A thought about Buffy season 8 and fandom reactions
Reading the fandom reactions to the developments in the last few issues of the Buffy season 8 comics, I've been thinking about how much the perceptions of what is going on are skewed through popular preconceptions/expectations (whether desired or feared)...
And I started comparing some events to the events from the show itself and thinking about this hypothetical scenario:
- What if, at the beginning of season 3, after Angel had returned from Hell, he hadn't been back to Sunnydale, but had found himself in LA, and decided to stay there and found Angel Investigations - and for the next year or two, never contacted Buffy to let her know he was back? And if Buffy had been left thinking for who knows how long that he was still in the Hell dimension, that she'd never see him again, and feeling guilty for the events of "Becoming, part 2". Until she happened to find out that he was back, but he didn't want to let her know.
- What if, some time after, the events of "Something Blue" had happened, but with the following differences: 1) the spell for Buffy and Spike to get married was not an accident, it was planned by a third party, 2) Spike was working with that third party, 3) Buffy and Spike had sex while under the influence of the spell, and 4) the sex brought about a major disaster?
- What if Angel then had finally appeared in order to help with the situation - and Buffy, instead of welcoming him with open arms, greeted him in a cold and cranky way? (But then when they found themselves alone, went on to secretly fantasize about kissing him and making love to him, while he wasn't showing any overt romantic interest in her.)
How would the BtVS fandom and its various subdivisions have interpreted these developments?
I have a few ideas on what the majority reactions would have been. What I am sure of is what they WOULDN'T have been.
1) I don't think that the majority of fans would think that Buffy was a cold bitch who never loved Angel at all.
2) I don't think that many fans would argue that the storyline showed Buffy choosing Spike over Angel.
3) I am absolutely certain that you wouldn't be able to find many people who would claim that the storyline is the proof that Buffy and Spike are destined TRUE LOVE 4EVA.
And I started comparing some events to the events from the show itself and thinking about this hypothetical scenario:
- What if, at the beginning of season 3, after Angel had returned from Hell, he hadn't been back to Sunnydale, but had found himself in LA, and decided to stay there and found Angel Investigations - and for the next year or two, never contacted Buffy to let her know he was back? And if Buffy had been left thinking for who knows how long that he was still in the Hell dimension, that she'd never see him again, and feeling guilty for the events of "Becoming, part 2". Until she happened to find out that he was back, but he didn't want to let her know.
- What if, some time after, the events of "Something Blue" had happened, but with the following differences: 1) the spell for Buffy and Spike to get married was not an accident, it was planned by a third party, 2) Spike was working with that third party, 3) Buffy and Spike had sex while under the influence of the spell, and 4) the sex brought about a major disaster?
- What if Angel then had finally appeared in order to help with the situation - and Buffy, instead of welcoming him with open arms, greeted him in a cold and cranky way? (But then when they found themselves alone, went on to secretly fantasize about kissing him and making love to him, while he wasn't showing any overt romantic interest in her.)
How would the BtVS fandom and its various subdivisions have interpreted these developments?
I have a few ideas on what the majority reactions would have been. What I am sure of is what they WOULDN'T have been.
1) I don't think that the majority of fans would think that Buffy was a cold bitch who never loved Angel at all.
2) I don't think that many fans would argue that the storyline showed Buffy choosing Spike over Angel.
3) I am absolutely certain that you wouldn't be able to find many people who would claim that the storyline is the proof that Buffy and Spike are destined TRUE LOVE 4EVA.