S9 Issue #10 review
I’ve seen some criticisms of this issue on the grounds that it’s problematic to have a character widely lauded as a Feminist Icon ™ express a longing for a house in the suburbs. However, having read the issue, I’m really not seeing Buffy express a longing for a life as a compliant housewife. What she’s pining for is a nice house and a nice job and nice friends, as opposed to a crappy apartment and a crappy job and friends she’s estranged from. That may seem boring and unambitious, but she is, after all, someone who’s been engaged in killing monsters pretty much non-stop for the last (mumblety) years. She’s had more excitement in those years than most people have in their entire lives, and she has never been presented as someone who loves danger or hardship. I know a lot of us have wanted Buffy to embrace her Slayer nature and the inherent weirdness of her life, because we see it as a metaphor for this, that, or the other thing. I’ve wanted that myself. But for Buffy-the-character, being a Slayer is not a metaphor. It’s a hard, dangerous, dirty job that she never wanted in the first place. I can’t really blame her for wanting an escape from it, and if that escape is a Barbie Dream House, well… who am I to judge? I haven’t been fighting monsters for mumblety years.
(Which is not to say I don’t think that having that be Buffy’s only stated aspiration is… kinda shallow, and yes, a tad problematic.)
Likewise, I see her conversation with herself at the end not as a statement that she’s not worthy of the Barbie Dream House, but that if she wants happiness, the only true way for her to get it is to build it from within. Andrew could give her the house free and clear, but could she maintain it on her own? At present, no. And if everything she has is a gift from some more competent man, well, then, that really would be not all that great on the Feminist Icon ™ front. It would just be the present-day equivalent of Giles giving her a big check - it might solve her problems of the moment, but it wouldn’t do a damn thing about her long-term pattern of dysfunctional life choices.
I think this season has actually constructed a fairly decent summation of a problem Buffy’s had since S6. She’s unhappy with her life, but either she makes no attempt to change it, or she makes a half-assed attempt that fails, and then she blames her Slayer obligations for making her unhappy. There’s no question that those Slayer obligations have a significant effect on how she lives her life, but not nearly to the extent that she’s convinced herself that they do. For much of S6 you could write this off to her depression, but that’s no longer an issue (though frankly, if anyone ever had good reason to be depressed, Buffy after S8 ought to qualify.) But I think that in those years she acquired a sort of learned helplessness. She expects to fail. In a way, it’s easier for her to fail. It’s safe. It’s familiar. She gets to pity herself, and self-pity is extremely seductive.* It’s not a coincidence, I think, that whenever Buffy loses her memories, she becomes a much more proactive person.
(Note, therefore, that while I think that it would not be a good thing for Andrew to give Buffy the house, it would be completely different if Buffy buttonholed Andrew and worked out some kind of deal where she could buy the house for a nominal amount and pay him back at no interest out of consideration for the fact that he is a creepy little fuckwit who roofied her and stole her body. Because that would be Buffy taking active steps towards solving a problem, rather than Buffy passively waiting for the universe to reward her for her self-sacrifice. The universe is notoriously ungrateful.)
What I hope this season is setting out to do, having framed the problem and had Buffy realize what it is at least to some extent, is to have her achieve some character growth and take steps towards solving it. I’m not highly optimistic that this will happen - I mean, it’s what I would see as the obvious way to go if someone were to hand me this story to finish, but I’ve learned that me thinking something is obvious is an almost infallible sign that the writers won’t go that way.
How does Spike fit into this? That’s a good question. Once again, the writers in their infinite wisdom ™ have decided that the best way to keep the readers hooked is to have Buffy say nothing, and let the audience read into her facial expressions whatever they like. FOR FUCK’S SAKE, JOSS, IT WILL NOT KILL YOU TO LET US KNOW WHAT THE MAIN CHARACTER REALLY THINKS FOR ONCE. THERE ARE THOUGHT BALLOONS IN COMICS. USE THEM. Instead we get another scene where Spike pours his heart out, and Buffy says almost nothing, but looks either sad or constipated, depending on one’s inclination. And then comes up with another ambiguous gem along the lines of “I’m not ready for you to be gone,” and “Does it have to mean anything?”: “You could use that as an excuse to stay.”
