"Powers That Be in Whedonverse"

 

"POWERS THAT BE IN WHEDONVERSE"

While perusing one of the many BUFFYVERSE message boards on the Internet many years ago, I had come across a passage from an old article titled, "Classic CJL: Spike and the Whedonverse":

"In order to battle the new enemy (vampires), the Powers have called upon Slayers, Champions (welcome, Cordy!), Seers and Mystics, all dedicated to protecting the human race from the vampires and half-breed demons who feed upon and ravage the populace."

Like many other "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE" fans, I had believed in this nonsense . . . until I saw the Season Seven episode, (7.15) "Get It Done". Thanks to this particular episode, I finally came to the conclusion that the above comment about the so-called "Powers That Be" featured in both "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER" and its spin-off, "ANGEL" just might not be true. Following the suicide of one of the Potential Slayers and a dream of the First Slayer, in "Get It Done", Buffy Summers had received a bag from Principal Robin Wood. The bag once belonged to his mother – a former Slayer from the 1970s named Nikki Wood. This bag eventually led Buffy to discover the true origins of a long line of vampire slayers.

In "Get It Done", Buffy finally discovered that the Powers That Be had not created the Slayer line. Instead, a trio of ancient African shamans had committed the dead in order to create a weapon (one of flesh) to fight vampires and other demons for them. And to insure this weapon would remain under their control – and under the controls of those that followed them – the shamans had guaranteed the Slayer line would continue through countless young females throughout the ages via a spell. Why? Because they had believed that adolescent girls and young women would be easily controlled, due to their ages and gender. So one has to wonder - did the First Slayer, Buffy, Faith Lehane, Kendra Young, Nikki Wood, Xin Rong and all of the Slayers before and after really had a sacred duty to defend humans against vampires and other demons, because of the Powers to Be? Or had they merely been reluctant conscripts in a never ending war waged against demons by these shamans and their descendants – the Watcher’s Council?

Speaking of vampires, here is another passage from the article . . . this time, it centered around Angel – the vampire with a soul, who had formed his own gang to fight demonic evil on his own show in Los Angeles:

"Of course, the biggest exception to the rule, the vamp who broke the mold, is Angel. The Powers and our Lord Joss have spent a great deal of time and effort guiding his path from Chaos, prepping him for his pivotal and unique role in the upcoming "End of Days" we’ve been waiting for since BtVS, Season 1."

I am curious. Exactly how did the vaunted Powers That Be guide Angel toward his actions in one of the late "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER" episodes, (7.21) "End of Days"? I will admit that the Powers to Be had been responsible for placing him in Buffy’s path back in 1996. A demon named Whistler had introduced Angel to the future Slayer and within less than a year, the latter followed her to Sunnydale and his own future in demon slaying.

But the Powers That Be had not been responsible for giving him his soul back in 1898. A group of Kalderash gypsies from Romania had restored his human soul in an act of revenge for his murder of one of their children. This soul would afflict him with a conscience and condemn him to an eternity of guilt and remorse for the crimes he has committed. After Angel lost his soul again one hundred years later in 1998, one of Buffy’s close friends, Willow Rosenberg, restored his soul while he was engaged in a lethal sword fight against the Slayer. Come to think of it, Willow performed this act again five years later, on the behest of Angel’s Los Angeles associates. If the Powers to Be were not responsible for the various restorations of his soul, who would have become their "Champion" from the Shanshu Prophecy, if Angel had not killed that Kalderash gypsy child?

As for his role in "End of Days" – the only task Angel ended up performing was to hand Buffy the amulet that would help her defeat the First Evil’s plans to upset the balance of good and evil. Come to think of it, the heads of Wolfram and Hart – the law firm that served as the Powers That Be's opposite number – had given Angel that amulet. But another powerful and souled vampire, eventually wore the amulet in the "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE" series finale, (7.22) "Chosen" that led to the First Evil’s defeat.

That vampire proved to be Spike, originally a lovesick and failed Victorian poet who ended up being sired by one Drusilla, the very vampire who had been driven insane and sired by Angel or Angelus. Although Spike had originally traveled with Drusilla, Angel and his sire Darla for several years; he and Drusilla eventually broke away and became a romantic pair on their own. By the time he had reached Sunnydale in 1997, Spike had developed a reputation as the only vampire to have killed more than one Slayer (including Nikki Wood). He had hoped Buffy would prove to be his third Slayer. However, a series of events eventually led to Spike falling in love with Buffy, forming an alliance with her and her friends, and winning back his soul. Although Angel had brought the amulet to Sunnydale, Buffy had decided Spike would be the one to wear it during her final showdown against the First Evil. Buffy had decided . . . not the Powers That Be.

