So…normal is the new curse?
I don’t read the Buffy comics, though I do read reviews, recaps, discussions and any panels I can find. I’ve heard about and/or seen most of the Spuffy panels from #8.
On the positive side, I do love that Buffy finally expresses her appreciation for and gratitude to Spike, at last acknowledging all he’s done for her. That was a truly touching moment, though I’m kind of glad I’d already read that Buffy winds up handing Spike’s heart back to him after he’d pretty much laid it at her feet in #7. I was able to appreciate that warm and intimate moment between them in a bittersweet way without getting my hopes raised.
I haven’t found much on the leaked #9, so I’m in the dark about exactly how Buffy and Spike part ways and on what terms. I can only hope it’s handled better than their Season 6 split in “As You Were.”
Quick side note: Can I just say how much I hate the “Dollhouse” aspect of the story? My apologies to those who loved that show, but the premise really bothered me and I was never able to enjoy the few episodes I watched. There’s something fundamentally loathsome about using people that way, with or without their informed consent. And maybe that was the whole point of the show, but that wasn’t the vibe I got and I didn’t stick around long enough to see if it finally lead there.
But back to the current Buffy comics … a great big “Word” to pretty much everything Barb says here.
I echo her thoughts about where this story is most likely heading. Even if Buffy turns her back on normality and Spike eventually returns, as he invariably does, I don’t believe for a second that a Buffy/Spike romance is the ultimate endgame.
Even with the lovely Spuffy moments in Season 9, I never believed they would actually get them together as A Couple, but I was hoping for at least some form of reciprocation on Buffy’s part, clearly stated and not just heavily implied. Something not so much the one-way street it’s generally been. We were heading in that direction for a bit, but of course, it was not to be.
My heart still and always will belong to Spuffy, but I’m tired of hoping for crumbs, of going around in circles, of being propped up only to be knocked down. They can be friends, they can be allies, they can be comrades-in-arms and that’s fine with me. As long as it’s clear that Spike has moved on. I don’t want him to stop loving Buffy, but I do want him to reach a place where he’s no longer pining for something that will never be.
Sadly though (or not, depending on your perspective), I don’t think Joss and DH will grant us a clean break. If/when Spike ever makes it back to the main Buffy comic, they’ll no doubt hint around at Spuffy every now and then, just enough to keep teasing shippers with the hope that maybe someday…
But the hard truth is, they don’t want to resolve it one way or another, any more than they want to resolve Bangel. It’s pretty much a given they don’t want Buffy permanently hooking up with anyone. That’s where “normal” vs. “the curse” comes into play-the insurmountable obstacle that keeps each couple apart. For Buffy and Spike…hello, normal!
In other words, Buffy wanting “normal” is to Spuffy what Angel’s curse was to Bangel. (Although, as a means of keeping Buffy and Angel apart, I’d say the curse has since been supplanted by Twangel killing Giles.)
It could certainly be argued that Angel/Angelus essentially “broke” Buffy and that she’ll never be “fixed” until Joss is finally done with her. Maybe not even then. For all their brave words about character development and Buffy finding herself as an adult and moving on to the next phase of her life, when it comes to her romantic life, it’s all about maintaining the status quo.
As for Spike’s emotional wellbeing, I find the following comments from Scott Allie (part of a Q&A found here) both hopeful and worrisome.
"In issue #10, Buffy and Spike say goodbye for a little while. The miniseries picks up shortly thereafter. It fits neatly into the flow of the season, and it's not a flashback," the editor said of how his last Buffy writing gig for a while leads in. "In my issue #10, there's a moment I'm really happy with where Spike's dialogue to Buffy when they're saying goodbye reflects my current understanding of the character. He's sort of revising his attitude towards Buffy a little bit right now.
"It's interesting because some of the real diehard Spike fans feel like we're behind the times on this -- that Spike got over Buffy. I don't know if he's really over Buffy, but I feel like there's an opportunity for Spike's feelings about Buffy to evolve a little bit. It's not for him to create this huge distance between them, but just for him to take a new swipe at it. I think in the past his love for Buffy hasn't always been the most positive thing for him. That can really drag a guy down."
