Wolves at the Gate conclusion
We open with Renee's thoughts as she dies, impaled on the stake end of the scythe. Fog is curling up around the team, Kumiko tackles Willow out the building window, and Xander is coming towards her as the fighting starts. "Xander, I'm not ready." Six Feet Under style whiteout as she dies.
Xander cradles her body and Buffy rallies the others around them to keeps the vamps from Xander. Dracula tells Buffy he can stop the spell, but he needs Willow, so would she please go get her. She doesn't want to leave Xander vulnerable, but Dracula has his back. What did happen with those two? Buffy transfers command to Satsu and dives out after the witches.
Willow and Kumiko are flying and falling, Will's green magic against Kumiko's red. Kumiko tells her they were both students of Saga Vasuki, aka the green snake lady. Did we know her name yet? I can't remember. Anyway, Will reads Kumiko's mind and finds Vasuki there. "Did you think I could not find you? Did you think you could hide from what you are? Or what's to come?" Those words echo from Restless and Buffy vs. Dracula, only then there were for Buffy. Now Willow gets a dose of it, along with a fiery vision of a city in flames, the scythe, and the snake lady curled around it. I think all this is foreshadowing the Fray future arc to come.
Kumiko is on top and Will is stunned from her vision when Buffy lands on Kumiko and sticks a knife into her heart. Hopefully she's dead, but who knows. Buffy and Willow continue to fall towards the battle below.
The slayers aren't having much luck, and Rowena calls for them to fall back, but Dawn is not having it. She stomps on a few more vamps and leads the charge toward the building. But the vampires were prepared for this. Come one, Tokyo, robotics division, you knew it was coming. Mecha Dawn! Toru: "Well, there's something you don't see everyday." Echoing Andrew's words last issue. Dawnzilla vs. Mecha Dawn commences.
Raidon says the slayers are within the radius -- so does that mean the spell is still limited to the city/country and not global? -- but no word from Kumiko. Turo's up for doing the incantation himself, and he starts that now that the lens is powered up. Then Dracula leads the infiltration team onto the roof. He tackles Turo, freeing the scythe. Satsu jumps for it and gets it and continues her arc over the edge of the building. Oops.
On the street, Willow woke up just in time to turn the sidewalk to water for them to land in. They crawl out dripping wet and see Satsu falling through the air. We focus on the two of them talking as they watch Satsu's descent. They discuss whether Satsu is Buffy's girlfriend now, and Willow tells Buffy to be careful with her Sappho sister's heart. And BTW, Willow never wanted Buffy that way, she's not even on the list. So there. Then they decide to catch Satsu.
From the roof, Raidon has the chance to be there when Willow appears with Buffy, Satsu and the scythe. Lucky him. But the vampires are still all full of gypsy tricks and can't be killed. Dracula calls to Willow, gives her his sword. He says -- this is interesting -- it's an ancient relic and bound with demon spirit, like the scythe. (Was there stuff about this in Fray at all? I can't remember.) Dracula tells Willow to do some sort of reversal spell that uses his sword and the lens to take the power from the vampires pretty much the same way they were going to take the power from the slayers using the scythe. Interesting. I guess Dracula's weird magic powers come from the sword somehow. Anyway, Willow casts the spell and the vampires are killable again. The slayers go to work.
Dawnzilla and Mecha Dawn fight while Andrew offers his finally useful expertise. Mecha Dawn says things like, "I like blue jeans and irony," "I cry a lot," and "I often let boys take advantage of my weak emotional states." Dawnzilla has had enough. She rips Mecha Dawn's head off.
In the battle on the roof, Satsu kills Raidon, saving Buffy. Dracula takes on Toru, calling for his sword back. Will tosses it his way and Toru intercepts. But Vlad Dracule is no slouch at combat. He takes back the sword, cuts Toru's hands and feet off, claiming that he has always been unique among vampires and Toru shouldn't be so cocky. Then he hands the sword to Xander. Xander cuts off Toru's head with determination but no joy.
The vampires run for it. Buffy orders her slayers to seal off the streets and let none escape as she walks to Xander to hold him as he collapses and cries.
Aftermath. At the Japanese fort, Dracula takes his leave of Xander. And I guess the manservant label is going the way of the dodo.
Buffy and Satsu talk once more. Satsu can't handle it. "I'm in love with you. And I need not to be." She wants to stay in Japan in Aiko's place, leading this squad. Buffy agrees. They say nice things and make love one last time.
The last page mingles Dracula's words to the captain of the ship carrying him away to quick shots of our Scooby gang:
"We have a cold journey ahead of us." Willow, meditating or communing with her snake lady.
"Find what warmth you can for now." Buffy and Satsu entangled in bed.
"And I'll stand watch alone." Xander scattering Renee's ashes and saying goodbye.
Now that was a particularly fine story arc.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Buffy Season 8 - Issue #14 SPOILERS FOR BUFFY 1-8 ENTIRE & ANGEL THRU AFTER THE FALL
Wolves at the Gate part 3
Aiko is strung up downtown, her blood spelling out "Welcome to Tokyo." Buffy and her crew cut her down and take her body to the local headquarters, a building that looks kind of like a Shinto shrine out in the country, heavily fortified. Buffy lays Aiko's wrapped body at the feet of Buddha as the girls watch. Then she sits vigil.
Night falls, and Willow comes to see if she's gone catatonic again. They discuss options, not really clear on how to attack these vamps when they can't physically touch them. Enter Dracula with information on a containment spell, being snotty and condescending and laying claim to the master suite, poor Xander running along behind him.
At the top of a Tokyo building, which we later hear is called Ashikaga (which is the name of a city, a clan, and a shogunate), the huge red-tinted circle o' doom is buzzing away. Raidon is talking to a new woman about their plans, mentioning tech support (for the lens mechanism) and robotics division (just wait). They also have an army of vamps to guard them from the slayers while they're getting the lens up to speed. Kumiko hangs around sleeping or meditating like a bat. (Not that bats meditate, although they may, what do I know, I just mean hanging upside down, basically).
