In The Dark

[elisi]

Last night we watched ITD, and it is always curious to watch an episode whilst in the middle of writing a fic about the characters in question, because I find that while I’m enjoying watching, another part of my brain is busy taking note of everything that happens and everything they say and do, and seeing how it agrees with my own depictions of them, and wondering if there’s anything I can use...

Anyway, I’ve only seen this ep once before (although the slashy scenes has been used in a million vids), but there was one point where I realised that last time I must have been asleep. I mean, the whole meta-thing is something I think I can’t switch off, but apparently last time I did. ‘Cause it’s even more S/A centric than I thought...

So, it is a truth universally acknowledged that the case (/monster) of the week reflects some part of the hero’s own life, and helps him (/her) to overcome some specific problem. So now I give you IDT’s Rachel:

Rachel: “...it’s just – ah – Half the time, you how this whole thing starts up again, Lenny and me?”
Angel: “*You* call *him*.”
Rachel: “I – I – I just start to jones for him. The way he jones for rock. And I call, or I find him in some dive, and I drag him home, - and it’s *good* for a while.”
Angel shakes his head: “But it doesn’t last. This last time he would have killed you.”
Angel watches with a sigh as she tries not to cry.
Rachel: “I’m scared, Angel, I’m more scared of me right now than I am of him.”
Angel: “You’re at a crossroads, I know. It’s either go for the easy fix and wait for the consequences, or take the hard road and go with faith.”
Rachel: “Oh, god. You’re not from that freaky church on Sunset, are you?” Steps away from him.
Angel: “In yourself. That kind of faith. - What I’m saying is: if you leave Lenny for good, it’ll hurt. But eventually you’ll be stronger for it. And maybe you’ll find your way to the kind of love you deserve.”
Rachel: “You mean the kind of love that comes without 911 calls?”
Angel: “That’s the general idea.”

I watched that, and I went ‘Holy crap!’ The idea of Spike as ‘the abusive boyfriend’, that Angel finds himself drawn to in spite of himself (‘I – I – I just start to jones for him. The way he jones for rock.’), has amused me immensely ever since, and will for a long, long time. (Of course it is more apt when applied to Darla, but still... and Spike *did* come very close to killing Angel!)

And, of course, we even have neat Spuffy foreshadowing:

Spike: “Speaking of little Buff, I ran into her recently. Your name didn’t come up. Although she has been awful busy jumping the bones of the first lunk-head that came along. Good-looking fellow - used her shamelessly. - She is *cute* when she is hurting, isn’t she?”

Oh yes, very cute indeed. And Spike will soon enough find out that he is also helpless when it comes to Buffy. :)

Comments

[liliaeth]

The funny bit is that it also works the other way around really, with Angel being the abusive boyfriend that Spike keeps feeling himself pulled towards, like in s5.

[elisi]

Well of course - and that is esp true for the Spike/Angelus dynamic. But with souled Angel and unsouled Spike things just tilt towards the other way of looking at it. :)

(And your icon is *wonderful*!)

[debris4spike]

Oh yes, very cute indeed. And Spike will soon enough find out that he is also helpless when it comes to Buffy. :) ... And at this point I become absolutely helpless when it comes to Spike!

[elisi]

And at this point I become absolutely helpless when it comes to Spike!
Oh me too! Don't get me wrong, Evil!Spike is a lot of fun, but... *points to icon*

[shapinglight]

Never really thought of Spike as a abusive boyfriend to Angel before, but I guess it does sort of work.

[elisi]

Well it hadn't occurred to me either, but going back to the way Angel continually lets Spike go free whenever they meet, it really works quite nicely. But only when Angel is good and Spike evil. When they're on the same side, Angel is definitely the 'abusive' one. (And if *you'd* never thought of it, then it makes me feel a lot better. *g*)

[thatotherperv.livejournal.com]

ha! awesome. never thought about that before. more ironic when you consider their previous dynamic.

[shapinglight]

(And if *you'd* never thought of it, then it makes me feel a lot better. *g*)

Eeek! Not quite sure how to take that.

