Really nice summing up of your thoughts on all of this.
One point (more to do with AtS than AtF): Did Wes choose it? Home is really ambiguous, but as near as I can tell, Wes did not say "yes". The complication, of course, is that by the time they make the actual choice, they've been changed by the mindwipe. I don't think this makes a difference for the other characters: Gunn and Lorne were always going to go for it; Fred was always going to want to if she could get permission.
But Wes at the beginning of Home is shown to be immune to the argument that the resources at W&H would be a boon to their fight against evil, but at the end that's exactly the reason he gives for taking the deal. Now you could just say that Wes is always portrayed as the pragmatic one (the consequentialist if you want to use technical terms). That's the position he took in Choices in BtVS. That seems to be the sort of guy he is. But. That stance is exactly what went wrong in season 3 when his focus on results caused him to forget to think about means to disastrous results. And this is precisely the memory that would have been wiped before Wesley acquiesced to the deal. As you say, what we remember is a huge chunk of what we are. The series affirms this when Illyria notes that Fred's memories had been altered and that she had been changed as a result. The Wesley who "chose" is materially different from the real Wesley on exactly the point that was decisive in the decision-making process.
The other bit of evidence I have that Wesley's "choice" was forced is that while everyone else ended up with the temptation that got them into the limosine, Wesley did not. He risked temptation because he wanted a shot at rescuing Lilah from her never-ending contract. That didn't work. And then when we next see him he's been mindwiped and he's talking about the potential good they can do with all those resources. That's not why he got into the limo.
There is a nice irony that Wesley went in with the intent of liberating Lilah from her eternal contract, only to be ensnared by one himself. But I don't know that the real Wesley would have said "yes". The other irony is that while everyone understands Fred to be the sacrificial lamb to the whole enterprise, I think it is Wes who got the rawer deal. In a 'verse that is all about sin and redemption, Wes's pivotal experience was stolen from him; the loss of experience elevated Fred's importance to him artificially so he could suffer all the more at her loss; and he was damned to boot. And if either of them really acquiesced to the deal, it was Fred, not Wes.
With respect to AtF, I do think Wes deserved a more interesting arc as he was being written out of the 'verse for good. A victim of Lynch's clutter, no doubt.
At the end of the day, I pretty much agree with your review. Except that I wanted more and therefore am less happy at the end of the day.
no subject
One point (more to do with AtS than AtF): Did Wes choose it? Home is really ambiguous, but as near as I can tell, Wes did not say "yes". The complication, of course, is that by the time they make the actual choice, they've been changed by the mindwipe. I don't think this makes a difference for the other characters: Gunn and Lorne were always going to go for it; Fred was always going to want to if she could get permission.
But Wes at the beginning of Home is shown to be immune to the argument that the resources at W&H would be a boon to their fight against evil, but at the end that's exactly the reason he gives for taking the deal. Now you could just say that Wes is always portrayed as the pragmatic one (the consequentialist if you want to use technical terms). That's the position he took in Choices in BtVS. That seems to be the sort of guy he is. But. That stance is exactly what went wrong in season 3 when his focus on results caused him to forget to think about means to disastrous results. And this is precisely the memory that would have been wiped before Wesley acquiesced to the deal. As you say, what we remember is a huge chunk of what we are. The series affirms this when Illyria notes that Fred's memories had been altered and that she had been changed as a result. The Wesley who "chose" is materially different from the real Wesley on exactly the point that was decisive in the decision-making process.
The other bit of evidence I have that Wesley's "choice" was forced is that while everyone else ended up with the temptation that got them into the limosine, Wesley did not. He risked temptation because he wanted a shot at rescuing Lilah from her never-ending contract. That didn't work. And then when we next see him he's been mindwiped and he's talking about the potential good they can do with all those resources. That's not why he got into the limo.
There is a nice irony that Wesley went in with the intent of liberating Lilah from her eternal contract, only to be ensnared by one himself. But I don't know that the real Wesley would have said "yes". The other irony is that while everyone understands Fred to be the sacrificial lamb to the whole enterprise, I think it is Wes who got the rawer deal. In a 'verse that is all about sin and redemption, Wes's pivotal experience was stolen from him; the loss of experience elevated Fred's importance to him artificially so he could suffer all the more at her loss; and he was damned to boot. And if either of them really acquiesced to the deal, it was Fred, not Wes.
With respect to AtF, I do think Wes deserved a more interesting arc as he was being written out of the 'verse for good. A victim of Lynch's clutter, no doubt.
At the end of the day, I pretty much agree with your review. Except that I wanted more and therefore am less happy at the end of the day.