Renee is playing schoolgirl damsel in distress, luring a vampire into a Scooby ambush. Will uses the containment spell Dracula taught her, putting up a force-field box around the vamp. They pour gas on him and Buffy questions him about Toru. They find out what we already know, that Kumiko is going to use the scythe to reverse the spell, making all the slayers human again using the super lens on the Ashikaga building. They're just finishing getting the lens ready, which should happen before dawn -- be back before Dawn. (It's also going to happen before, as in in front of, Dawn, so punny foreshadowing).
After he spills, Buffy sets him on fire, and the four of them walk off through the night, a box of fiery light behind them. Cool if dark power shot.
Buffy and Satsu are arguing. Buffy doesn't want to take the local slayers, still reeling from Aiko's death, into battle with her. She wants Satsu to stay behind and watch over them, bury Aiko, stay out of it. Satsu is pissed about being put out of harm's way or out of sight, either one. She refuses to obey the order and storms off. Buffy: "I can't believe I find it sexy when she calls me ma'am." Heh.
Xander and Renee talk while gearing up, an unwilling? Dracula overhearing it off to the side. Xander makes a case for calling today their first date, avoiding all the normal first date awkwardness. Like getting tied up and sacrificed to open the Hellmouth you mean, Xander? Except that is like this. Anyway, Renee is not down with her first date with Xander being all schoolgirl vampbait, roasting vampsmores, and the company of the freaking dark prince...bator. She agrees to bypass the awkward waiting to see if a kiss is in order phase though, by planting one on Xander. They make out for a bit. Tick tock.
There's an army of a thousand vampires around the base of the building. They have plenty of slayers, but still no way to engage the enemy. We get a nice shot of Xander, Renee, Buffy, Dracula, Satsu, Andrew, and Leah ready to infiltrate the building. Buffy's only concern is to get in and get that scythe. To that end, Willow is creating a distraction. Come on, they already have a giant, are in Tokyo, you knew it was coming. Dawnzilla! Andrew: "Well, there's something you don't see everyday."
Dawn starts stomping havoc on the vamps as they run in terror. Buffy's team heads in and up, finding Toru and the scythe. But it's not him, it's a projection of him. Yes, it's a trap. Bye bye Renee. That may be the shortest love affair destroyed in its glory yet. Bong. Poor Xander.
Aiko is strung up downtown, her blood spelling out "Welcome to Tokyo." Buffy and her crew cut her down and take her body to the local headquarters, a building that looks kind of like a Shinto shrine out in the country, heavily fortified. Buffy lays Aiko's wrapped body at the feet of Buddha as the girls watch. Then she sits vigil.
Night falls, and Willow comes to see if she's gone catatonic again. They discuss options, not really clear on how to attack these vamps when they can't physically touch them. Enter Dracula with information on a containment spell, being snotty and condescending and laying claim to the master suite, poor Xander running along behind him.
At the top of a Tokyo building, which we later hear is called Ashikaga (which is the name of a city, a clan, and a shogunate), the huge red-tinted circle o' doom is buzzing away. Raidon is talking to a new woman about their plans, mentioning tech support (for the lens mechanism) and robotics division (just wait). They also have an army of vamps to guard them from the slayers while they're getting the lens up to speed. Kumiko hangs around sleeping or meditating like a bat. (Not that bats meditate, although they may, what do I know, I just mean hanging upside down, basically).
Renee is playing schoolgirl damsel in distress, luring a vampire into a Scooby ambush. Will uses the containment spell Dracula taught her, putting up a force-field box around the vamp. They pour gas on him and Buffy questions him about Toru. They find out what we already know, that Kumiko is going to use the scythe to reverse the spell, making all the slayers human again using the super lens on the Ashikaga building. They're just finishing getting the lens ready, which should happen before dawn -- be back before Dawn. (It's also going to happen before, as in in front of, Dawn, so punny foreshadowing).
After he spills, Buffy sets him on fire, and the four of them walk off through the night, a box of fiery light behind them. Cool if dark power shot.
Buffy and Satsu are arguing. Buffy doesn't want to take the local slayers, still reeling from Aiko's death, into battle with her. She wants Satsu to stay behind and watch over them, bury Aiko, stay out of it. Satsu is pissed about being put out of harm's way or out of sight, either one. She refuses to obey the order and storms off. Buffy: "I can't believe I find it sexy when she calls me ma'am." Heh.
Xander and Renee talk while gearing up, an unwilling? Dracula overhearing it off to the side. Xander makes a case for calling today their first date, avoiding all the normal first date awkwardness. Like getting tied up and sacrificed to open the Hellmouth you mean, Xander? Except that is like this. Anyway, Renee is not down with her first date with Xander being all schoolgirl vampbait, roasting vampsmores, and the company of the freaking dark prince...bator. She agrees to bypass the awkward waiting to see if a kiss is in order phase though, by planting one on Xander. They make out for a bit. Tick tock.
There's an army of a thousand vampires around the base of the building. They have plenty of slayers, but still no way to engage the enemy. We get a nice shot of Xander, Renee, Buffy, Dracula, Satsu, Andrew, and Leah ready to infiltrate the building. Buffy's only concern is to get in and get that scythe. To that end, Willow is creating a distraction. Come on, they already have a giant, are in Tokyo, you knew it was coming. Dawnzilla! Andrew: "Well, there's something you don't see everyday."
Dawn starts stomping havoc on the vamps as they run in terror. Buffy's team heads in and up, finding Toru and the scythe. But it's not him, it's a projection of him. Yes, it's a trap. Bye bye Renee. That may be the shortest love affair destroyed in its glory yet. Bong. Poor Xander.
Buffy Season 8 - Issue #13 SPOILERS FOR BUFFY 1-8 ENTIRE & ANGEL THRU AFTER THE FALL
Wolves at the Gate part 2
15 minutes before the end of the last issue, Dracula was an old and depressed dude. His servant, Butterfield, tries to entice him into a hunt for an Albanian boy at loose in the hedge maze, but it's no go. Apparently Dracula's been sitting in his own stink for months. But he sees the helicopter approaching and snaps out of it.