From what I have surmised, the Powers That Be had only committed one major act in their "war against evil" - they had used Whistler to guide Angel toward making his acquaintance with Buffy before she became a Slayer. They were certainly not responsible for the creation of the Slayer line. They were not responsible for Angel getting back his human soul . . . three times. Come to think of it, they were not responsible for Spike retrieving his soul. Apparently, William the Bloody had made the choice to regain his soul. No one had made it for him. And Buffy had decided which souled vampire would wear the mystical amulet during her fight against the First Evil. This only led me to wonder just how relevant were the Powers That Be in the Whedonverse.

"Buffy's Relationship With the Scoobies"

 

"BUFFY'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SCOOBIES"

Recently, I did a re-watch of (3.07) "Revelations", a Season Three episode from the fantasy series, "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER". I found myself thinking about the scene in which the Scoobies reveal to adolescent vampire slayer Buffy Summers their knowledge that her former vampire boyfriend, Angel aka Angelus, is still alive.

Back in the late 19th century, Angel had angered a Romani clan when he had killed one of their people. To punish him, they cursed with his human soul, leading to great personal torment and the decision to resist the evil impulses that come with being a vampire. After a century, Angel lost his soul in mid-Season Two, thanks to a moment of happiness he had experienced during sex with Buffy. Following the loss of his soul, Angel resumed his old persona of the ruthless and sadistic Angelus.

In the Season Two finale, "Becoming (Part 2)", Angelus decided to destroy the world by summoning the demon Acaltha. Buffy's friend and neophyte witch Willow Rosenberg manages to restore Angel's cursed soul at the last moment. However, Buffy was forced to kill him to save the world from Acathla and Angel was sent to hell. In the Season Three episode, (3.03) "Faith, Hope and Trick", an unknown party returned Angel from hell. Buffy found him and decided to keep his presence a secret from her friends and her Watcher Rupert Giles. In "Revelations", Xander discovered Buffy kissing a resurrected Angel, during his search for a mystical glove. After he revealed Buffy's secret to Giles, Willow and Cordelia Chase; all hell broke loose, and the quartet staged an angry intervention for Buffy.

Now, I realize that they had a right to be angry at Buffy. She had failed to tell them about Angel's resurrection. But for some reason, this intervention scene pissed me off. If there is one thing about Buffy's relationship with Giles and the Scoobies that has burned me for years was their penchant of putting Buffy on a pedestal and dictating her behavior and moral compass. Worse, Buffy had always given their behavior a pass, due to her own fear of losing their friendship. Had Buffy ever put such pressure on Xander, Willow or Giles? Perhaps. Perhaps not. I have no idea. For years, they put her on this pedestal called "THE SLAYER" and rarely allow Buffy to be herself or have her own life.

Xander was the worst offender of them all. I still do not know how this character came to be so beloved by the series' fans. Granted, Xander could be entertaining. But of all the Scoobies, he was probably the most self-righteous of the bunch. And he had allowed his self-righteousness, along with his jealousy toward Buffy's relationships with both Angel and another vampire, Spike, to compromise his own morals without any remorse. Good examples were his lie to Willow about Buffy's wish to re-soul Angel in "Becoming (Part 2)"; and his attempt to murder a chipped Spike in the Season Six episode, (6.18) "Entropy" for having sex with Anya, the fiancée he had dumped at the altar. Even in "Revelations", he had behaved in the most self-righteous manner about Buffy's lie regarding Angel. Yet at the same time, he was cheating on his girlfriend Cordelia with a series of sexual encounters (namely kissing). This means, Willow was equally guilty of being a hypocrite. Some would say that Xander and Willow's infidelity was never a threat. But their actions ended up hurting Cordelia in more ways than one, after the latter discovered their minor affair.

