Buffy season 11 no 7
Jun. 1st, 2017 02:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shapinglightI've been reviewing these for so long, I thought I should carry on, even though it's a while since the issue came out.
Spoilers behind cut.
Tumblr is still fairly incomprehensible to me, but I vaguely gather that this issue has caused a bit of a hoo-hah on there- either because Buffy was about to tell Spike she loved him but Spike told her to wait until they saw each other again (which, this being the Buffyverse, is kind of a huge anvil that either they never will see each other again, or that by the time they do, Spike will have done something so bad - or seemingly bad- that Buffy will no longer want to say it to him), or because she didn't actually say it. I'm not sure which. Possibly both. Anyway, I gather brickbats are flying.
That incredibly uncontroversial (because Buffy and Spike have been in a relationship a comics season and a half now) moment apart, it's just getting on with the story.
The government announce they have a way of de-magicking the inhabitants of the 'safe zone' so they can re-enter society. Many of those who can take this deal do so. Those who can't, because their whole existence relies on magic- Spike, for instance - fear more and more that they're all going to be quietly done away with.
Buffy, Spike and Willow continue to discuss whether Buffy and Willow should take the deal. Buffy is afraid that without their powers, even outside the safe zone, they won't be able to do anything to help those inside it, or thwart the plans of whoever is behind the construction of the giant de-magicking machine (and who probably sent the storm dragon that created the whole mess in the first place). Spike reminds her that there's a lot more to her and Willow than just their powers. "I wouldn't underestimate what you can accomplish...including getting your powers back." Buffy doesn't want to leave him, though, and isn't easily swayed, even when Riley and Sam arrive and urge her to accept the deal. Riley tells her they'll make sure Spike gets adequate rations after she's gone, and they'll try to find another solution for him, even if it means deporting him back to England. Buffy wonders how they can be okay with the whole situation and Sam says they have concerns, which they raise, but have seen too many incidents recently like the mess in San Francisco to object too loudly.
Willow persuades Calliope to take the deal. She and Buffy discuss the situation one final time, then decide they have to do it too. They can't help anyone inside the safe zone and they shouldn't hold back from their only chance to leave it because they don't like the idea of not being 'special' any more. Willow says she's taking the deal herself. Whatever Buffy and Spike decide, she'll understand. Buffy and Spike have one last night together (which could well turn out to be their last night together ever, I suppose). The next day, Buffy and Willow go to get de-powered, and we have the ILY/TMWWSEOA again moment, which has caused all the faff (and which, as I said, seems completely unremarkable to me at this juncture, since I'm reconciled now to the fact that Buffy never will tell Spike she loves him and mean it). Buffy and Willow walk to the buses. Jordan (the government stooge slayer) taunts Buffy by throwing the scythe to her and laughing when the weight of it knocks Buffy clean over. Spike is left all alone.
As always, Gage tries to make every POV understandable. Most characters - including a vampire and werewolf having a fight - have a view of what is going on that makes perfect sense to them. But Gage also manages to convey the extreme wrongness of everything and the sense of worse to come hanging over everyone.
I think this is a really good series.
No letters page for the second issue in a row. I don't know if this is because no one has written anything, or because they ran out of pages.
Spoilers behind cut.
Tumblr is still fairly incomprehensible to me, but I vaguely gather that this issue has caused a bit of a hoo-hah on there- either because Buffy was about to tell Spike she loved him but Spike told her to wait until they saw each other again (which, this being the Buffyverse, is kind of a huge anvil that either they never will see each other again, or that by the time they do, Spike will have done something so bad - or seemingly bad- that Buffy will no longer want to say it to him), or because she didn't actually say it. I'm not sure which. Possibly both. Anyway, I gather brickbats are flying.
That incredibly uncontroversial (because Buffy and Spike have been in a relationship a comics season and a half now) moment apart, it's just getting on with the story.
The government announce they have a way of de-magicking the inhabitants of the 'safe zone' so they can re-enter society. Many of those who can take this deal do so. Those who can't, because their whole existence relies on magic- Spike, for instance - fear more and more that they're all going to be quietly done away with.
Buffy, Spike and Willow continue to discuss whether Buffy and Willow should take the deal. Buffy is afraid that without their powers, even outside the safe zone, they won't be able to do anything to help those inside it, or thwart the plans of whoever is behind the construction of the giant de-magicking machine (and who probably sent the storm dragon that created the whole mess in the first place). Spike reminds her that there's a lot more to her and Willow than just their powers. "I wouldn't underestimate what you can accomplish...including getting your powers back." Buffy doesn't want to leave him, though, and isn't easily swayed, even when Riley and Sam arrive and urge her to accept the deal. Riley tells her they'll make sure Spike gets adequate rations after she's gone, and they'll try to find another solution for him, even if it means deporting him back to England. Buffy wonders how they can be okay with the whole situation and Sam says they have concerns, which they raise, but have seen too many incidents recently like the mess in San Francisco to object too loudly.
