r2dh2
Never go for the kill when you can go for the pain
I was recently re-watching S4 and I got really angry (again) at Xander and Buffy in Something Blue when they complain about Willow:
“Xander: Something about Willow and her griefy-poor-me mood swings — so, so tired of it.
Anya: You mean I don't have to be nice about her anymore?
Buffy: Well, we're all tired of it, but what does it have to do with what's going on?”
And I always get especially angry at Buffy. After Parker in the “Harsh Light of Day,” she moped around in “Fear itself” and “Beer Bad,” with Willow patiently listening to her, trying to cheer her up, offering advice and even confronting Parker directly. In “The Initiative,” Willow is feeling pretty sad and heart-broken and still tries to help out Riley because he seems to be a nice and solid guy interested in Buffy. And in “Something Blue,” she again listens to Buffy and her thoughts and concerns about Rilely/Angel:
“Buffy: It's just, different, you know? A picnic. First of all, daylight — kind of a new venue, Buffywise. And the best part — he said he would bring all the food, so all I have to do was to show up and eat. Those are two things I'm really good at.
Willow: So he's nice?
Buffy: Very, very.
Willow: And there's sparkage?
Buffy: Yeah. He's— have you seen his arms? Those are good arms to have. I really like him. I do.“
…
“Buffy: I know.. I have to get away from that bad boy thing. There's no good there. Seeing Angel in LA.. even for five minutes.. hello to the pain.
Willow: The pain is not a friend.
…”
And it makes me even angrier that the comments come right after they find out that Oz is gone for good and that Willow is in even more pain. It just doesn’t feel like a fair reaction, unless I’m missing something else. I mean, Oz and Willow had a long and loving relationship, and it ended quite abruptly in an especially painful way (the cheating and his sudden departure). Buffy and Angel always knew that their love was “unconventional” and possibly doomed. Buffy and Parker interacted for a relatively short period of time, and it always seemed that her friends wanted her to get over him because they wanted her to be happy, not because they were tired of listening to her.
Does anybody else feels the same way? Or am I overreacting? Or am I missing something?
“Xander: Something about Willow and her griefy-poor-me mood swings — so, so tired of it.
Anya: You mean I don't have to be nice about her anymore?
Buffy: Well, we're all tired of it, but what does it have to do with what's going on?”
And I always get especially angry at Buffy. After Parker in the “Harsh Light of Day,” she moped around in “Fear itself” and “Beer Bad,” with Willow patiently listening to her, trying to cheer her up, offering advice and even confronting Parker directly. In “The Initiative,” Willow is feeling pretty sad and heart-broken and still tries to help out Riley because he seems to be a nice and solid guy interested in Buffy. And in “Something Blue,” she again listens to Buffy and her thoughts and concerns about Rilely/Angel:
“Buffy: It's just, different, you know? A picnic. First of all, daylight — kind of a new venue, Buffywise. And the best part — he said he would bring all the food, so all I have to do was to show up and eat. Those are two things I'm really good at.
Willow: So he's nice?
Buffy: Very, very.
Willow: And there's sparkage?
Buffy: Yeah. He's— have you seen his arms? Those are good arms to have. I really like him. I do.“
…
“Buffy: I know.. I have to get away from that bad boy thing. There's no good there. Seeing Angel in LA.. even for five minutes.. hello to the pain.
Willow: The pain is not a friend.
…”
And it makes me even angrier that the comments come right after they find out that Oz is gone for good and that Willow is in even more pain. It just doesn’t feel like a fair reaction, unless I’m missing something else. I mean, Oz and Willow had a long and loving relationship, and it ended quite abruptly in an especially painful way (the cheating and his sudden departure). Buffy and Angel always knew that their love was “unconventional” and possibly doomed. Buffy and Parker interacted for a relatively short period of time, and it always seemed that her friends wanted her to get over him because they wanted her to be happy, not because they were tired of listening to her.
Does anybody else feels the same way? Or am I overreacting? Or am I missing something?