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Get It Done.
This is a great episode and I love it.
*waits for de-friending*
Heh. This was another one I hadn't actually watched for years - and I was very pleasantly surprised! It's a taut, well written episode, that continually pushes things further. And every time you think it's done, it ups the ante yet again.
It begins with Buffy's dream: Potentials everywhere, The First Slayer. "It's Not Enough!"
Then, in a very nice bit of co-ordination, we have Buffy showing Principal Wood what she's working with, what constitutes 'not enough': A load of potentials who are really only scared children, a formerly evil geek, a scary powerful witch who only admits to 'dabbling' and a legendary (dark) warrior who fights like a vimpire. Buffy is not doing well and she knows it.
And then comes Chloe's suicide.
This is obviously the last straw for Buffy ("I'm the one with the power. And the First has me using that power to dig our graves!") She can just about protect all these people from physical harm, but she can't protect them from despair. That's their own battle and not one Buffy can fight for them. But she knows it can be won - she knows what it's like to be told at 16 that you're going to die. She knows what it's like look on death as the comfy alternative. She's been there and done that. Buffy's speech is harsh, but she has some *very* good points:
The First isn't impressed. It already knows us. It knows what we can do, and it's laughing. You want to surprise the enemy? Surprise yourselves. Force yourself to do what can't be done, or else we are not an army—we're just a bunch of girls waiting to be picked off and buried.
You know what it reminds me of? The argument in 'The Yoko Factor':
Buffy: No! No, you said you wanted to go. So let's go! All of us. We'll walk into that cave with you two attacking me and the funny drunk drooling on my shoe! Hey! Hey, maybe that's the secret way of killing Adam?! Is that it? Is that how you can help? You're not answering me! How can you possibly help? So . . . I guess I'm starting to understand why there's no ancient prophecy about a Chosen One . . and her friends.
The thing is, now they can help. They are powerful, but they're not using their power. See this episode ties in directly with 'Help' - what do you do when you know you can't help? Buffy doesn't have an answer (yet), but she knows that giving up is definitely the wrong answer. Cassie gave up - and it nearly got her butchered.
This is what Buffy said in 'Bring On The Night':
From now on, we won't just face our worst fears, we will seek them out. We will find them, and cut out their hearts one by one, until The First shows itself for what it really is.
Now she forces Willow and Spike to face their worst fears, as she jumps through the portal towards goodness knows what.
About Spike... oh I love his scenes. He's been trying so very hard to keep his demon at bay, to be Angel Mark II, and now Buffy tells him that what she wants is Spike! That's a bitter pill to swallow. But - I think it's actually very helpful in getting Spike to become a balanced person. Remember this bit from 'Guise Will Be Guise' when Angel talks to the fake swami:
Magev: “Fight!"
Angel: "I am fighting!"
Magev: "Yourself. You're fighting yourself. Fight me! Why are you holding back? Why can't you let go?"
Angel: "Because."
Magev: "Why?"
Angel over their locked staffs: "If I let it, it'll kill you."
Magev: "It?"
Angel disengages and steps back: "The demon."
Magev: "Ha! But the demon is you!"
Angel: "No."
Magev: "Yes! That's the thing you spend so much energy trying to conceal!"
Angel shakes his head: "No, I just - I can't let it control me."
Magev nods: "Ah. I see. (Hits Angel's knee hard then hooks the staff behind his legs to drop him onto his back) You *don't* think it controls you?"
Spike has the same fear. But Buffy pushes him, and he dares to let go of the control, to *be* the demon that tried to kill Buffy when they first met:
SPIKE: Sod off! (laughs) Come on. When was the last time you unleashed it? All out fight in a mob, back against the wall, nothing but fists and fangs? Don't you ever get tired of fights you know you're going to win?
ANGELUS: No. A real kill. A good kill. It takes pure artistry. Without that, we're just animals.
