Buffy #33 - summary and thinky thoughts
"There's a reason I loved you the moment I saw you. There's a reason we can't be happy with anyone else. And there's a reason your whole body is glowing right now. And there's a reason that despite all the power coursing through me, what I feel right now is weak. I'm terrified you'll go. You'll leave before we have a chance to explore what this really is, this glow. What if, just once, the right thing for us to do is also the most wonderful? Buffy... Don't you want to be happy?"
No, it's not a new fanfic; this is Twilight!Angel's pitch to Buffy in issue 33. Yes, is reads like a quintessential "fix-it" fanfic. No, I'm not kidding. Yes, this is the Big Damn Climax of the issue #33 (with kissage-cum-orgasming-sonic-boom) - and the next issue is titled "Them F@#$ing: Plus the True History of the Universe".
What else happens? Angel hints that Giles hides something very important about Slayers. Buffy becomes something she can't fight. She's special. (Angel to Giles: "You know where this is headed, right? Every watcher wonders if his slayer might be the girl... and you've had more reason than any. [...] And you haven't told Buffy either. I figured with all your recent jaunts to England... to Germany... I thought they all knew what you were really looking for. But now thanks to your silence, she has no idea what she's become.")
There is (finally!) the reference to another Twilight: (Buffy: "You listen to me, Twilight... My god, is that really the name you picked? Twilight? Y'know I lived that idea first, right? And my vampire was so much better.") As soon as the masked villain hears that she thinks Angel was better, he pulls off his mask. Gasp - it's Angelcakes!
Buffy yells, hits him - but he's completely invulnerable, even his privates. (No, this time Buffy doesn't try to kick him in the balls, Faith does the deed). "You killed my girls! Two hundred and six girls!" Angel: "You really don't know how much worse it could've been? Powerful goverments lining up to wipe out terrorists you created. Demons weren't thrilled either. I put on a mask. Talk about master plans. Distract them. Keep the body count as low as I can."
(A side note: In earlier issues every panel featuring Twilight and his accomplices clearly depicts him as the leader and the head of anti-slayer conspiracy. It's hard to say if Jeanty drew him as a leader because he didn't have enough information about Twilight, or the depiction is correct and Angel is lying to Buffy about his role in whatever happens in s8). I asked Jeanty about it at Slayalive Q&As, he hasn't replied yet.)
Angel: "You fundamentally shifted the balance of power in this world, Buffy. People die when that happens every time. It can never be as simple as you hoped. Not on this plane. But it was a Pure act and it meant you were ready." He goes on explaining that he did what he did to to distract the bad guys and to focus her. "You fell ME, Buffy. You feel us." Buffy's body starts glowing and she stops fighting. Angel: "Buffy, let go. For one minute, let go of what you think you understand and let your body tell you the truth. [...] It's singing. It's joy, Buffy. You and I don't have a lot of experience with joy. But I feel it being this close to you. I feel a connection even I wasn't prepared for. Forget what I said about history. This isn't just history. This is US, Buff. This is our future. [...] I do know there's a reason we're both standing here. Flushed with this unholy power." -- Cue love confession, kissing, rising up in the air and joining the high-mile club.
**********
It's hard to judge the arc by its first half. So far, the story is quick-paced and the cliffhanger is attention-grabbing enough to make people buy the next issue. Buffy speaks like season 8 Buffy, Angel speaks like season 1 Angel - then again, he always speaks like his season 1 self when he crosses over to BtVS; in "Chosen" Buffy even says that he speaks like 12 years old.
The art is uneven: Jeanty nails Buffy's facial expressions, but the lack of experience of drawing Angel is evident. He's either young and sweet, as if reproduced from season 1 posters, or looks like a fugly Andrew clone. The panel that imitates the change of a camera focus in a film sequence (the one where Buffy looks at her hands) is a curious attempt to convey a TV show vibe.
Judging by this issue the mythology of BtVS will be revamped radically. My guess is that Giles hides from Buffy and other slayers that their power has dark (demonic?) roots and unleashing it was wrong (it would jibe nicely with season's theme of power abuse). Also, Buffy is special. Either because she's the the oldest Slayer alive, or she's the only slayer who died and was resurrected twice. Or, since Angel is special too, it may have something to do with him having a soul and Buffy losing (part of) her soul.
