|
| |
|
The Watcher: It's about the Power (Part 2)
A review of Buffy's season seven. The second part looks into Spike, Dawn and Willow of season 7. |
 SPIKE
The final moments of GRAVE, in which Spike regained his soul, left me speechless. Another vampire with a soul? You’re kidding, right?
During the summer between seasons, I wondered who this new Spike would be. After all, Angel and Angelus were two different individuals, and neither was like his human self. It made sense that Spike would be vastly different as well.
Nope. Souled Spike started as Insane Spike, which was fascinating to watch (especially his conversation with Willow on one side and Buffy and Xander on the other in SAME TIME, SAME PLACE). But the insanity was more due to The First than the soul. His killing (and siring) rampage was also due to The First, although we have that to thank for the fantastic Holden Webster, about whom I’ve already raved. But after that, he’s mainly just a mellow version of himself. There’s no dichotomy here.
The events depicted in LIES MY PARENTS TOLD ME were even more peculiar. Seeing William, Spike’s human self, tied to apron strings was a perfect depiction. However, continuing that attachment to his mother after he was sired made no sense. According to their established mythology, family members become prime snack food for new vampires. Instead, he sires her so that she can be healed (ah, that pesky consumption) and live forever with him and Drusilla. The new vampire version of Spike’s mother was evil to the core, just as she should be. Why wasn’t he? Spike vestiges of humanity are puzzling, although they do explain why he acts so un-vampire-like so often. I’ve got a theory that the demon that took over Spike’s body when he was sired wasn’t a very powerful one, allowing his own personality and humanity to rise to the surface, but I’m just guessing here.
Of course, through it all, he still loved Buffy. This isn’t the obsession of the prior two seasons; with a soul, he is able to transfer that into a much more human love. But here’s the thing about Spike: getting the soul was not an altruistic action. He did it to impress Buffy. He wouldn’t have continued in the fight against The First with Buffy wasn’t a factor, either. But this doesn’t negate his sacrifice. The development of his character was amazing, from the rebel vampire, in it for the fight and the fun, to World Savior. That’s an incredible journey.
Oh, and then he came back from the dead on ANGEL. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: His hero's death should have been the final defining moment of an extraordinary journey. Part of me felt cheated, and the character deserved better that a "Yeah, but he'll be back soon" reaction. We all knew in advance that James Marsters had been signed for ANGEL’s fifth season before CHOSEN aired. I watched Spike turn into a pillar of flame, obliterating an army of UberVamps in the process, and it had hardly any emotional impact because we knew he'd be back.
 WILLOW
For a season that was about the power, Willow didn't want to use hers. You couldn't blame her, as each time she tried, she teetered on the brink of evilness. She didn't want to hurt her friends or destroy the world. We liked that about her. Xander came up with analogy about her problem in HELP, comparing magic to hammering a nail. "(Holding) the end of the hammer, you have the power, but no control. It takes, like, two strokes to hit the nail in, or you could hit your thumb… So you choke up. Control, but no power. It could take like ten strokes to knock the nail in. Power, control. It's a trade-off."
Willow countered that she was less worried about hitting her thumb than turning evil and bewitching that hammer into cracking her friends’ skulls open like coconuts. But General Buffy was looking for weapons, and a "wicca who won'ta" was of no use in this war. As things with The First get worse, Buffy pushed Willow into witchiness, while The First schemed to push Willow away from it. When the Scythe Ex Machina shows up, Willow was understandably nervous when the entire plan hinged on her magical mega-abilities. Of course, she comes through in the clutch. She's Willow.
Regarding her relationship with her friends: after her trip down the path of evil and back, poor Willow never seemed to fit in like she once did. There was a distance present that never seemed to be fully bridged. Are Buffy and Xander still her best friends? Undoubtedly, but they simply aren’t the same together. Her sudden relationship with Kennedy, which is discussed below, never made much sense in Willow's world either. She still had much to deal with regarding Tara's death, as evidenced in THE KILLER IN ME. For an audience still grieving for Tara with Willow, the appearance of Kennedy was unsettling.
 DAWN
Starting at a new high school was a stressful way to start a year, but Dawn was more concerned when her sister started to work for the school. Otherwise, high school was typically high school-ish: evil. She not only got through the year, but she excelled. In CONVERSATIONS WITH DEAD PEOPLE, Dawn stands up to everything The First threw at her, including riotous appliances, bloody walls, and apparitions. Personally, I would have been a sobbing heap in the corner. But Dawn grabbed a spell book and fought back, thinking that she was helping her mother. Now that’s impressive.
As the potentials began to arrive, girls Dawn's own age surrounded her. She had far more experience than they did, but she wasn’t one of them, as the false alarm in POTENTIAL demonstrated. She knew her capabilities and was still willing to fight by her sister’s side. She acts as "Watcher Junior," translating texts, pouring through books, and otherwise doing what she can to keep the Slayer Wheels turning. And in one episode, she’s poseable.
What is remarkable about Dawn is how much she is both willing and able to do without any super powers whatsoever. Like Xander has done for years, she’s a regular human being, just with a huge heart. As Xander tells her, "They'll never know how tough it is, Dawnie, to be the one who isn't chosen. To live so near to the spotlight and never step in it." She hands her "power" to Amanda, the actual Sunnydale potential, without a second’s thought. There’s no ego there, no whining, and no complaints of unfairness. Dawn grew up a lot. So much so that she refused to be removed from the battle (something Xander wasn’t too thrilled about either when asked by Buffy to do so), and got them both back in time for the final showdown.
| | [by Dana (DarkWorlds) ] [0 comments]
|
You have to be logged in to comment. | |
| AD | 
|
| |
