Buffy #36 - impressions and speculations
Lets start with bare facts to save money and time for those who just want to know what's the what - in "Bangel vs Spuffy" form. Plotty bits are bolded.
BANGEL:
Angel (about Spike): Buffy, I don't trust him.
Buffy: Angel, I don't trust YOU. (smiles and cups Angel's cheek) But you have my heart, so what can I do. And he has a ship, so what can....
Angel: It's too convenient. Him, showing up now? He's got an agenda.
Buffy: Well, it's likely to be simpler than yours. And right now it's useful. (cups Angel's face in her hands with a smile) The last time I saw Spike, he died saving me and my people.
Angel: He told me like four thousand times.
Buffy: I'll bet. But I'm not going to fret about his timing right now. Would you have preferred he showed up a few hours ago? [...] This is the weirdest, bestest, weirdest best day of my life. What you've done for me, I can't describe. I can't PRONOUNCE. You gave me perfection, and you gave it up. Jesus, Angel. That's not just the love of my life. That's the guy I would live it with.
Angel: You're going to tell me to go.
Buffy: Quit with the psychic, you. Spike HAS an agenda. He won't reveal it with you around. And the others...
(Willow turns Angel into a frog for a moment.)
Angel: Point taken.
Buffy: You can't blame them.
Angel: I don't.
Buffy: What we did... it released these demons. All over. They're going to target slayers.
Angel: Are you sure?
Buffy (touches Angel's shoulder): Well, everyone ELSE has. You can make up for a lot of damage, Angel. I need you to. I think you need it too. You save as many as you can. And I get Spike's piece of this puzzle.
Angel: Is that all you want from him?
Buffy: That's beneath you, baby.
Angel: I got more powerful, not remotely mature. I'll find you soon. (flies away)
Buffy: You better.
SPUFFY
Aboard Spike's ship.
Faith: Where's the man-bitch formerly known as Angel?
Buffy: Protecting slayers. His henchmen?
Willow: In a little room away from the rest, and under my seal.
Spike: Full steam ahead, Bug One!
Bug: I'm Bug Three.
Spike: I'm the one who suggested color-coded jumpers.
Buffy: Lets do this in order. (Clicks off fingers). One, thanks for saving us from the ubervamps. That was crazy studly and sorry I haven't been in touch, but as you can see, I'm somehow leading an army.
Spike: You're wel...
Buffy: Two, what do you know and how can you help? No jokes, no snark, no British slang that just means something dirty.
Spike: One, under all that demon viscera, you still reek of him, and that's not a treat for me. But it can't be Buffy if she doesn't bonk the bad guy, right?
Buffy: Snark!
Spike: Comes with the sizable package. Two: you can under no circumstances trust him.
Buffy: Can everybody just agree not to trust anybody and you get to the frikkin point?
Spike: Been to any higher dimensions lately? Yeah, I know what this was all about. Took me a while and a lot of favors to piece it together. But I know a few things well worth remembering. You ascended. You opened a gateway to a new reality -- scratch that, you CREATED a new reality with your nudey shenanigans and then you abandoned it. I'm not talking about the demons that poured in once the great space-hymen ripped open. I'm talking about a universe. Ditched at birth. You think we've got trouble now? We do so. Go ahead and think it. But, pet, you better pray that higher reality doesn't come looking for mummy.
Buffy: Now. Tell me about now. You said you knew what everyone was looking for.
Spike: Well, yeah. It's what all this comes from. It's what can stop all this. The Seed. We are digging up the SEED OF WONDER. And sorry, tree-fans: it's not Stonehenge. [...] There was one time a house of worship... Swallowed up by the earth. Over which they built a city also swallowed up by the earth. We're headed for the heart my friends... and where the heart is... is home. We are currently on course to the heart of all magic on earth.
Spike's ship is on the way to Sunnydale. On the last panel we see the Seed (the red egg we saw broken in the flashback in "Anywhere But Here) and The Master, who says: "Kids. They only visit when they need something."
And, before my fellow Spuffies start complaining, let me ask you: would you be happy if Angel and Spike traded places?
Just - yes or no.
