Did the "Ted" episode kind of bug anyone else?

[Robb Stark]

Now, I'm not saying it was a bad episode, because it was kinda fun it it's own way, but the whole angle with Ted threatening Buffy, to hit her no less, always made me roll my eyes a bit. Not that he did it; I had no real issue with the story, but let me ask you this:

If a guy threatened to hit you over a game of mini golf, what you do.
A) Nothing. Tell Mom the following day.
B) Tell the entire party as soon as it happens and make it crystal freaking clear that you're not going anywhere with this guy again.

I hope most people went with "B". I just didn't get Buffy's thought process. I mean, if this guy threatened to hit me like Ted did, I wouldn't just be standing around. I'd be calling him on it in front of everyone. I just think that on something that serious, I would MAKE it clear what happened. It just seemed like Buffy could have saved herself the hassle.

 

[Taake]

Now, I'm not saying it was a bad episode, because it was kinda fun it it's own way, but the whole angle with Ted threatening Buffy, to hit her no less, always made me roll my eyes a bit. Not that he did it; I had no real issue with the story, but let me ask you this:

If a guy threatened to hit you over a game of mini golf, what you do.
A) Nothing. Tell Mom the following day.
B) Tell the entire party as soon as it happens and make it crystal freaking clear that you're not going anywhere with this guy again.

I hope most people went with "B". I just didn't get Buffy's thought process. I mean, if this guy threatened to hit me like Ted did, I wouldn't just be standing around. I'd be calling him on it in front of everyone. I just think that on something that serious, I would MAKE it clear what happened. It just seemed like Buffy could have saved herself the hassle.

Well frankly speaking in that position, in my opinion, A does make more sense because Buffy's a teenager, probably in shock (did this really happen? kind of thing), and in conflict - put in the position of telling her mother something her mother won't want to hear and probably fearing that Joyce wouldn't believe her.

It's not a good position for a child to be in (yes, Buffy is a mature child because of her slaying and what that puts her through but in other senses she is acutely immature and child like still because she is supposed to be so very young)

It's not odd for children to internalize and put the blame upon themselves during instances where adults are actually the wrong-doers.

As an adult it's easy to say "stand up and shout out" because we have a more developed mind and a more developed sense of self. But when we were that age, if that happened, would we really have stood up for ourselves? Personality and experience obviously plays a role here but personally I think that Buffy's hesitation to speak up made a lot of sense for a girl her age.

 

[EVIL UU]

Essentially, "Ted" sucks.

My biggest problem with this episode is Buffy's reaction after she supposedly kills Ted. It was more or less an accident but more importantly, Buffy had murdered before. In "The Pack" she throws a human into a pit full of demon-hyenas where he is eaten alive. Cold blood, no regrets. And now she's feeling guilty? Ridiculous.

I think that Buffy's hesitation to speak up made a lot of sense for a girl her age.

She's not a girl, she's THE SLAYER, fearless and unstoppable. I was expecting her to tell him something like "Touch me or my mother and I'll rip your head off." Because seriously, what can he do? She could disembowel him in ~15 seconds. That entire scene is full of rubbish and because of two reasons. One, Buffy stops being a character and becomes a plot device. Two, take a look at the message. "Some bastard threatens to abuse you? Keep your mouth shut." What a load of bullshit. That's why abuse can happen, because the victims and people around them keep their mouths shut. Scream loud enough and someone will help.

 

[Taake]

She's not a girl, she's THE SLAYER, fearless and unstoppable. I was expecting her to tell him something like "Touch me or my mother and I'll rip your head off." Because seriously, what can he do? She could disembowel him in ~15 seconds. That entire scene is full of rubbish and because of two reasons. One, Buffy stops being a character and becomes a plot device. Two, take a look at the message. "Some bastard threatens to abuse you? Keep your mouth shut." What a load of bullshit. That's why abuse can happen, because the victims and people around them keep their mouths shut. Scream loud enough and someone will help.

