Buffy: Seeing Red

Spike: "Why do I feel this way?"
Clem: "Love's a funny thing."

So much happened. Too much. It was like three heavy episodes crammed into one.

Let's start with Tara. If she really is dead, and I mean unresurrectably dead, then Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon, et al. were completely and totally evil to do what they did to us. Tara and Willow doing all the love scenes we haven't been getting in the past two years, all in one episode, so that her death would have more of an impact? Finally putting Amber Benson in the opening credits to throw us off? Bastards. No vampire was ever that diabolical. Did you catch the red? In the first scene, we had red sheets, red hair, red sunlight on naked skin, precursor to the blood in the last scene. Some transparent hit-us-over-the-head symbolism.

Issue two: Spike and Buffy. Was it really attempted rape? Let's make a list here, with the pro-Spike stuff first:

-- He didn't go to her house intending to attack her; he went because Dawn told him Buffy was hurt about the Anya thing and he wanted to apologize.

-- Buffy is physically stronger than Spike and he knows she can stop him at any time. They had an extremely physical and violent sexual relationship, in which she often said "stop" and didn't mean it. She even beat the crap out of him in "Dead Things," and he let her. Up until this point, one can argue that Spike has been the victim, not Buffy.

-- He kept saying stuff about making her acknowledge her feelings. I think he was expecting her to give up and reciprocate.

-- Wouldn't he have vamped out if he had really intended to hurt her?

On the con-Spike side, though:

-- Coming into her home uninvited and following her into the bathroom? That's squicky.

-- He noticed right off that Buffy was in pain, and he continued anyway.

-- Afterward, in his crypt, he was flashing back to Buffy screaming "stop" and he said, "What have I done? Why didn't I do it? What has she done to me?" Notice he said, "Why DIDN'T," not why DID. I actually turned on the close captioning to check.

Spike is not a rapist. I just don't believe it's in his nature. I think he was just feeling desperate and things went too far, and now he feels horrible about it, evidenced by those flashbacks he was experiencing in his crypt afterward. To Clem, Spike said, "Everything always used to be so clear. Slayer. Vampire. Vampire kills Slayer, sucks her dry, picks his teeth with her bones. It's always been that way. It's the chip. Steel and wires and silicon. It won't let me be a monster, and I can't be a man. I'm nothing." Spike said a mouthful there. This situation must end; he needs to be either a monster or a man, because he isn't either one. But which does he want to be? He wants the chip out, but why? So that he can kill Buffy, or so that he can finally prove to her that she can trust him?

Interesting developments on the Nerd front. (1) Jonathan finally had to choose sides; good for him, although we all knew which way he would go. (2) Andrew "I can't wait to get my hands on his orbs" loves Warren? Yeccchh. (I don't mean that in a homophobic sense; I just don't think Warren is loveable in any way whatsoever.) Andrew's exit attempt at the theme park was a hoot, though. And (3) Warren ... well, Warren deserves to go down in a big, big way. Can't they find a spot for him in that hell dimension Angel was in? Couldn't they give him to Skip the demon? Die, Warren, die.

It was way past time (probably too late), but Xander finally acted like an adult about the Spike/Anya thing, and so did Buffy. The two of them had, what, two or three serious conversations, and covered some major points. Like: Buffy: "You fought side by side with him when I was gone. You let him take care of Dawn." Xander: "But I never forgot what he really is." Hey, Xander, what about what Anya really is? Speaking of which, Anya is still not doing that good a job as a vengeance demon -- talking right over that woman who was trying really hard to make a wish? Do you get the impression that Anya's heart just isn't in it any more?

Are the Buffy Powers That Be rethinking their previous poor characterization of Dawn? Her glee over Willow and Tara getting back together was adorable ("I'll go watch TV, downstairs, really loud in the basement where I can't hear anything ... omigod! I love you guys!"); and it was great having her go talk with Spike, giving us just a faint echo of their former closeness. And finally, her perfect hair was actually a mess in the first scene. Human at last?

This was an awesome episode. It was tight, exciting, well written and well acted, and damn it, I don't want Tara to be dead and I want Buffy and Spike together, damn it, damn it, damn it. But it was still really, really good.

Bits and pieces:

-- Spike looked gorgeous in that black sweater; so spare and pale, and again, very human looking. And was that a real bloody Mary he was drinking, with actual blood?

-- The bar scenes in the Bronze and the drinking reminded me that they're really not in high school any more. And just as I was thinking that, Warren conveniently said, "This ain't high school."

Quotes:

Willow: "When did morning happen?"
Tara: "After the moon went down."

Anya: "It isn't always about looks, or a beating heart. Sometimes intimate, sweaty relations with the wrong person just seems like a good idea at the time."

Andrew: "Warren's the boss. He's Picard, you're Deanna Troi. Get used to the feeling, Betazoid."

Clem: "She's a sweet girl, Spike, but hey. Issues?"

Buffy: "Giant buzz saw. It was a thing."

Warren: "Hey hey hey. We need him fresh, not smokehouse."

Warren: "Say goodnight, bitch."
Buffy: "Goodnight, bitch."

Xander: "Time for the spring poking already?"
Buffy: "Just making sure there are no more evil trio cameras. Or evil uno."
Xander: "The sinister yet addictive card game?"

Xander: "How did we get here?"
Buffy: "Scenic route. Long drive."

I have to give this one a four out of four stakes, almost against my will. Wow.

Billie