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'Him' thought-- and way too many giggles.
Nov. 6th, 2002 12:10 amOn Buffy:
There were so many, but the best line:
Anya: He 'physical presence' has a penis!
Willow: I can work around it!
Man, I laughed in this episode.
I see that a lot of you are 'depressed' or 'disapointed'.. comes from Spoielrs, people. I was unspoiled, and I thoroughly enjoyed this ep. Thought it was funny as hell. And it said A LOT about love, about what makes people love & how they react to love, about souls, and about "real love" versus "a crush".
There was a lot of stuff about Spike's love for Buffy here, but you just had to notice because none of it was said by him.
More thoughts:
First off-- I lurve Dawn. Dawn cracks my shit up.
This whole episode was too funny--- the best we've seen in humor since Tabula Rasa. It's been sorely missed, I tell ya.
I loved the subtle way the love spell was done, too... the first time Dawn heard the "music of RJ luv", I totally thought it was meant to be a campy wink at cheesy teen romance, and all in Dawn's head. They fooled me. Then there came the gradually stalkerish behavior... with the "pushing" I knew it was a spell of some kind...but by the time he put on his jacket and buffy felt the "RJ luv", I'd remembered Xander's comment about the letter, and caught on to what was up.
Hilarious though. Seductress Buffy--- who, if you'd noticed, is NOT the kind of blushing girl of purity she think she should be-- nope, it's, as Dawn says, "you have rough sex." I guess once the Slay'a got a taste of it, she can't go back. Also-- she's quite the manipulative and evil little lust-bunny when she wants something that badly.
Which brings me to my next point--- Dawn's was very much the truth-sayer of this episode. In this episode alone, she's said:
"Having a soul, what does that mean?"
"You love him?"
"It' doesn't make any sense." (Amen, I don't get Buffy's view on love either.)
"To get a soul? Like that would make him a better man? Xander had a soul when he dumped Anya at the altar." (heh. Choke on that.)
"It's not a crush. It's love."
"I see his soul." (not about Spike... but paralleled to him)
"You have no idea how I feel. You have no idea what real love is."
"How could I compete with you? You're older and hotter and have rough sex and kill people." (notice-- Dawn doesn't differentiate at all between demons and people, only good and bad)
(paraphrased)"The kind of love you'd give your life for, die for."
And she drew very telling words out of Buffy... "I believe that you think it is real. It seems real... to you."
Well, gee, where have I heard that before? Oh, RIGHT. She said the exact same thing to Spike in As You Were, and Entropy, when she was trying to convince him out of his love. This only makes me more certain that it WAS a line of bullshit that Buffy was throwing him with those words.
There were so many parallels of Dawn's fake, all-consuming, larger-than-life love for RJ and Spike's larger-than-life love for Buffy. The difference is we the audience know that his is NOT fake... it really is that powerful, and it comes from him alone, not from anything or anyone besides his own heart and soul.
What does this mean? Well, there's icky anvils that Spike might make the Ultimate Sacfrice for love, but I prefer not to dwell on that... that way lie the Dragons of Pessimism.
What it really means is... Spike's love for her is beyond merely being 'real'. It's a bigger love than Buffy's ever had, than any of the SG have at this moment. It's not going away because he got a soul, or because he's sometimes a little insane, or because she's unsure of how much she "feel[s] for him."
IMPORTANT: "I see his soul" seems to now be a euphemism for "I love him." Interesting. And, the words "real" and "crush" were thrown around a lot in this epsiode, in conjunction to love. Both of these words have been significant in past Buffy episodes... what makes someone's love "real" or "fake"... the difference between "crush" and "love". When Dawn was saying "It's not a CRUSH! It's REAL, and it's in my heart!"... all I could think of was how much she sounded like Spike. Both railing to Buffy, both trying to make Buffy understand a love that immense, and both being dismissed by her as "unreal".
Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I don't think so. This episode questioned directly in Dawn's dialogue how real Spike's love for Buffy was, and then we a comparison played out before us... a mockery of love, but undeniably strong, so much that it takes them over, changes them. And yet lurking in the background is Spike's love... just as immense, just as passionate and life-changing... but with no connection to any spell.
On the others:
Wasn't down with the whole domestic/parents thing Buffy and Xander are doing, but I know that's jsut me reading too mcuh into it, because I really don't think they're gonna go the way of B/X. I had faint worry back after Seeing Red, but no I happily don't see it happening at all. And I can understand why/how Buffy would incorporate Xander (and Willow) into helping her raise Dawn.
I liked Willow's hair, DIDN'T like Anya's-- made her face look hard.