I believe "Revelations" proved to be the first time the Scoobies tried to enforce their will upon Buffy's moral compass. However, the pinnacle of Buffy's relationship transformed in their attempt to enforce their will upon her existence in the Season Six premiere, (6.01) "Bargaining (Part 1)". Following Buffy's sacrificial death in the Season Five finale, (5.22) "The Gift"; Willow, along with Xander, his new girlfriend and ex-demon Anya, and Willow's girlfriend Tara Maclay's assistance; brought Buffy back from the dead. They made this decision to resurrect Buffy without her consent or without informing Buffy's younger sister Dawn, Spike or Giles. The Scobbies had done this, because they had felt they needed "THE SLAYER" to deal with vampire and other demonic elements in Sunnydale, California. They believed that Sunnydale needed a Slayer. Despite the fact that Sunnydale had managed to exist without a Slayer for nearly a century before Buffy's arrival. Did Buffy ever complain about the Scoobies' resurrection of her? Once . . . when she had been briefly possessed by a demon in (6.03) "After Life". Otherwise, no . . . I cannot recall Buffy calling out the Scoobies for the resurrection.

The Scoobies' penchant for throwing Buffy's flaws and mistakes into her face; while at the same time, ignoring or making excuses for their own has been problematic for me. Perhaps Whedon had intended for this scenario as an example of Buffy's own insecurities. After all, she had allowed her friends to get away with this behavior for years - even in Season Seven. During the series' last year, the Scoobies and the Potential Slayers had rejected Buffy's leadership following their failure to deal with Caleb, a defrocked priest who had become the right-hand man for the First Evil in (7.19) "Empty Places". They had accused her of becoming emotionally remote and a poor leader. I never had a problem with the Scoobies and the Potentials rejecting Buffy's leadership. They had every right to do so. But what I could not accept was that in doing so, they kicked her out of her own house. And she allowed them to do this. And yet . . . Buffy quickly forgave them when they had decided to follow her again.

I am not saying that Buffy should not have forgiven the Scoobies for their hypocrisy and demands that she live up to their ideal of being the Slayer. I simply wish that she had not been so quick to do so. I wish she had not been so desperate to maintain their friendship, even when they failed to be a good friend of hers. I realize that a lot of the series' fans tend to regard Buffy's relationship with the Scoobies as among the greatest friendships depicted on television. Personally, I have always regarded her friendship with Willow and Xander rather questionable. And I wish that Joss Whedon had found the time to address it.

"Different Paths in Brotherhood"

"DIFFERENT PATHS OF BROTHERHOOD"

While reading an old review by someone named Tchaikovsky about the Season Five "ANGEL" episode, (5.08) “Destiny”, I noticed that the reviewer discussed a lot about the relationship between the two vampires - Angel and Spike - as "brothers", whether they were souled or not. When recalling that particular season, I remembered one particular thing about it. There seemed to be a strong focus on the topic of brotherhood. 

In the relationship between Angel and Spike, viewers had two vampires with the potential to be close "brothers" when they first met in London 1880. However, their feelings for one female vampire – namely Drusilla – fragmented that sense of brotherhood. After his disappointments with his former object of desire, an English debutante named Cecily, and his mother Anne, whom he had transformed into a vampire; Spike (or William Pratt) saw the female vampire as his destiny, someone to love and worship.

I am not sure what Angel (aka Angelus) saw in Drusilla. Perhaps he viewed her as something or someone to completely control, perhaps? As the son of an Irish merchant, Liam never really had any control in his relationship with his father, until the moment he killed the latter after becoming a vampire. Despite his rejection of his grandsire, the Master, Angelus found himself controlled by Darla via her usual subtle way - by making him believe that he was in control of their relationship. And perhaps, deep down, Angelus knew this. Perhaps this is why he had decided to betray William by having sex with Drusilla. Perhaps he wanted to make the other male vampire realize that he was in control and that William’s idea of Drusilla being his destiny was nothing more than an illusion. 

Due to Drusilla’s mental state, Angelus was not only Spike’s grandsire, but also acted as the latter’s sire and mentor. Yet . . . the night Angelus slept with Drusilla also marked the beginning of an antagonistic relationship and rivalry between the pair. That antagonism intensified following their reunion in Season Two of "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER". When Angel lost his soul in (2.14) "Innocence" and became Angelus again; he resumed a sexual relationship with Drusilla. Crippled from his last encounter with vampire Slayer Buffy Summer, Spike found himself crippled and unable to do anything about it. Until he healed and formed a partnership with Buffy to deal with the threat of Angelus and Drusilla. At this point, Spike and Angel’s antagonistic relationship had lasted some 118 years. 

