Building up to Damage
Jan. 29th, 2004 03:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
butterflyI mentioned negative space a while back. I was, of course, talking about Connor. Just as S4 was about the presence of Connor, S5 has, thus far, been about his absence. S5 is the mirror and Connor is the son of two vampires - in this mirror, he isn't visible, but he's still affecting things. This, however, is not my Connor essay. This one is about words and meaning.
But let's start at the beginning. Corbin Fries took a lethal virus and stuck it in his son. The most important thing, of course, is Angel, trembling in the aftermath of Connor. But Connor's absence is at least known to Angel, to Wes, the hole has no explanation - he has no explanation. "I'm still stuck at - why are we here?" Connor is what led to Wes' downfall, without Connor, Wes is twisting in the wind. His lack of purpose is another common thread throughout the episodes. And in Conviction, Angel experiences hero interruptus. This will be the last time he saves someone in his old manner. This season, Angel's threads are all connected to Wolfram and Hart - his old way of life signs her soul away to Wolfram and Hart amid the confusion of the bright lights.
Conviction:
"I sacrificed Angel to save the world. I loved him so much. But I knew... what was right. I don't have that any more. I don't understand. I don't know how to live in this world if these are the choices. If everything just gets stripped away. I don't see the point." (Buffy, BtVS: The Gift)
Conviction - An unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence.
Angel lacks conviction, above all else. Every belief of his but one has been shattered. Nothing good that he has ever received has stood up to the light. Nothing but Buffy's faith in him lasted, and now (by Damaged) even that has been ripped away. Gunn has gained conviction, Fred and Wes stand on more uncertain ground.
Conviction - a final judgment of guilty in a criminal case and the punishment that is imposed.
Angel has convicted himself. Judge, jury, and executioner. He has condemned himself to an eternity in hell. And whether or not he is dust, he resides in a hell of his own mind, a hell of his own making.
Just Rewards:
"We all get what we deserve." (Wesley, AtS: Deep Down)
This episode is hard for me to talk about, because I don't have it on hand. I've only seen it on my computer, which basically meant I had a tough time even telling what was going on in places. Still, some things got through.
Just - Implying justice dictated by reason, conscience, and a natural sense of what is fair to all.
Would dusting Spike have been the better choice? It would be a mercy, would it not? It's interesting that Spike urges Angel to put Nina and Dana out of their misery, while wanting the opposite for himself. Especially in the case of Dana - all body, ghost of a mind, while he was the mirror image.
Rewards - A recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing.
The Shanshu is the reward for good vampires who play nice and end the end, yes? But you save the world, you end up incorporeal or running an evil law firm.
Unleashed:
"Don't make it sound like something you'd flip past on the Discovery Channel. Becoming a vampire is a profound and powerful experience. I could feel this new strength coursing through me. Getting killed made me feel alive for the very first time. I was through living by society's rules. Decided to make a few of my own." (Spike, BtVS: Fool for Love)
Unleashed - Release or vent, as of emotions and reactions.
Angel mentions to Nina that he controls himself every single day. We know from many episodes, among them last season's Orpheus that it is a true struggle. Angel is leashed in every possible way. In a contrast to him, Spike is very unleashed.
Unleashed - Turn loose or free from restraint.
Right now, Spike is being forcibly restrained by his new nature. We know that that will change soon. But that's soon, not now. This episode, like Forgiveness, is about not being about what the title is, in a very pointed way.
Hellbound:
"I should be in a demon dimension suffering an eternity of torture." (Angel, BtVS: Amends)
Hell - Any place of pain and turmoil.
Spike fights. He reacts. He snaps and twists and escapes. Always has.
Bound - Being under moral or legal obligation.
Angel dwells deep in his own mind, the only certainty that he has is that he is bound to hell. Tied to it by blood and choice and his own actions. Angel isn't heading to hell, he's there already.
The Life of the Party:
"I think I saw it in a dream." (Fred, AtS: Through the Looking Glass)
Life - The condition of living or the state of being alive.
Angel and Spike - before prompted by Lorne, they act in the ways that they always do - Angel goes off to be by himself, while Spike would rather hang around a situation that he dislikes.
Party - A band of people associated temporarily in some activity.
