I like Fred and think that, despite the fact that she was never the focal point even of her own arc, she was a well-crafted, interesting, beautiful character and I love her. A lot. So there. I completely agree!
I think their mystical connection as Seer and Hero is beautiful It's the mysticism elements like this that add to my love of, say, Willow/Xander, and while I resist Angel/Cordelia over my immense romanticism of Buffy/Angel, I do like the point you make her - how it's almost classical in its conception. I do need to be more well-versed in AtS than I am right now to cast an opinion, though.
I think Gunn and Fred truly loved each other and were cute together. I'm not sad that their ship ended, because I don't think it ever really could have lasted, but in another time or another place, it could have. I'm sad that the 'ship was mishandled and treated just as a means to break Wesley, as was Fred's entire arc. I have to agree with a lot of this, too. I love Fred/Gunn and what it was - and how much it broke me when the 'what could be' couldn't happen anymore. I think their 'ship had its time and dissolved, as normal relationships do, but I was sorry in that there could have been much more between them. I do agree with you about Fred being a plot mechanism for Wesley, and that really was a shame, and again I shouldn't comment as only a somewhat-more-than-casual viewer of AtS. I may get back to you on this!
because both Cordy and Fred were robbed of their agency. The arcs revolve around the other characters reacting to the evil entities posessing the bodies, not the characters' own inner darkness or the way they deal with the evil within. This is an interesting thing within the Jossverse, and its an interesting commentary that I find suggests weakness in some sense. While the evil and the loss of a defined sense of self leads to a downfall for Cordelia, we do not know what may have happened with Illyria - and what would happen next is, I feel, crucial to understanding why the balances had to shift and what could come of Fred's loss.
I'm way too jetlagged to be commenting - thought I better throw in that disclaimer ;)
2. S6 is one of my favorite seasons and I see no big flaws except of course the magic=crack one. I like s6 and despite some gaping things (read: magic=crack) I quite like it, too.
4. I like Tara an awful lot and while she might not be the most compelling character, she's beautiful and lovely and shy and so much like me that, despite knowing I shouldn't, I take it personally when people dislike her. Tara is the character who's most real to me because she is me. And I love her. While I can understand why people think the Willow/Tara relationship was poorly handled, I'm also a die-hard Willow/Tara shipper and I believe in their love. It might not have sizzled, but it was beautiful. Tara was a beautiful character. I found her compelling because her strength and presence was so quietly calm and constant. Willow's my emotional figurehead for the show, but Tara was too good for Willow for a long time there, but I think had Tara not died, the balance in their relationship would slowly have evened out and there would be appreciation and respect like there needed to be - like there could have been in the beginning. I too believe in their love and I think it was strong and beautiful, and yes, I just adore Willow/Tara.
Still, I miss being able to watch stuff uncritically. Oh, I agree! I don't come to this by fandom, though - rather, it's my own studies that have done that. I find it almost impossible to disengage with the media and not be analytical anymore. Most of the time, though, I don't mind :)
8. I don't think I'm a particularly insensative or stupid person, but I didn't see Xander's treatment of Anya as abusive. I don't see it as abusive. Xander was young, and he was confused, and he was trying to be too much too soon. It wasn't abusive at all. I love Xander fiercely.
And I like Willow/Oz, Willow/Tara, Willow/Giles, and Willow/Xander, all for very different reasons. I agree - except for Willow/Giles, but that's another story :)
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I completely agree!
I think their mystical connection as Seer and Hero is beautiful
It's the mysticism elements like this that add to my love of, say, Willow/Xander, and while I resist Angel/Cordelia over my immense romanticism of Buffy/Angel, I do like the point you make her - how it's almost classical in its conception. I do need to be more well-versed in AtS than I am right now to cast an opinion, though.
I think Gunn and Fred truly loved each other and were cute together. I'm not sad that their ship ended, because I don't think it ever really could have lasted, but in another time or another place, it could have. I'm sad that the 'ship was mishandled and treated just as a means to break Wesley, as was Fred's entire arc.
I have to agree with a lot of this, too. I love Fred/Gunn and what it was - and how much it broke me when the 'what could be' couldn't happen anymore. I think their 'ship had its time and dissolved, as normal relationships do, but I was sorry in that there could have been much more between them.
I do agree with you about Fred being a plot mechanism for Wesley, and that really was a shame, and again I shouldn't comment as only a somewhat-more-than-casual viewer of AtS. I may get back to you on this!
because both Cordy and Fred were robbed of their agency. The arcs revolve around the other characters reacting to the evil entities posessing the bodies, not the characters' own inner darkness or the way they deal with the evil within.
This is an interesting thing within the Jossverse, and its an interesting commentary that I find suggests weakness in some sense. While the evil and the loss of a defined sense of self leads to a downfall for Cordelia, we do not know what may have happened with Illyria - and what would happen next is, I feel, crucial to understanding why the balances had to shift and what could come of Fred's loss.
I'm way too jetlagged to be commenting - thought I better throw in that disclaimer ;)
2. S6 is one of my favorite seasons and I see no big flaws except of course the magic=crack one.
I like s6 and despite some gaping things (read: magic=crack) I quite like it, too.
4. I like Tara an awful lot and while she might not be the most compelling character, she's beautiful and lovely and shy and so much like me that, despite knowing I shouldn't, I take it personally when people dislike her. Tara is the character who's most real to me because she is me. And I love her. While I can understand why people think the Willow/Tara relationship was poorly handled, I'm also a die-hard Willow/Tara shipper and I believe in their love. It might not have sizzled, but it was beautiful.
Tara was a beautiful character. I found her compelling because her strength and presence was so quietly calm and constant. Willow's my emotional figurehead for the show, but Tara was too good for Willow for a long time there, but I think had Tara not died, the balance in their relationship would slowly have evened out and there would be appreciation and respect like there needed to be - like there could have been in the beginning. I too believe in their love and I think it was strong and beautiful, and yes, I just adore Willow/Tara.
Still, I miss being able to watch stuff uncritically.
Oh, I agree! I don't come to this by fandom, though - rather, it's my own studies that have done that. I find it almost impossible to disengage with the media and not be analytical anymore. Most of the time, though, I don't mind :)
8. I don't think I'm a particularly insensative or stupid person, but I didn't see Xander's treatment of Anya as abusive.
I don't see it as abusive. Xander was young, and he was confused, and he was trying to be too much too soon. It wasn't abusive at all. I love Xander fiercely.
And I like Willow/Oz, Willow/Tara, Willow/Giles, and Willow/Xander, all for very different reasons.
I agree - except for Willow/Giles, but that's another story :)