Buffy the Vampire Slayer (3x12) - Helpless

[fajrdrako]

Buffy 3x12 - Helpless

~ ~ ~

Interesting story here because of Giles' role. It is interesting to Buffy being helpless; a hint of what she would be like if she were 'normal', with dangers still to deal with; and a hint of how thoroughly she has accepted her identity as a slayer.

1. I like scenes of Angel and Buffy practising martial arts together. It's the kind of thing they can and should do; and it's nicely physical, as a sex-substitute. And their 'satisfied' conversation was cute.
   
   
2. Why does Buffy have to study vibratory stones? Isn't that more Willow's line? How can cleansing her aura help Buffy fight vampires?
   
   
3. I like Buffy's line (contrasting herself to Faith): "I hate being the good one."
   
   
4. Buffy is not feeling well and Giles is not helping. I like the way Giles seems tense and out of sorts.
   
   
5. I love Buffy's enjoyment of skating.
   
   
6. And I love Oz's philosophical attitude: "Ice is cool! It's water, but it's not."
   
   
7. And I like Willow's comment on Buffy's 18th birthday: "But eighteen is a big one, Buffy. I mean, you can vote now. You can be drafted. You can vote not to be drafted." Buffy's reply, and Xander's reply to her reply, are delightful:

   Buffy: I think I'll choose to celebrate this one with quiet reflection.
   Xander: Where is it written that quiet reflection can't be combined with cake and funny hats?

8. Then Buffy's father bails on the outing. I find myself wondering how often she sees him. Is this an 'only on the birthday' thing, meaning it will be a year till she sees him again? Or does it mean that she might see him in a few weeks or months?
   
   
9. I found it touching and sad that Buffy wanted Giles to take her in her father's place, and he acted oblivious. I know he couldn't explain; that makes it all the worse.
   
   
10. Amy has a wheel and a bell. Lucky Amy.
    
    
11. So we find out from Quentin Travers that this is 'cruciamentum', in which the Slayer is tested (maybe to the death). So Slayers not only have demons and vampires trying to kill them, they have Watchers doing the same. Charming.
    
    
12. Why are they not hunting down Faith and doing this to her? Okay... it's not her birthday. Bust she's bound to have a birthday sometime.
    
    
13. Kralik. Another demon with a Highlander-type name.
    
    
14. Love the kryptonite conversation between Xander and Oz. Sometimes I love those guys.
    
    
15. Blair is a gullible sucker.
    
    
16. I like it that Angel gave Buffy Sonnets from the Portuguese - do we ever get a reference to that again? I like it that he's reassuring: "Buffy, you could never be helpless or boring, not even if you tried." Also loved his speech about her heart, whether it was romantic or gross.
    
    
17. Then Kralik attacks Buffy and Giles confesses everything to her. He should have done it sooner. It's not like Giles to do the wrong thing under orders. "In matters of tradition and protocol, I must answer to the Council." He's not often so obedient. What did they do to he who was once Ripper, to make him so devoted to their rules?
    
    
18. Cordelia: "Oh, God. Is the world ending? I have to research a paper on Bosnia for tomorrow, but if the world's ending, I'm not gonna bother." For once, I like her priorities.
    
    
19. Again Joyce is kidnapped by the villain. Hmmph. I'm not too fond of that. I suppose she isn't, either.
    
    
20. Kralik said, "I have a problem with mothers. I'm aware of that." Is he a foreshadowing of Jubal Early?
    
    
21. So Giles says to Quentin, "I don't give a rat's ass about the Council's orders. There will be no test." Why didn't he say that a lot sooner? Like before Kralik got away? Giles, Giles, your timing stinks. Love his line: "This is not business."
    
    
22. Buffy pulls the old trick with Holy Water on Kralik. Hee. It's an old chestnut, but I always love that. Remember when John Constantine did that to the Devil?
    
    
23. Nice lines:

    Quentin: We're not in the business of fair, Miss Summers, we're fighting a war.
    Giles: You're *waging* a war. She's fighting it. There is a difference.

    Good thing Buffy is not doing this in order to please the Council. The balance of power between Watchers and the Slayers always confuses me.
    
    
24. Giles is fired. Is there any reason he should care? Did the Watchers Council pay him a huge salary to buy occult books?
    
    
25. When Xander said to Buffy, "Give you a hand with that, little lady?" I think he was lucky to escape with his life.

So: I really, really enjoyed this episode and I'd be cheering about how it was my third-favourite of the season or something, except for the trouble I had with Giles' role. On the one hand, I love it all the more because the story is centred on Giles and his dilemma: is his allegiance to the Council, or to Buffy?