Xander says they need his help, while Dracula plays it coy. He insults Renee, calling her a Moor, insinuating she's a slave -- why do they need this douche's help again? Dracula relents and lets them in, saying Xander will want a nice snack of mealworms before he dons his manservant bloomers. Obviously some history there we haven't seen. I'm not sure if I ever want to or not.
Cut to Andrew, dressed as the count, giving a class to the slayers about the dark master...bator. On the chalkboard, Dracula's known powers include: Romantic Undertones (technically not a power). Very reminiscent of season 7.
The girls know about Dracula, they want to know what's up with him and Xandman. Andrew says they stayed in touch after Dracula visited Sunnydale. Whether that's true or not is unclear. After all, this is the man who taught that Faith fought a Vulcan once upon a time. But can't you just see Xander's face when he opens up that letter? Anyway, apparently, for whatever reason, Xander spent time with Dracula after Anya's death. There's a whole story about their weird buddy movie hijinks still to be written I guess. It includes a motorbike, which Andrew adds to the chalkboard as another power.
Meanwhile, real work is being done. The slayers have found out that the vampires are from Tokyo, the leader is Toru. Slayer local field op Aiko found them. She confabs with Buffy from a scene of carnage, having just taken out at least five ugly Kabuki demons. Buffy is impressed, but tells Aiko to surveil, not approach until reinforcements arrive.
We get some awkward drama as Satsu questions Buffy's plan to take every last one of them with her to Japan, and Buffy snaps at her all general-style. I guess the honeymoon is over.
Xander and Renee take tea with Dracula. Renee watches as they make polite talk in an ersatz homosexual marriage kind of way, wondering why she came no doubt. They finally get down to business, explaining the sitch, and Renee gets up in his face about him selling his powers to the highest bidder. Dracula is offended, saying he's the worldly guardian of these ancient magics. Hmmm. Wonder if that's significant at all. Ancient magics. Highlight that. Then Dracula seems to remember something painful. "Oh, balls."
Tokyo. Toru and Raidon discuss how Kumiko wants the kill (of Buffy I thought at first, but now I assume Willow). Toru wants her to concentrate on the spell. Aiko follows them. They notice and know why, decide to give Buffy something to see. Toru pulls out a red-tinted lens and twirls his nonexistent mustache as we...
...cut back to Dracula freaking out and being all racist against East Asians. He apparently got wasted at a Tibetan speakeasy and gambled some knowledge of his powers away in a game of pai gow poker, trying for a Kawasaki Z1000. Andrew knows all. Dracula says he was cheated and mentions a witch with them (Kumiko). He's so pissed off he agrees to join their battle even though he loathes Buffy and her crew and wants to see them all destroyed. Great ally.
While flying the troops in a big transport plane to Japan, Willow talks with Satsu. She gives her the deal on Buffy, how she's the general, has to be separate, that won't change. Oh and BTW, not gay, so don't get your hopes up. Then she wants to dish on Buffy's prowess in bed, but Satsu stays mum, a true gentlelady.
Aiko checks in with Buffy, then finds Toru's lens on the ground and picks it up. She's hit through the lens with a blast of light from the scythe in Kumiko's hand, and her powers are gone. !! Toru taunts her and then eats her. Another one down. And they're planning to do this spell on a larger scale with a big old lens to reverse the spell on all the slayers. Crap.
15 minutes before the end of the last issue, Dracula was an old and depressed dude. His servant, Butterfield, tries to entice him into a hunt for an Albanian boy at loose in the hedge maze, but it's no go. Apparently Dracula's been sitting in his own stink for months. But he sees the helicopter approaching and snaps out of it.
Xander says they need his help, while Dracula plays it coy. He insults Renee, calling her a Moor, insinuating she's a slave -- why do they need this douche's help again? Dracula relents and lets them in, saying Xander will want a nice snack of mealworms before he dons his manservant bloomers. Obviously some history there we haven't seen. I'm not sure if I ever want to or not.
Cut to Andrew, dressed as the count, giving a class to the slayers about the dark master...bator. On the chalkboard, Dracula's known powers include: Romantic Undertones (technically not a power). Very reminiscent of season 7.
The girls know about Dracula, they want to know what's up with him and Xandman. Andrew says they stayed in touch after Dracula visited Sunnydale. Whether that's true or not is unclear. After all, this is the man who taught that Faith fought a Vulcan once upon a time. But can't you just see Xander's face when he opens up that letter? Anyway, apparently, for whatever reason, Xander spent time with Dracula after Anya's death. There's a whole story about their weird buddy movie hijinks still to be written I guess. It includes a motorbike, which Andrew adds to the chalkboard as another power.
Meanwhile, real work is being done. The slayers have found out that the vampires are from Tokyo, the leader is Toru. Slayer local field op Aiko found them. She confabs with Buffy from a scene of carnage, having just taken out at least five ugly Kabuki demons. Buffy is impressed, but tells Aiko to surveil, not approach until reinforcements arrive.
We get some awkward drama as Satsu questions Buffy's plan to take every last one of them with her to Japan, and Buffy snaps at her all general-style. I guess the honeymoon is over.
Xander and Renee take tea with Dracula. Renee watches as they make polite talk in an ersatz homosexual marriage kind of way, wondering why she came no doubt. They finally get down to business, explaining the sitch, and Renee gets up in his face about him selling his powers to the highest bidder. Dracula is offended, saying he's the worldly guardian of these ancient magics. Hmmm. Wonder if that's significant at all. Ancient magics. Highlight that. Then Dracula seems to remember something painful. "Oh, balls."
Tokyo. Toru and Raidon discuss how Kumiko wants the kill (of Buffy I thought at first, but now I assume Willow). Toru wants her to concentrate on the spell. Aiko follows them. They notice and know why, decide to give Buffy something to see. Toru pulls out a red-tinted lens and twirls his nonexistent mustache as we...
...cut back to Dracula freaking out and being all racist against East Asians. He apparently got wasted at a Tibetan speakeasy and gambled some knowledge of his powers away in a game of pai gow poker, trying for a Kawasaki Z1000. Andrew knows all. Dracula says he was cheated and mentions a witch with them (Kumiko). He's so pissed off he agrees to join their battle even though he loathes Buffy and her crew and wants to see them all destroyed. Great ally.
