is tragic.
- Love the final conversation between Buffy and Willow:
BUFFY: Except ... when I got Xander's message ... you know, that I was ... fading away ... I actually got scared.
WILLOW: Well, yeah. Who wouldn't?
BUFFY: Me. I wouldn't. Not too long ago I probably would have welcomed it. But I realized ... I'm not saying that I'm doing back-flips about my life, but... (nods) I didn't ... I don't ... wanna die. (looks hopefully at Willow) That's something, right?
WILLOW: It's something.
Longer shot of the two of them sitting there side-by-side on the curb, looking morose.
WILLOW: So I guess we both made good first steps.
BUFFY: I guess.
WILLOW: Yay for us.
BUFFY: Yay.
Buffy doesn't state that she wants to live, but at least she doesn't want to die any longer.
Here's a status overview regarding which episodes I've seen and/or commented on. If you are new to my LJ, please check this info so you don't post any big spoilers when you leave comments. Thanks!
For a summary click here.
- Another season 6 episode I *really* enjoyed. On the surface, it has some very funny moments, but at the same time deals with some deep issues.
- As always the three geeks add to the theme of acting irresponsibly. Not only don't they much care if others come to harm, they also don't take the time to test their new gadgets before using them on themselves. Well, actually Warren doesn't bother to test them and Jonathan is upset by this attitude.
Warren begins flipping switches again. The diamond begins to whirl.
JONATHAN: Hey! Hey!
Andrew leaps for cover and Jonathan pulls his arms and legs up to shield himself as Warren zaps him again. The chair reappears.
- The episode sets out with both Buffy and Willow trying to distance themselves from their obsessions. Willow will be successful, Buffy... well, not so much, even though initially she has the best intentions.
BUFFY: (on the sofa, moving cushions around) Any reminder of, of what it is that she's trying to stay away from, you know, could cause her to ... give in to temptation.
Buffy digs among the sofa cushions and finds something. It's a cigarette lighter. She flips it open and stares at it.
Flash to Buffy and Spike in the abandoned building, kissing and slamming each other up against the walls.
Flash back to the present. Buffy still stares at the lighter.
BUFFY: And that would be bad.
She turns and tosses the lighter into the cardboard box.
The difference between them here is that Willow has admitted her problem not only to herself, but also to others. It's not easy for her to stay away from magic, but she manages for three reasons: She has the support of Buffy and even Dawn to a point. She doesn't want to let anyone down again; the only way she can win back her friends' and Tara's trust is if she stays away from magic. These points are combined with the fact that Willow always had a lot of will power.
Buffy, on the other hand, hasn't mentioned her relationship with Spike to anyone, so there's noone to who she can talk. She also hasn't officially ended her relationship with Spike, it's just a decision she made in her own mind at the end of Wrecked. Unfortunately, decisions you don't inform anyone about are not very binding.
- When a social worker visits the Summers' place, things get tough for Buffy. Here she has decided to do her best and despite this everything goes wrong in no time at all:
* First of all, Dawn is not only angry at Willow, but also is very cold around Buffy.
* Then Spike shows up and despite Buffy's best intentions, she gets very close to giving in to his advances - in her own kitchen no less when both Dawn and Willow are not far away.
(From Spike's point of view it's easy to see why he would show up and expect to get Buffy's full attention: After all, he helped her find and protect Dawn the night before.)
* Any potential making out session in the kitchen is cut short when Xander shows up. Xander doesn't understand what's really going on here; to him it looks as if Spike is still coming on to Buffy against her will.
His comment kicks a punch. I'm pretty sure that Spike isn't too happy that noone knows he's together with Buffy.
Buffy, of course, is afraid she really might be a loser or "a nut sack".
XANDER: Still trying to mack on Buffy? Wake up already. Never gonna happen! (Spike and Buffy glaring at him) Only a complete loser would ever hook up with you. (Buffy looking insulted) Well, unless she's a simpleton like Harmony, or a, or a nut sack like Drusilla-
* With brilliant timing the social worker Doris Kroger shows up when Dawn says to Buffy: Maybe we can find some time for you to get me into another car accident.
