Buffy season 10 no 18
Aug. 19th, 2015 11:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shapinglightSpoilers behind cut.
Plot-wise, there's really not an awful lot to say about this issue.
The gang fight Achaeus and his new!vamps while trying to open the mysterious box with the portal in it. Ultimately, they defeat him thanks to to Spike snapping Angel out of his Archaeus-control by pretending to be Angel's father. Buffy, Spike and Angel then fight Archaeus as a team while Willow strips the layers of magical defences from the mysterious box until there are so few left Buffy can break it open with the scythe. There's a big 'fwash' and Archaeus is gone. 'Took it on the lam,' Willow says. (Is that a thing people say?) The bits of the artifact, meanwhile, are being collected by a bunch of walking hands, courtesy of the Sculptor.
(Sidebar: I would just like to say that I think Angel's dad gets an unwarranted bad press. Yes, he's disappointed in Liam, but then Liam is a waste of space. Most dads - especially disciplinarian eighteenth century ones- would have been disappointed too. Also, Liam's dad is genuinely upset when Liam dies. Also, also, what snaps Angel out of his funk is Spike telling him that by doing what Archaeus tells him, Angel is just doing what his father tells him - 'dancing on a string to win his approval' - and, though we admittedly saw very little of their relationship, about the last thing we ever see Liam doing is trying to win his dad's approval. End sidebar.)
Back at Buffy's, D'Hoffryn tells everyone off for letting the Evil Three Stooges (Soul Glutton, Mistress, Sculptor) collect the bits of artifact - the Restless Door, it's called - which means, if they can reconstruct it, they can open portals all over the place and cause havoc. Buffy and co have made the world more dangerous, not less. Xander suggests they write a new rule in the book to make the Restless Door stop working. Mini!Giles says that won't work because it's not earthly, but D'Hoffryn thinks they can write things in the book that will mitigate its effect. Ultimately, though, they have to defeat the Evil Stooges.
Basically, as I read it, Archaeus himself is no longer important in the Buffy book. He's off to A&F (not, as far as I can tell, as a passenger in Angel's head. He's just making his own way to London).
The book ends with a lot of goodbyes. Xander and Angel are cool now. Xander - looking at Buffy binding up Spike's wounds- reckons he and Angel have more in common than he thought (Dawn is walking away from them at this point). Angel says goodbye to Spike. Says he can tell Spike cares for Buffy and as long as he acts like it, they're good. The minute Spike hurts her...
Spike interrupts to say, "I'll hold you to that." They shake hands.
Angel says goodbye to Buffy. Buffy hopes they've got to the point where they can be part of each others' lives again. Angel says all he wanted was for her to be happy. Since it seems she is, he can live with it. Buffy hugs him and gives him a kiss on the cheek.
Willow is to drive Angel to the airport. She says, "That was really big of you. Couldn't have been easy."
Angel: Wasn't that hard. It's not like it'll ever last.
Willow: Angel, I adore you (you do?), but if you even think of trying to cause problems for them...
Angel: I wouldn't do that but I don't have to. You were right (see previous issue). Immortals don't really change. Soul or not, he's still Spike. He fixates on someone. Decides they're gonna solve all his problems. Give his life meaning. Make him stop hating himself. But they don't, 'cause they can't. And in the end, he drives 'em away, confirming what he believes about himself. Letting him wallow in self-pity for a while. Then start all over again.
Willow: That sounds awfully...
Angel: Harsh? I know. And like I'm rooting for it to happen. Let's be honest - part of me is. Another part would really like to think there's a chance for guys like us. But I've lived a long time and never seen a happy ending. My experience, it's always the happiness that goes.
Okay, that all sounds very clever, and there is some truth in it. But there's also a lot that's not - starting with the whole 'Angel hasn't changed since 1922' thing in the previous issue. As for Spike, though Angel's right that unsouled Spike has a habit (well, he's done it twice in 120 years) of putting women on pedastals, I thought the whole point of Gischler's dull, dull, dull Spike mini series was to make him learn that he can't put the entire burden of his happiness on someone else's head.
Then again, if the whole 'immortals can't change' is the schtick they're going with as a way of breaking up Spike and Buffy, Spike will just be like Angel and be learning the same lesson over and over and it will never stick. But at least when Spike forgets his lessons, he only hurts himself and a few other people, when Angel does, lots of people die and a lot of stuff goes boom. ;)
So, this may be a big pointer to the way they're going to end Spuffy (basically, self-sabotage on Spike's part). If season 10 is the last season, maybe it'll end with a big scooby group-hug (would be par for the course with this comic) and Spike and Angel walking off into the sunset together, arguing as they go about which one of them is Rick and which is Louis.
All I can say is, I hope Buffy gets some input into this, rather than it being done to, or for, her.
The letters on the letters page are all Spuffy-positive. Someone even points out how it would be a new thing in the Buffyverse for someone to have a stable, mature relationship which doesn't end and where no one dies.
Not that I'm expecting that. Ever. Especially not if there is a season 11.
Plot-wise, there's really not an awful lot to say about this issue.
The gang fight Achaeus and his new!vamps while trying to open the mysterious box with the portal in it. Ultimately, they defeat him thanks to to Spike snapping Angel out of his Archaeus-control by pretending to be Angel's father. Buffy, Spike and Angel then fight Archaeus as a team while Willow strips the layers of magical defences from the mysterious box until there are so few left Buffy can break it open with the scythe. There's a big 'fwash' and Archaeus is gone. 'Took it on the lam,' Willow says. (Is that a thing people say?) The bits of the artifact, meanwhile, are being collected by a bunch of walking hands, courtesy of the Sculptor.
