#a lot of other characters view angel and angelus as two different people

[moistvonlipwig]

when people who dislike angel claim that angel likes to pretend he and angelus are totally different people it's like. have you ever actually listened to a single word coming out of that man's mouth. his literal entire thing is feeling bad about the things he did without a soul. that's his WHOLE THING

[girl4music]

I have some fundamental problems with watching ‘Angel the Series’ that I’m not sure can be resolved by continuing to watch it. This redemption story doesn’t work. I know the writing wants me to see it that way but I just can’t. It’s fundamentally flawed in its goal.

KATE LOCKLEY: “Our suspect will be a white male. To the observer he will not seem a monster. His victims put up little or no struggle, so it’s likely that he is charming, attractive, but at his core he is a loner. Possibly a dual personality, who once the crime has been committed, retains no memory of the act. He will not view his victims as subhuman, rather it’s himself that he views as something other than human, more than human, a superior species. Stalking his prey, getting to know them. It’s unlikely that he’ll be married though he may have recently come off a long-term relationship that ended badly. We look for a precipitating event in cases such as this, and a painful breakup is always at the top of the list. Prior to failing this relationship may have marked an inactive period in our suspects life. He would have regarded it as a lifeline, his salvation, but once ended, it resulted in his recidivism. - What is not in question is his experience. He’s been doing this for a very long time, and he will do it again.”

I keep saying it over and over again. If it is not the choice of the character, (and specifically with Angel/Angelus) nor the experience of the character, then why does it matter what that character does about it?

They make it out as if Angelus really is a completely different person/entity to Angel because Angel isn’t present in Angelus’ experience and Angelus isn’t present in Angel’s experience. So why then does Angel have to redeem Angelus’ actions and why does Angelus have to feel threatened by Angel’s? This is what’s bothering me about the whole concept of him being a vampire cursed with a soul - or a conscience. If neither of them can remember anything they did as the other, then why is it each other’s problem? Why does Angelus inform Angel and why does Angel inform Angelus? The narrative wants me to believe that they’re two entirely different people/entities. But if that is so, if I believe that, then this redemption story is pointless because it’s not Angel’s fault for it.

I’m struggling with understanding how any of it works.

And there’s something else that’s bothering me too but probably will be fixed with further character development. Angel’s actions and choices with helping the helpless are starting to become more about him being the helper. It’s coming across more like he wants to be absolved instead of be redeemed. And I feel like the split-divide identity/personality thing is a marker for that. Which would make sense. But if the narrative wants me to interpret it differently, then I’m going to have great difficulty in doing that.

Guys, really, what am I watching here? What story are they really trying to tell? There’s a lot of problems. Or is there layers to it I’m not getting at the moment?

[willowrosenboob]

Def Mood on the whole part about bangel's wedding being played for drama and angst but also, for me one of the main reasons is because even with all of their scenes together, their dynamic still felt underwhelming when you take out all the dramatic angst scenes? Like sure ok I will sit through seasons 1 2 and then 3 while I watch them but I always end up liking their conversation more in season 7 which is ironic, given that it feels kind of thrown in, but it's also just one where it felt like both were more or less on an equal footing to me. Buffy was older and a lot more experienced while being a slayer, she didn't take Angel's crap when he was jealous of Spike, but she was also honest about her feelings in general towards him. I guess part of the reason why I liked it is because it didn't feature Angel having more say in what happens to them, but Buffy does for once, since he was the one that broke them up in season 3 and then in "I Will Remember You", and while I don't think it was necessarily bad, since it did end up being a good choice for him to go his own way, it still felt a bit unbalanced to me bc again, Buffy had no real say in it. And I can never really be into the season 5 scene either (when Joyce dies) mainly because it just feels like Buffy is in mourning, and she's trying to cling onto the one thing she previously knew and felt something intensely for.

I know you just made that post to highlight one reason and that's def valid, so I hope this doesn't come off as me correcting you bc I also agree.

don’t worry, I really appreciate that I get a lot of long opinionated asks. it’s a lot of fun to talk about btvs. it is my favourite show after all. and I’m always honoured when people wanna send their opinions to me 💖

as for what you said about bangel, I don’t really have a big problem with the wedding dream other than my own personal distaste towards most weddings, but I get finding them a bit boring together. in my first watch through I barely thought about them at all. and especially in season 3, their relationship can be downright confusing. I used to always forget when they were dating and when they weren’t, cause they were always flip flopping between two extremes.

honestly I’m really surprised you like the chosen scene. it always bothered me how the kiss came out of nowhere, and joss & co were obviously trying to throw both bangel and spuffy shippers a bone without fully committing to one or the other. but honestly I do love how mature buffy is in that scene. and seeing her be so confident in her identity in a way she’s never been before. I actually liked the forever scene a lot. I liked that buffy could take comfort in something familiar, even if just for a while. also it was the only post s3 angel cameo that I didn’t found completely out of character when I first watched btvs.

honestly I always felt like their relationship was very unequal. it’s certainly not equivalent to what a real life relationship between a teenager and a 20 something would look like, but I always felt like angel had more autonomy and choices in the relationship, and there’s lots of evidence that he still viewed her as a kid (remember when he straight up called her a brat? big ole yikes there). it’s not a coincidence that buffy broke it off with angel twice in s3 and spent a lot of time trying to avoid him, but it’s angel who actually gets the last say. and he did it in such a shitty way too. I think he was in the right to break up with her, since their relationship was clearly doomed, and he actually became his own person once he left sunnydale, but he used such self righteous reasoning, and he made buffy’s struggles all about him (like in s2 when Buffy said she wanted a normal life and angel was like “before me” 🤡🤡). it was good for angel, but it was not good for buffy. he told her he wanted her to have a normal relationship, and you know what she did? she immediately rushed into a relationship with a normal guy and got hurt. buffy was way more vulnerable in their relationship than angel was, and I just can’t find myself to care about angel as much as I care about buffy in their dynamic.

honestly I have so much to say about their power dynamic. it’s not even the age gap, it’s just that angel has so much baggage that he dumps on this teenage girl without caring about the emotional consequences for her. also all the ‘old man angel’ jokes on ats just make me sideeye their relationship even more. and this is probably an unpopular opinion, but I feel like angel traumatized buffy way more than spike did. before s6 spike was pretty much just a nuisance that was rarely taken seriously, and even in s6 buffy was already going through some tough shit. he really only made up a small part of her struggles. compared with the stuff with angelus that made buffy feel like loving her was dangerous and synonymous with death. over the years she felt so much shame for her decisions (that were not her fault at all), and her experience with angel overshadowed her relationships in a way that is not romantic at all (I hate how some people romanticize buffy struggling to tell her love interests she loves them, as if it’s because she’s still in love with angel and not because she’s scared that being vulnerable in that way again will only lead to suffering for both her and everyone around her). and obviously a lot of it isn’t his fault, but it unfolds in a way that makes me really fall on buffy’s side.

so yeah. I have Many Thoughts ™ about this, which is weird cause I honestly don’t dislike bangel half of the time. I think a lot of their scenes are cute, and I sometimes get wrapped up in the dramatic romance too. but they had some major problems, and I just really dislike the idea of them ending up together. they’re just such different people at the end of their respective shows, and maybe if they had a fresh start they could make it work, but buffy had so many of her insecurities tied up in her relationship to angel that I just don’t think they could ever get past that. even if buffy herself gets over it, there’s always gonna be that implication that their relationship only leads to pain, and I don’t want that for buffy. that’s why a lot of my preferred buffy ships involve more internal conflict. it leaves room for them to change and grow together, not forcing them to be apart, and having to deal with the wreckage by themselves

[thanagariansnarebeast]

Top ten fallen heroes

These are not reformed villains, though they may go into that role after, or at least an anti-hero, but most of these I prefer as villains.

