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Thread: Building the Slayer
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2014-08-07, 03:31 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2007
- Location
- Icy Evil Canadia
- Gender
Re: Building the Slayer
The others were useless without buffy. They survived on her, she didn't survive on them. Sure, there were countless cases where Buffy would not have survived without help - no slayer ever would have. That's why they tend to have short lifespans - they work alone and die early. But Buffy is the hero - They make her better, but she's still the one everybody counts on.
Buffy grows incredibly in power and responsibility throughout the series. She has some setbacks (resurrection level loss?) after The Gift, but she's notably stronger and tougher and smarter as the series progresses. She also becomes more damaged emotionally as the series progresses (for reasons already pointed out by Phelix-Mu), so she gains more vulnerabilities, too. Instead of growing up, she gets broken down. This is why she's still cookie dough.Last edited by Talya; 2014-08-07 at 03:46 PM.
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2014-08-07, 03:52 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2012
- Location
- Realm of Dreams
Re: Building the Slayer
I agree with much of this, and I understand where a cyclical tragedy is certainly Whedon's classic schtick (though I'm not sure it's vital to the appeal of his work).
Personally, and not to get too far from the building the Slayer bit, I feel that a big part of the dramatic tension in the series is not so much about the struggle to be heroic or to overcome the evil. That is kind of backdrop to the real drama; inside, Buffy is torn between an innately tragic destiny that transcends what most people are even aware of (her secret life is secret), and the struggle to remain human in the most important sense--that of relationships, a sense of normality, a place where she can be safe, stable, and experience a modicum of happiness.
Time and again, she finds herself not only apart from others, but repeatedly robbed of any kind of native turf that she tries to claim for herself. In a sense, it's the normal, angsty development of a teenager/young adult set in life-and-death terms; I think this is why, time and again, I look at my enjoyment of the show (and sadly, only the show) as the enjoyment of a soap opera. Is the writing stellar? Not really. Are the events suspenseful or surprising? Usually quite the opposite. Nevertheless, the emotional tension I feel when watching Buffy's relationships evolve is real, and really compelling (at least to me...a guilty pleasure, to be sure, but a pleasure nonetheless). The drama is couched in the fantastic and the unreal, but it revolves around themes that are integral to every narrative in the history of forever; love, loss, pain, connection to others and the broader world, a sense of peace or fulfillment, and growth over time.
The part that I feel sometimes is missing is that last bit; growth over time. Yes, the apocalypse this week is different. And yes, Buffy will have to rise higher (and fall further) than ever before. But there is a smidgeon too much of the feel of ground well-trodden. Maybe the problem is that change in the series is glacially slow (especially for the Scoobies), or maybe it is that the next tragedy just sends Buffy spinning yet again. Or maybe it's that she bears the brunt of the crap in the series until pretty far along, and all the rest of the drama just pales in comparison to...Among many other extremely crappy things that happen.Spoilerlet's say death, peaceful afterlife, and tragic resurrection.
I'm not so much against the crappy. Crappy is good, it's compelling. But too much crappy just leaves me feeling a bit shellshocked, but basically heartbroken that, despite great heroism, Buffy is afforded little in the way of recompense (or even rest).In my dreams, I am currently adruid 20/wizard 10/arcane hierophant 10/warshaper 5.Actually, after giving birth to a galaxy by splitting a black hole, level is no longer relevant.
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