Character Criticism and a Side Note :Mega Spoilers: by Angelcrusherd

BUFFYVERSE

Character Criticism and a Side Note :Mega Spoilers:

POSTED BY: ANGELCRUSHERD
UPDATED: Friday, November 11, 2005 21:54
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VIEWED: 2067
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Friday, November 11, 2005 9:54 PM

I want to express some vital opinionisms about the characters of the series and I don't see any current suitable threads so here goes.

Buffy is the main character and leader blah-di-blah but her actions are entirely too stupid for my tastes. She and Angel had it all, everything that one could hope for in love and what does she do? Isolation from the one person who embodies the very concept of her soul. I understand why she did it but it isn't noble or strong of her to do it no matter what anyone says. "Sweet cake mix, she seperates herself from the one she loves the most so she can make better decisions and worry less..." What the hell? She can slay vampires and demons for a living but she can't deal with a little self-restraint? Yeah, Angel decided to leave but Buffy could've stopped him. She could've done something besides stare into the fog as the greatest person in her life trots off without a spoken goodbye.

Before getting over Angel, or any other form of emotional reconstruction, it's one-night-stand time with some college freakshow. Oh woe, damn all men because you sleep with one without thinking beforehand. Curse you Joss, epitomizing tons of women in such a true fashion. I was enjoying every moment of Buffy's post-whore depression because it was just. Enter Riley. Riley the typical jock turned government pawn with a meager aptitude for his own emotions. 'Whoa, I guess I love Buffy after weeks of flirtation.' Holy cow, he's an agent for his grandma's underground demon-hunting facility. Yowza. What quirky adventures will inevitably ensue. Not quite. Grandma's actually a friggin idiot and the Initiative doesn't know a thing about Slayers or the Council which have been working alongside them for years, so much so that Buffy can start honking their lead man's horn and they haven't a clue as to what she is. Riley loves Buffy, Buffy thinks she loves Riley, Riley leaves and suddenly it's depresso lattes all around. In my opinion, Riley was the single worst character in the series. He provided nothing but something for Buffy to whine about and the Initiative was made for the sole reason of Spike's chip. Nothing else was important aside from the Scooby gang going Captain Planet on Adam.

After Riley on the list of worst characters would be Faith. Although a tad more vital to the story, with the whole Angel/mayor (and most of season 7) thing, she was just there because a Slayer was beckoned. All she did was show me a side of Buffy equivalent to that of a six year old. She was the official Slayer yet Buffy kicked her ass in every field. One would think that two slayers, two chosen beings, could work together to lay a bigger asswhoop on anything and everything the Hellmouth had to offer but Buffy has to be portrayed as a loner and crybaby so Faith has to go byebye.

Angel, I touched on him (not exactly the wording I had in mind), is one of the top five in my book. He's charming enough to warm the heart and ruthless enough to ignite the temper. David plays him masterfully if I may say so. Every episode with him kept me guessing. Even if it was a filler episode that had nothing to do with the plot, the presence of Angel made it that much more enjoyable. There's no doubt in my mind why he got his own show but I believe I would've loved to have him by Buffy's side, especially at the finale.

Xander. Oh where do I begin? Definitely in the top five, maybe even my favorite character. He has no powers yet he contributes so much to the team. Yeah, The Zeppo blah blah blah... but the actual defining moment in my opinion is at the end of season 7. He gives Dawn a "We're Nobodies but We Still Matter" speech and it completely kicked my ass. It stuck with me more than anything he's done before but it could just be because I watched the series in order and The Zeppo was a long time ago. Anyway, Xander is no-doubt the central comic relief and he always manages to keep the mood steady. He's so happy that it makes his character seem too predictable- then the wedding hits him like a brick. He realizes that while devoting himself to his friends and being the Planeteer-ial 'Heart', getting beaten by demons isn't his only worry. He isn't just a regular human in a group of super-heroes, he's another face in the crowd. Life doesn't make exceptions for the destroyers of evil. Just when he think's everything will be okay, Cap'n Reynolds stoogifies his face, almost killing him. Just when the pirate jokes get old, he loses the one thing that matters most. No matter what words were exchanged, Anya was the single biggest thing in his life. Thus my agape expression at the final scene of the series. Xander was monumental to the series, that I know.

