Buffy season nine discussion thread

[DevilEyes]

Okay so I have read the issue again and yeah this is pretty crazy. This is near last year's level of craziness. I guess the obvious question is:

Spoiler: Buffy

Where is the real Buffy? Captured at some point?

Spoiler: this issue

I think she is the real Buffy, i.e. her consciousness, but her body has been stolen. It would suck if the story we've been reading were about a fake Buffy, wouldn't it? And she's acting like real Buffy, not like a bot.

This will probably be some sort of metaphor for reclaiming control over your own body etc. especially since this season has been playing with themes like blackout, (dubcon?), pregnancy and abortion.

A line from the cover of #10 also seems to suggest that:

Spoiler: #10 cover

"Only you could lose your own body."

 

[Admiral_Young]

Perhaps her conscience got stolen and replaced during that funky dream sequence with the pixie? There are things that I think perhaps we've missed. I still maintain Buffy is way too hard on herself and doesn't see all the good things that she has in her life, that other Slayers didn't have.

 

[DevilEyes]

Any thoughts on Angel & Faith #8? Good issue, but I wasn't generally surprised with how Faith's story went down (the cover for #9 gives it away), although the details were a bit unexpected and I didn't expect the development on the Nadira front.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I just finished it...kind of what I expected as well concerning Faith's father who gets a name in this issue. There seems to be two ongoing themes in this book. The first of course being redemption, the secondary theme being pain and more specifically how each of us deal with (emotional pain). The temptation to have it "magically" be taken away would be pretty great for most of us I think. A natural human response. It was funny to see Nadira give a version of Captain Kirk's I need my pain speech to Faith during their encounter. It is interesting to see how Nadira is mirroring Faith how she was before.

Despite what she claims, Faith has changed and evolved, she isn't the person we first met in the series. She is still haunted obviously by that past and her upbringing but that is again only natural, just as Angel has been haunted by his and continually trying to make up for it. It is very remarkable to me though what a great duo these two are for one another. It would be tempting as a writer to pair them up romantically, I'd like it if that happened, but also understand why it isn't. Ultimately though I think these last couple of issues have been the weakest of the series so far...the most interesting aspect of this arc is of course Dru!

 

[DevilEyes]

Still need to get around to it...guest artist as well I noticed, Rebecca is always missed IMO that is how good she is on this book.

No, Rebecca drew this issue and the rest of the "Daddy Issues" arc. Guest artist Chris Samnee is drawing #10.

 

[Admiral_Young]

^ Yep which is why I deleted that comment

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Despite what she claims, Faith has changed and evolved, she isn't the person we first met in the series. She is still haunted obviously by that past and her upbringing but that is again only natural, just as Angel has been haunted by his and continually trying to make up for it. It is very remarkable to me though what a great duo these two are for one another.

That shouldn't be a surprise. IMO, Faith was always the best mirror for Angel's search for redemption, going back to "Five by Five" & "Sanctuary." "Sanctuary" is really the quintessential Angel episode, since it's a story that you couldn't do on most other TV shows; certainly not on Buffy.

 

[Admiral_Young]

It isn't a surprise, I was just pointing it out as an observation.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Juliet Landau's Drusilla mini has been indefinitely delayed.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Not good news at all, especially somewhat recently after the original announcement. I was looking forward to that.

 

[Admiral_Young]

July Solitics!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=38004

Will be nice to see Kennedy back, and working with Buffy. Also Willow in "Angel"!

 

[Admiral_Young]

I just finished reading issue nine and well...we know where Buffy is and what happened to her now. Spike said it best, Andrew's plan was pretty convoluted. This issue kind of felt like both filler and set up for some reason to me. I did like the conversation between Xander and Detective Dowling. Dawn losing her cell in the dump I assume will be followed up upon. Spike was kind of Batman like in this issue I thought lol. The next few issues should be fascinating.

 

[DevilEyes]

I just finished reading issue nine and well...we know where Buffy is and what happened to her now. Spike said it best, Andrew's plan was pretty convoluted. This issue kind of felt like both filler and set up for some reason to me. I did like the conversation between Xander and Detective Dowling. Dawn losing her cell in the dump I assume will be followed up upon. Spike was kind of Batman like in this issue I thought lol. The next few issues should be fascinating.

I hope you've read #8 as well.

I still can't believe that #9 leaked a month early. Reading them both one after another (and some people apparently went straight to #9, missing #8, which must have been bizarre) has its good and its bad sides. I think #8 is much better - I was annoyed by some things in #9, so it's kinda sad that #9 has overshadowed #8. The worst part is that we'll not have to wait 2 months for a new issue, unless Dark Horse decides to release this one early in order to salvage some of the damage to the sales that this leak must be causing.

Dawn losing her cell in the dump caused her not to receive Buffy's call.

The next issue is supposed to be the resolution of this story.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Yeah I read eight as well, I agree, it was the better issue of the two. This really did feel like a lot of filler. Hopefully issue ten will be better. Things are happening right now but it kind of feels like we're in a lag or something.

 

[DevilEyes]

I liked the parts with Xander, Dawn and Dowling. I was really glad that they mentioned Jesse, I think it was a big mistake for the show to just gloss over what his death must have meant for Xander.

Is Xander suffering from PTSD? There have been lots of signs.

