More thoughts on S10
The funny thing is, a lot of the complaints the Bangels have with S10's story are ones I agree with. Yes, absolutely, it's long past time to stop dicking around with Buffy dithering between Spike and Angel, and have her either pick one, or dump them both definitively and move on. Or hell, go for that threesome. (Of course, the Bangel take is that any choice other than her picking Angel is de facto bad writing.) The main arc is meandery and pointless. There is absolutely no suspense involved in rewriting the rules of magic, because the rules of magic for the Buffyverse have always been "Whatever the writers think is cool this week," and now they're being rewritten to, uh, "Whatever the writers think is cool this month." In a word (or two), who cares? It's possible that this supernatural whatsis that may or may not be controlling Angel and Spike will be more engaging, but I'll reserve judgement on that.
On the character front, the Dawn/Xander plotline just reeks of "What the hell do we do with these characters?" and Willow doesn't even have any makework to do. Let's be fair, though: Andrew's subplot with rebuilding Jonathan is actually pretty interesting, although I sincerely doubt anyone is reading this comic for the adventures of Andrew Wells. Willow had a huge storyline last season, so it's not the worst thing in the world for her to let others take center stage for awhile. The mini!Giles storyline hasn't been nearly as awful as I feared it might be (which may sound like damning with faint praise, but given the comics' track record, faint praise is nothing to sneeze at), and has actually managed to come up with some legitimate character insights. And lastly, I have really enjoyed Spike and Xander's growing friendship, not least, I admit, because it's something I've been rooting for ever since Xander lit Spike's cigarette for him in Spiral.
So: what about Buffy and Spike?
Look, I have been shipping these crazy kids since Season 5 aired. Normally I don't ship anyone; I'm a gen kind of gal who's usually happy to take whatever the story throws at me. Up until S5, I would have been perfectly fine with Buffy and Angel getting together someday in the nebulous future. Or not. Whatever. As long as it was a good story, you know? I totally get why people would ship Buffy/Angel, and am totally fine with them doing so, as long as they aren't calling me names in the process. Ship and let ship is my motto. I just happen to like Buffy and Spike better. Which is not to say I like everything the writers have done with Buffy and Spike, individually or collectively. I absolutely hate some of it. A lot of it. Most of it. I don't have a "#spuffy I wish I could quit you" tag for nothing.
I don't hate the storyline they have this season. Is it great writing? No. Honestly, at times it DOES read like some of the, um, less nuanced Spuffy fanfic I've read. To the point where I'm sometimes tempted to step back, side-eye, and say, "You're mocking us, right?" And yes, after the seeming hostility and indifference S8 and 9, it is a bit odd that Buffy has done this sudden turnaround on Spike, and even stranger that her friends seem to be fine with it, even encouraging it. It's not that I can't fanwank this stuff. It's not even that difficult to fanwank, if you assume that Buffy really did mean it when she told Spike she loved him in S7, and her reaction in seasons 8 & 9 was due to anger and hurt at him blowing her off. (Everything ELSE Buffy does in S8, THAT'S difficult to fanwank.) It's just that... I never thought I'd have to. I am still reeling from the mere fact that Buffy and Spike are in a real relationship in canon. This is something I honestly thought would never happen.
It's too good to be true. I don't trust it will last. I don't trust the writers not to screw it up somehow if it does last. I am positive this will end in tears, most of them mine. But I don't think that it's all the result of someone messing around with the Vampyre Book, or any of the other similarly inventive theories I've seen floated by anti-Spuffy types in a desperate attempt to prove that Buffy would never really do anything as radical as say Spike made her happy. It's just that for once, inconsistencies in characterization between different writers is working in our favor. As shipperx has pointed out many a time, what we see is most likely exactly what we get. I expect that in the end, Buffy will decide that the mortal/immortal thing is insurmountable, and break up with Spike. Or Spike will eventually notice that Buffy is still shying away from saying those three little words, and regretfully break up with her. And then Spike will hook up with Dylan, and Buffy will pine for awhile but be free when Angel eventually shanshus. (Except that won't ever really happen because FRANCHISE.)