And interesting tidbit-- notice how Spike started to turn the angels on the dresser in RJ's home to face the wall? That's freaky-Dru-doll behavior... he may be getting better now that he's out of the basement, but clearly he's not 100% sane yet.
Big miff: we got no scene for how Buffy told them about the soul. We didn't even get a hint of WHEN she told them. I'd thought by the way she acted in STSP that she'd not told anyone yet... so I guess we should assume she told them when she brought up the plan of Spike movingin with Xander?
Oh well. Maybe we'll get a juicy flashback. Or a nice potent reaction from Giles when he hears about it.
Speaking of the Spike-Xander roomates thing... an interesting nod back to season four, expecially when you think of how much has changed since then.
And I loved this scene:
Spike: "--the coddling."
Buffy: (quickly)"It's not coddling."
(refuses to meet his eyes)
Buffy: (in a rush)"Now go to your closet."
Now tell me that wasn't Buffy nervous cause she might be having fluffy feelings for his soulful Spikness. Reminded me of: "And...and...and you have stupid hair."
God, they are SO meant for each other.
The touching/reaction thing was sad, but not depressing or unexpected. They are gonna have issues to work out. But those are work-out-able issues.
Loved the whole bazooka thing (guess she kept it from S-2)... for one it shot down any possibility of a Buffy/Wood romance, and plus it was damn funny. Buffy reminded me of the Bot a lot in this episode, especially when she talked about "slaying to prove [her] love!"
I cackled at the way the bazzoka scene was shot wihtout noise through the window...
See Buffy aim bazzoka at principle's office.
See Spike tackle her to the grab the bazooka.
See Spike run.
See Buffy jump on Spike to get bazooka.
See Spike run w/ bazooka.
See Buffy chase Spike.
Too funny. And the principal was amusing too. I like him and hope he doesn't die.
I liked Willow's spell. "Hurry! Now I have to start all over again-- Hecate hates that."
I liked the 24-esque shot of the four women preparing to "prove their luv for AJ!"
All in all, it was a hoot. Two extra good epsiodes in a row, and a trailer for what looks like an interesting one next week-- I think BtVS's finding it's feet again.
Favorite Spuffy moment in a long time:
(well, since Cassie and 'Help')
Buffy: (softly) "For the record, Spike knew it was wrong. That's why he went away."
Too funny:
Anya: "That's it! I'd kill for him!"
Willow: "You'd kill for a chocolate bar."
There were so many, but the best line:
Anya: He 'physical presence' has a penis!
Willow: I can work around it!
Man, I laughed in this episode.
I see that a lot of you are 'depressed' or 'disapointed'.. comes from Spoielrs, people. I was unspoiled, and I thoroughly enjoyed this ep. Thought it was funny as hell. And it said A LOT about love, about what makes people love & how they react to love, about souls, and about "real love" versus "a crush".
There was a lot of stuff about Spike's love for Buffy here, but you just had to notice because none of it was said by him.
More thoughts:
First off-- I lurve Dawn. Dawn cracks my shit up.
This whole episode was too funny--- the best we've seen in humor since Tabula Rasa. It's been sorely missed, I tell ya.
I loved the subtle way the love spell was done, too... the first time Dawn heard the "music of RJ luv", I totally thought it was meant to be a campy wink at cheesy teen romance, and all in Dawn's head. They fooled me. Then there came the gradually stalkerish behavior... with the "pushing" I knew it was a spell of some kind...but by the time he put on his jacket and buffy felt the "RJ luv", I'd remembered Xander's comment about the letter, and caught on to what was up.
Hilarious though. Seductress Buffy--- who, if you'd noticed, is NOT the kind of blushing girl of purity she think she should be-- nope, it's, as Dawn says, "you have rough sex." I guess once the Slay'a got a taste of it, she can't go back. Also-- she's quite the manipulative and evil little lust-bunny when she wants something that badly.
Which brings me to my next point--- Dawn's was very much the truth-sayer of this episode. In this episode alone, she's said:
"Having a soul, what does that mean?"
"You love him?"
"It' doesn't make any sense." (Amen, I don't get Buffy's view on love either.)
"To get a soul? Like that would make him a better man? Xander had a soul when he dumped Anya at the altar." (heh. Choke on that.)
"It's not a crush. It's love."
"I see his soul." (not about Spike... but paralleled to him)
"You have no idea how I feel. You have no idea what real love is."
"How could I compete with you? You're older and hotter and have rough sex and kill people." (notice-- Dawn doesn't differentiate at all between demons and people, only good and bad)
(paraphrased)"The kind of love you'd give your life for, die for."
And she drew very telling words out of Buffy... "I believe that you think it is real. It seems real... to you."
