"Moving on" - a poor excuse?

[Cookie Dough]

Joss Whedon has continually said "Move on," when asked about the fans disappointment with certain romantic relationships ending and progressing. Finally, in The Girl in Question, this idea was presented in canon. Andrew said Buffy was "moving on" and that Spike and Angel should too.
Is this concept cheapening to the 7 years of Buffy and the 5 years of Angel? The relationships accounted for our most important reasons for watching the shows. Antonement, heroism, and forgiveness were themes but we were watching for the characters' interaction. Moving on didn't provide much reason to why Buffy hooked up with The Immortal, Angel with Nina, and Spike deciding not to go back to Buffy. After setting up eternal and immortal love as themes I don't think the writers should have the luxury of starting new ones with the cheap excuse of simply "moving on".

 

[Xander]

I see the relationships as yes Buffy and Angel were the love of each others lives, they may not ever be happier then they were together but they do need to move on, grow up. Even though they loved each other, as was said in Hell's Bells, sometimes the only thing two people bring each other is pain.

Maybe they will end up together, all loving and caring, but for now they need to go out there and live their (un)lives.

 

[Willow Rosenberg]

Joss Whedon doesn't seem to be the biggest fan of the happy relationship, so when he speaks of moving on in regards to Bangel & Spuffy, it's probably a reflection of the turmoil we've seen him add to our favorite Buffyverse relationships over the years...

I haven't gotten my S5 DVD yet, but as soon as I do, I'll be fishing around for some info in the extras 🙂

 

[Jacklyn]

Unfortunately, it's the truth, even if it's not the happiest ideal. People love each other, but they don't necessarily work. Only certain types of love work. When they don't, it's rather hard, but you have to move on. If you sit there contemplating that failed love forever, no matter how much it meant to you, you end up stagnant for the rest of your life. It made sense that they had to move forward with their lives.

 

[LadyLavinia]

Although both shows featured various romances and relationships, I doubt very much that both BtVS and AtS were about these romances. I suggest that we take Whedon's advice and move on. Buffy did not end up with either vampire. If you want to believe differently, there is always fan fiction.

 

[Spuffy57]

i dont want to move from the show and i still want buffy and spike to end up together. but in a way joss was right about moving on. she wont end up either is the buffyuniverse continued on TV and it was by Joss...but again that is why there fanfic.

 

[THE BLUE]

Personally, I don't like being reminded that I have to move on. Whedon, in addition to his 'moving on' theory states that he gives us (the viewers) not what we want but what we need. Too much pride there.

 

[Angelic Slayer]

I understand what Joss was probably trying to say, that the characters, despite their past, have to move on eventually, and that in that episode paticularily he probably wouldn't have been able to satisfy all the fans whether Buffy ended up with Angel OR Spike. But I did find that episode a little dissapointing. I mean, it had a lot of humor, and I loved the whole Spike and Angel spending time together (again funny), and it had a lot of potential, but I kinda felt like I'd been cheaped out you know? Buffy and Angel and Buffy and Spike both had relationships (friendship or otherwise) for a good long time in both series', and to end it all in one episode, that Buffy didn't even appear in, with ANDREW of all people telling Angel and Spike that she'd moved on, with a guy that we hadn't heard of prior, and we don't even know WHAT he is, it just all seemed dull compared to what I was expecting. It's like all the characters from BTVS (Spike excluded) all seemed to slip out of character after the show ended (and they were carried on into ATS), Buffy just moving on and refusing to trust Angel, Giles completley ignoring Angel's need for help (even though Fred's life depended on it), the gang seemingly separating... it's just everything seemed to go all wonky on us.

But back to the main point, I definitley think that the show's writers could have done a lot more with the show, and that it didn't at all compare to the magnitude of the relationships we'd seen before. And that I'd be much less dissapointed if they'd developed it more, there was so much they could have done with that plot, and it just seemed not up to Joss' usual standards.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Ohwell, I wasnt really troubled by it since I just took it as Buffy trying to move on, like she did in Season3-4. She may have a new boyfriend but doesnt mean that she has truly moved on. The only two charecters who actaully seem to move on are Spike(from Drusilla) and Willow(3 times), and I guess Giles but we dont really know about his relationship with Olivia.

 

[THE BLUE]

The only two charecters who actaully seem to move on are Spike(from Drusilla) and Willow(3 times), and I guess Giles but we dont really know about his relationship with Olivia.

