(no subject)

[oyceter]

Sparked by superplin's old post:

I loved Buffy through the earlier seasons and admired her and thought she was great, but I never loved her more than in late season 5 and season 6, when she was depressed and downtrodden and angry. I loved her most when she was overwhelmed by the world, when she was thisclose to the breaking point, and when she sometimes crossed over.

Spoilery through Buffy S6

I saw her on the screen beating up Spike with so much self-hatred, and I saw myself in her.

Well, obviously not beating up Spike.

But I understood her then, felt like I had lived under her skin, felt that horrible pressure when nothing works, when everything is just one more thing that wears you down. And while I love Buffy in the earlier seasons, she's not me then. She's ten times better than me, smarter and faster and braver, and I admire her for that. But I've never had real moments of righteous anger, or of kicking villain butt, or of facing death and going on anyway.

So while I adore Buffy before her mother died, I understand Buffy afterwards.

Comments

I feel the same way.

[honorh.livejournal.com]

Having been through depression, I could identify with S6 Buffy. No, it wasn't pleasant, but it was real. I appreciated that the writers and producers were willing to take the risk and show Buffy at her absolute worst, and show that it's not something she could just snap out of.

Re: I feel the same way.

[oyceter]

Me too. And sadly, I deal with depression the same way Buffy does -- I lash out at the people I love, so Buffy made total sense to me instead of seeming unreasonably cruel. Not that she wasn't unreasonably cruel, but the unreasonableness made sense.

And I loved loved loved that ME took their heroine there.