Well, let it be said that I mostly ship them either A) when he has a soul YAY S7! or B) based on potential in S5. I love what they did with the relationship in S6 (except for the AR, which was poorly executed; it could have been handled much better), but I don't ship them then. Neither one of them were in a position to have a healthy relationship at that point, and they certainly weren't healthy.
But. In S6, she was still in control the vast majority of the time. So even when she was weak, when she was making bad decisions, etc. she was still in control of her own destiny (except for "Seeing Red"). That's what makes me most upset about Angel--he constantly tries to make decisions for her and is SO DAMN PATRONIZING. Anyway, in my paper, I wrote about Buffy and Spike as a Foucauldian binary with Buffy on top and Spike trying to displace her, but he only--almost--manages in "Seeing Red," which is about him trying to assert his "masculinity" after an entire show wherein he plays the female role--and it backfires. Big time. Him trying to embrace a stereotypically masculine role is damaging and hurtful. (I was actually going to write my paper about Buffy having one foot in the feminine and one foot in the masculine and that when she gets out of balance things are bad, but I got sidetracked. I'd still like to write that.) But the binary settles again with Buffy on top in S7, and she stays there.
Throughout S7, Spike plays the damsel role, Buffy's the knight, protecting and saving him. It's fascinating stuff. They're constantly undermining gender assumptions AND I LOVE IT.
Also, I had a conversation yesterday about how Spike is the housewife in any future relationship they have. Hee!
My enjoyment of both S6 and their relationship in general is very specific to me. I don't at all think that any of my conclusions were intended by the writers, but the author's dead, right? And I can see how people would arrive at other conclusions. But it just hits a ton of my feminist kinks. rahirah always says that they're the best queer couple she ever saw on TV--she never connected to Willow/Tara as a lesbian, but she connected to the metaphor for being in the closet that's prevelant all through the Buffy/Spike relationship.
ANYWAY. I've rambled enough about this! So I'll say that your icon is so very pretty and:
i TOTALLY HAVE MEMORIZED A+ WILLIAM i c ur poetry thar. LOVE. IT.
[eta] YES! ALL OF THAT IN SPACE. YES YES YES. That would be my TV soulmate.
no subject
But. In S6, she was still in control the vast majority of the time. So even when she was weak, when she was making bad decisions, etc. she was still in control of her own destiny (except for "Seeing Red"). That's what makes me most upset about Angel--he constantly tries to make decisions for her and is SO DAMN PATRONIZING. Anyway, in my paper, I wrote about Buffy and Spike as a Foucauldian binary with Buffy on top and Spike trying to displace her, but he only--almost--manages in "Seeing Red," which is about him trying to assert his "masculinity" after an entire show wherein he plays the female role--and it backfires. Big time. Him trying to embrace a stereotypically masculine role is damaging and hurtful. (I was actually going to write my paper about Buffy having one foot in the feminine and one foot in the masculine and that when she gets out of balance things are bad, but I got sidetracked. I'd still like to write that.) But the binary settles again with Buffy on top in S7, and she stays there.
Throughout S7, Spike plays the damsel role, Buffy's the knight, protecting and saving him. It's fascinating stuff. They're constantly undermining gender assumptions AND I LOVE IT.
Also, I had a conversation yesterday about how Spike is the housewife in any future relationship they have. Hee!
My enjoyment of both S6 and their relationship in general is very specific to me. I don't at all think that any of my conclusions were intended by the writers, but the author's dead, right? And I can see how people would arrive at other conclusions. But it just hits a ton of my feminist kinks.
ANYWAY. I've rambled enough about this! So I'll say that your icon is so very pretty and:
i TOTALLY HAVE MEMORIZED A+ WILLIAM i c ur poetry thar.
LOVE. IT.
[eta] YES! ALL OF THAT IN SPACE. YES YES YES. That would be my TV soulmate.