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

[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.