Tabula Rasa - Love. Redemption. Spike

Back to Episode 7.12 - Potential

I really shouldn’t have read Kly’s review before I started this. My bad. Unlike her, I like the episode. I like what Spike we got. I like the S/B ‘shippiness.

And I even like Xander again, and that’s no easy feat.

Dawn:

At first I was rolling my eyes at her. There she is, listening to Buffy, back in the shadows, obviously feeling left out and slighted. Again. I would say that Buffy deserves a little slack considering she’s trying to wage a war against the ultimate evil with only a small band of little girls as her soldiers.

Surprisingly, she redeems herself in the end. Yes, she is understandably upset having been led to believe that she was “special”, only to be smacked in the face with her mediocrity.

We can only hope that she takes Xander’s words to heart, as she really is an exceptional girl. She’s not supernaturally strong. She isn’t chosen the fight against evil. However, she’s learned a lot for a regular teenager. She’s resourceful and a quick thinker. Just look at that use of chemicals in the lab, and the flag pole. Go Dawn!

Xander:

I’ll agree with Kly that the implications of him “seeing all” is a bit frightening. Xander has not historically been shown as the voice of reason. He’s been portrayed as a petty, vindictive male who is a bit shallow and short sighted. (IMHO) But, I did love his speech to Dawn. He rarely shows much of himself to the Scooby Gang. I think he’s afraid to showcase his mediocrity in the presence of such greatness. But last night, we saw the sad loneliness that is Xander Harris. It’s nice for the two of them to have found a special bond. And to anyone who cries D/X ‘ship, shame on you! This interaction was about nothing but friendship and pathos. But then again, there was that thing with Cordy and Connor… <Tara shudders>

Buffy:

They say she was called at age 15. But I say she never really found her calling until now. Buffy the Watcher. She’s great at it! And, romantic tension aside, Buffy and Spike make a great team. They anticipate each other's plans and actions. The thought suddenly occurred to me – they’d make a good set of parents.

Spike:

Come on. The guy’s sexy when he’s not making moon eyes over Buffy. I like him to be his own person. Granted he’s got a ways to go, but it’s a nice concept…to finally be free of women. I’d like to see, before the show says good bye, one nice moment of happiness for Spike that involves nothing but himself. (Not THAT kind of happiness, you gutterites!)

He obviously enjoys, to some extent, being able to help train these girls. And, may I say, he can train me any time. “Ooo, baby. That hurts so good. Twist my arm again.”