While flying the troops in a big transport plane to Japan, Willow talks with Satsu. She gives her the deal on Buffy, how she's the general, has to be separate, that won't change. Oh and BTW, not gay, so don't get your hopes up. Then she wants to dish on Buffy's prowess in bed, but Satsu stays mum, a true gentlelady.
Aiko checks in with Buffy, then finds Toru's lens on the ground and picks it up. She's hit through the lens with a blast of light from the scythe in Kumiko's hand, and her powers are gone. !! Toru taunts her and then eats her. Another one down. And they're planning to do this spell on a larger scale with a big old lens to reverse the spell on all the slayers. Crap.
Buffy Season 8 - Issue #12 SPOILERS FOR BUFFY 1-8 ENTIRE & ANGEL THRU AFTER THE FALL
Wolves at the Gate part 1.
Xander and Renee are on guard, seeing a pack of creepy, red-eyed animals coming towards the castle, arguing over whether they're wolves or panthers. Renee thinks Xander is checking up on her since the zombies attacked last time on her watch. He assures her he's there to hang out with her.
Cut to THE panel, the first really controversial shot of season 8, Buffy and Satsu in bed together! I guess loneliness and knowing someone wanted her kind of naturally led Buffy to this action, but hello power imbalance!
Willow is flying Andrew up from Italy, and he's trying to be Lois to her Superman. He enters the castle to sleep off the Dramamine and Will gets grabbed by a Japanese girl who materializes out of a fog. We'll soon learn she's a witch named Kumiko.
Xander finally asks Renee out. Start the death clock. They don't seem overly concerned about the creepy wolves, but that's flirting for you.
Buffy and Satsu talk over la passion. Buffy is happy but not sure it goes further, and suggests they keep it between them. I think she's trying to honestly process where her head is at and be thoughtful towards Satsu and not creepy. Oh, and start the death clock.
Then we get a farcical scene that doesn't work that well for me, not sure why. Basically everyone and their wolf ends up coming into the room and catching them together naked. Ha ha, let's keep it a secret, oops, Xander knows, oops, and Renee. And here comes Andrew with news of wolves in the castle, and Dawn with talk of bees in the barn. Then Will crashes through the roof and the party is complete. Well, at least we don't have to have the dramatic irony secret drag on.
Wolves find the armory and turn into vampires. They go straight for the scythe. Uh-oh. One is named Raidon. We'll find out soon enough the other is Turo. Buffy interrupts them, but Raidon turns into a panther, takes the scythe and runs while Buffy tries to fight Turo, who turns to fog and disappears. No fair! Raidon passes the scythe to Kumiko, and the vamps retreat.
Castle meeting. The slayers say that all the vampires were changing into fog and bees and wolves and panthers, oh my. Xander calls them Japanese vampire goths. Buffy is concerned they got the scythe. It finally occurs to them that they know a vamp who can pull off those tricks. All eyes turn to Xanfield.
Cut to Xander and Renee in a helicopter, headed to Dracula's castle. Yeesh, lot of medieval settings this season. Dracula opens his door. "Hello, manservant." "How's it going, Master?" The end.
Xander and Renee are on guard, seeing a pack of creepy, red-eyed animals coming towards the castle, arguing over whether they're wolves or panthers. Renee thinks Xander is checking up on her since the zombies attacked last time on her watch. He assures her he's there to hang out with her.
Cut to THE panel, the first really controversial shot of season 8, Buffy and Satsu in bed together! I guess loneliness and knowing someone wanted her kind of naturally led Buffy to this action, but hello power imbalance!
Willow is flying Andrew up from Italy, and he's trying to be Lois to her Superman. He enters the castle to sleep off the Dramamine and Will gets grabbed by a Japanese girl who materializes out of a fog. We'll soon learn she's a witch named Kumiko.
Xander finally asks Renee out. Start the death clock. They don't seem overly concerned about the creepy wolves, but that's flirting for you.
Buffy and Satsu talk over la passion. Buffy is happy but not sure it goes further, and suggests they keep it between them. I think she's trying to honestly process where her head is at and be thoughtful towards Satsu and not creepy. Oh, and start the death clock.
Then we get a farcical scene that doesn't work that well for me, not sure why. Basically everyone and their wolf ends up coming into the room and catching them together naked. Ha ha, let's keep it a secret, oops, Xander knows, oops, and Renee. And here comes Andrew with news of wolves in the castle, and Dawn with talk of bees in the barn. Then Will crashes through the roof and the party is complete. Well, at least we don't have to have the dramatic irony secret drag on.
Wolves find the armory and turn into vampires. They go straight for the scythe. Uh-oh. One is named Raidon. We'll find out soon enough the other is Turo. Buffy interrupts them, but Raidon turns into a panther, takes the scythe and runs while Buffy tries to fight Turo, who turns to fog and disappears. No fair! Raidon passes the scythe to Kumiko, and the vamps retreat.
Castle meeting. The slayers say that all the vampires were changing into fog and bees and wolves and panthers, oh my. Xander calls them Japanese vampire goths. Buffy is concerned they got the scythe. It finally occurs to them that they know a vamp who can pull off those tricks. All eyes turn to Xanfield.
Cut to Xander and Renee in a helicopter, headed to Dracula's castle. Yeesh, lot of medieval settings this season. Dracula opens his door. "Hello, manservant." "How's it going, Master?" The end.
Buffy Season 8 - Issue #11 SPOILERS FOR BUFFY 1-8 ENTIRE & ANGEL THRU AFTER THE FALL
Okay. This is kind of a prequel to the Wolves at the Gate arc, just giving us something to think about as we go forward.
A Beautiful Sunset
Flashback to THE spell at the end of season 7 with a voiceover by Buffy. "Once upon a time I did something good." She goes on to consider how she not only shared her strength with the other potentials, but also meant to give them purpose and meaning. (Of course, purpose and meaning without reflection and a sense of history don't do you much good as we'll soon see.) Oh, and she gave them connection.
