[OT] Buffy - Spoilers within

[Angelsboi]

Crothian -

reread my statement.

In Becoming Part 1, we see her being taught by Merrick when Angel is watching her. Joyce and Hank were fighting in the house. She was at Hemery High. NOT in Sunnydale. Meaning shortly after her fight with the vampire in the Becoming Part 1 flashback, she was instatutinalized.

And now that i think about it, her mom was OVERLY shocked at the end of season 2. Look at Buffys behavior. Brning down school Gyms, Snyder always riding her about her being a trouble maker ...

Everyone knew (Joyce, the principals, maybe even Giles) but she never told her friends ... or even Angel.

 

[Crothian]

Okay, I understand what you're saying. When I first read it it sounded as if you were stating it happened in between episodes of season 2.

Personally, I don't think the institution world exists anywhere but Buffy's mind.

 

[el-remmen]

I don't think this excellent episode was trying to suggest that everything we have seen for six seasons was "not real" - in fact, just the opposite. . .

In the end the "fantasy world" was the real world - a place where our dead or estranged loved ones are there unconditionally, the things we have the greatest responsibility for no longer exist (being the Slayer, taking care of Dawn) and we are allowed a fresh start away from painful or tragic relationships (Spike, Xander and his break up) and of course, escape from our crappy jobs at the Double Meat Palace.

In the end Buffy was rejecting the fantasy that was keeping her from doing the work she needs to do to improve her life - the idea that somehow everything was going to be just fine on its own.

Anyway, if one must take the thing literally (which one shouldn't) the fact that there were scenes in the "vampire world" independent of Buffy's presence where the venom and the demon and her reaction were discussed verifies that at the very least these were two parallel worlds with Buffy at the crux - but I don't buy that.

 

[Angelsboi]

Oh i agree completely.

Buffy just needed reasurrance =)

 

[sotmh]

AB, I don't think we'll see Buffy end up in the "Real World" at the end of the show. That's been done way too many times, see "Newhart" and "Dallas" for some examples (IIRC). Plus, where would that leave the spin-off series'?

It was a good episode, nonetheless. Buffy really needed something to snap her out of the funk that she's been in lately. Kudos to last weeks episode for the unexpected yet logical ending. I still just want to smack Xander around for leaving Anya like that and he's just starting to understand what he's done, but he still doesn't see the full ramifications of his stupidity (beyond the whole vengeance demon thing, I mean). Things between Anya and him can never be the same. It's tragic.

I will make one prediction regarding the show, though. I think, at the end of the series or season, Buffy will end up with Jonathon. It makes so much sense. Especially after this season, Buffy is in about the same place in her life as the little guy. Plus, since we know Joss is kind of a geek, it's not a stretch to speculate that he might "get the girl" in the end.

sotmh

 

[Crothian]

That's an interesting thought. So, anyone know what's going to happen next?


This is my opinion on what will happen next. I don't have any advanced knowledge. Just wanted to say that just in case someone thought I was posting unmarked spoilers. I think we'll get an episode of Anya seeking vengeance on Xander. I think that Tar will get killed by Warren, Willow will snap and use great magics to torture and kill Warren. Then Willow will become bad (I think Big Bad is not the proper term as there is no Big Bad. We're to late in the season for that). She will be hard, if not impossible to stop or reason with. I give her a couple of free Rage Mage levels

 

[coyote6]

This is my opinion on what will happen next. I don't have any advanced knowledge.

Are you sure you haven't been reading the Spoiler Slayer?

 

[Crothian]

Are you sure you haven't been reading the Spoiler Slayer?

I don't read spoilers. Why, am I close?

The seasons are ussually predictible with the main plots and this is how i see it happening. Tar has always been a lesser character and is expendible. Warren is the most evil of the group, and it's only a matter of time before he really tries to kill someone. I'm betting it's Tara. Probably fails to kill Buffy and gets Tara instead, like the accident with the Invisible gun. So, with Tara dead Willow goes Balistic and uses the only thing she has: Magic. Only reason she hasn't been using Magic is to get Tara back. Stopping Warren isn't enough, and neither is killing him. So, I expect Torture. And that won't sit well with the other Scoobies. They will of course try to reason with Willow first, but we know that won;t work. Willow, with all her power may be impossible to stop. Last time she lost control (when Tara was injured so that supports the Willow Rage after Tara dies) she was the only one to hurt Glory. This time the angry will be greater and the rage will be worse.

As for the Anya taking Vengeance on Xander, franly I've been expecting that since they went to the prom together. And after the Wedding epsiode is there really anyone who thinks this will not happen?

Edit: Dump Mistake

 

[Magnus]

in the midst of all of this "i love this episode" stuff, i gotta say. i was and continue to be disappointed with this season. and this episode was no exception. i've always enjoyed buffy ... well, at least since i started watching about 2 years ago. but this season has felt cheap, and a bit too contrived for my tastes.

it feels like the writers sit around and brainstorm about what else they can do to %@$# up buffy's life this week. other than severe emotional trauma, there doesn't really seem to be any cohesion to this season. and while i'm at it, what the hell is up with all the sex on the show! this season there's been more sex than on the rest of prime time tv combined! i mean, buffy and riley used to get it on, but we were never shown this much of it! i can't help wondering how much of this is the doing of UPN.

as for this ep, it just seemed like more of the same. if it wasn't for the occasional quirkiness of the characters, and the lil gems of direction and acting, i'd really hate this ep. the speech by buffy's mom that brings her back, is a perfect example. it was very transparent, but the way it was executed still managed to tug the heartstrings.

i don't buy all of this about the psych ward is the "real" world. what, the demon's venom caused her to see the truth, when it causes hallucinations in everyone else? no. it's just another one in a string of brutalisations to buffy's psyche. perhaps the one that brings back her strength, but still, just another in the string.

it's disappointing that it seems that this once great show has lost some of the attention of it's creators. Angel on the other hand, has gotten positively BRILLIANT this season. while buffy just seems to be losing cohesion. as the "big bad" of this season, the real world, or adulthood. or growing up, or whatever it's supposed to be, is really disappointing.

all of that said, i still do like the show. perhaps it's mostly just nostalgic at this point, but i'll continue to watch. i just was not really impressed with this ep, as most of you seem to be. *shrug*

 

[LostSoul]

as the "big bad" of this season, the real world, or adulthood. or growing up, or whatever it's supposed to be, is really disappointing.

That's weird, I feel the opposite way. I felt like the show was becoming "bad guy shows up - they worry about it - Buffy beats it up anyways". Remember that, in the end, Buffy still "beat up" Glory.

This season is saying to Buffy that she can't just solve every problem with physical violence. Sometimes the problems are deeper.