Which I think is a fairly conventional and dull resolution, and certainly not the one I would prefer, but it's not offensively awful. In the last fifteen years I have put a lot of effort into separating 'what I like' from 'what is bad/good.' S10 isn't great. But it's OK, and so far, I like it. I suspect it will continue to be OK, even if I end up not liking it later.
And who knows? Maybe the writers will surprise me. Again.
Rants Talk to me
On the character front, the Dawn/Xander plotline just reeks of "What the hell do we do with these characters?" and Willow doesn't even have any makework to do. Let's be fair, though: Andrew's subplot with rebuilding Jonathan is actually pretty interesting, although I sincerely doubt anyone is reading this comic for the adventures of Andrew Wells. Willow had a huge storyline last season, so it's not the worst thing in the world for her to let others take center stage for awhile. The mini!Giles storyline hasn't been nearly as awful as I feared it might be (which may sound like damning with faint praise, but given the comics' track record, faint praise is nothing to sneeze at), and has actually managed to come up with some legitimate character insights. And lastly, I have really enjoyed Spike and Xander's growing friendship, not least, I admit, because it's something I've been rooting for ever since Xander lit Spike's cigarette for him in Spiral.
So: what about Buffy and Spike?
Look, I have been shipping these crazy kids since Season 5 aired. Normally I don't ship anyone; I'm a gen kind of gal who's usually happy to take whatever the story throws at me. Up until S5, I would have been perfectly fine with Buffy and Angel getting together someday in the nebulous future. Or not. Whatever. As long as it was a good story, you know? I totally get why people would ship Buffy/Angel, and am totally fine with them doing so, as long as they aren't calling me names in the process. Ship and let ship is my motto. I just happen to like Buffy and Spike better. Which is not to say I like everything the writers have done with Buffy and Spike, individually or collectively. I absolutely hate some of it. A lot of it. Most of it. I don't have a "#spuffy I wish I could quit you" tag for nothing.
I don't hate the storyline they have this season. Is it great writing? No. Honestly, at times it DOES read like some of the, um, less nuanced Spuffy fanfic I've read. To the point where I'm sometimes tempted to step back, side-eye, and say, "You're mocking us, right?" And yes, after the seeming hostility and indifference S8 and 9, it is a bit odd that Buffy has done this sudden turnaround on Spike, and even stranger that her friends seem to be fine with it, even encouraging it. It's not that I can't fanwank this stuff. It's not even that difficult to fanwank, if you assume that Buffy really did mean it when she told Spike she loved him in S7, and her reaction in seasons 8 & 9 was due to anger and hurt at him blowing her off. (Everything ELSE Buffy does in S8, THAT'S difficult to fanwank.) It's just that... I never thought I'd have to. I am still reeling from the mere fact that Buffy and Spike are in a real relationship in canon. This is something I honestly thought would never happen.
It's too good to be true. I don't trust it will last. I don't trust the writers not to screw it up somehow if it does last. I am positive this will end in tears, most of them mine. But I don't think that it's all the result of someone messing around with the Vampyre Book, or any of the other similarly inventive theories I've seen floated by anti-Spuffy types in a desperate attempt to prove that Buffy would never really do anything as radical as say Spike made her happy. It's just that for once, inconsistencies in characterization between different writers is working in our favor. As shipperx has pointed out many a time, what we see is most likely exactly what we get. I expect that in the end, Buffy will decide that the mortal/immortal thing is insurmountable, and break up with Spike. Or Spike will eventually notice that Buffy is still shying away from saying those three little words, and regretfully break up with her. And then Spike will hook up with Dylan, and Buffy will pine for awhile but be free when Angel eventually shanshus. (Except that won't ever really happen because FRANCHISE.)
Which I think is a fairly conventional and dull resolution, and certainly not the one I would prefer, but it's not offensively awful. In the last fifteen years I have put a lot of effort into separating 'what I like' from 'what is bad/good.' S10 isn't great. But it's OK, and so far, I like it. I suspect it will continue to be OK, even if I end up not liking it later.
And who knows? Maybe the writers will surprise me. Again.
Rants Talk to me