S7 Spuffy pondering
Jul. 24th, 2009 01:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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snickfic made a post on the things she doesn't like about Spike in S7. I'll just copy the relevant point here:
The non-discussion of the AR. It is the huge purple elephant in the room in S7, rarely referred to but entirely overshadowing Spike and Buffy's relationship. I wish they'd actually talked it out sometime, even if we didn't see much of the discussion on screen. Just a hint that this was something that they were working through and moving on from would have been helpful.
In the comments,angearia asked a very good question, which is: "What discussion of the AR would be satisfying? What needs to be said to make it work?"
And so I'm curious. I've seen plenty of people express displeasure with the way the AR (or even the entire S6 Spuffy relationship in general) was brushed aside in S7, but I don't know that I've ever seen anyone answer Emmie's question of what would make it better. (This may or may not be relevant to a fic idea I'm working on, but I ask more out of curiosity than anything else, as one who doesn't have a problem with what we were given.)
It seems like a difficult question to answer, since there's no real life equivalent to going and getting a soul, but are there expectations that Spike - or Buffy, for that matter - need to meet to make it "okay" for them to pursue a relationship again? Are verbal apologies and forgiveness necessary, or do actions speak louder than words? What is it that people find lacking about the way it was addressed on the show?
snickfic made a post on the things she doesn't like about Spike in S7. I'll just copy the relevant point here:The non-discussion of the AR. It is the huge purple elephant in the room in S7, rarely referred to but entirely overshadowing Spike and Buffy's relationship. I wish they'd actually talked it out sometime, even if we didn't see much of the discussion on screen. Just a hint that this was something that they were working through and moving on from would have been helpful.
In the comments,
angearia asked a very good question, which is: "What discussion of the AR would be satisfying? What needs to be said to make it work?"And so I'm curious. I've seen plenty of people express displeasure with the way the AR (or even the entire S6 Spuffy relationship in general) was brushed aside in S7, but I don't know that I've ever seen anyone answer Emmie's question of what would make it better. (This may or may not be relevant to a fic idea I'm working on, but I ask more out of curiosity than anything else, as one who doesn't have a problem with what we were given.)
It seems like a difficult question to answer, since there's no real life equivalent to going and getting a soul, but are there expectations that Spike - or Buffy, for that matter - need to meet to make it "okay" for them to pursue a relationship again? Are verbal apologies and forgiveness necessary, or do actions speak louder than words? What is it that people find lacking about the way it was addressed on the show?
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Date: Jul. 27th, 2009 03:38 pm (UTC)I can understand that, but on the other hand, if it were my friend who'd almost been raped, I'd put up a stink if the guy who did it tried to come back into her life.
I'm not sure what Buffy needs to say, though. Despite their personal feelings, Xander and Dawn still follow her lead in accepting Spike back. He's allowed to join them in "Beneath You," despite reservations, simply because Buffy says so (even before they know about the soul). Xander allows Spike to live with him at Buffy's request, and although Dawn raises concerns in "Him," she doesn't tell Buffy that Spike needs to go or shouldn't be in her life, just that she doesn't understand Buffy's feelings.
I don't see how either of them are "making it their business," except that they are rightfully concerned about their sister and friend. Certainly neither of them go as far as Giles did in trying to go behind Buffy's back to get rid of him. If they hadn't shown some concern, I'd wonder how much they really cared about Buffy.