Also very much agree about Buffy herself. Buffy is a very heroic, and believably portrayed, character, and I identify with her a lot, especially in the later seasons. However, I have problems with her authority. When Willow, Spike, Faith, Xander, or Dawn (for starters) criticize Buffy's authority, I'm usually at least a bit sympathetic. Buffy is benevolent, but she is in some senses a monarch -- she earns her leadership role through constant sacrifice and through hard work, but at the same time her strength is no guarantee that her decisions will be the best of anyone's. And while Buffy doesn't use it all that often, the knowledge that she could take out almost anyone who really disagreed with her sort of remains as a throughline, coming out at times. It's not that Buffy doesn't question herself -- she does. She does think hard about how to use her power, especially as time goes on, but the deck is still somewhat stacked until the "Chosen" spell changes the fundamental arrangement -- Buffy ultimately makes the final call, and is it fair for any person, no matter how virtuous, to be always the one to make that last call?
I have similar issues with Angel, but to a much greater extent with Angel than with Buffy. I think with Buffy, the narrative sort of shows the problems with having a sole leader, even when that sole leader is near the best she can be. With Angel, the more nihilistic take is showing what happens with a much worse leader -- one who trades in his team.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2014-10-18 03:46 am (UTC)I have similar issues with Angel, but to a much greater extent with Angel than with Buffy. I think with Buffy, the narrative sort of shows the problems with having a sole leader, even when that sole leader is near the best she can be. With Angel, the more nihilistic take is showing what happens with a much worse leader -- one who trades in his team.