#Some people think we didn't see angel missing/loving buffy enough on his show

[oveliagirlhaditright]

One thing I do appreciate about Buffy season 12, despite its flaws, is how it brings Buffy close to Angel again.

Because, to be honest, I do feel like there was a slight distance there since season six, probably (during their meeting, after Buffy came back from the dead, that was "intense", but also was somehow disappointing to the both of them). And we also see it with how Buffy interacted with Angel in "Chosen" some, though I don't know if that was intentional on the writers' part there.

And then we won't get into Buffy season eight, that further drove them apart. But season 12 really brought them back together, and I so appreciate it for that (among other things).

But the above book passage from "Heat" (taking place in Buffy season 7/Angel season 4) kind of hints at that distance, imo. And that was written by a major Bangel fan, where the Buffy and Angel book authors are concerned. So she's not biased against them or anything like that. Quite the opposite.

It's actually sad: in this book, Buffy and Angel's story crosses over, of course, so it pulls them back together again--and they get pretty couple-y once more, with Buffy calling Angel "baby," and all. But then they both die together to save the day, and earn Heaven and their happy ending... but they decide to give it up for their loved ones, I think (like Connor for sure, in Angel's case), knowing that some day they'll really earn their happy ending together. But then, IIRC, not pleased by how things went--because Wolfram & Hart got betrayed and screwed over by some of the villains--time gets turned back so none of that happened--so Buffy and Angel don't remember any of it. And Angel only knows about any of it, because Lilah tells him what not to do to those catastrophic events.

So, basically, Buffy was feeling distanced from Angel as seen by the text above, and then that bridge was gapped, and then she lost that and the memory of it. And only Angel has any knowledge of this stuff. I suppose that had to happen to fit with her S7 self (and the Spike/Buffy stuff), of course, but it very much rings of IWRY again. Which was probably the point.

[buffster]

Judgement (ATS 2.01)

This is part of my ongoing Buffyverse Project, where I write notes/meta for every episode in an attempt to better understand the characters and themes of the shows. You can find the BTVS list here and the ATS list here. Gifs are not mine.

Host: You know what I'm talking about: in this city, you better learn to get along -- 'cause L.A.'s got it all, the glamour and the grit, the big breaks and the heartaches, the sweet young lovers and the nasty ugly hairy fiends that suck out your brain through your face -it's all part of the big wacky variety show we call Los Angeles. You never know what's coming next. And let's admit it, folks - isn't that why we love it?

I get the feeling I'm missing something in my Angel analysis by never having lived in or visited L.A. It seems like a show informed by and designed around the city in a way that's just going right over my head.

Our trio has grown confident in our absence. They're like a well-oiled machine, intent on their mission and refusing to be distracted. They even have an organized white board to track the progress of cases. But then we learn the reason for this intensity: Angel has been thinking about making it to the finish line. He's ready to be human.

Very on brand that part of his consideration is that he'll soon need a workout regimen.

Angel: You got your steam, your sauna, fresh towel . . . where's the down side?

Cordelia: You shower with a lot of men.

Angel: I'll always be a loner.

We then check in on Lindsey, who is becoming somewhat of a Faith figure to Angel's Buffy: does he want to be him, kill him, or fuck him? He's becoming obsessed with Darla because of her connection to Angel as well. It's clear they plan to use her to get to Angel, but this seems like a very similar scenario to when they sent Faith: there's just too much history and variables here for them to be sure of the outcome.

I'm enjoying Wesley's methodical, practical approach to his job. He really treats it like a vocation he wants to be successful at. He's been working on creating contacts in the demon world for them. And while I appreciate the broadening of the Buffyverse as we learn not all vampires/demons are bad, it does take away some of Angel's tortured soul alure when we learn of people like the Host. If there are creatures like Angel out there, why the lonely, cursed existence? Why didn't he stumble upon this community years ago? The implication is that he's dark and tortured because it's his nature, not his curse.

We're introduced to Caritas and The Host, who attempts to warn Angel he might be headed for a fall and offers to give him a read. Angel declines. He goes to find his demon.

I didn't love the scene where Angel accidentally kills Jo's protector. I just felt it could have been executed better. It felt a little unbelievable that she didn't shout, "Hey! Don't kill him. He's protecting me!" during the whole scuffle. Alas, she did not, and Angel is wracked with guilt over killing an ally in the fight against evil. It turns out the trio's intense focus on knocking out their list of demons so they can reach the finish line is having some unpleasant consequences. They didn't stop to focus on Cordy's vision and what it meant...they just attacked.

I'm happy to see Gunn again, although I could use a little less of this "he's a black man from the streets" being his whole personality. Feels racist. He finally formally meets Cordelia and Wesley.

Angel: I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, that someday I might become human . . . that light was so bright, I thought I was already out.

Cordelia: Yeah, we all got a little cocky, didn't we? It's gonna be a long while till you work your way out. But I know you well enough to know you will. And I'll be with you till you do.

I've watched Angel through all of once before now...we don't get to see what this child grows up to become, do we? Kind of a shame. I'm intrigued.

