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Date Posted: 09:26:35 04/11/02 Thu
Author: Arethusa (nervously de-lurking)
Subject: Re: Regressions, resets and very spoilery speculation on the end of S6-longish semi-rebuttal
In reply to: tyche 's message, "Regressions, resets and very spoilery speculation on the end of S6" on 05:45:02 04/11/02 Thu

Unfortunately, people really do repeat their mistakes, until the lesson finally sinks into their thick skulls. Those who don't work through their youthful tramas are doomed to repeat them. I don't know if there's going to be a reset, but I'm pretty sure the scoobies will have to deal with the consequences of their actions this season, or otherwise, as you say, what's the point? All the core scoobies have spent this season running from their insecurities, and the consequent inability to trust themselves, to depend on their own skills and judgments.
Buffy's been "abandoned" by almost everyone she's ever loved-her mother and father, all her boyfriends except the one she doesn't want, her mentor. She's isolated herself from the others-sister, friends. Sometimes, one has to hit bottom before one realizes one's inner stregnth. I think she's reached the bottom (Normal Again-what could be lower than total withdrawal from life?) and will find the stregnth to help her friends through their coming trials.
Making mistakes doesn't negate her credibility as a moral being-even moral people screw up, and one of the indications of maturity is the ability to accept imperfections in ourselves and others. Buffy wasn't able to do this in the past-while she's always been able to forgive those she loves-Willow's misuse of magic, Xander's wedding walk-about, Giles' shady youth, Angel's Angelus- she hasn't been able to forgive herself-time and again she's beat herself up for trusting Parker, wanting Spike, neglecting her friends, etc.
Willow battled addiction and won, but she never battle that negative image of herself as dowdy geek. She says Tara never even knew that girl, and Willow goes to extreme legnths to make sure she never will (Tabla Rasa). I was horrified to read Willow kills Warren, but it would cheapen her emotional journey to just "reset." Sometimes people do terrible things out of love, and Willow has a history of just that (Something Blue, Bargaining, etc). No matter how painful it will be, Willow will have to pay for her mistakes. In the end, it will make her stronger if she realizes magic per se wasn't the cause of her problems, which would open the door for future use of magic in the (I think) coming Big Apocalypse in season 7.
Dawn. The only reason I can think of for ME to so heavy-handedly portray Dawn as very immature and whiny is misdirection. We still don't know what The Key can open now, and there have been very subtle hints that Dawn is much more than she now seems. (All the Way: Justin: "You're different. There's something special about you. I knew it the first time I saw you.")
Xander-so much has been written about his*cough-parental issues-cough* that I'll just point out that even though he usually has nothing to fight with except his bare hands and a quick quip, he doesn't ever quit, and I don't think he'll quit on Anya either.
Neither Anya or Spike has made peace with their inner demon, and both have just received shocks that'll jolt them out of their complacency. It looks as if both are going to make some kind of choice of what they want to be-demonic or human(-like).

A reset--not-having to deal with the terrible consequences of their actions-isn't what we've come to expect from "Buffy," and wouldn't be progress. Progress would be finally confronting the insecurities that have been holding the scoobies back from becoming mature adults. It's interesting that the only mature one left is about to die, and her death will set the events into motion that might advance the others out of their malaise. There's no one left for the scoobies to turn to, and now they will have to turn deep inside themselves for the stregnth to face the coming storms.

Quotes by psyche. Thanks.

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