Ironically, after Spike had reappeared in Los Angeles in Season Five of "ANGEL" as a regular character, the two vampires slowly began to form another bond. Before that could happen, they had to deal with another rivalry - for the heart of Buffy Summers. After all, Spike had witnessed Buffy and Angel’s reunion kiss in the second to last episode of ”BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER”, (7.21) “End of Days”. And in the following episode, (7.22) “Chosen”, Angel learned several things – namely that Buffy and Spike had formed some kind of relationship, Spike had a soul and Buffy had chosen the blond vampire as her personal champion. The two vampires’ resentment over Buffy spilled over when Spike’s non-corporeal form appeared at the end of the "ANGEL" episode, (5.01) “Convictions”. Yet, following their fight over the Cup of Destiny in "Destiny", the pair managed to reconnect as "brothers" in episodes like (5.11) "Damage" in which they bonded over shared experiences in becoming vampires, and in episodes like (5.20) “The Girl in Question” and (5.22) “Not Fade Away” in which they literally fought together as partners. Angel and Spike finally realized that they need each other in their fight against Evil and the Wolfram and Hart law firm. Besides, with the Fang Gang slowly disintegrating, perhaps Spike became the only person that Angel could truly depend upon.




In contrast to Angel and Spike’s relationship, Season Five marked the final destruction of the friendship between Charles Gunn and Wesley Wyndam-Price, Angel's fellow demon-hunters in Los Angeles. It is interesting that back in the series’ second season, they were close friends and partners in a detective agency they had just formed with Cordelia Chase. Many of the series’ fans would occasionally recall the secret handshakes, the ”I got your back” declarations, and the manner in which they had fought together against demons. 

But in the end, their relationship was destroyed by Wesley’s kidnapping of Angel’s son Connor and a woman – namely one Winifred "Fred" Burkle. I am not saying that she is to blame for their past or present estrangement. But Connor's kidnapping by an old vampire hunter (in which Wesley had unwisely participated) their views of Fred, and their personal demons - Charles’ insecurity (which was fed by Fred’s comment about him being the gang’s muscle) and Wesley’s secretive nature and whore/Madonna view of women - eventually brought about a complete destruction of their relationship. Temporarily. 

Their friendship resurrected when both men finally decided to forgo a romantic pursuit of Fred in late Season Four. But Angel’s decision to allow the Senior Partners, the evil overlords of the Wolfram and Hart law firm, to erase their memories of Connor and any other memories linking to the vampire’s son eventually set their friendship on the path of destruction once more. Angel's decision led to the Fang Gang becoming employees of the law firm, Charles’ decision to become an attorney by supernatural means and the resurrection of Wesley’s desires for Fred. Wes and Fred eventually began a romantic relationship by mid-Season Five. But their romance, along with Charles' new law career culminated in disaster when the latter made a pact with the Senior Partners to revive his diminishing legal abilities in exchange for signing the release of an ancient curio stuck in Customs. This curio resulted in the death of Fred and the resurrection of a demon called Illyia in Fred’s body. A grieving Wesley decided to seek revenge with the attempted murder of Charles. Although both men eventually assisted Angel in the latter’s battle against the Senior Partners and the Circle of Thorn in the Season Five finale, (5.22) "Not Fade Away", their friendship never returned to the state it had been during Season Two and late Season Four.

I find it amazing that two different male relationships ended on such divisive paths. Angel and Spike’s relationship – which began on a rocky foundation saturated with resentment and rivalry over two women - managed to reconnect into a strong brotherly bond. On the other hand, Charles and Wes’ friendship began on a strong note and ended in complete ruin before the series ended. And to think all of this happened during Season Five.

Favorite Halloween Television Specials and Episodes

Below is a list of my favorite Halloween television specials, movies and episodes:

FAVORITE HALLOWEEN TELEVISION SPECIALS AND EPISODES

1.  “Star Trek Voyager (4.07) “Scientific Method” – The crew of the U.S.S. Voyager discovers that a group of cloaked aliens have been performing scientific experiments on them.

2.  “Legends of Tomorrow” (3.04) “Phone Home” – When Dr. Ray Palmer aka the Atom begins to disappear, his fellow time travelers aboard the Waverider travel to his hometown on Halloween 1988 to prevent his premature death.

3.  “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (4.04) “Fear, Itself” – When a a demon with the ability to materialize terror, is accidentally conjured and wreaks havoc on a Halloween party, vampire slayer Buffy Summers and her friends are forced to confront their worst fears.