 

[Admiral_Young]

It seems to be signs that he is yes. I like the fact that Jesse was mentioned as well and that Xander still is dealing with the things he has had to endure and witness.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Finally read Angel and Faith #9 and have to say this was the best issue since the opening arc. Angel and Faith confront each other's pain and are able to overcome Dru and her demon. The last panel I assume sets up the now delayed "Drusilla" mini-series. You know...I have to say...the shipper in me thinks the two of them are being written borderline close to becoming a couple. I know Cage has stated this is not going to happen, and I do like their dynamic now, but there have been moments between them in the previous nine issues now that could be really close to getting together moments!!! I kind of want this to happen now. I doubt it ever will as long as Cage is on the book. Also more progess on the Giles resurrection arc as well.

 

[DevilEyes]

Finally read Angel and Faith #9 and have to say this was the best issue since the opening arc. Angel and Faith confront each other's pain and are able to overcome Dru and her demon. The last panel I assume sets up the now delayed "Drusilla" mini-series. You know...I have to say...the shipper in me thinks the two of them are being written borderline close to becoming a couple. I know Cage has stated this is not going to happen, and I do like their dynamic now, but there have been moments between them in the previous nine issues now that could be really close to getting together moments!!! I kind of want this to happen now. I doubt it ever will as long as Cage is on the book. Also more progess on the Giles resurrection arc as well.

I sort of wanted it before, but not now - I haven't liked their dynamic in Angel & Faith, because Faith has been idealizing/whitewashing Angel too much and stroking his ego. Instead of acting like his "sponsor", she's been acting like his cheerleader in awe of him because he helped her once. Things like telling herself that Angel has saved the world five or six times (?) so he was redeemed for killing Giles even before he did it (?!) or trying to even put a positive spin on his stint as Twilight, crediting him for destroying the Seed which she described as a positive thing that prevents future apocalypses. (That's like "I signaled her with my eyes".) It continues in this issue with her "even Spike" remark - like she's implying, oh Angel, you're the most speshual vampire hero and that Spike can't hold a candle to you. Now she even seems to be on board with him resurrecting Giles. With that attitude, Faith can just enable Angel to keep making the same mistakes - this series is treating his guilt as Sexy Noble Brooding, rather than something he should learn from in order not to do the same things (and they've so far failed in addressing Angel's crimes as Twilight, instead conveniently focusing on the Angelus days and on the killing of Giles which he did while possessed; especially since Nadira has been sidelined).

I hope that this is actually a part of the story that we're going to see, how this is going to lead to Angel and Faith making more mistakes before really examining Angel's flaws and the reasons why he did what he did, so he can learn to do away with his Hero complex and not do things make decisions for others and decide who's worth saving or what other people need - and not make 'shortcuts to redemption'. It was ironic when he told Faith that there are not shortcuts to redemption, while he's in the process of trying to resurrect Giles (and seems to think that this would just fix everything he did... as if he didn't kill many other people).

 

[Admiral_Young]

It bugs me still that even though he's acknowledged his mistakes and endures the guilt that they bring on, he is still going through with his goal of resurrecting Giles. Faith is also on board with this now? Or did she say that just to appease him? Also he is supposed to be doing this supposedly to make up for killing Giles while he was influenced as Twilight. Does he seriously think that Buffy will appreciate this? Or be remotely pleased at all by this? It is a point i've brought up before in here. We know she HATED being brought back by her friends...they ripped her from "heaven"(as I type that word I can hear SMG singing it lol)...and Angel probably knows this (doesn't he?) I don't recall if she confided in him about this, we know Spike knows of course. Sigh. I just feel like deep down inside Angel is doing this because Buffy is pissed off at him and this is the best way he can think of to get her to forgive him. It's only going to make her more upset.

 

[DevilEyes]

It bugs me still that even though he's acknowledged his mistakes and endures the guilt that they bring on, he is still going through with his goal of resurrecting Giles. Faith is also on board with this now? Or did she say that just to appease him? Also he is supposed to be doing this supposedly to make up for killing Giles while he was influenced as Twilight. Does he seriously think that Buffy will appreciate this? Or be remotely pleased at all by this? It is a point i've brought up before in here. We know she HATED being brought back by her friends...they ripped her from "heaven"(as I type that word I can hear SMG singing it lol)...and Angel probably knows this (doesn't he?) I don't recall if she confided in him about this, we know Spike knows of course. Sigh. I just feel like deep down inside Angel is doing this because Buffy is pissed off at him and this is the best way he can think of to get her to forgive him. It's only going to make her more upset.

Giles being depressed would be the least of their worries (and I think Buffy is now glad she's alive and isn't holding it against Willow) - it's been made clear time and again that people can't be resurrected from a natural death (and getting your neck snapped certainly qualifies as such), or if they are, they'll come back as some sort of abomination, which is why Dawn couldn't resurrect Joyce, and Willow was told by Osiris in no uncertain terms that she can't resurrect Tara. Buffy's death was an exception since she fell into the mystical portal. And that was when there was still magic in the world. I don't see how Giles could be resurrected now that there's no magic, if Tara couldn't when there was magic (and Willow was a powerful witch, but even she couldn't do it).

If they do resurrect Giles, it would break all the rules of the verse and we'd be wondering, well if they resurrect Giles, why not resurrect everyone else? If Angel resurrects Giles, shouldn't he start working on resurrecting the hundreds of Slayers that he got killed during season 8? etc. etc.