Spoiler! Discussion of Buffy 9.05 "Slayer Interrupted"- Released 01/11/12 (Dark Horse)

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brinkster130

brinkster130

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Slayer Interrupted

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Summary:
Buffy's dreams have become all too real lately as she deals with a magicless world. She's still fighting creatures of the night, as Willow and Xander grow distant and nightmares plague the Slayer. But something is telling Buffy that there is more to her dreams than meets the eye... and that her greatest fears may yet become reality! Source

My thoughts and questions:

- Neat issue, I enjoyed the dreams.

-So the Scythe is the key to getting magic back, and look like Willow is off now to restore it.

- I'm glad Buffy finally mentioned Giles. It was nice to see Willow suggest that Buffy look in the book that Giles left to her. Hopefully we will get to know more about their thoughts and feelings concerning Giles and his untimely death as well as the Vampyer book he left Buffy.

- As expected, Buffy is pregnant. I wonder how everyone is going to take the news, especially Spike.

- So who do you guys think the father is? Angel, her one night stand at the party, another boy, Xander or is it mystical baby?

- My guess is it's Angel's baby. It's to soon after her party hook up to belong to that mystery guy. Although, do we really know the timeline? If it is Angel's it will be interesting to see how it will play out, when will she tell him? What will his response be?

- Maybe the pregnancy test gave a false positive. That sort of thing happens frequently, so maybe this whole this is just a little pregnancy scare that will once again make it clear to Buffy that her life isn't normal and may never be.

-Could it be Xander's baby? The two of them do have a secret that they are keeping from Dawn. I really really hope this isn't the case.

-While I wasn't surprised at all with this issue, I am looking forward to see how this all plays out.



What did you all think?
 
Well, the art was decent for a change. As for the rest, predictable would be one way to describe it. The kind way. Magic needs to be restored - because the plot says so. Deus Ex Scythe will be used for that apparently. Bored now. Buffy is (maybe) pregnant. Surprise! Not.

On the bright side they actually mentioned Giles and although the Willow-Buffy dialogue was clunky (Besties? When have they used that word before?) they almost felt like friends for a change. Until Willow decided she had to leave without saying goodbye, that is.

How are zompires going to overrun the world anyway? Vampires and demons couldn't do it even in a world with no modern weaponry, the zompire thread is utterly impotent compared to the threats of a magic-full world. It should be very easy to contrive a scenario in which bringing back magic would be necessary rather than go with "because the plot says so".

Kennedy blames Buffy and, you guessed it, the Seed breakage for Willow dumping her? Damn, they should just make an "I hate Buffy and I miss the Seed" club or something...

Where is Willow going anyway? The rush to leave felt way too contrived and cliffhangery. She couldn't have discussed pros and cons of restoring magic, no she has to leave immediately because some dream told her to restore magic. Contrived much?
 
A
Abby27
Sums up how I feel perfectly :)
Icarium said:
Where is Willow going anyway? The rush to leave felt way too contrived and cliffhangery. She couldn't have discussed pros and cons of restoring magic, no she has to leave immediately because some dream told her to restore magic. Contrived much?
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After issue 40 we were told that Willow and Angel will be trying to achieve the same thing. While we could only guess at the time, we now know that they are both seeking to restor magic. So, I'd expect to see her drop by London in the near future.
 
Kean said:
After issue 40 we were told that Willow and Angel will be trying to achieve the same thing. While we could only guess at the time, we now know that they are both seeking to restor magic. So, I'd expect to see her drop by London in the near future.
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Yeah, let's trust the guy who created the mess in the first place. Excellent plan, Willow.

Sarcasm aside, why would this prevent Willow from discussing the matter with Buffy and Xander?
 
Icarium said:
Yeah, let's trust the guy who created the mess in the first place. Excellent plan, Willow.

Sarcasm aside, why would this prevent Willow from discussing the matter with Buffy and Xander?
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Because saying the name "Angel" or even vaguely alluding to him, appears to be akin to saying Voldemort in Buffy's title, at the moment.

Because magic is "Willow's thing" and she has to do it in sekret and on her own.

Because twice last season Willow went off on secret missions (to Saga Vasuki and to help Spike).

Because the comic has done A LOT to let us know that the Scoobies are over and they no longer take each other into consideration?

The list goes on. You won't find an answer that satisfies you, but that's just par for the course with this comic.
 