* Over the next couple of minutes, the social worker gets the impression that Buffy is unable to plan ahead (she doesn't remember the week day), is unable to keep the house in order (the living room is a mess), has a very strange boyfriend (Spike is lounging in the living room), that more people life in the Summers' residence than is proper (Oh, so you live with another woman.) and that there are drugs in the house - the assurance that it's only "magic weed" doesn't really cut it.
Just for the record, I love Spike trying to be helpful:
BUFFY: Spike ... this nice woman is, uh, (meaningfully) from Social Services?
SPIKE: Oh, right! (gets up) Uh ... hey! Buffy's a great mom. She takes good care of her little sis. (Both Buffy and Ms. Kroger smiling) Like, um, when Dawn was hanging out too much in my crypt, Buffy put a right stop to it.
All of these things going wrong in rapid succession are funny to watch, but are of course painful for Buffy. So I had to laugh and wince in turn. What's going on means that once again Buffy has no true control over her life. Even when she wants to do the right thing, nothing works out. (In this regard, the episode reminds me of Life Serial. In both episodes, Buffy tries to accomplish something, yet fails due to circumstances beyond her control. In both episode, she starts doing some crazy things when she realises she has failed.)
- After the social worker has left, we see that Spike is still there. It's interesting to take a brief look at their interaction: Spike offers sympathy to Buffy at first. When she doesn't accept it, he seems to offer sex instead - and Buffy would give in. Sex with Spike is a way for her to escape the problems of the real work and right now she wants nothing more than a way out. However, Buffy has to make the experience that this time around Spike is toying with her which makes her defeat even more bitter. She would have been willing to give up all her resolutions - if only for a brief moment - and he didn't take her up on the offer. So when Spike leaves, Buffy is deeply upset with herself because of failing on so many levels.
- Her act of cutting of her hair right then is an act of self-hatred.
It's also motivated by the fact that Spike mentioned her hair several times (You know I love this hair. The way it bounces around when you-). So cutting off her hair gains several more layers of meaning: It's meant as a punishment for him, it's also an in-your-face action ('You like my hair? See if I give a damn about your opinion!') Part of her probably hopes she will be less attractive to him like that. And, of course, due to Spike's comment her hair now has become oddly connected to the act of having sex with Spike. So getting rid of it, might also get her rid of her desires.
- When Buffy's brain kicks back in, she does what most women would do. She goes to the hairdresser to get a proper hair cut. *g*
- On her way back from the hairdresser she is made invisible by a pure accident.
This is a nice contrast to Life Serial where the geek trio tried to make life hard for Buffy to test her abilities.
Another contrast is that Buffy relishes being invisible. Invisibility appears to first give her ultimate freedom: She can intervene any way she want, she can do whatever she wants.
- I love the irony of this scene: Both Xander and Anya are right. It turns out that Buffy is invisible right now ("gone"), yet right here all the same as we can hear when she comments on the seating arrangements.
Open on a close shot of Xander in the magic shop, staring at something.
XANDER: What happened to Buffy? She's gone.
ANYA: She's right here.
We see that Xander and Anya are studying a diagram of seating arrangements.
[...]
INVISIBLE BUFFY: She's got a point.
- Buffy, how did this hap ... wait a sec, have you been feeling ... ignored lately?
Xander's comment creates a great bridge to Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight in season 1 where Marcie Ross turned invisible because noone ever noticed her.
While Buffy doesn't get ignored by her friends, she does have noone with who she can talk about her problems. So Xander does phrase a real problem here without realising it.
- Buffy starts acting in a really wacky way - and I adore her for her surreal sense of humour.
XANDER: Can we get back to freaking out about no-show Buffy? (Anya looks chastised) This is serious.
INVISIBLE BUFFY: I know. It kind of fits the day I've had.
