More Buffy and the baby thoughts
This post is going to be long. I wanted to post all (or most) my thoughts regarding the pregnancy. I think issue 5 had a lot of other things to talk about as well, but since this is the hot topic I wanted to add my two cents (dollars) to this. A word of caution, I do have biases and I will mention them, but that doesn't mean that my reasonings are solely based on my biases.
So, here goes.
Buffy is pregnant. Why? What for? Where is this going to lead us and Buffy? What is the purpose of this baby? Where does it fit in?
Obviously Buffy made the world different. There is no more magic. There are zombires. Earth has no soul, no seed. It was broken by Buffy. So Buffy is pregnant when she realizes she needs to undo what she did and restore magic to the Earth, in essence, return the Earth's soul. I agree with Maggie that I like how they paralleled that need with Buffy becoming pregnant. Personally I think the baby and the return of magic will be tied together. To me that makes sense because the growth of new life coincides with giving Earth new life.
So, what does this do for Buffy? What's the Buffy of it? I suppose the writers want Buffy to face motherhood as a way to "grow up" since they seem to see her as wanting to stay a girl forever (I do not like this train of thought nor agree). Which is understandable. She became the Slayer when she was so young, it literally stole her girlhood. But now they want to have her explore this path in her development and to explore and contrast mothershood with slayerhood. So this should be a really great arc for Buffy if done right. (If she miscarries too soon the pregnancy will seem pointless, but could be a way for Buffy to contemplate her life for a bit and develop from that.)
But what of the baby? The baby has two (THREE!) options, die pre or post birth or live and become a new character in the buffyverse. Of course the baby could be a new Seed and we get a bait and switch baby Seed. Or both, the baby is the Seed but only in the sense that the child could be but is not automatically. However I think a lot of people are ignoring the baby itself, who the baby could be, what the character's purpose and goals will be like in the future. If the baby survives and we get a new "Conor" then who the father is actually rather important.
Why is the father important? Isn't this story suppose to be about Buffy? Yes! The story should be about Buffy and her new experience into motherhood. So who cares about the father? The child will probably care. And of course, the audience should too. Buffy is an iconic character and to have Buffy become pregnant by anyone and then ignore who the father is will be, in my opinion, in bad taste. It will repel some people and draw no more sympathy for the baby (of course because it's Buffy's child it has already has drawn some sympathy and love. That alone should be enough, but the fact of how the baby is conceived and by whom will be on the minds of the audience, distracting them, taking away from the emotional impact). If the child is fathered by an established character and we find out soon enough, not only will the audience have more sympathy for the child, they'll likely become more emotionally involved. If the baby is supposed to die and it's Buffy's and So and So's baby...you can imagine the backlash, the emotional trauma the fans will go through. If done right, it'll pull people in. I think personally that the whole plot line of 'who's the father' should be dealt with quickly. That way the story will focus on Buffy and her journey while not being overshadowed by an annoying back of the mind 'who's the daddy' issue.
Personally? I'm sick of people with Daddy issues. If the baby will become a new character and the child has a no show or douche for a dad? Another character with daddy issues. Everyone has a daddy issue. Right now in the Buffyverse we do not have any positive biological father figures. We have father figures that are surrogate (Giles) and we have surrogate father figures that are bad (Holtz, Angel). Buffy's father is deemed a bad father, Xander's as well, Willow's is a no show, etc. Angel could have been a good father but missed the opportunity and was then later shown to make bad decisions in regards to a more grown up Conner. Overall fathers are hardly ever shown in a positive light. If Buffy is pregnant by a man who does not care (does not take responsibility for his actions/takes on the role as father) or took advantage of Buffy in her drunken state we have yet another father who is deemed bad.
All the characters who have bad fathers were pre-established, or start the series with "bad" fathers (Buffy's father divorced her mother and slowly stopped being a part of her life), so as an audience we know and understand that these fathers do not have influence on who these characters are or will be. If we are going to have a pregnancy with a birth of a new character who will grow up on the series and become an established/developed part of the story who their father is will greatly matter in the story telling because who that child will grow up to be will be defined by their parents. If that character has a no show biological father, they will always have issues with that, even if they have a positive surrogate father figure in its life, the audience will perceive that character based on its biological parents.
The father of her child is going to be important, they have to be. We have all these speculations on the board that it'll be a nameless guy, because that happens in real life, it makes the most sense, etc, etc. We'll have someone take on the step father role, and who the real father is won't matter. All that does sound logical in real life (and does send some nice messages) but to me, for the story, it doesn't. It's Buffy, she'll be carrying around the child of a faceless man and the audience will know it and already start to judge the character it'll become simply based on that faceless father because it's Buffy. Buffy is a world wide name, both in the story and out, for her to have a faceless man's child would really seem odd to me.