As Spike becomes all fists and fangs in his fight with the demon, he lets out a howl, just like back in 'Doomed' when he discovered that the chip would let him fight demons:
That's right. I'm back. And I'm a BLOODY ANIMAL! Yeah!
Of course at the same time, Buffy is refusing to become less human in return for more powers, telling the Shadowmen that they're 'out of line'. And later wondering if maybe she was wrong...
I love the ending. The shot of all the Uber-vamps gives me goosebumps in the best possible way. What an episode.
Not nice. Not sweet. It doesn't pull it's punches and I love it because of that. I might even forgive Mr Petrie for AYW...
*waits for de-friending*
Heh. This was another one I hadn't actually watched for years - and I was very pleasantly surprised! It's a taut, well written episode, that continually pushes things further. And every time you think it's done, it ups the ante yet again.
It begins with Buffy's dream: Potentials everywhere, The First Slayer. "It's Not Enough!"
Then, in a very nice bit of co-ordination, we have Buffy showing Principal Wood what she's working with, what constitutes 'not enough': A load of potentials who are really only scared children, a formerly evil geek, a scary powerful witch who only admits to 'dabbling' and a legendary (dark) warrior who fights like a vimpire. Buffy is not doing well and she knows it.
And then comes Chloe's suicide.
This is obviously the last straw for Buffy ("I'm the one with the power. And the First has me using that power to dig our graves!") She can just about protect all these people from physical harm, but she can't protect them from despair. That's their own battle and not one Buffy can fight for them. But she knows it can be won - she knows what it's like to be told at 16 that you're going to die. She knows what it's like look on death as the comfy alternative. She's been there and done that. Buffy's speech is harsh, but she has some *very* good points:
The First isn't impressed. It already knows us. It knows what we can do, and it's laughing. You want to surprise the enemy? Surprise yourselves. Force yourself to do what can't be done, or else we are not an army—we're just a bunch of girls waiting to be picked off and buried.
You know what it reminds me of? The argument in 'The Yoko Factor':
Buffy: No! No, you said you wanted to go. So let's go! All of us. We'll walk into that cave with you two attacking me and the funny drunk drooling on my shoe! Hey! Hey, maybe that's the secret way of killing Adam?! Is that it? Is that how you can help? You're not answering me! How can you possibly help? So . . . I guess I'm starting to understand why there's no ancient prophecy about a Chosen One . . and her friends.
The thing is, now they can help. They are powerful, but they're not using their power. See this episode ties in directly with 'Help' - what do you do when you know you can't help? Buffy doesn't have an answer (yet), but she knows that giving up is definitely the wrong answer. Cassie gave up - and it nearly got her butchered.
This is what Buffy said in 'Bring On The Night':
From now on, we won't just face our worst fears, we will seek them out. We will find them, and cut out their hearts one by one, until The First shows itself for what it really is.
Now she forces Willow and Spike to face their worst fears, as she jumps through the portal towards goodness knows what.
About Spike... oh I love his scenes. He's been trying so very hard to keep his demon at bay, to be Angel Mark II, and now Buffy tells him that what she wants is Spike! That's a bitter pill to swallow. But - I think it's actually very helpful in getting Spike to become a balanced person. Remember this bit from 'Guise Will Be Guise' when Angel talks to the fake swami:
Magev: “Fight!"
Angel: "I am fighting!"
Magev: "Yourself. You're fighting yourself. Fight me! Why are you holding back? Why can't you let go?"
Angel: "Because."
Magev: "Why?"
Angel over their locked staffs: "If I let it, it'll kill you."
Magev: "It?"
Angel disengages and steps back: "The demon."
Magev: "Ha! But the demon is you!"
Angel: "No."
Magev: "Yes! That's the thing you spend so much energy trying to conceal!"
Angel shakes his head: "No, I just - I can't let it control me."
Magev nods: "Ah. I see. (Hits Angel's knee hard then hooks the staff behind his legs to drop him onto his back) You *don't* think it controls you?"