Willow persuades Calliope to take the deal. She and Buffy discuss the situation one final time, then decide they have to do it too. They can't help anyone inside the safe zone and they shouldn't hold back from their only chance to leave it because they don't like the idea of not being 'special' any more. Willow says she's taking the deal herself. Whatever Buffy and Spike decide, she'll understand. Buffy and Spike have one last night together (which could well turn out to be their last night together ever, I suppose). The next day, Buffy and Willow go to get de-powered, and we have the ILY/TMWWSEOA again moment, which has caused all the faff (and which, as I said, seems completely unremarkable to me at this juncture, since I'm reconciled now to the fact that Buffy never will tell Spike she loves him and mean it). Buffy and Willow walk to the buses. Jordan (the government stooge slayer) taunts Buffy by throwing the scythe to her and laughing when the weight of it knocks Buffy clean over. Spike is left all alone.
As always, Gage tries to make every POV understandable. Most characters - including a vampire and werewolf having a fight - have a view of what is going on that makes perfect sense to them. But Gage also manages to convey the extreme wrongness of everything and the sense of worse to come hanging over everyone.
I think this is a really good series.
No letters page for the second issue in a row. I don't know if this is because no one has written anything, or because they ran out of pages.
no subject
Date: 2017-06-02 04:38 am (UTC)The Tumblr thing baffles me. I have most of the people directly involved blocked, because they're incredibly unpleasant people, so I only saw bits of it. But from what I understand, it started out as a fight about whether Willow is a lesbian or bisexual, and somehow morphed into anti-Spuffy/anti-Spike frothing at the mouth. Because people who headcanon Willow as bi hate women and are therefore obviously Spike fans, who as we all know are the scourge of the universe.
Anyway, as you point out, it's all slightly ridiculous because Buffy's already said the dreaded words once, in CHosen. Plus she said them indirectly last season, when they were talking about Archaeus and she asked Giles if the way vampire demons were inherited meant she'd fallen in love with the same guy twice. And I can't see how it's worse to have her say she loves Spike than to live with him, sleep with him, raise cats with him, etc. (And there's the usual contradiction of "I hate this so it's not canon, but I care so deeply about this non-canon thing that I'm going to attack anyone who disagrees with me about it.")
It would be nice if we got an ILU, but I doubt it's going to happen and I don't know it it would make any material difference in their relationship at this point. Spike's obviously OK with her not saying it, and it's his opinion that matters, just as it's Buffy's opinion that matters when it comes to forgiving him for his assorted failings.
no subject
Date: 2017-06-02 09:16 am (UTC)I used to think there were nasty, spiteful people on LJ, but at least they (mostly) didn't swear at you when when they called you a rape apologist. ;(
And I can't see how it's worse to have her say she loves Spike than to live with him, sleep with him, raise cats with him, etc. (And there's the usual contradiction of "I hate this so it's not canon, but I care so deeply about this non-canon thing that I'm going to attack anyone who disagrees with me about it.")
Yeah, there seems to be a lot of that going on.
I agree it would be nice to have Buffy say the words in a context where you could be sure she meant it, but I can live without it too. I'm just glad to have got what we've had. Gage has impressed me with the way he's handled the problems inherent in Spuffy. I think he's done a much better job than Joss did in season 7.
I just hope that Buffy saying if they break up it would have to be over something an awful lot worse than not seeing each other for a couple of weeks isn't anvilly. If they are to break up I really don't want it to be because of something awful that Spike has done - though Gage did say at the beginning of the series that Spike would have to do some dark things in the story and he hasn't done them yet, so unless Gage changed his mind, they're still to come. :(
ETA: Since Faith returns to the story in the next issue, I'm now having visions of Buffy walking in on Spike kissing Faith. This is in light of Buffy mentioning Spike's love of soap operas. :((
no subject
Date: 2017-06-02 05:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-06-04 02:22 pm (UTC)The pages are pretty dark, I agree, but without context it's impossible to know how the situation came about or if it's even real.
If it is real, it seems to imply that, if Buffy has lost her Slayer strength, she hasn't lost her Slayer moves.
no subject
Date: 2017-06-04 03:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-06-07 02:00 pm (UTC)