Acathla

[forget]

I just finished rewatching Season 2, and then rewatched a few episodes of the beginning of Season 3 and a few questions came to mind. I hope these are accurate questions and I didn't just miss little details while watching..

In Becoming, Acathla could only be opened and close with Angel's blood. Why Angel? What did he have to do with it? I get that obviously it was like that for the show/storyline/etc, but what was their reason? Or was there one?

Then, while watching Faith, Hope, and Trick Giles was trying to create a binding spell for Acathla. As soon as Buffy told Giles that Angel got his soul back before she killed him, Giles simply stated that there was no longer a spell. Why would a small detail like that change it? Did I miss something?

I hope all of this makes sense, and I hope the questions can be answered. I am very curious. 🙂

 

[nightshade]

I think in Becoming it was a blood ritual, only the person who was worthy of Acathla could open and then close it.

In Faith, Hope and Trick Giles talked about a spell to try to get Buffy to tell him what happened, once she did that he told Willow that there was no spell

 

[forget]

But I don't think Giles would just trick her into telling him what happened like that. Especially since she said it already several times.

Plus, he packed everything up after she told him and had this weird look...but it was less of an "I feel bad for her" look, it was something else.

 

[Chosen Enemy]

I think by 'worthy' they mean pure, pure evil. When The Judge tried to fry him, he wasn't able to, because Angel was pure evil. That's what I think was the reason Angel's blood was worthy.

 

[ticonderouga]

I think that Giles suspected what had happened with Angel, and Buffy hadn't told anyone about what had happened and the burden was too much. If you notice she begins to improve her attitude at least to some extent after this particular moment. I think it had more to do with the fact that he was fallen, and not simply pure evil. That he had a soul and lost it made him the write person.

 

[Kean]

With Acathla I always understood that it took the person who was preforming the spell to offer up their own blood to open the portal and then in turn it took that same person's blood to close. I don't believe it specific to Angelus. For instance, if Giles had preformed the spell it would have required his blood.

As for Giles in Faith, Hope and Trick I believe he knew that something awful happened, something that was haunting Buffy. And while I can't be sure that he knew Angel had his soul, I believe he suspected it. I believe he knew that Willow's spell worked and what that could mean for Angelus/Angel and Buffy and Acathla.

In Anne he tells Joyce that he believes that Buffy was deeply unhappy, I think even then he knew what had gone down. If it had been Angelus Buffy sent to Hell and not Angel I firmly believe Buffy would have returned to Giles that morning (in lieu of her mother kicking her out). Would she have been upset? Absolutely, but it wouldn't have been the devastation that sending Angel to Hell with kiss was.

I know Giles kept pushing her for specific details on what happened but I think that was the point, it was a mislead. We, and Buffy, were supposed to think he was only doing a spell.

Personally, it is my absolute favourite Buffy/Giles moment. He allowed her to forgive herself, even just a little bit. It was his greatest act of kindness towards her.

 

[PrincessBuffy16]

Only the person who opened Acathla can close him. Anyone can open him, not only Angel.

Giles tricked Buffy to talk about the event by telling her about the spell. I truly think there was no spell.

 

[forget]

Oh okay. This is all getting much clearer. I didn't think about Giles just trying to get stuff out of her.

But I was kind of thinking about what [MENTION=7585]Kean[/MENTION] said, about it being whomever did the ritual used their own blood as the key.

 

[Abby27]

I think it was predestined that Angel's blood would open Acathla. I think Whistler alludes to destiny/fate having some role in Angel being the one to open Acathla. He mentions to Buffy, "I thought Angel was here to stop Acathla, not bring him forth." And then something like, "We never saw you coming." Angel has always had his story line tie in with destiny and fate. Whistler was sent to get Angel together because the PTB knew Angel was important and would play a bigger role in everything. And in fact, I think they thought Angel would be the one to stop Acathla (which, again, might be a bit of a stretch because if Angel never became evil, who knows if Spike and Drusilla would have ever even cared to dig up Acathla). They didn't see Buffy and Angel falling in love. And they didn't see him becoming evil, and they didn't see Angel being important in Acathla with regards to having the blood worthy enough to open up; they thought he was the one destined to stop him, not open him up. Angelus was the most gruesome and sadistic vampires. I think that earned him the title of being worthy to release hell upon Earth.

Whatcha you guys think? 🙂

 

[FetalPig]

Acathla again

Has anyone else noticed how embarrassed Acathla is at having to stand around in his skin for all eternity? I mean ... look at his feet. Poor fellow.

 

[forget]

That picture is hilarious, I didn't even realize it was supposed to be them because it's obviously not.

But, why would he be there to close it then if he's the only one able to open it in the first place?
I think I still agree with what we said earlier, but your explanation [MENTION=10889]Abby27[/MENTION] does make a lot of sense. I get where you're coming from...but I believe it's better thought out the other way, of course you could still be right. We don't really know what Joss was thinking about it all. I think it's just the way he wrote around it that was confusing.

 

[Abby27]

[MENTION=11411]forget[/MENTION] Right right, it's definitely open to interpretation! 😀

I think the PTB could tell Angel was going to play an important role with Acathla, which is why they sent Whistler to get Angel out of the gutter - literally. They assumed since he had a soul it would be on the side of good. But they didn't see Buffy or their love coming, and they also didn't see that Angel's role in Acathla was on the side of evil. Whistler even says he thought that Acathla was gonna be Angel's "big day" saving the world.

 

[forget]

Well he was right. It was Angel's "big day" and he did save the world...sort of...

 

[Gideon]

The real question is.... why didn't Buffy just nick Angel and use his blood to shut the portal? Who the heck said you had to use all of it? 😀