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Very long thoughts on the episode and I think I'll have more. Just warning you ;-) Episode spoilers only; any spec is just that.
So much got jammed into last night’s episode that it’s hard to know where to start. I didn’t cry. Cordy, I cried for, Fred I didn’t. Maybe it’s because, as with vampires, Giles can tell us that it’s a shell and not your friend but the demon that killed him, but when there’s so much of William in Spike, that’s hard to grasp emotionally. I don’t feel that Fred’s dead. We saw her die, eyes staring, body limp, soul pushed out to make room for another...but none of that is new. Buffy’s died, Spike’s died, Darla’s died; they all came back. I don’t feel, as I did with Cordy, that this is necessarily it for Fred; there’s a spell, a loophole, the SPs...they can get her back if they try. Maybe.
So I didn’t cry.
My first post last night was about The Little Princess. I’m a book person before all else. Having them use that book, one I’ve read times without number, was a squee moment. Not that it’s not familiar to a lot of people (though anyone here read The Shuttle? Or T Tempbarom? They’re by FHB too and I love them to bits) but still. One of my favourite books on what’s now my favourite show; that was cool.
The significance of that book; well, it’s Fred’s own personal Restless. So much in it that’s relevant. As [Bad username or site: “wesleysgirl” @ livejournal.com] pointed out, it’s comfort reading; a childhood favourite. As [Bad username or site: “debvel” @ livejournal.com] says, Sara’s attic was Fred’s cave – but there’s lots more too.
Sara was clever, very much so, popular with outsiders, a threat to her teachers because she outclassed them (Professor Seidel, anyone?) and loved, again very much so. Sara was sent away by her father to be educated; Fred sent herself away, but in both cases everyone was aware of the necessity for the break. Both spent an initially fairly happy time in the new place; Fred loved her studies, Sara was lonely but adjusted to the new world in which she found herself – then it all got taken away by an act of betrayal, real in Fred’s case, a little more complex in Sara’s, as the man who let her father down, which led to his death didn’t really and tried desperately to make amends. However.
Sara, poor, learns that when that single thing; money, is taken from her, she has no intrinsic worth to the people around her (except a select few). She’s banished to the garrets, to a bare, comfortless room. Fred learns that all her brains mean nothing in Pylea; she’s a cow, a slave, a nothing. She ends up in a cave. Fred makes her cave homey; Sara’s is eventually redecorated in a fairytale fashion by the man who will save her. Both are rescued, taken back to the world from whence they came; Fred literally, Sara to the other side of the green baize door.
But they’re both changed; Sara’s been hungry, so hungry it hurts; rich though she is, that’s not a memory you lose; she sets up a plan to feed the children of the street, limited by her youth, but it’s clear she’ll grow up to be a philanthropist. Fred’s seen evil, seen demons and after an initial period of readjustment she fights back.
OK, enough of the book.
Wesley. Wesley and Gunn. Gunn’s ‘joke’? Cruel. Not funny. He’s allowed a shot? I don’t see why. That was mean and Wes’ face when Gunn said ...oh, too much. The irony of the ‘if you hurt her, I’ll kill you’ line was almost too much too. Gunn said that in all sincerity (well; I don’t think he would’ve killed Wes the first time he and Fred had a row) not knowing that even as he spoke Fred was being infected by something he’d - well, you know the rest. And, as ever, it doesn’t matter what your intentions are. Gunn offered his life for hers in the White Room; if he’d known what the consequences (there’s that word; champion, consequences; some things juts keep popping up) were, he’d have gone back to the old Gunn rather than bring in that artifact. But he didn’t know and you can never know and you have to make decisions the best you can.
Wesley made a decision once; to give the Box of thingummy to the Mayor, even if it cost Willow’s life. Short term, he was right; people died at Graduation because Willow was saved in their place – but without Willow, the whole world would have died four years later. Oz took the decision to put Willow above all else because he loved her; Wes to save the many because he wasn’t emotionally involved all that much.