As someone with personal experience both from private life and a counselor in matters as these I find this a little bit too abrasive. The message wasn't for Buffy to keep quiet about it - the message was to show that though she is the Slayer she is also a girl, a point stressed over and over - and that no superpower in the world will help you feel superior in a moment like that when you're a child. It shows the young viewers that Buffy is human, someone they can relate to, and who ultimately does the right thing but who might stumble or hesitate on her way there. But she's not obnoxiously perfect and knows what to do in each given moment.

She's a slayer, a pretty bum job for a young girl, and has all these powers but push comes to shove I'll say again that she is a girl with real world problems on top of her supernatural ones and that you can't deal with the two of those in the exact same what and that's something I feel the show repeatedly puts on display for it's viewers. You can punch your way through demons but you can't punch your way through life and Buffy has to exist in both worlds.

 

[Robb Stark]

Essentially, "Ted" sucks.

My biggest problem with this episode is Buffy's reaction after she supposedly kills Ted. It was more or less an accident but more importantly, Buffy had murdered before. In "The Pack" she throws a human into a pit full of demon-hyenas where he is eaten alive. Cold blood, no regrets. And now she's feeling guilty? Ridiculous.



She's not a girl, she's THE SLAYER, fearless and unstoppable. I was expecting her to tell him something like "Touch me or my mother and I'll rip your head off." Because seriously, what can he do? She could disembowel him in ~15 seconds. That entire scene is full of rubbish and because of two reasons. One, Buffy stops being a character and becomes a plot device. Two, take a look at the message. "Some bastard threatens to abuse you? Keep your mouth shut." What a load of bullshit. That's why abuse can happen, because the victims and people around them keep their mouths shut. Scream loud enough and someone will help.

Well, yeah, she is the Slayer, but she's not a monster or a soulless killer. I mean, sure, Ted was a jerk, and he clearly deserved his come-uppance, but Buffy thought he was just this average guy by that point in the episode, and I don't think many people (Buffy probably included) would have said that he deserved to die. I know the scene you're talking about in "The Pack", but I don't think she intentionally killed that guy either. I could be wrong of course, but I remembered him running and lunging at her, she moves, and he spills into the hyena cage. Again, don't quote me, but I don't recall her making this conscious decision for him to die.

And to be fair, Buffy does eventually break loose on him when he hits her, which was very satisfying to see, robot or not.

 

[whitewolf]

I'm more upset with Joyce's reaction than Buffy's. If my daughter told me someone threatened to hit her I think I would trust my daughter over someone I just met. Seriously, Joyce really messed up here. Furthermore, I think Joyce handled the "death" bad. He attacked her, threatened, her, Buffy had every right to fight back.

 

[funsmiley]

I wouldn't say it bugged me but I can see your point. My only real problem with ted was that when he returns from the dead no police or anyone go after him, I mean I know he mentions that people were shocked that he was alive, implying that they do know but in real life the police and stuff would be going after him or at least want to question him about his fight with buffy. I suppose they do eventually come but off screen but still it bugs me.

Anyway regarding your topic, I agree in some way but I think that episode purely focused on buffy as a teenager and not buffy as a teenage slayer. The thing with ted was he was so nice to everyone that if buffy had said something she would have looked like the bad guy which at one point she does, but the main person in all it was buffy a mum, she really liked ted and had not long moved to a new town to start a fresh so everything was new and she was happy to have found someone.

I personally would have gone insane if anyone did that to me and wouldnt go anywhere near them but it's a much harder situation when someone you love is involved.

And as for Joyce not really taking buffy's side, I suppose she was confused as to why buffy would want to ruin it, I mean they did have to move because of buffy and the trouble she got in, I think for a moment she thought buffy was Maybe just causing trouble again.

[MENTION=11194]EVIL UU[/MENTION] I have never really counted that guy as really human, I mean he was obsessed with heyenas and let them posses a group of teenagers who later ate a human, If he had stayed alive all hell would have broke loose so in my opinion he got what he derserved.

 

[brinkster130]

Ted is one of my least favorite episodes. I can't stand it! A big part of that is because of how creepy and inappropriate Ted is yet no one does anything about it. The whole thing was unbelievable.

 

[Jodast]

I am not really a fan of this episode but it wasn't as bad as I remembered when I watched it again earlier this year.