10. Ozymandias (Watchmen). While you don’t see him do his heroics much in the comics, because he is pseudo-retired at this point, you do know what he did in the past to some extent and you know he’s still trying to make the world a better place. (spoilers for the comic that you really should read because there is a reason why it is considered a masterpiece) Ozymandias sacrifices his own morality to try and stop the world from destroying itself, its an awful thing that he does and thinks its for the greater good, and he clearly feels the weight of what he’s done but still stands by it; which is what makes him a fallen hero.

9. Griffith (Berserk). Now Griffith has many heroic qualities, but he always seemed to have a bit of a dark and selfish nature; but that being said his betrayal still really hurt both the audience and the few surviving main characters; and what he did was so profoundly selfish and evil that he becomes a fantastic villain.

8. Light Yagami (Death Note). Light does his fall really hard and really fast, but it takes a bit before he becomes completely evil. His mental chess game with L is one of my favorite story arcs in all of fiction, and it all started because this seemingly innocent boy found a notebook. There are definitely times when you are rooting for him even though you know you shouldn’t be, and I think that makes for some of the best villains. I was going to put Walter White on here, but I feel like Walt was always just a likable villain, you just didn’t know he was an egotistical dick until much later in the show.

7.Artorias the Abysswalker (Dark Souls). Artorias in any other game would probably be a hero you follow the footsteps of, or just play as; but in Dark Souls you slowly piece together the tragic story of a hero that tried as hard and as long as he could to win an unwinnable fight and in the end succumbed to the very abyss that he was fighting. Having to fight his best friend and protector of his grave is just heart breaking, and fighting him in the DLC was almost as bad. He’s not a character that I prefer as a villain, but he is a fun boss.

6. Angelus (Buffy/Angel). Now Angel is my favorite main character in my all time favorite show, but Angelus is a lot of fun to watch. He just loves being evil so much, he relishes it and is almost cartoonish at time with how fucked up he can be; but he has done far too much damage to the main characters of both Buffy and Angel to be taken lightly (I mean most villains in the show ether respect or fear him, and that’s pretty impressive when he’s been gone for hundreds of years). Having a main character who can go so completely evil if pushed is such a fun dynamic and when he gets to come out and play for real in season 4 it is a hell of a show. He’s such a good villain because he gets to sit and watch in agony watching Angel and friends do good all the time, but the whole time he sees how to push buttons and manipulate people so that when he gets free he can get what he needs out of them.

5. Jason Todd/Red Hood (DC comics). Jason was not a well liked character when he first appeared, or even after Crisis on Infinite Earths, but his death was still tragic and made people really question how good of an idea having a teenage sidekick really was. It was only after he came back to life and starting messing with Batman that I really liked him. Most of the villains on this list have questionable at best motivations, but if I was Jason and Batman didn’t kill Joker to avenge me, I’d be pretty pissed off to. He’s a great foil for Batman because he knows him so well, knows how to hurt him, and is pissed enough to really hurt him. He did eventually become an anti-hero and sort of DC’s answer to the Punisher (though they already had Huntress for that) but I like him more as a villain than I do an anti-hero (though he can be written well when he’s not in New 52). I was torn between him and Winter Soldier, but I think Bucky’s story isn’t quite as tragic because of the amount of time that had passed between him dying and him showing back up, and I like him more as a hero; both in the comics and in the MCU.

4. Two-Face (DC comics). From this entry and the last one you might think I’m a Batman fanboy, but I’m not; he just has damn good villains. There are many Spider-Man villains that were good guys to some extent before something terrible turned them into a villain, but Harvey Dent has the edge for me because of how much good he was trying to do before he became a villain. In his many incarnations you can always see a dark side to him before he falls, but seeing him actually become evil is still painful to watch. He is a fantastic villain because he’s so twisted and evil, but there is still a chance for him to be redeemed. He’s a constant reminder to Batman of his failure to help his friend, and he also has a very unique visual style to him that a lot of different creators have had a lot of fun playing with.

3. Arthas Menethil (Warcraft series). Arthas had your classic heroic backstory; young, handsome, talented prince who cared about his people would stop at nothing to protect them. He was brave and a very powerful paladin, but his arrogance would prove to be his undoing. He started down a path of doing worse and worse things to try and accomplish his goals, and eventually became fully corrupted once he got Frostmorne. Once he got his armor and became the Lich King, he became one of the most powerful villains in all of Warcraft, and the sword and armor he had made him very cool (no pun intended). His role as antagonist for a whole World of Warcraft expansion just shows how powerful he was, and being able to piss off pretty much everyone shows how good a villain he was.

2. Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars). Now the prequels are very flawed films, but I don’t find much fault in Anakin’s characterization throughout them. He starts off just a sweet and innocent child longing for adventure, but the next time we see him he’s a cocky teenager with enough power to back up his attitude. He’s very high on this list because while he did do some evil things before his actual turn to the dark side, he was manipulated into most or all of them; that doesn’t excuse him completely because in the end he still had agency over his choices, even if it wasn’t full agency. Some people say that his turn was too quick, but I think what happened is after he made that split second decision to protect Palpatine, he realized he was pretty much stuck with what he did. He did what he did because he was naive, manipulated, and wanted to save his wife and child. I’m also a sucker for a Greek tragedy and a self-fulfilling prophecy. Everything he did after the death of his wife and supposed death of his child was because of his rage and sadness at what he had lost, and clinging to what little he had left. He’s one of the best villains in all of fiction, and is so incredibly visually striking that even if you’ve never seen a Star Wars film, you know just by looking at him who he is.

1. Superman (Injustice games/comic). Who could possibly be a more tragic fallen hero than the symbol of hope and peace losing all hope and becoming a fascist, murdering dictator. Superman needs no introduction, but the Joker tricking him into murdering his wife and unborn child, and blowing up Metropolis sure is a different take on the character. Its not entirely surprising that something so tragic could make the Man of Tomorrow loose what made him a hero. As you read the comics you see that he started off just wanting to kill supervillains, and slowly he had to compromise more and more to get what he wanted. He never completely lost his morality, just slowly changed and warped his view on it until he became so scared of losing what he had left that he became a dictator.

[dingoes8myrp]

Two Sides of a Coin: An Angel Character Study

As many times as I’ve seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel the Series, I’ve never quite wrapped my head around Angel. But, rewatching season two of Buffy, I think I’m onto something…

This may be an unpopular theory, particularly for my Bangel shipper friends. You’ve been warned.

