I want to start by saying that I have never once gotten into a Bangel vs. Spuffy debate, and I never intend to. It's not that I don't have my preferences, or that I don't have opinions...of course I do. Simply put, I just don't feel the need to juxtapose Buffy and Angel's relationship with Buffy and Spike's. I don't think it's necessary. Bangel can speak for itself, and I feel that merely comparing it to a different relationship Buffy had isn't doing it justice. This thread treads a little close for comfort to the Bangel/Spuffy arguments I try to avoid...but it also gives me a chance to talk about Bangel so I'll do it.
I CANNOT understand when people call their relationship immature. Physically, I don't understand it. The only way I could is if the person saying it knew absolutely nothing about the show, the characters, the plot, and had only seen clips of Buffy and Angel kissing and saying dramatic things. That really is ALL you'd have to see or pay attention to in order to come up with the belief that their relationship was immature. Now, of course we all do what I call "selective viewing," especially where 'ships are concerned. We as viewers see what we want to see, and ignore what we don't. But Buffy and Angel both made decisions within the course of their relationship and beyond that cannot easily be ignored, and clearly demonstrate their maturity.
I know people in immature relationships. Log onto Facebook any given day and you'll see it, too. Immature relationships are selfish: self-serving, self-centered, self-motivated and self-oriented. The only thing that matters is their love!! They're gonna be 2gether 4ever!! There is nothing bigger or more important than THEIR RELATIONSHIP and they often make sure everyone knows it. (There are many other aspects to an immature relationship, of course...for the sake of making this post shorter than a novel, this is the one I'll focus on.)
Buffy and Angel are not like that. Sure, they wish for a future together, very much. But scenes like the one in the graveyard (forget which episode) where Angel tells Buffy that vampires can't have children, those don't speak to me as either one of them fooling themselves. They hope to be together, but they both know there are things more important than being together...and that is NOT immature.
The immature couples I know would NOT make the sacrifices that Buffy and Angel have made. They would not choose the world over the off-chance their relationship could work. The most obvious example is Buffy killing Angel. (By the way, I don't think the Whistler would hand Buffy an enormous ceremonial sword if the portal would just need a couple drops of his blood. It was understood that ALL of Angel's blood would need to be taken and Buffy wasn't acting irrationally...she simply understood that.) Next, when Angel comes back from hell, they attempt to have a sexless relationship...which, while clearly not going to work, is a mature decision. Next, Angel leaves town...MATURE decision, and not one someone in an immature relationship would make. He (and Buffy too, given time) understood that their were bigger things than themselves, that they would hold each other back in the long run, and that ultimately doing what was right for themselves meant doing what was right for the world. And finally, Angel choosing to be a tormented vampire rather than a happy human with Buffy, and choosing to be the sole bearer of the memories they shared...someone in an immature relationship would not do this. Buffy and Angel acted selflessly time and time again. They put their love aside to do what was right, which is an excessively mature thing to do. Their relationship was IN high school, but it was never OF high school.
I do understand that the writers tended to push this immatureness onto the viewers. But I think it's safe to say that Spike and Buffy's relationship deserves (and requires) a closer look, right? Beyond what happened S6, beyond their past and beyond what was on the surface...well, so does Buffy and Angel's. When Angel finds Buffy's notebook with "Buffy + Angel 4ever!" written on it, I cringe. Because that was a superficial plot device, and not what their relationship was about.
Furthermore, I don't understand how we can call Buffy "innocent" in ANY way at this time in her life. She's seen more death than anyone her age. She has died herself. She holds the fate of the world in her hands. She's HOPEFUL when she's with Angel, but not innocent or jaded or naive. She knows very well that a relationship between a Slayer and a vampire is not an easy one.
I'm also a little confused as to why "first love" is always brought up, and put down, in these discussions. I'm not stupid, I understand that most people fall in love with more than one person. However, I have been in love with exactly one person. I don't know for a fact that over the course of my entire life, I will remain with this person...I hope to, certainly, and I think I will, but I know that life is unpredictable. Still, to suggest that I love him less because he's my first love, and therefore, my "foundation"...that's sort of ridiculous. As it is ridiculous to suggest that I love him MORE because he's my first love. I know it doesn't happen more than it does, but I know many people who fall in love with one person and stay with that person for the majority of their lives. That's not a "foundation," that's a whole house.
.........anyways, to answer the OP's question, yes. Buffy loves Angel.
