I'll be writing out various reactions to Bargaining, I'm certain. One will be my more typical episode analysis - another, on the JossBtVS list, my listmom 13 topics per episode bit - but this one, just for Buffy. The Slayer. The Girl. The Woman. No rants or raves about the episode in general. Just... Buffy's journey.
Here and there, I'm adding in lyrics from "Black Cat Bone" by Laika marked with triple dots "..." as such. As I initially typed this email, I popped in my brand spankin' new CD (thank you, Amberholics - you know who you are) and the lyrics kept singing out RIGHT as I was typing about each topic. You'll see what I mean.
...must have been the devil who changed my mind
...must have been the wind blowing not me crying
...half the joy of leaving was the space I left behind
Buffy's sacrifice was called selfless by many, it is true - but other viewers found it to be a bit selfish. She had just confided in Willow in the episode prior that she wanted everything to be over. That if Dawn was dead, people would mourn for Dawn, people would feel sorry for Buffy, but at least it would be over. Part of Buffy wanted this done. Finished. Part of Buffy wanted the pain to end. Stop. Half of the joy of leaving was that she sacrificed herself to save the others, her loved ones, her friends, the innocent people of the whole world...but half of the joy of leaving was the space (she) left behind.
...now I'm back, angelheaded holloweyed
...placed myself at the eye of the storm
...just didn't see the signpost to scorn
So now she's back. From outer space? No. From...where? We don't know yet. Will we know? Do we have to? What is more concerning is Buffy's reaction. She was right back where she left things. She died, so she awoke in her grave. She died with the town in chaos, so she awoke to the town in chaos.
...the blue sky wrinkled through my tears
...then darkness grounded all my fears
She looked around and things were blurry, but had things changed? Had they gotten worse? Did she think her sacrifice meant anything? Wasn't it supposed to make the townsfolk safe?
...I gave him my sugar; he switched it for salt
...should have seen him coming that's always my fault
She jumped off of that tower, so she went back to that tower. She left Dawn behind, so she had to have Dawn there again. She died for Dawn. To save Dawn. Wanted Dawn to be brave. To live for her. But she also left Dawn without any family. I know, Buffy left Dawn with the Scooby Gang, which is their "family," and of course Dawn isn't "really" Buffy's sister. But Buffy left Dawn in the process. She thought she had to. Did she have to?
...rocks for my pillow and sand for my bed
...for better or worse I left him for dead
Buffy didn't just come back from the grave, or literally in her grave - she had to go back to what (chaos) - where (tower) - who (Dawn) she had left.
...then lightning struck and thunder roared
...and nothing was as it seemed
At first, she couldn't speak. She couldn't see fully. She couldn't hear properly. The world was erupting in her view but the details were far out of her grasp. The sky was pitch black yet orange with fire. The people shouted as if they were brave yet screamed in fear.
...then everything went crazy
...my shoes filled with blood
...the water rose the wind did howl
...the river looked ready to flood
...I left my man asleep to drown
...and ran without looking back around
The Buffy half of the protagonist was not back one hundred percent when she met up with Willow, Xander, Anya and Tara. Her senses - her five human senses - had not yet been fully restored. She was broken, in mind, body and spirit. She was shaking, scared and shocked.
But the Slayer half was there. She jumped fences, she attacked villains, she struck, punched, kicked and killed. That half was there. Feral. Gut instinct. Her Calling. Her Destiny. Something older than she'll ever be. That was there and that was back in action almost instantly.
Was this meant to show the duality of Buffy - woman vs. slayer, normal life vs. sacred duty - that we've explored since the pilot? It was funny to me (in a smart sense, not funny ha-ha or funny uh-oh) that Razor commented on her being alive and kicking, adding, "Well, alive anyway," when quickly what was shown thereafter was rather the opposite. One bit of opinion: I do honestly wished they had addressed that with even one line, coming from one of the Scoobies... that the Slayer was back, but that it may take time to get the Buffy girl back.
...ring the bells of mercy
...send the sinnerman home
...the keys to the kingdom are lost and gone
...and I'm left to die alone
She made the climb. She relived the moments. But she didn't jump again. Something about Dawn stopped her. Be it with her words, or just because of what Dawn means or symbolizes to Buffy, something brought another part of Buffy back to earth in that scene.
...all these girls grown old now
...all that long hair in the grave
...realize what's done is done
...it's far too late to be saved
No matter what may happen from here on out, it would appear as if the resurrection of Buffy is irreversible. Xander and Willow already had their own revelations about what they've done, what they've done to Buffy, what they've brought her back as, what they've brought her back to. They have returned Buffy to the very thing she was trying to escape. The darkness. The pain. The responsibility. Again, it is not to say Buffy ONLY died to escape these things and others like them - of course not. It was implied that she jumped, that she died, to save everyone and everything. To stop the bad guys. To win one for the good guys.
"It was so . . . clear . . . on this spot . . . I remember how shiny . . . and clear everything was . . . but now . . . now . . ." - Buffy
Now what? Who did they being back? What did they bring back? And what did they bring her back to? It appears as if more of this will be explored in "Afterlife," next week's outing. Or at least, I hope so.
Buffy, in body, is back now. We can only wait and see what is to become of her mind, heart, soul and essence.
