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Date Posted: 12:50:27 01/05/06 Thu
Author: Sunshine
Subject: Buffy as Field Marshall
In reply to: skpe 's message, "Re: Buffys lack of reaction to Xanders eye" on 07:13:18 01/05/06 Thu

Field-marshal Von Buffy pretty much lost her humanity in S7
I take this as a negative evaluation of Buffy’s leadership in S7. I think that is probably in keeping with the intent of the writers but I don’t see it that way. Okay, she did have that superiority/inferiority battle going on internally but I see her actions as that of a leader who has matured and understands the situation she finds herself in. She is now leading a larger and basically unknown and untested group of fighters, not just the Scooby gang. S7 was all about power and the way one employs that power (same for Angel S5). Buffy’s attitude reminds me of Wesley in Pylea when he says “You try to get no one killed and you end up getting everyone killed”. I think Buffy was emotionally torn by the actions that she was required to take but I think her basic reaction was correct. In specific:

Anya in Selfless – she was a mass murdering demon by her own choice. What was Buffy to do – send her to Dr. Phil to work out her inner conflicts? Anya was one of my favorite characters but at that point, I didn’t see a way out. Maybe Buffy could have thought outside the box like Willow but I judge that a failure of imagination, not a lack of humanity

Spike – well Spike had recently tried to rape her so her initial reticence is certainly understandable. In fact, Buffy soon became aware of Spike’s changed circumstances and was entirely supportive for the rest of the season. Spike certainly latched on to Buffy’s believe in him – even when tortured by the First, his certainty that Buffy would come for him never wavered. I think Buffy gave Spike what he needed when he needed it and he in turn (in Touched) provided her what she needed, a touching symmetry in my mind.

Cloe – to react with a “oh poor, poor Cloe” act would have been the absolutely worse thing Buffy could have done. She was trying to hold together the coalition of the barely willing – she needed to project strength and determination or the morale of the potentials would have plummeted. What was she supposed to do - hold up suicide as a viable option for the troubled potentials? Several times she indicated her distress at what she was asking of her troops but a leader has to quash the self pity in the bud or you end up with a completely dysfunctional army.

Giles – if one of my associates had done what Giles did in LMPTM, I would have had him hung at morning formation, not merely shut him out. As it turns out, Spike was THE critical piece of the final victory (this is, I must admit, open to vigorous debate). If Giles plan had succeeded, the First would have won. But even beyond that, it was a betrayal of monstrous proportions. Buffy had led the fight for seven years and had earned the support of all. I think to go behind her back to remove what she perceived as her most important weapon was unforgivable. As far as I am concerned, Giles should have stayed in England as he provided virtually no help, other than to terrify poor Chao-Ahn with lactose and gruesome flash cards.

All this is not to say that Buffy did not make mistakes and could have handled the situation with more tact. However, this was foreign territory and Buffy was trying to learn how to lead an army in a dire situation where their very survival was in question. All in all, I think she did pretty well.

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