Buffy coming back to that house with nothing to her name but her intuition and her conviction would be nothing short of begging. Angel's presence and his subtle shaming of the Scoobies actions would have changed nothing; they just would have had another person to direct their anger and frustrations at.
The only reason Buffy could go back into the house in canon is because she had gleaming, fatal proof in her hands that she was right and they were wrong. The Scoobies could do nothing but relent to her her very real, very earned authority in that situation. If she came back battered and broken, she would have been met with "I told you so."
When necessary? Nay. Always.
When has Angel ever been in a position to
let Buffy do anything when it comes to slaying. When has he ever
tried?
Never is the answer to both questions, in my mind.
For God sake, she went in to that haunted house with Kralik to save her mother. Alone. Human. Injured.
Angel letting her do that wasn't even a question raised in the episode.
Buffy is a warrior. And she acts like one too.
I'd like to alter my earlier statement on Angel being a strategist to say that he is
capable of being a very good strategist, but much like Buffy, when Angel is in a fight or in a pressing situation, he reacts the exact same way Buffy does: on his gut, his emotions, his intuition, blind Hail Mary hope and more than a little audacity and luck. He does what needs to be done and doesn't think much further than that. If we just compared NFA with Chosen: Angel did give anymore thought to what the consequences of taking the Black Thorn down anymore than Buffy thought of the consequences of making all potentials, slayers. All either of them did was think of was needed in those specific situations.
In the situation in Touched, Buffy did not need the Scoobies, and they did not want her.
Now that's everything, huh? No weapons... No friends... No hope. Take all that away... and what's left?
ME!
Buffy going after the Scythe alone was an emphatic reiteration of that triumphant moment in Becoming, when she fought back.
Of course he would. Angel has never, ever had an issue with Buffy's strength or her approach to slaying. If going in alone was something needed for a mission, then that is what would happen. The most I can see him doing is asking if she is sure that is how she wants it to go down.
Oh yes he would!
What plan of Buffy's wasn't suicidal and irresponsible? You don't get the luxury of being responsible with strategy when you are trying to save the world. One of the many reasons why a Slayer usually worked alone.
Again, I refer back to absolutely everything Angel has ever done in his life. Angelus plans. Angelus waits. Angel acts.
1) Buffy would have been going back to her house with the one thing that she didn't have when she was thrown out. Support. One voice saying, simply, "Listen to what she has to say, THEN decide," would have made the difference. That's why it was so vital to the story that Spike was gone. Buffy might face a dozen vampires single handedly, but actually facing her friends down, with no one to support her, is something that she just had no experience with.
2) If Angel had come back with Buffy, in support of her plan, or at least ready to sit down and work out the details, I have little doubt that Faith would have jumped at the opportunity to turn command back over to Buffy. She hadn't ever wanted the job in the first place, and her original objections to going back to the vineyard were more about going in, once more, without any sort of plan.
3) Saying that Buffy can defend herself whenever necessary and saying that she is always capable of defending herself mean exactly the same thing. We agree on that point.
4) Buffy going after Kralik, "Alone. Human. Injured." was, also, stupid and suicidal. And, if Angel, or Spike, or even Riley, had been there at the time, no, Buffy would not have gone in alone. They wouldn have gone with her, or followed her in, but Buffy would NOT have gone in alone.
5) Yes, Buffy is a warrior. Once more, we agree. But in this case, she is also a leader, and as such, too valuable to risk on one man missions. I know, she had been doing it all season, and almost all of the time throughout the entire series. The difference is, now, for the first time, she wasn't JUST the warrior, she was the protector and provider for a group of girls who were, literally, the hope of the future. She had more to worry about than just herself.
6) Angel reacted with his gut feelings WHEN IT WAS NECESSARY. He also, whenever possible, laid out a careful plan of action in order to assure the success of his mission. Look at "Not Fade Away." I might not approve of his goal, but his plan in achieving it was sound strategy, and he had obviously been working on it for weeks, if not months, in advance. Whatever was at the vineyard that belonged to the Slayer was important, but, as far as anyone knew, it didn't propose any immediate threat. There was time to plan, and Angel would have put that time to good use.
7) In "Touched," Buffy most certainly DID need someone else. Remember that "pity ditty" in the abandoned house? Without Spike, or SOMEONE who she cared about, giving her the encouragement to get back in the game, she would have stayed there and never accepted the fact that she was, in fact, "the One." By her own admission, Spike's encouragement at that crucial moment was the only thing that gave her the courage, resolve, and determination to do what she had to do. I'm assuming here that we both believe that Angel could have accomplished that just as well as Spike. (Well, ALMOST as well.) I'm just saying that, considering the differences in the two men and their personalities, Angel would have inspired a more cautious, thought out approach to the situation.
Once more, I am NOT trying to turn this into a Spike vs Angel debate, though certain comparisons have to be made, by the very nature of the question. Throughout their histories, Angel, whether you add the "us" onto his name or not, is far more inclined to plan out his moves carefully in advance whenever possible, whereas Spike was, by his own admission, "all about the kill," impetuous and reckless. Since Buffy's actions in going after the scythe after being inspired by him reflect that philosophy, I am assuming that Angel would inspire action consistent with his own personality.
(And, by the way, the smirking Angel telling Caleb, "You are SO going to lose," bespeaks tremendous confidence i n Buffy's abilities, but that confidence is based solely on the fact that he has never SEEN her lose. He never saw her initial fights with Adam, or Glory, the first ubervamp, or even Spike in "School Hard," when in each case she so, almost DID lose. Add to that the fact that Caleb was probably as powerful as any one of them, of not more powerful, and that smirk just might have been replaced with the look of genuine concern. Almost certainly, his stance would have been less released and more tense, ready to come to Buffy's aid if he saw that she needed it.)