Buffy and Angel as a couple were powerful, but at times uncomfortable to watch. While the romance was full of passion and butterflies, there were also a few controversial elements to the relationship even before the Angelus switch. There was always something off about Angel.

Here it is.

Angel and Angelus are indeed the same guy.

The fact that Angel the character considers himself a separate person from Angelus creates some murkiness when it comes to the psychology of vampires in general. When Spike is ensouled later in the series he displays a degree of instability, but it’s not dissociative in nature as it is with Angel. Therefore, not all vampires are a separate consciousness from their human selves. This is something unique to Angel, perhaps as a coping mechanism to deal with the trauma of his re-ensoulment. It makes more sense that he himself merely views Angelus as a separate entity because it makes it easier for him to deal with the horrible things he did without a soul.

In the first three seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel is somewhat set apart from the rest of the group. He has limited contact with them due to his aversion to sunlight and the fact that Buffy’s mother, Joyce, doesn’t approve of him dating her daughter due to their apparent age difference (Oh, season two Joyce, if you only knew). He also deliberately keeps a great deal of information from Buffy. She has no idea he’s a vampire when she first gets to know him, leading her to invite him into her home (something a slayer likely wouldn’t have done otherwise). She only finds out because he goes all vamp-face while they’re kissing. Angel never tells Buffy anything about his past unless she digs it up and confronts him with it.

When Buffy finds Angel in her kitchen, a bloody Joyce unconscious in his arms, she naturally assumes Angel fed on her mother. It’s only when Buffy goes after him armed with a crossbow that he tells her who he was before: that he killed his family, their friends, he killed children. Then he tells her about the curse - how he got his soul. This gives Buffy enough pause for him to tell her it wasn’t him that attacked her mother. This pause is likely the reason he told her at all.

Also, it would have been super helpful if Angel had given the gang a heads-up about Darla, particularly when she was masquerading as a schoolgirl. He even asked her what the deal was with the schoolgirl look, but didn’t think to maybe tell Buffy and her friends how she operated? He did tell them bits and pieces, but he couldn’t tell them too much about Darla without also telling them about himself, which he wasn’t willing to do.

When Spike came around Angel used Xander as bait, putting him at risk when he offered to feed on him with Spike like they were drinking buddies. Not something Xander agreed to, by the way. Again, Angel neglected to mention quite a bit about Spike’s past that would have been helpful to know (though he was more forthcoming than he had been previously, likely because he’d become a more trusted member of the group by this point).

Angel didn’t tell Buffy about Drusilla’s past until she saw them together and asked him about it. He did tell Buffy most of the details, as far as we know.

Here’s where things get uncomfortable and foreshadowy.

Angel tells Buffy Drusilla was sweet and chaste and, therefore, became an obsession for him. He doesn’t say why, but based on what we learn about Angelus later, it could be because she represents everything he isn’t. She’s also troubled, plagued with visions she believes are evil. He stalked her, tormented her, killed everyone she loved, drove her insane, and then turned her into a demon - the last thing in the world she would have wanted as someone about to become a nun.

After Angel loses his soul and reverts back to Angelus, he begins to repeat this pattern with Buffy. When Spike becomes frustrated Angel won’t just kill Buffy, Drusilla observes Angel doesn’t want to kill her - he wants to do the same thing he did to Drusilla. Angel confirms this. He starts sending Buffy gifts, going after her friends, her mother. This all makes sense and it fits right in with what we know about pre-soul-toting Angel.

At the end of season two, we get some flashbacks of Angel post-soul when he’s guided to Buffy by Whistler. Angel watches Buffy without her knowledge when she’s in Los Angeles. He sees her when she’s called by her watcher, watches her fight some of her first vampires, and observes a very private moment as Buffy overhears her parents fighting. Then, Angel follows her to Sunnydale and continues to stalk her until she catches him at it. He gives her cryptic clues and gifts (remember the cross and the jacket?), he teases her and toys with her.

All of that fits Angelus, too.

These two personas aren’t as different as he’d like people to believe.

Buffy views Angel as a great love, someone she’s willing to sacrifice certain aspects of her life for, to risk friends and family for. As the show is focused largely on Buffy, this is the picture of their relationship that’s most prominent. However, this relationship is much more a cautionary tale than it is a great romance.

Perhaps the overall point of Angel and Buffy as a couple is to illustrate how dangerous vampires truly are, even the “good” ones.

Xander is the most vocal about his dislike of Angel. Part of this is due to his feelings for Buffy, but he also has genuine concerns about the fact that Angel is a vampire. This is due to his severe dislike of vampires in general after the events of The Harvest that led to the death of his friend, Jesse. Giles voices some concern about Buffy becoming involved with a vampire, mainly due to the confusion it’ll cause with her duties as slayer. But, once Angel proves to Giles he truly cares for Buffy, Giles supports Buffy’s decision. Joyce, however, is another vocal disapprover. From very early on, Joyce tells Buffy Angel is too old for her and Buffy hides her involvement with him from her mother.

It’s no coincidence that Buffy has sex with Angel and is almost immediately introduced to the other side to him, Angelus. Part of Angel’s curse that never really tracked was the fact that if he experienced even one moment of happiness he’d lose his soul. Why would something like this be a part of this particular curse? Even Jenny Calendar points out this makes no sense when her uncle tells her about it.

Perhaps this is because it has nothing to do with the curse and everything to do with Angel’s psychology. All the curse did was give Angelus back his soul - his conscience - to make him regret everything he’s done and live forever with his guilt. Angel’s the one who keeps the curse intact out of remorse and fear. He’s horrified by his own actions as Angelus and he doesn’t want to do those things again. He knows if he loses his soul he’ll lose his conscience and go back to his old ways, which he doesn’t want. It’s Angel that keeps that aspect of himself separate as much as he can. So, it stands to reason that the second he stops doing that - if he doesn’t make an active effort to keep himself in check - that it would all go to Hell in a handbasket. It’s Angel that keeps the curse intact and it’s Angel who breaks it. Buffy just happens to be the catalyst. She makes him feel human and worthy of love, which is something he may have never felt even as a mortal man.

The fact is, Buffy didn’t truly know Angel. She knew what he wanted her to know, the parts of him he chose to share with her. While the person Buffy fell for does exist, it’s not the whole picture. Angelus is also part of the package, even though it’s a part of him he chooses to repress as much as possible. But, Angelus comes out in other ways, in certain aspects of his personality. He is still quite fond of violence. He doesn’t just fight demons to help people. There’s a part of him that enjoys it. He toys with people, engages in a little interrogation and torture when the occasion calls for it. His soul - his conscience - generally keeps him from overstepping into the realm of psychopathy, but that doesn’t mean Angelus is entirely gone.

So, what does this mean for the character of Angel, and how does it affect his relationships with other characters?

