Thank you! This reminds me however - never post a first draft of a meta. (At some point I'll probably revise this; I was rambling quite a bit, I think.)

I'm surprised that's not talked about much.

I am too. (there seems to be an unwritten list of "things we agree not to discuss anymore"? Or perhaps it's just that certain things get the emphasis over everything else *cough*Spike*cough*. And I love the Spuffy relationship btw.) The only thing about Joyce that I've seen discussed in any detail is when she gives Buffy that ultimatum in "Becoming". Which is Joyce's most uncharacteristic (if understandable under the circumstances) moment, and the only really substantial arguement they have onscreen that I recall.

I really want to write more about Joyce because how the show portrays her, how she fits in (or doesn't) into Buffy's life definitely changes over the seasons; not as dramatically as Spike, perhaps, but her character is not "static" by any means.

And she never disappears from the show - she returns physically for key moments in 6 & 7, but there's also her photo in the living room next to the couch which we see in the camera frame frequently. Joyce's "ghost" is always there.

Yeah, I have a lot to talk about when it comes to Joyce.