The emotional connection to the stranger would develop, for Buffy and the child. So unless the father is going to be introduced and become a reoccurring character of importance (which also lessens that surrogate father message, because if the biological father plays a part in the child and or Buffy's life, the surrogate father's importance is reduced or maybe not even needed then) then we would have another bad biological father and a character with negative "Daddy" issues. And it also makes it seem like biological fathers are not important. Plus the fans will always wonder who is the other half of Buffy's child, it will never just be in the background.
That's why I think the father is an established character. However that doesn't rule out this mysterious Heinrich character. My views on Buffy make me feel that even while really drunk her personality wouldn't let her sleep with just anyone. She would have to feel some connection with them, which she might have felt with Heinrich...but really, again, I think it's by someone we already know.
So, who could be the father? And what would the father's role be? (Let's not go into consent issues, all these possibilities I'm giving the guy the benefit of the doubt that they were just as drunk as she was if the pregnancy is from the party and/or did not take advantage of Buffy.) And yes, I feel that Buffy should tell the father if she remembers or finds out (I'm going to with either because I do not like the faceless father idea and the ‘can't remember’ plot line. I do not think they will go with that though...I hope). I'm also assuming Buffy keeps the baby but I hope she thinks about abortion.
Let's start with Heinrich. Buffy went to his place, felt a connection, and slept with him. He's a recluse, so he sent flowers that says "Thanks for the invite." If he's a recluse would he be making innuendos so blatantly or was he just really flattered that she talked to him? But let's say she slept with him. Now Buffy tells Heinrich...so we have two possibilities...he doesn't care or he cares. If he doesn't care...another dead beat dad, cue step dad role Spike is obviously going to play. If he cares...well. First we have a possible new ship, we have Buffy and Heinrich probably becoming close, we'll have people wanting them to get together, and Buffy, together with Heinrich, will journey together through this pregnancy (leaving out the need for Spike minus his Slayer substitute abilities). We'll get a normal (ish) guy and future good father, maybe not together with Buffy, but definitely apart of her and her child’s life.
In my opinion there doesn't seem to be much of story there, but in this case Heinrich can fade into the background, show up sometimes, but enough to show he'll be a good dad, and we get focus on Buffy and her reactions to motherhood. It's the safe route.
So now there's Riley and Xander. I lump these two together because I think they are less likely (almost impossible actually). Why not? Because I respect Riley enough to feel that he wouldn't do that to Sam. And Xander? I value the friendship between him and Buffy, which I think would be destroyed by this. Why? Because of Dawn. Buffy would lose Dawn because that would be the ultimate sister betrayal. I cringe at the idea because I see this as only a thing that would drive Xander and Dawn further away from Buffy. Of course Xander would be there for Buffy and his child, but emotionally, I just can't see them ever getting along well again. I want to see them grow close instead. And how (why) would Dawn be supportive if the child was Xander's? And if we didn't know right away we're stuck in that 'who's the daddy' plot and in looking back it'll be pretty itchy on rereads (to know Dawn was there for Buffy when Buffy was pregnant with her boyfriends baby). Plus the child would grow up feeling the disconnectedness of its parents and probably grow up with (wrongly directed, false) guilt that it broke up its family.
Next would be Andrew. Honestly I think this would be second place on who the father would be. It makes sense. They talked a lot at the party, they do have a connection already (maybe not romantic, but comradely perhaps) so I can understand that a drunk Buffy and Andrew could possibly sleep together. Andrew would try to be a good father, but the emotional connection would never be romantic. Andrew would probably come out as gay and would babysit the baby when needed. This allows Buffy to have a child, raise it, have the father be someone the audience likes (mostly) and yet not have Buffy contemplate having romantic relations with the father ("Should I marry for the sake of the child?"). Of course, there will be members of the audience who would want them to get together for a more traditional family unit. In this situation I see little need for a surrogate father (maybe a well loved uncle). I can see them going for this and how this could help develop Andrew's character. It would make him seriously ponder about becoming a father. Plus there would be lots of comedy. It's another safe, but unexpected, route.
Lastly of course is Spike (I can hear the screams already). Well, he shouldn't be here, he's a vampire, he can't have kids. Well obviously that was when things were normal, no magic, no baby kitty Twilight. Now we have comics that seem to not care about those rules that much...and we have a season that is suppose to go into vampire lore. Perhaps breaking the seed changed those rules too? Maybe those rules changed but only under certain circumstances? Or maybe Buffy was infused with dormant Seed power when she broke the Seed using the scythe (when she slept with Spike those powers became active). There are many ways to make it possible if they wanted Spike to be the father. But why Spike?
