This is the first day of the year

[chani]

and I'm already tired and kinda depressed (I'm back from my sister's). The news on tv don't really cheer me up. So Churchill thought of letting the Mahatma die in 1943? Mmmm...

I'm stealing a BTVS meme from Dandy, a friend from the Buffy Cross and Stake Spoiler Board.

What's the worst thing each of the characters below did?

What's the best thing? (I'm talking morally here.)

Feel free to add characters.

Buffy

Giles

Xander

Willow

Joyce

Angel

Drusilla

Spike

Mayor

Faith

Ethan Rayne

Willie the bartender

Oz

Dawn

Ben

Cordy

Wesley

Riley

Anya

 

Buffy

B: Sharing her power with the Potentials in "Chosen" and thus freeing all the women (metaphorically)...but I also can't help thinking of the scene in which she stayed with April on the swings while the robot was dying, that was Buffy at her best.

W: Well there's the episode "When She Was Bad", Buffy was at her worst then...torturing away, physically and emotionally as well.

Of course beating Spike to a pulp in "Dead Things" was bad too, but the metaphor made it easier on me and it echoed quite well her fight with Faith in Who Are You when Faith was actually beating herself when punching Buffy in her body.
See what Faith said to Buffy then: You're nothing! Disgusting! Murderous bitch! You're nothing! You're disgusting!

And see what Buffy said to Spike in DT: There is nothing good or clean in you. You are dead inside! You can't feel anything real!

In both cases, Faith and Buffy were talking about themselves...while hitting their counterpart.


Giles

B: Every time he stood for Buffy, and sides with her, even against Jenny in season 2.

W: When he hypnotized Buffy and took her powers away in "Helpless" while lying to her. I was mad at Giles at the time!

Xander

B: Again I'm torn between a small thing, the way he behaved towards Cordelia in The Prom, and a big one, his heroism in The Zeppo and the fact he didn't tell the others. Oh and saving Spike in Doomed.

W: His behaviour in Dead Man's Party I think...or the fact he told Dawn about what he thought he knew of the AR.

Willow

B: Maybe the fact she put her life in danger by performing the Gypsy ritual to curse Angel with a soul again, just for Buffy's sake in Becoming...or how she was a good friend during the Parker fiasco.

I love Willow but answering the poll for her, concerning the best she did, wasn't easy...

W: The spell in Tabula Rasa and all the bad things she did as Dark Willow after Seeing Red (torturing Warren, threatening Dawn etc).

Joyce

B: Knowing that Dawn wasn't hers but loving her as her daughter nonetheless. Oh and liking Spike!

W: The ultimatum she issued to Buffy in Becoming and how she dealt with that mess in Dead Man's Party.

Angel

B: Leaving Sunnydale at the end of season 3.

W: I'm torn between what he did to Drusilla (making her crazy and turning her into a forever child), letting Dru and Darla killed the W&H people in Manner's basement in Ats season 2...and the mindwipe...and killing Drogyn in s 5. I really can't choose.

I guess the mindwipe might be the most morally wrong thing (kinda the opposite of his leaving Sunnydale!), killing Drogyn is simply poor writing. But in BTVS, could be the fact he was in denial about his past actions and kept speaking of Angelus as if it was really another person.

Drusilla

B: Choosing and turning William, because that got us Spike! LOL

W: Cheating on Spike of course! How could she? But of course, the point was that an unsouled vampire, even with human feelings, can't be loyal and faithful (they made that point again with Harmony in Ats).

Spike

B: The fact Dawn could count on him in season 5 and 6...well until Buffy monopolized his attentions. Comforting Buffy at the end of FFL...Oh and winning his soul back of course!

W: I guess he would say "hurting the girl"! But I think the worst might be how he treated Harmony in s 4 and 5. What a jerk!

Mayor

B: Loving Faith.

W: Loving Faith.

Faith

B: Her very special fight in Orpheus. But in BTVS, I'll say the fact she saved Buffy by killing Mr Trick (even though it might have been to take his job!)and how she didn't give in the First Evil wearing The Mayor's face.

W: Killing that guy when she arrived in L.A...Oh and torturing Wesley (even though it was kind of sexy). But in BTVS I'll say, trying to seduce Angel behind Buffy's back in season 3, and frightening Joyce in season 4.

Ethan Rayne

B: Telling Giles about 314 in "A New Man"...loving Giles.

W: Reveling in Chaos and not caring about the consequences for the others...loving Giles.

