Comments | infinitewhale: Andrew's Redemption Arc

infinitewhale

Andrew's Redemption Arc

Dec 01, 2016 17:32

Of all the redemption arcs on the show, somehow a character I didn't particularly like much came out with the one that worked best for me. That's not to say it's perfect or anything, but it's more a commentary on the others than setting a high bar ( Read more... )

buffy, just random incoherent thoughts

Comments 9

itsnotmymind December 2 2016, 12:08:34 UTC

Here from the Sunnydale Herald. I usually name Faith as the Buffyverse character who had the least coping out on her dark side, but you have interesting thoughts about Andrew. In a way it's the mundanity of Andrew's redemption storyline that makes it powerful...I hadn't thought of it like that before.

infinitewhale December 2 2016, 21:25:39 UTC

I'm a minority in that Faith's arc really didn't do much for me. It's very...cartoon villain, mwah-hah-hah in that they never really give us her rationale for abandoning everything. People are always self-justified, even evil ones, but I never saw much rationale for joining the Mayor. My read was she wanted to be top dog and resented that she wasn't, coupled with fear. That's OK as far as turning against the Scoobs, but I just don't see how it equates to abandonment of all morals and trying to end the world. I boil all that down to side character stuff, though. Its not really that off-putting until you get to S4 where it seems we're just supposed to forget all of it or something.

I like Andrew's because in many ways it's a concise version of Angel's. Joss says redemption is a big theme on the shows but ultimately the statement in AtS S5 is that it's impossible. Spike died saving the world, but he's not redeemed, nor is Angel. Also I think the basement scene in Storyteller is one of the best of the series.

itsnotmymind December 2 2016, 22:15:27 UTC

Faith's rationale for abandoning everything made sense to me because she didn't have much to abandon. Really, what did she have going for her? And no matter how she tried, she couldn't be as good at Buffy at anything. In her eyes, she was a loser. Becoming a cartoon villain didn't fix that, but it preserved some of her pride.

The Mayor became a father figure to her, and gave her the love and support she desperately craved.

Curious, what do you mean by "Its not really that off-putting until you get to S4 where it seems we're just supposed to forget all of it or something"?

I really need to re-watch Storyteller. There is just too much good TV out there in need of re-watching, dammit.

infinitewhale December 3 2016, 21:40:19 UTC

By everything, I mean her sense of morality not worldly things. She's clearly not OK with what happened to Finch, but goes full murder mode thereafter, killing at least harmless demons aside from the vulcanologist. In pursuit of...what? She was written before as playing fast and loose to get what she wants, sure, but they had the pedal to the floor there. And that's OK. Except...

Curious, what do you mean by "Its not really that off-putting until you get to S4 where it seems we're just supposed to forget all of it or something"?

Suddenly after all that, everything S3, everything in BTVS S4 and half of 5x5...she feels really bad about suddenly and subsequently everyone else shifts to the Bad Guy.

The Mayor became a father figure to her, and gave her the love and support she desperately craved.Eh, I never saw it as much considering she is the one rejecting the others in S3, first with Post and later the Mayor as Willow pointed out. It was less love and support so much as attention. Her resentment at not being The One is the part ( ... )

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