Angel and Angelus

The tough part about Angel for the audience is that he’s a very introspective character. It’s a running gag throughout both series that Angel’s a brooder: he sits alone in the dark with his thoughts. There’s a lot of truth to this, as Angel rarely delves into what he’s thinking or feeling, particularly in seasons one and two of Buffy. It stands to reason he’s a very conflicted person. There’s a duality to him he doesn’t quite know how to deal with. He’s a man tainted by a demon with a human soul. That’s a complicated individual right there with a lot going on. He’s constantly battling between his urges and his conscience. This tug and pull is most prominent as he goes through is relationship with Buffy.

Angel and Buffy

Angel keeps Buffy at a distance to some degree. She often comments she doesn’t know as much as she’d like to about him, from the types of women he used to date as a mortal to the extent of his involvement with Drusilla and Spike. This gives her a false impression of him and it’s always a rude awakening for her when she gets a new piece of this puzzle. Angel is well aware of this. He knows what he is and while he hopes she’d still love him if she knew the whole story, he’s fearful she won’t. So, he keeps her in the dark as long as possible as much as possible, which causes a lot of tension in the relationship. While part of this is self-preservation on his part, it’s also for her protection. The last person we know of Angel pursued with the same amount of passion as he shows for Buffy was Drusilla… and he destroyed her, condemning her to a fate worse than death. He’s terrified of what he’ll do to Buffy if she stays with him. So, he keeps a safe distance until he gives into his desires and has sex with her. Because, for him, his urges are linked to Angelus, it makes sense that he’d revert back to his old self.

Angel and Darla

Angel was in a sorry state when he came upon Darla. He was a drunk with a low self-image. Darla promised him a new life and he saw her as an escape, salvation. Perhaps this is also why he was drawn to Buffy. She was another woman he came across at a pivotal part of his life, when he was low and depressed, without direction. When Darla showed up in Sunnydale, apparently looking to get him back into the fold (perhaps to get him back altogether), this caused a conflict for Angel. He was faced with his previous life while making a new one for himself and he had to choose between the two, which he did when he killed Darla.

Angel and Spike and Drusilla

When Spike and Drusilla arrive in Sunnydale, once again Angel has to choose between his two identities. It’s important that these two come along as his relationship with Buffy is progressing. It puts his two selves - his two lives - directly in opposition. Spike appears to both look up to Angel and to compete with him. He says himself he learned a lot from Angel (calling him his “Yoda”). Angel, in turn, knows a great deal about Spike and Drusilla. He knows how they think, how they operate - intimate details - and he frequently uses this to manipulate them, both as Angel and as Angelus. This is another trait that seems to be at the core of Angel’s character, regardless of the state of his soul.

Angel and Xander

Xander is one of two non-vampiric characters who seem to truly “get” who Angel is. Xander never fully trusts Angel, both because he doesn’t trust vampires as a whole and because he’s very protective of Buffy. Throughout the first three seasons of Buffy there’s a quiet rivalry between Angel and Xander, with Angel trying to convince Buffy that he’s good and Xander trying to convince her otherwise. It’s important to note that Angel with a soul takes a jab at Xander when he gets an opportunity to do so, when he’s able to use the excuse of acting a part. This happens when Angel confronts Spike at Sunnydale High, trying to convince him he’s still Angelus. It also happens when Angel pretends to have joined Faith and the Mayor. This doesn’t seem to be by accident on Angel’s part.

Angel and Faith

Faith also sees a broader picture of Angel. This becomes particularly evident when she goes to him for help, having no other options. Faith also has a duality about her and a great deal of self-loathing regarding the bad things she’s done. The two of them understand each other in a way that’s unique to them.

The reason Angel and Angelus create a problem with the vampire lore is that the separation has nothing to do with the lore. It’s Angel’s own distinction. But, on close observation, shades of Angelus can be seen in Angel and vice-versa.

I’m still rewatching, so I may write more on Angel later.

[whitewolfofwinterfell]

🔥Bangel :)

Once again, thanks so much for sending this in :)

Oh, Bangel… Where do I start with this ship? They are one of my biggest OTP’s for so many reasons -  the chemistry between the characters/actors, the passion they have, the tragedy of their story, how they’re the love of each other’s life and the fact that they have the star-crossed lovers trope down to a T (you can read more about my feelings on Bangel here and here). Bangel are really what made me fall in love with BTVS when I first watched it, because it was such an emotional and heart-wrenching story about two people who loved each other with their whole heart and soul but were never able to be together because of external forces. 

However, since this is my honest opinion I have to admit that my feelings towards Buffy and Angel have changed quite significantly since watching ATS and my recent re-watch of BTVS.

Warning: Below the cut is some mildly anti-Bangel content (wow, I never thought I’d say that on my blog), but better safe than sorry.

Seeing the development of Angel’s character on ATS (and his relationship with Cordelia) has definitely made me view the Bangel relationship in a new light. Before watching ATS I largely viewed the relationship from Buffy’s POV (since BTVS is primarily about Buffy), but watching ATS has shifted my perspective towards Angel, who I’ve completely fallen in love with as a character. Although Buffy is a constant presence in Angel’s heart, Angel goes through so much on ATS and establishes his own life completely separate from Buffy which brings purpose, family and love into his life in a way we’ve never seen before. Likewise, Buffy’s life changes a lot in Angel’s absence and she grows and changes significantly. When Buffy visits Angel in L.A. in ATS 1x19 their interactions really emphasised that fact for me - they no longer fitted in each other’s lives and Buffy didn’t have a place in Angel’s world. That doesn’t change the fact that Buffy and Angel always remained the love of each other’s lives, I strongly believe that. But I do think that Angel (not Buffy) moved on from their relationship. In ATS season 3, he grieved Buffy’s death, but he also admitted that he wasn’t broken by it like he expected to be - he was okay. He loved Buffy, but he was no longer in love with her. He’d reached a place whereby he could look back on his relationship with Buffy and remember it fondly and keep her and the love he had for her in his heart forever without it consuming him or causing him pain. That’s why ATS 5x20 is one of the most cringey and stupid episodes ever because it enters Angel into childish squabbling with Spike over who loves Buffy more and who’s more deserving of her, when Angel had spent 5 years growing and developing beyond his love for Buffy and the pain of their break-up. Without getting into the Angel/Cordelia relationship too much (because that’s a separate issue), I think that Buffy and Angel were pushed at certain points on ATS and post-season 3 of BTVS (particularly the finale) when it no longer made sense for either character because Whedon was so invested in them and they were so popular with the fans.

