BtVS-Reviews@khom.de

This week's "Touched" had lots of stuff to talk about. First, there's Spike and Buffy. Angel and Buffy's "ideal love" relationship was amazingly written, and in terms of a highschool love, it was the most beautiful love I've ever seen on TV. Well, but we can't stay in high school forever, can we? Buffy got older, and what she got was Spike.;-) I wouldn't call it better, because I think from Buffy's point of view it isn't, but it clearly is more realistically, and fitted wonderful in season 6, portraying Buffy lost in her life. The love was disappointing both for Spike (because he knew Buffy didn't really love him) and for Buffy (though the relationship with Spike helped her skipping reality checks for a couple of times, it didn't help her to tackle the problems she had in life).

Since then, things have changed slightly. Spike has his soul - and Buffy is still looking for her place in life. This week's "Touched" showed, why Buffy still isn't ready to be without Spike. He offers comfort and love, and he doesn't ask for anything in return (well, if he's in the mood not to ask, that is). After Buffy left the others, she needed someone just to be there. Buffy, however, was not the only one.

Faith, exhausted from just a few hours of command, needed Wood, and decisive as she is, took him: a beautifully written scene, marvellously true to the characters, don't you think? Faith, suddenly in command and the "first" among the slayers, something she craved for since she turned up in Sunnydale, but brought about in a way she didn't like, the FE taking the shape of the Mayor (hilaaaarious dialogue, by the way) - it was too much for her. She longed for silence and obliviousness, and for Faith, that is more or less the same as sex. I doubt she loves Wood, but I don't think this is what matters here. He provided the comfort she needed, and he was there as a friend (in a very corporeal way, I admit). It's been a bit of that realism I like Buffy for. It's like her relationship with Spike - no true, deep love, but a strange kind of affection and that little "something" we can't explain, a kind of attraction that ultimately led to the self-destructive relationship we saw in season 6. It's like real life: sometimes you enter a relationship, you do strange things, and you don't realize why you're in it, but somehow you know, it's not love or at least, not love alone. The same with Faith: sometimes it happens, you need the feeling to touch somebody, to become one with him, to forget everything, to make just the moment matter, and sex becomes a special kind of alcool, something you need for the moment, just to forget. It's good to see the facets of life on BtVS, it's not always "I'll only sleep with my great and only love" as on most other shows.

Speaking of love: people on the boards were murmuring for weeks, there's some "hot lesbian love scene" coming up. We saw Willow and Kennedy, but we actually didn't see them making love, and it's good we didn't, by the way. "Hot love scene" actually sounds rather crappy, if you ask me.;-) I loved this scene nevertheless, seeing how Willow tries to overcome the feeling of treachery, and how she needs the love Kennedy gives to her. It's funny to compare the scene to foreign TV, by the way. With my father being grown up in Germany, I grew up both in Europe and in the US, constantly travelling - and with my present job, it hasn't changed much. In most countries, it's not a problem to show people making love at 6 pm, and even showing a naked woman from head to foot at the same time - barely anyone will complain, but they actually do complain, if there's violence, shootings and killing on TV before 8 pm. It's interesting, how different things sometimes are. We saw Willow skinning and killing Warren on TV, but we never came to see her uncovered breasts, or those of anybody else on the show. I am not saying, they oughta undress everybody (though it would be fun), but isn't it interesting that most TV viewers are more afraid to see a naked body on TV than a skinned one? What does that say about us?

I LOVED to see Spike and Andrew interacting. It was a lotta fun, and I guess, it won't take too much time till the first Sp/An shippers are around.

In terms of plotting, this week's "Touched" wasn't the greatest Buffy show. Faith and the SIT's were quick to enter the dungeon and it wasn't really clear, what they're up against or why they act so fast after all that happened with them last time they were standing up against the FE. I didn't completely understand, why Buffy went to see Caleb. Was it some kind of kamikaze attack? What did she hope to accomplish? Killing him? Certainly not? Finding the mystic axe? Well, she didn't say anything about that. The ending was a bit like a dream.

Let's get back to my theory I talked about in my review of 7.15. GID. It has been featured on radio and in some print publications as of now. I feel very honored that so many of you think, it can turn out as I described. Buffy not the slayer, but the guardian, and by closing the hellmouth losing her powers - yeah, nothing happened to contradict me, as of now, as of now... who knows, what 7.21 will bring? ;-)

What did you think of "Touched"? I am looking forward to hearing from you! Don't hesitate to write!

Shortcuts: BtVS 7.20. Touched

What happened?
Buffy talked with Spike about what happened and how she feels, Faith met the FE shaped like the Mayor and slept with Wood, Willow and Kennedy had a last shag before the big battle is about to start - and then Faith and the SIT's found weapons and a ticking time bomb in some obscure dungeon, Buffy fought Caleb and discovered a mystic axe stuck in some Arthurian stone.

Topics addressed?
The whole show was about how the Scoobies feel right now, and how they cope with it - or try coping anyway.

Any strange things?
Willow didn't even think of curing Xander, the ending seemed a bit strange, almost like a dream.

Was it good or not?
It was okay. Three stakes out of five.

What do you hope for?
Well, I really hope UPN doesn't suspend BtVS again.;-)

Feedback (updated frequently)

Faith: Carl writes, it's good to have Faith back - and he thinks, the Wood scene will get more important later on. Perhaps a Wood/Faith child? Let's hope not!

Yours,
Tom Ahrendt
zeitenflug@yahoo.com.

back