(Sidebar: I would just like to say that I think Angel's dad gets an unwarranted bad press. Yes, he's disappointed in Liam, but then Liam is a waste of space. Most dads - especially disciplinarian eighteenth century ones- would have been disappointed too. Also, Liam's dad is genuinely upset when Liam dies. Also, also, what snaps Angel out of his funk is Spike telling him that by doing what Archaeus tells him, Angel is just doing what his father tells him - 'dancing on a string to win his approval' - and, though we admittedly saw very little of their relationship, about the last thing we ever see Liam doing is trying to win his dad's approval. End sidebar.)
Back at Buffy's, D'Hoffryn tells everyone off for letting the Evil Three Stooges (Soul Glutton, Mistress, Sculptor) collect the bits of artifact - the Restless Door, it's called - which means, if they can reconstruct it, they can open portals all over the place and cause havoc. Buffy and co have made the world more dangerous, not less. Xander suggests they write a new rule in the book to make the Restless Door stop working. Mini!Giles says that won't work because it's not earthly, but D'Hoffryn thinks they can write things in the book that will mitigate its effect. Ultimately, though, they have to defeat the Evil Stooges.
Basically, as I read it, Archaeus himself is no longer important in the Buffy book. He's off to A&F (not, as far as I can tell, as a passenger in Angel's head. He's just making his own way to London).
The book ends with a lot of goodbyes. Xander and Angel are cool now. Xander - looking at Buffy binding up Spike's wounds- reckons he and Angel have more in common than he thought (Dawn is walking away from them at this point). Angel says goodbye to Spike. Says he can tell Spike cares for Buffy and as long as he acts like it, they're good. The minute Spike hurts her...
Spike interrupts to say, "I'll hold you to that." They shake hands.
Angel says goodbye to Buffy. Buffy hopes they've got to the point where they can be part of each others' lives again. Angel says all he wanted was for her to be happy. Since it seems she is, he can live with it. Buffy hugs him and gives him a kiss on the cheek.
Willow is to drive Angel to the airport. She says, "That was really big of you. Couldn't have been easy."
Angel: Wasn't that hard. It's not like it'll ever last.
Willow: Angel, I adore you (you do?), but if you even think of trying to cause problems for them...
Angel: I wouldn't do that but I don't have to. You were right (see previous issue). Immortals don't really change. Soul or not, he's still Spike. He fixates on someone. Decides they're gonna solve all his problems. Give his life meaning. Make him stop hating himself. But they don't, 'cause they can't. And in the end, he drives 'em away, confirming what he believes about himself. Letting him wallow in self-pity for a while. Then start all over again.
Willow: That sounds awfully...
Angel: Harsh? I know. And like I'm rooting for it to happen. Let's be honest - part of me is. Another part would really like to think there's a chance for guys like us. But I've lived a long time and never seen a happy ending. My experience, it's always the happiness that goes.
Okay, that all sounds very clever, and there is some truth in it. But there's also a lot that's not - starting with the whole 'Angel hasn't changed since 1922' thing in the previous issue. As for Spike, though Angel's right that unsouled Spike has a habit (well, he's done it twice in 120 years) of putting women on pedastals, I thought the whole point of Gischler's dull, dull, dull Spike mini series was to make him learn that he can't put the entire burden of his happiness on someone else's head.
Then again, if the whole 'immortals can't change' is the schtick they're going with as a way of breaking up Spike and Buffy, Spike will just be like Angel and be learning the same lesson over and over and it will never stick. But at least when Spike forgets his lessons, he only hurts himself and a few other people, when Angel does, lots of people die and a lot of stuff goes boom. ;)
So, this may be a big pointer to the way they're going to end Spuffy (basically, self-sabotage on Spike's part). If season 10 is the last season, maybe it'll end with a big scooby group-hug (would be par for the course with this comic) and Spike and Angel walking off into the sunset together, arguing as they go about which one of them is Rick and which is Louis.
All I can say is, I hope Buffy gets some input into this, rather than it being done to, or for, her.
The letters on the letters page are all Spuffy-positive. Someone even points out how it would be a new thing in the Buffyverse for someone to have a stable, mature relationship which doesn't end and where no one dies.
Not that I'm expecting that. Ever. Especially not if there is a season 11.
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no subject
Date: 2015-08-19 11:16 am (UTC)I couldn't agree more. This part didn't work for me at all because Angel was never trying to live up to his father's expectations.
I happened to watch "The Prodigal" only last night and so I had Angel's dad fresh in mind (as well as human Angel.) Angel's dad might have been a stern, stiff and demanding father but he loved his son and actually cared for him, but we never saw Angel trying to live up to his dad or respect him in any way. On the contrary. I'll buy this explanation in the cartoon only because there might have been a reason for Angel to dislike his father and act the way he did. We just never saw Angel acting kind, polite or sweet at all. Angel was supposedly 27 when he died. A little late to live out a teenage rebellion, I think. Angel the human seemed to be a selfish prick, fond of his little sister only until his demon took over and killed her, poor girl. His mother was completely insignificant to him.
And here is another thing. When did Angel tell Spike about his daddy issues? I doubt Angelus would have told William. When watching Angel season 5 they never seem to grow really close, but I guess Angel must have spilled something to Spike during that period. Hmmm...
Anyway, I agree with you on the Spuffy. It's bound to crash only I rather hope not because I actually feel that it works and could work...
no subject
Date: 2015-08-19 11:31 am (UTC)Have to say, despite Spike's obvious doubts, I agree. It does work. If it crashes and burns now (bound to), I won't be able to say they didn't attempt to set it up to do so, but it will still seem a bit...artificial to me.
And entirely agreed about Angel's dad. Any suggestion that he was abusive in some way (and that would have to be by modern standards, which Liam himself wouldn't have applied at the time) are all based on fanon, not canon.