Final Days Outline

[gabrielleabelle]

Okay, the timeline of the last six episodes of S7 always leaves me a bit confused, so I decided to trace things out. I figured some other people may enjoy it, too. Since I have a couple hours before my lab, I might as well get this sussed out.

Dirty GirlsNight: Potential is attacked; Willow arrives with Faith back in Sunnydale

Comments

[ceciliaj]

Oooh, this is awesome! Timelines are fun. Especially when they come with bonus event descriptions like, "Again, boom."

[gabrielleabelle]

Heh. SO MUCH HAPPENS in these handful of episodes. I was surprised while writing it all out.

[gryfndor_godess]

This is really cool! And it certainly does point out some plot holes...what was Spike doing when he said he would watch Caleb? Why didn't the Scoobies find Spike in the house? What on earth did Buffy do all day in between yoinking the house and Spike finding her???

Is it a plot hole?

[angearia]

I think it's possible that Buffy wandered the streets after being kicked out for a very long time. She might not have broken into that guy's house until it was nearly dawn. I think she tried to sleep during the day and she probably just lay there. It reinforces her inactivity and situational depression there. I think it works.

What I find most interesting to track is when Buffy goes for days without sleep in Season 7. I think if you track Buffy through Dirty Girls, Empty Places and Touched -- she doesn't finally sleep until Touched. That's three days without her sleeping. (When Caleb knocks her out in "Empty Places", she describes it to Giles: "The short lack of consciousness was nice. I feel rested.")

I'm betting she spent all of Touched in bed, not being able to sleep, her thoughts haunting her. I bet she was trying to sleep during the day because her body was exhausted, but she couldn't because her mind wouldn't quit. Later when she has it out with Spike, then she's finally able to rest and get back her reserves of

Re: Is it a plot hole?

[gryfndor_godess]

Later when she has it out with Spike, then she's finally able to rest

That makes my shipper heart pitter-patter, but it's also logical from a non-shipper POV. Though my gut rebels against the idea that Buffy would spend an entire day in bed rather than do something productive, rationally it makes sense that she could be trying and unable to sleep. It recalls her shut-down in S5 when Glory gets Dawn- you'd think she'd be at her most proactive and instead she just *can't* function anymore. Not sure I can see Buffy wandering around the entire night before though.

Re: Is it a plot hole?

[angearia]

Though my gut rebels against the idea that Buffy would spend an entire day in bed rather than do something productive

But she can't do anything more, part of the reason the Empty Places conflict happens is that her judgment is rash because she's sleep-deprived. She's running on no reserves. It's not that she's choosing to sleep over doing something productive. Her body and her mind need sleep. And in this case, sleep is productive. She's trying to do the right thing.

Not sure I can see Buffy wandering around the entire night before though.

I believe she'd call that patrolling. Something she often does till dawn rises. I'm not saying she necessarily did it all night, though. But for a big chunk of hours, patrolling the streets would've felt like a routine. You ever find yourself driving on autopilot? It'd be like that. She probably had to work up to breaking into someone's house when she felt too tired to keep walking. :)

[alexeia_drae]

For some reason, I find the idea of Spike hiding out in the closet endlessly amusing.

[gabrielleabelle]

Either that or under the bed. Whichever works.

[findmeneverland]

This is very helpful! I used to get really confused on the timeline between Empty Places and Touched until I realized that Buffy had just been chilling in that dude's house moping for an entire night, day, and night again. I thought for a while Touched happened the same night but then I was like "wait." with Spike and Andrew coming back the next day. ANYWAY.

[gabrielleabelle]

Yep. Same here.

I don't know why it feels so confusing. I mean, the ends of other seasons have similar, multi-day arcs, but they don't seem quite so overwhelming in sussing out everything that goes on. I can't quite put my finger on what's going on in S7 that makes it more chaotic and less structured.

[angearia]

This is way cool. It makes me want to track the timeline for the entire season in relation to Buffy's sleep patterns.

I think part of the way the First attacks Buffy is by killing the Potentials. Two birds, one stone. By killing the Potentials, it threatens the future of the line. But Buffy also begins having dreams of their deaths -- which is pyschologically harrowing. The dreams tell her they're already dead, that she can't save them. This leads to Buffy pushing herself over the edge to protect the Potentials, forgoing sleep post-Sleeper on.

[ceciliaj]

It makes me want to track the timeline for the entire season in relation to Buffy's sleep patterns.

That would be super interesting!

[angearia]

It would be!

Dang. There needs to be an essay about Season 7, Buffy and sleep patterns. I don't think people realize how much she cares about saving the Potentials' lives and how hard she pushes herself to save everyone else. She gets accused of being superior and inconsiderate of others in Season 7, but the truth is that she thinks so less of her own needs that she's not even sleeping or taking care of herself (I bet she's not eating much either).

Season 7 has brilliant ideas, but the story execution didn't quite work. The sense of time, the sense that Buffy can't sleep because of the First and how that's wearing her down till she breaks in DG/Empty Places -- it all gets a bit muddled.

[red_satin_doll]

I'll have to go to your LJ to see if you ever wrote about that - fascinating stuff. It really carries over from her depression in S6, for me and I find myself wondering why people(fans) are so harsh on Buffy for that season. Look at EVERYTHING girlfriend has to carry on her shoulders, and with little or no training for it. (She's led her friends - a very small group - many times but this is on an entirely different scale.)

And I agree with you that she's probably not eating either. (And even when we do see people eating in the house that season, it's basically crap - packaged cereal and hot pockets.) I've seen people complain about how thin SMG gets that season, and I hate that trend with actresses, but in this one instance I hate to admit it totally works for the characterization.