I dare you to tell me that it would be better option for you if it was Spike, who a) was stalking and manipulating Buffy b) had beaten her and her future lover senseless in #11 c) engaged her in space-frak that has brought an apocalypse d) tried to convince Buffy to turn her back to her friends who were on the brink of death. And then Angel would arrive and save the day. And then Buffy and Spike would be happy that Angel hasn't arrived earlier and hasn't prevented their "nudey shenanigans" that caused the apocalypse.
No, really. I seriously dare you to tell me that you'd be a happy Spuffy shipper if Spike did what Angel has done - even if his sex with Buffy was mind-blowing and he thought he did everything for Buffy's own good.
There you are.
Before proceeding, I need to put a disclaimer: I like Bangel (but not over Spuffy). I write Bangel fanfiction, make Bangel fanart. I'm not - to quote the other side, - "like Angelus with a puppy", when it comes to another ship. I sympathize with all fans who love Buffy and Angel as complex, multilayered, controversial characters, not generic "soulmates" from a Harlequin romance cover.
And I think that the whole Twilight arc has done bigger harm to Bangel than to Spuffy.
Recently a fan wrote a Buffy/Angel manifesto for het_reccers - an essay I can't link here, because it's f-locked. The gist of it: "I love Buffy and Angel because they're heroes" - is poignant, especially now. Can Buffy be a hero after "Twilight" arc? Can Angel? How will they feel when they'll finally come to their senses and realize what they have done? Will they be even able to look at each other?
Joss loves subverting romantic tropes. Buffy's relationship with Angel in season 2 was about subversion of romance, about a fairy tale turning into a nightmare. But in season 8 Joss doesn't just subvert, he lampoons. He brings romantic notions to the level of absurdity. Screw the world as long as we are happy together.
And, given how many romantic cliches were inserted into issues #33-36, the fallout should be epic.
There is a saying in Russian BtVS community: "Be careful what you wish for - because Joss can give it to you." In season 6 it was Spuffies who learned that lesson. Shippers wanted Buffy to have sex with Spike since season 2. In season 6 they got it.
In season 8 it's Bangels' turn.
Wish fulfillment is dangerous per se, because it kills shipper's urge. But in Jossverse wish fulfillment is doubly dangerous, because Joss always subverts fans' expectations. Love it or hate it - but Joss will always keep Buffy unhappy. Her love life will always be lousy. Current twist kills any prospect for anything remotely romantic between Buffy and Angel and makes very problematic to continue her relationship with Spike.
But we'll deal. We'll survive. Firstly, because the majority of Spuffy fans don't read comics and don't care about them (I hope the same applies to fellow Bangel fans - *waves*). And, secondly, I'd love to quote brilliant rahirah: "I don't love Spuffy because it's canon. I started shipping them before it was canon, and I'll still be shipping them when canon has pounded the ship into the dust (some would say it already has.) I ship them because you know what? They could have been awesome together. And ain't no one can take that away."
Do I foresee anything romantic for Spuffy in the end of the tunnel? Yes and noyes. If Joss plans to use Spuffy to hurt Buffy, then yes, there will be romance and epic badness. And if he doesn't see Spike as a person who can make Buffy miserable - then there will be enough snark, banter and subtextual UST to keep the ship afloat. Now, judging by Spike's behavior, he knows that Buffy is drugged and can't be held responsible for apocalyptic space-frak. And with this we proceed to the matters beyond shipping.
I had doubts until now. It happens in showbiz: a creator loses interest to his characters and passes them to other writers who see them quite differently. Soon after season 8 has started, Joss has suddenly got several new shiny toys - "Dr. Horrible", "Dollhouse", "Cabin in the Wood". He could just keep his name on the season out of loyalty to DH and let other writers re-shape Buffy according to their vision. And, given how insanely popular Stephenie Meyer is, it was possible that new writers, especially Meltzer, who never wrote in Jossverse before, tried to reinvent Buffy and Angel as Bella and Edward on steroids.
Except, no. This is Joss, and these are still his characters. Spike's big entrance, knocking down Big Ben with his ship, was perfect. All his lines reminded me again how much I love Joss' dialogue. Faith's "man-bitch formerly known as Angel" was perfect. Willow turning Angel into a frog was in character. Dawn afraid of the bugs was in character.
Everybody except Buffy and Angel are in character. Buffy calls Angel "baby". Buffy doesn't question Angel's motives. Buffy sends Angel to protect slayers - not everybody, but only slayers. Her personality is skewed; she's a grotesque version of the Buffy we know.