Well, gee, where have I heard that before? Oh, RIGHT. She said the exact same thing to Spike in As You Were, and Entropy, when she was trying to convince him out of his love. This only makes me more certain that it WAS a line of bullshit that Buffy was throwing him with those words.
There were so many parallels of Dawn's fake, all-consuming, larger-than-life love for RJ and Spike's larger-than-life love for Buffy. The difference is we the audience know that his is NOT fake... it really is that powerful, and it comes from him alone, not from anything or anyone besides his own heart and soul.
What does this mean? Well, there's icky anvils that Spike might make the Ultimate Sacfrice for love, but I prefer not to dwell on that... that way lie the Dragons of Pessimism.
What it really means is... Spike's love for her is beyond merely being 'real'. It's a bigger love than Buffy's ever had, than any of the SG have at this moment. It's not going away because he got a soul, or because he's sometimes a little insane, or because she's unsure of how much she "feel[s] for him."
IMPORTANT: "I see his soul" seems to now be a euphemism for "I love him." Interesting. And, the words "real" and "crush" were thrown around a lot in this epsiode, in conjunction to love. Both of these words have been significant in past Buffy episodes... what makes someone's love "real" or "fake"... the difference between "crush" and "love". When Dawn was saying "It's not a CRUSH! It's REAL, and it's in my heart!"... all I could think of was how much she sounded like Spike. Both railing to Buffy, both trying to make Buffy understand a love that immense, and both being dismissed by her as "unreal".
Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I don't think so. This episode questioned directly in Dawn's dialogue how real Spike's love for Buffy was, and then we a comparison played out before us... a mockery of love, but undeniably strong, so much that it takes them over, changes them. And yet lurking in the background is Spike's love... just as immense, just as passionate and life-changing... but with no connection to any spell.
On the others:
Wasn't down with the whole domestic/parents thing Buffy and Xander are doing, but I know that's jsut me reading too mcuh into it, because I really don't think they're gonna go the way of B/X. I had faint worry back after Seeing Red, but no I happily don't see it happening at all. And I can understand why/how Buffy would incorporate Xander (and Willow) into helping her raise Dawn.
I liked Willow's hair, DIDN'T like Anya's-- made her face look hard.
And interesting tidbit-- notice how Spike started to turn the angels on the dresser in RJ's home to face the wall? That's freaky-Dru-doll behavior... he may be getting better now that he's out of the basement, but clearly he's not 100% sane yet.
Big miff: we got no scene for how Buffy told them about the soul. We didn't even get a hint of WHEN she told them. I'd thought by the way she acted in STSP that she'd not told anyone yet... so I guess we should assume she told them when she brought up the plan of Spike movingin with Xander?
Oh well. Maybe we'll get a juicy flashback. Or a nice potent reaction from Giles when he hears about it.
Speaking of the Spike-Xander roomates thing... an interesting nod back to season four, expecially when you think of how much has changed since then.
And I loved this scene:
Spike: "--the coddling."
Buffy: (quickly)"It's not coddling."
(refuses to meet his eyes)
Buffy: (in a rush)"Now go to your closet."
Now tell me that wasn't Buffy nervous cause she might be having fluffy feelings for his soulful Spikness. Reminded me of: "And...and...and you have stupid hair."
God, they are SO meant for each other.
The touching/reaction thing was sad, but not depressing or unexpected. They are gonna have issues to work out. But those are work-out-able issues.
Loved the whole bazooka thing (guess she kept it from S-2)... for one it shot down any possibility of a Buffy/Wood romance, and plus it was damn funny. Buffy reminded me of the Bot a lot in this episode, especially when she talked about "slaying to prove [her] love!"
I cackled at the way the bazzoka scene was shot wihtout noise through the window...
See Buffy aim bazzoka at principle's office.
See Spike tackle her to the grab the bazooka.
See Spike run.
See Buffy jump on Spike to get bazooka.
See Spike run w/ bazooka.
See Buffy chase Spike.
Too funny. And the principal was amusing too. I like him and hope he doesn't die.
I liked Willow's spell. "Hurry! Now I have to start all over again-- Hecate hates that."
I liked the 24-esque shot of the four women preparing to "prove their luv for AJ!"
All in all, it was a hoot. Two extra good epsiodes in a row, and a trailer for what looks like an interesting one next week-- I think BtVS's finding it's feet again.
Favorite Spuffy moment in a long time:
(well, since Cassie and 'Help')
Buffy: (softly) "For the record, Spike knew it was wrong. That's why he went away."
Too funny:
Anya: "That's it! I'd kill for him!"
Willow: "You'd kill for a chocolate bar."