The camera moves over to a table where there's a basket full of baseball-sized balls. One of them lifts into the air and begins moving around as if Buffy is tossing it from hand to hand.
INVISIBLE BUFFY: Willow's still a wreck, Dawn's mad at both of us, and the social services lady put me through a wringer. Says she's gonna watch me. I'd like to see her try now.
Invisible Buffy holds up a second ball. The balls have symbols painted on them that make them look a little like eyes. She holds them next to each other, moves them as if the eyes are looking side to side.
[...]
A human skull floats up beside Xander's shoulder. Its mouth moves up and down.
INVISIBLE BUFFY: 'Saright!
XANDER: (annoyed) Buffy, could you focus please?
INVISIBLE BUFFY: (making the skull 'look around') I am! Just ... this is kind of fun.
The scenes in the Magic Shop are on the one hand *extremely* funny, on the other hand they show that Buffy is unwilling to take this problem seriously. Life has been so hard for her for such a long time; the only way she can handle it is by refusing to take anything seriously.
So while Xander and Anya try to figure out what happened to her, Buffy simply leaves.
- After playing some pranks on Sunnydale's citizens, Buffy pays Doris Kroger, the social worker, a visit.
Buffy is ingenuous in coming up with methods to make Doris doubt her sanity. When the file for the Summers' family only contains the words "All work and no play make Doris a dull girl.", Doris' boss decides to send someone else to investigate the Summers' family. Buffy has successfully accomplished her mission of getting a second chance.
This is another scene, I found very funny and where I wanted Buffy to succeed, but at the same time felt sorry for Doris Kroger... Doubting your own sanity must be an awful experience. -- It's interesting that Buffy who has been fighting for her own mental stability forces someone else to experience something like this.
- Buffy's next stop is Spike's place. Apparently, being invisible she can do as she pleases and have sex with him. After all, technically he's not "seeing her".
SPIKE: (tentatively) Buffy?
INVISIBLE BUFFY: I told you ... stop trying to see me.
The scene starts out wickedly funny:
XANDER: What are you doing?
SPIKE: What am I ... What does it look like I'm doing, you nit? I'm exercising, aren't I?
Spike turns back to the bed and does a couple of what might look like push-ups if you didn't know better. We hear a small yelp from Invisible Buffy.
XANDER: Exercising. (comes closer) Naked. In bed.
Spike stops moving, stands up on the bed and wraps the sheet around his waist.
SPIKE: A man shouldn't use immortality as an excuse to let himself go. Gotta keep fit for the killing. (sits on the edge of the bed)
But then it moves on to the underlying issues Buffy is trying to avoid:
SPIKE: This vanishing act's right liberating for you, innit? Go anywhere you want. Do anything you want. (walks along the bed, holding the glass) Or anyone.
INVISIBLE BUFFY: What are you talking ab-
SPIKE: The only reason you're here, is that you're not here. (drinking)
INVISIBLE BUFFY: Right. Of course, as usual there's something wrong with Buffy. She came back all wrong. (moving around on the bed) You know, I didn't ask for this to happen to me.
SPIKE: Not too put off by it though, are you? (drinking)
INVISIBLE BUFFY: No! Maybe because for the first time since ... I'm free.
She tosses the sheet aside. Spike looks around, trying to figure out where she's going.
INVISIBLE BUFFY: Free of rules and reports ... free of this life.
SPIKE: Free of life? Got another name for that. Dead.
INVISIBLE BUFFY: Why do you always have to ... (pouty) I thought we were having fun.
Invisible Buffy comes up to Spike and he grabs her by the shoulders, holds her away from him.
SPIKE: Yeah, now! But sooner or later your chums are gonna work out a way to bring you back to living color. (lets her go) You need to go. Get dressed if you can find your clothes, and push off. 'Cause if I can't have all of you, I'd rather-
Spike breaks off, looks down toward his waist.
SPIKE: Okay, that's cheating.
