Superstar and New Moon Rising.

Superstar
I honestly can't think of anything to say about this episode. I mean it's fun, but it just doesn't have much... depth. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy watching it very much indeed, but compared to 'Storyteller' it comes across as fluff. Maybe because its main 'purpose' (apart of course from having fun with making Jonathan the center of the universe, which is a brilliant idea!) is to make Buffy & Riley make up.

Oh I *do* have a thought. Spike continually calls Buffy 'Betty', signifying that she isn't herself. A little touch that I enjoyed very much. :)

New Moon Rising
Watching this I noticed a lot of parallels between the Oz/Willow/Tara triangle and the Angel/Buffy//Spike triangle in 'Chosen':

OZ: You smell like her. She's all over you, do you know that? [...] Cause she never said anything to me like that. We talked all night and she never-

ANGEL: Is it Spike? You're not telling me something. And his scent, I remember it pretty well.

Of course the situations are very different - for a start Angel takes the news a *lot* better than Oz! But the thing that struck me was that the final goodbyes are really very similar:

OZ: It was stupid to think that you'd just be... waiting.
WILLOW: I was waiting. I feel like some part of me will always be waiting for you. Like if I'm old and blue-haired, and I turn the corner in Istanbul and there you are, I won't be surprised. Because... you're with me, you know?
OZ: I know. But now is not that time, I guess.

BUFFY: Angel. I do... sometimes think that far ahead.
ANGEL: Sometimes is something.
BUFFY: Be a long time coming. Years, if ever.
ANGEL: I ain't getting any older.

Finally a thought about Spike. In 'New Moon Rising' Adam recruits Spike, explaining his plan to him:

ADAM: You see my problem, though. Total annihilation of the humans doesn't help me. I'll be needing heavy casualties on both sides.
SPIKE: I get that. I'm still not sure how the Slayer fits in.
ADAM: The humans need a leader... a champion. The Slayer can do that.

The thing is... Buffy won't be fighting in Adam's battle. She's not the one who's going to even the kill ratio, saving human lives. The Champion role will be - Spike's! And he'll be doing it to preserve his own skin, but nevertheless he'll be doing Buffy's job, stepping into her shoes. Which is just... neat! :)

Superstar and New Moon Rising.

Superstar
I honestly can't think of anything to say about this episode. I mean it's fun, but it just doesn't have much... depth. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy watching it very much indeed, but compared to 'Storyteller' it comes across as fluff. Maybe because its main 'purpose' (apart of course from having fun with making Jonathan the center of the universe, which is a brilliant idea!) is to make Buffy & Riley make up.

Oh I *do* have a thought. Spike continually calls Buffy 'Betty', signifying that she isn't herself. A little touch that I enjoyed very much. :)

New Moon Rising
Watching this I noticed a lot of parallels between the Oz/Willow/Tara triangle and the Angel/Buffy//Spike triangle in 'Chosen':

OZ: You smell like her. She's all over you, do you know that? [...] Cause she never said anything to me like that. We talked all night and she never-

ANGEL: Is it Spike? You're not telling me something. And his scent, I remember it pretty well.

Of course the situations are very different - for a start Angel takes the news a *lot* better than Oz! But the thing that struck me was that the final goodbyes are really very similar:

OZ: It was stupid to think that you'd just be... waiting.
WILLOW: I was waiting. I feel like some part of me will always be waiting for you. Like if I'm old and blue-haired, and I turn the corner in Istanbul and there you are, I won't be surprised. Because... you're with me, you know?
OZ: I know. But now is not that time, I guess.

BUFFY: Angel. I do... sometimes think that far ahead.
ANGEL: Sometimes is something.
BUFFY: Be a long time coming. Years, if ever.
ANGEL: I ain't getting any older.

Finally a thought about Spike. In 'New Moon Rising' Adam recruits Spike, explaining his plan to him:

ADAM: You see my problem, though. Total annihilation of the humans doesn't help me. I'll be needing heavy casualties on both sides.
SPIKE: I get that. I'm still not sure how the Slayer fits in.
ADAM: The humans need a leader... a champion. The Slayer can do that.

The thing is... Buffy won't be fighting in Adam's battle. She's not the one who's going to even the kill ratio, saving human lives. The Champion role will be - Spike's! And he'll be doing it to preserve his own skin, but nevertheless he'll be doing Buffy's job, stepping into her shoes. Which is just... neat! :)

You want to read this! Trust me!

stormwreath posted Buffy, Spike, Willow: three Hero's Journeys (part 1):

"Long ago in a Usenet newsgroup far, far away, I wrote a piece comparing Buffy’s character arc to the Hero’s Journey, as described in The Hero With A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. I’ve been developing that, and also giving some thought to how Spike’s and Willow’s stories match up."

Reading an abbreviated version of this was what first made me urge Stephen to get an LJ, so I'm *so* happy he's finally posted it! :) Buffy's journey in particular follows Campbell's model almost to the letter - and shows why her journey wasn't complete by The Gift! Although that's still to come...

You want to read this! Trust me!

stormwreath posted Buffy, Spike, Willow: three Hero's Journeys (part 1):

"Long ago in a Usenet newsgroup far, far away, I wrote a piece comparing Buffy’s character arc to the Hero’s Journey, as described in The Hero With A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. I’ve been developing that, and also giving some thought to how Spike’s and Willow’s stories match up."

Reading an abbreviated version of this was what first made me urge Stephen to get an LJ, so I'm *so* happy he's finally posted it! :) Buffy's journey in particular follows Campbell's model almost to the letter - and shows why her journey wasn't complete by The Gift! Although that's still to come...