Willie the bartender

B: ?

W: being himself?

Oz

B: learning to control his own beast

W: sleeping with Veruca

Dawn

B: Just listen to Xander's speech at the end of "Potential" and you'll get the answer!

W: stealing...kicking Buffy out of her house in "Empty Places".

Ben

B: He was kind when Joyce was ill

W: He was selfish and wanting to save is own ass above all

Cordy

B: Choosing Xander over the Cordette at the end of BB&B...it's in Ats that she did the best though.

W: the fact she kept humiliating people when she was Queen C in High School.

Wesley

B: Fighting with the others in Graduation

W: being a prick and screwing things up as Faith's watcher in Consequences.

Riley

B: He sided with Buffy against Walsh and then against the Initiative (paralleling and foreshadowing Spike's turning down his own nature for Buffy). And he stood against Angel even though he knew Angel was stronger. Riley was a decent man.

W: I don't know. I think Riley did the best he could...He wasn't thoughtful in AYW though.

Anya

B: When she got hurt by protecting Xander in the haunted house in WTWTA, she didn't think about her own sake at all for once.

W: Well there's the fact she always bragged about her evil deeds as a VG and never expressed any guilt in her whole time as human prior to Selfless. And I think it was wrong the way she kept "destroying" Spike in Sleeper and NLM, even though it was understable that she was bitter since Buffy didn't hesitate to stab her in Selfless.

Comments

[so-sharlemaine.livejournal.com]

Interesting and entertaining post! You know the show so well. I don't know if I could answer that for every character because there are things I would forget about, and I'd want to keep changing my answers as I remembered.

[candlelightfrot.livejournal.com]

In Oz's case you could say his worst was letting his beast get the better of him.... that's sorta punnish in English.

Faith: Oh and torturing Wesley (even though it was kind of sexy).

Made me break out in laughter!

[frenchani.livejournal.com]

See I can make you laugh still!

Chani

[pfeifferpack.livejournal.com]

What's the worst thing each of the characters below did?

What's the best thing? (I'm talking morally here.)

Feel free to add characters.

Buffy WORST: never appologizing to Spike for the beating in the alley in Dead Things. I understand her psyche at the time, but an apology was warrented. BEST: starting to grow up in S7. She was finally beginning to become a woman not a little girl.


Giles: WORST leaving Buffy after dumping even more responsibility on the fragile girl His slayer had just had a breakdown prior to her death and was up to her ears in responsibility already, it could only crush her and did. BEST follow his instincts early onwith Buffy's training. He allowed her to be different.


Xander:WORST his leaving Anya the way he did....shameful! BEST: his loyalty and bravery

Willow:WORST her mind control tactics with Tara especially. BEST: her intelligence


Joyce:WORST: her jumping to conclusions regarding Buffy (especially the news about vampires, Buffy's finally revealing her slayer status and her siding with Ted over Buffy's insights). BEST: she was a loving mom, even to Dawn after she found out Dawn wasn't really her daughter.


Angel:WORST his need to manipulate and lie. Even as Angel he can't stop himself. BEST: his real desire (as Angel) to do good.

Drusilla:WORST: her loving Angel more than Spike even after all Spike did for her. BEST: her love of family, both her human one and vampiric one.

Spike:WORST his quick tongue (not in a sexual way)...his speaking without thinking, "Even better than killing a slayer", for example. BEST: his capacity for love and self sacrifice.


Mayor:WORST: his evil intentions, BEST: his "family values" and genuine caring for Faith

Faith:WORST: her lack of self discipline, BEST: Her confidence

Ethan Rayne:WORST: his tendency towards evil, BEST: his sense of humor

Willie the bartender:WORST: his lack of loyalty (like letting Kendra lock Angel in the cage), BEST: his paying attention, making him a good source of information...it was also nice he wasn't a bigot where demons were concerned either.

Oz:WORST his closing out Willow from his struggle, BEST: his insights

Dawn:WORST: her youth caused whining, BEST: Her ability to love and accept without prejudice.

Ben:WORST: his compromise with Glory, BEST: his original desire to thwart Glory

CordyWORST: her ego, BEST: her growth and maturing to more than she was

WesleyWORST: his insecurities (in the early days, his pompus attitude), BEST: his inner strength and courage

RileyWORST: he was a bully, BEST: duh........he was cute to look at I guess

AnyaWORST: her complete lack of remorse over harm caused, BEST: her honesty

Love,
Kathleen