In a recent interview Scott Allie said that the glow worked like a drug:
Question: The glow in the Twilight arc has been controversial for various reasons, most significantly because of issues of consent for both Buffy and Angel. What was the reasoning behind the glow originally, and to what degree should we take it as making Buffy and Angel’s decisions for them?
Allie: We wanted a visual representation of what was going on, the way they were infused. But you should not let the characters off the hook completely for their actions. It worked like a drug, clouding your judgment, but you’re still you. You should not abandon responsibility for your actions, even if you might have acted differently if not under the influence.
I admit that the analogy with drug annoys me a bit. It's unfair, given that both Buffy and Angel aren't "taking drugs" voluntarily. Angel was manipulated into "taking drugs", believing them to be a medicine; Buffy was infused against her will. But that's technicalities. The point is that they are affected, and it's part of the plot.
Angearia has written an insightful little essay on the nature of the influence Buffy and Angel are under - a post that has already spawned 200-plus comments and proved that everybody sees the situation differently. Here's how I see it (my take is pretty close to Angearia's): the drug has turned Buffy into a slightly upgraded cave!Buffy - "Boy smell nice. Want boy." - but in a less obvious manner (to make us guessing and angsting). This Buffy still can make choices that override her instincts, but only in extreme situations, like when she saw her sister and her friends in mortal danger. Buffy still loves her friends. She is protective of her tribe (slayers). But her primal urge is to copulate and procreate. So that's what she and Angel do: procreate Twilight. Cavemen win.
Angel's out of the picture, but he promised to return soon. He better. So far, Bangel arc has disappointed me, because Joss missed a chance to explore a really interesting conflict here. Clash of wills, conflict of personalities. On TV, Buffy and Angel were such fascinating characters. Joss could write an awesome story about them - about love and duty, about hard decisions and impossible choices. But he pursued titillation instead of conflict, created IWRY on steroids - a story about Angel making decisions for Buffy's good. Plus, porn. What a waste. But if Angel will be back, there may be a conflict, after all. We'll see.
Spike's ship and the crew. So far, the most extravagant explanation I read is that Joss wanted to depict "Spike shippers" as ugly green bugs. :))))) But, seriously, why alien bugs? My impression is that Joss pursued two goals: 1) to cut off any parallels to Serenity, to avoid the temptation to reinvent Firefly characters in the new setting and 2) to show that Spike has been very, very far away and had a lot of problems of his own to be well-posted on Buffy's situation.
Jeanty draws fantabulicious Spike's close-ups. His general plans are usually static and can't compare to Urru's fluid and dynamic style, but his close-ups have just the right balance of likeness and stylization.
"Full steam ahead, Bug One!" -- "I'm Bug Three." This is so Joss. Even a throwaway line contains so many layers. Apparently, the bug sees his number as a name. He doesn't want to be called Bug One. He is Bug Three and proud of it. Am I stretching or this is Joss' comment on endless debates who's number one in Buffy's heart?
Looks like Andrew is alive and okay again. Apparently Willow has magically healed him. Yay!
Great idea (not mine, alas) that the Twilight symbol is an upside down Sunnydale crater and the star is the Seed. Another reminder how carefully the season was plotted.
And, finally...
The Master. Ta-dam! The evil has a face, after all.
If I understand the situation correctly, it was The Master who was manipulating Buffy and Angel all along. Somehow his dust turned into flesh (again!) and he decided to avenge that pesky cheerleader who destroyed him, and that insolent vampire who took his beloved Darla away. Also, to create the evil Twilight dimension for fun and pleasure. Most likely The Master is still stuck in the Hellmouth like Vinnie-the-Pooh in Piglet's house, so he schemes from there, using The Seed - the ultimate magic artifact that can do anything: to pluck Angel from the apocalyptic place he was, to give him superpowers, to imprint The Master's scheming self into the dog, the stewardess, Whistler and maybe other creatures. The only thing The Seed can't do is to get The Master out.
Of course, I may be wrong - the actual Big Bad is the Universe, after all - and The Master is "the old enemy" who becomes Buffy's ally. At first sight, The Master's only line in #36 suggests that he has something Buffy needs - which indirectly supports "Big Bad Universe" theory. (But isn't Joss a master of misleads? And the line is written in "Twilight" font.)
