Small epiphany

[truepenny]

The reason Buffy herself has been less than an unmitigated joy to watch this season is that she's finally grown up. BtVS has been from the very beginning about the process of growing up, but actual grown-ups on the show (i.e., Giles and Joyce) have been interesting largely for their use as foils to Buffy and the Slayerettes. And now Buffy has grown up, and it seems to be a little difficult for the writers to figure out what to do with her. She's accepted who and what she is (I was really disappointed last night when she was given her "Chosen Ones" speech that she didn't admit to her own less-than-thrilled response in Season Two--

GILES: You have a commitment in life. Now, how many people your age can say that?
BUFFY: We talking foreign or domestic? How about none?

--but if I want breathtaking and cogent continuity, I can't watch anything but Drew Goddard episodes ever again); she's absolutely centered, finally. The only thing left in Buffy's life that she doesn't have a handle on is her perennial bete-noire: romantic love. That's why the best Buffy moments last night were all with Spike; that's why the best Buffy-centric episodes this season have been either focused on her relationship with Spike ("Beneath You") or featured Buffy not being herself ("Him"--which also interestingly was dealing with a corrupt version of "romantic love"). Aside from the whole crazy and fucked-over-by-the-First thing, I think Spike, too, has grown up, which is why Spike is heart-breaking this season (if you're into the redemption arc, which I know many people are not), but not so much with the funny.

Xander, Willow, Anya, and Dawn have not finished the growing up process (although from the evidence last night, Xander's getting close). That's why "Selfless" brought back the Really Good Episodes from seasons past, because it was back in the thick of what BtVS does best.

I don't know if SMG will decide to come back next season or not, but I think it really is time for her to pass the torch. Buffy's finished her bildungsroman.

Comments

[sue-donym.livejournal.com]

Yes, I think Buffy has grown up. I think she has accepted the burden of Slayerness. The problem for me is, it seems like she has no joy in her. I don't know if this is because the writing isn't there this season, or SMG is just tired, but Buffy the character seems very joyless. I know that she was all with the epiphany in "Grave" but still... there seems to be a disconnect there. I don't know. At least she doesn't actively hate being alive like last season.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

I think perhaps (and this is another way round, maybe, of looking at my answer to djinanna's post) that part of the problem is that Buffy was always funniest and liveliest when she was struggling to cope--with the mundanities of high school, with college life, with being mistaken for Dawn's mother. She's not struggling any longer; she's coping, and I think the writers/directors/actors are having trouble finding humor in Buffy being competent, adult, and responsible. I don't blame them. It's a tough gig.

[natlyn.livejournal.com]

Wow. This is...yes. I can see this. Unlike many, I enjoyed last season. I thought it was an amazing exploration of life after being flung from heaven. This season I've been finding slightly unfocused and I think you may have nailed why for me. The central theme isn't Buffy learning and growing (unless it's learning to pass the torch), yet Buffy is very much front and center, so I've been a bit confused.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

I, too, thought Season 6 was amazing. It was trying to do something extremely difficult, and the fact that it didn't always succeed doesn't make the attempt any the less impressive. And the fact of the matter is that no season of BtVS (with the possible exception of Season 3, IMHO) hasn't had its share of flaws. But it is very greatly to the show's credit that it never has the same flaws twice.

More thoughts on Buffy herself in answer to djinanna's post

[djinanna.livejournal.com]

natlyn linked to this post and I followed from there.

This is a very interesting thought. I think you're on to something very profound. Especially since, according to interviews, Joss Whedon said the theme of last year's story arc was "oh, grow up". It makes sense that this year would be the result of last year. (Like, duh.)

It makes me wonder if my own discontent with Buffy-the-character during the past few episodes is that, now that she's grown up, she's become very like her mother. I didn't particularly like Joyce during most of the run of the show (until Dawn, until Joyce got sick); likewise, I don't think I like adult!Buffy.

As sue_donym says above, she seems rather joyless. And ...

Hmmm. Small epiphany off of your epiphany. I was commenting earlier on the new episode, agreeing with someone else (can't remember who now) who'd said that Buffy's pedantic lectures to the new Slayers sounded like the kind of dull stodginess she used to make fun of when younger, the kind of hidebound attitude she rebelled against in early Giles, Wesley, and the other Watchers. And now it occurs to me. She's modeling her teaching-self after them.

She's not realized what she's doing (I hope); I wonder if ME realize what they're doing with the writing. Because the Buffy that does counseling in school still has a spark, but the Buffy of training the baby Slayers doesn't.

I'm thinking ME does know this -- but it doesn't say much for their attitudes towards being grown up. Grown up = dull and boring and "it's all over now"? I don't think so. That's kinda sad and disturbing.

Very interesting post. Very thought-provoking. Thanks.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

This is kind of answering all three comments (and thanks, y'all!):

I think the disconnect, as sue_donym puts it, is partly due to the fact that Buffy has become largely opaque to the audience following the end of "Sleeper." We have no idea what she really thinks about anything: the Junior Slayers, the First Evil, Willow's ongoing crisis, etc., etc.--except for the confusion about Spike that keeps welling up. Buffy has always been someone for whom the subtext rapidly becomes text, but the only time we've seen that happen in the last few episodes is that moment with Amanda in "Potential." Other than that, she's doing the General Buffy thing that I got so very tired of in Season 5 (although I hate it less than I hate Florence Nightingale Buffy, so things could be worse). Which means that we can admire Buffy, but it's very hard to identify with her.