Then there's the key to Hell. Dawn could've been so much more than the crappy character that she was. I think the quote that epitomizes her best is "Get out! GET OUT!!!" in the blood-churning girly voice that Michelle does (that gives the demons in my dreams nightmares). As if the series didn't have enough teen angst, Dawn blinks into existence to give Buffy something else to protect besides her friends, the school, the town, and... oh yeah, the future of everything; worlds, dimensions, universes. The concept of Dawn's character is intriguing, I'll give it that. I liked the occasional times when she didn't make completely stupid decisions and such. I think some of my dislike for her comes from being associated with Glory. I don't like Glory at all, she was a waste of episodes. God of a hell dimension yet confined to sharing a body with an Earth-doctor? Come on now. I'll elaborate on Gods in a more suitable paragraph, back to Dawn. After her appearance, I was expecting Dawn to realize what exactly she is. She is pure energy yet all she does is whiney teenage human crap when in reality, she could read a couple books and redefine herself as Willow's competition. I wanted so much to hear Dawn say "Stop protecting me, Buffy!" then POOF! Super Saiyan Dawn with glowy fists and crazy hair like X-men's Phoenix when utterly ornery. So much potential gone to waste, especially after the episode entitled thusly. During that episode, I was invisioning Buffy dying at the hands of The First's plan ('whatever it may be,' I said at the time), triggering the energy that is Dawn to establish itself inside of her leading to the final confrontation. I imagined the body of evil itself sucking dry the corpse of Buffy the Vampire Slayer- across the field of battle stands the holy trio. Dawn stands in front while her blinding blue energy pours out of every inch of her body, focusing itself into a weapon of sorts. Behind her left stands Xander, beaten mercilessly but still in the fight; probably making a quip such as "A little late, Dawn; don't you think?" Behind Dawn's right hovers Willow in her evolved form. The form in which she tells her evil self to hit the road and reaches her full witchage. i.e. lots of leather and red glowiness, but less flaying and evil. This obviously didn't happen, by far, but it just goes to show what could've been. I didn't hate the ending but it wouldn't've hurt to give it a little more juice, in my opinion.

Speaking of Willow, she's my second favorite. She's so innocent, I feel as if I know her personally for some reason. She's the sister that Buffy should've had instead of Dawn. I don't know a character in television that comes close to Willow (the same goes for Xander). Every other attempt at a geeky character becomes so stereotypical that the cause is lost. I can't even put my opinions of her into words. I'm open to foreign thoughts of Willow, maybe I can refine my criticisms of her, but I cannot do so now. She nails it on so many spectrums for me to even begin to analyze ('it' being a vague reference to many concepts). I can say this though, Alyson is quite possibly the best actress that has every played anything close to her character in Buffy. Superb casting and top of the line acting.

Who else? Spike, yeah. Spike was pretty cool in the first few seasons but when the whole sex-with-Buffy thing started, he turned into a heaping pile. I liked the bad guy that fought alongside his beloved and not-quite-there Drusilla. Marsters plays a good bad guy. First, the chip threw things out of place. He couldn't kill la di da exiled from both vampires and the Scoobs, has a crush on the Slayer, blah blah. It was interesting. Then he said he loves Buffy and after a long while the sexual tension snapped. I was disgusted with Buffy. This is the person that almost killed your mother and would've killed you on multiple accounts, yet you need a good lay so he gets what he wants. He was no longer a bad guy, nor was he cruising well with the Mystery Machine. The entire affair that Buffy had with him left my stomach in knots, it was horrible. She was ashamed of herself but obviously only because of what her friends would think because first thing she did when invisible is get a good plowing, enjoying it like never before. The whole time, Spike acts as if he can't stand it. He's a friggin vampire, there should be nothing in his mind except feeding and destruction. It sounds a little stupid to me that a vampire would resist its primal urge to drink because of a well-placed migraine. You would think that his history would shed some light on why he's such a wimp but it doesn't. He's supposedly this big badass mother. I recall something like "Buffy you have never seen the true me." When triggered, he became a crazed loon which could pretty much kick some major ass. If he was worse than that, where was it? He didn't show any form of viciousness after that. Perhaps he just didn't get enough time to, or perhaps Joss will make things clearer in the Spike film but as of now, I don't like Spike at all. The best thing I remember him doing is saying his final words, "No you don't, but thanks for saying it." That acknowledgement of Buffy's feelings was the coolest thing he did since he helped whoop evil-Angel's ass. Buffy's heart belonged to Angel, always. The night with the college idiot, Riley, Spike- replacements. I think Buffy knew that all along, if she did it was pretty vague because she acted pretty obvlivious to it, but if she didn't, Spike's relationship with her would mean a lot more. She stopped seeing Spike because she was using him but I'm not convinced that she knew what exactly the cause was. I'm sorry but I don't like watching the legendary Slayer trade bodily secretions with someone who doesn't appreciate her. Spike had a lot of dialog that empasized his pain and his knowing that he would never get to be with the one he loves, but he didn't appreciate Buffy. At first with the crazy one-sided sex, then with the insanity, then with the apocalypse. He didn't have time to define himself due to the chip or Drusilla or mind games from The First. I think he and Buffy could've clicked given time, but the lack of time is a factor of life.

