whether or not the story is true doesn’t matter, because it is an ending. the story of “captain flint” is over.
except it does matter, not the world but to the audience of the show.
and it mattered to john silver, giving him a reason to lie because the best lies are believed by those who told them. except it mattered to madi, and the story told hurt her and divided her from silver all the same, which seemed to genuinely surprise him.
whether james flint was killed by his closest friend, a man we watched him him learn to love, or retired to an unexpected bliss with his lost lover in a slow, begrudging return to the man he once was
it matters to me and it matters to anyone who watched the show. but it did not matter to history, or to england, or to The Story decided by civilization, and so it doesn’t matter.
and so no one will ever truly know.
thus the thesis is proved, and the innocent audience of a fun tv show is forced to understand, truly understand, the themes so often discussed in the narrative they enjoyed:
individuals are often great; often ambitious, and intelligent, and fearsome, and infallible. but what exists and what has always existed will beat them, to some extent, every time. and their real character will be erased and rewritten by the unflappable source we call history, but is so often a much smaller, more fickle thing we call chance. despite its unfair and ungodly odds.
we will never know what really happened, because no one telling the story of the past or present is doing so without bias. and we, small, emotional, fallible creatures as we are, have to reckon with it. we wonder, we care, and it does not matter because it’s over.
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I watch one tree hill once every couple of years and every time I forget how genuinely sinister and dark sided what Lucas Scott does to Brooke Davis is
Well folks, I’ve reached That scene in my s7 rewatch. Probably the most infamous and hated scene in Buffy history (perhaps aside from Seeing Red.) I’m talking about the iconic kick out of 2003, and let me tell you it’s a frustrating as ever.
For anyone interested, I’ve broken down my thoughts on it below.
Interestingly, I think it’s a result of what I was lauding about the season earlier: a commitment to deconstructing the essential themes of the show one last time. Unfortunately, it was done not only in a way that was rushed and confusing, but sacrificed the development and integrity of literally every single character other than Buffy and Spike.
I understand the intention, I think. This season, and the show at large, has explored the concept of the single slayer, the person who must always carry the burden alone. However, there has always been a sense of self enforcement of this rule. Buffy knows in her heart she is the sole decision maker, the judge, jury, and executioner. It’s stated many times in the show that she “keeps people out”, because of this. (Though I’m sure many still debate if that’s demonstrably accurate.)
However, at the show’s climax, we’re offered a new perspective: what if Buffy isn’t alone because she’s decided she has to be, what if she’s the one being shut out? We’ve seen glimmers of this idea in the past: the “what’s left” scene in Becoming, the second most infamous gang up scene in Dead Man’s Party, etc.
It’s an idea that does have a place in Buffy’s story and the deconstruction of the concept of the slayer. The problem is that it only serves Buffy’s story, and in fact demolishes everyone else’s.
I do think there’s an argument to be made that it could have been done better. It’s far too rushed and really only preceded by one “screw up” from Buffy. We’ve seen her prove herself to the gang over and over again all season, so having one fight go wrong just doesn’t justify the team losing trust in her. Maybe if we had seen a slow, subtle decline in the faith in Buffy over the season from the others and even herself it would’ve made more sense.
But even then, it would still force us to watch the characters we have loved aside from Buffy not only turn on her but on us, the audience. There is no way for it to not feel like a betrayal, and a stupid and misguided one at that. Maybe the potentials are new, but Xander, Willow, and Giles know Faith. They know Buffy, they’ve seen everything we have. Choosing Faith to lead is a decision that doesn’t make sense.
Frankly, I think it’s unfair to the other characters to paint them in such an unpleasant, possibly even unforgivable light. I get that Buffy needed her final dark night of the soul, but did they need to dismantle every single character to give it to her? Without any real justification or ramp up?
It’s just a shame, because this single plot point remains a huge stain on the entire season and even the entire show. In a season that is so much about themes, it almost seems to be confirming the question asked again and again: is Buffy really superior? Is there no place for her support system in the life of the slayer?