Ya think? :/
Overall, creative synergy was a big piece of the puzzle for Allie in making "Spike" work the way it had to. "We've had a great round of phone calls with the new writers to the line and the established writers," he said. "It was kind of like a mobile summit like the one we had from before 'Season 9' started with Joss and Andrew [Chambliss]. Now occasionally we all get together on the phone to refresh and touch base. So starting these new books, we had a chance to get the new people on the phone and throw ideas around. In small ways, there are things Victor is doing in this story that come from Joss or Chris or Andrew or Sierra [Hahn, my assistant] or me. We all talked about where we felt like Spike was at."
So I can’t help but feel nervous about this. I have very much liked the Spike in Season 9, but I’m always doubtful they really “get” him. It also worries me that this is apparently a last-minute change in plans. That they weren’t intending for him to leave the Buffy series at this point. I’m also curious as to how and why the story direction changed from what was originally planned. Would he have fared better or worse or pretty much been screwed any way you look at it? (You notice my wishful naiveté/natural optimism has taken a sabbatical, so the possibility they intended to treat him kindly either way isn’t even an option. Heh.)
Like I said before, as much as it pains my little Spuffy heart to say so, I agree with Barb. I’m hoping Spike decides to move on. While it’s clear (to me, at least) that Buffy does love him, it’s also clear that she’s not willing to choose him (or Angel).
I’d like to see Spike tell her, in no uncertain terms, that while he still loves her, he’s not willing to hang around and be nothing but the loyal and devoted sidekick. As long as TPTB don’t “get” the potential these two have together, then Buffy never will either. And I’m done with seeing a character I really care about getting his heart broken over and over again. If I believed she would eventually accept her feelings for him, I could deal. But I’m not holding my breath. So let him find someone who’s not afraid to fully and openly love and appreciate him, because that’s what he deserves. He’s earned it. I believe that, and I want Spike to believe it, too.
Of course, all this applies strictly to the so-called canon-blessed comics. When it comes to fanfic? Make mine Spuffy, please! :-)
On the positive side, I do love that Buffy finally expresses her appreciation for and gratitude to Spike, at last acknowledging all he’s done for her. That was a truly touching moment, though I’m kind of glad I’d already read that Buffy winds up handing Spike’s heart back to him after he’d pretty much laid it at her feet in #7. I was able to appreciate that warm and intimate moment between them in a bittersweet way without getting my hopes raised.
I haven’t found much on the leaked #9, so I’m in the dark about exactly how Buffy and Spike part ways and on what terms. I can only hope it’s handled better than their Season 6 split in “As You Were.”
Quick side note: Can I just say how much I hate the “Dollhouse” aspect of the story? My apologies to those who loved that show, but the premise really bothered me and I was never able to enjoy the few episodes I watched. There’s something fundamentally loathsome about using people that way, with or without their informed consent. And maybe that was the whole point of the show, but that wasn’t the vibe I got and I didn’t stick around long enough to see if it finally lead there.
But back to the current Buffy comics … a great big “Word” to pretty much everything Barb says here.
I echo her thoughts about where this story is most likely heading. Even if Buffy turns her back on normality and Spike eventually returns, as he invariably does, I don’t believe for a second that a Buffy/Spike romance is the ultimate endgame.
Even with the lovely Spuffy moments in Season 9, I never believed they would actually get them together as A Couple, but I was hoping for at least some form of reciprocation on Buffy’s part, clearly stated and not just heavily implied. Something not so much the one-way street it’s generally been. We were heading in that direction for a bit, but of course, it was not to be.
My heart still and always will belong to Spuffy, but I’m tired of hoping for crumbs, of going around in circles, of being propped up only to be knocked down. They can be friends, they can be allies, they can be comrades-in-arms and that’s fine with me. As long as it’s clear that Spike has moved on. I don’t want him to stop loving Buffy, but I do want him to reach a place where he’s no longer pining for something that will never be.
