elisi | Bad Eggs. A few B/A thoughts...

ibmiller put it very well in his comment to my previous post:

Though sometimes I wonder where the Bangels come from - soulmates? All they did was skate and kiss before he went evil.

Watching the B/A interaction in Bad Eggs, it doesn't scream 'Eternal Love' - what I see is two kids (I know Angel is 200+, but I doubt he's ever been in love before, so I'm going by emotional maturity) who are madly in love. I remember feeling like that. Being completely wrapped up in someone else and thinking that spending every waking minute kissing would be the best possible way of spending my life! :) And it's a wonderful feeling. But it's not eternal love.

Buffy and Angel do very little talking - and are seriously neglectful of what they *should* be doing. The Gorch brothers are sat on the cemetary wall, watching, wondering why the heck Angelus is madly snogging the Slayer. Being so lost in each other, they completely fail to see the warning signs - the 'sex education lesson' is as subtle as a sledge hammer, but Buffy obviously pays no attention. Xander and Cordy are the ones talking, but they're not the ones about to give in to their passion. The negative consequences of sex are to be experienced by Buffy, and it'll be nothing as simple as pregnancy.

See there's a difference between being 'in love' and actual, mature love. That's not to say that one can't develop into the other, but they're not the same.

(I've love to talk about this at length, but sadly that RL thing is intruding again. Blah. Thoughts? Comments?)

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Hmmm, I always thought that the season three Bangel stuff was the only stuff that felt real to me. Admittedly, there was a bit too much soulful "We souldn't" "We must" "Oh, Buffy, I love you so much I almost forgot to brood!" "Bite me"... oh, wait, that was a different season three. Sorry. Still think it was a nice relationship. And I thought the point of "The Zeppo" was that everything was mocked except what was usually mocked - Xander. The world is ending, lovers' hearts are breaking, Willow's doing magic, and Xander is - saving everyone? Great stuff. I can't believe he just had sex.

Oh, the randomness.

Anyway, the point of my self-indulgent references is that I think that season three, while a bit melodramatic, is no more so than any other season of Buffy - and I enjoyed Buffy and Angel's love in that season. His speech to her in "Helpless," though not as touching as Spike's in "Touched," is a nice look at why, not just that they fell in love.

Am very curious how you think Buffy and Angel are too alike. The only thing I can think of is that they both tend to be generally altruistic (as opposed to Spike, who is personally loyal - though Buffy does show those tendencies where Angel doesn't). I think of Buffy as a much more in-the-moment, energetic, active, passionate person, while Angel is much more introspective, alone, and intellectual (not intelligent, intellectual. It's a bent, not a measure of ability). However, I would love to hear your ideas about their commonalities.

Great stuff. I can't believe he just had sex.
Bwah! I *love* how you write - your thoughts seem to have the same pattern mine do!

Am very curious how you think Buffy and Angel are too alike.
Well... they both have a need to be in charge, to be the hero. (See IWRY and notice how Angel cannot cope with being #2.) They both cut themselves off emotionally when things get though, and shut down completely when it gets too much. They increasingly put each other on pedestals (esp in later years. What would Buffy say if she knew that Angel had just been sleeping with Darla to try to lose his soul when he comes to comfort her in 'Forever').

I'm not saying that these are impossible obstacles to overcome, but I have no idea if they could function as a normal couple.

True in so far as it goes - but I still don't see that the obstacle to their relationship is that they're too similar (except for the shutting down thing - they need a Cordy or a Spike to draw them out). Angel's need to be a hero (which isn't necessarily bad, I think, just bad for him and Buffy) is a problem, but I don't think that Buffy's approach to heroism is that similar to his.

Normal couple? Buffy ain't not normal. So why do we want her to be a normal half of a normal couple? Superpowered boyfriends all the way! Er, Spike, that is.

And the icon is wonderful. "Dear Diary, last night I made Angel happy and he killed a bunch of people. Is my makeup running? I'm so unhappy." Very funny.

I still don't see that the obstacle to their relationship is that they're too similar
Neither do I particularly - or at least not anymore. Considering what Angel was doing in AtS S5 I'm not sure Buffy would ever be able to agree with what he was doing. Which is where their different approaches to heroism comes into play. (But that could fill an entire essay so I'm not going to start talking about that now!)

Normal couple?
Argh! I didn't mean it like that! *hits self over the head* Buffy and Angel dated for a while, with the smooches and all that. Not much talking. Then he went evil. When S3 comes round they have that on-again-off-again thing going, where they're breaking up without discussing anything (Buffy in 'Lovers Walk', Angel in 'The Prom' - I think). When he becomes human in IWRY they have lots of sex and then he goes and makes a deal without even mentioning it to her until the last minute. At no point do they have an actual, real relationship, with arguments and daily problems etc. There's a hint in S3, but not more. I have no idea how they would cope if Angel actually got his shanshu and they just had to live together day in and day out. Spike and Buffy would argue like mad in a situation like that (and possibly throw furniture out the window etc), then they'd make up and be fine. Tey're good at arguing and coming to a mutually acceptable solution. Buffy and Angel - not so much.

Does that explain it? *collapses*

(The icon is by

crackers4jenn and is very sharable! I'll see if I can find more!)

Kay, all splainied. Normal and Buffy - not so much. But I think you have it right. Though I do like Buffy and Angel - just not as much as Spike and Buffy. And perhaps they did have a relationship that included daily stuff by "The Prom" - it sort of seemed like it. Dunno.

I'll come back to this when I'vce re-watched S3. I've only seen it once (it was the only season I didn't watch when it first aired), so I might have a slightly fuzzy memory compared to the rest! :)

Bad Eggs. A few B/A thoughts...

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