If the answer that question is yes, fine. But then, does the ultimate conclusion still make sense? Does spreading the power of the slayer to all potentials really hold the same narrative weight and give the same feeling of satisfaction that it should? Or are we left thinking, hey, maybe Buffy does deserve all that power?
It’s antithetical to the final message and sacrifices the integrity of all the characters we’re supposed to love. That’s just too much to trade for what little it achieves.
season 7 of buffy the vampire slayer is near perfect television. every episode carries a greater narrative purpose, each acting like a building block, a necessary step towards the iconic conclusion.
it returns to the essential themes the show was founded on, but explores them with the depth and maturity it had earned and developed over the years.
it embraces nostalgia while attempting new ideas and feats, exploring novel episode structures one moment and classic, quintessential buffy the next.
I could write a novel about every single season of this show and its entirety, they each have something beautiful and individual to offer. season 7? it achieves something rare: a near perfect ending to a one of a kind story.
an example of how great the writing this season is: conversations with dead people.
a very unique episode with a lot to discuss, but something that sticks out to me is the fact that of the four conversations with the dead, only Buffy’s is real. Willow, Dawn, and Andrew are all taking to the first, whereas Buffy has a real conversation with an independent being.
because she is the slayer. she is alone. She does bear the responsibility. she is the one.
the central theme!!! THE conversation of the show, that will ultimately be addressed at the end of the series.
I wish I could interpret Season 7 in this way but unfortunately I can’t. It was a disappointment for me.
The thing I care about most in TV art/entertainment is character representation and development and unlike the other seasons, this season really missed on that.
I do agree that Conversations With Dead People is a great episode though. The best of the season by far.
That’s fair, I think the biggest issues I have with it come down to character development as well. Particularly the infamous kick out scene, which felt so insanely out of character for everyone.
Imo the biggest hurdle was how much time they had to spend on solving problems they created for themselves, for example the Seeing Red of it all. I don’t defend those issues at all.
I think what I love most about it is the intentionality of each episode and the slow build to the final conclusion, which I personally believe was the perfect ending for Buffy. It was a final deconstruction of the big conflict of the show and Buffy’s character. For me, that’s what the whole season was about. But I completely understand why a lot of people have problems with it.
season 7 of buffy the vampire slayer is near perfect television. every episode carries a greater narrative purpose, each acting like a building block, a necessary step towards the iconic conclusion.
it returns to the essential themes the show was founded on, but explores them with the depth and maturity it had earned and developed over the years.
it embraces nostalgia while attempting new ideas and feats, exploring novel episode structures one moment and classic, quintessential buffy the next.
I could write a novel about every single season of this show and its entirety, they each have something beautiful and individual to offer. season 7? it achieves something rare: a near perfect ending to a one of a kind story.
an example of how great the writing this season is: conversations with dead people.
a very unique episode with a lot to discuss, but something that sticks out to me is the fact that of the four conversations with the dead, only Buffy’s is real. Willow, Dawn, and Andrew are all taking to the first, whereas Buffy has a real conversation with an independent being.
because she is the slayer. she is alone. She does bear the responsibility. she is the one.
the central theme!!! THE conversation of the show, that will ultimately be addressed at the end of the series.
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season 7 of buffy the vampire slayer is near perfect television. every episode carries a greater narrative purpose, each acting like a building block, a necessary step towards the iconic conclusion.
it returns to the essential themes the show was founded on, but explores them with the depth and maturity it had earned and developed over the years.
it embraces nostalgia while attempting new ideas and feats, exploring novel episode structures one moment and classic, quintessential buffy the next.
I could write a novel about every single season of this show and its entirety, they each have something beautiful and individual to offer. season 7? it achieves something rare: a near perfect ending to a one of a kind story.
still reeling from the implication that the big bad wolf perhaps always begins as a little girl. that the acceptance of death must result in the loss of one’s childhood, but may in itself always give birth to something new, to a child of its own. that the cycle; childhood, suffering, acceptance, death, is never ending and yet always beginning anew.
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“this is a dad promise? on yesterday?” is the most real and gut wrenching line I’ve maybe ever seen on television. it almost felt voyeuristic, like you shouldn’t be hearing something so intimate between siblings.
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