Ah the many errors of the UPN years! I find myself wondering if the execs at UPN simply sent Joss a letter saying, "DUMB DOWN THE SHOW! AND THAT BRIT VAMP? HAVE HIM NAKED WHENEVER POSSIBLE!"
I think that the main problem that BtVS ran into with seasons six and seven was a loss of the show's generally existential base. For those who haven't taken philosophy classes in college, the key points of the existential view(IIRC, of course!) are;
- Each human soul is individual and alone against an indifferent or hostile universe.
- The true purpose of human existence is unknowable.
- (The big one) Each human soul possesses free will, but must take responsibility for the consequences of his/her actions.
Incidently, I believe Joss tends to lean toward existentialism in his storytelling. In an interview last year, he described Firefly as an 'existential space western'.
Anyway, the jist of that little screed is that we all have free will, but must accept responsibility for what we do. If you make love to a vampire and he loses his soul, kills your computer teacher and threatens to bring Hell to Earth, you have to do whatever it takes to make it right, up to and including sending him to Hell even if you still love him.
The existential theme is carried on both BtVS and Angel. Angel is responsible for the destruction he's caused as Angelus, even though his demon was in control at the time, and must atone for his past to be worthy of his current existence. Same deal for Willow. She accepted resonsibility for the mistakes she made with magic in Season Four(Something Blue), which led to her cookie-baking frenzy. Faith ultimately took responsibility for her crimes and accepted a prison sentence. Over in 'Angel', Jasmine promised peace and tranquility to the world, and seemed(at first) to be truly beneficient. However, her price for this new Golden Age was humanity's free will, so she was the enemy.
However, we now have Season Seven Spike, aka the Noble Stalker. He chalked up an impressive body count over his career as a vampire, including two Slayers. He likened human beings to Happy Meals. He betrayed the Scooby Gang to Adam. He preyed on Buffy's emotional state post-resurrection to get into her panties. When that didn't work he attempted to rape her. But wait, he has a soul now so everything's hunkydoryfine! No it's not, especially considering what motivated his getting a soul in the first place! If Angel has to strive to atone for his crimes, then Spike should at least be made to sweat it a little! One moment of sacrifice in the series finale doesn't count.
Willow's problem in Season Six, IMHO, was not addiction but the realization that she abused power. If Joss and Marti had kept that idea in the forefront, they could have told the same story without the leap of logic implied in Season Six. She needed to take responsibility for her magic abuse, not bury it under contemporary psycho-babble.
"Of all the words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are, 'What might have been...'."
Kirayoshi
God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of his own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of the players (i.e., everybody), to being involved in an obscure and complex version of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time.
--Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: Good Omens.
--Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: Good Omens.
| Yahoo! Groups Sponsor |
Willow: "It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in."
Buffy: "I kinda love you."
—'Choices'
Community email addresses:
Post message: buffywantswillow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subscribe: buffywantswillow-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Unsubscribe: buffywantswillow-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
List owner: buffywantswillow-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Shortcut URL to this page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buffywantswillow
Official archive for the list:
http://www.ikoly.com/fanfic
Other links to Buffy/Willow fics:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buffywantswillow/links
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.