[rahirah]

(scratch head) Not seeing it. When does Angel ever show any signs, even in S5, of 'jonesing' for Spike, much less seeking him out?

[elisi]

Great, isn't it? And very silly. :)

[elisi]

Oh come on, the way they fight they're one step away from tearing houses down. ;) (And why don't I have a 'Smashed' icon? This is a serious gap in my collection!)

[elisi]

I just meant that I figured every Spangel fan would have noticed that bit of dialogue first time round. :)

[lynnenne]

As I die-hard Spangel shipper, I can't believe I'm saying this; but I'm with you, Barb. My interpretation is that Rachel's relationship with her abusive boyfriend is a parallel for the Angel/Buffy relationship. Spike makes this explicit when he says, "It's called addiction, Angel. We all have them. I believe yours is named Slutty the Vampire Slayer." Spike is there to remind Angel that he did the right thing by leaving Buffy, and that he needs to stay away from her if he wants to (a) keep from becoming the abusive boyfriend again, and (b) take the hard road and find his own purpose.

[elisi]

So Buffy is Rachel? Guess that sort-of works... *ponders* (Yes the Angel-as-Rachel is totally silly, I know, but it was too amusing to leave alone. The obvious interpretation was Spike as Rachel... And now my head hurts.

[lynnenne]

I think Angel is both Rachel and Lenny. He's the abusive boyfriend, but he's also the one who made the hard, painful decision to leave Sunnydale and go on faith (in himself).

Though Angel as a girl is kind of funny. ;)

[elisi]

First of all - gosh that is a pretty icon!

I think Angel is both Rachel and Lenny.
That's a good point - always in conflict with himself!

Though Angel as a girl is kind of funny. ;)
Heh. To quote Spike-speaking-as Rachel: "It's OK. I have a nephew who's gay!" ;)

[deborahc.livejournal.com]

Huh. That's not what I get out of the scene you quoted:

Angel: “You’re at a crossroads, I know. It’s either go for the easy fix and wait for the consequences, or take the hard road and go with faith.”

For me, it's not about the temptation of Spike but about the temptation of the Gem of Amara. He's hidden it in the sewers at this point and is trying to decide what to do with it. In the end he chooses the hard road and destroys it (the ponce).

Personally, I'm thinkin' you've got slash on the brain, hon - but that's the beauty of interpretation I suppose.

In any case, I'm glad you brought this scene to my attention, because as often as I've watched this episode (lots) I can't recall ever connecting Angel's advise to Rachel about choosing the hard road in the beginning of the episode with him destroying the ring at the end. I might have done, but if so, I don't remember. Admittedly, my attention has always been fixated on pre-chip Spike's last hurrah, in all his bad-ass, confident, cheeky, charming, evil, glory, so, I may not have picked up on other stuff going on in the episode.

[rahirah]

Yeah. I mean, taken in the larger context of their relationship, I can totally buy that Spike's excessive bitterness in this ep is because you never hate so hard as where you used to love. But on Angel's side, I don't see it. I guess that's one reason I don't ship Spangel; I don't think Angel's ever been or will ever be in love with Spike, or even obssessed/in lust/whatever. Loves him, yeah, in that grudging, irritated way you love relatives who drive you crazy, and eventually develops respect for him (which for Spike, is probably a heck of a lot more important), but in love... nope. Thus I remain in the outer darkness while all around me defect to slasherdom. *g*

[rahirah]

Maybe if you've already got your slash goggles on. *g*

[lynnenne]

Loves him, yeah, in that grudging, irritated way you love relatives who drive you crazy, and eventually develops respect for him

I can live with that. *g*

[elisi]

For me, it's not about the temptation of Spike but about the temptation of the Gem of Amara.
You know, that makes an awful lot of sense!

As for the Spangel stuff, then it's just fun. I like being silly - and I don't like poor Spike being all on his little ownsome and uncared about... *pets him*

[elisi]

It's fun! Well I've spent years with Spuffy goggles on, so changing/broadening my perspective is entertaining.

[shapinglight]

Oh, okay - but then I'm a not very attentive only part-time Spangel fan.