Xander's Speech to Buffy: Right On, So Wrong, or Something Else?
Xander's "go after 'im, girl!" speech in Into the Woods inspires disparate reactions in fandom. Here's a quote from Racheline Maltese's essay in the recently released Whedonistas!:
At the end of "Into the Woods," for example, Xander has a long and - to my mind - somewhat appalling monologue to Buffy about how Riley was the Best Boyfriend Ever and it was All Buffy's Fault that he was leaving her. While Buffy certainly didn't have her head 100% in that relationship, both because of her role as the Slayer and because of the ongoing specter of her history with Angel, Xander's criticism somehow managed to blame her for the fact that her boyfriend was essentially cheating on her with vampire prostitutes...
It was, at least in Xander's eyes, her job to do, not 50% of the work in the relationship, but 75% of it. Or more.*
Other people think that Xander was just trying to help Buffy look inside her heart and not give up on a relationship that she might regret losing once she'd cooled down. See? Disparate.
So, what are some of the issues Xander's speech brings up for you? Because there's a lot of nuance, you can choose as many options as you like for the "overview" question! Just call me Lady Bountiful!
Poll Xander's Speech to Buffy
Comments? Quesions?
For some interesting discussion about how how our heroes got to this point, check out this post on gabrielleabelle's journal. I know there is more meta out there. Links, people?
*Ms. Maltese's essay is entitled "Late to the Party: What Buffy Never Taught Me About Being a Girl". This (edited) snippet can be found on page 152 of Whedonistas: A Celebration of the Worlds of Joss Whedon by the Women Who Love Them, published by Mad Norwegian Press.
At the end of "Into the Woods," for example, Xander has a long and - to my mind - somewhat appalling monologue to Buffy about how Riley was the Best Boyfriend Ever and it was All Buffy's Fault that he was leaving her. While Buffy certainly didn't have her head 100% in that relationship, both because of her role as the Slayer and because of the ongoing specter of her history with Angel, Xander's criticism somehow managed to blame her for the fact that her boyfriend was essentially cheating on her with vampire prostitutes...
It was, at least in Xander's eyes, her job to do, not 50% of the work in the relationship, but 75% of it. Or more.*
Other people think that Xander was just trying to help Buffy look inside her heart and not give up on a relationship that she might regret losing once she'd cooled down. See? Disparate.
So, what are some of the issues Xander's speech brings up for you? Because there's a lot of nuance, you can choose as many options as you like for the "overview" question! Just call me Lady Bountiful!
Poll Xander's Speech to Buffy
Comments? Quesions?
For some interesting discussion about how how our heroes got to this point, check out this post on gabrielleabelle's journal. I know there is more meta out there. Links, people?
*Ms. Maltese's essay is entitled "Late to the Party: What Buffy Never Taught Me About Being a Girl". This (edited) snippet can be found on page 152 of Whedonistas: A Celebration of the Worlds of Joss Whedon by the Women Who Love Them, published by Mad Norwegian Press.