Dawn ,'Never Leave Me'
This is where we talk about Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No spoilers though?if you post one by accident, an admin will delete it. This thread is NO LONGER NAFDA. Please don't discuss current Angel events here.
In S2, Buffy tells Angel that when there's nothing left, "there's me". (rough paraphrase). I think by S6, she wouldn't say that anymore. I've been rewatching the 2nd half of S2 today and it hit me that at this point, she still believes in herself, but that's gone in S6.
I haven't quite put my finger on why I like S6 so much, but that's part of it.
S6 was the first time I really liked Buffy. None of the other dumb things she normally did rang any bells for me.
She was so hollow and broken and systematically down that I felt for her.
Hmm. What Nonian described is why I like S2 so much better than S6. I love that "Me."
(Aside that belongs as much in Great Write as here--for the first 2-3 chapters of my current project, one of my protagonists is stuck in a nigh-unbearable situation, which she thinks she'll be in for the rest of her life. I'm mining personal experience heavily, from back when I thought I'd ruined any chance of ever having a happy, fulfilling, and respectable career. But I find myself reading what I've written, and worrying that even 3 chapters of "I made one stupid choice and now my life is ruined forever, so I will quietly and stoically wallow in misery" will be too much for my readers to bear. Which the S6 discussion is reminding me of.)
Only vaguely apropos of the discussion, I'm seriously (or as seriously as I consider anything, mind you) considering writing a half-assed essay looking at S5/6 as a critique of the state of mental health care and knowledge in this country.
(Where we start by looking at the actual factual suicidal dive followed by the resurrection as a metaphor for suicide attempts/hospitalization/release. It works really well up through Normal Again, actually. I've got this whole thing about the scene where Spike doesn't stay to make sure she takes her meds worked out in my head.)
(I think I need a hobby.)
But, this is an acceptable hobby!
Isn't it?
I'd love to read that essay, Plei.
And it might even inspire me to actually to write the half-assed theological essay using Angel and Spike's ensoulments as metaphors for various theories of free will vs. divine election.
And it might even inspire me to actually to write the half-assed theological essay using Angel and Spike's ensoulments as metaphors for various theories of free will vs. divine election.
I vaguely recall at some point comparing Spike to a Lutheran POV of salvation, where Angel's head space was (natch) Catholic. Grace vs. Works.
But, this is an acceptable hobby!
That's all the validation I need...
Buffy: 5, 3, 4, 2, 6, 1, 7
Angel: 4, 2, 1, 3
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
See, while Angel-the-character is very Catholic, in my scheme, his salvation is Calvinistic, since the soul was something imposed upon him without any choice on his part. Spike, OTOH, got a Wesleyan salvation--he couldn't actually redeem himself without a soul, but he took the first step of seeking one.
Gloom: Your rankings are much like mine, at least in Buffy.
Buffy: 5 3 (6 4 2) 1 7