The Ramblings of Elyse

Some days I need to watch something entirely fictional that I know will break my heart into tiny, tiny pieces.

There are two things that will do it so incredibly well, well that I think will, I haven't entirely tested the second one but the first that I know will do it incredibly well is Becoming. The Season Two finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Yes, I said "Becoming" because I mean the full episode. It is really the last part of Becoming part 2 that does it, but the entire double header is fantastic.

But before I get started allow me to explain some things.
Buffy is definitely, without a doubt my favourite TV show of all time. I know every episode and know a lot of quotes and trivia, I can quote it in my sleep.
That isn't a lie, I was once at a Buffy night and I was super tired and started to fall asleep on the lounge and as doing so I was talking along with the TV. It was School Hard, episode three of Season Two. The introduction of Spike. *shudder*.

I can go in a lot of depth about Buffy and I can and will identify the faults. I've yet to find a Buffy fan that has a problem with this, I know plenty of Firefly fans that seem to take great issue with it.

The Fanboys make me not like Firefly.
I'll probably write my issues with Firefly at a later stage and I'm sure it will get me plenty of abuse.
I've been told that my Firefly views would get me either killed, maimed or banned from a Geek Club.
Which, I find insulting to geeks because clearly talking about these details to a crazy degree is awesome! It's also fun with people that have opposing views.
Oh sorry... Firefly fans... They don't have that.


Anyway, where was I?

Becoming part 2 is the high point of Buffy.
Becoming part 1 is all set up, so it is a bit hard to judge, I like it enough, but all the pay off is in part two.
That being said, I love Angel flashback episodes... Except Amends coz that kind of sucks, but all the episodes that deal with Angel's past are awesome!
When they involve more Spike, not so awesome. I'm looking at you, Fool for Love and Why We Fight. Though, Fool for Love is more Spike's story and pales compared to Darla, which is the Angel episode that aired at the same time.

Ultimately, the biggest set up is my favourite scene in all of the Buffy, Angel and Firefly and that is the scene after Angel and Buffy fight in the cementary and lays the trap that brings the entire season full circle.
It's not always about Buffy and indeed, she does fall for it every time and in that moment Buffy gets the fucks out of there and runs to the library, but alas, she is too late.
That scene as Buffy runs through the hall way of Sunnydale High in Slow mo as the music plays, it is the Angel and Buffy theme which is called "Close Your Eyes", very apt, no?
With the voice over from Whistler and I'm not going to lie, I kind of love voice overs.
That and the voice over from Passion are some of the greatest lines ever.
Not so much in quoting, because I think one day if started quoting them, I'd get called a nutbag.

So, I'm going to block quote, because I can.
This is the Becoming part 1 Whistler Voice Over:

Bottom line is, even if you see 'em coming, you're not ready
for the big moments.
No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it
does.
So what are we, helpless? Puppets? No. The big moments are
gonna come. You can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that
counts. That's when you find out who you are.

And the Passion Monologue.
This is actually broken up into three pieces in the episode.

"Passion. It lies in all of us. Sleeping ... waiting ... and though unwanted, unbidden, it will stir ... open its jaws and howl. It speaks to us ... guides us. Passion rules us all. And we obey. What other choice do we have?

Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love ... the clarity of hatred ... the ecstasy of grief.

It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion, maybe we'd know some kind of peace. But we would be hollow. Empty rooms, shuttered and dank. Without passion, we'd be truly dead.

I kind of wish I didn't love them so much, I have a way too deep association with them.

It is the passion that kind of makes things interesting.
I've been told far too often statements regarding passion in various things, it's generally in a work context that you've got to be passionate about it and I think it was thrown around at the meeting on Sunday.

I really don't think they'd appreciate me quoting that in the context of a Christian Youth Group. It would be kind of funny though.

The big moments are gonna come, nothing is gonna stop them, but it is what happens afterwards that counts.


I lost my train of thought somewhere.
I think it was when I was called downstairs for more or less a family meeting... which now makes that Whistler speech very appropriate.

I know it is a very big call to state that my favourite scene is the Buffy running down a hall, but it is beautifully shot, combined with the music and the voice over. Nothing can come close to that.

The thing that makes the big difference between this season of Buffy and what comes afterwards is that they weren't afraid to not go all the way out. No one was safe.

I watch Passion and EVERY Single Time, I think that Buffy is going to save Miss Calender or that Giles is, anything other than "This is where you get off", with the shot of Angel taking great glee in snapping the neck of Miss Calender.

In Becoming, Kendra dies and not a heroic death. Kendra doesn't save anyone, she dies, Giles is kidnapped and tortured, Willow is almost killed, Xander's arm is snapped and Cordy stands around until told to get out and runs for it- "not so brave".

The thing that is even better, much like in Season One when Buffy is prophesied to die, she does. They don't find a magic bullet that saves the day. She dies. It was written. She died. There was no twist, nothing to save her.
Xander brings her back, but not in time.

Becoming is the same, if Angel opens it, then only Angel can close the portal. Willow gets her spell in time, but it's not enough.
There was no magic bullet.
It was straight, He opens it, then he has to die.