The episode does have its merits and they are mainly the things that have been pointed out in this thread as criticisms of the characters, in my opinion. This is the kind of stuff that goes on every day in the real world. It saddens me to even have to acknowledge that this sort of thing happens and people's reactions to it do sometimes mirror those of Joyce and Buffy.

The episode hightlights a few things which are good character moments for Buffy. She acts out because her mother has a new boyfriend, which is typical of a 17 year old and I could see Buffy doing so more than a regular teenager. She saves the world on a daily basis and perhaps the only thing she has left of her childhood is the thought that her parents might, just might, get back together one day. Ted coming on to the scene eliminates that possinility. While I do not in any way condone Buffy's actions, I do kind of understand them.

Joyce defending Ted and insisting that Buffy accepts him comes across as being an indignant response to Buffy's bratty behaviour, which again is understandable from Joyce's point of view. This is the first time since breaking up with Hank that she has found someone she likes, as far as we, the viewers know, at least.

Buffy is then in a position where she doesn't feel that she can say anything about Ted's behaviour because it looks like she is escalating the sour grapes which is only going to add fuel to Joyce's fire. It's quite subtly done and is the kind of situation that families genuinely find themselves in because they don't communicate.

Not to mention of course that everyone besides Buffy is being drugged.

It's not the best episode by a long shot but it shows Buffy as fallible and flawed which makes her a more compelling character. It also shows Joyce as more than just Buffy''s mom, which is a nice development for her, too. By making the viewer shout at the screen in frustration it shows us that we shouldn't just sit there and take manipulation and abuse and to do something about it.

So while I don't really like the episode, I can see what the writers were trying to achieve and I think they did it quite well from a character standpoint. As for the story and entertainment standpoint....not so much.

 

[EVIL UU]

she is a girl with real world problems on top of her supernatural ones

Supernatural problems are real world problems - slaying, vampires and everything else supernatural is as real as school, money problems and her mother's boyfriends. She doesn't play in a band or play an mmorpg game or takes drugs or whatever, she slays monsters that kill people and try to destroy the world. It's as real as it gets, even more so than her school life.

Buffy has to exist in both worlds.

There's only one world, she's not Alice in Wonderland.

You can punch your way through demons but you can't punch your way through life

Really? And who's going to stop her? Her clueless mother? Sunnydale PD? The Initiative? The Council? They tried. The only thing that can stop the Slayer is another Slayer. Faith was stopped by Buffy. Genevieve was stopped by Faith. Yuki Makimura did whatever she wanted to for almost 200 years, until another Slayer took her out. Yes, she can punch her way through life just fine when she chooses to.

Well, yeah, she is the Slayer, but she's not a monster or a soulless killer.

Maybe not, but I've seen her murder human beings, torture, command child soldiers, lie, manipulate, steal and even, well, rape although that's debatable. Yeah, she may not be a monster but acting like one certainly isn't beyond her. So don't give me that "Buffy won't go bad because she's good" rot. One thing I love about Buffy is that she's possibly the grayest role model ever.

I have never really counted that guy as really human, I mean he was obsessed with hyenas and let them posses a group of teenagers who later ate a human, If he had stayed alive all hell would have broke loose so in my opinion he got what he deserved.

It doesn't matter. Good or bad, he was still a human being.

 

[dexeded]

She's not a girl, she's THE SLAYER, fearless and unstoppable. I was expecting her to tell him something like "Touch me or my mother and I'll rip your head off." Because seriously, what can he do? She could disembowel him in ~15 seconds. That entire scene is full of rubbish and because of two reasons. One, Buffy stops being a character and becomes a plot device. Two, take a look at the message. "Some bastard threatens to abuse you? Keep your mouth shut." What a load of bullshit. That's why abuse can happen, because the victims and people around them keep their mouths shut. Scream loud enough and someone will help.

She's a girl and the Slayer. And with regards to a teenage girl's reaction, see Taake's first response in this thread.

Supernatural problems are real world problems - slaying, vampires and everything else supernatural is as real as school, money problems and her mother's boyfriends. She doesn't play in a band or play an mmorpg game or takes drugs or whatever, she slays monsters that kill people and try to destroy the world. It's as real as it gets, even more so than her school life.



