Oh I think it is deliberate to a degree. But poorly constructed. Restless this isn't.
Have you read 2maggie2's essay regarding Buffy's reversion to romantic fantasy? It actually addresses what you are stating above. And I don't disagree with maggie's analysis.
And there is certainly supporting evidence in both S8 and S7 regarding Buffy's dependency on that. Buffy - remember is ice capades girl, she likes the cheesy romance. She watches the old Fred Astair/Ginger Rodgers film with Mom after Angel becomes all evil - and even though Angelus has killed Jenny, and several others, she holds on to the possibility of changing him back again - convinced that's all it takes. And when he does come back to her, then plays the role of Angelus - too well - it hits her that maybe her ideal isn't real? He leaves before she can no for certain. He's the perfect boyfriend, because he's not there. The unattainable object of her affection. And we shouldn't ignore the all too obvious similarities between Angel and Hank Summers. Both leave Buffy for LA. Both take up with new women. Both have children by them. Both used to take her ice-skating. Both are "father" figures or paternal in nature.
He's also the classic romantic trope - the older popular guy that the young girl dreams about that pervades our media landscape from Twilight to well Big Love. Heck a 24 year old girl just married her high school boyfriend who happened to be a cult television star and 47 years of age. (And that's pretty common in our world.)
Whedon being a horror writer first, romance novelist last (if at all) has from the beginning been attacking that particular trope.
Why does Buffy fall again into Angel's arms? Well, she's alone, disconnected, and tired. In the comics - she even tells OZ at one point that she would like to give into it. Angel shows up after she gave up her power and that got her nowhere, it just lead to a bunch of people dying. Here she goes the opposite route - gives into it, goes wild, and it kills millions.
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Have you read
And there is certainly supporting evidence in both S8 and S7 regarding Buffy's dependency on that. Buffy - remember is ice capades girl, she likes the cheesy romance. She watches the old Fred Astair/Ginger Rodgers film with Mom after Angel becomes all evil - and even though Angelus has killed Jenny, and several others, she holds on to the possibility of changing him back again - convinced that's all it takes. And when he does come back to her, then plays the role of Angelus - too well - it hits her that maybe her ideal isn't real? He leaves before she can no for certain. He's the perfect boyfriend, because he's not there. The unattainable object of her affection. And we shouldn't ignore the all too obvious similarities between Angel and Hank Summers. Both leave Buffy for LA. Both take up with new women. Both have children by them.
Both used to take her ice-skating. Both are "father" figures or paternal in nature.
He's also the classic romantic trope - the older popular guy that the young girl dreams about that pervades our media landscape from Twilight to well Big Love. Heck a 24 year old girl just married her high school boyfriend who happened to be a cult television star and 47 years of age.
(And that's pretty common in our world.)
Whedon being a horror writer first, romance novelist last (if at all) has from the beginning been attacking that particular trope.
Why does Buffy fall again into Angel's arms? Well, she's alone, disconnected, and tired. In the comics - she even tells OZ at one point that she would like to give into it. Angel shows up after she gave up her power and that got her nowhere, it just lead to a bunch of people dying. Here she goes the opposite route - gives into it, goes wild,
and it kills millions.