I basically agree with what you're saying. But I disagree to your point about Meg. Neptune High is not Sunnydale High, and Cordy is immediately mocked by Mitch for even talking to Buffy at this episode's end. The Cordettes all turn on her when she starts openly dating Xander, sheep or no. Harmony is not bright or talented but is apparently mean enough to lead the group in Cordy's absence.
Anyway. Cordy learns a lot of empathy. She learns a lot about what being a hero really means. But ultimately I agree that she wants to be special--scratch that, see herself as special--and will sacrifice a lot on that altar. In season 1, she sacrifices having actual friends. In AtS, her desire to be special is a *part* of what makes her refuse to let go of her visions to Groo when she's in Pylea and back in L.A. It's part of what makes her accept Skip's offer for demonization, and, more significantly, accepting his offer to become a Higher Being. I think in Birthday, she really didn't have a way out of it, given the scenario she was presented; but she probably could have, if she were less convinced of her specialness, either let go of the visions which were killing her, or saw that Skip's statements to her ("You used your glowy powers for good, not evil!") didn't make complete sense (did she even have control over them?).
All that said, I think that the arc doesn't quite fit. It seems like Cordy made some very, very understandable mistakes in AtS, and ones that a mere desire to be special don't explain away. I think the punishment she received for it was far out of proportion if you want to take the story as a classic tragedy. Possibly in the version of AtS season four where Charisma Carpenter didn't get pregnant, and where, perhaps, Cordelia actually returned as herself as a higher power, we could have gotten a coherent story that played on her weaknesses without being quite so distorted. It would have been fun, too, to compare to the Dark Willow arc, which comes at somewhat similar material from the other end (Willow is at her core convinced she's unworthy).
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Anyway. Cordy learns a lot of empathy. She learns a lot about what being a hero really means. But ultimately I agree that she wants to be special--scratch that, see herself as special--and will sacrifice a lot on that altar. In season 1, she sacrifices having actual friends. In AtS, her desire to be special is a *part* of what makes her refuse to let go of her visions to Groo when she's in Pylea and back in L.A. It's part of what makes her accept Skip's offer for demonization, and, more significantly, accepting his offer to become a Higher Being. I think in Birthday, she really didn't have a way out of it, given the scenario she was presented; but she probably could have, if she were less convinced of her specialness, either let go of the visions which were killing her, or saw that Skip's statements to her ("You used your glowy powers for good, not evil!") didn't make complete sense (did she even have control over them?).
All that said, I think that the arc doesn't quite fit. It seems like Cordy made some very, very understandable mistakes in AtS, and ones that a mere desire to be special don't explain away. I think the punishment she received for it was far out of proportion if you want to take the story as a classic tragedy. Possibly in the version of AtS season four where Charisma Carpenter didn't get pregnant, and where, perhaps, Cordelia actually returned as herself as a higher power, we could have gotten a coherent story that played on her weaknesses without being quite so distorted. It would have been fun, too, to compare to the Dark Willow arc, which comes at somewhat similar material from the other end (Willow is at her core convinced she's unworthy).