I just read it, and I really liked it. That was an interesting issue, and an astonishing way of ending it. I'm glad that we got so much Buffy/Willow moments. I missed that. Loved the Giles reference too.

I don't really know what to think about the perspective of a pregnancy storyline, but I like the idea for the moment, I think it will be interesting for Buffy's journey. It all depends on the way they will handle it"¦ even if I tend to think that it's maybe a part of a bigger plan (connected to the return of magic maybe, or something else"¦). It will probably add some drama, even if they have the intention to handle it in a "˜normal way' (without bigger plan in the picture). Maybe she won't go until the end of the pregnancy, or"¦ I don't know. Anything could happen. But I can't wait to see how Buffy will face this important change in her life.

I also think it will be a really good element for the Buffy/Spike journey. I see it more as a way of solidify their relationship than the otherwise. Spike is probably gonna want to be there for her, and it will lead to more time between these two, and since they still have some issues to repair, that's a good way of leading us in that land, and getting them even closer. "[Spike] is gonna be a real factor in Buffy's life", said Joss Whedon.

Concerning the father"¦ well, Xander and Riley are probably too obvious choices in 9#01. And in regard of Xander, I think Buffy would be a lot more tormented or ambiguous on the subject if she had done anything with him (before the party I mean), it's always obvious when she's feeling guilty, and we're talking about her sister's boyfriend"¦ Plus, the way she talked about Xander in this issue makes it even less plausible to me. And Riley seemed sober at the party, and I really don't see him doing something like that to Buffy and Sam.

Andrew"¦ It's a possibility but it would be really, really funny.

It can't be Angel's baby. I didn't even think about it, but I saw it had been suggested. Added to his vampire condition, the "˜spacefrake' happened months ago"¦ If I'm not wrong, I remember they said that 6 months passed between 8#39 and 8#40 (and at the very least, the Spike one-shot indicates us that he was gone in his bugs ship at least two months before 8#40, which is already a long time), and some time (months) passed between 8#40 and 9#01, and even more until 9#05. And I don't think they would go for that kind of option anyway. I don't think that's what the story is about.

The less expected father would be Spike (because first of all, I don't think he would sleep with Buffy while she's drunk, and because, well, he's a vampire). But the fact that we don't see it coming makes him a more likely possibility. Maybe they can surprise us with an explanation which would make sense"¦ (neither of them remember it, blah blah blah"¦).

But for the moment, I'm going to root for some random guy, even I don't really like the idea of Buffy having sex with a person who maybe abused of the fact she was too much drunk (the best we could expect in that case is that he was drunk too).

Side note, I would love to see again Hank Summers. It's been a long time since we heard of him (6x01 if I'm not wrong), and a pregnancy storyline could be a good way to bring him back a little in the life of his daughters, even if it's for just one issue.

Anyway, I can't wait to see the next issue, Buffy's state of mind, and everyone's reaction, especially Spike's. That kind of story has a good potential, I just hope they will handle it well.
 
Can a vampire even father a child in this 'verse? The only time we saw that happen was with Darla and Angel, and it wasn't even supposed to be possible.

It does seem unlikely that it's Angel's, based on what you've said. Spike, either. I doubt they've slept together. Too much water under that bridge for casual sex to be a possibility. Riley? Nah. Isn't he still married? My bet is on that it was a result of a one night stand.

Or, of course, it could be a mystical birth, which would be a tired card to pull at this time, but I wouldn't put it past Joss.
 
Can't be a mystical birth, nor could it be the result of drunken blackout sex. If Buffy wasn't aware of having sex fairly recently, it wouldn't have occurred to her to get a pregnancy test just because she had an upset stomach.

Can't be Angel... Space Frak was over 6 months ago, and we've been told that Buffy and Angel's stories are being kept separate for this season.

Xander is the only one we've had any set-up for on this, with his and Buffy's mysterious conversation about something "Dawn never needed to know about."
 
I'm just angry they haven't mentioned Giles before now. And they seemed to have skipped the whole mourning of him.

Buffy pregnant? I'm thinking Xander. And if it is, I'm giving up. They've ruined Buffy for me.
 
It's interesting that Buffy mentions Xander as "my sister's boyfriend" first, "best friend" later. It will be so low of her (and Xander) for something like that to happen while sleeping on her sister's couch 🙁
 
Without having read the issue yet, I can't comment on very much at this time, but I would point out that the Angel/Darla pregnancy was the result of a plot by the Senior Partners more than simple biology. If this really has happened to Buffy, it could be the result of similar Higher Beings (maybe Twilight or the Powers That Be) whose powers aren't affected by the destruction of the Seed. That being the case, the father COULD be Angel or Spike. Their status as vampires wouldn't matter.

