Absolutely Brilliant! Now, whenever I splutter that I hated those characters... "because they suck!"... instead I can point them to this thoughtful essay. You have articulated (fairly and even-handedly, I might add) why these three characters generate so much hatred.
I can't believe this is the only other time I think I've seen someone express the sentiment I've always held about how misogynistic the entire Buffy/Riley relationship breakdown and breakup was! That entire chunk of season 5 is really tainted by this nonsense, that reads like punishment from Mutant Enemy because we (the fans) didn't like Riley, and were therefor idiots who should be smacked with a stupid story. I've often maintained that Buffy symbolized the fans who hated Riley, and Riley the symbol of the creators (Marti Noxon?) who loved him, and demanded that we love him too. When we didn't... well, you saw what happened.
I also never considered what happened between Willow and Kennedy beyond "OMG that woman is annoying!" Sexual harassment indeed! Ugh. Which makes the whole thing twice as distasteful.
it felt as though, once again, the fanbase was receiving a bit of a kick in the teeth for desiring either a Buffy/Angel or Buffy/Spike relationship and being told, by the character with possibly the least self-knowledge, essentially to grow up and move on…
This, plus it's particular position in the series closing lineup, is the reason why I have never watched it again. Already reeling from the loss of our favorite show, shippers got kicked in the face on the way out. And by ANDREW.
Anyway, I could rant all day... and often do. *G* Thank you so much for this wonderful piece!
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2007-07-26 08:30 pm (UTC)I can't believe this is the only other time I think I've seen someone express the sentiment I've always held about how misogynistic the entire Buffy/Riley relationship breakdown and breakup was! That entire chunk of season 5 is really tainted by this nonsense, that reads like punishment from Mutant Enemy because we (the fans) didn't like Riley, and were therefor idiots who should be smacked with a stupid story. I've often maintained that Buffy symbolized the fans who hated Riley, and Riley the symbol of the creators (Marti Noxon?) who loved him, and demanded that we love him too. When we didn't... well, you saw what happened.
I also never considered what happened between Willow and Kennedy beyond "OMG that woman is annoying!" Sexual harassment indeed! Ugh. Which makes the whole thing twice as distasteful.
it felt as though, once again, the fanbase was receiving a bit of a kick in the teeth for desiring either a Buffy/Angel or Buffy/Spike relationship and being told, by the character with possibly the least self-knowledge, essentially to grow up and move on…
This, plus it's particular position in the series closing lineup, is the reason why I have never watched it again. Already reeling from the loss of our favorite show, shippers got kicked in the face on the way out. And by ANDREW.
Anyway, I could rant all day... and often do. *G* Thank you so much for this wonderful piece!