Listening to Fear (5.09)

So this is the part where someone tries to convince me that Buffy is a closed-off bitch who is unable to express love....and I'm just not buying it. 'kay?

ETA: Screencap courtesy of Buffyworld.com

The Joyce Summers Project: A Mother's Dying Request and Buffy's Sacrifice (The Gift)

Screencap and script quotations courtesy of Buffyworld.com

The last few weeks I've been reading a lot of LJ metas about BtVS and playing "catch up" on some fascinating conversations and insights.  One of the most talked-about points in fandom is the meaning and motivation behind Buffy's decision to jump from the tower in Dawn's place in The Gift, and it generally comes down to the notion that it was both a heroic sacrifice AND a symbolic suicide, the Slayer death wish that Spike spoke of in Fool For Love writ large. ( Because I have a slightly different take on it - and there just isn't enough meta about Joyce and Buffy )