I'm not on the Twilight bandwagon. I don't like dark, broody vampires and I hate Bella swooning all over Edward. I like my heroines strong and my vampires bad. This is the reason why I'm such a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. If one person knows how to write strong women, its Joss Whedon, the creator of the series. Buffy, Willow, Anya, Faith, Dawn, and Tara are all excellent characters. They had strong personalities and would never qualify as a "Mary Sue." Oh yeah, and the vamps? They are the bad guys - even the main vampires, Angel and Spike, aren't pinnacles of goodness. Anyway, I managed to watch all seven seasons within a year (okay, I did skip bits of seasons three, four, and six) and I still can't believe how awesome the series is and how insanely different it is from Twilight.
Season Eight of Buffy has given me a chance to hope that Buffy and Xander may finally become a couple. Jane Espenson teased it in the last volume and I still don't know whether to have hope or not. Espenson always liked those two together and I can only hope that Joss feels the same way. You see, the moment Xander skated into the handrail outside of Sunnydale High in the first episode, I wanted him and Buffy to get together. I am not one to root for vampire/human relationships. I do think Buffy should be with a human in the end. Xander would be so much healthier for her than Angel, Spike, or even Riley. Of course, all this is coming from the girl who wholeheartedly shipped Spuffy from the first time Spike came on the scene. I'm not proud of my fickleness. Deep down, I've always rooted for Xander, but I just got distracted sometimes.
By Season Four, I was very distracted from my hopes for Xander. Spike was finally becoming a weekly character and the writers were beginning to tease us with Spuffy love. Something Blue, in particular, was meant to be a wish fulfillment episode for those who shipped Buffy and Spike like myself. At the time of writing it, the writers may or may not have known the course the next season would take. (Spike falls in love with Buffy in Season Five and by Season Six, Buffy and Spike actually begin a relationship.) These two may be as dysfunctional as it gets, but I love them together anyways. I know Joss Whedon will never have them end up together and I'm fine with that. This is why Something Blue is so great: we get to see what Buffy and Spike would have been like together if things had been different. Needless to say, this episode is one of my favorites.
In Something Blue, Willow is reeling after Oz leaves her. Unfortunately, no one has the time to comfort her. Xander is busy with Anya. Giles has Spike tied up in his bathtub. And Buffy is just beginning to date Riley. Willow becomes desperate to get rid of the pain and tries to cast a spell to help her get over Oz. Of course, everything goes haywire. Xander becomes a demon magnet, Buffy and Spike get engaged, and Giles loses his sight. Its a lot of fun watching Buffy and Spike plan their wedding and be all cuddly together. It is even more fun to watch the reactions of Giles and the rest of the Scoobies. They are freaked out about lovey-dovey Spike and Buffy for obvious reasons. Buffy is a brilliantly written show and while there are episodes which are better (The Body and Once More with Feeling), you'll be hard pressed to find one which is more fun.
Oh well, maybe I'm still a bit distracted with hopes of Spuffy.
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