Klytaimnestra's Review of "Potential": One for the Zeppo

by Klytaimnestra

A short review tonight because I don't have that much to say.

Shippiness all over S/B but I don't put much stock in it; these are the same people who brought us lavish C/A shippiness only to suddenly toss in Connor/Cordy to prolong or derail it after all. I'm waiting for Spike to tell Buffy he no longer wants her in that way (for me that would be a happy ending). Waiting for that matter for Spike to get his own story line. Or even a scene without Buffy in it. I suspect I'll wait forever for any of the above.

I liked Dawn for the first time in a long while. Especially liked the Xander/Dawn conversation at the end of course. This one's for the rest of us, the ones that nobody ever sees, the ones who help the heroes do what the heroes fondly believe is "their" job. There's a wonderful novel by Alexei Panshin, "Rite of Passage". One long part of it talks about how much work it is, for how many people, to actually get a hero into the field, maintain them there, clean up the messes after the hero's fights, supply and mount and feed the hero, bash the dents out of the hero's armour and get him back out there. And how most of us are doing the cleaning and supplying and dent-repairing, usually without thanks. Dawn's a researcher. Xander fixes windows. There is a place for the normal people.

Only no one, not even the hero, will ever see them there. One thing I particularly liked about this episode was all the shots of Buffy talking to the potentials, Dawn in the background, watching her sister's back. Her sister doesn't even register her presence. She says "eat something," "do your homework", and then, sisterly duty done, she gets on with her real job. And Dawn gets on with hers - dent-repair.

No one ever sees Xander either, but he sees a lot. Which means that Xander is Always Right. Isn't that a frightening thought? All that time that he was busy despising Spike, we were supposed to be agreeing with him. Now that he accepts Spike I guess Spike is O.K.

First time I've liked Xander, I mean really liked Xander, in a long time too. He's grown up to be a good man; accepts his role as house carpenter as the main show goes on on the stage he keeps repairing, knows exactly what his role is and is willing to keep on. That takes stones.

Dawn/Xander shippiness for the (far, speculative) future? I don't think so. He's being her big brother, that's all. Paying her the attention it will never cross Buffy's mind that she needs.

Favourite shippy moment: Willow and Andrew, when Andrew started in on the "flowering of womanhood" now-Joss-will-tell-us-what-being-a-Slayer-is-REALLY-a- metaphor-for speech.

Nice to see Clem.

I missed Giles.

I missed Spike. Sure, he was there. But you call that Spike?

Klytaimnestra