And Now For A Very Special Episode Of...

The three episodes we watched for Thursday ("Wrecked," "Dead Things," and "Older and Far Away") could be grouped together and renamed, "Joss Whedon Does the After School Special." All three deal with addictions and dysfunctions, but in a uniquely Whedon-way. There are no happy-ending hugs in the Buffyverse. Rather Whedon explores weaknesses already present in the characters and follows them through to their natural manifestation: dysfunction.

Perhaps the most powerful of the personal undoings is Willow's. Generally seen as the most steady and reliable of the Scoobies, Willow's character takes a turn down the dark path in "Wrecked." This episode seemed especially significant to me because it revisits Willow's insecurity about her place, not only in the Scooby Gang, but also in society. Regardless of what she does or who she becomes, Willow continues to see herself as the shy, awkward girl we met in Season 1. Though Willow has been quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with (in more ways than one), she seems unable to escape her past. Though it was mentioned in class that Willow might also be on the female hero's path, I would argue against that idea. Willow's purpose remains as unclear (at least to her) now as it did five seasons ago. She is brilliant and powerful and many other superlatives, but unlike Buffy, she is unable to recognize/harness those abilities to some specific greater purpose. Willow lacks a destiny.

"Dead Things" follows the dysfunction of someone not in the Scooby Gang, namely Warren and his obssession with the perfect girlfriend. Though this may seem unrelated to my discussion of the Gang and their weaknesses, it is actually closely linked. Like Willow, Warren (and his clueless companions) were on the outside in high school. They were the nerds. Warren's desire to ensnare the ideal woman seems to be all about redefining who he is and showing everyone that he is no longer the outsider.

"Older and Far Away" is probably my favorite episode of this season so far. (How could you not love Clement?) Though the focus is meant to be on Dawn and her wish that one would leave her, I was more intrigued by Buffy and Spike's interaction. Buffy's attraction to and relationship with Spike could also fall into the dysfunction category, and she certainly seems to view it that way. Despite her best efforts to never sleep with him again, she keeps ending up back in his arms. This, of course, begs the question: What keeps drawing her back? I suppose there is the fact that Spike is already dead. Unlike her mother, he can't die. There is also forbidden nature of the relationship that makes it exciting. I submit, however, that what keeps bringing Buffy back for more (besides the fact that Spike is quite attractive) is the fact that Spike understands Buffy and her destiny in a way that her friends and family cannot. Like Angel, Spike is connected to Buffy's otherworldly world in a deep and meaningful way. He understands the killing and fighting and, more importantly, the power. Spike and Buffy, both, are extremely powerful beings (as their building demolishing sex demonstrated), and there is necessarily a kinship because of that. Because of Spike's power, Buffy does not have to feel responsible for him in the way that she does her friends and family. Ultimately, no matter how self-destructive a relationship with Spike might appear to the Scoobies, it must provide some sort of relief (or even catharsis?) for Buffy.

My favorite aspect of Whedon's addiction trilogy is that nothing is simple. There is no good/bad, right/wrong, which is what keeps these episodes from being an after school special. Willow's being a witch has never been portrayed as a bad thing, and, in fact, Tara remains a witch even when Willow swears it off. It is only because witchcraft drives Willow to hurt others that it become a bad thing, and then only in Willow's case. With regard to Warren...sure hypnotizing your ex-girlfriend to make her your sex-slave is never a good thing, but the desire to be loved and viewed as valuable, and dare I say popular? Very normal, and very human. Even Spike and Buffy's relationship is not portrayed as evil. Yes, he tried to kill her...more than once...many times even. But Spike is different now, and in the world of BtVS, being the bad guy is not necessarily a permanent job description.