As for Xander being the father, weren't Dawn and he were a couple before the Angel/Buffy version of "Smashed?" That being the case, and assuming that it actually IS a normal pregnancy, I would think that he would be ruled out. That pretty much only leaves the mystery guy from Issue 1.

Anybody want to take bets on whether or not the baby turns out to be Giles reincarnated?
 
This issue shows how alone Buffy is, how much she misses her friends, how much she misses the old gang. It's clearly depicted throughout the story:

1 ) Buffy misses Xander and Dawn: Buffy dreaming about fighting zompires with Xander and Dawn shows a desire to have them back in the fight. It also shows Xander and Dawn visiting Buffy, which is also something that probably doesn't happen so frequently lately. The way the first panel is drawn reminded me of S7 when the Scooby gang used to be Buffy, Xander and Dawn.

2 ) Buffy misses Giles: She literally thinks this as she opens up a large book and starts researching alone. Research isn't her strongest point, while others researched, she used to go and fetch some donuts. Giles was good at this. It used to be his thing.

3 ) Buffy misses Willow: This time she said this to Willow herself. She misses the way they'd sit together in Buffy's room and just hang out. They haven't been doing this for a long time.

More thoughts about the issue:

- I like Moline's Willow. She's so grown up and beautiful. I think this new haircut compliments her. His S8 Willow wasn't as good IMO.

- Seems that it took Anaheed and Tumble days before they talked to Buffy about what they found out. They'd taken their time to discuss this and eventually make a decision. It also looks like Anaheed is quite scared of her: she's either hiding in her room or standing way behind Tumble. Kinda sucks that they seemed to have decided to kick her out, but it's very understandable.

- The Buffy/Willow scenes were just perfect! I'm so glad they've worked things out.

- I liked the mention of the underground Buffy double.

- I also liked the mention of Kennedy. I'd love to see the other slayers again in the Buffy section of S9. According to Scott, Satsu and the others may appear in #11.

- "You're not the slayer." Does Severin touching Buffy in #4 have something to do with it? She's pregnant, she's not the slayer, she's not the chosen one, perfect timing to retire and live a normal life. She finally got her wish.
 
AndrewCrossett said:
Can't be a mystical birth, nor could it be the result of drunken blackout sex. If Buffy wasn't aware of having sex fairly recently, it wouldn't have occurred to her to get a pregnancy test just because she had an upset stomach.

Can't be Angel... Space Frak was over 6 months ago, and we've been told that Buffy and Angel's stories are being kept separate for this season.

Xander is the only one we've had any set-up for on this, with his and Buffy's mysterious conversation about something "Dawn never needed to know about."
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Where is the proof of it being over six months? It seems to a fandom understanding but I haven't seen any actual evidence. To my estimations it's no more than 4 months. Buffy asks her boss in either issue 40 or 1 if she has dropped anything in her 4 months there. The party and pregnancy reveal happen days after that in the verse time line.
 
I hope DH and Whedon will pull it off. Overall, the issue is very good. Moline's art suits better to the storyline about Buffy becoming a mother, because he draws her with more womanly proportions. I wonder is Joss plans to compress the timeline - for example, they make a break after May issue -- and the next, August or September issue will feature Buffy with her already-born baby.

Apparently, the action in #5 takes place the next day after the events of the first arc, including the night of the party when Buffy (apparently) had sex with somebody (in issue 4 Buffy's roomies decide to talk to her about weapons in her room; in issue 5 they try to talk to her). In real life, pregnancy tests don't work so quickly. Are we supposed to suspend our disbelief and assume that Buffy was knocked up during the party? (Scott Allie said in Q&As that the party will have consequences, but, as usual, his answer is open to interpretation.)

If so, we have at least seven suspects: Xander and Riley (she spent some time with both of them); Buffy's boss; her mysterious neighbor, Heinrich whom nobody saw and who sent her flowers the next day; Andrew; Spike (maybe his bugs used some advanced medical methods when they were treating his wounds 🙂. And, let's not forget about the elephant - I mean Angel. He already has two children - Connor and Kitty Twilight. Three's a charm. (He could have knocked her up in season 8, but her slayer essence was blocking the development of the foetus - until Severin took it away, if we assume that Severin's de-demonizing process starts with reproductory organs).

