I think Spike genuinely believes Buffy's different. The reason why is because she becomes a person to him in ways the other Slayers never do. She's a subject where all the other Slayers are reduced to objects. They're Slayers to him, she's Buffy and the Slayer.
And that's the crux of Buffy's narrative. She reclaims her individuality despite the two roles threatening to swallow her up in an empty archetype -- the blonde bubblegum cheerleader and the weapon that is the Slayer. She fills both these roles with her humanity, she defeats the flatness of what these narratives would reduce her into becoming. And it's interesting to consider how her resistance is also made possible by how the narratives fight each other -- and within that conflict, she finds herself. The dissonance helps her break free.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2012-12-01 06:47 pm (UTC)Hi jumping in late but I had thoughts!
I think Spike genuinely believes Buffy's different. The reason why is because she becomes a person to him in ways the other Slayers never do. She's a subject where all the other Slayers are reduced to objects. They're Slayers to him, she's Buffy and the Slayer.
And that's the crux of Buffy's narrative. She reclaims her individuality despite the two roles threatening to swallow her up in an empty archetype -- the blonde bubblegum cheerleader and the weapon that is the Slayer. She fills both these roles with her humanity, she defeats the flatness of what these narratives would reduce her into becoming. And it's interesting to consider how her resistance is also made possible by how the narratives fight each other -- and within that conflict, she finds herself. The dissonance helps her break free.