But the story isn't told as being that of Giles' dilemma, it's told as being that of Buffy's betrayal by the Watcher she trusted, which is heart-wrenching but not quite the story I wanted to see - it's what one would expect. I'd rather know why Giles felt it proper to go along with the Council's nasty test in the first place. How he went from being the powerful rebel-magician he was in his youth, to being the meek servant of the not-so-wise Council, even at the expense of Buffy's welfare.

If it was easy for him to change his mind when Kralik was out and hunting, why didn't he change him mind earlier, when he knew it was going to happen?

I like these questions. It's fun to play with the answers. I just wish the episode had dealt with these questions, too.

Comments

[sizequeen.livejournal.com]

"it's told as being that of Buffy's betrayal by the Watcher she trusted"

Not the *Watcher* Buffy trusted; it's the *father* that Buffy trusted. In a previous response to your reviews I wrote anytime Giles is expected to act as a father, he fails spectacularly. He loves Buffy, but he is *not* her father. Buffy can depend on him for certain but not for others.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Not the *Watcher* Buffy trusted

Well... not after this episode, no. [g]

it's the *father* that Buffy trusted.

And mentor, and friend. The whole caboodle. Probably the person she trusted most.

I'm not sure that this was just his more fatherly role that was betrayed, though. It was more... his role as protector that was blown to hell. The father-role was played up in the conversation about the tickets to the ice show, but the important betrayal was not of the paternal role but of what Buffy expected of her Watcher.

I am, in fact, somewhat shocked that Giles went along with this as far as he did.

[janne-d.livejournal.com]

OMG, I'm so behind! I've only just watched Amends and Gingerbread - well, actually I stopped halfway through Gingerbread because I was bored. Sacrilege! I don't know, it just wasn't engaging me for some reason.

I will try to remember to comment on this one later when I've watched it...

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, "Helpless" is only the next one.

I stopped halfway through Gingerbread because I was bored. Sacrilege! I don't know, it just wasn't engaging me for some reason.

Maybe because it's a really stupid script? It has its moments, but... really. Not Joss's best day.

I will try to remember to comment on this one later when I've watched it...

Please do!

[janne-d.livejournal.com]

Right, I've watched it now. With much wincing, until the baby Watchers appeared and I went "hey, look, it's Dominic Keating!" He was far and away the best thing about Enterprise. Not that he had much to do here other than get vamped and die, but it was fun to spot him.

Why does Buffy have to study vibratory stones? Isn't that more Willow's line? How can cleansing her aura help Buffy fight vampires?

Aside from the obvious answer that she needs to be hypnotised so Giles can sneakily inject her, there may be an element of meditation being a tool - centre herself, get in touch with her deeper instincts etc.

I find myself wondering how often she sees him.

I got the definite impression that she doesn't see him much at all. Hence his appearance at her birthday is even more of a big deal and so more hurtful when he doesn't show.

this is 'cruciamentum', in which the Slayer is tested (maybe to the death). So Slayers not only have demons and vampires trying to kill them, they have Watchers doing the same.

And you see where the dislike of the Council comes from. My personal view is that the Council doesn't care if an individual Slayer gets killed in the Cruciamentum - from their point of view it makes no difference to the fight as another one will be called if that happens, and clearly the one that died wasn't good enough anyway. And Buffy's replacement is already on the scene.

Why are they not hunting down Faith and doing this to her?

She hasn't turned 18 yet?

Also loved his speech about her heart, whether it was romantic or gross.

I found some of it a bit over the top, personally. But I loved Buffy undercutting it with her last comment, and Angel agreeing that it was kind of gross. I always figured from the look on his face that he was thinking that being a vampire does weird things to his metaphors.

It's not like Giles to do the wrong thing under orders.

Have we ever seen him being ordered before? He has a lot of autonomy as Buffy's Watcher day to day. As other people have mentioned, Giles has been brought up to follow the Council since he was a child and though we know he rebelled against that for a while, he ultimately went back to them. I think he was probably in denial and trying not to think about the Cruciamentum coming up too much, then was unprepared to find himself in the middle of it. Plus he also knows how powerful and wedded to tradition the Council is - defying all that is a big thing.

Cordelia: "Oh, God. Is the world ending? I have to research a paper on Bosnia for tomorrow, but if the world's ending, I'm not gonna bother." For once, I like her priorities

I liked that when Buffy asked Cordelia to drive her home, Cordelia said yes immediately. She's not completely insensitive, just mostly.

