Well, the reason the fandom overrides the story itself is, I think, because Whedon recognizes that he didn't do the story well enough to reach the fandom. Season eight is partly (not entirely, but partly) a do-over of season seven, I think, hence the more ambiguous treatment of Willow's morality, the closer focus on Scooby dynamics, the greater role of Dawn. In particular it's a do-over/expansion of Chosen to a full scale story, where the Angel/Spike contrast in Chosen gets fuller, grander treatment that relies less on things implied and more on explicit (and, er, graphic) details, and where the consequences of the slayer spell on Buffy and on the world are given greater thought and weight. Chosen was a good ending for the show (really) but it's unsatisfying in several ways, partly because season seven was a little fractured and partly because the episode was required to do too many things at once. So the reason Buffy's fallen behind is, I think, Joss' acknowledgment that he didn't do the story well enough the first time through.
This actually isn't necessarily a bad thing. The series could have ended with "The Gift" and it would have been good. But season six as a whole can be seen as one long commentary on what is problematic in "The Gift's" assumptions about heroism, and not just Buffy's. (Basically everything that happens in "The Gift" gets undermined: Willow's restoration of Tara's mind, Xander's proposal to Anya, Anya's willingness to fight on the human side, Giles' willingness to do anything for Buffy, Spike's more or less full-on humanity, and Buffy's sacrifice all prove inadequate.) I think season eight, by apparently regressing aspects of the story, will push it forward in a similar way to the way season six did. Then again--maybe not.
Of course, it begs the question of whether the resolution in Chosen was necessary for B/A. I would say yes--because up until season seven, Buffy still spoke in hushed, loving tones about Angel. She didn't seem as hung up on him as she does in season eight, though.
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Date: 2010-09-15 01:54 pm (UTC)This actually isn't necessarily a bad thing. The series could have ended with "The Gift" and it would have been good. But season six as a whole can be seen as one long commentary on what is problematic in "The Gift's" assumptions about heroism, and not just Buffy's. (Basically everything that happens in "The Gift" gets undermined: Willow's restoration of Tara's mind, Xander's proposal to Anya, Anya's willingness to fight on the human side, Giles' willingness to do anything for Buffy, Spike's more or less full-on humanity, and Buffy's sacrifice all prove inadequate.) I think season eight, by apparently regressing aspects of the story, will push it forward in a similar way to the way season six did. Then again--maybe not.
Of course, it begs the question of whether the resolution in Chosen was necessary for B/A. I would say yes--because up until season seven, Buffy still spoke in hushed, loving tones about Angel. She didn't seem as hung up on him as she does in season eight, though.