In regards to the Bangel relationship on BTVS, on my most recent re-watch I loved watching them as much as I always have, but I noticed the complete lack of development in their relationship, particularly in the beginning. They meet briefly a couple of times, Angel is a mysterious figure that Buffy knows little about (she doesn’t even know he’s a vampire until after she’s kissed him and he’s spent the night at her house) and then are head over heels in love with very little basis for that (with Angel it makes more sense since he had watched Buffy from afar before they met). Bangel will always be that couple whose connection goes beyond logic - it’s love at first sight, it’s intense, it’s life-changing, it’s soul destroying, it’s spiritual - and that’s what I love about them. At the same time, they are missing that foundation in their relationship and there’s no denying it. They aren’t really ever a couple in the traditional sense, there’s always some huge drama, fight or obstacle that’s in their way (not to mention the huge obstacle Angel’s vampirism in itself was for them). In comparison to Angel’s relationship with Cordelia, which involves consistent interactions in seasons 1-3 of ATS including working together, living together and going through shared traumas together (e.g. Doyle’s death), Buffy and Angel’s interactions are lacking and sporadic although they’re much more intense. Angel randomly appears, the two have a brief exchange and then he disappears again for weeks or months. There’s no consistency, there’s no opportunity for them to spend time getting to know each other or bond properly (I also have to admit Angel watching/stalking 15-year-old Buffy is kinda creepy). Essentially, their entire relationship is built upon the attraction and inexplicable bond that exits between them. That bond between Angel and Buffy can’t be quantified but everybody can see it. Like I said, it’s what I love about them, but I also appreciate ships with a more prolonged development (like Angel and Cordelia) because that feels more realistic and grounded.

My BTVS re-watch has also allowed me to see how damaging their relationship potentially could be for both Buffy and Angel. They loved each other as much as two people can love one another, and they had moments of happiness, but overall they brought nothing but misery to each other. That wasn’t directly their fault, it was usually the fault of outside forces and the nature of the supernatural world they were caught up in, but it doesn’t change the fact that they never truly made each other happy (with the exception of ATS 1x09). The fact that they were a slayer and vampire came between them, hurt them both and after the Angelus debacle, they were never the same. It doesn’t matter that Angel technically wasn’t responsible for Angelus’ actions, it was still a huge trauma for Buffy and it still remains a grey area as to how much Angel should be/can be held accountable for what he did without his soul. This is really a personal issue for me, because there are so many inconsistencies in the Buffyverse regarding the vampire with a soul vs vampire without a soul that I can no longer simply excuse Angel’s actions by saying, “It wasn’t really him”, because on some level it was (again this is a separate issue). The point is that no matter how much they loved each other, Buffy and Angel brought more heartbreak and upset to each other’s lives than anything positive. I think their relationship particularly had a significant impact on Buffy, who being so young and inexperienced in love was profoundly affected by what happened with Angel. It wasn’t just what happened when Angel lost his soul, it was also a trauma for her to have to kill him, to witness him coming back from the other side and help him heal and it was a trauma for her to see him engage romantically/sexually with Faith (even if it was part of their plan), it was a trauma for her to see the man she loved on the verge of committing suicide and it was a trauma when Angel broke up with her (despite Angel doing it for the right reasons). Buffy never opened up romantically to anyone like she did with Angel, because of the hurt she endured at his (and Angelus’) hands. How much Buffy loved Angel didn’t erase the trauma she endured because of him.

Although I have come to view the Bangel relationship in a different light, and see some of these more negative sides to their relationship, it doesn’t change the love I have for them. Nothing ever could. Watching ATS (and re-watching BTVS) has just simply removed the rose tinted goggles through which I used to view Bangel (and tend to view most of my favourite ships) and allowed me to acknowledge that their relationship isn’t perfect, which I personally see as a positive. Buffy and Angel’s actions and the ways in which they hurt each other is what makes their relationship so organic. No great love ever comes easy and it’s impossible for any couple not to hurt each other at some point during their relationship. The fact that Buffy and Angel endured so much heartbreak and couldn’t be together because of supernatural forces, the fact that they continued to love each other, yearn for each other and be there for each other is a testament to that love. There’s no other ship that comes close to having the kind of connection Buffy and Angel have in that way. Most relationships that end on TV just end, regardless of how in love the two people were, but Buffy and Angel were two people, who no matter how much time passed or who else they fell in love with, always loved each other. Their love was once in a lifetime love - they changed each other’s lives completely and their love was so strong that their connection never wavered, no matter how much time they spent apart. They had an inherent understanding and unspoken connection, and despite being natural enemies they reached each other in ways no one else had before. I also can’t speak about Bangel without mentioning Sarah and David’s chemistry which is also incredible. Their natural chemistry brought the profound connection and love between Buffy and Angel to life and made it feel completely authentic.

Phew, so those are my thoughts on Bangel. Sorry that this got so long (as always) and thanks again for asking :) 

[carrowe]

AMYCUS CARROW is A DEATH EATER in the war, even though HIS official job is as A CURSE BREAKER & HIT MAN. the TWENTY SIX year old PUREBLOOD is known to be PATIENT and RESERVED but also VIOLENT and TWO FACED. some might label them as THE DEVIL IN DISGUISE. fc: ryan gosling 

        hey it’s lizzie back at it with being a fucking idiot ( aka i can’t write good, wholesome characters that are not james to save my life so even though i love mae... she gotta go :/ i’m sorry!!! ). so bringing back my favorite sociopath but... revamped 2 be darker because was inspired ♥ !!

ANTHEMS:

rail road track - willy moon // blood on my name - the brothers bright // shakin - willy moon // dogs of war - blues saraceno // feel it still - portugal the man.

full playlist: (x) pinterest boards: v1. v2.

BACKGROUND / FAMILY ( bound to change probably ):

Amycus Abigor Carrow is the first born child of the Carrow dynasty. His father named him after the prince of hell, in the hopes that his son would prove himself worthy of the name. Amycus would, but not in the way his father had hoped.

As a child, Amycus was very quiet. Mostly kept to himself and his sister. Never harmed a fly. 

Amycus was the product of a loveless marriage, based on pureblood politics. His parents couldn’t stand each other, and were each other’s polar opposites. Amycus would later realize that they were doomed from the start.

child abuse tw:// Amycus’ father was a cold business man, and was not very interested in being a father to Amycus. He mostly made excuses to be as far away from the family life as possible. 

So Amycus was left to his grandfather, a man that put great emphasis on pain ( believing it was the only way that Amycus would learn and become stronger ). Lessons were drilled in with corporal punishment, and the emotional and physical abuse he suffered at the hands of his father would eventually break him down into something colder and darker. Feelings were deemed weak, and had to be firmly repressed - which would leave behind a shell of a boy. 

Gained a definite rebellious streak during his teenage years, and would do EVERYTHING and anything to fuck with his dad.

Eventually moved out, at the age of 15. Figured either he’d move out or kill his father, and settled on the former.

Remaining summers were spent living at the Hog’s Head Inn.

The Carrow family did not want to air their dirty laundry to the world, so they never formally denounced Amycus. Most other pureblood families know that they had a falling out though.

Alecto is his other half, and they come as a matching set. Without her, he feels incomplete, and she’s also the only person who truly knows him. 

MAIN CHANGES FROM THE PREVIOUS AMYCUS’ TIMELINE:

Main thing probably is that he is more refined. More dangerous. Still pretty fucking dumb, but less rough around the edges. Also has more self control which is good for him!!!

Still a brickwall in terms of sharing (always so private), but way more polite? More controlled, less crude. Instead of just grunting in reply, homeboy might try to actually act like a human being. So definitively less gruff.