After that, it doesn't happen any more.
In Season three- Faith survives. She's in a coma, but she survives.
Season four- no one is in any serious danger
Season five- Dawn HAS to die! If the portal opens, then she dies! Oh wait... no... It's ok, Buffy can die for her.
You try season 5, you try so hard, but got nothing.
Season 6- Tara dies, much controversy on the interwebs! Willow wants revenge... Kills Warren, wants more revenge tries to kill Andrew and Jonathon and then tries to destroy the world?
Wait... what?
Sorry?
But yes, unlike everyone else that has ever tried to destroy the world doesn't get killed in the end. Buffy doesn't even get to save the day.
Season 7, oh season 7. You cause so much heartache for my Buffy loving ways. So, so much heartache.
I've watched you in full once. I hate Chosen most of all.
Chosen recieves a lot of my ire.
Once again, Buffy doesn't save the day and her plan is STUPID!
However, not the place for that rant.
Xander should have died in Dirty Girls. He should have died instead of just getting his eye removed.
How much more fucking awesome would it be if Xander died and then the First used his form to taunt everyone.
Seriously.
Fucking awesome, but nope, not how they went through with it.


Basically, they tried for the shocking in later seasons, but nothing can compare to the unbridled shocking revelations that happened in season 2.
Season 2 is perfection.

Not technical perfection, there are a lot of holes and some of the one offs are pretty dodgy, but the entire emotion of the season?
I can't beat that.

Faith ending up at the Mayor's Door at the end of Consequences is nothing compared to Buffy coming to Angel's door during Innocence wondering what happened to her boyfriend. The "you were a pro" statement, way more shocking.

Angel returning to the Spike and Dru fold, changed the dynamics of that crew as well as the season, if not the entire show, way more then Faith's turn to the dark side.

I need to clarify.
I like Faith, I think she is pretty awesome. In Season 3 and definitely in Season Seven, when once she is back is a different ball game and it brings it up to a completely different level.
I love what Faith does in Season 3 to everyone, the not so stable aspect and all that kind of thing.

Faith and Buffy have the best fights of the entire series, from Revelations to Graduation Day part 1 and the epic This Years Girl fight where the entire Summers' House is a weapon. The only fight that comes close is the sword fight in Becoming part 2, no matter how obvious the stunt doubles are.

I lose my track way too easily when I talk about Buffy, too many tangents.

I'm trying to stick with purely Becoming part 2, but it's hard to do not in context with anything else.

So, I'll go back to the beginning.
The reason why the episode breaks my heart like no other?

It's the montage.
I lose it every time as soon as Sarah McLachlan's Fully of Grace starts up.
I actually have that song on my iPod, ok, I have a lot of music that has appeared on Buffy on my iPod but every time that song comes up, I just get the montage in my mind and lose it a little bit.

It's actually not the only time Sarah McLachlan is played in Buffy, she also has a song in Grave, the finale of Season 6, the song being "The Prayer of St Francis"
Which is the actual Prayer of St Francis of Assisi being sang, which a little weird now I think of it.
That montage just WISHES it was the Full of Grace version.

It is the imagery that goes with it.
Buffy won. She beat the bad guy... except, in the end he wasn't the bad guy because Plan A had worked. Willow worked the mojo, Angel got his soul, except too late. She still had to send him to hell.
Buffy walks home in the early dawn...
Sarah McLachlan continues...

If I could find the montage legally, I would link it.
It also features my favourite piece of Buffy clothing.
The Sad Overalls!

I forgot they were even the montage, which shocks me.
But Buffy watching her friends from afar and thinking that is the last she'll see of them.
Man, just man.

I have no words to describe the utter hopelessness.

One of the things that I have never noticed before my viewing today is Buffy's own resolve face.
Joyce gets a lot of crap on the interwebs for throwing out the "you leave here, don't expect to come back", which is the only card she has left.
Buffy has just laid everything on the table and explained the past 2 or 3 away and just dropped it and has to leave. She's just discovered that ultimately she has no power in the mother/daughter game EXCEPT for the threat of you leave, don't expect to come back.
And there is just this look when Buffy leaves that is very much a mentally preparing that she is going back, she leaves and Joyce regrets it there.

It's that look of resolution that I've never noticed, Willow points hers out, but no way as impressive as that one scene.

Then leaving the note and fleeing.

Talking about card metaphors... We have the ace in the hole of Spike.
I have no problem with Spike is Season 2. Well, other then a few inconsistencies, which were much more apparent over time.
The main one is in the first description of the books of Spike.
Spike has always been shown that he is way too impulsive and rash for torture, the whole railroad spike through the head?
Nah, I could never believe it. Thankfully, Fool For Love agrees with me on that one.

There was also a few times when he got away way too easily, but I do appreciate the survival instinct and the flight option, it was a nice change.

My issues with Spike come from his later appearances and generally back track, but he annoys me less.

I like the Spike ace in the hole, other then Buffy invites him in to her house and leaves him unaccompanied with Joyce. Still sworn enemy and hasn't done all that much for that kind of trust.
I'm thinking of the Darla incident in Angel... The episode Angel.

I particularly like the exchange "I hate you" "and I'm all you've got".

Spike was coming from a purely selfish point of view and not trying to be noble, but trying to save his own skin and get Dru back because he is a ponce trying to act tough to try and match up to the top dog.
Which is the most consistent portrayal of Spike there is.

The Spike rant in all it's glory will eventually come to a computer screen near you.


I think there is too much Buffy knowledge right there.

So, til next time,
I'm Elyse and that was my rant.



I will take requests on rants, especially if they are Buffy related.