Love this meta. Your thoughts on the episode's contribution to the evolution of the Buffy/Giles relationship, as well as to Xander's behavior in The Pack are really insightful.
I think it's because it's a moment that very nicely illustrates the situation the Scoobies are in whenever they happen to trip and fall into the most dangerous aspects of Buffy's life (early on, but, to a lesser extent, even to the end) - that they literally can't do anything for her, and an attempt at aid may only end up getting her injured or killed.
Yes, this is very true. The inherent and unavoidable imbalance of power eventually drives both Willow and Xander to behave in reprehensible ways. They both feel powerless and resent it, I think. Buffy is very young and doesn't have the skills needed to negotiate the situation. Further, she is ambivalent about her power, and desperately wants to be one of the gang. I think this explains some of her passive acceptance of their censure whenever she steps across the behavioral lines they draw for her. Giles is no help, as he was brought up to believe that Slayers don't have friends without superpowers.
Further, she is ambivalent about her power, and desperately wants to be one of the gang. I think this explains some of her passive acceptance of their censure whenever she steps across the behavioral lines they draw for her.
I've always thought that was really interesting, especially when you travel down the line from s1/2 to s7, and you see how much she's changed in that respect, when she's long since abandoned the high school girl who just wants to fit in and be normal and safe.
I think this explains some of her passive acceptance of their censure whenever she steps across the behavioral lines they draw for her.
And Buffy's confidence will continue to dwindle over the course of the series, to the point that even in Touched she's saying "people try to connect with me and I just slip away". Which of course is Buffy being an unreliable narrator, and I think Spike's response in that scene emphasizes that, but I'm not sure how much we're supposed to see that as truth? Its heartbreaking though because over and over again Buffy has connected, has reached out, is the one who broke the rules by letting friends into her life.
Unfortunately the Slayer package did not come with improved communication or relational skills.
Giles is no help, as he was brought up to believe that Slayers don't have friends without superpowers.
He's still very traditional even when he would like to think later on that he isn't; and I think he never quite crosses that divide or makes the leap all the way to the other side the way Buffy does. And he and Buffy are so much alike in many ways, in terms of the way they hold things in emotionally. Giles cuts himself off physically and emotionally from her and the SG (granted after she died in the Gift and "cut herself off" in what should have been a permanent way). And I don't think he makes the leap all the way to the other side in the same way Buffy does, who opens herself up completely to Spike and learns to incorporate her "shadow self" rather than fear it.
Unfortunately there is no one in Buffy's life who can model healthy relationships, which is also true of Xander, Willow and later Tara, and probably Cordy. They're just kids trying to survive in a war zone with precious little supervision. In a sense, these kids already lived in "war zones" in terms of their home lives. Xander's is the most obvious but the flashback in Becoming reminds us that the problems in the Summers household were there long before Buffy's calling.
I think it's because it's a moment that very nicely illustrates the situation the Scoobies are in whenever they happen to trip and fall into the most dangerous aspects of Buffy's life (early on, but, to a lesser extent, even to the end) - that they literally can't do anything for her, and an attempt at aid may only end up getting her injured or killed.
Yes, this is very true. The inherent and unavoidable imbalance of power eventually drives both Willow and Xander to behave in reprehensible ways. They both feel powerless and resent it, I think. Buffy is very young and doesn't have the skills needed to negotiate the situation. Further, she is ambivalent about her power, and desperately wants to be one of the gang. I think this explains some of her passive acceptance of their censure whenever she steps across the behavioral lines they draw for her. Giles is no help, as he was brought up to believe that Slayers don't have friends without superpowers.
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Further, she is ambivalent about her power, and desperately wants to be one of the gang. I think this explains some of her passive acceptance of their censure whenever she steps across the behavioral lines they draw for her.
I've always thought that was really interesting, especially when you travel down the line from s1/2 to s7, and you see how much she's changed in that respect, when she's long since abandoned the high school girl who just wants to fit in and be normal and safe.
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And Buffy's confidence will continue to dwindle over the course of the series, to the point that even in Touched she's saying "people try to connect with me and I just slip away". Which of course is Buffy being an unreliable narrator, and I think Spike's response in that scene emphasizes that, but I'm not sure how much we're supposed to see that as truth? Its heartbreaking though because over and over again Buffy has connected, has reached out, is the one who broke the rules by letting friends into her life.
Unfortunately the Slayer package did not come with improved communication or relational skills.
Giles is no help, as he was brought up to believe that Slayers don't have friends without superpowers.
He's still very traditional even when he would like to think later on that he isn't; and I think he never quite crosses that divide or makes the leap all the way to the other side the way Buffy does. And he and Buffy are so much alike in many ways, in terms of the way they hold things in emotionally. Giles cuts himself off physically and emotionally from her and the SG (granted after she died in the Gift and "cut herself off" in what should have been a permanent way). And I don't think he makes the leap all the way to the other side in the same way Buffy does, who opens herself up completely to Spike and learns to incorporate her "shadow self" rather than fear it.
Unfortunately there is no one in Buffy's life who can model healthy relationships, which is also true of Xander, Willow and later Tara, and probably Cordy. They're just kids trying to survive in a war zone with precious little supervision. In a sense, these kids already lived in "war zones" in terms of their home lives. Xander's is the most obvious but the flashback in Becoming reminds us that the problems in the Summers household were there long before Buffy's calling.
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