"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.

Favorite Episodes of "LUCIFER" Season Three (2017-2018)

 

Below is a list of my favorite Season Three episodes from the Fox (now Netflix) series, "LUCIFER". Based on the Vertigo (D.C. Comics) comic book series and created by Tom Kapinos, the series stars Tom Ellis as Lucifer Morningstar:




FAVORITE EPISODES OF "LUCIFER" SEASON THREE (2017-2018)



1. (3.23) "Quintessential Deckerstar" - Just as fallen angel Lucifer Morningstar is about to make a huge confession to L.A.P.D. Detective Chloe Decker, he gets a tragic phone call that changes everything. And the real attorney Charlotte Richards risks her safety when she decides to take matters into her own hands.





2. (3.07) "Off the Record" - A local newspaper journalist seeks revenge when he discovers that Lucifer has been sleeping with his estranged wife. Things get messy when it is revealed that his wife is Dr. Linda Martin, Lucifer's analyst.





3. (3.09) "The Sinnreman" - Lucifer, Chloe and Marcus Pirce come face-to-face with the Sinnerman, the powerful crime boss responsible for stealing Lucifer's wings before the season began.





4. (3.24) "A Devil of My Word" - Shocked by a major death; Chloe, Lucifer and the rest of the team work together to investigate and take down the killer. The demon Mazikeen aka "Maze" decides to mend a broken friendship and Chloe finally sees the truth about Lucifer.





5. (3.20) "The Angel of San Bernadino" - Lucifer and Chloe investigate a murder where a witness claims a winged guardian angel had saved her life. Chloe's relationship with Pierce takes an interesting turn. And Lucifer discovers something that could change everything.





Honorable Mention: (3.03) "Mr. and Mrs. Mazikeen Smith" - Bored with her life, Maze decides to hunt a more challenging bounty - a serial killer named Ben Rivers, whom she manages to track down to Canada.

Favorite Episodes of "LUCIFER" Season Two (2016-2017)

Below is a list of my favorite Season Two episodes from the Fox (now Netflix) series, "LUCIFER". Based on the Vertigo (D.C. Comics) comic book series and created by Tom Kapinos, the series stars Tom Ellis:



FAVORITE EPISODES OF "LUCIFER" SEASON TWO (2016-2017)



1. (2.10) "Quid Pro Ho" - Lucifer Morningstar's mother aka "Charlotte Richards" is determined to get him to reunite the family against her husband, God; and leave Earth by turning L.A.P.D. Detective Chloe Decker against him. Meanwhile, Lucifer's older brother Amenadiel has begun working as Charlotte's soldier, which makes Lucifer's ally archdemon Mazikeen "Maze" question his loyalty.





2. (2.18) "The Good, the Bad, and the Crispy" - In this season finale, "Charlotte" becomes a ticking time-bomb for Lucifer after she had accidentally burned a man to death in the previous episode. Because of this latest incident, Lucifer is forced to find a permanent solution to deal with her before Chloe can figure out the truth.





3. (2.12) "A Good Day to Die" - Lucifer returns to Hell to find an antidote for Chloe after she had been poisoned by a murder suspect. "Charlotte" also goes to Hell to bring him back.





4. (2.05) "Weaponizer" - Lucifer and Amenadiel's brother Uriel shows up, while the former and Chloe investigate the murder of a favorite action hero.





5. (2.14) "Candy Morningstar" - Following Choloe's close brush with death, Lucifer disappears from Los Angeles. However, the murder of an up-and-coming guitarist leads him to resurface - with a new mystery woman. Meanwhile, "Charlotte" realizes she may have found a way to finally get her and her sons back to Heaven.





Honorable Mention: (2.06) "Monster" - A guilty and self-destructive Lucifer clashes with Chloe during an investigation, leading her to team up with her ex-husband, L.A.P.D. Detective Dan Espinoza instead. Meanwhile, Amenadiel bonds with "Charlotte" and Maze takes Chloe and Dan's young daughter, Trixie, trick-or-treating.

Favorite Episodes of "LUCIFER" Season One (2016)

Below is a list of my favorite Season One episodes from the Fox (now Netflix) series, "LUCIFER". Based on the Vertigo (D.C. Comics) comic book series and created by Tom Kapinos, the series stars Tom Ellis: 



FAVORITE EPISODES OF "LUCIFER" SEASON ONE (2016)



1. (1.09) "A Priest Walks into a Bar" - Lucifer Morningstar (aka the Devil) and LAPD Detective Chloe Decker investigate a drug ring, which a priest believes is led by a local youth counselor. Meanwhile, archangel Amenadiel (and Lucifer's brother) meet with corrupt cop Malcolm Graham to explain why he had pull the latter out of Hell.