The glowing must be an important factor; Buffy stops resisting Angel's persuasions as soon as she starts glowing. What's interesting Angel starts glowing as soon as Buffy touches him. Whatever it is, it needs them both. Whether it's a metaphor of their connection or something else, it remains to be seen.
Angel calls Buffy "Buff". This is the second time he calls her that. The first time was in "Enemies" when he pretended to be Angelus. Is it a clue that he just plays a role of a Big Bad and tries to send a signal to Buffy?
So. Where do we go from here? The paradigm shift makes me feel disoriented. Right now, the action may go many different ways.
Option #1:
It's AtS season 4 again; Angel plays Connor's role and Buffy plays Cordy's role. They are puppets in the real Big Bad's hands - glowy thingie who needs them as vessels for its nefarious plans. For example, their glowy unholy power creates an unholy mystical baby. There are clues that could be interpreted that way - notably, "the important thing is that you rescue the prince" prediction by a psychic in issue 10. Also, Stephenie Meyer has started a fashion on mystical super-babies, so maybe Buffy and Angel's shiny destiny is to procreate a Renesmee - To Make Spike Happy to spawn an anti-messiah.
Not particularly likely, but still.
Option #2:
It's BtVS season 7 again, with Angel as Caleb-cum-First-Evil and Buffy as herself. The glowy unholy power isn't the Big Bad per se but something Angel does to break Buffy. The real Big Bad is Angel who for some obscure reason is truly, epically bad. His goal is destroy Buffy, because, mwahaha, he's evil! Right now Buffy is under his spell (which turns their sweet lovemaking into rape) but eventually she will wake up and kick Angel's ass.
Not likely - at least in near future, as Jeanty's cover of #35 depicts her isolated from the group.
Option #3:
It's the next Stephenie Meyer's novel adapted by Michael Bay. The prince in question is Angel who is possessed by Big Glowy Bad. Buffy saves him and then they kick the Big Glowy Bad's ass (could it have an ass, please?) As cracktastic as it sounds, it's one of the most probable options, because it absolves Angel from Twilight's crimes so that he could return to his IDW untarnished. Buffy figures out that something is wrong with Angel; she can't give up on him; she goes against her friends who don't want to risk to lose even move slayers saving him (#35 cover); But, of course, Buffy saves him, either alone or together with Spike who finally realizes that B/A transcends everything; and, in the end Angel and Spike leave for IDW LA and Buffy heads to season 9.
Option #4:
It's Joss who loves controversial scenarios: Angel ends up to be right. Because, from RL standpoint, he *is* 100% right about the big picture. Buffy did shift the balance of power in the world. And people often die when that happens. And from that point it's not hard to extrapolate that Angel let 200 girls die to save the rest of the world from destruction. It's not hard to extrapolate that Angel has to manipulate Buffy and put her under that glowing spell for the higher purpose. It's not hard to extrapolate that Buffy/Angel epic sex is instrumental in banishing magic from Buffy's dimension. Apparently, Angel will later return to his own LA dimension full of vampires and demons. Also very probable scenario. Epic sex still has rape vibes, but I won't be surprised if Joss will shrug it off with a joke about Xander, Spike and Angel trying to rape Buffy but only Angel succeeding. (What? Didn't Joss introduce the whole bombing subplot for "Xander rides Dawn" joke?)
Option #5:
Joss goes for the most apparent and most fandom-splitting scenario: Angel doesn't manipulate Buffy. Their mystical glowing doesn't affect her mind. It affects only her body. She accepts Angel's reasoning being in her right mind, because he is right and they are made for each other, or because power has already corrupted her soul, or because there is no other way banish the magic and save the world. Buffy consciously chooses Angel over her friends; B/A become superpowered God-like creatures with super-special destiny to transform the world and destroy magic. They save the day and then part ways. Angel goes back to his own series. Buffy has to goes back to her friends to mend their relationships.
