"Touched" Review
May. 7th, 2003 10:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakMy DSL connection is back, and I could finish my download. So, review time again for an episode I enjoyed watching:
You could title this "A Tale of Two Slayers, II". After last week's hurt, we're in for the comfort this week. Well, more or less. Faith does show herself as a good leader; the fact she leads them into a trap in the end isn't her fault but it will be interesting to see how the SITs react (those who survive, that is). The highlight of Faith's part of the episode is, of course, her encounter with the First as the Mayor. I'm so grateful they got Harry Groener for this last cameo, since the Mayor was my favourite arc villain. (You can keep your Angelus, folks.) (For the record, my second favourite arc villains were Warren, Jonathan and Andrew, but I know I'm in a minority of one here.) And we do see the parallel to Robin Wood even before he points out later - they both know it's the First from the start, but they both can't help listening and reacting. Incidentally, IF the First-as-Mayor speaks the truth about the original Mayor being part of itself, would this mean everyone the First has appeared as is connected to it as well? I'm not just thinking of Buffy here but Dru, Spike, Warren, and even poor Chloe. On the one hand, I'm sceptical, otoh, the First-as-Buffy starts by now to adapt some of her speech patterns and expresses the very season6-Buffy-like wish "to feel", and the First-as-Warren certainly threw itself into the Star Wars references with a passion.
Back to Faith: her ordering Dawn & Co. to spy on Buffy (as Dawn puts it, and questions it) could, of course, be for the reason she gives - because she's worried about and for Buffy. She is - we saw it last episode, too. OTOH, her conversation with Wood proves that the First's word about Buffy being dangerous, and Buffy as her future killer got to Faith. The First has always excelled at working on incecurities and fears, and it certainly hit a sore spot with Faith.
Last Faith thought: "You always wanted Buffy to love and accept you." Thanks for the subtext shout out, Rebecca.
Meanwhile, Buffy is just this side of "Weight of the World"-style self-induced coma, when she's found by Spike. I haven't read anyone else's opinion yet about what follows, but I'm sure it will be the usual divide, roughly by 'shipping lines. Now I do have a soft spot for these two, not in the Buffy&Spike 4Eva! sense, but I think their relationship - from mortal enemies to reluctanct allies to the erotic but dysfunctional relationship from hell to, dare one say it, friends and partners, is one of the most fascinating of the show, and I've enjoyed every step on the way. So, to me, it makes sense that Spike, who HAS seen Buffy at her best and worst, is able to comfort her. This is the reverse of the basement scene of "Never Leave Me", when Spike had hit rock bottom and was trying to get Buffy to stake him, and Spike's words are his version of "I believe in you". And in both cases, it works.
(Also, in both cases, what Spike says about himself in NLM and Buffy says about herself in "Touched" before the respective affirmation of, no pun intended, faith occurs is not wrong. But neither is what the other party in both cases replies. That's one of the reasons why I love the Jossverse - the truth is such a multi-facetted thing.)
And so we get Buffy and Spike being intimate in a way they never were during their sexual affair, and only in moments before that - on the porch of her house, at the end of "Intervention", when he took her hands in "After Life". It leaves Buffy with renewed clarity and vitality. She practices what she advised Dawn in "Lessons" and the SITs in "Potential" to do - fight the enemy not by his rules, but hers. She still follows her instinct about the vineyard, and entangles Caleb in a fight which he can't win since she never physically engages. No more punches and knockouts. It's a joy to watch.
Scattered thoughts:
- As noted above, the First-as-Buffy shows some Buffy in season 6 aspects, though of course the wish "to feel" and the envy of physical sensation is yet another Anne Rice echo (the the demon whose merging with Akasha creates the first vampire, or lasher in "The Witching Hour"); does this mean First/Caleb as a perverse echo of Buffy/Spike?
- so we know where Caleb got his superstrength from; otherwise he's probably human, so does this mean the "we don't kill humans" thing applies?
- Giles acts supportive and reassuring of Faith throughout the episode, which on the one hand is good but on the other points out the contrast to his behaviour towards Buffy throughout the season, not just since "Lies My Parents Told Me"; when did we last see him try to reassure Buffy instead of telling her it's all on her shoulders and dire etc.?
