"Beauty and the Beast"

[angearia]

I ended up watching a few Season 3 episodes and jotted down some thinky thoughts. This post sadly possesses a sense that's not when it comes to structure. Welcome to my brain.

Comments

[vamp_mogs]

I can’t blame Buffy from keeping Angel a secret, though I understand why it upsets the Scoobies so much in Revelations. As you say, Buffy saw Angel fight back against the monster and show a real sign that he could be saved but that’s not the kind of thing you can explain to people who weren’t there. From their POV, I don’t imagine any recount she could give of that scene would really be sufficient enough for them to want to help Angel, so she’s pretty much forced into watching over him in secret. We see how sceptical they are in Revelations when Buffy says Angel has been protecting the glove for them and Willow doesn’t “like him again” until he saves her life from Gwendolyn Post. When she comes to Platt she breaks down because her friends would “freak”, which is true, but she can’t just hand Angel over to be dusted when she’s seen that he’s capable of being reached

[angearia]

I can’t blame Buffy from keeping Angel a secret, though I understand why it upsets the Scoobies so much in Revelations. As you say, Buffy saw Angel fight back against the monster and show a real sign that he could be saved but that’s not the kind of thing you can explain to people who weren’t there. From their POV, I don’t imagine any recount she could give of that scene would really be sufficient enough for them to want to help Angel, so she’s pretty much forced into watching over him in secret. We see how sceptical they are in Revelations when Buffy says Angel has been protecting the glove for them and Willow doesn’t “like him again” until he saves her life from Gwendolyn Post. When she comes to Platt she breaks down because her friends would “freak”, which is true, but she can’t just hand Angel over to be dusted when she’s seen that he’s capable of being reached. Word. I agree with all of this

[vamp_mogs]

The thing about Angel's character to me is that becoming a demon seemed to give him a greater focus than he knew as a human. He can have an incredible force of will. That's always been true. In fact, I think that's been true for all stages of his life. He decided to be a useless wastrel and by gum he was the most worthless. He decided to be the greatest scourge and he was. He decided to suffer and suffer and suffer while being cut off from all humanity and he kept it up for nearly 100 years (give or take a few brief respites where he connected with a few people). I think Angel has always been determined. That's a strength and a weakness -- his determination is what allows him to persevere, but it allows him to do so when he should be turning back (like say in Season 8)I actually agree with that 100%. I wonder if that's why higher powers have always been so invested in him? Maybe they recognize that if they can get him on their side then he's a real force to be reckoned with? I mean, W&H were so hellbent on turning him dark in S2 and

[thedothatgirl]

I really enjoyed your review/analysis there. A great read - thanks for posting.

This post sadly possesses a sense that's not when it comes to structure. Welcome to my brain. My brain obviously works like yours as I could follow this easily. It's just that it doesn't have all the cleverness too.

Of course Buffy's willingness to care for Angel as she believes him to be redeemable is a perfect example for Angel to follow later in the Season for Faith. A knock on effect.

[angearia]

Thanks! I'm glad it made sense. My only degree of order tends to be "try to approach concepts chronologically!" and then "relate stuff that relates!"

Of course Buffy's willingness to care for Angel as she believes him to be redeemable is a perfect example for Angel to follow later in the Season for Faith. A knock on effect.

Word.

[gabrielleabelle]

Debbie sobs that she could never send Pete away; well, Buffy's already done that by sending Angel to hell to save the world and she's also already shown that she's more than willing to keep Angel locked up if he's in a feral state.

Huh. I always read that line differently. I tie it back to Buffy being afraid to tell her friends about Angel's return because of what they might do to him. This coming from her angstful speech to the (dead) Platt:

"but... (shrugs) there's nobody else that I can talk to. (inhales nervously) Not Willow and... not Giles. Nobody. (starts to pace again) If they, if they found out, they'd freak on me or they'd do something, and... "

I can see your take on it, too, though. I think I was tying it to the "B/A as a domestic violence situation" metaphor wherein abused partners are often wary of telling the authorities about the abuse because they don't want their partner to be taken to jail.

Also, is there anything more hilarious than Giles getting hit by the tranq dart and falling forward into that table? I

[angearia]

I think it works as both in a way. Buffy really is terrified to tell her friends because she knows they'll freak and probably pressure her to kill him, but I feel like she's also being harsh on herself because she thinks she has to (kinda like how she refused the ghost forgiveness in IOHEFY, she's projecting). I think both hold up, you know. She's all conflicted. I love how the writers get psychology. It's why the BtVS characters seem so real to me, especially Buffy.

Eh. It'd be funnier with a rocket launcher or something. ;)

But Giles would've gone all splodey! :P

[nmcil12]

This one is really a difficult one to interpret post Season 8. Buffy's connection to Angel has always been the two-sided edge sword. She has all this great power that comes fro her love for him, but also all the tragic vulnerabilities that are the consequences of that love. If S8 had not been created, I would go with this episode being all about her great strengths from Love, but now - I see things very differently. Until Buffy Season 9 shows me I am being a total disgusting evil fool Anti-Buffy/Angel, I am very much still in the "damage woman" perspective for how much she loved this man/vamp

[angearia]

Thanks! Season 8 definitely has reshaped my views on the earlier seasons, but I think it's done so in a way that clarifies things for me.

[local_max]

Taking a quick break from my break.

Fantastic catch about the smooch spot being in the woods. I think that pretty much makes it text that Angel either did or could very well have killed somebody. What's interesting about this episode is the sense that Buffy can't deal with that fact because she has to deal with even more pressing ones. Willow and Oz can deal with, head-on, the possibility that he has killed someone, and try to figure out what that means; but in a way it's because they have the luxury of knowing that it is possible to control Oz' beast, and that there is a human in there

[local_max]

I think the episode gestures to some of the same thing that Lie to Me and Anywhere But Here among others point to. We need stories or fairy tales to get us going, and the truth in all its totality is not only too much for us to bear, but not even really possible to process. The thing Buffy focuses on is to find out whether she has to kill Angel again, which is good, but she neglects so much else because she simply can't handle it. Willow and Oz know there isn't a sharp division between man and wolf but they need there to be one--and that's what helps them deal with the fact that Willow absolutely needs to tranq him and cage him to save lives, and that in wolf form he'd kill her if she gives him a chance. Angel's ultimate heroic moment is one in which his value is once again established as being about killing. And there's just the slightest hint that maybe part of what keeps Buffy attracted to Angel is that he (like her...?) has a dark side. None of those things are completely wrong (human and wolf Oz are pretty separate, etc.)

[angearia]

I love all your thoughts! I don't so much have a lot to say about them. Just nodding along. :)

None of those things are completely wrong (human and wolf Oz are pretty separate, etc.) but they're not the complete truth either, and this episode is about the characters trying to negotiate that gap.

Yep yep. Cordelia has this really great line where she cuts through the story of Pete. Buffy acknowledges it when it comes to Pete, but both Buffy and Willow have to keep their monsters separate in the stories they tell themselves. Otherwise it's too much.

Cordelia: So it was like a real killing. He wasn't under the influence of anything?
Buffy: Just himself. Uh... I'll see you guys later.
Buffy walks off to talk to Scott.
Cordelia: Great. Now I'm gonna be stuck with serious thoughts all day.

[local_max]

Sorry I forgot to finish one of my sentences here. What I meant to say at the end of paragraph three is "Can his loyalty be expanded beyond Buffy?"