There's only one world, she's not Alice in Wonderland.

What matters is not what you think, but what Buffy thinks. She compartmentalizes each world as surely as she tries to compartmentalize her dual identities of teenage girl vs Slayer. A lot of the conflict in the first few seasons (high school years) is that these two worlds converge.

Really? And who's going to stop her? Her clueless mother? Sunnydale PD? The Initiative? The Council? They tried. The only thing that can stop the Slayer is another Slayer. Faith was stopped by Buffy. Genevieve was stopped by Faith. Yuki Makimura did whatever she wanted to for almost 200 years, until another Slayer took her out. Yes, she can punch her way through life just fine when she chooses to.

What can stop a Slayer? Bombs. Magic. Anything long-range that does enough damage. Anything that can manipulate time. Honestly, a Slayer has many weaknesses that are not explored in the series because Buffy is the main character. And punching your way through life results in not having a life--as in, no constants like friends or a responsibilities--because you deal with everything with simple elimination.

Maybe not, but I've seen her murder human beings, torture, command child soldiers, lie, manipulate, steal and even, well, rape although that's debatable. Yeah, she may not be a monster but acting like one certainly isn't beyond her. So don't give me that "Buffy won't go bad because she's good" rot. One thing I love about Buffy is that she's possibly the grayest role model ever.

The exact quote you are responding to here is "Well, yeah, she is the Slayer, but she's not a monster or a soulless killer." Are you saying she is a monster or a soulless killer? The show only gets really grey S6 onwards. Early season grey incidents are more one-off and not the overarching plotline.

When you say murder human beings, I assume you're talking about those one-off human villains like in The Pack (can't bring others to mind right now). She didn't kill him. He lunged at her and she knocked him away; he happened to land, courtesy of clean up by writers, into the hyena pen. In other instances, I assume something like that happened too. In any case, none of this applies to Ted because he did not dabble in the supernatural. Buffy makes it clear that she is the law of the supernatural, not the human, so while he was abusive and violent, he was not associated with the mystic. ('Course, Buffy didn't know he wasn't human and was in fact a homicidal robot...)

 

[EVIL UU]

The show only gets really grey S6 onwards. Early season grey incidents are more one-off and not the overarching plotline.

Nonsense. Season 6, as far as Buffy's actions go, is far less gray than just about any other before it. She slaughtered some decent humans to protect a ball of energy in season 5, tortured a vampire by ramming a cross into its throat in season 2 and attempted to murder another Slayer to feed her vampire boyfriend with her blood.

Bombs.

The First tried that in season 7, as did the Twilight forces in season 8, guess what, it did not work.

Magic

Tried many, many times, it never worked.

Anything that can manipulate time.

Tried in "Portal Through Time" novel. Surprisingly, it did not work.

Honestly, a Slayer has many weaknesses

And yet the world had not been destroyed because when it mattered The Slayer could not be killed. You know why? Because The Slayer cannot be killed, period. She's the most powerful being on the planet, she has to be, otherwise she would not be able to protect it. Slayers die when they want to die, some sooner, some later because every Slayer has a death wish. They basically suicide when they can't take it anymore.

She didn't kill him. He lunged at her and she knocked him away

That's whitewashing. His death was a direct result of her action. She could have done anything, she chose to take his life.

And punching your way through life results in not having a life--as in, no constants like friends or a responsibilities--because you deal with everything with simple elimination.

Last I checked, successful ancient and modern tyrants were doing just fine and had lots of friends. No, really, people love power. You think what Xander and Willow see in Buffy? Why do they follow her? It really is about power.

Buffy nailed the woman Xander loved with all his heart to a wall with a sword and he sucked it up. Willow turned thousands of young women and children into Slayers because Buffy told her to do so. They will follow her no matter what, she owns them.

 

[Jod]

Yeah ild go with option B.
I may be oe of the few that enjoy this episode. Its quite dark when u think about it but also funny. It was frustraiting that nobody belived Buffy, especially Joyce as she seemed to side with Ted. It just made me empathise with Buffy even more 🙂

 

[dexeded]

Nonsense. Season 6, as far as Buffy's actions go, is far less gray than just about any other before it. She slaughtered some decent humans to protect a ball of energy in season 5,

Love for Dawn=irrational. Monks made it so she loved Dawn so much she would sacrifice the world for her.

tortured a vampire by ramming a cross into its throat in season 2

Vampires are evil.

and attempted to murder another Slayer to feed her vampire boyfriend with her blood.