2. (1.13) "Take Me Back to Hell" - In the season finale, Lucifer and Chloe must work together to clear the former's name and find the true killer, Malcolm, after Lucifer is framed for murder.





3. (1.03) "The Would-Be Prince of Darkness" - Lucifer and Chloe explore the world of big money sports when a young football quarterback, whom Lucifer had convinced to lose his virginity, is arrested for the murder of the girl with whom he had sex.





4. (1.12) "TeamLucifer" - Lucifer, Chloe and the latter's ex-husband, LAPD Detective Dan Espinoza, investigates the death of a woman whose body with a "Hail Lucifer" message was found lying within a pentagram.





5. (1.07) "Wingman" - Lucifer turns to Amenadiel for help, while trying to find the contents of his stolen container - the wings he had removed from his body, following his arrival in Los Angeles.

"Guidance and Estrangement"

"GUIDANCE AND ESTRANGEMENT"

During its seven seasons run, the television series, "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER" has generated a good number of controversy amongst its fans, other viewers and the media in its approach to several subjects regarding its main character, Buffy Summers, and its supporting characters. Many of those subjects have included sex, violence, addiction, and discrimination – both gender and racial. But there seemed to be one topic that fans of the series seemed to be in conflict over – namely authority figures and how it pertained to Buffy’s relationship with her Watcher, Rupert Giles.

When the series first began in January 1997, Buffy and her mother, Joyce Summers, had recently moved from Los Angeles to Sunnydale; following the latter’s divorce from Buffy’s father, Hank. The Summers’ marriage had buckled under the strain of his infidelity and Buffy’s early activities as a Slayer in Los Angeles. The move to Sunnydale also meant the eventual erosion of daughter and father’s relationship. Since Buffy’s first Watcher, Merrick, had killed by a vampire named Lothos; the young Slayer found herself with a new Watcher – the English-born Rupert Giles.

The relationship between Buffy and Giles went through many stages and emotional upheavals. Due to her father’s declining presence in her life, the Slayer began to regard her Watcher as a new father figure. Yet, at the same time, she struggled to maintain a private life of her own – one that involved school and a social life – despite Giles’ insistence upon her focusing upon her training and duties as a Slayer. One such incident occurred when Buffy wanted to forego another training session to attend a fraternity party at Sunnydale’s University of California campus in (2.05) “Reptile Boy”. Despite their occasional bouts of conflict and the crisis surrounding the re-emergence of Angelus in late Season Two, Buffy’s view of Giles as a replacement for her father had grown stronger by mid-Season Three. Then came the Cruciamentum in the episode, (3.12) “Helpless”

The Cruciamentum was a test that senior members of the Watchers Council put each Slayer through on her eighteenth birthday. She must be weakened (namely stripped of her Slayer abilities) and left alone with a vampire to test her skills and resourcefulness. The weakened Slayer rarely survives such a test. As I had stated earlier, Buffy had truly began to regard Giles as a second father, especially since her own father failed to appear and take her to an ice show for her 18th birthday. Unfortunately for Buffy, the Cruciamentum test proved to be the first time that Giles would betray her. Showing more loyalty to the Council than the Slayer, he placed Buffy under hypnosis before stripping away her Slayer abilities with a drug. However, guilt over his betrayal and the danger of a psychotic vampire loose upon Sunnydale led Giles to confess his actions and help her deal with the vampire. Because of his actions, the leader of the Watchers Council – Quintin Travers – accused Giles of being too emotionally close to Buffy and fired him. However, Buffy severed her ties with the Watchers Council and continued to regard Giles as her Watcher. However, the Cruciamentum did not prove to be the last time that Buffy and Giles would clash.

Season Five provided more heartaches and crisis for Buffy than any previous season. Buffy’s relationship with her college boyfriend, Riley Finn, crashed and burned. She discovered that her old nemesis, the vampire Spike, had fallen in love with her. Joyce became seriously ill. And a new member joined the Summers household – a younger sister named Dawn. However, Buffy and the Scoobies eventually learned in (5.05) “No Place Like Home” that Dawn was originally a mystical object known as the Key, which can be used to open portals to alternate dimensions; a group of monks transformed the Key into human form and sent it to the Slayer for protection from the villainous hellgod, Glory. The hellgod wanted to use the Key (Dawn) to return to her home dimension. The memories of Buffy and her associates were altered, along with relevant records, so that they believed Dawn had always existed as Buffy’s sister. Once Glory discovered that Dawn was the Key, her presence became a threat to human existence. Giles certainly believed so and insisted that Buffy kill Dawn before Glory can use her blood in (5.22) “The Gift”. Fearful for Dawn’s life, Buffy asked Spike to protect the teenager from any threat. I can only wonder if she had viewed Giles as a possible threat.