Sadly though (or not, depending on your perspective), I don’t think Joss and DH will grant us a clean break. If/when Spike ever makes it back to the main Buffy comic, they’ll no doubt hint around at Spuffy every now and then, just enough to keep teasing shippers with the hope that maybe someday…
But the hard truth is, they don’t want to resolve it one way or another, any more than they want to resolve Bangel. It’s pretty much a given they don’t want Buffy permanently hooking up with anyone. That’s where “normal” vs. “the curse” comes into play-the insurmountable obstacle that keeps each couple apart. For Buffy and Spike…hello, normal!
In other words, Buffy wanting “normal” is to Spuffy what Angel’s curse was to Bangel. (Although, as a means of keeping Buffy and Angel apart, I’d say the curse has since been supplanted by Twangel killing Giles.)
It could certainly be argued that Angel/Angelus essentially “broke” Buffy and that she’ll never be “fixed” until Joss is finally done with her. Maybe not even then. For all their brave words about character development and Buffy finding herself as an adult and moving on to the next phase of her life, when it comes to her romantic life, it’s all about maintaining the status quo.
As for Spike’s emotional wellbeing, I find the following comments from Scott Allie (part of a Q&A found here) both hopeful and worrisome.
"In issue #10, Buffy and Spike say goodbye for a little while. The miniseries picks up shortly thereafter. It fits neatly into the flow of the season, and it's not a flashback," the editor said of how his last Buffy writing gig for a while leads in. "In my issue #10, there's a moment I'm really happy with where Spike's dialogue to Buffy when they're saying goodbye reflects my current understanding of the character. He's sort of revising his attitude towards Buffy a little bit right now.
"It's interesting because some of the real diehard Spike fans feel like we're behind the times on this -- that Spike got over Buffy. I don't know if he's really over Buffy, but I feel like there's an opportunity for Spike's feelings about Buffy to evolve a little bit. It's not for him to create this huge distance between them, but just for him to take a new swipe at it. I think in the past his love for Buffy hasn't always been the most positive thing for him. That can really drag a guy down."
Ya think? :/
Overall, creative synergy was a big piece of the puzzle for Allie in making "Spike" work the way it had to. "We've had a great round of phone calls with the new writers to the line and the established writers," he said. "It was kind of like a mobile summit like the one we had from before 'Season 9' started with Joss and Andrew [Chambliss]. Now occasionally we all get together on the phone to refresh and touch base. So starting these new books, we had a chance to get the new people on the phone and throw ideas around. In small ways, there are things Victor is doing in this story that come from Joss or Chris or Andrew or Sierra [Hahn, my assistant] or me. We all talked about where we felt like Spike was at."
So I can’t help but feel nervous about this. I have very much liked the Spike in Season 9, but I’m always doubtful they really “get” him. It also worries me that this is apparently a last-minute change in plans. That they weren’t intending for him to leave the Buffy series at this point. I’m also curious as to how and why the story direction changed from what was originally planned. Would he have fared better or worse or pretty much been screwed any way you look at it? (You notice my wishful naiveté/natural optimism has taken a sabbatical, so the possibility they intended to treat him kindly either way isn’t even an option. Heh.)
Like I said before, as much as it pains my little Spuffy heart to say so, I agree with Barb. I’m hoping Spike decides to move on. While it’s clear (to me, at least) that Buffy does love him, it’s also clear that she’s not willing to choose him (or Angel).
I’d like to see Spike tell her, in no uncertain terms, that while he still loves her, he’s not willing to hang around and be nothing but the loyal and devoted sidekick. As long as TPTB don’t “get” the potential these two have together, then Buffy never will either. And I’m done with seeing a character I really care about getting his heart broken over and over again. If I believed she would eventually accept her feelings for him, I could deal. But I’m not holding my breath. So let him find someone who’s not afraid to fully and openly love and appreciate him, because that’s what he deserves. He’s earned it. I believe that, and I want Spike to believe it, too.
Of course, all this applies strictly to the so-called canon-blessed comics. When it comes to fanfic? Make mine Spuffy, please! :-)