Now, this one I concede. This is the only event that really rivals S6 darkness.

The First tried that in season 7, as did the Twilight forces in season 8, guess what, it did not work.



Tried many, many times, it never worked.



Tried in "Portal Through Time" novel. Surprisingly, it did not work.



And yet the world had not been destroyed because when it mattered The Slayer could not be killed. You know why? Because The Slayer cannot be killed, period. She's the most powerful being on the planet, she has to be, otherwise she would not be able to protect it. Slayers die when they want to die, some sooner, some later because every Slayer has a death wish. They basically suicide when they can't take it anymore.

All those methods did not work because the protagonist needs to survive. Cite me some actual Slayer abilities (writing holes do not count) that circumvent death by magic, bombs, or time travel.

That's whitewashing. His death was a direct result of her action. She could have done anything, she chose to take his life.

No, it's not. Do you seriously think at that point in time, Buffy thought 'Oh, look, I'm going to knock the guy into the pit so he dies'? No. He lunged at her, she threw him aside, and, as I said, courtesy of the writers tying up loose ends, he died by hyenas. She didn't knock him aside with the intent to throw him into the pit, therefore she did not choose to take his life.

Last I checked, successful ancient and modern tyrants were doing just fine and had lots of friends. No, really, people love power. You think what Xander and Willow see in Buffy? Why do they follow her? It really is about power.

Buffy nailed the woman Xander loved with all his heart to a wall with a sword and he sucked it up. Willow turned thousands of young women and children into Slayers because Buffy told her to do so. They will follow her no matter what, she owns them.

It's called friendship.

Anya didn't die. No harm, no foul.
Willow thought Buffy was right as well.

The Scoobies have broken up in S4, S6, and S7 (Empty Places), so no, they will not follow her no matter what.

 

[EVIL UU]

Love for Dawn=irrational. Monks made it so she loved Dawn so much she would sacrifice the world for her.

That doesn't justify murdering human beings. Buffy killed Angel, she can control her own emotions and do what's right when she wants to. She chose to kill humans to protect a non-human. What does that make her?

Vampires are evil.

As is torture and those who use it.

All those methods did not work because the protagonist needs to survive.

That's a meta reason, not a in-story reason. I'm sorry but I ignore each and every meta-excuse.

Do you seriously think at that point in time, Buffy thought 'Oh, look, I'm going to knock the guy into the pit so he dies'?

I don't care what she thought, how am I supposed to verify that? She took a human life, that's all that matters. And if that was an accident then so was "killing" Ted. She didn't feel guilty about Dancing-with-the-Hyenas, she shouldn't feel guilty about Ted.

It's called friendship.

No, it's called blind obsession.

S6 darkness

And what's so dark about Buffy's actions in season 6? OK, Buffy rapes and repeatedly beats the crap out of an animated corpse. That's nothing compared to killing human beings.

The Scoobies have broken up in S4, S6, and S7 (Empty Places), so no, they will not follow her no matter what.

And yet they always come back to her when it matters. They might rebel from time to time but they always come back crawling. They can't live without her. She owns them.

 

[dexeded]

That doesn't justify murdering human beings. Buffy killed Angel, she can control her own emotions and do what's right when she wants to. She chose to kill humans to protect a non-human. What does that make her?

Dawn is a human. She used to be a glowing green ball of energy, but now she is a human. She is simultaneously the Key and human, just like how Buffy is simultaneously the Slayer and human.

That's a meta reason, not a in-story reason. I'm sorry but I ignore each and every meta-excuse.

Then in-story, I chalk it up to chance. Fine, ignore meta-excuses--but then, what is your in-story reason for her being able to evade magic/bombs/time travel deaths?

I don't care what she thought, how am I supposed to verify that? She took a human life, that's all that matters. And if that was an accident then so was "killing" Ted. She didn't feel guilty about Dancing-with-the-Hyenas, she shouldn't feel guilty about Ted.