Eventually, Buffy sacrificed her life to stop the threat of Glory and to close the portal that the hellgod had used Dawn’s blood to open. Several months following Buffy’s death, Giles decided to return home to England in (6.01) “Bargaining”. Following her resurrection, he returned to Sunnydale. However, he noticed that Buffy had begun a disturbing trend of depending upon him for everything – including matters in her non-Slayer life. In the episode, (6.07) “Tabula Rasa”, Giles decided to return to England in order for Buffy to gain independence. He did not return, until the crisis over Willow’s turn to evil evolved, following the death of her lover, Tara Maclay.

Giles’ return to England during Season Six proved to have a major impact upon his relationship with Buffy during the show’s seventh and final season. The impact of his disappearance would not be realized, until the two clashed over the status of a chip-free Spike in the episode, (7.17) "Lies My Parents Told Me". After acquiring his soul in Africa, during the Season Six finale, (6.22) “Grave”, Spike returned to Sunnydale, racked with guilt over his past as a vampire and his attempted rape of Buffy in (6.19) “Seeing Red”. And unbeknownst to himself and others, he was being mentally tormented and controlled by the season’s Big Bad – the non-corporeal being known as the First Evil. Spike’s troubles did not end there. By (7.13) “The Killer in Me”, the chip was slowly killing Spike and Buffy had to request help from her old flame, Army officer, Riley Finn, to remove the chip for good. Spike was finally free from the dangers of the chip, but not from the First Evil.

Buffy and Giles’ clash over Spike first spilled over in an amusing exchange featured in the beginning of the following episode, (7.14) “First Date”. However, Giles’ anxieties over Spike’s chip-free and First Evil-influenced state continued unabated. He continued to insist that Spike be contained or slayed, for the safety of the Potentials and the Scoobies, now residing inside the Summers house. Giles disappeared for two episodes and returned at the beginning of ”Lies My Parents Told Me” with a magical artifact called a Prokaryote stone. Willow used the stone and a spell to penetrate Spike's mind and make him more conscious of how the First Evil’s trigger worked. Needless to say, the session ended in disaster, with Spike unintentionally hurting Dawn (why Buffy allowed her to hang around, I do not know). Following the failure to break the First Evil’s hold on Spike, Giles conspired with Robin Wood – the son of a Slayer that Spike had killed back in 1977 – to kill the blond vampire behind Buffy’s back. Buffy eventually realized what Giles and Wood had conspired and coldly ended their Watcher-Slayer relationship . . . and friendship.

I am not really surprised that Buffy turned his back on him, following the incidents of ”Lies My Parents Told Me”. As I had earlier pointed out, it was not the first time he had betrayed her. He betrayed her in Season 3's "Helpless". But he realized his error and made amends in the end. In late Season 5's "The Gift", he continuously pressured Buffy to kill Dawn in order to save the world. Not only did she refuse, but she asked Spike to kill him or anyone else who made a move toward Dawn. Even if Dawn's death would have saved the world, I do not think that Buffy could have lived with herself if she had killed her younger sister. Her slide into catatonia in (5.21) “The Weight of the World”, following Glory’s abduction of Dawn, struck me as proof that Buffy would have serious problems with anything happening to her younger sister.

But Giles’ betrayal in "Lies My Parents Told Me" proved to be the last straw. Not only did Giles plotted behind her back, he never expressed any remorse for his actions. Worse, he only gave Spike once chance to deal with the First Evil’s trigger before he began plotting with Robin Wood behind Buffy's back. Giles never took into account that triggered or not, Spike was not the only dangerous person in that house. There was Willow, who was not only a very powerful witch, but still emotionally unsure about herself. And I suspect that if the First Evil had triggered Spike, he would have to deal with Willow, a powerful and experienced Slayer in the form Buffy, and a house full of potential Slayers. Giles never considered all of this or that Wood’s plotting centered on an emotional desire for revenge against Spike. Instead, he allowed his fears and his dislike of the vampire to rule his emotions. And he never expressed any remorse for his actions.