"Saving the world means keeping the status quo." (Assuming the status is quo.) "But apocalypses come because the world is trying to change. It has to." This can be read many different ways I think. In some sense it's a repudiation of everything Buffy's worked for, saying trying to stop the apocalypse is trying to disallow change. But while I think that crosses her mind, I think right now she's thinking how she tried to not stop change, but initiate it. Her saving the world by changing the slayer status quo was intended to be a positive redefinition of the ways things were, not an attempt to keep things as they always had been.
This time wasn't just about stopping an invasion, it was Buffy being proactive, riding the change the world wished to enact and guiding it to a better resolution. So casting that spell was not just an act of desperation in the face of overwhelming odds, which is certainly was, but also a game-changing move to make whatever world is left afterwards a better place.
A lot has been out of balance in the Buffyverse since she was brought back. Her returned overbalanced the good side, allowing the First a stronger foothold in reality. Then it upped the ante and Buffy responded, and then some.
But what can you do? Balancing the forces of good and evil in the world isn't like balancing your ratio of exercise to TV viewing, it's a so much larger scale, and so much harder to see in its entirety. All Buffy knows is evil is always out there, and it's always coming back bigger and badder than the last time. She couldn't know her masterstroke would tip the balance so heavily and send the world into chaos. Just as none of us know when a choice we make will have unforeseen consequences. Not all of it is in our control, but we still have to make the choice.
Ahem. Anyway.
All this is behind Buffy's eyes as she watches her monitor screen. The Buffyster is bummed because the less positive results of her choice are playing out on a security feed of a weapons storage facility. The not-so-lovely Simone (Doffler, for what it's worth) is flipping off a camera as she and a few other slayers go rogue in a big way, collecting some major firepower. We hear that she's been a known problem to some extent, having been shipped out of Chicago by Rona -- so Rona is in charge of the Chicago squad -- to Italy to cool her jets away from the big city. That "plan" didn't really do much good apparently.
One of the other girls with her is from Andrew's Italy squad, but the rest are newcomers who didn't come up in the Buffy organization. Xander is concerned about Twilight and others learning about slayers with guns.
Buffy is blaming herself, not just because of the spell, but the robbery she committed initially to fund their endeavors, like we learned about in her side adventure with Willow. Xander asks if that's why Will didn't stick around, but Buffy says it's complicated, not going on to say that Willow doesn't want her loved ones to die anymore because they fight near Buffy.
To change the subject, Xander lets Buffy know he found and was saving a vamp nest for her. She decides to take Satsu with her so they can talk. Then we see there's a big party going on in the castle, even giant Dawn is there, along with tons of slayers and many kegs of beer. Buffy won't be joining in, but she looks on as they enjoy each other's company, connecting.
Xander says Buffy spends too much time alone. Surrounded by slayers, she's still in charge and separate. But she doesn't make speeches anymore, so there's that. (I think) later she'll say she created this connection but she doesn't feel it herself. Some of us are just like that, Buff. No big.
Buffy and Satsu head to a cemetery for a vamp fight slash girl talk scenario. Buffy tells her she's the best fighter and could be a great leader someday, but she needs to remember she's always in danger. The particular danger right now is Buffy figured out from the lip gloss that Satsu is the one who kissed her awake, who is in love with her.
Buffy says knowing someone feels that way about her makes her feel a little bit less lonely, but, fresh from her talk with Will, goes to the Doomed place. Says there's something wrong with her that makes her friends and lovers all die or leave her. Ironically, enter Twilight.
He takes her for a fly, roughs her up a bit, says he came to talk but hates to see her cry. He also gives her some info on his motivations, saying the world can't contain all these slayers and they'll suffer for that. Which he intends as a fact, not a threat I suppose. He says his only gift to her is not killing her now, but she's brought disaster to the world that he has to deal with. If he's trying to get a message to her, I don't see it. "Have you made a difference? Have your slayers helped change anything in this world? Have they helped you?"
VERY SPOILERY PARAGRAPH
He didn't really tell her anything she didn't know, just bummed her out some more. I guess I'm not sure where's he at right now and whether it stays consistent or changes throughout the series. He told his crew he was stripping her of her moral certainty, which is exactly what he did while they were completely alone. Very Angelus kind of talk/fight really. Was he just being cruel to get her to think about the ramifications of her actions? I know ultimately he's trying to help by gathering her enemies together under his banner, and presumably he's still acting as a champion for the greater good, but I still can't see the through-line of his thoughts.
Quick scene with Buffy and Satsu in the infirmary, where she seems to get the message about people near Buffy being targets for pain.
Buffy and Xander talk again in the ramparts, in a bookend scene to the beginning. Buffy asks if they're really doing good. There seems to be ever more demons to fight, and is that their fault? Xander thinks all these girls filled with purpose is pretty rad and says they're just starting out, beginning to make a difference. Maybe they're cleaning up messes now, but they can change the world for the better later. And who's to say he's wrong? I'm not even sure if the season says he's wrong or not conclusively.
Aha! This is where Buffy mentions she doesn't feel the connection. Xander says maybe that's the mystical price of leadership as well. Buffy looks down on the slayers below training together and repeats the words she said in the beginning while watching Simone at her finest. "Yay me." She may have a very different view this time, but she doesn't look any happier as she says it.
A Beautiful Sunset
Flashback to THE spell at the end of season 7 with a voiceover by Buffy. "Once upon a time I did something good." She goes on to consider how she not only shared her strength with the other potentials, but also meant to give them purpose and meaning. (Of course, purpose and meaning without reflection and a sense of history don't do you much good as we'll soon see.) Oh, and she gave them connection.
"Saving the world means keeping the status quo." (Assuming the status is quo.) "But apocalypses come because the world is trying to change. It has to." This can be read many different ways I think. In some sense it's a repudiation of everything Buffy's worked for, saying trying to stop the apocalypse is trying to disallow change. But while I think that crosses her mind, I think right now she's thinking how she tried to not stop change, but initiate it. Her saving the world by changing the slayer status quo was intended to be a positive redefinition of the ways things were, not an attempt to keep things as they always had been.
