"I'm not ready for you to not be here."
Almost forgot! Happy birthday, hollydb! She's an awesome writer. I fangirl her. *nods*
Time for a bit of mid-S7 fangirling.
1. You know, I see people complain that S7 became All About Spike. I still don't see it. In the first half, it's very inner Scooby-centric. Hell, First Date has the gang joking about their love lives. Now, later on Buffy does isolate herself, and Spike is the only one who is able to get close to her. So Spike gets the center stage via his relationship with Buffy. But that happens with all of Buffy's love interests. Angel in S2 and S3. Riley in S4.
Course, it also helps that Spike had a compelling character arc in S7 that stands out among the rest. Xander didn't have much development at all, and Willow's arc was far more subtle and less flashy. Oh, and Giles was a pod person.
2. My thoughts on the empowerment spell are still a work in progress. I've made mention that I'm doing up a huge ol' meta post whenever I finish the season. Hell, I've been writing it as I make my way through the episodes. I gotta say, I'm still ambivalent on the actual casting of the spell, because the consent issues continue to give me pause. I may change my mind after rewatching Get It Done.
But I'm leaning more and more towards thinking positively of the ultimate results of the spell. And I think The Killer In Me and First Date kinda clinch it for me.
I know this is something of a tease since I've been talking about a much more in-depth meta on this later, but I'm excited about this key point. S7 is all about power and how people handle it. In that way, it answers a lot of the concerns people have about the empowerment spell before the end. One of these is through Spike and how his power is abused by The First. Also, how his power is artificially restrained by the chip, much like the potentials' power is restrained by the Shadow Men.
What sways me over to the "it's a good" side is Buffy's line in First Date:
Buffy: When Spike had that chip, it was like having him in a muzzle. It was wrong. You can't beat evil by doing evil. I know that.
No one person has the right to squelch another's power. Power is inherent. If a person has it, they have the right to...have it. Buffy recognizes that, and that's why she makes the call to remove the chip in The Killer in Me. Later, she'll recognize the same thing with the potentials. They have power given to them long ago through supernatural means, much like Spike's power as a demon came to him when he was killed. The Shadow Men don't have the right to limit that inherent power. Buffy gets rid of the limits and lets each girl have the power that was given her at birth.
3. Am I the only fan of Robin Wood? Ever? Come on! He's hot and charming and funny and a principal!
Course, now I'm thinking about how he might work in the Slayer metaphor for the season, being the son of a Slayer and all. My brain is still dead from finals, though. I don't know if he fits in anywhere there.
4. I gotta ask, in First Date, how did Xander text Willow while tied up above the seal? He's got some mad texting skills.
5. Um...Kennedy isn't annoying me, yet. I'm not fangirling her or anything. Actually, I just feel like shrugging in her general direction. My main issue with Willow/Kennedy is that it starts up so damn soon after Tara's death. And The Killer In Me makes it clear to me that Willow's not ready to move on to someone else as she's still grieving hardcore.
6. I so love S7 Spuffy. In the middle of First Date, when Buffy and Spike awkwardly talk about Buffy's impending outing with Robin, Spike seems resigned. Like he's given up. However, their conversation at the end changes things. He gets this spark in his eyes, and I'm willing to bet he's thinking back to what Cassie told him in Help. He knows Buffy's gonna tell him someday. He's just not sure how they get there.
Time for a bit of mid-S7 fangirling.
1. You know, I see people complain that S7 became All About Spike. I still don't see it. In the first half, it's very inner Scooby-centric. Hell, First Date has the gang joking about their love lives. Now, later on Buffy does isolate herself, and Spike is the only one who is able to get close to her. So Spike gets the center stage via his relationship with Buffy. But that happens with all of Buffy's love interests. Angel in S2 and S3. Riley in S4.
Course, it also helps that Spike had a compelling character arc in S7 that stands out among the rest. Xander didn't have much development at all, and Willow's arc was far more subtle and less flashy. Oh, and Giles was a pod person.
2. My thoughts on the empowerment spell are still a work in progress. I've made mention that I'm doing up a huge ol' meta post whenever I finish the season. Hell, I've been writing it as I make my way through the episodes. I gotta say, I'm still ambivalent on the actual casting of the spell, because the consent issues continue to give me pause. I may change my mind after rewatching Get It Done.
But I'm leaning more and more towards thinking positively of the ultimate results of the spell. And I think The Killer In Me and First Date kinda clinch it for me.
I know this is something of a tease since I've been talking about a much more in-depth meta on this later, but I'm excited about this key point. S7 is all about power and how people handle it. In that way, it answers a lot of the concerns people have about the empowerment spell before the end. One of these is through Spike and how his power is abused by The First. Also, how his power is artificially restrained by the chip, much like the potentials' power is restrained by the Shadow Men.
What sways me over to the "it's a good" side is Buffy's line in First Date:
Buffy: When Spike had that chip, it was like having him in a muzzle. It was wrong. You can't beat evil by doing evil. I know that.
No one person has the right to squelch another's power. Power is inherent. If a person has it, they have the right to...have it. Buffy recognizes that, and that's why she makes the call to remove the chip in The Killer in Me. Later, she'll recognize the same thing with the potentials. They have power given to them long ago through supernatural means, much like Spike's power as a demon came to him when he was killed. The Shadow Men don't have the right to limit that inherent power. Buffy gets rid of the limits and lets each girl have the power that was given her at birth.
3. Am I the only fan of Robin Wood? Ever? Come on! He's hot and charming and funny and a principal!
Course, now I'm thinking about how he might work in the Slayer metaphor for the season, being the son of a Slayer and all. My brain is still dead from finals, though. I don't know if he fits in anywhere there.
4. I gotta ask, in First Date, how did Xander text Willow while tied up above the seal? He's got some mad texting skills.
5. Um...Kennedy isn't annoying me, yet. I'm not fangirling her or anything. Actually, I just feel like shrugging in her general direction. My main issue with Willow/Kennedy is that it starts up so damn soon after Tara's death. And The Killer In Me makes it clear to me that Willow's not ready to move on to someone else as she's still grieving hardcore.
6. I so love S7 Spuffy. In the middle of First Date, when Buffy and Spike awkwardly talk about Buffy's impending outing with Robin, Spike seems resigned. Like he's given up. However, their conversation at the end changes things. He gets this spark in his eyes, and I'm willing to bet he's thinking back to what Cassie told him in Help. He knows Buffy's gonna tell him someday. He's just not sure how they get there.