8:55:41 AM : [link]

Ok, so some of the ambiguities about Spike's situation were resolved in yesterday's "Out of My Mind." Yes, Spike still has his incapacitating chip. No, he can't physically hurt Buffy yet. Also, I realized (silly me) that the distinction the chip makes is between "living" and "not-living" as opposed to the more hard-to-determine "good" and "bad" or even "soul-ed" and "not-soul-ed." (Although I think that souls are still largely associated with the realm of the living.) Still doesn't explain how the chip works, etc. etc.

Although it was sappy, the Buffy-Riley romance story-line was nicely played out, I think. I never liked the macho-ness of Riley, so the revelation of his insecurities about Buffy's feelings for him and how he felt he had to keep up with her superpower was refreshing. It just makes me think about how relationships make one wonder what attraction is all about . . . why do we love certain people and why do we stay with them?

10:44:57 AM : [link]

Re: Spike and the incapacitating chip.

So what's the deal with Spike and his "chip"? Talked to a few people about it in the last week and it made me realize how unresolved his whole situation is. The whole concept of a computer chip implanted in his brain (do vampire brains work like human brains?) that prevents him from harming "good" creatures is full of interesting musings. How does this chip determine "good" from "bad" creatures? Is it something to do with the presence (or lack thereof) of a soul? Spike can't hurt humans, for example, but he can hurt any form of demon. And demons, as we've been told, lack souls. But there are "good" demons, like the Whistler from the "Becoming" episodes of the second season finale. (Even Doyle from the first episodes of Angel was a half-demon who was "good.")

The way Spike's situation has been described (by the Initiative and Buffy's crew) is even more ambiguous: we understand his plight to be that of being unable to hurt "good" creatures. Now, this naturally sets up a moral hierarchy (or at least binarism) of creatures. Humans seem to be "good." But are all humans good? Would Spike be able to beat up Ethan Rayne, for example? Rayne works for evil all the time, although his own morality might be better characterized as an amorality. Would Spike have been able to hurt the unreformed Faith? Or could he hurt Angel since Angel is a soul-burdened vampire? How does this all work out?

Then the whole concept of intentions comes in. Does Spike have to intend to hurt a "good" creature for the chip to kick in and give him sharp head pains? There was a scene in an episode last season where Spike aimed a gun at Xander and suffered his head pains. The way the scene was set up, Spike was only playing with the gun, not intending to shoot Xander or anyone else. But when the barrel targeted a human, his chip kicked in. So Spike doesn't even have to intend to hurt someone? As long as his actions suggest a consequence of hurting a human, he suffers? Hmmm.....

In this latest episode, though, Spike was beating up a mannequin-version of Buffy. He suffered no head pains. This could be a revelation of at least two different things: (1) the fact that intentions in themselves are not what the chip works from, or (2) Spike is "cured" (maybe its deactivated due to the Initiative's collapse) and is plotting an attack on Buffy while she still thinks he can't hurt her or anyone else (there is precedence for this thinking since he did the same thing when he was injured in the second season, pretending he was still unable to walk for at least a few episodes so that he could jump in and beat up Angel when he least suspected it).

With the return of Drusilla slated for this season (according to certain [news articles]), I guess we'll be seeing more of this lurking plot line.

9:32:17 AM : [link]

Just e-mailed my friend Pakou about this site. I really miss her and the conversations we used to have after watching Buffy and Dawson's Creek together (back in the spring of 1997). This journal in a way is my way of trying to regain or recreate that wonderful, regular meditation on Buffy.

By the way, when is someone going to come up with some sort of [teleportation] device so that physical distance will no longer be a barrier to being with close friends and family?

8:31:10 AM : [link]

Ok, first off I have to say I don't like Xander very much. But yesterday's episode, "The Replacement," was actually interesting. With doppelgangers and split personalities, I always think of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. But whereas in J+H the split was between good and evil, Xander's split was between bumbling FOOL and suave MAN. Are they polar opposites? What is the criteria for the split? Buffy would've been (supposedly) split into weak Buffy and strong Slayer, but there the split has a basis in this concept they're exploring this semester--that the Slayer "spirit" exists in Buffy, is a part of Buffy, but is actually a distinct entity. Or maybe they will discover through the season that there is in fact no such entity. Who knows?

10:52:05 PM : [link]

Where Buffy thoughts roam . . .