4.  “Hallowe’en Party” (2010) – David Suchet starred as Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in this adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1969 novel.  Zoë Wanamaker co-starred.

5.  “Once Upon at Time” (2.05) “The Doctor” – When Regina Mills aka the Evil Queen sees her dead fiance from her past in the Enchanted Forest, she recalls an emotionally traumatic period during her training as a sorceress under Rumpelstiltskin.

6.  “Legends of Tomorrow” (2.04) “Abominations” – The Waverider time travelers learn of a time pirate stranded in the American Civil War. Upon arriving in Mississippi 1863, they encounter a black Union spy being chased by Confederate soldiers that have been turned into zombies by a virus carried by the pirate.

7.  “Charmed” (3.04) “All Halliwell’s Eve” – The Halliwell sisters aka the Charmed Ones travel back to the 1670s to protect a coven in danger of extinction and save their own future.

8.  “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” (1966) – The Peanuts gang celebrates Halloween while Linus waits for the Great Pumpkin in this classic holiday special, based upon the characters created by Charles M. Schulz.

9.  “How I Met Your Mother” (7.08) “The Slutty Pumpkin Returns” – Ted Mosby finally meets his long-lost crush from a Halloween party from 10 years ago and realizes that he has no romantic chemistry with her.

10.  “Charmed” (4.05) “Size Matters” – While investigating a creepy old house, the youngest Charmed One, Paige Matthews, involves her older sisters with a demon named Gamil and are all shrunk to a height of five inches.

Top Ten Favorite THANKSGIVING Television Episodes

Below is a list of my favorite television episodes about the Thanksgiving holiday: 


TOP TEN FAVORITE THANKSGIVING TELEVISION EPISODES



1. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" - (4.08) "Pangs" - Vampire slayer Buffy Summers deal with a Native American vengeance spirit, the sudden appearance of her nemesis Spike and the preparation of a large holiday meal on Thanksgiving in this hilarious episode.





2. "Friends" - (6.09) "The One Where Ross Got High" - Live-in lovers Monica Geller and Chandler Bing invite her parents for their first Thanksgiving holiday and are shocked to discover that the latter does not like Chandler for reasons that have to do with Monica's brother Ross.





3. "WKRP in Cinncinati" - (1.07) "Turkeys Away" - In this classic episode of the 1970s/80s sitcom, radio station owner Arthur Carlson takes a more hands-on managerial approach by organizing the greatest Thanksgiving promotion in radio history by dropping live turkeys from a helicopter. Hilarious performance by Richard Sanders.





4. "Friends" - (5.08) "The One with All the Thanksgivings" - In this funny episode, the six friends recount their worst Thanksgivings.





5. "Mad Men" - (1.13) "The Wheel" - The marriage of Don and Betty Draper reach a new level following Betty's evaluation of their marriage during the Thanksgiving holiday. And secretary Peggy Olson experiences a professional high and a personal crisis.





6. "Friends" - (3.09) "The One With the Football" - Emotions run high on Thanksgiving when the gang have a game of touch football initiated by Monica and Ross' sibling rivalry, while Chandler and Joey compete over a Dutch model.





7. "How I Met Your Mother" - (3.09) "Slapsgiving" - Marshall Eriksen and Lily Aldrin host their first Thanksgiving dinner as a married couple. Ted Mosby and Robin Scherbatsky are still dealing with the breakup of their relationship and Marshall terrorizes Barney Stinson with the threat of a third slap he is due, thanks to an old bet.





8. "The West Wing" - (3.08) "Shibboleth" - The Thanksgiving holiday draws a group of Chinese Christians claiming religious persecution to the White House. Also Chief of Staff Le McGarry is at loggerheads with his sister over the issue of school prayer.





9. "Seinfeld" - (6.08) "The Mom and Pop Store" - In this classic episode, George Constanza decides to buy a convertible once owned by "Jon Voight"; Cosmo Kramer tries to save a small shoe-repair business, much to Jerry Steinfeld's detriment; and Elaine Benes wins tickets for her boss to participate in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.





10. "Will and Grace" - (7.10-7.11) "Queens For a Day" - Lovers Will Truman and Vince D'Angelo decide to allow their "families" meet for the Thanksgiving holiday at the D'Angelo home with disastrous results.