Hardly possible (too little heartbreak), but many fans embrace this scenario: see the Whedonesque thread on issue 33, as well as Q&A sessions with Allie and Jeanty swarming with requests to reaffirm Buffy/Angel romantic feelings.
Overall, fandom reaction is as strong as ever - from "I mean, if they really are shagging, MID-AIR, WHILE GLOWING AND CAUSING A SONIC BOOM, then causing buildings to fall, oceans to churn and the earth to move seems the next logical step. Seriously... simply awesome." to I understand Joss's next project is a remake of "The Diary of Anne Frank" where Anne Frank ends up sleeping with Hitler. (What could she say? He was very convincing.) (Except it could be a great story, unless both were real people. Watch "The Night Porter" and tell me it's not a masterpiece)
No good news on Spuffy front. Scott Allie gave another interview heavily promoting B/A as "characters [who] spawned a whole genre, this paranormal romance thing" and saying that Buffy matters most to Angel. Moreover, a month ago Allie refused to reply if there will be a Spuffy cover, but this month he said the following: "We haven't decided on the last few covers, but so far we don't exactly have a Spike/Buffy cover. I swear to the Powers that Be, that is not my fault-Joss is spec'ing all the covers for his arc."
Allie's own message to Spuffy fans is the following: "If your hope is that Joss comes out and says that Buffy and Spike are the key relationship, that Spike is more important to Buffy than Angel, then probably you'll be disappointed, because I don't think Joss writes in those terms. If on the other hand all you want is that the relationship between Buffy and Spike gets treated with respect, then yes, there is hope." Translated from PR-speak: "Buffy respects Spike but doesn't love him." While Jeanty said that, to Buffy, "Angel is Home and Spike is the Cabin in the Wood". Apparently, it was Angel who babysat Dawn when Buffy was gone.
Sarcastic? Moi?
Now, if I pretend I'm not a Spuffy fan, I realize that Joss goes for the most effective recipe for success. He stirs up interest to the comics with sex, controversial plot twists, ships and crossover factor - that special "Superman vs Batman" or "Alien vs Predator" vibe. Wouldn't you be tempted to find out how Alien and Predator consummate their passionate love? If you're a "Lost" fan, wouldn't you be intrigued with a prospect of a steamy Jack/Sawyer romance that can either end the world or save it? Admit it, you'd tune in, just out of curiosity.
If I pretend I'm not a Spuffy fan, I know that Joss' choice of B/A as the major audience bait is justified. It's the signature ship of the verse and sex-wise, it's underexploited. On TV is was sanitized by censorship and squeezed into the narrow confines of teen romance. New medium gives Joss a chance to write it as more controversial and adult (in all senses).
And I perfectly realize that in order to produce a commercially viable new installment of an old franchise you have to do stuff that makes the old fanbase very angry. The meltdowns in such fandoms as Transformers, Star Trek, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond prove it again and again. What makes a diehard fan happy, makes a casual fan bored. What makes a diehard fan angry, makes a casual fan happy. Because, as long as you don't invest into characters much, it's fun to see them, say, go evil. It saves characters from being boring.
But I'm still a fan (I think), I'm partial, my opinion is subjective so I abstain from judgement. So far, it keeps me curious. I'm reluctant to write "I wanna know how it ends" because it was Spike's line before he burst in flames in Chosen (maybe it was Joss' meta-comment on the fandom). Besides the actual story, I'm curious about several things.
1) how much of the lost audience could be lured back by B/A hype. In Dark Horse dispatch sent to retailers immediately post-Twilightgate Allie wrote that "Twilight" arc could bring sales back to where they were when the series started (i.e. 100,000+ copies). We'll see if Joss still knows how to milk this cash cow.
2) will the fandom split up into "old" and "new". So far, BtVS fandom was ships-segregated and characters-segregated; now there is a chance to become timeline-segregated.
3) will the new B/A storyline produce quality season 8 B/A fanfiction. Because, so far, B/A ficwriters are pretty sceptical. Then again, I have only few of them on my f-list, so I may be wrong.