Again Joyce is kidnapped by the villain

And acted really stupidly to allow it as well, argh. Hmm, I live in a town where I know people are regularly killed by vampires. I think I'll run out of the house at night at the first noise I hear... that's a good idea!

I did like the serial killer aspect to this vampire. The room full of polaroids of Joyce was a nice touch.

Other things I liked were Buffy's extremem betrayal when she tells Giles that if he touches her, she'll kill him; Buffy telling Quentin to fuck off in so many words every time she speaks to him (and no, she really doesn't care he thinks she did well); and Buffy letting Giles tend her wound at the end.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

until the baby Watchers appeared and I went "hey, look, it's Dominic Keating!" He was far and away the best thing about Enterprise.

He was, wasn't he? I even watched a few episodes more than I wanted to, because of him!

Not that he had much to do here other than get vamped and die, but it was fun to spot him.

A similar thrill was seeing Joss Holloway on Angel, in the first episode. Briefly.

there may be an element of meditation being a tool - centre herself, get in touch with her deeper instincts etc.

That would make sense. And... not her best thing.

My personal view is that the Council doesn't care if an individual Slayer gets killed in the Cruciamentum - from their point of view it makes no difference to the fight as another one will be called if that happens, and clearly the one that died wasn't good enough anyway.

From an objective point of view, I can see their point - Slayers have to be tough and trustable. But. It isn't very humane, and we've learned to see it all from Buffy's point of view.

Giles has been brought up to follow the Council since he was a child and though we know he rebelled against that for a while, he ultimately went back to them.

Since I'm very much a 'do your own thing' kind of person, I tend to assume Giles is too. Which is not necessarily true: he's obviously trying hard to conform. I prefer the non-conformist side of Giles, and find it comparatively difficult to take seriously the side of him that's obedience to the Council.

Plus he also knows how powerful and wedded to tradition the Council is - defying all that is a big thing.

Maybe. If it's like an Order - something that really demands and requires obedience as a sort of spiritual commitment - well, if that's the case, it hasn't been set up well enough. So I have mixed feelings about this.

She's not completely insensitive, just mostly.

I like her so much more in Buffy than in Angel. I hope that changes.

I live in a town where I know people are regularly killed by vampires. I think I'll run out of the house at night at the first noise I hear... that's a good idea!

Joyce just doesn't learn!

The room full of polaroids of Joyce was a nice touch.

Scary!

other things I liked were Buffy's extremem betrayal when she tells Giles that if he touches her, she'll kill him;

Loved that moment.

and Buffy letting Giles tend her wound at the end.

It was a relief.

[liliaeth]

I think it's not just that the council doesn't mind Slayers dying during the cruciamentum. It's that they hope for it.

The younger the Slayers are, the easier they are to control. An older and more experienced Slayer like Buffy is a lot more trouble for them. Especially one like Buffy who doesn't obey orders easily to begin with.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

The younger the Slayers are, the easier they are to control.

Hmm. Tha'ts true.

Especially one like Buffy who doesn't obey orders easily to begin with.

It's one of the reasons I like her so much!

[janne-d.livejournal.com]

I don't think I would go that far. I don't think they would lose any sleep if a Slayer died in the Cruciamentum, but I don't think they are actively hoping for it.

There are plenty of easier ways to get rid of a Slayer than a big complicated ritual, after all. Especially one where it seems a good proportion of Slayers must survive. There was nothing to indicate that Buffy surviving the Cruciamentum was incredibly unusual - Giles might call it an exercise in cruelty, but if it usually ended in a dead Slayer I think he would have said rather more.

An older, more experienced Slayer might be more trouble. But then again, most Slayers are much more indoctrinated by the Council than either Faith or Buffy. Buffy is the only one we know of to tell the Council where to shove it - and they don't kill her for it. Admittedly that may be to do with a lack of viable alternative, but there are simple enough ways around that too.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Knowing Giles as we do, I think that if the Cruciamentum ended with the Slayers being killed more often than not, he wouldn't have anything to do with it. That would be organized murder. So what would an acceptible death rate be? ten per cent? Fifteen? Five?

One thing I tend to overlook is that a Slayer is a superhero. Yes, the crystal negated her powers, but anyone who's ever read comics knows there are ways to deal with that - even if just inspiring one's friends to help.

Do we know that most Slayers are more indoctrinated by the Council than Buffy? Of the three I've seen, Faith seems less indoctrinated, and .. the other one whose name I just forgot, seems more so.