So intent doesn't matter? Should someone responsible for an accidental death be prosecuted? And what about self defense cases, then?

Ted was different. She was deliberately smacking him around, and she lost her temper, rather than it being a Slayer job.

No, it's called blind obsession.

No, it's called friendship. Well... we can't exactly argue like that all day, so just tell me how it is blind obsession and not friendship.

As is torture and those who use it.

And what's so dark about Buffy's actions in season 6? OK, Buffy rapes and repeatedly beats the crap out of an animated corpse. That's nothing compared to killing human beings.

Notice how these two quotes are contradicatory? You call a vampire a mere animated corpse, so by your view, torturing it should not be bad either.

And yet they always come back to her when it matters. They might rebel from time to time but they always come back crawling. They can't live without her. She owns them.

Come back crawling? Elaborate. I have no idea what evidence you have that she owns them etc. Friends have arguments, they make amends.

 

[Jodast]

And yet they always come back to her when it matters. They might rebel from time to time but they always come back crawling. They can't live without her. She owns them.

I don't think she owns them at all. They are a very select group of people who have a very unusual, not to mention dangerous thing in common. They know that there are things that go bump in the night and they feel compelled to do something about it. They could break away and do their own thing, which certainly in later seasons wouldn't be that much of a problem, or they could work together because although they do not always agree on things and they have different priorities at times, they like each other and want to help each other out. Kind of like family.

 

[EVIL UU]

Dawn is a human. She used to be a glowing green ball of energy, but now she is a human. She is simultaneously the Key and human, just like how Buffy is simultaneously the Slayer and human.

No, she's not. You can't simultaneously be a human being and something else, you're either human or you're not. Dawn is supernatural being, her memories are fake, she was created as a result of magical tinkering and brainwashing. Buffy's not a human either, since season 7 we know that she's pretty much a demon.

what is your in-story reason for her being able to evade magic/bombs/time travel deaths?

Power. The same power that allows her to punch things very hard and see the future in prophetic dreams. It's all a part of the package. It's magic, it's not rational. Remember Judge?

"No weapon forged can harm me"

He cannot be killed with forged weapons. Done, it's magic. It's part of the spell that created him or a part of his inherent power, we don't know his origin. Slayers are similar, except it looks like this:

"You cannot kill me unless I want to die."

Done. She cannot be killed because the spell that created the Slayer line says so. You can throw bombs at her and it will not work. It's not rational, it's magic. The Master was the only guy ever that managed to kill The Slayer that wanted to live ( "Giles, I'm 16 years old. I don't want to die." ) and just because he discovered the only way to completely turn off her power, by bringing her into the proximity of the cosmic egg and...it still did not work, thanks to that butt monkey Xander Harris.

Lore.

Should someone responsible for an accidental death be prosecuted?

Why yes, of course. That's why we have judiciary, there are different kinds of fault etc. Geez, look it up. One of Faith's murders was more or less accidental and she was trialed for it as well after all. It's bullshit because she's not a human being and shouldn't be trialed at all but whatever.

And what about self defense cases, then?

Self defense has limits too. Google it.

tell me how it is blind obsession and not friendship

Buffy is more important to them than their personal well-being and safety and the well-being and safety of their loved ones. Willow would have brought Buffy again, she says so herself, she could not live without her. Magic addiction, Tara's death, almost-Armageddon, all the pain and suffering, it was worth it to her. If that's not an obsession then I don't know what is.

Notice how these two quotes are contradicatory?

No. There's nothing contradictory about those statements. Vampires are garbage, torturing them turns you into the same sort of garbage. It's like with animals, it's OK to kill them to eat their meat, make clothes out of their fur and so on ( yes, I know that not everybody shares that view ) but torturing them is all sorts of wrong. We extend some of our human moral rules onto non-humans. It's very much OK to slay a vampire but torture? Way uncool.

I have no idea what evidence you have that she owns them etc. Friends have arguments, they make amends.

They're willing to suffer for her. Loose a loved one, loose a body part, go insane - whatever it takes, no regrets. They may question her decisions but in the end they always follow her orders and they're willing to do just about anything for her.