Now flash forward and we have a Wes in love shooting someone who makes the valid point that life goes on, it’s a bit daft to have everyone working on Fred’s case (I imagine there was zero most of them could do, anyway; the core team had it covered) and could you just fax me – ouch.
Wes with guns is hot. Wes with books is hot. Wes reading a book, casually shooting an approaching demon without raising his eyes from the page and I’d be whimpering softly...but that? Scary. The man was tactless and insensitive and deeply stupid- same as Eve. She got a fist in her face and in a way that was pretty shocking too. Men hitting women is, for most men, an automatic trigger of chivalry and outrage; not done. That it is done, and very often, is irrelevant; it’s one of those things society has deemed beyond the pale. Having a hero strike a woman? Dodgy. Back to Wes. He shot what he thought was his father for threatening Fred. That’s...O.K. The fact that it was his father tilts it into shocking, the fact his father was abusive and Wes had no reason to love him, tilts it back, the fact Fred’s life was in real danger makes it allowable.
This guy? If Wes had jumped up, gone over and thumped him, screaming, ‘You insensitive bastard, I love her, she’s dying and you’re bothering me about a fucking fax?’ I’d have been right there with him. But that outwardly calm, pick up gun, potentially cripple him, threaten anyone else who doesn’t exhibit the right amount of caring for the woman I love, whom you might only know by sight – that’s not controlled, that’s not reasonable, that’s over the line so far it’s a dot on the horizon.
And Angel didn’t know about Fred and Wes. Lorne knew, Gunn knew, Spike knew, everyone knew. Angel didn’t. He’s still not in the loop, is he? And am I the only one thinking there was a tinge of pique? Did Angel, despite his Nina feelings, have a suspicion that Wes meant him in their chat last week? And be flattered by it in a tolerant, hey, yes, of course you fancy me, kind of way?
But Angel’s too busyflirting fighting with Spike to take on Wes as well ::pause to think about that image:: He tells Spike to go; why? They’re having so much fun! Or did I just answer my own question? Maybe Angel realises Spike around makes it hard to concentrate but oh boy; cars, gadgets, expense accounts; he’s spoiling Spike big time here.
And the fight, the flight, the everything; they’re a team. With a history. Spike’s not going anywhere. And if he does, they’ll always have St Peters...sorry. The wire was cute. David says I’m bloodthirsty. Whatever.
So much got jammed into last night’s episode that it’s hard to know where to start. I didn’t cry. Cordy, I cried for, Fred I didn’t. Maybe it’s because, as with vampires, Giles can tell us that it’s a shell and not your friend but the demon that killed him, but when there’s so much of William in Spike, that’s hard to grasp emotionally. I don’t feel that Fred’s dead. We saw her die, eyes staring, body limp, soul pushed out to make room for another...but none of that is new. Buffy’s died, Spike’s died, Darla’s died; they all came back. I don’t feel, as I did with Cordy, that this is necessarily it for Fred; there’s a spell, a loophole, the SPs...they can get her back if they try. Maybe.
So I didn’t cry.
My first post last night was about The Little Princess. I’m a book person before all else. Having them use that book, one I’ve read times without number, was a squee moment. Not that it’s not familiar to a lot of people (though anyone here read The Shuttle? Or T Tempbarom? They’re by FHB too and I love them to bits) but still. One of my favourite books on what’s now my favourite show; that was cool.
The significance of that book; well, it’s Fred’s own personal Restless. So much in it that’s relevant. As [Bad username or site: “wesleysgirl” @ livejournal.com] pointed out, it’s comfort reading; a childhood favourite. As [Bad username or site: “debvel” @ livejournal.com] says, Sara’s attic was Fred’s cave – but there’s lots more too.
Sara was clever, very much so, popular with outsiders, a threat to her teachers because she outclassed them (Professor Seidel, anyone?) and loved, again very much so. Sara was sent away by her father to be educated; Fred sent herself away, but in both cases everyone was aware of the necessity for the break. Both spent an initially fairly happy time in the new place; Fred loved her studies, Sara was lonely but adjusted to the new world in which she found herself – then it all got taken away by an act of betrayal, real in Fred’s case, a little more complex in Sara’s, as the man who let her father down, which led to his death didn’t really and tried desperately to make amends. However.