We can start making bets if Spike will appear in the next issue. According to a recent Joss' interview, Buffy and Angel will have sex for three issues straight and Spike will be in two of them.
And we all thought it was a joke.
I realize that I write about volatile stuff and I'm open to discussion.
No, it's not a new fanfic; this is Twilight!Angel's pitch to Buffy in issue 33. Yes, is reads like a quintessential "fix-it" fanfic. No, I'm not kidding. Yes, this is the Big Damn Climax of the issue #33 (with kissage-cum-orgasming-sonic-boom) - and the next issue is titled "Them F@#$ing: Plus the True History of the Universe".
What else happens? Angel hints that Giles hides something very important about Slayers. Buffy becomes something she can't fight. She's special. (Angel to Giles: "You know where this is headed, right? Every watcher wonders if his slayer might be the girl... and you've had more reason than any. [...] And you haven't told Buffy either. I figured with all your recent jaunts to England... to Germany... I thought they all knew what you were really looking for. But now thanks to your silence, she has no idea what she's become.")
There is (finally!) the reference to another Twilight: (Buffy: "You listen to me, Twilight... My god, is that really the name you picked? Twilight? Y'know I lived that idea first, right? And my vampire was so much better.") As soon as the masked villain hears that she thinks Angel was better, he pulls off his mask. Gasp - it's Angelcakes!
Buffy yells, hits him - but he's completely invulnerable, even his privates. (No, this time Buffy doesn't try to kick him in the balls, Faith does the deed). "You killed my girls! Two hundred and six girls!" Angel: "You really don't know how much worse it could've been? Powerful goverments lining up to wipe out terrorists you created. Demons weren't thrilled either. I put on a mask. Talk about master plans. Distract them. Keep the body count as low as I can."
(A side note: In earlier issues every panel featuring Twilight and his accomplices clearly depicts him as the leader and the head of anti-slayer conspiracy. It's hard to say if Jeanty drew him as a leader because he didn't have enough information about Twilight, or the depiction is correct and Angel is lying to Buffy about his role in whatever happens in s8). I asked Jeanty about it at Slayalive Q&As, he hasn't replied yet.)
Angel: "You fundamentally shifted the balance of power in this world, Buffy. People die when that happens every time. It can never be as simple as you hoped. Not on this plane. But it was a Pure act and it meant you were ready." He goes on explaining that he did what he did to to distract the bad guys and to focus her. "You fell ME, Buffy. You feel us." Buffy's body starts glowing and she stops fighting. Angel: "Buffy, let go. For one minute, let go of what you think you understand and let your body tell you the truth. [...] It's singing. It's joy, Buffy. You and I don't have a lot of experience with joy. But I feel it being this close to you. I feel a connection even I wasn't prepared for. Forget what I said about history. This isn't just history. This is US, Buff. This is our future. [...] I do know there's a reason we're both standing here. Flushed with this unholy power." -- Cue love confession, kissing, rising up in the air and joining the high-mile club.
**********
It's hard to judge the arc by its first half. So far, the story is quick-paced and the cliffhanger is attention-grabbing enough to make people buy the next issue. Buffy speaks like season 8 Buffy, Angel speaks like season 1 Angel - then again, he always speaks like his season 1 self when he crosses over to BtVS; in "Chosen" Buffy even says that he speaks like 12 years old.
The art is uneven: Jeanty nails Buffy's facial expressions, but the lack of experience of drawing Angel is evident. He's either young and sweet, as if reproduced from season 1 posters, or looks like a fugly Andrew clone. The panel that imitates the change of a camera focus in a film sequence (the one where Buffy looks at her hands) is a curious attempt to convey a TV show vibe.
Judging by this issue the mythology of BtVS will be revamped radically. My guess is that Giles hides from Buffy and other slayers that their power has dark (demonic?) roots and unleashing it was wrong (it would jibe nicely with season's theme of power abuse). Also, Buffy is special. Either because she's the the oldest Slayer alive, or she's the only slayer who died and was resurrected twice. Or, since Angel is special too, it may have something to do with him having a soul and Buffy losing (part of) her soul.