The cracks are showing in the foundation now. Gunn is a true man of Wolfram and Hart, Fred is warming up to the morally ambigious, and Wes is alone - isolated and purposeless.
The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco:
"We're all brothers under the skin, mi amigo." (Lorne, AtS: Happy Anniversary)
Cautionary - Serving to warn.
Numero Cinco lost his brothers to the evil he fought and then joined Wolfram and Hart. Angel mirrors him, having joined W&H and now being in grave danger of losing his family to it.
Tale - A message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events.
Spike hits upon the key - but, as always with Spike, it's a temporary solution. But Spike's always been hit and run.
Lineage:
"Your victory over him took but moments, but his defeat of you will last lifetimes." (Darla, AtS: The Prodigal)
Lineage - The kinship relation between an individual and the individual's progenitors.
AtS circles around and around blood and family. It's a major Joss theme, of course, but with the Angel twist. As Buffy's story was one of empowerment, her relationship with her family reflected that. What do Angel's families reflect?
Lineage - Inherited properties shared with others of your bloodline.
They kill their families and fall for Slayers. They just do it in their own individual ways, taking the same events and shaping them to form different creations.
Destiny:
"We'll kick it over and start a new game. Look, monochrome can yap all he wants about no-name's cosmic plan, but here's a little something I picked up rubbing mojos these past couple of years. The final score can't be rigged. I don't care how many players you grease, that last shot always comes up a question mark. But here's the thing—you never know when you're taking it. It could be when you're duking it out with the Legion of Doom, or just crossing the street deciding where to have brunch. So you just treat it all like it was up to you—the world in the balance—'cause you never know when it is." (Gunn, AtS: Inside Out)
Destiny - An event (or course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future.
In the wake of S4, the shanshu is the only thing that Angel could look at with something even resembling hope.
Destiny - The ultimate agency that predetermines the course of events (often personified as a woman).
Spike's destiny always has been personified by a woman. Now, he finally seems to be creating his own future, sans destiny. And yet, he's still being controlled.
Harm's Way:
"You're a sheep. All you ever do is what everyone else does just so you can say you did it first. And here I am, scrambling for your approval, when I'm way cooler than you are 'cause I'm not a sheep. I do what I wanna do, and I wear what I wanna wear. And you know what? I'll date whoever the hell I wanna date. No matter how lame he is." (Cordelia, BtVS: Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered)
Harm - The act of damaging something or someone.
Again, we see Angel and Spike's differences shown in the way they attempt to related with Harmony. Angel says without saying that he understands what he means (Harmony, of course, doesn't actually get this at all), whereas Spike is... yeah. He's Spike, all right.
Way - How a result is obtained or an end is achieved.
Some people have mentioned the Harmony/Tamika fight as a send-up of Spike/Angel in Destiny. I can see that - though what does it mean that Tamika ends up as a dusty sacrifice to a peace meeting?
Soul Purpose:
"Angel - he should've warned me. He makes a good show of forgetting, but it's here, in me, all the time. The spark. I wanted to give you what you deserve, and I got it. They put the spark in me and now all it does is burn." (Spike, BtVS: Beneath You)
Soul - The immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life.
Trust is a fragile thing. Once it's broken, it can never be the same again. Much like a heart. Or a soul.
Purpose - The quality of being determined to do or achieve something.
Lindsey. Doyle. Names mean a great deal - always have. It means something that Spike keeps that name, while Angel pushed away Angelus. Differences. Choice.
Damage:
"Nobody is controlling you. You have the power here. You're gonna kill us, you're gonna die? Then they win. Don't let them. Don't let them touch you." (Angel, AtS: Untouched)
Damage - The occurrence of a change for the worse.
When the answer to something is simple violence, you can always count on Spike to get the job done. When things get more complicated, he tends to screw up. Hazard of being impatient.
Damage - A legal injury is any damage resulting from a violation of a legal right.
I have to admit that I felt a thrill when Dana ripped the coat off Spike. But empowerment doesn't come from attacking someone who can't win, and it doesn't come from becoming what you hate. Dana looked so long into the abyss that it consumed her. Is she irreversibly broken? Hard to say. Was Connor?