Also can’t just typecast him as ‘ hm this is probably a pretty bad dude ‘ when first meeting him anymore so that's kinda problematic :/ May cause some issues :/

AESTHETIC / VIBES:

old gramophones, blood stained polaroids, broken glasses, bleeding fists, standing in silence for hours, chipped teeth, unwavering loyalty, unhealed scars, getting home at the crack of dawn, red wine, long showers, god complexes, the color of the sunset, messy hair, blood soaked suits, always cheating death, a rebel just for kicks, half smiles, just beating and beating until the world stops, no conscience, half empty wine bottles, impersonal offices, a face that doesn’t quite match his demeanor.

HOGWARTS YEARS:

Was a hat stall between Slytherin and surprisingly enough, Hufflepuff. But his sister was sorted into Slytherin, and Amycus won’t go anywhere without his twin.

With the Slytherins, he found a new home, far away from his grandfather.

I would say that he is not exactly book smart, and he got pretty shit grades while at the school. The one subject where he really excelled was charms, but he also did all right in transfigurations and herbology.

Is more muscle than brains, most of the time tbh.

At the age of fifteen, Amycus stopped going back to his family home. He was becoming strong enough (from years of fighting) to challenge his father, and decided to just drop all contact. Today, he only sees his dad at the occasional pureblood party / event, where he ignores him.

torture tw :// Violence breeds violence, and the pain and suffering he had endured at home soon translated into him torturing fellow students.

Did not spend a lot of time in detention, despite all the fighting? Was that prick who got away with a lot because of his angel face. Eventually, teachers caught on though and Amycus got into his fair share of trouble as well ( most definitively became viewed as a Disturbed Child™ ).

During his time at the school, he earned some extra cash from doing odd jobs ( which mostly entailed torturing specific students per request ).

His electives at the school were: alchemy, care of magical creatures and divination. He was in no clubs at the school.

AFTER HOGWARTS:

Became a curse breaker soon after graduating.

First few years were spent abroad, working in tombs for Gringotts, recovering lost artifacts and breaking ancient curses.

Eventually, he made his way back home, and found work for the ministry. He works at the office for the removal of curses, jinxes and hexes, which is a subdivision of the improper use of magic office.

Unfortunately for him, this means that he has to work with a lot of other divisions. He hates it.

His day job as a curse breaker is sort of a disguise for what he considers to be his real job? He’s sort of a gun ( wand ) for hire, and will kill anyone who needs to be killed, for a price. Though the money really doesn’t matter all that much to him? 

Most of his clients are members of the sacred 28, who always want SOMEONE dead.

Kind of just aligned himself with the Death Eaters because 1. they have a more violent agenda 2. his sister.

Amycus isn’t the most invested in the whole pureblood supremacy thing ( though he’d never admit that ), but overall likes Voldemort and what he stands for.

Definitively fears Voldemort, and is quite happy that he’s not directly reporting to him.

Amycus mainly works for the Death Eaters as an information gatherer, which basically is just a nicer way to say that he tortures people until they tell him whatever they know. He’s disturbingly good at it, and usually works together with his sister.

Currently living in a large townhouse in London, with Alecto.

AS A PERSON:

Doesn’t give a single fuck about anyone that isn’t himself or his sister.

NEUTRAL EVIL. 

Doesn’t even have a moral compass, just does whatever is best for him. Has no interest in your righteous bullshit.

Looks a lot nicer than he is, which works to his advantage most of the time? Like he just looks like a nerdy, good dude. Couldn’t be further from the truth but... that’s besides the point. His face really doesn’t match the way he behaves.

Probably the most private person you’ll ever meet? He seldom reveals anything about himself, and when he does, it’s usually not true.

100% petty enough to lie about the smallest, most meaningless details.

SO self disciplined. Always in complete control, and it’s very hard to get a genuine reaction / rise out of him. Also so so so patient, and is happy to wait for whatever his current end game is.

Drinks and smokes heavily, but doesn’t personally think that he has a problem.

Mostly just a dumb asshole.

SO COLD.

Thrives off violence and is a total brute tbh.

Pretty good at hiding his death eater ties since he's... paranoid as FUCK. And also very private. Always wears a mask. But some people probably suspect... stuff anyways, if they've like. Spent longer than two hours with him. Listen if Amycus wasn't such a fucking asshole he probably could get away with it (/scooby doo villain voice). But then again, others will probably think he's just cold as shit.

Is a total demon, but looks like an angel. Helps a lot !!!

STYLE / FASHION / APPEARANCE:

This version of Amycus wears glasses, but fucking breaks them ALL THE TIME. The only thing keeping them together is magic.

Wears mostly suits for work ( bc he has to :/ ) but will wear those long black robes on his free time. Think a vampire cape, flying in the wind. That’s right, he really is THAT guy.

Will also wear stupid band tshirts a lot when not working.

Keeps his hair short.

Like 70% of his money is probably spent on buying new suits / robes / t shirts because he keeps either getting blood on them, or having them ripped to shreds in a fight.

Looks like he’s wearing the exact same shoes everyday but actually has like... 100 different pairs.

Eyes appear either blue or grey depending on the lighting.

Has some tattoos, and a half sleeve on his right arm, going from his shoulder down to his elbow.

CHARACTER INFLUENCES:

caleb haas ( quantico )- the snark. the assholery. the background. the black sheep.

clay haas ( quantico ) - just the right amount of polished. the style. the general aesthetic. the hair.

angelus ( btvs )- the disregard for human life. the darkness. the occasional brooding. the quips.

holden ford ( mindhunter ) - the scheming. the hidden ambition. the slyness. the resolution.

lucifer morningstar ( lucifer ) - the smile, the general vibe, the quips, the mannerisms, the darkness.

eric northman ( southern vampire mysteries ) - the confidence. the general dumbness. the stubbornness.

demon dean winchester ( supernatural ) - the occasional charm. the being an actual demon-ness. the blood lust. the bad jokes. the weakness for a pretty face.

wolverine ( x men ) - the violence. the moodiness. the hatred. the occasional gruff demeanor.

dexter morgan ( dexter ) - the serial killer vibe. the lust for blood. the violence. the loyalty to his sister. the sociopathy.

takeshi kovac ( altered carbon ) - the violence. the fucked up moral compass. the buried anger. the instinct to fight.

[itsclydebitches]

Buffy’s “Empty Places”: Deconstructing Merit, Luck, and Betterment

Anyone who’s spent five minutes with me knows that I love ranty metas, and Buffy’s “Empty Places” is something I’ve wanted to tackle since I finished it. However, rather than try to unravel the entirety of that shit-show conversation I want to focus in on what Anya says near the end.

You really do think you're better than we are. But we don't know. We don't know if you're actually better. I mean, you came into the world with certain advantages, sure. I mean, that's the legacy. But you didn't earn it. You didn't work for it. You've never had anybody come up to you and say you deserve these things more than anyone else. They were just handed to you. So that doesn't make you better than us. It makes you luckier than us.

Here Anya lays out three important questions that I think are crucial to interpreting the Buffyverse.

Did Buffy “earn” her power? 

Is she “luckier” than her friends? 

Is Buffy “better” than her friends? And what exactly does “better” mean in this context?