The glowing must be an important factor; Buffy stops resisting Angel's persuasions as soon as she starts glowing. What's interesting Angel starts glowing as soon as Buffy touches him. Whatever it is, it needs them both. Whether it's a metaphor of their connection or something else, it remains to be seen.
Angel calls Buffy "Buff". This is the second time he calls her that. The first time was in "Enemies" when he pretended to be Angelus. Is it a clue that he just plays a role of a Big Bad and tries to send a signal to Buffy?
So. Where do we go from here? The paradigm shift makes me feel disoriented. Right now, the action may go many different ways.
Option #1:
It's AtS season 4 again; Angel plays Connor's role and Buffy plays Cordy's role. They are puppets in the real Big Bad's hands - glowy thingie who needs them as vessels for its nefarious plans. For example, their glowy unholy power creates an unholy mystical baby. There are clues that could be interpreted that way - notably, "the important thing is that you rescue the prince" prediction by a psychic in issue 10. Also, Stephenie Meyer has started a fashion on mystical super-babies, so maybe Buffy and Angel's shiny destiny is to procreate a Renesmee - To Make Spike Happy to spawn an anti-messiah.
Not particularly likely, but still.
Option #2:
It's BtVS season 7 again, with Angel as Caleb-cum-First-Evil and Buffy as herself. The glowy unholy power isn't the Big Bad per se but something Angel does to break Buffy. The real Big Bad is Angel who for some obscure reason is truly, epically bad. His goal is destroy Buffy, because, mwahaha, he's evil! Right now Buffy is under his spell (which turns their sweet lovemaking into rape) but eventually she will wake up and kick Angel's ass.
Not likely - at least in near future, as Jeanty's cover of #35 depicts her isolated from the group.
Option #3:
It's the next Stephenie Meyer's novel adapted by Michael Bay. The prince in question is Angel who is possessed by Big Glowy Bad. Buffy saves him and then they kick the Big Glowy Bad's ass (could it have an ass, please?) As cracktastic as it sounds, it's one of the most probable options, because it absolves Angel from Twilight's crimes so that he could return to his IDW untarnished. Buffy figures out that something is wrong with Angel; she can't give up on him; she goes against her friends who don't want to risk to lose even move slayers saving him (#35 cover); But, of course, Buffy saves him, either alone or together with Spike who finally realizes that B/A transcends everything; and, in the end Angel and Spike leave for IDW LA and Buffy heads to season 9.
Option #4:
It's Joss who loves controversial scenarios: Angel ends up to be right. Because, from RL standpoint, he *is* 100% right about the big picture. Buffy did shift the balance of power in the world. And people often die when that happens. And from that point it's not hard to extrapolate that Angel let 200 girls die to save the rest of the world from destruction. It's not hard to extrapolate that Angel has to manipulate Buffy and put her under that glowing spell for the higher purpose. It's not hard to extrapolate that Buffy/Angel epic sex is instrumental in banishing magic from Buffy's dimension. Apparently, Angel will later return to his own LA dimension full of vampires and demons. Also very probable scenario. Epic sex still has rape vibes, but I won't be surprised if Joss will shrug it off with a joke about Xander, Spike and Angel trying to rape Buffy but only Angel succeeding. (What? Didn't Joss introduce the whole bombing subplot for "Xander rides Dawn" joke?)
Option #5:
Joss goes for the most apparent and most fandom-splitting scenario: Angel doesn't manipulate Buffy. Their mystical glowing doesn't affect her mind. It affects only her body. She accepts Angel's reasoning being in her right mind, because he is right and they are made for each other, or because power has already corrupted her soul, or because there is no other way banish the magic and save the world. Buffy consciously chooses Angel over her friends; B/A become superpowered God-like creatures with super-special destiny to transform the world and destroy magic. They save the day and then part ways. Angel goes back to his own series. Buffy has to goes back to her friends to mend their relationships.
Hardly possible (too little heartbreak), but many fans embrace this scenario: see the Whedonesque thread on issue 33, as well as Q&A sessions with Allie and Jeanty swarming with requests to reaffirm Buffy/Angel romantic feelings.