Spike is so quick to dismiss Nina and Dana. So quick, when he himself was just as fallen and he's managed to get this far.
Though Angel lacks hope for himself, he keeps it for others. Both of them likely saw Dru in Dana. But Angel could also see Faith.
But let's start at the beginning. Corbin Fries took a lethal virus and stuck it in his son. The most important thing, of course, is Angel, trembling in the aftermath of Connor. But Connor's absence is at least known to Angel, to Wes, the hole has no explanation - he has no explanation. "I'm still stuck at - why are we here?" Connor is what led to Wes' downfall, without Connor, Wes is twisting in the wind. His lack of purpose is another common thread throughout the episodes. And in Conviction, Angel experiences hero interruptus. This will be the last time he saves someone in his old manner. This season, Angel's threads are all connected to Wolfram and Hart - his old way of life signs her soul away to Wolfram and Hart amid the confusion of the bright lights.
Conviction:
"I sacrificed Angel to save the world. I loved him so much. But I knew... what was right. I don't have that any more. I don't understand. I don't know how to live in this world if these are the choices. If everything just gets stripped away. I don't see the point." (Buffy, BtVS: The Gift)
Conviction - An unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence.
Angel lacks conviction, above all else. Every belief of his but one has been shattered. Nothing good that he has ever received has stood up to the light. Nothing but Buffy's faith in him lasted, and now (by Damaged) even that has been ripped away. Gunn has gained conviction, Fred and Wes stand on more uncertain ground.
Conviction - a final judgment of guilty in a criminal case and the punishment that is imposed.
Angel has convicted himself. Judge, jury, and executioner. He has condemned himself to an eternity in hell. And whether or not he is dust, he resides in a hell of his own mind, a hell of his own making.
Just Rewards:
"We all get what we deserve." (Wesley, AtS: Deep Down)
This episode is hard for me to talk about, because I don't have it on hand. I've only seen it on my computer, which basically meant I had a tough time even telling what was going on in places. Still, some things got through.
Just - Implying justice dictated by reason, conscience, and a natural sense of what is fair to all.
Would dusting Spike have been the better choice? It would be a mercy, would it not? It's interesting that Spike urges Angel to put Nina and Dana out of their misery, while wanting the opposite for himself. Especially in the case of Dana - all body, ghost of a mind, while he was the mirror image.
Rewards - A recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing.
The Shanshu is the reward for good vampires who play nice and end the end, yes? But you save the world, you end up incorporeal or running an evil law firm.
Unleashed:
"Don't make it sound like something you'd flip past on the Discovery Channel. Becoming a vampire is a profound and powerful experience. I could feel this new strength coursing through me. Getting killed made me feel alive for the very first time. I was through living by society's rules. Decided to make a few of my own." (Spike, BtVS: Fool for Love)
Unleashed - Release or vent, as of emotions and reactions.
Angel mentions to Nina that he controls himself every single day. We know from many episodes, among them last season's Orpheus that it is a true struggle. Angel is leashed in every possible way. In a contrast to him, Spike is very unleashed.
Unleashed - Turn loose or free from restraint.
Right now, Spike is being forcibly restrained by his new nature. We know that that will change soon. But that's soon, not now. This episode, like Forgiveness, is about not being about what the title is, in a very pointed way.
Hellbound:
"I should be in a demon dimension suffering an eternity of torture." (Angel, BtVS: Amends)
Hell - Any place of pain and turmoil.
Spike fights. He reacts. He snaps and twists and escapes. Always has.
Bound - Being under moral or legal obligation.
Angel dwells deep in his own mind, the only certainty that he has is that he is bound to hell. Tied to it by blood and choice and his own actions. Angel isn't heading to hell, he's there already.
The Life of the Party:
"I think I saw it in a dream." (Fred, AtS: Through the Looking Glass)
Life - The condition of living or the state of being alive.
Angel and Spike - before prompted by Lorne, they act in the ways that they always do - Angel goes off to be by himself, while Spike would rather hang around a situation that he dislikes.
Party - A band of people associated temporarily in some activity.
The cracks are showing in the foundation now. Gunn is a true man of Wolfram and Hart, Fred is warming up to the morally ambigious, and Wes is alone - isolated and purposeless.