I don't think Spike moved on from Drusilla. But seems to me that Angel moved on. Xander moves on rather quickly. As for Giles, he seems that he did, but I don't think he really moved on from Jenny. What do you mean Willow moved on 3 times; one is Oz, the other is Tara, who is the third one?

 

[FahrbotDrusilla]

Joss Whedon has continually said "Move on," when asked about the fans disappointment with certain romantic relationships ending and progressing. Finally, in The Girl in Question, this idea was presented in canon. Andrew said Buffy was "moving on" and that Spike and Angel should too.
Is this concept cheapening to the 7 years of Buffy and the 5 years of Angel? The relationships accounted for our most important reasons for watching the shows. Antonement, heroism, and forgiveness were themes but we were watching for the characters' interaction. Moving on didn't provide much reason to why Buffy hooked up with The Immortal, Angel with Nina, and Spike deciding not to go back to Buffy. After setting up eternal and immortal love as themes I don't think the writers should have the luxury of starting new ones with the cheap excuse of simply "moving on".

While I agree that the "eternal love" theme was present throughout most of the earlier seasons of Buffy. After Angel went to LA there was little talk of "eternal love." I don't think "moving on" is necessarily a bad thing, but I do believe that you can move on yet still be in love with someone. Angel will always love both Buffy and Cordelia, Spike will always love both Dru and Buffy"¦ ect.

 

[FahrbotDrusilla]

ETA: WTF? My post doubled.

 

[Caritas]

I personally think the 'moving on' concept is more realistic.

 

[galathea]

First off I have to agree that AtS was about redemption, how to live with your past decisions and to move towards being a better man(pire) and not about romantic envolvements. I relate to that topics nearly as much as to the human interaction. Though I don't think that Angel is destined to be alone, I am convinced that the need for forgiveness will always be his main motivation and any relationship either has to fit with this path or it has to fail. That's one part of why I am a C/A shipper because Cordelia always was a part of Angels redemption, his link to the PTB and human connection.

Eternal and immortal love always was a theme with the vampire mythology e.g. Dracula, even Darla mentioned that chosing a mate for life is mythic amongst vampires. I think Whedeon plays with this traditions especially in the first seasons of Buffy. The slayer falling in love with her natural enemy, the struggles, Angel as dark romantic hero ... an archetyped Juliet and Romeo story, vampires immortally bonded by being sired etc. The problem though is that characters soon become stereotypes so you can't carry that on indefinitely.

So when Angel got his own show they moved on from that concept I think, and also in the later Buffy seasons. And I'd say for the better because it made the characters more realistic. I found the notion to sooner or later destroy any relationship a bit pretentious, but I consider repeatedly going back to stories long past on the expense of continuity and character integrity a great deal more annoying.

 

[eunsoma]

THE BLUE i think that the 3rd person Willow moved on from was Xander, even though they weren't together, she loved him.

 

[THE BLUE]

THE BLUE i think that the 3rd person Willow moved on from was Xander, even though they weren't together, she loved him.

I thought that too, okay, I even thought that if this was the case Oz was kind of a rebound, wow, everyone bombarded me when I said that in another thread.

 

[Wicked]

Dont know if its been said already (havent read the whole thread) but although Buffy and Angel were so in love and Spike and BUfyy were so in whatever they were in, life doesnt always work out perfectly. The show was being realistic. Just cos you think youre made for each other, life gets in the way.
People break up and move on. Thats. Putting Buffy and Angel/Spike back together again would make a mockery of the show I think. Its not realistic.

 

[Wicked]

I thought that too, okay, I even thought that if this was the case Oz was kind of a rebound, wow, everyone bombarded me when I said that in another thread.

Not necesarilly rebound. Its possible to love someone else, even if youve just come out of a relationship (Or not as the case for Willow)

 

[THE BLUE]

People move on but they can move on back together, it is again life and will be realistic. Well, even if they put the old flames back together, I am afraid that it will be Spike/Buffy. But, of course, we'll never know, since SMG said the final word which is a "No" to a possible film.

 

[freakydorky]

I think that maybe Joss wanted Spike and Buffy or Angel and Buffy, but I dont think SMG would agree I mean she didn't do a single appearance in season 5 and what else was so doing? Making some lame horror movies?!