Some random S7 Spuffy thoughts

[elisi]

Did some Buffy watching tonight... my wonderful husband took the children round to the grandparents’ house, and then once there decided that they might as well stay there for tea. Cue hours of blissful peace for me. :)

Oh, and I’ve decided that my husband will from now on be known as Mr Darcy... this was lillianmorgan’s suggestion after seeing our wedding photos, and it fits rather well. He’s wonderful, but when it comes to fandom stuff he gets rather snooty, so ‘Mr Darcy’ will serve very well!

Anyway... on to the scattered thoughts...



Watched ‘Sleeper’ which is one of those near-perfect episodes that I just never tire of. Not much to say really, except that this marks the turning point Spuffy-wise. Up until this episode Buffy is very stand off-ish. It takes her a good while to tell anyone about Spike’s soul and to get him out of the basement. And whereas some just take this as proof that she’s a cold hearted bitch, I think this is quite simply because she’s scared. When it comes to Spike it was always the lack of a soul that prevented her from loving him, from treating him properly. It was her standard response to any suggestions that it could ever work. And then suddenly he takes that excuse away. There is no reason why she shouldn’t be able to love him or be with him, and I think she’s terrified. Because it could all very suddenly be very real.
So until Sleeper she keeps her distance and barely even talks to him. Until she finds out that he might be killing again. The last words of the episode are:
Buffy: “I have to get close to Spike.”

Now I also watched the Spuffy bits of ‘Potential’ and ‘The Killer In Me’. In ‘Potential’ the attraction between Buffy and Spike is very obvious (and is made very obvious): the way she tries to look at his injuries and the Potentials thinking it’s ‘hot’, the way she tries to convince herself that it’s ‘totally over’ when she’s supposed to be counselling Amanda, that line about Spike’s crypt being ‘comfy’... her mind is so going places it shouldn’t.

In ‘The Killer In Me’ on the other hand, she’s caring for Spike. The scene where he’s lying on the cot, and they’re trying to figure out what to do... it has to be one of the sweetest moments in the whole of the season. *sigh* and *sniff*

Also watched the very beginning and end of ‘First Date’, and what always strikes me is the end of the fight - Buffy kills the demon and then rushes to Spike’s side. Not Xander, who was the one she came to save and who got stabbed. No she goes to Spike first, and only after making sure that he’s ok does she worry about Xander. And Wood picks up on this straight away! That little triangle of looks at the end...

Not to mention that Buffy actually admits to needing Spike later on - and this of course refers back to the beginning of the episode, and Buffy’s conversation with Giles. Now, I love their talk - it starts out being about Buffy’s decision to remove the chip, but very quickly turns into a discussion about Buffy and Spike and their relationship. And Giles very obviously thinks that this is Angel all over again... Buffy is making decisions with her heart and not her mind (as she admits to Spike). And my favourite line? “I want more for you.” Giles very obviously sees the relationship as a long-term one, and in this case there is no curse to stop Buffy from committing to something in the future. The seeds for LMPTM are planted right here!

Basically I just love the quitness of S7 Spuffy - it's all in the looks and the touches and the small things. The way Buffy always turns to Spike first... the way they finish each other's sentences... I'm just a sappy, romantic shipper. :)

Ok, will stop now and go downstairs to be snuggle with Mr Darcy. Sorry about spelling mistakes etc, but this was written very quickly and mostly for my own benefit.

Comments

[zimshan.livejournal.com]

And then suddenly he takes that excuse away. There is no reason why she shouldn’t be able to love him or be with him, and I think she’s terrified. Because it could all very suddenly be very real.

Many people have scorned S7 on the fact that the middle half came apart. But I love these episodes for the little things...for the nicely layed out B plots that continued throughout to develop the characters more and more. One of the most interesting, IMO, is watching Buffy's progression in these middle eppies. And one progression she faced was her dealing with Spike's soul, a view which you hit right on...she is terrified but it's not until these episodes that she starts to deal with it, in any way shape or form. It's here that she starts to treat him as a human and not as a thing.

And Giles very obviously thinks that this is Angel all over again... Buffy is making decisions with her heart and not her mind (as she admits to Spike). And my favourite line? “I want more for you.”....The seeds for LMPTM are planted right here!

Another amazing progression that happens in these episodes is with the return of Giles. Many people also cited that they hated how out of character Giles became in these episodes, but to me, it stays very consistant with the history of the show. It's not stagnant, letting a character always think the same way...it's marks of progression from one point in the show to the other and I have always loved it. Giles "betrayal", as some people misleadingly call it, was not a left field move and this scene in FD very nicely ties his fears and his LMPTM decision to the history of the show.

[elisi]

watching Buffy's progression in these middle eppies
That's it... especially after Spike is kidnapped and she begins to understand just how much he means to her and how much she needs him.

It's here that she starts to treat him as a human and not as a thing.
She's just so gentle... the way she looks after him is the exact opposite of S6.

Apart from anything else, I think Giles is also just very, very worried. The Council (and a lot of his former collegues) gets blown up, and he has to gather all these potentials from all around the world and there is a big apocalypse around the corner that they have no idea how to stop! His little speech at the end of 'First Date' is brutal, but it showcases very well his frame of mind. And people who think him out of character have obviously forgotten 'The Gift':
BUFFY: (whirls back) No! No, you don't understand. We are not talking about this.
GILES: (jumps up from the table, yells) Yes, we bloody well are!
He was ready to kill Dawn then - so why he should have a problem with killing Spike 2 years later I've never understood. It's perfectly in character.

[zanthinegirl.livejournal.com]

He was ready to kill Dawn then - so why he should have a problem with killing Spike 2 years later I've never understood. It's perfectly in character. Good point! I'd kind of forgotten that. Been a while since I watched season 5. Though I have to wonder if season 7 Buffy would make the same choice...

[elisi]

This is from LMPTM:

BUFFY:...Giles, we had this conversation when I told you that I wouldn't sacrifice Dawn to stop Glory from destroying the world.
GILES: Ah, yes, but things are different, aren't they? After what you've been through, faced with the same choice now, (paces) you'd let her die.
BUFFY: If I had to...to save the world. Yes.
[...]
GILES: So, you really do understand the difficult decisions you'll have to make? That anyone of us is expendable in this war?
BUFFY:Have you heard my speeches?
GILES: That we cannot allow any threat that would jeopardize our chances at winning?
BUFFY: Yes, I get it.
GILES: And yet there is Spike.

QED

[zanthinegirl.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's the conversation I knew I remembered! I guess that's the problem with commenting late at night and being too lazy to look stuff up in the transcripts.

I do think this says very interesting things about the development of Buffy's character in the intervening two years.

[elisi]

commenting late at night and being too lazy to look stuff up in the transcripts.
Hee!

And I think that dying (the second time) changed Buffy's outlook on a lot of things. How could it not?