Spoiler Slayer

Since I never got around to talking about 'All The Way' this weekend, I'm going to cover my thoughts on both it and 'Once More, With Feeling' today.

'All The Way' was a good return to the classic Buffy scenario, although we now have Dawn in Buffy's place. Dawn is just a chip off the old block when it comes to ditching responsibility to hang with boys, as well as ending up in supernatural trouble when she does. Overall, the episode itself really didn't push that many new storylines, but built on old ones. We now know what was up with Anya's earrings, we also see that Buffy is still unable to find her place back in the real world, which I as speculated last month was made worse by the engagement announcement. Willow got nasty for a moment again, and then went on doing what's she been doing ever since the beginning, messing with things that she shouldn't be (this time it was Tara's mind). That in itself is probably more damaging than any other spell she has ever done, not because of the power but because of the implications. When I first heard that spoiler, I really doubted it a great deal. The thought that Willow would intentionally mess with Tara's mind/memory, after what she had gone through at the hands of Glory, just did not make any sense at all. That she was willing to do it, speaks volumes about how far out of whack her priorities have gotten.

For me, what 'All The Way' established is the possibility for the show to continue past Season Seven (when most of the cast will likely leave). After everything that has gone on over the past five seasons, it's kind of nice to get a glimpse back at the beginning of the show. With Michelle saying that she's been approached about staying with the show, as well as the original reason for bringing her on (new demographic), I think it's more and more likely that the show might continue with Dawn in some kind of Slayer-type role. Another consideration is the fact that they are bringing on new writers, even with the possibility that the next season might be the last. Steven DeKnight does a great job of writing Dawn, and he's perfectly positioned to take over. Drew Greenberg is also in the mix now, so it will be interesting to see what kind of storylines that he works with. Again, all speculation, but I think I'm not the only one who would like to see the show continue.

The musical, for all the hype, ended up being kind of a letdown. Which is really going against the flow, because everywhere I've gone there has been nothing but praise. It was a great concept, and it was pulled off well, but in terms of the story arc it seemed to be 'Going Through The Motions'. First off, whether or not Alyson can sing shouldn't matter, Willow was pretty much out of the picture for most of the episode. I actually think that Marti might have had more lines than Willow. After the big build-up we've had all season, the Willow storyline (not in terms of Tara) kind of went into a coast mode. The only story that actually advanced was Spike and Buffy, and even that isn't really clear cut about what direction it's going in. The show was almost a recap for the first six episodes. Consider this, what secrets were revealed. That Xander is nervous about getting married, we knew that back in 'Flooded'. That Giles is thinking of leaving because he's in the way, 'Life Serial' and 'All The Way' (also note that nobody knows that's they way he feels, Buffy didn't hear him). Tara worried about Willow's messing with powerful magic, that's been going on all season. Buffy all dark and depressed because she got pulled from heaven? Everyone knew something was up, only Spike knew the truth. It didn't even come out that Dawn has been stealing things.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the story arc for the episode and the songs and the dancing, all in all it rocked. But I would hate to see the show nominated for an Emmy, based on a one episode concept. I want the show to receive credit for the fantastic stories and episodes that have been airing for the past five years. It's a great episode, but still isn't up there with most of Season Two (IMHO).

That aside, we have to address the entire Spike/Buffy issue. Does she want to feel, or does she just need someone to hold onto. It could go either way. I could see her simply using Spike for support, but there have been other things that make you wonder. For example, if her feelings towards Spike were clear, she wouldn't have any problem talking to him (All The Way - 'He was easier to talk to when he was trying to kill me'). The little Freudian slip (Once More - 'What else would I want to pump you for'), and all the other times where she's been happier with his company, than without it. My take is that at least right now, subconsciously she's attracted to him, but the thought terrifies her. I've always been firm that there is a great deal of mutual respect involved, ever since Spike actually appeared on the scene in Season Two. That's why I somehow doubt that either would be able to actually kill the other. I think they enjoy the fight way to much to end it.

Going into some heavy psychoanalysis here

That doesn't mean I expect to see Spike and Buffy get all romantic. I've always said that if a relationship happens, it's going to be way different from her other ones. There's been a pattern in the relationships, that fit well into reality. When she was in High School, the Buffy/Angel relationship was heavily based on the idea of romantic love (and it appears that David has confirmed that 'puppy love/crush' theory in a recent radio interview). In college, the Riley relationship was a typical college relationship. Kind of a flashfire sort of love, with mucho passion involved. Yet in the end, could they talk to each other? Now that she's gone through those two stages, we're left with that grown-up kind of relationship. If that is where these two are heading, then it's going to be kind of a combination of the two previous ones. Which is why I stated so long ago that it would seem colder on the surface, but would be a lot stronger underneath. The interesting thing is that Buffy is just getting to the point, that the others reached a long time ago. They all had their high-school romances (Xander/Cordy, Willow/Oz), but discovered that things changed in college. What's interesting about the other couples is the fact that they didn't expect the relationships to turn out the way they did. When Willow met Tara, I don't think she expected friendship to turn into something more (which is what she was always looking for with Xander). Anya and Xander expected a physical relationship, but instead found someone who could appreciate their slightly wacky worldview (which is what Xander was always looking for as well). It would be very interesting to see exactly if or how a Buffy/Spike relationship would work. But it does fit the theme of 'Growing Up'

Back to the banter

Anyway, I think it's a safe bet to throw out the idea that Spike is going to go evil again. Even with rumors of what will happen in 'Smashed', it is way to similar to the Angel storyline to be a serious consideration. Buffy sleeps with Spike and the next minute he becomes evil again, I just don't see it happening. Also, as James brought up himself, evil Spike doesn't work well with the Spike/Dawn interaction. I think the thing we have to be looking for is where does it fit into the theme of this season. In the end, I think it's all going to revolve around the 'consequences of your actions' and 'taking responsibility'. Something that the Scoobies do not seem to have a firm grip on just yet (Willow has never learned to be careful with her magics, Xander should know darn well that you don't mess with charms, Buffy needs to figure out how she really feels about Spike (as opposed to just locking lips in order to feel). Which would fit into the spoiler that Spike is kind of driven wacky by Buffy's 'Come here, no, Go Away' attitude. We'll just have to wait and see.