Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Headscratchers/General: Difference between revisions
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**** Buffy was a terrible commander though! They where completely right in ousting her, she was obviously not able to handle the situation and many of her command decisions had gotten people killed. She was also so poor at keeping up morale that her troops where literally killing themselves because of the hopelessness of the situation. In a case like this she probably should have been replaced, although instead of Faith Willow would have probably been the best candidate because of the previous aptitude for tactical thinking she had shown at the start of season six.
**** Willow would be a horrible candidate as commander in season 7. One, she has no leadership skills at all and sucks at public speaking -- she could coordinate the Scooby Gang because they've already known her for years, but the idea of Willow rapidly convincing a bunch of teenaged strangers already suffering a morale crisis that yes, she can lead them to victory and they should trust her with their fates, is ludicrous. Second, Willow's in no fit mental state to command. People still in magic detox and less than six months off a world-destroying psychotic break should not be given command responsibility in life-or-death situations. Hell, they shouldn't be fighting ''at all'', but things have already reached the desperation stage so that much is at least understandable.
**** Personally, I forget why Giles wasn't just in command anyway (he's the eldest, by far the most experienced, and hardly socially inept), but if he's already passed on the job for some reason then the best candidate is Xander. Before you laugh, remember that Xander ''already has'' successfully led a small army of teenagers in a battle vs. supernatural forces -- he was the infantry commander during Graduation Day, as well as the 'key guy' in the overall plan to kill the Mayor. Anybody who can convince 200+ high school students who only started practicing with weapons last week to stand up and follow him into hell vs. a 300-foot demon snake and a small army of vampires should have ''no'' problem getting the fighting spirit going in a group of Slayer Potentials who have already accepted the existence of the supernatural and enlisted to fight against it. As for the problem that Xander is not physically up to leading field teams from the front, not being enhanced in any way, the solution is simple; the position of 'frontline leader/ass kicker of boots' and 'commanding officer' are traditionally separate in
*** I found Season 6 and 7 got better as I got older. I came to Buffy late, and watched all the episodes when I was about 16-18, and much more enjoyed the high school seasons, when the characters were 16-18. Now that I'm approaching 20, I suddenly understand the later season much more. Having had a minor substance problem, I don't even see Willow's storyline as being Narmic anymore, because the experience is Narmic in reality, and I hated Willow's storyline originally. The schizophrenic nature of Season 4, the sense of lack of place of Season 5 and 6, now all make a lot more sense now I'm older, and I like them almost as much as the earlier season.
*** I also came to Buffy late (I was 20 by the time I started watching), and I found that season 6 was really very good. Maybe it also benefits from marathon viewing instead of waiting a week between episodes, I'm not sure. But I felt that the themes and ideas of season 6 really worked for me. No, it isn't the best season (an honor I would assign to season 5), but it was definitely not terrible, either. Season 7 was deeply flawed and there were a lot of times I felt the writers had just entirely forgotten what the characters were like (the mutiny being a massive wall banger for me), but I still don't think it was the worst season. I'd say the first season was the worst, not because it was bad, but because it hadn't yet found its footing or uncovered the depth the series would later develop.
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