Buffy had been slowly maturing as a person throughout the series' run. By late Season Seven, it was time for her to realize that Giles did not always have the answers or that he was not always right. It was also time for her to realize that sometimes, every individual has to question authority figures . . . or rely upon him or herself and not a parent or a surrogate parent. Back in early Season Six, Giles realized that Buffy could not always depend upon him and that sooner or later, she would have to learn to stand on her own. Unfortunately, the destruction of the Watchers Council triggered a great deal of fear within Giles. He forgot about his resolve about Buffy becoming an adult, and tried to overcome this fear by resurrecting his old relationship with Buffy. By ”Lies My Parents Told Me” he failed to realize that she had matured too much for him to recapture it.

Buffy and Giles had failed to resolve their conflict over his final betrayal by the end of the series . . . despite their willingness to fight together in the final battle against the First Evil’s plans in (7.22) “Chosen”. Their relationship grew worse over Giles’ failure to inform Buffy about his and Faith Lehune’s dealings with a rogue Slayer named in one of the Season Eight stories featured in a series of comic books based upon the series. It was not until their dealings with the being known as Twilight (aka Angel) that Buffy and Giles finally reconciled. Unfortunately, their reconciliation did not last very long. While still under the guise of Twilight, Angel murdered Giles. Pity. It would have been nice to see Buffy and Giles develop an equal relationship between two friends and colleagues.

“BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER” – Who Is To Blame in (7.19) “Empty Places”?

"BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER" RETROSPECT: WHO IS TO BLAME IN (7.19) "Empty Places"?

Seven ago, an episode viewed by many "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER" fans as controversial, aired during the show’s final season. The name of that episode was (7.19) "Empty Places".

In this episode, the citizens of Sunnydale, California had finally desert the town in masse after realizing that their chances of surviving the upcoming apocalypse might be non-existent. Even demons like Clem had deserted. Vampire slayer Buffy Summers, the Scoobies, the souled vampire Spike, and fellow vampire slayer Faith Lehane and the Potential vampire slayers were still smarting from their defeat at the hands of a priest named Caleb and the demonic Bringers who followed him in the previous episode, (7.18) "Dirty Girls". To relieve the Potentials of their gloomy moods, Faith took them for one last night of fun at the Bronze, a local nightclub. The fun ended in near disaster, after an encounter with police. But when Buffy suggested that Caleb may be hiding something of great value in the vineyard – the scene of their last defeat – the Scoobies, the Potentials, Giles, Wood and Dawn finally turned their backs on her . . . and kicked her out of her own home.

I had found the general reaction to the characters’ actions in "Empty Places" back in 2003 rather interesting. I realize that I should not have been amazed, considering human nature. Yet, I was. Some fans came to the conclusion that all of the characters had reacted badly to the situation. These fans even managed to pinpoint the characters’ fears and flaws that led to their individual decisions. But the majority of fans seem determined to place the blame of what happened on either Buffy or on those who had rejected her. In regard to the latter, many fans had vented their ire on a handful of characters.

Personally, I believe they were all at fault. To be honest, Buffy had not a good leader throughout Season Seven. This became painfully clear after she had assumed leadership over the Potentials. Instead of resorting to the usual methods she had utilized when leading the Scoobies against the Big Bads at the end of the previous seasons – listening to her friends and considering their suggestions – Buffy resorted to behaving like General von Summers by insisting that should accept her views as correct, ignoring any advice given by others and viewing herself as the law whose word should not be questioned. She painfully reminded me of the Watchers’ Council at their worst. Which should not have surprise me, considering her only guide on how to be a leader came from a Watcher. Namely, her Watcher . . . one Rupert Giles.

Giles’ own actions before this episode had contributed a great deal to the schism between himself and Buffy. He had been the one who had insisted that Buffy lead the Potentials. Also, he had taught her to be a killer, instead of a leader. And when she failed to become an effective leader - no surprise there - Giles had constantly complained about her ineffectiveness. To make matters worse, he had betrayed her by trying to arrange Spike's death behind her back . . . and never expressed any remorse for his actions. Naturally this had pissed off Buffy. But when she finally rejected his role as her authority figure, he became resentful and even more critical . . . and stabbed her in the back, again. Yet, the fans had ended up expressing more hostility toward characters like the Potentials (especially Kennedy and Rona), Robin Wood, Dawn and the Scoobies than toward Giles. I guess as a long established authority figure, they had considered Giles as an exempt from their hostility. Well, from the hostility of most fans. There had been those who kept claiming that Giles had changed during Season Seven. And there had been those who condemned him as much as they condemned the others. By the way, I never thought think Giles had changed. Well . . . not much. I believe that for once, his fear had threatened to overwhelm him. And I believe Buffy's view of him had changed.