The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco:
"We're all brothers under the skin, mi amigo." (Lorne, AtS: Happy Anniversary)
Cautionary - Serving to warn.
Numero Cinco lost his brothers to the evil he fought and then joined Wolfram and Hart. Angel mirrors him, having joined W&H and now being in grave danger of losing his family to it.
Tale - A message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events.
Spike hits upon the key - but, as always with Spike, it's a temporary solution. But Spike's always been hit and run.
Lineage:
"Your victory over him took but moments, but his defeat of you will last lifetimes." (Darla, AtS: The Prodigal)
Lineage - The kinship relation between an individual and the individual's progenitors.
AtS circles around and around blood and family. It's a major Joss theme, of course, but with the Angel twist. As Buffy's story was one of empowerment, her relationship with her family reflected that. What do Angel's families reflect?
Lineage - Inherited properties shared with others of your bloodline.
They kill their families and fall for Slayers. They just do it in their own individual ways, taking the same events and shaping them to form different creations.
Destiny:
"We'll kick it over and start a new game. Look, monochrome can yap all he wants about no-name's cosmic plan, but here's a little something I picked up rubbing mojos these past couple of years. The final score can't be rigged. I don't care how many players you grease, that last shot always comes up a question mark. But here's the thing—you never know when you're taking it. It could be when you're duking it out with the Legion of Doom, or just crossing the street deciding where to have brunch. So you just treat it all like it was up to you—the world in the balance—'cause you never know when it is." (Gunn, AtS: Inside Out)
Destiny - An event (or course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future.
In the wake of S4, the shanshu is the only thing that Angel could look at with something even resembling hope.
Destiny - The ultimate agency that predetermines the course of events (often personified as a woman).
Spike's destiny always has been personified by a woman. Now, he finally seems to be creating his own future, sans destiny. And yet, he's still being controlled.
Harm's Way:
"You're a sheep. All you ever do is what everyone else does just so you can say you did it first. And here I am, scrambling for your approval, when I'm way cooler than you are 'cause I'm not a sheep. I do what I wanna do, and I wear what I wanna wear. And you know what? I'll date whoever the hell I wanna date. No matter how lame he is." (Cordelia, BtVS: Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered)
Harm - The act of damaging something or someone.
Again, we see Angel and Spike's differences shown in the way they attempt to related with Harmony. Angel says without saying that he understands what he means (Harmony, of course, doesn't actually get this at all), whereas Spike is... yeah. He's Spike, all right.
Way - How a result is obtained or an end is achieved.
Some people have mentioned the Harmony/Tamika fight as a send-up of Spike/Angel in Destiny. I can see that - though what does it mean that Tamika ends up as a dusty sacrifice to a peace meeting?
Soul Purpose:
"Angel - he should've warned me. He makes a good show of forgetting, but it's here, in me, all the time. The spark. I wanted to give you what you deserve, and I got it. They put the spark in me and now all it does is burn." (Spike, BtVS: Beneath You)
Soul - The immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life.
Trust is a fragile thing. Once it's broken, it can never be the same again. Much like a heart. Or a soul.
Purpose - The quality of being determined to do or achieve something.
Lindsey. Doyle. Names mean a great deal - always have. It means something that Spike keeps that name, while Angel pushed away Angelus. Differences. Choice.
Damage:
"Nobody is controlling you. You have the power here. You're gonna kill us, you're gonna die? Then they win. Don't let them. Don't let them touch you." (Angel, AtS: Untouched)
Damage - The occurrence of a change for the worse.
When the answer to something is simple violence, you can always count on Spike to get the job done. When things get more complicated, he tends to screw up. Hazard of being impatient.
Damage - A legal injury is any damage resulting from a violation of a legal right.
I have to admit that I felt a thrill when Dana ripped the coat off Spike. But empowerment doesn't come from attacking someone who can't win, and it doesn't come from becoming what you hate. Dana looked so long into the abyss that it consumed her. Is she irreversibly broken? Hard to say. Was Connor?
Spike is so quick to dismiss Nina and Dana. So quick, when he himself was just as fallen and he's managed to get this far.
Though Angel lacks hope for himself, he keeps it for others. Both of them likely saw Dru in Dana. But Angel could also see Faith.