Angel is forced to sing 'Mandy' so he can save Jo. He admits he finds it kind of pretty.

Cordelia: That man will do anything to save a life.

Angel finds Jo (with the help of The Host) and has a fight to the death before The Tribunal to save her life. Interesting we're not going with the "animals don't like vampires" tradition here and Angel does just fine on the horse. Jo now has protection until the child comes of age.

Angel decides no more keeping score. They're focusing on one job at a time.

Faith: The road to redemption's a rocky path.

We check in on Faith at the very end as Angel visits her in prison. It's cool to see he's continuing to mentor her, and it appears she gets tested pretty often there. She's learning some self-control. I wish she'd gotten more of a role and less of the occasional cameo.

Character Notes:

Cordelia Chase: Alright, I'm too lazy to check. Didn't she draw incredible sketches for the Scooby gang? Why is Angel drawing the demon she saw for her? She's been watching a Noir festival on Bravo.

Faith Lehane: Prison food isn't that different from what she grew up on. She's finding comfort in the routine (possibly becoming institutionalized)

Wesley Wyndam-Pryce: Absolutely loving his sass with Dennis.

The Host: His bar is called Caritas, latin for 'Mercy'. No weapons or violence allowed.

[herinsectreflection]

Hi! I just finished Buffy for the first time a couple days ago and I absolutely loved it! This is my new favorite tv show, for real.

I've been reading a lot of posts about the show and I don't get why some people dislike Faith so much by the end of the show when some of their faves (cough Willow cough) have done things that can be far more questionable.

In my understanding (and even in Buffy's) Finch's death was truly an accident and it triggered a set of very unfortunate events. Do I think Buffy could have tried harder? Yes. Do I think it would have been enough to keep Faith away from the dark side? No. While Buffy's efforts are certainly valuable (and I do think that if Wesley hasn't showed up with the council she and Angel would have gotten to her), what Faith really needed was a positive adult presence in her life, and that's why she ends up going to the Major. It was about survival and emotional issues a lot more than it was about being "evil".

This Year's Girl/Who Are You? does a wonderful job portraying this (and I do see the irony in the fact that when we learn the most about Faith is when she is walking in someone's else shoes). The final scene when they are fighting in the church always gets me, because we see Faith in her own eyes: a disgusting, murderous bitch and even if Spike won't speak this words for another half season, she is a slayer with a death wish.

I do have some opinions on her redemption arc, but I think it works well for the most part. Her friendship with Angel was worth exploring and a call/letter/visit from Buffy wouldn't have hurt.

She is in a very different place in season 7 when we see her again (props to the clothes team for finding subtle ways to show this): she is ready to be a slayer again, to fight in the good side again. In any case, my biggest problem is that they didn't thought of calling her earlier or that they thought she would be safe in prison, I mean even if they couldn't made it work with the actress earlier, a mention that they warned her/are trying to get her out would have been nice.

In any case, she was a misguided kid in season 3 and just like through the series we see that Buffy has a part of herself that resembles Faith a lot, Faith also has a side of herself that is Buffy. They mirror each other, they are not opposites, and that is something a lot of people don't understand.

That’s awesome, I am so jealous that you got to experience this show for the first time! It’s my favourite show too.

I will never criticise anyone for not liking a character when others have done worse - I’m a big believer that the moral goodness of a character is totally irrelevant to how likeable a character is. Some of my favourite characters - eg. Faith, Spike, Anya - have done objectively worse things than, say, Riley or Kennedy, but I still wildly prefer the former. But I think anyone who dislikes Faith is missing out, because she is a really interesting character, and I think a really important mirror for the leads of both shows.

She’s a character that simultaneously wears her heart on her sleeve and is completely dishonest with how he’s feeling. Like, she’ll bluntly tell us that her mother never loved her and used to beat her, but deliver it in a joking way like it’s something she’s totally over that doesn’t bother her (hint: it does). The whole time she’s with the Mayor, she’s bragging about how much she totally loves being evil and is having the time of her life with no worries, when it’s pretty obvious from her expression that she’s hanging on by a thread. I really like when Angel calls her out on this in Five by Five.

"You feel young, - do you, Faith? - You're looking pretty worn out to me."

I would’ve loved to have more of Angel visiting Faith in prison like in Judgement, I think that was a great dynamic that they could’ve explored more (e.g. when he was isolated from the group later that season). Any interaction between Buffy and Faith during that time would’ve been incredible and fascinating too, but I think it made sense that Buffy kept her distance. As much as I do have sympathy for Faith, she did make a choice to betray Buffy, and did some pretty horrendous shit to her. I think it made sense to save that reconciliation for a while.

Faith absolutely does have a death wish. Her and Buffy share a pretty consistent tendency towards literal and metaphorical suicide, though in pretty different ways (Buffy tending more to isolate herself and try and leap off tall buildings, Faith tending to drown herself in hedonism and encourage other people to kill her). I would argue that she was attempting suicide-by-Buffy back in S3 also.

Thanks for the submission!