Everyone who’s convinced that Buffy is deeply in love with Spike, and shouldn’t need to do anything so mundane as tell him so in actual words, and Spike is a heartless cad for not recognizing her selfless devotion is going to keep thinking just that. The people who think Buffy is a heartless bitch who’s stringing Spike along to gratify her own ego will keep thinking just that. The people who regretfully conclude that Buffy is fond of Spike, and likes having him around, but doesn’t love him enough to want to put in the hard work that it would take to have a relationship with him, will keep on thinking just that. And the people who think Buffy’s heart belongs to Angel and Buffy is sending Spike away with a well-deserved flea in his ear will keep on thinking just that.
In other words, this is the safe choice for the writers, the one that preserves the status quo. The problem with safe is, it’s also dull. Remember that heavy-handed ballet metaphor you pulled out in Couplet, Joss? Buffy and Spike’s dance was exciting once, but the steps have grown repetitive. One way or another, it’s time for a change - long past time. Spike does not need an excuse to stay, he needs a reason. A good solid reason like “I love you,” or even, “You’re my best friend and I don’t know how I feel about you beyond that, but I do know I want you to be part of my life.” The one positive thing about this story arc is that Spike’s laid all his cards on the table; no one can accuse him of being evasive or failing to communicate. (Though I’m sure some people will.) If Buffy’s unable or unwilling to respond with equal candor, then perhaps it’s best for both of them if Spike never comes back. (Yes, I’m aware that the writers have said he will. Unless they change their minds, which they’ve done several times already this season.)
The thing about this season is… it’s not the best-written in the world, and it’s got some seriously dodgy stuff in it, but what it has done is pinpoint pretty mercilessly a number of things that I’ve long thought were problems re :Buffy and re: Spuffy, some of them going all the way back to S6. And it’s presented them as problems, things that Buffy and to a lesser extent Spike really need to do something about if she’s ever to have a functional life or they’re ever to have a functional relationship. Honestly, at this point, my main fear is simply that as has happened so many times in the past, what I see is not what the writers intend me to see, and the rest of the season will kite off in some completely different direction, rather than have Buffy tackle her problems and make some actual progress. It’s not all roses and puppies - I wish to hell that there had been some exploration of Buffy’s state of mind regarding all the stuff that happened in S8 beyond the Seed-breaking. But it’s just that for the first time since S5 I feel as if I both understand what the story is saying and… kind of agree with it, even if I think they could have said it way better in places? And that’s a weird, weird feeling.
*S8 throws a monstrous monkey wrench into any attempt to analyze Buffy post-Chosen, because the writers in their infinite wisdom decided that her motivations for doing what she did didn’t matter and we don’t need to know about them. Some fans feel similarly, generally because they’re 100% positive that their personal interpretation of her motives is the correct and only interpretation, but I don’t have that much confidence in my psychic abilities. However, it seems fairly clear that even if she was truly a confident and together person at the beginning of S8, the events thereof delivered a big ol’ anvil to the head telling her that she was wrong and stupid for trying to change things for the better, and all her efforts only resulted in everything becoming much worse.
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(Which is not to say I don’t think that having that be Buffy’s only stated aspiration is… kinda shallow, and yes, a tad problematic.)
Likewise, I see her conversation with herself at the end not as a statement that she’s not worthy of the Barbie Dream House, but that if she wants happiness, the only true way for her to get it is to build it from within. Andrew could give her the house free and clear, but could she maintain it on her own? At present, no. And if everything she has is a gift from some more competent man, well, then, that really would be not all that great on the Feminist Icon ™ front. It would just be the present-day equivalent of Giles giving her a big check - it might solve her problems of the moment, but it wouldn’t do a damn thing about her long-term pattern of dysfunctional life choices.
I think this season has actually constructed a fairly decent summation of a problem Buffy’s had since S6. She’s unhappy with her life, but either she makes no attempt to change it, or she makes a half-assed attempt that fails, and then she blames her Slayer obligations for making her unhappy. There’s no question that those Slayer obligations have a significant effect on how she lives her life, but not nearly to the extent that she’s convinced herself that they do. For much of S6 you could write this off to her depression, but that’s no longer an issue (though frankly, if anyone ever had good reason to be depressed, Buffy after S8 ought to qualify.) But I think that in those years she acquired a sort of learned helplessness. She expects to fail. In a way, it’s easier for her to fail. It’s safe. It’s familiar. She gets to pity herself, and self-pity is extremely seductive.* It’s not a coincidence, I think, that whenever Buffy loses her memories, she becomes a much more proactive person.