Little Willow
For once, the blood on her hands was her own.
slayground.net
slayground.net/yourgirl
parisangel.com/rtrcreations
Here and there, I'm adding in lyrics from "Black Cat Bone" by Laika marked with triple dots "..." as such. As I initially typed this email, I popped in my brand spankin' new CD (thank you, Amberholics - you know who you are) and the lyrics kept singing out RIGHT as I was typing about each topic. You'll see what I mean.
...must have been the devil who changed my mind
...must have been the wind blowing not me crying
...half the joy of leaving was the space I left behind
Buffy's sacrifice was called selfless by many, it is true - but other viewers found it to be a bit selfish. She had just confided in Willow in the episode prior that she wanted everything to be over. That if Dawn was dead, people would mourn for Dawn, people would feel sorry for Buffy, but at least it would be over. Part of Buffy wanted this done. Finished. Part of Buffy wanted the pain to end. Stop. Half of the joy of leaving was that she sacrificed herself to save the others, her loved ones, her friends, the innocent people of the whole world...but half of the joy of leaving was the space (she) left behind.
...now I'm back, angelheaded holloweyed
...placed myself at the eye of the storm
...just didn't see the signpost to scorn
So now she's back. From outer space? No. From...where? We don't know yet. Will we know? Do we have to? What is more concerning is Buffy's reaction. She was right back where she left things. She died, so she awoke in her grave. She died with the town in chaos, so she awoke to the town in chaos.
...the blue sky wrinkled through my tears
...then darkness grounded all my fears
She looked around and things were blurry, but had things changed? Had they gotten worse? Did she think her sacrifice meant anything? Wasn't it supposed to make the townsfolk safe?
...I gave him my sugar; he switched it for salt
...should have seen him coming that's always my fault
She jumped off of that tower, so she went back to that tower. She left Dawn behind, so she had to have Dawn there again. She died for Dawn. To save Dawn. Wanted Dawn to be brave. To live for her. But she also left Dawn without any family. I know, Buffy left Dawn with the Scooby Gang, which is their "family," and of course Dawn isn't "really" Buffy's sister. But Buffy left Dawn in the process. She thought she had to. Did she have to?
...rocks for my pillow and sand for my bed
...for better or worse I left him for dead
Buffy didn't just come back from the grave, or literally in her grave - she had to go back to what (chaos) - where (tower) - who (Dawn) she had left.
...then lightning struck and thunder roared
...and nothing was as it seemed
At first, she couldn't speak. She couldn't see fully. She couldn't hear properly. The world was erupting in her view but the details were far out of her grasp. The sky was pitch black yet orange with fire. The people shouted as if they were brave yet screamed in fear.
...then everything went crazy
...my shoes filled with blood
...the water rose the wind did howl
...the river looked ready to flood
...I left my man asleep to drown
...and ran without looking back around
The Buffy half of the protagonist was not back one hundred percent when she met up with Willow, Xander, Anya and Tara. Her senses - her five human senses - had not yet been fully restored. She was broken, in mind, body and spirit. She was shaking, scared and shocked.
But the Slayer half was there. She jumped fences, she attacked villains, she struck, punched, kicked and killed. That half was there. Feral. Gut instinct. Her Calling. Her Destiny. Something older than she'll ever be. That was there and that was back in action almost instantly.
Was this meant to show the duality of Buffy - woman vs. slayer, normal life vs. sacred duty - that we've explored since the pilot? It was funny to me (in a smart sense, not funny ha-ha or funny uh-oh) that Razor commented on her being alive and kicking, adding, "Well, alive anyway," when quickly what was shown thereafter was rather the opposite. One bit of opinion: I do honestly wished they had addressed that with even one line, coming from one of the Scoobies... that the Slayer was back, but that it may take time to get the Buffy girl back.
...ring the bells of mercy
...send the sinnerman home
...the keys to the kingdom are lost and gone
...and I'm left to die alone
She made the climb. She relived the moments. But she didn't jump again. Something about Dawn stopped her. Be it with her words, or just because of what Dawn means or symbolizes to Buffy, something brought another part of Buffy back to earth in that scene.
...all these girls grown old now
...all that long hair in the grave
...realize what's done is done
...it's far too late to be saved
No matter what may happen from here on out, it would appear as if the resurrection of Buffy is irreversible. Xander and Willow already had their own revelations about what they've done, what they've done to Buffy, what they've brought her back as, what they've brought her back to. They have returned Buffy to the very thing she was trying to escape. The darkness. The pain. The responsibility. Again, it is not to say Buffy ONLY died to escape these things and others like them - of course not. It was implied that she jumped, that she died, to save everyone and everything. To stop the bad guys. To win one for the good guys.
"It was so . . . clear . . . on this spot . . . I remember how shiny . . . and clear everything was . . . but now . . . now . . ." - Buffy
Now what? Who did they being back? What did they bring back? And what did they bring her back to? It appears as if more of this will be explored in "Afterlife," next week's outing. Or at least, I hope so.
Buffy, in body, is back now. We can only wait and see what is to become of her mind, heart, soul and essence.
Little Willow
For once, the blood on her hands was her own.
slayground.net
slayground.net/yourgirl
parisangel.com/rtrcreations
The two hours were perfect, and yet still not enough. I mean, it was long enough to let the plot unfold, give the characters several scenes to interact with each other and give them moments to shine, include several ass-kicking fight scenes and special effects, and to bring it all home. Two hours well spent, I'd say. 
Tara totally rocks! Whoo-hoo for smoochies! And special effects rule! 
). Michelle actually looks a little younger to me this season. And SMG looks like she put on a little weight, which is good. 