Honestly, I still stand amazed that Anya can even voice the first two questions among Buffy’s friends and not get immediate, wicked backlash. Admittedly her use of “luckier” could be interpreted to mean “randomly,” but her word choice is still significant. Buffy is by no stretch of the imagination lucky. Does her calling give her purpose? Yes. Does it give her cool superpowers? Absolutely. But none of these benefits are free gifts—they’re balanced, even outweighed, by her responsibilities. This calling means that Buffy has no other options in her life, no career or family as a ‘normal’ person would experience it. Her powers are to keep herself and others safe, not to have fun with. Buffy didn’t win the freaking lottery here, this life was forced on her.

Throughout the entirety of the series we see the others’ (realistic) jealousy of Buffy: Cordelia views her as a threat to her popularity, Willow as the ‘cool’ girl she always wished she could be, Xander resents that Buffy always has the power to help, and Faith has a whole damn plot-line devoted to her jealousy, yet at no point does anyone acknowledge that Buffy is only the “lucky” one when things are going their way. They want to help, but they know she’s the only one who can finish things. Buffy announces that she’s the only one who can finish things… and everyone’s hackles go up. They don’t want her responsibility; they also don’t want to acknowledge that her responsibility makes her different from them. You can’t have it both ways. To say nothing of the fact that the rest of the Scoobies can leave any time they want. They can walk away from this life. Buffy can’t. She’s not the lucky one, she’s the one who’s trapped.

Now, did Buffy earn her power? Oh boy. Again, I don’t know how Anya can even ask that. Did she earn the power prior to receiving it? Perhaps not, but Buffy has absolutely earned her right to it since. She gave up the social life she desperately craved, a college education, she killed her boyfriend for the greater good, was ready to kill another friend (Anya) if the need arose, Buffy died, twice, and stuck around after she was wrenched out of Heaven to keep fighting the good fight. I honestly wanted to ask in that moment: what more do you expect of this girl?

Furthermore, there’s evidence that Buffy did ‘earn’ the Slayer power right from the start. She was chosen. Why? We don’t know exactly, but out of ALL the other Potential girls in the world Buffy was the one the legacy activated and I personally think she was chosen for a reason. It’s also telling that Season 7 throws Buffy into a houseful of other would-be Slayers and essentially let’s us compare them. One girl runs away. Another commits suicide. The others force out their leader and walk into a trap. Did Buffy make a lot of the same mistakes at their age? Yes, but it’s also worth considering that these girls aren’t ready in the same way she was at fifteen, that some might not possess the fortitude to be the Slayer, that seven years ago the magic chose Buffy for a reason. She was the one most suited for the position.

So is she “better” than her friends?

After Anya gave her little speech I had one, significant sentence running through my head:

Buffy is the only one who hasn’t been corrupted.

To lay out just a few examples:

Giles rebelled as a teenager by summoning a horrifying demon that eventually killed his friends. Buffy rebelled as a teenager by demanding that she get to go to the prom or out on dates with Angel.

Willow takes away the consent of her girlfriend, her friends, nearly kills Dawn, and when she suffers the loss of a loved one immediately seeks revenge, going so far as to try and destroy the entire world (something I think the show let’s her get away with far too easily). Buffy loses her mom and though there’s no person to seek revenge on, she also doesn’t release her anger on other innocents.

Years ago Anya happily chose to be a vengeance demon. She spent a thousand years torturing and slaughtering who knows how many. After being left at the alter she immediately turns back to those ways and attempted to seek revenge on Xander (and please picture for a moment how she might be received if that episode hadn’t been played for humor. If the whole ‘you can’t seek your own vengeance’ rule wasn’t in place and Anya had succeeded in killing Xander). She proceeds to murder a group of college boys before turning back to the good side.

Faith’s entire storyline revolves around her going dark. We can come up with endless justifications for her—from a terrible childhood to not fitting in with the Scoobies—but the fact remains that she is a clear foil to Buffy: the ‘bad’ Slayer to Buffy’s ‘good’ one. Ultimately, no one forced her to adopt that role.

Andrew very happily goes along with all the tormenting Buffy/killing women/taking over the world stuff, showing not an ounce of true remorse. Despite all his claims of ‘coming over to the light side,’ the only reason we’re given for him joining the gang was because he killed his only friend, was kidnapped by them, and literally had nowhere else to go. He’s not necessarily a ‘good’ guy now, he’s a lonely guy sticking with the only people capable of protecting him.

Xander and Cordelia are outliers in that neither ever achieves any real, formidable power (at least not on Buffy), but what power they do accumulate they don’t use well. Xander casts love spells, the magic equivalent of roofying a girl, deliberately falls asleep while he has the responsibility of watching Oz, or lies to Buffy to help get Angel killed. Cordelia uses her social power to harm everyone around her, as often as possible. 

What I’m getting at is that most of Buffy’s friends go through the same sequence of events: free will + power = a decision that harms others to an extreme degree. The free choice aspect is important because I think there are only three core group members that don’t fit this pattern: Oz—who resists being a wild werewolf who would kill others if not locked up—Tara—who carefully controls the type and extent of her magic—and Spike—who never does anything of his own free will, if we buy into the Angel/Angelus dichotomy that the show initially set up (and then admittedly muddled with Spike). But if we go by that lore, everything he did post-vampirism was the demon. The women he killed with his soul was the First’s doing.

Notably, none of these people are in the room with Buffy to back her up.

Instead she’s surrounded by others who at one point or another are corrupted by the power they’ve attained. Buffy is living with a group of people who have willfully committed heinous deeds - deeds she’s forgiven them for - while they’re more than happy to toss her out the second she makes a mistake with actual consequences. Importantly though, Buffy never goes down the road they did. To my recollection the closest she gets is with Faith—“We are better than them”—but even then all Buffy does is loot a deserted store, playing at the ‘bad girl’ role without ever actually becoming her. Does she make mistakes over the years? HELL YES, but unlike the others they’re always made with good intentions. Buffy releases Spike because he’s needed and she honestly believes he’s not a threat anymore. She gets some of the Potentials killed because she’s trying to save the world. She pushes everyone away and acts ‘cruel’ because she’s told time and time again that that’s what they need—an unfeeling “general.” At every turn Buffy puts the greater good above her own needs and desires, from the small (dropping out of college) to the unfathomably large (killing Angel, dying twice). Is this ‘realistic’ characterization? Perhaps not, but it’s what makes Buffy the hero of the tale. No matter what she’ll always put others before herself and do whatever is required of her to keep them safe. 

Honestly, her friends can’t claim the same. 

So yeah, in this respect I’d say Buffy is “better.”

(Anyway, this all makes it sound like I hate these characters when in fact I love them all lol. Forgive the new Buffy fan still working through drama 20 years late. @thepinkrvnger​ I’m tagging you again not with the expectation that you’re gonna read any of this shit, but to let you know your previous Buffy response got me laughing. Kudos 👍) 

[itsclydebitches]

Buffy 3.07: “Revelations,” Morality, and a Healthy Dose of Hypocrisy

I’m massively late to this party (is twenty years fashionable??) but I’m watching Buffy for the first time and have feelings~ about “Revelations.”

