I feel like such a shit for not realising that Faith raped Riley. Because, yes.
Otherwise, I see the pattern you see. I'm not sure what to say about it apart from :( . Long before S8 started I'd concluded that Joss wasn't very good at feminism (in the sense of fully expunging his societally ingrained misogyny), so it hasn't been utterly surprising so much as depressing to see it come to such a head in S8.
To tangent: I think Buffy is a hero and the sort of figure a feminist world needs, but I don't think Buffy was a specifically feminist show. That we had a hero who was a woman was a feminist concept, and I was glad to see these issues being worked out with a female protagonist, but otherwise I didn't find the plotlines that were supposed to be about feminist triumph that triumphant, and too many other plotlines fell into dodgy territory. I have such love for Wishverse!Buffy, because for one episode we had a forthright woman who could be aggressive without being made to rely on her sexuality (compared with Faith, Veruca, Lilah (ish), Cordelia (ish - though note how, as she becomes fluffy and approachable, she stops wearing Cordy-style clothes; proof by inversion - is that a thing?) and, ooh, not evil like Maggie Walsh.
OK, this is a tangent squared, but I really can't stand it in the gift where Buffy saves that nerdboi, who's like 'but you're just a girl' and Buffy replies 'that's what I keep saying'. Because my Buffy would NEVER SAY THAT. (This would be representative of an issue with how Buffy has to be girlish and frivolous at the same time as she's the Slayer for a lot of the early seasons. Why? Give me Buffy who just blinks at Principal Wood and tells him what a bastinada is. Let her be witty and in control of her emotions. Maybe it says something to allow a loved up teengirl be a hero, but I'd just love a story where teengirls don't have to draw hearts on their notebooks and cry into their ice cream. Though that's probably personal preference than an actual feminism!fail.)
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Otherwise, I see the pattern you see. I'm not sure what to say about it apart from :( . Long before S8 started I'd concluded that Joss wasn't very good at feminism (in the sense of fully expunging his societally ingrained misogyny), so it hasn't been utterly surprising so much as depressing to see it come to such a head in S8.
To tangent: I think Buffy is a hero and the sort of figure a feminist world needs, but I don't think Buffy was a specifically feminist show. That we had a hero who was a woman was a feminist concept, and I was glad to see these issues being worked out with a female protagonist, but otherwise I didn't find the plotlines that were supposed to be about feminist triumph that triumphant, and too many other plotlines fell into dodgy territory. I have such love for Wishverse!Buffy, because for one episode we had a forthright woman who could be aggressive without being made to rely on her sexuality (compared with Faith, Veruca, Lilah (ish), Cordelia (ish - though note how, as she becomes fluffy and approachable, she stops wearing Cordy-style clothes; proof by inversion - is that a thing?) and, ooh, not evil like Maggie Walsh.
OK, this is a tangent squared, but I really can't stand it in the gift where Buffy saves that nerdboi, who's like 'but you're just a girl' and Buffy replies 'that's what I keep saying'. Because my Buffy would NEVER SAY THAT. (This would be representative of an issue with how Buffy has to be girlish and frivolous at the same time as she's the Slayer for a lot of the early seasons. Why? Give me Buffy who just blinks at Principal Wood and tells him what a bastinada is. Let her be witty and in control of her emotions. Maybe it says something to allow a loved up teengirl be a hero, but I'd just love a story where teengirls don't have to draw hearts on their notebooks and cry into their ice cream. Though that's probably personal preference than an actual feminism!fail.)
Um. I liked your post?