(Meta) More S8 meandering

[stormwreath]

I've had a thought. Why is Buffy wearing ugly combat gear instead of her trademark expensive designer clothes? Well, maybe she feels guilty over the source of her money. While she can justify to herself buying armour that will save Slayers' lives, she can't justify spending a penny of it on her own personal wardrobe...

It's also interesting to

Comments

[2maggie2]

I've spent the last 24 hours obsessing over the idea that the break between Giles and Buffy is *exactly* over this issue. It explains a lot, I think. At some point, I'll have to screw up my courage and go ahead and post a meta on the subject. It'd explain why Buffy is so fixated on why Giles is choosing Faith over her -- rather than the other issues that she ought to be worrying about in their fight on the phone in #9. Cause Giles' working with Faith might well be a pointed judgment about where he thinks Buffy is headed

[aycheb]

Buffy's flip thought that they should throw extra money into moat defenses now looks like a pointed detail.

My revised take on that was that it indicated her wanting to get rid of the money. They ended up taking more than they needed and psychologically she needs to use it fast (on Slayer related matters) because its very existence burns her. Alternatively it was a joke but one subconsciously calculated to make Willow suspiscious.

[stormwreath]

That's a good suggestion... it all ties into the castle, the helicopters etc. Buffy is being extravagant with the money because she stole it to help in the Fight Against Evil, and letting it sit around in a bank account or unit trust would be a betrayal of the reasons why she took it.

[stormwreath]

After writing this, I did notice you've been posting much the same ideas about Giles. :-)

I'm not settled in my mind as to exactly what I think Buffy's self-justification is; maybe she has convinced herself that taking the money was fully justified, like you say. I'm still leaning towards the guilty conscience though - but until Willow lectures her in #10 I don't think she's really faced up to it. She's in denial, and she's being flippant and glib in order to convince herself that everything is all right really...

[beer_good_foamy]

And once again, there's Giles' comments to the Slayers (his Slayers?) in #2 about how they, and I quote,

"might just give Buffy Summers herself a run for her money."

You don't suppose he was being literal?

[stormwreath]

:-)

[woman_of_]

A very good point. That maybe Buffy has branched off from the Giles headed Watchers Council.

While Giles and Andrew do seem to be keeping to the older fashioned ways of training slayers, in The Chain the other slayers did turn up with hi-tech weapons and helicopter, so it isn't just Buffy's team that are using them.

An intersting question. How far apart are Buffy and Giles now.

[stormwreath]

The 'other Slayers' that turn up in the final scene of 'The Chain' are Buffy's team. Satsu is clearly shown leading them.

It's a good question whether all the Slayers are implicated in what Buffy's been doing, or whether her group in Scotland is a rogue element, and the other worldwide teams don't know the source of the cash...

[skipp_of_ark]

For that matter, it's been a common fanon conceit for the last 4-5 years that there simply must be untold billions of dollars/pounds/euros of Old Watchers' Council money hidden away in various bank accounts just waiting for Giles and/or Willow to open the pursestrings. What if that's simply not true? What if the old Council's money was only enough to finance one relatively stable number of Watchers and one Slayer at a time, as opposed to the needs of almost 500 Slayers and their leaders spread out amongst who knows how many locations? Alternatively, what if the OWC's money was at banks using security and other procedures that were so excessive that it made it exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to get at that money, and stealing it was Buffy's "short-cut"? ("I'm sorry, Mr. Giles, but we will only accept a written authorization from Mr. Travers himself." "But he's DEAD!" "Then we cannot help you. Have a good day

[owenthurman]

fanon conceit for the last 4-5 years that there simply must be untold billions of dollars/pounds/euros

Fanon? They had a block long secret headquarters building in the City Of London. What more evidence do you require of billion-dollar status?

Not to mention the worldwide professional staff and research arm and artifacts and such.

[mr_waterproof]

So why couldn't they pay the Slayer a salary, that's what I've always wanted to know?

[stormwreath]

Assuming the Watchers' Council has been in existence for 10,000 years, for what proportion of that time were women allowed to own property?

For that matter, how long has the concept of "a salary" been recognised? And I'm not talking about the legionary salt ration here...

[mr_waterproof]

I didn't mean why weren't they paying the Slayer a salary 10,000 years ago, I was thinking about seven years ago: in Checkpoint, Buffy tells Quentin Travers to restore Giles' salary, why didn't anyone think to ask about Buffy's salary?

[stormwreath]

Because being the Slayer isn't a job, it's who she is. /Kendra.
:-)

[anonymous]

Brainwave

[stormwreath]

I have to say I've been puzzling over where Voll ended up. I can't imagine Buffy killing him out of hand - I seriously doubt she's gone that dark yet. Taking him prisoner is certainly an interesting scenario - but how did they get him back? Buffy had to go through the portal with only one companion because it was too unstable for a group to use...and Willow was drained of her magic after healing herself so wouldn't be able to teleport him out. Unless they waited a few hours, let Willow have a nap.... seems unlikely. :-) Or perhaps they stole a helicopter from the base?