For those who don’t recall or who haven’t seen the show, this is the episode where Xander ‘catches’ (aka spies) on Buffy and Angel together, and rather than confronting her about it and making even the slightest attempt to understand why she’d keep this secret (not that any of them did that regarding why Buffy ran away…), he immediately went to tell the whole Scoobie gang so they could stage an “intervention.” As you can imagine, it doesn’t go too well.

And as I’m sure you can tell, I’m not the biggest fan of Xander, or the gang’s characterization this season. I could write whole essays—and frankly I just might—on how they consistently treat Buffy like absolute shit. But that’s not this post. Right now I want to deconstruct the utter hypocrisy at work in this episode.

Seriously. WTF.

Ultimately the decision the gang comes to is that Buffy is blinded by her love of Angel, which is true, but the problem I have with this is that at no point do they or the narrative acknowledge that they’re all blinded by love, particularly when it comes to romance and supernatural situations. To name just a few: 

Xander has consistently been blinded by lust (cough*objectifying women*cough) and it has put him into circumstances where he’s nearly been eaten and/or killed, requiring that the others save him. It’s enough of an issue that they’ve made it into a running gag rather than acknowledging the problems inherent in Xander’s Nice Guy-ness. 

Giles can think of nothing but saving Jenny when she’s possessed by the demon that he created and later puts himself and the others in danger when he tries to avenger her death. 

Cordelia has a small moment (again played for laughs) where she thinks Xander has been turned into a deadly sea monster and promises to still love and take care of him, going so far as to buy him bath toys to play with. 

And then there’s Willow.

The above examples are just a small sample of moments where the gang is willing to put aside ‘the greater good’ for their own love interests—without extending that courtesy to Buffy—but for me the Willow/Oz pairing is easily the most overt comparison. Both Oz and Angel:

Were bitten by supernatural creatures and then turned into that creature. 

Are victims who in no way welcomed this change. 

Pose a threat to society because of their change. 

Have two distinct sides: Oz is not the wolf and Angel is not the demon.

The issue it that the characters continually muddle Angel’s personalities while keeping Oz’s distinct. (They want to make Angel into a metaphor for an abusive boyfriend SO BADLY and it doesn’t work). In “Beauty and the Beasts,” just two episodes before “Revelations,” for a while there’s some pretty damning evidence that Oz escaped his cage and killed someone, but at no point is he blamed for this. Everyone is unfailingly supportive, reminding him that he’s not the wolf and that they’ll do everything in their power to keep him safe. But why? Xander and the others made it very clear last season and in “Revelations” that they think Buffy should kill Angel (which, reminder, she did) because he’s a threat. The fact that he might sleep with Buffy and might find happiness and that might remove his soul again is enough to warrant his execution. But then there’s Oz who for three nights a month becomes a literal, not a hypothetical danger. Oz who could easily escape that cage (because if Hyde!Pete can rip it off why not a werewolf?). 

Oz who could not only kill people but turn them too (a lot like a vampire). Oz who has no cure for his affliction—the gang knows now that they can restore Angel’s soul should it be lost again. They can’t do anything for Oz except hope to keep him contained. All it would take it one mistake for him to do just as much damage as Angelus.

Or rather, all it takes is one idiot, selfish boy.

 Xander stands proud in “Revelations,” supposedly on the moral high ground, yelling at Buffy for putting them all in danger by keeping Angel a secret, and no one reminds him that he fell asleep while watching Oz. That he knew Oz was a danger, promised Willow he’d stay up all night, happily played the good friend/hero… and then immediately stretched out and deliberately went to sleep. That’s not an excusable ‘well he’s a teenager’ mistake. That’s Xander revealing that he doesn’t think Oz is a true threat… but Angel is.

So what’s the difference between them?

Oz’s violence is mindless, yes, while Angelus’ is calculated. And Angelus killed Jenny, which goes a long way towards explaining the gang’s hatred. It’s hard to look at the same face and acknowledge that it was a different person who committed the deed—Oz has it ‘easier’ in that his transformation is overt. His other side is a literal animal while Angelus wears Angel’s own face. But I think the hypocrisy goes deeper than this. At this point I’m convinced that Xander is still ‘in love’ with Buffy. Or, to put it more honestly, he wants what he can’t have. He and Cordelia never got along, but he wanted her because she was the hottest girl in school. He now has the hottest girl in school and wants Willow instead—but only now that she’s with Oz and unavailable. Oz isn’t a threat to Xander though because Willow wants Xander back. He’s not fighting Oz for Willow… like he’s been fighting Angel for Buffy. Since day one Xander has been beyond blunt about not liking Angel because Buffy actually likes him back and he’s wanted him out of her life since day one too. The fact that they now have legitimate reasons to be wary of Angel doesn’t change the fact that Xander wants him dead purely because he ‘won’ Buffy. He can claim it’s because of Jenny’s death, but I honestly don’t buy that for a second.

Xander wants Angel dead because he’s competition. Cordelia wants him dead because she cares more about her own safety than any moral nuance. Oz is indifferent to a lot of this, but if ANYONE should be sticking up for a guy dealing with supernatural shit outside of his control, it’s him (though of course he doesn’t). Willow only mildly sticks up for Buffy’s secret keeping to alleviate her own guilt over seeing Xander. And Giles…

Well, we come right back to this issue of blindness. At this point in the show Buffy is beginning to acknowledge nuance in her job: vampires are not inherently evil (Angel), sometimes they can do good things even if it’s for selfish reasons (Spike), sometimes it’s worth letting them go if they’re not a major threat (those Southern brothers), etc. Buffy is beginning to see gray in a job that was previously straight forward. Giles, meanwhile, still sees in black and white. He and the rest of the gang only view a vampire as ‘good’ when it serves their interests (Angel saving Willow, providing them with information, etc.) but once they’re no longer useful they should be put down. They shouldn’t be fought for like they would a real friend. Meanwhile someone like Oz is always good and should be protected regardless of the danger they pose (like leaving a window open…). Giles proves that he, like the rest of them, is unable to distinguish between Angel and Angelus like he does Oz and the Wolf when he says, “I must remind you that Angel tortured me. For hours. For pleasure.” No. Angel didn’t. Angelus did. But more importantly he follows that with,

“You have no respect for me, or the job I perform.”

That right there is the problem. The job Giles performs is to help Buffy kill supernatural creatures and beyond their love of Oz, Buffy is the only one acknowledging that not all supernatural creatures should be killed, indiscriminately. I believe that Buffy has a HUGE amount of respect for Giles himself (I adore these two honestly lol), but Giles is very traditional and blindly accepts that ‘how it’s always been done’ is the way things should be done. Buffy, meanwhile, has always questioned that. It used to be just in a ‘why can’t Slayers have a life outside of slaying?’ way. Now she’s positioned in direct contrast to Faith who kills not only without a thought, but also with great pleasure.

The rest of the gang needs to start acknowledging that both the job and their morals might need some tweaking. Buffy is no saint herself, but they need to help her work through all this, not yell at her for reveling in the exact same behavior they are all engaging in.

Hypocrisy at its finest.

And don’t even get me started on “Dead Man’s Party” <3