In any case, I'm sure that Joss' choice of father was based on the principle of maximum pain for Buffy. And if the previously established rules stood in the way of the story he wanted to tell, he bended or rewrote them.

So far, the most likely candidates are Angel and Heinrich. Angel, because it would be very painful for everybody involved for obvious reasons; Heinrich - because he's a dark horse and Joss can go in any direction (Heinrich could be a demon; an anti-slayer activist with an agenda; a time-traveller from the future who is a recluse to avoid changing the timeline) to bring on the angst.

Then again, Heinrich-as-a-father can be The Immortal of season 9 - just a faceless plot device to keep the shipping status quo intact.

Another question is where do we go from here. Given the history of pregnancies in Jossverse, I expect all kinds of horrors. Buffy's enemies will try to kill/abduct/sire her baby. Or Buffy finds out that her baby is evil. Or that she has to sacrifice her baby to restore magic. Or she will have twins Melaca and Harth whom time-travelling Heinrich takes to the future in a mission to save humanity.

Or something even more heartbreaking will happen. Joss has a carte-blanche here. "You must save the prince". "Unlock the key [to bring magic back]". "You're not the slayer". There is a lot of random clues that point to global importance of Buffy's pregnancy.

I looked through Google links for "female monomyth" + "pregnancy" and couldn't find anything interesting. Apparently, it's pretty uncharted territory (except Xena, of course).

Looks like the season will be quite a ride, after all. Time to buckle up.

And to cheer up from all the gloom and doom - a rec for a funny fic that kinda reflects current situation: The Completely True Story of Buffy, the Slayer of the Vampyres as told by A.W by st_salieri 🙂
 
Kean said:
Where is the proof of it being over six months?
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I wouldn't think that Buffy and her friends would been able to move to San Francisco, establish residence, and find more or less permanent employment in less than a month or two, so add that to Buffy's four months of employment, and you have six months. No, that's not any actual proof, but it seems to be a logical estimate. But even if it were only four months, that seems to me to be a long time to go without becoming aware of her pregnancy to me, so that would seem to rule Angel out as the potential daddy, considering the fact that he was still on a basically catatonic state in England until his Issue #1 took place.
 
white avenger said:
I wouldn't think that Buffy and her friends would been able to move to San Francisco, establish residence, and find more or less permanent employment in less than a month or two, so add that to Buffy's four months of employment, and you have six months. No, that's not any actual proof, but it seems to be a logical estimate. But even if it were only four months, that seems to me to be a long time to go without becoming aware of her pregnancy to me, so that would seem to rule Angel out as the potential daddy, considering the fact that he was still on a basically catatonic state in England until his Issue #1 took place.
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My neighbour was 7 months gone before she realised she was pregnant. It is unusual but it still happens a lot. Wasn't there a show about it?

No option fits perfectly but in the same vein, none can be excluded. So, I'm still on the Angel Baby Daddy Train.

😀
 
white avenger said:
Without having read the issue yet, I can't comment on very much at this time, but I would point out that the Angel/Darla pregnancy was the result of a plot by the Senior Partners more than simple biology. If this really has happened to Buffy, it could be the result of similar Higher Beings (maybe Twilight or the Powers That Be) whose powers aren't affected by the destruction of the Seed. That being the case, the father COULD be Angel or Spike. Their status as vampires wouldn't matter.
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I kind of think that would be the worst possible explanation from a storytelling standpoint. We can only have so much of mystical this, mystical that in season 9 before it becomes obvious that the destruction of the Seed just means "everything stays the same, except Willow gets screwed out of her spells. Sux to be Willow."

Also, if something impregnated Buffy without her knowledge, it wouldn't occur to her to go get a home pregnancy test just because she feels nauseous. She must have had some reason to suspect that pregnancy was a possibility... a significant possibility, in fact, since she got the test right away.

Nausea associated with pregnancy (called "morning sickness" although it's not always just in the morning) usually occurs between the 6th and 12th weeks of pregnancy. That would make the timing significantly off for Angel to be the father. I don't have the issues with me (I'm at work), but I'm certain we were told 6 months or so passed between the breaking of the Seed and Giles's death, and the "present time" which began in #40 of season 8.
 
Last edited:
brinkster130
brinkster130
good point about her taking the home pregnancy test.
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