This time wasn't just about stopping an invasion, it was Buffy being proactive, riding the change the world wished to enact and guiding it to a better resolution. So casting that spell was not just an act of desperation in the face of overwhelming odds, which is certainly was, but also a game-changing move to make whatever world is left afterwards a better place.
A lot has been out of balance in the Buffyverse since she was brought back. Her returned overbalanced the good side, allowing the First a stronger foothold in reality. Then it upped the ante and Buffy responded, and then some.
But what can you do? Balancing the forces of good and evil in the world isn't like balancing your ratio of exercise to TV viewing, it's a so much larger scale, and so much harder to see in its entirety. All Buffy knows is evil is always out there, and it's always coming back bigger and badder than the last time. She couldn't know her masterstroke would tip the balance so heavily and send the world into chaos. Just as none of us know when a choice we make will have unforeseen consequences. Not all of it is in our control, but we still have to make the choice.
Ahem. Anyway.
All this is behind Buffy's eyes as she watches her monitor screen. The Buffyster is bummed because the less positive results of her choice are playing out on a security feed of a weapons storage facility. The not-so-lovely Simone (Doffler, for what it's worth) is flipping off a camera as she and a few other slayers go rogue in a big way, collecting some major firepower. We hear that she's been a known problem to some extent, having been shipped out of Chicago by Rona -- so Rona is in charge of the Chicago squad -- to Italy to cool her jets away from the big city. That "plan" didn't really do much good apparently.
One of the other girls with her is from Andrew's Italy squad, but the rest are newcomers who didn't come up in the Buffy organization. Xander is concerned about Twilight and others learning about slayers with guns.
Buffy is blaming herself, not just because of the spell, but the robbery she committed initially to fund their endeavors, like we learned about in her side adventure with Willow. Xander asks if that's why Will didn't stick around, but Buffy says it's complicated, not going on to say that Willow doesn't want her loved ones to die anymore because they fight near Buffy.
To change the subject, Xander lets Buffy know he found and was saving a vamp nest for her. She decides to take Satsu with her so they can talk. Then we see there's a big party going on in the castle, even giant Dawn is there, along with tons of slayers and many kegs of beer. Buffy won't be joining in, but she looks on as they enjoy each other's company, connecting.
Xander says Buffy spends too much time alone. Surrounded by slayers, she's still in charge and separate. But she doesn't make speeches anymore, so there's that. (I think) later she'll say she created this connection but she doesn't feel it herself. Some of us are just like that, Buff. No big.
Buffy and Satsu head to a cemetery for a vamp fight slash girl talk scenario. Buffy tells her she's the best fighter and could be a great leader someday, but she needs to remember she's always in danger. The particular danger right now is Buffy figured out from the lip gloss that Satsu is the one who kissed her awake, who is in love with her.
Buffy says knowing someone feels that way about her makes her feel a little bit less lonely, but, fresh from her talk with Will, goes to the Doomed place. Says there's something wrong with her that makes her friends and lovers all die or leave her. Ironically, enter Twilight.
He takes her for a fly, roughs her up a bit, says he came to talk but hates to see her cry. He also gives her some info on his motivations, saying the world can't contain all these slayers and they'll suffer for that. Which he intends as a fact, not a threat I suppose. He says his only gift to her is not killing her now, but she's brought disaster to the world that he has to deal with. If he's trying to get a message to her, I don't see it. "Have you made a difference? Have your slayers helped change anything in this world? Have they helped you?"
VERY SPOILERY PARAGRAPH
He didn't really tell her anything she didn't know, just bummed her out some more. I guess I'm not sure where's he at right now and whether it stays consistent or changes throughout the series. He told his crew he was stripping her of her moral certainty, which is exactly what he did while they were completely alone. Very Angelus kind of talk/fight really. Was he just being cruel to get her to think about the ramifications of her actions? I know ultimately he's trying to help by gathering her enemies together under his banner, and presumably he's still acting as a champion for the greater good, but I still can't see the through-line of his thoughts.
Quick scene with Buffy and Satsu in the infirmary, where she seems to get the message about people near Buffy being targets for pain.
Buffy and Xander talk again in the ramparts, in a bookend scene to the beginning. Buffy asks if they're really doing good. There seems to be ever more demons to fight, and is that their fault? Xander thinks all these girls filled with purpose is pretty rad and says they're just starting out, beginning to make a difference. Maybe they're cleaning up messes now, but they can change the world for the better later. And who's to say he's wrong? I'm not even sure if the season says he's wrong or not conclusively.
Aha! This is where Buffy mentions she doesn't feel the connection. Xander says maybe that's the mystical price of leadership as well. Buffy looks down on the slayers below training together and repeats the words she said in the beginning while watching Simone at her finest. "Yay me." She may have a very different view this time, but she doesn't look any happier as she says it.
Buffy Season 8 - Issue #10 SPOILERS FOR BUFFY 1-8 ENTIRE & ANGEL THRU AFTER THE FALL
Anywhere But Here
We've concluded Faith's arc and are back in Buffyland full-time with a little adventure/fact-finding mission of Willow and Buffy's.
We start with a fantasy about being anywhere but here, their old game from high school days. Probably suggested by Willow to get Buffy's mind off of being so far above the ground. She's on a beach with Daniel Craig, in desperate need of sunblock. Willow claims it's a bit generic, but Buffy can't concentrate while riding on Willow's back through the air trying to find something they can't teleport to.
Xander is giving Dawn a gift. The Wiccans bigged up her stuff so she has a change of clothes now. She's so excited she dumps Xander in her giant suitcase with the clothes.
Willow's fantasy is of Tina Fey. They're stuck in a ski lodge and need to stay warm. Buffy asks her again about Kennedy. Willow says it's a fantasy game with no significant others allowed. Buffy talks about not seeing her much or Will for that matter. And they arrive...
...at the Lair of Sephrilian, who walks between worlds. His house is TARDIS-like, he has a female minder to watcher over the unstable reality field he creates. Buffy doesn't know how Willow knows all this stuff. We'll find out later.
