I think Angel's still been with her up through Chosen.
Wanna know what I think Season 8 is doing? It's Whedon letting all the characters heal. Season 8 is taking them back to their past issues (and somewhat regressing because you have to live through it to get over it) and working through those issues. Faith makes great strides in her redemption and finds an ally in Giles. Xander, who's never really been his own man, gets to reject Dracula's thrall and he gets to kill the monster who killed the woman he loved (Renee is Anya). Willow finally lets go of Tara--that's a huge move forward in healing. Even Dawn gets to work through her 'past' as she conquers her whiny inner self that wants attention through her transformations, fully claiming adulthood by destroying the last vestiges of immaturity inside her.
And it looks like Buffy is being forced to confront how destructive her tendency to live in a fantasy bubble is. And this fantasy she's held on to for a long time is why she has trouble letting anyone else in. Because if she continues to believe Angel is the best instead of realizing how destructive their relationship is, then she'll never be able to let fully emotionally embrace someone else.
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Wanna know what I think Season 8 is doing? It's Whedon letting all the characters heal. Season 8 is taking them back to their past issues (and somewhat regressing because you have to live through it to get over it) and working through those issues. Faith makes great strides in her redemption and finds an ally in Giles. Xander, who's never really been his own man, gets to reject Dracula's thrall and he gets to kill the monster who killed the woman he loved (Renee is Anya). Willow finally lets go of Tara--that's a huge move forward in healing. Even Dawn gets to work through her 'past' as she conquers her whiny inner self that wants attention through her transformations, fully claiming adulthood by destroying the last vestiges of immaturity inside her.
And it looks like Buffy is being forced to confront how destructive her tendency to live in a fantasy bubble is. And this fantasy she's held on to for a long time is why she has trouble letting anyone else in. Because if she continues to believe Angel is the best instead of realizing how destructive their relationship is, then she'll never be able to let fully emotionally embrace someone else.