Buffy Season Two Episode Two

[koganbot]

Body snatcher episode, the worst ever; I felt like I was being dragged by the nose to its insights - "Oh, look, Angel's acting jealous" - while nonetheless no one is quite in character, because the script is busy overemphasizing the nature of those characters. Xander rebuffing Cordelia's thanks and appreciation at the end sticks out like a sore thumb, since, though he can be quick and cutting with his jabs, he's never previously been crude or gratuitously mean.

OK, they are setting us up for a new Cordelia, one who, in a switch, is coming to genuinely appreciate the others, and doing so a lot faster than they'll come to appreciate her. Among the show's next tasks will be figuring out what it is the others will be appreciating her for. Xander, as the one who's acting most superior and hostile, will be the key, since, when his eyes do finally open to her, it will be as if his understanding of the world has shifted. And because of that he'll fall for her, maybe? We'll see, but the final scene today sure seemed to be signaling this rather obviously, in the way it made Cordelia so appealingly thankful and Xander so brusquely dismissive. That appeal is meant to open us up to her, and say "No, Xander, look."

Comments

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Remember Cordelia has been horrible to Xander and Willow for years - and Willow is more forgiving in nature than Xander.

[koganbot]

Oh, I'm not arguing that it's out of character for him to be antagonistic. But earlier they'd done Xander's antagonism quite deftly, whereas here he's being clumsily antagonistic. My complaint is that this particular episode is telling us stuff that would be more powerful if the show would allow it to dawn on us. As opposed to going LOOK, CORDELIA IS NO LONGER BEING HOSTILE BUT XANDER STILL IS.

[koganbot]

Especially given that she's hurt and traumatized and thanking him for saving her life - it's just not his nature to be heartlessly callous. Yes, Xander is young; he can get casually nasty displaying his attitudes, or even vicious when he feels on the defensive, but he's a fundamentally nice guy who has just acted like a hero, and Cordelia's treating him like one. The moment didn't ring true psychologically. It was there seemingly for thematics or future plot development. Usually the show does these things better.