I have thoughts! The thing about Grave, he only reaches that point because he's hit rock bottom. When he's complaining earlier on the run with Dawn about how he doesn't have powers, that's essential for his character. Because he has to realize that he can do nothing but show up. That's all he can do and he does it.
I mean, that's pretty much the foundation of Xander's character construction. He's the guy who always shows up. He'll follow you down into the Master's cave, he'll follow you into hell, he'll stare down a power mad, grief stricken witch because where else is he gonna be? His friends need him. What can he do? Nothing. What does he do? He shows up.
It's not about him being insightful or about him self-actualizing, but that by being torn down, he's forced to realize that he has nothing. You know, if nothing we do matters, all that matters is what we do. Xander is like that: if nothing I do matters, than the only thing I can do is what matters. All he can do is show up and say, "I'm here for you."
That's a great virtue, I think. And it's one Xander's always had with him. A degree of loyalty that overrides all sense of self-preservation. So it's not something he needed to learn in Grave, but something he needed to rediscover in himself. I think his talking with Buffy in Seeing Red is what bridges Entropy to Grave, also having Buffy nearly die, and running around being able to do nothing to help at all. It drives home to him that his only virtue is just being supportive and so he decides that's what he's going to be because it's the only thing he can do.
I think that's why he outgrows his petty tendencies. He spends the Dark Willow arc hitting road block after road block. His friends and the world are imploding and this his realization: I show up, that's all I can do and maybe I'll die doing it, but I always show up for you.
Re: I don't have it in me to be a hater today (maybe ever, but definitely not today)
I mean, that's pretty much the foundation of Xander's character construction. He's the guy who always shows up. He'll follow you down into the Master's cave, he'll follow you into hell, he'll stare down a power mad, grief stricken witch because where else is he gonna be? His friends need him. What can he do? Nothing. What does he do? He shows up.
It's not about him being insightful or about him self-actualizing, but that by being torn down, he's forced to realize that he has nothing. You know, if nothing we do matters, all that matters is what we do. Xander is like that: if nothing I do matters, than the only thing I can do is what matters. All he can do is show up and say, "I'm here for you."
That's a great virtue, I think. And it's one Xander's always had with him. A degree of loyalty that overrides all sense of self-preservation. So it's not something he needed to learn in Grave, but something he needed to rediscover in himself. I think his talking with Buffy in Seeing Red is what bridges Entropy to Grave, also having Buffy nearly die, and running around being able to do nothing to help at all. It drives home to him that his only virtue is just being supportive and so he decides that's what he's going to be because it's the only thing he can do.
I think that's why he outgrows his petty tendencies. He spends the Dark Willow arc hitting road block after road block. His friends and the world are imploding and this his realization: I show up, that's all I can do and maybe I'll die doing it, but I always show up for you.