I've had in mind for quite some time to compare Surprise/ GD with Smashed and Chosen, because those relationships run in opposite trajectories and the physical match between Buffy beneath Angel as he feeds on her and Spike beneath Buffy as she "takes her pleasure" - which is both nifty 'cause I love me some S7 Buffy&Spike BUT
- there's the old punishment of female sexuality again; a woman must be tamed, domesticated (to the love and service of a man) or die. And sometimes she is tamed but dies anyway (Satine in Moulin Rouge for ex.) Buffy becomes "Virgin" again in a spiritual sense. Willow/Tara also runs in an opposite trajectory and Tara dies after she fully voices her sexual desires without timidity, when she becomes a more confident woman.
And why isn't all of fandom squeeing over the resemblances between the hands imagery in Hush and Chosen, and the FtB in both NMR & Chosen? (Aside from the fact that it's a cop-out - which is actually something else they share in common.)
It really highlighted for me how much Buffy was dealing out the pain that was once dealt to her in her relationship with Spike.
Yeah, it's so extremely complicated. And I'll add Riley into the mix. I've mentioned on my own LJ (did I already tell you this) and other's that Riley's ultimatum and rejection of her love, his abandonment and betrayal cut her on a really deep level, but all the focus is on what Angel did to her in fandom and in some ways the show itself. I'll always insist that before that she saw herself (S4) as being drawn to bad boys and believing pain was part of a relationship but still seeing herself as being capable of loving and being in a relationship, to believing that she was becoming hard and believing that her mother died not knowing if Buffy loved her. And the show itself seems to support that view. WTF?? That to me is a massive emotional injury and it doesn't get talked about. Either people tend to have little interest in Riley, or they see her as causing the break up.
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branchandroot
Re: 3/3 what is this post even becoming
Date: 2013-07-03 06:08 pm (UTC)- there's the old punishment of female sexuality again; a woman must be tamed, domesticated (to the love and service of a man) or die. And sometimes she is tamed but dies anyway (Satine in Moulin Rouge for ex.) Buffy becomes "Virgin" again in a spiritual sense. Willow/Tara also runs in an opposite trajectory and Tara dies after she fully voices her sexual desires without timidity, when she becomes a more confident woman.
And why isn't all of fandom squeeing over the resemblances between the hands imagery in Hush and Chosen, and the FtB in both NMR & Chosen? (Aside from the fact that it's a cop-out - which is actually something else they share in common.)
It really highlighted for me how much Buffy was dealing out the pain that was once dealt to her in her relationship with Spike.
Yeah, it's so extremely complicated. And I'll add Riley into the mix. I've mentioned on my own LJ (did I already tell you this) and other's that Riley's ultimatum and rejection of her love, his abandonment and betrayal cut her on a really deep level, but all the focus is on what Angel did to her in fandom and in some ways the show itself. I'll always insist that before that she saw herself (S4) as being drawn to bad boys and believing pain was part of a relationship but still seeing herself as being capable of loving and being in a relationship, to believing that she was becoming hard and believing that her mother died not knowing if Buffy loved her. And the show itself seems to support that view. WTF?? That to me is a massive emotional injury and it doesn't get talked about. Either people tend to have little interest in Riley, or they see her as causing the break up.