The other characters' actions did not serve them very well. Fellow Scoobies Willow Rosenberg and Xander Berkeley seemed resentful of Buffy’s growing distance from them. Despite enjoying their friendship with her, both had occasionally demanded that she live up to her role as "the Slayer" for several years. Willow and Xander had constantly put Buffy on a pedestal. Yet at the same time, they had demanded that she remain as a close friend as long as possible. Buffy's younger sister, Dawn Summers, had harbored insecurities that had originally spawned from her own encounter with the First Evil in (7.07) "Conversations With Dead". Dawn's main fear had led her to wonder if Buffy cared more about being a Slayer than being her sister. This fear eventually led Dawn to finally reject Buffy’s role as authority figure in this episode. I am not saying that Dawn was wrong. She had every right to reject Buffy’s authority. Only, she did it by insisting that Buffy move out of the house . . . her sister’s house. I would not be surprised that Robin Wood still maintained a resentment against Buffy for choosing Spike – the vampire who had killed his mother in 1977 – over him in (7.17) "Lies My Mother Told Me", forgetting that he tried to get revenge against an individual who had changed from the vampire who had killed Nikki Wood. As for Faith . . . well, she had never really rejected Buffy’s authority. She only questioned it.

But the characters who has received the greatest ire from many fans over what happened in this episode were the Potentials – especially Kennedy and Rona. A good number of "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER" seemed to resent Rona for openly expressing doubt toward Buffy’s skills as a leader. Then again, many of the fans had been expressing hostility toward Rona since her first appearance. Why? She was sarcastic, always questioning Buffy's decision and was portrayed by African-American actress, Indigo. Apparently, a black Potential had even less right to question Buffy's authority than a white Potential. Yet, even more fans had resented Kennedy for not being Willow's new lover, following Tara Maclay's death in Season Six.
Unlike Willow, Tara and Willow's previous love interest - Daniel "Oz" Osbourne – Kennedy was an extrovert. Worse, she had an aggressive personality that many found offensive. Which I found a bit hypocritical, considering Willow's tendency to be the dominate partner in her previous romances. But the single biggest criticism that many fans had laid at the Potentials’ feet was their decision to reject Buffy as their leader. For some reason, many seemed to harbor the view that they had no right to reject Buffy, let alone question her decisions. They seemed to believe that the Potentials should have blindly followed Buffy, regardless of how they felt about her.

You know, I never fail to be amazed at how hypocritical people can be. Honestly. Take the relationship between Buffy and the Potentials in Season Seven for example. In the past seasons, Buffy's continuous attempts to maintain a personal life and resist Giles' attempts to turn her into a single-minded Slayer had drawn cheers from the viewers. When she had resisted and finally rejected the Watchers Council’s authority over her in Season Three’s (3.12) "Helpless", the fans cheered. When she had continuously questioned Professor Maggie Walsh and the Initiative’s demon hunting actions and encouraged boyfriend Riley Finn to do the same in Season Four, the fans cheered. And when Buffy had made it clear to the visiting members of the Watchers Council in Season Five’s (5.12) "Checkpoint" that they no longer had any power over her, the fans had erupted into rapture.

Then in Season Seven, Buffy became an authority figure. Actually, she became one following her mother’s death in late Season Five, when she became Dawn’s only guardian. But her interactions with the Potentials led her to become an authority figure on the same scale as Giles, Maggie Walsh, and the Watchers Council. And like those before her, Buffy made some very questionable judgment calls – including her decision to attack Caleb at the local vineyard without any real reconnaissance in "Dirty Girls". As Buffy had done so in the past, the Potentials rejected her as their authority figure. But since their authority figure happened to be Buffy . . . many fans had condemned them for not blindly following her.

Apparently, it was okay for Buffy to resist or reject the authority figures she had faced. But when she became an authority figure herself - and not a very good one at that, many fans decided that "no one" - especially the hated Potentials - had the right to resist or reject her. I hate to say this, but this could easily be construed as a bad case of double standards by those fans. They had no problems with Buffy rejecting authority figures. But they had refused to accept the Scoobies and especially the Potentials' rejection of Buffy as a leader. The fandom's waffling reeked of hypocrisy to me. What I found even more offensive is that after twenty years or so, many willing to condemn those who would do the same to Buffy after she became an authority figure reeked of hypocrisy to me. Although there are many fans who are beginning to understand that the Potentials and the Scoobies had every right to reject Buffy as their leader, there are still a good number of fans who believe otherwise. From their view, the main protagonist is always right.