The Minder is Robin, who Willow meets later on but doesn't know now or something timey-wimey. They're there to consult I guess. Robin tries not to be gloomy. Tells Buffy the important this is to rescue the prince. Hunh? We also find out Minders are chosen, they don't volunteer to go slowly nuts watching over this thing. Buffy's pretty peppy (or nervous?) enjoying Will's company and making jokes about time loops.
Dawn is enjoying her clean-smelling clothes. Xander is swimming in lacy underthings (foreshadowing) when he finds a picture of Dawn and Kenny.
We're back in the game, and Buffy is enjoying the company of Little Women Christian Bale and Reign of Fire Christian Bale in some gothic ballroom, plotting an escape. Buffy assures Willow she likes Kennedy, thinking Willow is keeping them apart, wondering where they went anyway and what's up with Will generally. She's doing all the talking.
They're interrupted by a giant claw attached to a creepy-looking demon with faces on its tail and lots of teeth that must be Sephrilian. Buffy asks for help, saying he's demon elite or Tichajt, and knows the future. "You know where we are heading. The imbalance between our worlds is going to rain destruction on all our heads." Visions of Beljoxa's Eye swimming in my brain. He prophesies the end "...of the struggle, of the hellmouths...the final triumph of the base humans over the demons. It's your life's goal achieved, Slayer. The death of magic." We'll definitely have to come back here later.
Dawn looks at the picture of Kenny and says it's all her fault. Xander says guys suck. Dawn tells him she didn't sleep with Kenny. She slept with his roommate.
Sephrilian says all human beings can comprehend are the lies they tell to avoid reality, then opens the faces on his tail and show them their secrets. We see a squad of slayers led by Buffy stealing gold and gems from a Swiss bank. That's how she was able to bankroll her organization. Buffy says it's a victimless crime and it's only money. Willow says, "Money changes everything. This is where it all starts, Buffy. What your enemies saw." She calls it the first domino leading to Twilight.
Then we see Willow getting up close and naked with a green snake goddess type woman. Much more on this to come.
Dawn flashes back to her own secret, Nick. She says she cheated and is a skank and deserves what she got from it. She wanted to tell Willow, thought she could, but couldn't. Xander compares Nick to Parker and says all Dawn is guilty of is being a cliche. Then claims he's special because Dawn opened up to him. Too true.
Robin shows up with Buffy and Willow somewhere neither of them recognize. It's a domed stone structure with a cracked red egg. There's fog on the ground and Buffy is lying there, crying and injured. Robin claims what happens here is "betrayal. The closest, the most unexpected." Then Robin leaves because they're about to cause a disruption. Buffy immediately asks Willow if it's her.
Willow says she won't betray her more than she has, and we get the story behind her taking Kennedy and running. Flashback to Kennedy fighting with Willow about why she's keeping her away from Buffy, is she ashamed of her?
We find out Kennedy sort of died once for Willow, and that Will went away for 6-months to presumably learn naughty things from snake goddess. More on that in the Willow one-shot.
Willow says it's not about shame, but when she saw Warren again, she realized it was about Tara. Her and Tara were happy when Buffy died. And so was Buffy. But Willow brought her back anyway, and that led to Tara's death. She's talking both to Kennedy in the flashback and Buffy in reality now. "I chose to put Tara in a bullet's path. I chose you (Buffy) over her." She can't do that again.
Sephrilian pops back up with his faces. He says all of them are there for you to see, but humans hide so many of their own. Buffy and Willow can't look at each other now. Buffy is so not in the mood for Sephrilian to gloat about welcoming the coming war or threatening to expose their weaknesses to other demons. Neither is Willow. Buffy takes the fire Willow gives her and uses it to slay Sephrilian. The place explodes. Robin keeps shielded. She's glad to have some time off, and she doesn't remember what happened there. Apparently it was only a projection of her, so their secrets are safely hidden.
Buffy, looking sad, calls what happened demons playing games. Will looks guilty. They head off separately.
Man, that's rough. I get Willow's point, but poor Buffy. She didn't ask for, well, any of that. Harsh.
We've concluded Faith's arc and are back in Buffyland full-time with a little adventure/fact-finding mission of Willow and Buffy's.
We start with a fantasy about being anywhere but here, their old game from high school days. Probably suggested by Willow to get Buffy's mind off of being so far above the ground. She's on a beach with Daniel Craig, in desperate need of sunblock. Willow claims it's a bit generic, but Buffy can't concentrate while riding on Willow's back through the air trying to find something they can't teleport to.
Xander is giving Dawn a gift. The Wiccans bigged up her stuff so she has a change of clothes now. She's so excited she dumps Xander in her giant suitcase with the clothes.
Willow's fantasy is of Tina Fey. They're stuck in a ski lodge and need to stay warm. Buffy asks her again about Kennedy. Willow says it's a fantasy game with no significant others allowed. Buffy talks about not seeing her much or Will for that matter. And they arrive...
...at the Lair of Sephrilian, who walks between worlds. His house is TARDIS-like, he has a female minder to watcher over the unstable reality field he creates. Buffy doesn't know how Willow knows all this stuff. We'll find out later.
The Minder is Robin, who Willow meets later on but doesn't know now or something timey-wimey. They're there to consult I guess. Robin tries not to be gloomy. Tells Buffy the important this is to rescue the prince. Hunh? We also find out Minders are chosen, they don't volunteer to go slowly nuts watching over this thing. Buffy's pretty peppy (or nervous?) enjoying Will's company and making jokes about time loops.
Dawn is enjoying her clean-smelling clothes. Xander is swimming in lacy underthings (foreshadowing) when he finds a picture of Dawn and Kenny.
We're back in the game, and Buffy is enjoying the company of Little Women Christian Bale and Reign of Fire Christian Bale in some gothic ballroom, plotting an escape. Buffy assures Willow she likes Kennedy, thinking Willow is keeping them apart, wondering where they went anyway and what's up with Will generally. She's doing all the talking.