You could title this "A Tale of Two Slayers, II". After last week's hurt, we're in for the comfort this week. Well, more or less. Faith does show herself as a good leader; the fact she leads them into a trap in the end isn't her fault but it will be interesting to see how the SITs react (those who survive, that is). The highlight of Faith's part of the episode is, of course, her encounter with the First as the Mayor. I'm so grateful they got Harry Groener for this last cameo, since the Mayor was my favourite arc villain. (You can keep your Angelus, folks.) (For the record, my second favourite arc villains were Warren, Jonathan and Andrew, but I know I'm in a minority of one here.) And we do see the parallel to Robin Wood even before he points out later - they both know it's the First from the start, but they both can't help listening and reacting. Incidentally, IF the First-as-Mayor speaks the truth about the original Mayor being part of itself, would this mean everyone the First has appeared as is connected to it as well? I'm not just thinking of Buffy here but Dru, Spike, Warren, and even poor Chloe. On the one hand, I'm sceptical, otoh, the First-as-Buffy starts by now to adapt some of her speech patterns and expresses the very season6-Buffy-like wish "to feel", and the First-as-Warren certainly threw itself into the Star Wars references with a passion.
Back to Faith: her ordering Dawn & Co. to spy on Buffy (as Dawn puts it, and questions it) could, of course, be for the reason she gives - because she's worried about and for Buffy. She is - we saw it last episode, too. OTOH, her conversation with Wood proves that the First's word about Buffy being dangerous, and Buffy as her future killer got to Faith. The First has always excelled at working on incecurities and fears, and it certainly hit a sore spot with Faith.
Last Faith thought: "You always wanted Buffy to love and accept you." Thanks for the subtext shout out, Rebecca.
Meanwhile, Buffy is just this side of "Weight of the World"-style self-induced coma, when she's found by Spike. I haven't read anyone else's opinion yet about what follows, but I'm sure it will be the usual divide, roughly by 'shipping lines. Now I do have a soft spot for these two, not in the Buffy&Spike 4Eva! sense, but I think their relationship - from mortal enemies to reluctanct allies to the erotic but dysfunctional relationship from hell to, dare one say it, friends and partners, is one of the most fascinating of the show, and I've enjoyed every step on the way. So, to me, it makes sense that Spike, who HAS seen Buffy at her best and worst, is able to comfort her. This is the reverse of the basement scene of "Never Leave Me", when Spike had hit rock bottom and was trying to get Buffy to stake him, and Spike's words are his version of "I believe in you". And in both cases, it works.
(Also, in both cases, what Spike says about himself in NLM and Buffy says about herself in "Touched" before the respective affirmation of, no pun intended, faith occurs is not wrong. But neither is what the other party in both cases replies. That's one of the reasons why I love the Jossverse - the truth is such a multi-facetted thing.)
And so we get Buffy and Spike being intimate in a way they never were during their sexual affair, and only in moments before that - on the porch of her house, at the end of "Intervention", when he took her hands in "After Life". It leaves Buffy with renewed clarity and vitality. She practices what she advised Dawn in "Lessons" and the SITs in "Potential" to do - fight the enemy not by his rules, but hers. She still follows her instinct about the vineyard, and entangles Caleb in a fight which he can't win since she never physically engages. No more punches and knockouts. It's a joy to watch.
Scattered thoughts:
- As noted above, the First-as-Buffy shows some Buffy in season 6 aspects, though of course the wish "to feel" and the envy of physical sensation is yet another Anne Rice echo (the the demon whose merging with Akasha creates the first vampire, or lasher in "The Witching Hour"); does this mean First/Caleb as a perverse echo of Buffy/Spike?
- so we know where Caleb got his superstrength from; otherwise he's probably human, so does this mean the "we don't kill humans" thing applies?
- Giles acts supportive and reassuring of Faith throughout the episode, which on the one hand is good but on the other points out the contrast to his behaviour towards Buffy throughout the season, not just since "Lies My Parents Told Me"; when did we last see him try to reassure Buffy instead of telling her it's all on her shoulders and dire etc.?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
hello, you don't know me....
Date: 2003-05-07 08:49 am (UTC)Thank you.
Re: hello, you don't know me....
Date: 2003-05-07 10:25 am (UTC)She's my favorite character as well
Date: 2003-05-07 12:04 pm (UTC)Re: She's my favorite character as well
Date: 2003-05-07 12:22 pm (UTC)I think you pegged it with the 'bitter' end.
Date: 2003-05-08 05:31 pm (UTC)Ad nauseum - festering cycle.
And I enjoy reading your posts, because they reaffirm why I fell in love with Buffy and the show as well.
Ah, back to my protective bubble....
no subject
Date: 2003-05-12 04:41 pm (UTC)great analysis of Spike/Buffy and the Faith interaction.
And actually, you're not the first to comment FE/Caleb is like a twisted S/B...hmmm...
& :-)
Joss definitely picked the right Firefly actors...
Date: 2003-05-12 10:33 pm (UTC)