Divided We Fall

In the three episodes we watched for Tuesday ("Potential," "Lies My Parents Told Me," and "Dirty Girls"), we see the Scooby Gang and their army of Potentials become increasingly divided. While it may be argued that they shared the same overarching purpose (fighting evil, or at least, The First), they vary widely on methods and motives. The Summers House is so full of anger, jealousy, revenge, confusion, and loneliness that it threatens to implode without any help from The First.

"Potential" focuses on Dawn and her neverending search for identity. When she is told is a Potential Slayer, however, she does not greet the news with joy or relief. Later, when she realizes that it is not her, but Amamda, who is the Potential she seems even broodier. Though Xander tries to soothe her wounded feelings with a heart-to-heart, Dawn feelings about her "nobody" status remain ambivalent. This seems ironic to me. Dawn was very disturbed (understandably) when she was told in Season 5 that she was The Key. She insisted time and again that she was just a normal teenage girl. Now, suddenly, that's no good either. Perhaps Dawn serves a reminder of how all humans crave what they cannot have. Regardless of any deeper meaning her inner conflict may provide, however, Dawn's discontent is just one example of the rising emotional chaos at 1630 Revello Drive.

In "Lies My Parents Told Me," the Scoobies' lack of unity makes its first major manifestation. When Giles is unable to remove Spike's trigger, he allows himself to be influenced by Wood, whose motives are far from pure. Giles lies to Buffy (could Giles be another of the "parents" referred to in the episode's title?) and keeps her occupied while Wood attempts to kill Spike. Though Giles is not always around, he has always been viewed as at least an ally, if not leader. This betrayal of Buffy for what Giles deems the greater good is further evidence of the breakdown of the Scooby Gang in a way we've not yet seen. Unlike Angel, Willow, or any of the other Scoobies-Gone-Bad, Giles is under no spell. He is not possessed by some demon. He simply decides that he is right and Buffy is wrong and acts on it. His actions foreshadow further rifts in the Scooby Gang unity.

"Dirty Girls" serves as a sort of culmination of the deterioration of the Gang and Buffy's status as Fearless Leader. With the Potentials and Giles questioning her judgement and Faith being added to the already volatile mix, Buffy leads her gang of misfits into a fight with Caleb. When the confrontation ends badly, Buffy is left with the blame. But is it really all her fault? Has she become some power-crazed dictator? I think not. Once again, the Gang has forgotten the pressures of being, not only the Slayer, but also the glue that holds the fight together. In addition to those pressures, Buffy has also temporarily lost her biggest supporter, Xander, and by association, Willow. Xander's loyalty will be shaken by his life-changing injury, and Willow, always soft-hearted when it comes to Xander, will go the way of her one-eyed friend.