(Note, therefore, that while I think that it would not be a good thing for Andrew to give Buffy the house, it would be completely different if Buffy buttonholed Andrew and worked out some kind of deal where she could buy the house for a nominal amount and pay him back at no interest out of consideration for the fact that he is a creepy little fuckwit who roofied her and stole her body. Because that would be Buffy taking active steps towards solving a problem, rather than Buffy passively waiting for the universe to reward her for her self-sacrifice. The universe is notoriously ungrateful.)
What I hope this season is setting out to do, having framed the problem and had Buffy realize what it is at least to some extent, is to have her achieve some character growth and take steps towards solving it. I’m not highly optimistic that this will happen - I mean, it’s what I would see as the obvious way to go if someone were to hand me this story to finish, but I’ve learned that me thinking something is obvious is an almost infallible sign that the writers won’t go that way.
How does Spike fit into this? That’s a good question. Once again, the writers in their infinite wisdom ™ have decided that the best way to keep the readers hooked is to have Buffy say nothing, and let the audience read into her facial expressions whatever they like. FOR FUCK’S SAKE, JOSS, IT WILL NOT KILL YOU TO LET US KNOW WHAT THE MAIN CHARACTER REALLY THINKS FOR ONCE. THERE ARE THOUGHT BALLOONS IN COMICS. USE THEM. Instead we get another scene where Spike pours his heart out, and Buffy says almost nothing, but looks either sad or constipated, depending on one’s inclination. And then comes up with another ambiguous gem along the lines of “I’m not ready for you to be gone,” and “Does it have to mean anything?”: “You could use that as an excuse to stay.”
Everyone who’s convinced that Buffy is deeply in love with Spike, and shouldn’t need to do anything so mundane as tell him so in actual words, and Spike is a heartless cad for not recognizing her selfless devotion is going to keep thinking just that. The people who think Buffy is a heartless bitch who’s stringing Spike along to gratify her own ego will keep thinking just that. The people who regretfully conclude that Buffy is fond of Spike, and likes having him around, but doesn’t love him enough to want to put in the hard work that it would take to have a relationship with him, will keep on thinking just that. And the people who think Buffy’s heart belongs to Angel and Buffy is sending Spike away with a well-deserved flea in his ear will keep on thinking just that.
In other words, this is the safe choice for the writers, the one that preserves the status quo. The problem with safe is, it’s also dull. Remember that heavy-handed ballet metaphor you pulled out in Couplet, Joss? Buffy and Spike’s dance was exciting once, but the steps have grown repetitive. One way or another, it’s time for a change - long past time. Spike does not need an excuse to stay, he needs a reason. A good solid reason like “I love you,” or even, “You’re my best friend and I don’t know how I feel about you beyond that, but I do know I want you to be part of my life.” The one positive thing about this story arc is that Spike’s laid all his cards on the table; no one can accuse him of being evasive or failing to communicate. (Though I’m sure some people will.) If Buffy’s unable or unwilling to respond with equal candor, then perhaps it’s best for both of them if Spike never comes back. (Yes, I’m aware that the writers have said he will. Unless they change their minds, which they’ve done several times already this season.)
The thing about this season is… it’s not the best-written in the world, and it’s got some seriously dodgy stuff in it, but what it has done is pinpoint pretty mercilessly a number of things that I’ve long thought were problems re :Buffy and re: Spuffy, some of them going all the way back to S6. And it’s presented them as problems, things that Buffy and to a lesser extent Spike really need to do something about if she’s ever to have a functional life or they’re ever to have a functional relationship. Honestly, at this point, my main fear is simply that as has happened so many times in the past, what I see is not what the writers intend me to see, and the rest of the season will kite off in some completely different direction, rather than have Buffy tackle her problems and make some actual progress. It’s not all roses and puppies - I wish to hell that there had been some exploration of Buffy’s state of mind regarding all the stuff that happened in S8 beyond the Seed-breaking. But it’s just that for the first time since S5 I feel as if I both understand what the story is saying and… kind of agree with it, even if I think they could have said it way better in places? And that’s a weird, weird feeling.
*S8 throws a monstrous monkey wrench into any attempt to analyze Buffy post-Chosen, because the writers in their infinite wisdom decided that her motivations for doing what she did didn’t matter and we don’t need to know about them. Some fans feel similarly, generally because they’re 100% positive that their personal interpretation of her motives is the correct and only interpretation, but I don’t have that much confidence in my psychic abilities. However, it seems fairly clear that even if she was truly a confident and together person at the beginning of S8, the events thereof delivered a big ol’ anvil to the head telling her that she was wrong and stupid for trying to change things for the better, and all her efforts only resulted in everything becoming much worse.
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