Willow and Xander are basically minions, they simply don't realize it.

Well... we can't exactly argue like that all day

Argue? I don't argue with you dear drizzlydaze. We can disagree and we do, probably most of the times, I don't share your opinions, you don't share mine but it's OK. You're sharp, you have my respect. And hey, our discussions are way more fun than any shipper cancer bullshit. Peace.

 

[whitewolf]

[MENTION=11194]EVIL UU[/MENTION] I'm getting the feeling you don't like many of the characters aside from Buffy. Calling them minions makes no sense whatsoever. They work with Buffy because they feel like she has a cause worth fighting for, but she certainly does not own them.

 

[Skytteflickan88]

No, she's not. You can't simultaneously be a human being and something else, you're either human or you're not. Dawn is supernatural being, her memories are fake, she was created as a result of magical tinkering and brainwashing. Buffy's not a human either, since season 7 we know that she's pretty much a demon.

Call Buffy a demon if you want, since there's no way to reach consensus about what a demon and a human is, but Buffy is human, as in she grew up human, has a human body & brain, feels human, act human and probably has a human soul. A slayer is this in my opinion; a human with some demonic powers. In season 7, we saw that the demonic elements in slayers are something added, not her "base". Therefore, it's understandable that she acts human.

Power. The same power that allows her to punch things very hard and see the future in prophetic dreams. It's all a part of the package. It's magic, it's not rational. Remember Judge?

"No weapon forged can harm me"

He cannot be killed with forged weapons. Done, it's magic. It's part of the spell that created him or a part of his inherent power, we don't know his origin. Slayers are similar, except it looks like this:

"You cannot kill me unless I want to die."

Done. She cannot be killed because the spell that created the Slayer line says so. You can throw bombs at her and it will not work. It's not rational, it's magic. The Master was the only guy ever that managed to kill The Slayer that wanted to live ( "Giles, I'm 16 years old. I don't want to die." ) and just because he discovered the only way to completely turn off her power, by bringing her into the proximity of the cosmic egg and...it still did not work, thanks to that butt monkey Xander Harris.

Lore.

That's not lore. That's just a few theories you have.

1.Clearly The Judge could be killed, just with no old weapon. Why assume it's magic? He might just be like a lion compared to a bunny; harder to kill, because evolution made him that way. After all, a forged weapon did kill him. It was must more advanced than the axes and swords he was used too.

2. The spell never mentioned anything about slayers being impossible to kill. I have no idea what makes you think this. I can only think of how Spike said that every slayer has a death wish, a opinion he seems to have based on the three slayers he's hunted. But what does that have to do with other slayers? Not all of them are likely to have wanted to die more than Buffy. And why would you assume The Master turned off her power? Or that the seed could affect her that way?

Why yes, of course. That's why we have judiciary, there are different kinds of fault etc. Geez, look it up. One of Faith's murders was more or less accidental and she was trialed for it as well after all. It's bullshit because she's not a human being and shouldn't be trialed at all but whatever.

If the police and followed that logic, they would have killed her, since then she had no human rights. Look it up.

Buffy is more important to them than their personal well-being and safety and the well-being and safety of their loved ones. Willow would have brought Buffy again, she says so herself, she could not live without her. Magic addiction, Tara's death, almost-Armageddon, all the pain and suffering, it was worth it to her. If that's not an obsession then I don't know what is.

When did she say that "Magic addiction, Tara's death, almost-Armageddon, all the pain and suffering, it was worth it to her." I seriously doubt she even hinted at that.

They're willing to suffer for her. Loose a loved one, loose a body part, go insane - whatever it takes, no regrets. They may question her decisions but in the end they always follow her orders and they're willing to do just about anything for her.

Willow and Xander are basically minions, they simply don't realize it.

They would not lose a loved one for her. They would risk themselves and not argue if their loved ones wanted to help, but how does that count? Buffy would do the same for them.

And they do not always follow her orders willy nilly. Plenty of times they've needed convincing, and sometimes they've gone directly against her orders. But since she's a good leader, she's often right about what needs to be done in battle. But they have their own free will and purposes.