Meta: Angel in 'School Hard'.
So, I watched School Hard on Spike's birthday, and then (thank you molly_may for the link - I’ve read it before, but couldn’t remember where) read this very excellent review by Alira.
She’s rather scathing towards Angel, and towards the end has this to say (I’d question the ‘trustworthy’ part myself! *g*):
Buffy learns that Spike’s playful, resourceful, ( Read more... )
She’s rather scathing towards Angel, and towards the end has this to say (I’d question the ‘trustworthy’ part myself! *g*):
Buffy learns that Spike’s playful, resourceful, ( Read more... )
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I haven't seen it for some time - but as I was reading that I thought about the 2 of them and their actual relationship with Buffy - Spike was "fist and fangs" ... or willing to be there and watch as Buffy took the lead (when he was souled in the latter part of 7) ... Angel does tend to lurk ... in a creapy way. But here has a chance to take out Spike - or at least some minions ... and all he tends to do is warn Spike off. (Thus speaks a Spuffy fan!!)
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Well there's a reason I'm a Spuffy too... *g* The thing to remember is that Spike and Angel have such hugely different personalities. And that Angel had *no one* when he got his soul. One reason, I think, that he drifts for a century is that he just doesn't know what to do.
Spike remarks how odd a Slayer Buffy is, since she has family and friends... well he himself is (by S4, 5, 6, 7) a very odd vampire too, working/bonding with humans. When he gets his soul he has somewhere to go, someone to show him the way forward.
Buffy of course does the same for Angel in S1-3, but he is so much more set in his ways, and the split between demon and soul so much larger, that it takes a lot longer. Actually you could see Buffy's acceptance of her Slayerness as going hand-in-hand with Angel's acceptance of who *he* is, in those early seasons.
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There's also the fact that however much he loves Buffy, he probably can't see a future for them. Fighting 'just because it's the right thing to do' is not something he's really on board with yet...
I do believe that Spike talked to the minions and found out about Angel's actions in Sunnydale before he arrived.
*nods* Spike was a big planner then, what with Dru being ill - he found out about the Annointed One before he arrived etc.
I do think it is very difficult for Angel to dust any members of this family. Also that Spike and Dru are the hardest for him to contemplate killing.
He never abandoned them (the way he did Penn), which says a lot! Despite their differences, he liked having Spike around. And Dru was Dru of course.
He has always been reluctant to hurt either of them. When he set fire to Dru and the newly re-vamped Darla, it was only once he had been pushed to the blink.Yes, pushed far enough, he'll snap. Or rather he'd stop holding back in any way. (I love him ( ... )
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I hadn't really realized that Angel sees his, um, line as family before, more fool I, but it makes a startling amount of sense. I'd actually been wondering why he's so reluctant to kill vampires he knows, when he knows what he was.
I did, however, have a bit of an epiphany the other night that ties into this. I'd been reading about how, contrary to popular belief, the "family" metaphor actually seems to have originated with the Master, not crazy Dru. Angelus (and Darla too) claim never to have loved anyone as a vampire, right? We usually associate that with "romantic" love, but it seems to cut in all directions, given the ambiguous nature of just about all vampiric relationships.
When we first see the Master mention Angel(us) (not their chronological first meeting, but from our perspective), he seems downright ( ... )
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'Why We Fight' is made of awesome! *g* (I... wrote 3 meta posts about it when I did my S5 re-watch) (scroll down)!
I hadn't really realized that Angel sees his, um, line as family before, more fool I, but it makes a startling amount of sense. I'd actually been wondering why he's so reluctant to kill vampires he knows, when he knows what he was.
Oh it's very much family. And the names (sire/childe) of course accentuate this. There's also the fact that he has a *history* with them and that he feels responsible.
contrary to popular belief, the "family" metaphor actually seems to have originated with the Master, not crazy Dru.Hmmm. I think Angelus was the family man. Not that the Master wasn't, as such, but for the Master it was very ritualistic and tied up with all sorts of traditions. But Angelus liked having Dru and ( ... )
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Oh and I posted Spangel fic - it's like a pre-prequel to my threesome fic. :)
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After Spike shows that he’s seen through Angel’s deception, Angel runs away. But - in doing so he gets all the minions to follow him and then proceeds to dust a fair number, before the last few run away. He leaves Buffy with Spike - alone.
It just occured to me that this scene it mapping the future trajectory of Buffy\Angel\Spike relationship.
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Thank you. :)
It just occured to me that this scene it mapping the future trajectory of Buffy\Angel\Spike relationship.
Oooh you're so right! Excellent observation.
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