Sara, poor, learns that when that single thing; money, is taken from her, she has no intrinsic worth to the people around her (except a select few). She’s banished to the garrets, to a bare, comfortless room. Fred learns that all her brains mean nothing in Pylea; she’s a cow, a slave, a nothing. She ends up in a cave. Fred makes her cave homey; Sara’s is eventually redecorated in a fairytale fashion by the man who will save her. Both are rescued, taken back to the world from whence they came; Fred literally, Sara to the other side of the green baize door.
But they’re both changed; Sara’s been hungry, so hungry it hurts; rich though she is, that’s not a memory you lose; she sets up a plan to feed the children of the street, limited by her youth, but it’s clear she’ll grow up to be a philanthropist. Fred’s seen evil, seen demons and after an initial period of readjustment she fights back.
OK, enough of the book.
Wesley. Wesley and Gunn. Gunn’s ‘joke’? Cruel. Not funny. He’s allowed a shot? I don’t see why. That was mean and Wes’ face when Gunn said ...oh, too much. The irony of the ‘if you hurt her, I’ll kill you’ line was almost too much too. Gunn said that in all sincerity (well; I don’t think he would’ve killed Wes the first time he and Fred had a row) not knowing that even as he spoke Fred was being infected by something he’d - well, you know the rest. And, as ever, it doesn’t matter what your intentions are. Gunn offered his life for hers in the White Room; if he’d known what the consequences (there’s that word; champion, consequences; some things juts keep popping up) were, he’d have gone back to the old Gunn rather than bring in that artifact. But he didn’t know and you can never know and you have to make decisions the best you can.
Wesley made a decision once; to give the Box of thingummy to the Mayor, even if it cost Willow’s life. Short term, he was right; people died at Graduation because Willow was saved in their place – but without Willow, the whole world would have died four years later. Oz took the decision to put Willow above all else because he loved her; Wes to save the many because he wasn’t emotionally involved all that much.
Now flash forward and we have a Wes in love shooting someone who makes the valid point that life goes on, it’s a bit daft to have everyone working on Fred’s case (I imagine there was zero most of them could do, anyway; the core team had it covered) and could you just fax me – ouch.
Wes with guns is hot. Wes with books is hot. Wes reading a book, casually shooting an approaching demon without raising his eyes from the page and I’d be whimpering softly...but that? Scary. The man was tactless and insensitive and deeply stupid- same as Eve. She got a fist in her face and in a way that was pretty shocking too. Men hitting women is, for most men, an automatic trigger of chivalry and outrage; not done. That it is done, and very often, is irrelevant; it’s one of those things society has deemed beyond the pale. Having a hero strike a woman? Dodgy. Back to Wes. He shot what he thought was his father for threatening Fred. That’s...O.K. The fact that it was his father tilts it into shocking, the fact his father was abusive and Wes had no reason to love him, tilts it back, the fact Fred’s life was in real danger makes it allowable.
This guy? If Wes had jumped up, gone over and thumped him, screaming, ‘You insensitive bastard, I love her, she’s dying and you’re bothering me about a fucking fax?’ I’d have been right there with him. But that outwardly calm, pick up gun, potentially cripple him, threaten anyone else who doesn’t exhibit the right amount of caring for the woman I love, whom you might only know by sight – that’s not controlled, that’s not reasonable, that’s over the line so far it’s a dot on the horizon.
And Angel didn’t know about Fred and Wes. Lorne knew, Gunn knew, Spike knew, everyone knew. Angel didn’t. He’s still not in the loop, is he? And am I the only one thinking there was a tinge of pique? Did Angel, despite his Nina feelings, have a suspicion that Wes meant him in their chat last week? And be flattered by it in a tolerant, hey, yes, of course you fancy me, kind of way?
But Angel’s too busy
And the fight, the flight, the everything; they’re a team. With a history. Spike’s not going anywhere. And if he does, they’ll always have St Peters...sorry. The wire was cute. David says I’m bloodthirsty. Whatever.