I just don't think it's at all obvious that after spending 7 years defending the world from apocalypses as the only slayer and without any hint that she wanted to rob banks to get high tech weapons or anything like that Buffy has suddenly arrived at a world where the ONLY way to save the world is to rob banks to get high-tech weaponry.
It’s not obvious a priori. It becomes clearer, however, if you *look* at what’s happening and how the world has changed that there are good in character reasons why Buffy might have come to believe that robbing a bank was the best way she could come up with to get the equipment to co-ordinate international activities (never an issue as long as she stayed in Sunnydale) and protect her Slayers from the increased number of demonic attacks (which she notes in the text). It’s not the only interpretation but it has Occam’s razor on its side in that it works with the text that we’ve been given both in the comics and the TV series and doesn’t depend on a whole set of future revelations being made. IF such revelations are forthcoming then I’ll change my mind but not before.
Similarly I would hazard that Buffy’s not talking to Willow for much the same reason Willow isn’t talking to her. They’ve both made decisions that may have made sense in the circumstances but which are far from above criticism not least from their perpetrators. Whatever Twilight’s assertions Buffy is no stranger to self-doubt. I actually don’t think of her as a “good person and a hero.” I think she’s a flawed person who despite that generally tries to do the right thing and that’s what she’s still doing here. She may of course be wrong about what that right thing is and how she deals with that will be interesting.
Others of us look at bank robbing and other signs of real changes in her priorities and so on and wonder if the actions don't shed more light on the person than the other way around
What *actions* other than the bank robbery (which we’ve discussed)? A discussion with Willow where she suggests that Slayers might defend themselves against attacking army units? She’s killed in self-defense before now. A poorly worded warning to Satsu and Co that they have to be and be seen to be more human than human? Killing a Future!Willow who had outlived her humanity and by her own admission bent time itself to bring Buffy to a place where she had to do just that? She killed Angel remember. Everyone sees what they want to see. I like Buffy, I don’t think she’s a paragon but I like her. Other people seem think she’s annoyingly self-righteous and needs to be knocked off her pedestal. What Joss thinks we’ll see all in good time.
no subject
It’s not obvious a priori. It becomes clearer, however, if you *look* at what’s happening and how the world has changed that there are good in character reasons why Buffy might have come to believe that robbing a bank was the best way she could come up with to get the equipment to co-ordinate international activities (never an issue as long as she stayed in Sunnydale) and protect her Slayers from the increased number of demonic attacks (which she notes in the text). It’s not the only interpretation but it has Occam’s razor on its side in that it works with the text that we’ve been given both in the comics and the TV series and doesn’t depend on a whole set of future revelations being made. IF such revelations are forthcoming then I’ll change my mind but not before.
Similarly I would hazard that Buffy’s not talking to Willow for much the same reason Willow isn’t talking to her. They’ve both made decisions that may have made sense in the circumstances but which are far from above criticism not least from their perpetrators. Whatever Twilight’s assertions Buffy is no stranger to self-doubt. I actually don’t think of her as a “good person and a hero.” I think she’s a flawed person who despite that generally tries to do the right thing and that’s what she’s still doing here. She may of course be wrong about what that right thing is and how she deals with that will be interesting.
Others of us look at bank robbing and other signs of real changes in her priorities and so on and wonder if the actions don't shed more light on the person than the other way around
What *actions* other than the bank robbery (which we’ve discussed)? A discussion with Willow where she suggests that Slayers might defend themselves against attacking army units? She’s killed in self-defense before now. A poorly worded warning to Satsu and Co that they have to be and be seen to be more human than human? Killing a Future!Willow who had outlived her humanity and by her own admission bent time itself to bring Buffy to a place where she had to do just that? She killed Angel remember. Everyone sees what they want to see. I like Buffy, I don’t think she’s a paragon but I like her. Other people seem think she’s annoyingly self-righteous and needs to be knocked off her pedestal. What Joss thinks we’ll see all in good time.