They're interrupted by a giant claw attached to a creepy-looking demon with faces on its tail and lots of teeth that must be Sephrilian. Buffy asks for help, saying he's demon elite or Tichajt, and knows the future. "You know where we are heading. The imbalance between our worlds is going to rain destruction on all our heads." Visions of Beljoxa's Eye swimming in my brain. He prophesies the end "...of the struggle, of the hellmouths...the final triumph of the base humans over the demons. It's your life's goal achieved, Slayer. The death of magic." We'll definitely have to come back here later.
Dawn looks at the picture of Kenny and says it's all her fault. Xander says guys suck. Dawn tells him she didn't sleep with Kenny. She slept with his roommate.
Sephrilian says all human beings can comprehend are the lies they tell to avoid reality, then opens the faces on his tail and show them their secrets. We see a squad of slayers led by Buffy stealing gold and gems from a Swiss bank. That's how she was able to bankroll her organization. Buffy says it's a victimless crime and it's only money. Willow says, "Money changes everything. This is where it all starts, Buffy. What your enemies saw." She calls it the first domino leading to Twilight.
Then we see Willow getting up close and naked with a green snake goddess type woman. Much more on this to come.
Dawn flashes back to her own secret, Nick. She says she cheated and is a skank and deserves what she got from it. She wanted to tell Willow, thought she could, but couldn't. Xander compares Nick to Parker and says all Dawn is guilty of is being a cliche. Then claims he's special because Dawn opened up to him. Too true.
Robin shows up with Buffy and Willow somewhere neither of them recognize. It's a domed stone structure with a cracked red egg. There's fog on the ground and Buffy is lying there, crying and injured. Robin claims what happens here is "betrayal. The closest, the most unexpected." Then Robin leaves because they're about to cause a disruption. Buffy immediately asks Willow if it's her.
Willow says she won't betray her more than she has, and we get the story behind her taking Kennedy and running. Flashback to Kennedy fighting with Willow about why she's keeping her away from Buffy, is she ashamed of her?
We find out Kennedy sort of died once for Willow, and that Will went away for 6-months to presumably learn naughty things from snake goddess. More on that in the Willow one-shot.
Willow says it's not about shame, but when she saw Warren again, she realized it was about Tara. Her and Tara were happy when Buffy died. And so was Buffy. But Willow brought her back anyway, and that led to Tara's death. She's talking both to Kennedy in the flashback and Buffy in reality now. "I chose to put Tara in a bullet's path. I chose you (Buffy) over her." She can't do that again.
Sephrilian pops back up with his faces. He says all of them are there for you to see, but humans hide so many of their own. Buffy and Willow can't look at each other now. Buffy is so not in the mood for Sephrilian to gloat about welcoming the coming war or threatening to expose their weaknesses to other demons. Neither is Willow. Buffy takes the fire Willow gives her and uses it to slay Sephrilian. The place explodes. Robin keeps shielded. She's glad to have some time off, and she doesn't remember what happened there. Apparently it was only a projection of her, so their secrets are safely hidden.
Buffy, looking sad, calls what happened demons playing games. Will looks guilty. They head off separately.
Man, that's rough. I get Willow's point, but poor Buffy. She didn't ask for, well, any of that. Harsh.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Jacob-inspired musing material
Jacob wisdom from recap of True Blood finale (http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/true_blood/and_when_i_die-1.php?page=17):
"...all other things being equal -- if Tara were out of the picture and Sookie had just killed Debbie on her own, let's start there -- then you are looking at a particular story, which is that when you choose to deviate from the norm, when you go it alone, or queer, or however you're going to do it, even just unmarried, that decision cuts both ways. Yes, you get to be free and true to yourself, but also, you have opted out of the game and can't expect validation from the game.
"...all other things being equal -- if Tara were out of the picture and Sookie had just killed Debbie on her own, let's start there -- then you are looking at a particular story, which is that when you choose to deviate from the norm, when you go it alone, or queer, or however you're going to do it, even just unmarried, that decision cuts both ways. Yes, you get to be free and true to yourself, but also, you have opted out of the game and can't expect validation from the game.
As Jessica's learning, you can either be a sex warrior gender revolutionary or a socially validated Good Girl, but you can't have both. And you can't flip back and forth between Sexy Faery You and Nice Christian You, not forever. You have to become something that is both. It is a trade-off. A wonderful, powerful, scary-as-hell trade-off.
"And I think for whatever reason, at this time in our culture, we've fallen into a lazy lull of somehow feeling owed something, in this way. That instead of acknowledging that living by our own lights and being true to ourselves might have a cost, we manage to either conform or do it half-assed and then whine about it later. "All I did was act like a slut and then you called me a slut" is not a well-formed sentence or valid complaint. "All I did was act like a slut, a word with zero meaning or power over me" is a well-formed sentence, and allows at least for the possibility that life is an unfair place for grownups and crybabies alike.
"As I said, it gets twisted by the fact that Tara died in the middle of it, but if you follow just the thread of Mine, His, Hers, it's a pretty complicated idea. "Why can't you both be Mine" is a meaningless question, because "Mine" isn't just about feelings -- it's about facts, and death, and danger. But to rebel against this idea that "You have to be His or you won't be at all," that can't possibly be a bad thing either, right?
"I think this is what it looks like, all this brain matter all over the kitchen. I think if you're willing to risk the danger of the real world, and be a complete person, the first thing that's gotta go is your fear of being the bad guy. Because it's not like Sookie killing a person in self-defense is really all that different from Sookie having one of her boyfriends take care of it for her, which is what you're really saying when you say Mine: Kill those that threaten me, so I don't have to get my hands dirty.
"Our mistake lies in thinking that grace attends any more to purity than to experience. But that's just nostalgia too: Because now is difficult to deal with at any given time, the past was always easier and kinder and clearer and purer. And that is imaginary, and reactionary, and gross, and scary. Especially when you apply it to yourself, which shouldn't be a show for other people anyway. Because the truth is, nobody lives that way.
"Nobody stays clean. We weren't designed for that. When your hands get dirty, all you have to do is wash them."
This is why I read his recaps; I always get things to mull over from his way of saying things that is so different from how I would say them but still meaningful to the things I think about. That dissonance is invigorating and extremely helpful.
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