Well, first what's going on with Spike? What's his development this season, what's his purpose? Better yet, what are his goals? He seems like he has his own life and he trying to be supportive of Buffy...but he's keeping her at arms length and if issue 5 is anyway to judge, hardly a factor in Buffy's life (because he chooses to be). So why is he hanging around? Of course we got the threat of Severin...but he can't do anything about that. Maybe he's trying to find a way? Or maybe he's on ship, ordering around the bugs and watching daytime soaps.
If Spike is the father, biologically, then he is hit with something rather big. Of course, this is about Buffy and motherhood, but having Spike be the actual father helps Buffy. Spike will have the same fears and worries that Buffy will have, plus other thoughts. The pregnancy will make Buffy contemplate her life, having Spike be the father would really force him to think about his (un)life as well. It could be a launchpad for Spike's development this season that will parallel Buffy's at the same time highlight Buffy's journey, which they would be taking together. (From the what we know of the future issues and spoilers Spike is suppose to be Buffy's rock, a real factor in her life, and that what's going on between them is more important than Spike's status as a vampire. Plus Buffy decides to settle down with him.)
But couldn't he do that all that as a step father? That's the thing. Spike has a big heart. He would end up loving Buffy's kid because it's Buffy's kid. But there would be a distance. If we are going to have a good father instead of another dead beat, Spike as stepfather really wouldn't be needed. A loved uncle maybe? And if the father never shows, Spike would probably always wonder if/when they discover the father what his role would be in that child’s life, or if he would be even needed anymore. I can see Spike walk away from it all once the father appears simply to avoid the pain of being hurt again. And there is a distinction between having your own flesh and bone child, and being a step dad that is always on the outside looking in. Of course he'd love the child either way, but I think the connection would be deeper if Spike was actually the father.
If Spike was the father there would be many questions that he'd ask regarding his life. As a father would he watch his child grow old and die? What happens if the child is at school and needs help but it's the daytime? What could a vampire provide for a child? Additionally Spike would be forced with a connection, a family connection, that would make him think about his connections to others. Spike would probably wonder about his own future and where he is headed. The child growing up would have a slayer for a mother and vampire for a father. I think those alone are enough for decent future character arcs with enough depth to properly play on them.
There are also parallels with the plot for Spike to be the father, if the baby turns out to be connected with the return of magic. Spike and Angel were contrasted heavily in season 8. If season 9 is to be a microcosm of season 8's macrocosm, we'll have Spike being there for Buffy, supporting her, helping her, the opposite way that Angel was slowly breaking her. At the end we have sleeping with Angel costing the Earth it's soul and a universe birth. In season 9 we could have a pregnancy that will probably give back the Earth's soul at the cost of the child (thus no birth, just as in season 8 there was no pregnancy). However there could be a birth and a baby that will be similar to Dawn, in the fact that it's blood could be special. It could revive the Seed of Wonder or have the ability to plant/create a new seed or even be used as a method to open door ways to other dimensions. Spike may even get the chance to raise the child which would contrast with Angel's story. (Season 9 might end with the baby being newly born and season 10 might begin many years in the future, so as to solve that pesky issue about having a baby in the series.)
I see more potential with having Spike as the father (both character wise and plot wise) and there be mythical ties to Buffy's pregnancy than for it to simply be a child of a faceless man and that's just a normal child who's only issue is that it has a douche for a biological dad. I see there would be more drama and things to explore with Spike not being just a surrogate father. It does tie in with making your own family, etc. On the surface it has simple and nice message (and seems very logical), but I think it lacks depth and plot significance in the long run/long term.
My point is that I think it would be good for Spike to be the real father and that he is the most likely. I think it would be good to reveal it next issue, get it out of the way, and then explore Buffy's motherhood side by side with Spike's fatherhood. I know ton of people don't want this, and would hate Spike being a father, but I do think it's a road that would be potentially productive for him regarding his development (which could even lead to him wanting his humanity, for the sake of the child).
And I'm not just saying this because I'm a spuffy shipper. I am biased and would like to see Spike be the father. I would enjoy the story more that way, I'm not going to lie. But I think the story potential is greater and the character development more rich if this is the case. This won't be a road to happiness for spuffy either I think. I said it before, but the only way I ever thought Spuffy would really break is over a child. I think Spike's love for Buffy would only be rivaled by a love for his child. If anything happened to that child and if Buffy had anything to do with it, even accidentally, it would probably drive a wedge between them (some say it would drive them closer, but I think this would be the straw).
Maybe this will lead to a bait and switch and Buffy had a miraculous conception that is the new Seed, and no one is the father.
Anyway, these are my thoughts on this whole ordeal. Well, most of my thoughts. Not all. But a good deal. I might add more later. Oh and on a side note I think it's funny that number 6's variant cover is a tribute to Blade...the half human and half vampire hero.
TL;DR I think Spike's the most likely, followed by Andrew, then Heinrich. I think Riley, Xander, and nameless man are out of the picture.