Another indirect argument in "Big Bad Universe" favor: Spike talks about the Twilight dimension as an alive, intelligent species ("ditched at birth [...] come looking for mummy.") So, yes, maybe Joss got interested in the theory of biocosm - "Avatar" made it pretty popular - and applied it to season 8.
But let's look at the situation from the outside.
Evil has to have a face. Comic is a visual medium. An abstract Big Bad kills the intrigue. But if "Big Bad Universe" was a smoke screen to distract us from The Master, then everything falls into place. The lameness of "Big Bad Universe" suddenly makes sense - it is supposed to be lame and far-fetched, because it's not true. It's not the universe who wanted to create Twilight to redress the balance; it's a concrete person who wanted to destroy Buffy and used the laws of the Universe to reach his goal.
If this person is The Master, then the conflict becomes really juicy. Buffy isn't struggling against a nebulous concept. She fights an old enemy. Whom she killed twice (in Prophecy Girl and When She Was Bad). Who killed her twice (in Prophecy Girl and The Wish). Who hates her guts because she has ruined the Clan of Aurelius. Angel, Darla, Spike - The Master has lost them because of her. And he wants revenge. For him, it's about his family - and the girl who has destroyed it. He's a high-octane Holtz - upside down and inside out.
It's personal. It's visceral. It's exciting. It's simultaneously intimate and epic. Because such twist firmly connects season 8 with the show's mythology from all the 12 seasons of BtVS and AtS.
Of course, the question remains how The Master was brought back. Is there anybody behind him? A real puppeteer?
I doubt that Joss will introduce another Big Bad that late. Besides, Angel, the Universe and The Master - who could surpass these three?
Here's an idea about The Master's resurrection. In issue #34 we learned that space-frak created several events in the past and the future: Willow regaining her powers, Fray turning into the slayer. Could The Master's resurrection be the consequence of the space-frak? Then his primary goal was to make space-frak happen so that he could get resurrected. (It's pretty non-sensical, but time-travel doesn't make sense, period.) In any case, The Master has turned Angel into his puppet, using an old prophecy about The Twilight and appealing to Angel's ego and his desire to protect Buffy. Maybe he kept Angel in a dreamspace dimension and fed him nightmares to weaken his will and then sent him back confused and devastated.
The Master's plan goes smoothly until Spike's arrival - which is purely accidental; our Glorious Leader couldn't miss the chance to knock down Big Ben. The Master expects Angel to bring Buffy to him, like The Anointed One did in Prophecy Girl. Instead, Buffy arrives with Spike in tow. Replacing one vampire with another will most likely be the crucial factor for turning the tables in Buffy's favor (I don't see any other reason to send Angel away and deprive us from Spangel snark).
The only way to stop The Master is to break The Seed. The consequence: the end of all magic on Earth. After mucho angst, arguments and maybe fighting they'll finally break it and Buffy will get rid of the Twilight drug. She'll realise that the bestest day in her life is not-so-bestest and she'll break down (as shown in the flashback in #10).
What next? Up to this issue I was almost sure that season will end with Angel sending Buffy to hell to save the world, but, given Angel's departure, it's highly unlikely. There is a couple of interesting set-ups in the first arc, "The Long Way Home", that could echo in the last arc: Ethan Rayne's dreamspace and the kiss of true love.
And I'm sure that there will be surprises. Surprises that will make complete sense as soon as we accept them. The Master's return was a big surprise. But now, when The Master is here, the idea to bring his back seems pretty obvious from a writer's POV. The Master is the patriarch of the Aurelian clan - and he was killed off before the vampire mythology of the verse became really interesting and personalized. Most likely The Master has been growing and developing in Joss' mind as long as he was creating Angel and Darla's backstory - and finally, the creator found a way to play with a previously neglected character and give him his due.
(And, believe me, it's an incredible pleasure - to write how Buffy, Spike and Angel together fight against The Master. I did it several months ago in my fic Shortcut and had a blast. The dialogue was writing itself. If The Master thinks that Angel is an ingrateful child, how would he react to Spike's snark and irreverence?)
But enough of self-pimping. :) To sum it up, I love the issue, and between an abstract new Big Bad or a recycled old Big Bad I vote for the latter.
P.S.I wonder if this tendency to "invite" guest-stars from earlier and earlier timeline may culminate in Buffy riding off into the sunset with Pike.
P.P.S. Just kidding.