Buffy season 11 no 6

[shapinglight]

Yet again, I liked it a lot.

Spoilers behind cut



The issue is pretty much a Buffy/Willow twofer, with a small contribution from Spike. In it, Buffy turns the tables on the Ogre and his gang (they were plotting to ambush and kill her at the end of the last issue, if you remember?), discovers that the Ogre is actually an informant for the evil vice-president whoever is behind the weird stuff with computer coding and magical symbols that the camp has inmates working on while on day-release (as it were).

Armed with this information, Willow and Buffy, with Spike's help, devise a clever way of getting Willow briefly outside the magic-containing barrier with Buffy so she can have a look at what is going on. Back inside the camp, the three of them realise that what is being built (elsewhere, only the components are being made at the camp) is a device to strip people of their magic. Slayers and human magic wielders will end up as ordinary humans, but demons and other magical beings will be devastated by it, while those whose existence depends entirely on magic - such as vampires - will be wiped out altogether.

Buffy isn't down with this, obviously, though Spike, playing devil's advocate, reminds her that lots of people will think this is a brilliant idea. Buffy insists it's genocide and they won't allow it. Somehow, she and Willow have to break out of the camp, expose what's going on to the world and put an end to it. For one thing, if someone (*cough* the evil vice-president - *cough*) is collecting all this magic it's pretty certain they aren't going to do anything good with it.

I do think this might have been a moment for Buffy to consider that, no matter what her personal feelings about Spike (and Angel), when it comes to vampires, Spike has a point. But I guess she's gone beyond that now. Maybe it's being forced to live with a bunch of demons and seeing some of them aren't so bad (though the vampires surely are?), but if so, it would be nice if she had said so.

Only other thing of note, Willow has been draining some Wiccans of their magic -at their request, because they can't stand it inside the camp any more, and some of them have partners and children.

Like I said, I enjoyed it, and it's good to see Rebekah Isaacs back on art duties.

Comments

[sueworld]

Yep don't have much to say again except I enjoyed it too. :)

[shapinglight]

It seems like nobody much had anything to say at Dark Horse either. No letters page in this issue.

[rahirah]

Yeah, if I have a complaint about this season, it's that Buffy doesn't seem to be thinking about any of this stuff too deeply. But overall, I'm still enjoying it.

[shapinglight]

Well, I suppose she's not renowned for deep thought in general so I don't expect too much philosophical delving. On the other hand, I'm glad to see her behaving like she knows how to plan.

[rahirah]

This is very true!

[rebcake]

I am REALLY liking this storyline, which hits all my narrative kinks of scrappy underdogs bringing down a vast evil empire. (I hope they DO bring it down.) It will surprise no one that I adored Rogue One, even though SPOILER everybody dies. I generally hate it when anybody dies. I hope our heroes don't die. Again.

I don't actually have a problem with Buffy including vampires in her no genocide statement. I think it shows growth. High school Buffy would never have gone there, even if she'd have been sad to see the end of Angel, I think. This concept that everybody is an individual and must be judged on their actions, not their, um, background is where I hoped Buffy would end up, eventually. This change in her thinking has been hastened by so many vampires adhering to Harmony's Rules. They may not be nice, exactly, but most of them seem to be no longer hunting and killing innocents.

The whole question is similar to the one posed in Zootopia, which I'm assuming you haven't seen. Essentially, there are predators and prey, living together in more or less harmony. Then, one-by-one, predators start behaving like wild animals, rather than civilized ones. There are a lot more of the prey than the predators, so should majority rule and the predators be locked away wholesale, even the ones that are living peaceably? Or is there maybe something else going on that benefits somebody at other's expense? And, yeah, it occurs now that this whole storyline is Zootopia with vampires. ;-)

I got into an argument with my Tumblr-era social consciousness kid about the Zootopia question, because she felt that the predators were being presented as the equivalent of ethnic minorities. I disagreed, and pointed out that the predators were largely in charge of government and law enforcement, so there was no such equivalence. Which just goes to show that the issues are interesting and worth discussing. And why I keep watching cartoon animals and vampire shows. And space operas.

I'd like to point out that I was TOTALLY RIGHT in my conjecture after last issue. To keep my bragging rights, I decline to predict anything this time. No idea, except that our heroes will eventually save the day, or enough of it to be something like a victory. Hurrah!

[shapinglight]

It will surprise no one that I adored Rogue One, even though SPOILER everybody dies.

I liked Rogue One too. I have a big Thing for stories about unsung heroes who do their duty even though they know they'll probably die and no one will ever know what they did. I am sad they all died, though, because they were such great characters.

This concept that everybody is an individual and must be judged on their actions, not their, um, background is where I hoped Buffy would end up, eventually.

Yes, on reflection I like it too. I've asked Christos Gage in his Q&A whether it's fair to say that Buffy now thinks of herself as law enforcement for vampires rather than just a vampire slayer. She certainly comes across that way in the camp.

I haven't seen Zootopia, no. So many things I haven't seen that I probably should have.

[rebcake]

Never fear, you'll have plenty of excuses to go to see kid movies before long. ;-)

[shapinglight]

True. ;)

I don't mind. As long as they're not rubbish about princesses.

Though I enjoy some of those too - it's just that there are a lot that are stupid

[sibilant]

I like the sound of season 11 and looking forward to buying and reading the compilations. Meanwhile I get my kicks vicariously (and free!) through your recaps and meditations. Thanks!

[shapinglight]

Thanks for reading. :)

Season 11 is pretty enjoyable so far.

[feliciacraft]

Note to self to come back to this after I've read Issue #6! (Hopefully this weekend!) :D

[shapinglight]

Yes, I'll be very interesting to know what you think.

[feliciacraft]

I'm enjoying this season, too. I like it that the stakes are significantly higher than in last season. That it's so politically relevant is an added bonus.

Ah, I see you have your money on the VP (as being the evil head honcho). Probably a safe bet. :)

[shapinglight]

Well, in my (admittedly limited) experience of vice-presidents in fiction, they often turn out to be villains.

Either that or incompetent jokes, but the vice-president in issue 1 didn't strike me as one of those.