Overall, fandom reaction is as strong as ever - from "I mean, if they really are shagging, MID-AIR, WHILE GLOWING AND CAUSING A SONIC BOOM, then causing buildings to fall, oceans to churn and the earth to move seems the next logical step. Seriously... simply awesome." to I understand Joss's next project is a remake of "The Diary of Anne Frank" where Anne Frank ends up sleeping with Hitler. (What could she say? He was very convincing.) (Except it could be a great story, unless both were real people. Watch "The Night Porter" and tell me it's not a masterpiece)
No good news on Spuffy front. Scott Allie gave another interview heavily promoting B/A as "characters [who] spawned a whole genre, this paranormal romance thing" and saying that Buffy matters most to Angel. Moreover, a month ago Allie refused to reply if there will be a Spuffy cover, but this month he said the following: "We haven't decided on the last few covers, but so far we don't exactly have a Spike/Buffy cover. I swear to the Powers that Be, that is not my fault-Joss is spec'ing all the covers for his arc."
Allie's own message to Spuffy fans is the following: "If your hope is that Joss comes out and says that Buffy and Spike are the key relationship, that Spike is more important to Buffy than Angel, then probably you'll be disappointed, because I don't think Joss writes in those terms. If on the other hand all you want is that the relationship between Buffy and Spike gets treated with respect, then yes, there is hope." Translated from PR-speak: "Buffy respects Spike but doesn't love him." While Jeanty said that, to Buffy, "Angel is Home and Spike is the Cabin in the Wood". Apparently, it was Angel who babysat Dawn when Buffy was gone.
Sarcastic? Moi?
Now, if I pretend I'm not a Spuffy fan, I realize that Joss goes for the most effective recipe for success. He stirs up interest to the comics with sex, controversial plot twists, ships and crossover factor - that special "Superman vs Batman" or "Alien vs Predator" vibe. Wouldn't you be tempted to find out how Alien and Predator consummate their passionate love? If you're a "Lost" fan, wouldn't you be intrigued with a prospect of a steamy Jack/Sawyer romance that can either end the world or save it? Admit it, you'd tune in, just out of curiosity.
If I pretend I'm not a Spuffy fan, I know that Joss' choice of B/A as the major audience bait is justified. It's the signature ship of the verse and sex-wise, it's underexploited. On TV is was sanitized by censorship and squeezed into the narrow confines of teen romance. New medium gives Joss a chance to write it as more controversial and adult (in all senses).
And I perfectly realize that in order to produce a commercially viable new installment of an old franchise you have to do stuff that makes the old fanbase very angry. The meltdowns in such fandoms as Transformers, Star Trek, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond prove it again and again. What makes a diehard fan happy, makes a casual fan bored. What makes a diehard fan angry, makes a casual fan happy. Because, as long as you don't invest into characters much, it's fun to see them, say, go evil. It saves characters from being boring.
But I'm still a fan (I think), I'm partial, my opinion is subjective so I abstain from judgement. So far, it keeps me curious. I'm reluctant to write "I wanna know how it ends" because it was Spike's line before he burst in flames in Chosen (maybe it was Joss' meta-comment on the fandom). Besides the actual story, I'm curious about several things.
1) how much of the lost audience could be lured back by B/A hype. In Dark Horse dispatch sent to retailers immediately post-Twilightgate Allie wrote that "Twilight" arc could bring sales back to where they were when the series started (i.e. 100,000+ copies). We'll see if Joss still knows how to milk this cash cow.
2) will the fandom split up into "old" and "new". So far, BtVS fandom was ships-segregated and characters-segregated; now there is a chance to become timeline-segregated.
3) will the new B/A storyline produce quality season 8 B/A fanfiction. Because, so far, B/A ficwriters are pretty sceptical. Then again, I have only few of them on my f-list, so I may be wrong.
We can start making bets if Spike will appear in the next issue. According to a recent Joss' interview, Buffy and Angel will have sex for three issues straight and Spike will be in two of them.
And we all thought it was a joke.
I realize that I write about volatile stuff and I'm open to discussion.