The list is dwindling, Giles is next. Giles, the father of everyone. I never saw Willow's father and Xander's father is a prick, Buffy's father bailed and Anya probably doesn't even remember her father. In every case, Giles is the father figure. Most of all to Buffy. Giles is the backbone of the squad, he's always there to fall back on. He always has some helpful information or some contact in the motherland. His shoulder is always out there for whoever needs it and his advice is universal. I don't know about other people but Giles is beyond fatherdom to Buffy. I don't even have that close of a connection to my real father much less some British librarian from high school. When he burst through the door with newfound coucil magicks to put evil Willow in her place, I was giddy, for the lack of a better word. I wanted so much to believe that he was hiding his warlock status for so many years from the people closest to him for their own safety, but alas it was borrowed. It was still a very good scene. Giles is in my top five.

Anya is in my top five as well. I lost count but whatever, she's at the top of the list somewhere. All the things that people want to say and are afraid to- that's what she does best. This barbaric vengeance demon falls in love with a mere human and it completely changes the lives of the whole group. I like how she handles situtions and how she talks. A good character most definitely. Insightful to say the least.

I think that's all the main characters. Oz was the best side-character. Seth was perfect. Oz was just as good as Angel when it came to livening every episode. When he left, I couldn't get past it for a few episodes. Then there was Tara. She was like a weird Willow. I really liked her character and I even liked how she died. It was so unexpected. Willow finally wins back the love of her life and loses her to a stray bullet. Seeing Red is my favorite episode. That moment when Buffy and Xander are having a revalation and Warren pops into frame, skip ahead ten seconds- Buffy and Tara are down. Apocalypse after apocalypse, demon hoard after demon hoard, nothing can bring the gang to their knees. One frantic teen and two bullets later, everything is gone. I'm such a sadist. I loved it.

Cordelia was cool despite her arrogant airheadism, she wasn't very vital to the story itself though. I didn't like Joyce's character, she seemed to pliable to me. One episode she's the female equivalent of Giles and the next she's the older, female equivalent of Jonathan. Andrew is interesting in the end episodes but he was annoying until then. Warren just plain sucked, he was an idiot throughout the entire series. Wood was cool for a while but the whole vengeance thing didn't appeal to me. Bah I can't think of any more.

I just want to say that I don't feel too strongly against any of the characters. I might dislike them or despise them but life is full of weird folk. That connection is what sets Joss' work apart from everything else. Joss didn't write a fairytale that teaches lessons and relates to certain people. Joss' writings relate directly to life. Whatever lessons or relations to certain people that come with it are a given. Whatever the story may be about, the basis is always real. I think that's why I like Joss so much.

One thing that I didn't understand about the whole series, although it's off topic, is how there is only evil. Men made the Slayer, a pretty awful process it was too. Why isn't there some kind of Heavenly beings or anything? Glory was a Hellgod and Buffy went to Heaven so where are the good Gods at? That's what I was thinking would happen with Dawn, some kind of divine intervention called forth from the energy but... nothing. The only inkling of anything like that is Willow's final spell. Still, it didn't do anything but show us that there is actually good stuff out there. Instead of the evil power, she used righteous power meaning there are other righteous things. Perhaps they're busy with other planets in other dimensions or maybe they're within us all or something. Maybe Joss didn't want to get too religious with the show or maybe he implied something else that I overlooked, I don't know. I'd like to read some feedback on what you guys think of this, you can actually just disregard the entirity of my topic save for this paragraph.

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