Buffy is still deeply troubled of "coming back wrong" from the dead. By doing whatever she pleases, she tries to avoid her fears.
She defines herself as being "free" for the first time. The way I see it she isn't experiencing true freedom, she's living out escapist fantasies.
At this point in season 6, it becomes increasingly clear that Spike wants more from Buffy. So far he has taken whatever he could get, now he gradually pushes for more. He doesn't want to be Buffy's shameful secret, he wants to be her boyfriend. So this time around he proves remarkable Buffy-resistant and makes her leave - even though we get a clear hint that Buffy offered some special favours to distract him. *g*
- Starting with Buffy being kicked out by Spike, she can no longer escape the demands of real life though she continues trying.
When she meets Dawn and makes some flippant jokes about being invisible, Dawn really gets upset.
DAWN: Do you even care about, about who did this to you, or, or if you're gonna be stuck this way? You're making jokes and flying pizzas.
INVISIBLE BUFFY: I don't think that's-
DAWN: (upset) I can't talk to you like this. I can't see you! How can I talk to you if I can't see you?
This is when Buffy starts regretting her attitude.
- Immediately afterwards, Xander confronts her with the fact that if her invisibility isn't reversed, she will just fade away. Which is what Buffy had been hoping for ever since she was resurrected.
- In the meantime, we have seen Willow struggling with her resolve to stay magic free. She gets sorely tempted to resort to magic several times, e.g. when faced with Xander's distrust or when she considers speeding up her Internet research. Despite this, she stays true to her promise.
- Willow gets caught by the three geeks who have turned themselves invisible to be able to operate incognito.
- Prior to that scene, Warren has once again declared that he doesn't really care much for a human life. (His disregard for life was first voiced in Flooded.)
JONATHAN: Wait a minute! We're not killing anybody. Especially not Buffy!
WARREN: (sighs) You guys are so immature! (angrily) We're villains! When are you gonna get that through your thick skulls?
JONATHAN: We're not killers, we're crime lords!
ANDREW: Yeah! Like, like Lex Luthor. (gesturing with a comic book) He's always trying to take over Metropolis, but he doesn't kill Superman!
- Buffy arrives to free Willow and we get a wonderful action scenes involving four invisible characters. *g*
During the course of the fight, Willow successfully reverses the invisibility for Buffy and the geeks. Which means: Buffy sees her opponents for the first time and realises she already knows two of them. (Andrew is once again the nobody of the team. His one feat (I summoned the flying monkeys that attacked the high school?) isn't known to anyone. People only get who he is when he's defined as "Tucker's brother".)
This is yet another scene that's hilarious and sinister at the same time. Warren actually plans on killing Buffy and it's Willow who realises what he's up to. Despite this the scene ends on a light-hearted note: Buffy is unable to take her enemies seriously.
BUFFY: I give you my arch nemesises...ses. (frowns)
Considering what happens the next times she is confronted by them, Buffy's (understandable) refusal to view them as a threat is tragic.
- Love the final conversation between Buffy and Willow:
BUFFY: Except ... when I got Xander's message ... you know, that I was ... fading away ... I actually got scared.
WILLOW: Well, yeah. Who wouldn't?
BUFFY: Me. I wouldn't. Not too long ago I probably would have welcomed it. But I realized ... I'm not saying that I'm doing back-flips about my life, but... (nods) I didn't ... I don't ... wanna die. (looks hopefully at Willow) That's something, right?
WILLOW: It's something.
Longer shot of the two of them sitting there side-by-side on the curb, looking morose.
WILLOW: So I guess we both made good first steps.
BUFFY: I guess.
WILLOW: Yay for us.
BUFFY: Yay.
Buffy doesn't state that she wants to live, but at least she doesn't want to die any longer.
Here's a status overview regarding which episodes I've seen and/or commented on. If you are new to my LJ, please check this info so you don't post any big spoilers when you leave comments. Thanks!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-03-12 06:02 pm (UTC)