[sparklebutch.livejournal.com]

He grew up into this tradition that is thousands of years old. He rebelled, failed at his rebellion, and returned with his tail between his legs - we don't know much about that time of his life, but I can bet it was not nice. He was never again trusted fully, was he. But remember that the council had been all his life, most of his life.


Re comments above me; parallels between Buffy's real father bailing on her, and Giles betraying. Heavy-handed there on the "lookie what we meant to say", and then they actually say it. But he's there for her at the end - that theme returns later.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

He rebelled, failed at his rebellion,

"Failed" - because of the demonic murders?

we don't know much about that time of his life, but I can bet it was not nice.

Makes it so interesting.

remember that the council had been all his life, most of his life.

I suppose a grocer's life would seem relatively free of worry.

Heavy-handed there on the "lookie what we meant to say", and then they actually say it. But he's there for her at the end - that theme returns later.

Good! I like that.

[catslash.livejournal.com]

I believe this episode aired originally on my sixteenth birthday. (Which - was entirely too long ago. Jesus.) I remember that it really got to me and it was years before I could watch it again. Something about the upsetting of the status quo, Buffy being betrayed and having the rug yanked out from her and just about everything in the episode being so unfair, really bothered me a lot.

It's so weird to think back on this season, because this was the apex of my intense love for the show, and I can't think of anything that happened on the show without remembering what I thought and how I reacted and what effect it had on me. Being sixteen, I was perhaps a tad overly invested, as happens at that age with the things you love. (Plus, it was my first real experience with fandom, and I fear I got a bit wanky every now and then. I also wrote a bunch of fanfic of varying quality, most of which is no longer to be found. This is as it should be.)

I'm finally getting around to catching up on your Buffy posts. It's wicked cool to read the perspective of someone who's new to the show, and cool of you to offer it ep by ep.

Buffy: Helpless

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Sorry I missed answering this at the time - I still have things to say!

You were sixteen then - and it feels long ago? Ah, young'un, you've a way to go. And I wish I'd seen this at sixteen: I know I'd have loved it then more than I do now, or at least I think I would have - I would have been so much closer to the sixteen-year-old experience. Well, sort of. In some ways I was older at sixteen than I am now. But I think I would have been 'invested' then in a way I'm not now.

And yes, unfairness is a major theme here. People not playing by the rules. People lying to those they love - who trust them. Very disturbing.

My early fanfic experiences were in writing Man From U.N.C.L.E. stories - long gone, the world is safe from them now.

I'm going to get back to writing about Buffy, I really am. Any moment now.

Re: Buffy: Helpless

[catslash.livejournal.com]

I'm twenty-five, which is old enough to remember things from a decade ago with a certain amount of clarity, and young enough to feel like I shouldn't quite be able to. Very weird and a bit disorienting. I can only assume, though, that this never quite changes - the span of time just gets longer.

But yeah, I got intense about stuff back then in a way I don't quite do anymore. I'm not entirely sorry about that - I have since developed a healthy sense of irony that helps keep me from taking myself and my fandoms too damn seriously - but sometimes I miss it.

Re: Buffy: Helpless

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

There's a lot to be said for that kind of intensity of feeling - too much detachment is bad for a person, I think. But it isn't good to tear yourself apart over things, either. I remember a change in my sense of time when I was about 25, a sense that time was rushing by faster than it used to be and I had to reach out and grab for 'the eternal now' as if it would get away from me somehow. Of course it was all just perception and we can't do anything about the passage of time at any age.

I can only assume, though, that this never quite changes - the span of time just gets longer.

Yes. Some things stay with me, other things get lost - and I've never had the best of memories. Good for short-term memorization, not so good for retaining details, and downright terrible for remember things I *ought* to remember rather than wandering off in daydreams. I'll never be claiming that my memory is getting worse with age - it's always been like that.

Re: Buffy: Helpless

[catslash.livejournal.com]

Heh. I have ADD. If my memory gets worse with age, I will be screwed. I'll be writing my name backward on my forehead so I can read it in the mirror by the time I'm fifty. XD

Re: Buffy: Helpless

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I can just picture it - you'll need a tag pinned to your coat, like Paddington - "Please feed and return to point of origin".

Re: Buffy: Helpless

[catslash.livejournal.com]

It's funny 'cause it's true. *g*

Re: Buffy: Helpless

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I can think of worse fates!

[teaphile.livejournal.com]

Why does Buffy have to study vibratory stones?