Spike has the same fear. But Buffy pushes him, and he dares to let go of the control, to *be* the demon that tried to kill Buffy when they first met:
SPIKE: Sod off! (laughs) Come on. When was the last time you unleashed it? All out fight in a mob, back against the wall, nothing but fists and fangs? Don't you ever get tired of fights you know you're going to win?
ANGELUS: No. A real kill. A good kill. It takes pure artistry. Without that, we're just animals.
As Spike becomes all fists and fangs in his fight with the demon, he lets out a howl, just like back in 'Doomed' when he discovered that the chip would let him fight demons:
That's right. I'm back. And I'm a BLOODY ANIMAL! Yeah!
Of course at the same time, Buffy is refusing to become less human in return for more powers, telling the Shadowmen that they're 'out of line'. And later wondering if maybe she was wrong...
I love the ending. The shot of all the Uber-vamps gives me goosebumps in the best possible way. What an episode.
Not nice. Not sweet. It doesn't pull it's punches and I love it because of that. I might even forgive Mr Petrie for AYW...
no subject
'OMG Buffy is a heartless bitch! Warg!' Or something like... I love it for the same reasons you do - although if you want to expand on the parallels between Buffy and Spike I'd be very happy. :)
the First could have been used more effectively for this.
Well what The First does is make people doubt themselves. Buffy tried to make people believe.
it was the higlight of that episode for me
Me too! Because Angel is incredibly clam-like and doesn't talk about himself if he can help it. "Why does a vampire drive a convertible?" Oh it's wonderful stuff indeed!
The other side of that is that Angel has always seen himself as above others (humans). There's the conversation with Spike in FFL talking about killing being art, and there's also this bit in 'Dear Boy':
Darla: "Kind of trite, I know. What do you expect? They're only human."
Angel smiles at her: "You better embrace that mediocrity, honey. You're talking about your own kind now."
Which is why Pylea comes as such a shock - underneath it all, a vampire is just an animal and Angel really, really doesn't cope well with that. It's why he doesn't think he can ever face his friends again.
I seem to have run off on a tangent there, but I really do love Angel in all his flawed glory!
no subject
Which is why Pylea comes as such a shock - underneath it all, a vampire is just an animal and Angel really, really doesn't cope well with that.
Funny you should bring that up, we're currently moving through AtS S3 so saw the Pylea arc recently. I was pointing out that pool reflection scene to Mike. The first one where Angel is grinning at himself, Mike was seeing as just another example of his vanity such as with the mirror in the throne room. But it seemed to me emblematic of not just the vanity, but more his delight in seeing himself as he wanted to be seen, not as, what he knew was the evil within him, but rather the image of this appealing human. Of course later the scene is paralleled when he is the Angelbeast and his fears about his true face are revealed, something which horrifies even him.
although if you want to expand on the parallels between Buffy and Spike I'd be very happy
I'm trying to remember if I actually posted about this before, though I know I've talked about it to someone. It had to do with the inverse of Spike and Buffy finding their power in this episode. Buffy as is fairly clear, discovers the origins of Slayer power come from the Shadowmen harnessing a demon spirit and infusing it into a girl. Although she rejects it, it seems to me this is a somewhat pro-forma issue, she already contains it and as we already learned in "Helpless" she has no real wish to give it up. It seems what she's striving for there is balance, to keep her humanity from being overwhelmed by the demon essence.
On the other hand Spike is a demon who's recently had an infusion of human spirit, but he's been struggling to deny the demon side. When she forces him to start reintegrating it, he does so symbolically be redonning his coat, the mantle (or perhaps borrowed power) of the Slayer. So between the two of them there is something of a full circle there. A girl given the power of a demon, a demon given the power of a girl.
I find the juxtaposition interesting as well, as we cut from the demon trying to enter Buffy to Spike unearthing and whipping the coat on.