Are you asking, or did you figure out the answer along the way?

Giles is fired. Is there any reason he should care? Did the Watchers Council pay him a huge salary to buy occult books?

I always assumed it was money. As well, he needs the contacts for research he can't do himself.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

"Why does Buffy have to study vibratory stones?"
Are you asking, or did you figure out the answer along the way?

At first, I was asking. Then it became obvious from the plot. But then - I found myself asking: Okay, what was the excuse Giles gave to Buffy to convince her that she had to study vibratory stones? Did he say it would enhance her strength and agility, her mental processes? Did he tell her to do it on the authority of her Watcher? No wonder she wasn't exactly into it.

As well, he needs the contacts for research he can't do himself.

Yes. I suppose he gets crossed of the 'sharing of information' list.

[ceruleancat.livejournal.com]

[On the one hand, I love it all the more because the story is centred on Giles and his dilemma: is his allegiance to the Council, or to Buffy?

But the story isn't told as being that of Giles' dilemma, it's told as being that of Buffy's betrayal by the Watcher she trusted, not quite the story I wanted to see

I'd rather know why Giles felt it proper to go along with the Council's nasty test in the first place. How he went from being the powerful rebel-magician he was in his youth, to being the meek servant of the not-so-wise Council, even at the expense of Buffy's welfare.

If it was easy for him to change his mind when Kralik was out and hunting, why didn't he change him mind earlier, when he knew it was going to happen?

I like these questions. It's fun to play with the answers. I just wish the episode had dealt with these questions, too.]

I quite agree with this perspective. This would have been a more interesting story for me as well. Sadly it isn't what floated tPtB's boat. Specifically, Giles rebelled in his youth and then came back with his tail between his legs feeling that his own decisions outside the fold were disasterous. We can only imagine how he was treated after his return, but clearly he wasn't fully trusted adn remains an outsider. His remaining in the council and largely doing the council's bidding I suspect is in part his training and in part his mistrust of his own decisions adn guilt over his previous revellion.
Aside from his constant mistrust and discomfort at this role in this, there had to have been a powerful trigger to make him erupt.

On the same point:
[So Giles says to Quentin, "I don't give a rat's ass about the Council's orders. There will be no test." Why didn't he say that a lot sooner? ]

I wonder what triggers (that we don't know about) Quentin stepped on when he actually came over to make Rupert rebel again. The obvious one is that the real danger as opposed to the controlled circumstance danger played a role. His worst nightmarish experience is a death of someone close caused by a demon unleashed by his own actions. This situation could have easily triggered it. And once he's stepped up, he can voice his displeasure with the council's attitude in general [Giles: You're *waging* a war. She's fighting it. There is a difference.].

[Giles is fired. Is there any reason he should care? ]

The council pays, the council also put him in the US to perform the role of watcher. They could theoretically cause problems there too.
Besides, the man was brought up to think of the council as his destiny and consciously dedicated his life to it. That's possibly why he tried to avoid making waves, until he couldn't stomach it any longer. With this one action, he risked and lost both his position and vocation.

[sparklebutch.livejournal.com]

His worst nightmarish experience is a death of someone close caused by a demon unleashed by his own actions.

Ooh, good call. Worth exploring.


And yeah, was about to bring up visas.

[ceruleancat.livejournal.com]

His worst nightmarish experience is a death of someone close caused by a demon unleashed by his own actions.

That must reverberate very strongly for him all along. And the inefficient way this test was conducted (especially the needless sacrifice of the young watcher - he did die, didn't he?) could have triggered it strongly, in addition to the particular criticism of this test and the whole tradition. It can't be a good purpose anyway - so few slayers make it to be 18 and you subject them to further danger when they're ill-equipped to function - like they don't face enough in their routine activities. Could it possibly be a way to try and get rid of a slayer that is getting too pro and therefore potentially less controllable? Rupert would know the stats on how many make it through this type of trial.
Also, there's obviously bad blood between him and Quentin, and I wonder about that history and what memories Quentin triggered, what buttons he pressed, intentionally or unintentionally.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think the young Watcher died - they didn't say otherwise.

Could it possibly be a way to try and get rid of a slayer that is getting too pro and therefore potentially less controllable?

Maybe. It might also be a way of keeping Slayers from being too powerful in themselves.

Rupert would know the stats on how many make it through this type of trial.

Which is why I'm surprised he took it as far as he did.

there's obviously bad blood between him and Quentin, and I wonder about that history

Nice theme for fanfic.