Season seven made it clear in the very first episode that our heroes were up against some huge evil power, and then they got to know what that entity is, exactly. That entity is a mighty enemy because it has both the muscle and the brain. It can seriously influence the minds of our heroes in order to demoralize them and separate them from each other. And then it can summon a monster to go plow through the ones it wants dead. Only Buffy proved strong enough to deal with it. And the "big bad" itself may be very powerful, but not almighty, after all. After "Showtime", things became relatively calm, and our heroes got a chance to breathe. But it wouldn't last, because the ultimate evil has another card up the sleeve. One that you won't even notice until it is too late. An agent kept secret until the moment to be called for, and one nobody would ever even suspect because he is a human being and a priest. Only this opponent proved even worse than that ancient vampire warrior that almost killed Buffy in "Bring on the Night", this one is even stronger physically. Someone has been either killed or seriously injured. And Buffy became unwelcome in her own house because she is the leader here, and whoever gets hurt or killed, their blood is on her hands. She has just been forced to leave the house. A unanimous decision, except Spike wasn't around at the time, but he's about to come back from an important mission. One where he was looking for information on that human priest masked beast. So, this is now the episode called "Touched".
On the surface, there isn't much going on here, but what seems to be and what is may not be the same. Buffy and Spike are out of the equation for a certain amount of time here, and Buffy's house is crowded with people. They have a new leader now, and one that has a history with Buffy, a history going way back and not all friendly. But the point here is value. You don't really value what you have until you've lost it and have to keep going without it. Buffy may have made a mistake, for sure, but how many times has she saved them? And since when does "we no longer follow your leadership" equal "we get to force you out of your own house, the one you've been so generous to present to us all as shelter for this crazy time"? They may all have to learn the hard way what they have lost by kicking Buffy out. And now think about this. She has died twice. She's been brought back twice. She's been near death as a result of battle injury, and none of that has been able to break her spirit. But here, now, something almost has. The fact that after all she's done, she was thrown out by exactly the ones she's been doing all of it for. Sometimes you don't need to be injured or defeated in a fight to give up, sometimes what pushes you too far is how you are treated by the ones closest to you regardless of what you've gone through for them. And Buffy is now nearly lost. Thankfully, she does still have someone who won't turn their back on her, and won't just go with emotion. And it is Spike.
Spike has never been welcome with anyone here but Buffy herself, and even between the two of them, there were problems, and every time she had to defend him from the others, she would bring up his physical strength. She'd always say they needed him because he was muscle and good in a fight. And she was right about that. He is good in a fight. But what's so interesting about this scenario is as follows. Buffy did need Spike, but for a different reason, and she may not have known it herself. She is now at the point of giving up and abandoning all, and if she does, nothing good comes anyone's way, she has to come back. But she can't come back by herself, she needs someone to bring her back, and that happens to be Spike. He is more experienced than any other of the heroes, and he has now known Buffy for a good time, and he can tell when a bad decision has been made. The good guys getting rid of Buffy was a bad decision, and her decision to finally give up is no good either, and Spike is there to convince her to return. Words can cut deep and hurt bad, but they can also help when they are the right ones and well-meant. And that's what Spike has to say now. Watching him and Buffy finally talk to each other calmly, reaching understanding and warmth after all they've been through, that was something special. Remember, a man is not just "muscle", a man is also common sense, and a heart. And Buffy going up against Caleb once again was as brilliant as it was simple. The confrontation between them in the end of this episode reminded me of Buffy facing Adam in "Primeval", and few things can do that.
On the surface, there isn't much going on here, but what seems to be and what is may not be the same. Buffy and Spike are out of the equation for a certain amount of time here, and Buffy's house is crowded with people. They have a new leader now, and one that has a history with Buffy, a history going way back and not all friendly. But the point here is value. You don't really value what you have until you've lost it and have to keep going without it. Buffy may have made a mistake, for sure, but how many times has she saved them? And since when does "we no longer follow your leadership" equal "we get to force you out of your own house, the one you've been so generous to present to us all as shelter for this crazy time"? They may all have to learn the hard way what they have lost by kicking Buffy out. And now think about this. She has died twice. She's been brought back twice. She's been near death as a result of battle injury, and none of that has been able to break her spirit. But here, now, something almost has. The fact that after all she's done, she was thrown out by exactly the ones she's been doing all of it for. Sometimes you don't need to be injured or defeated in a fight to give up, sometimes what pushes you too far is how you are treated by the ones closest to you regardless of what you've gone through for them. And Buffy is now nearly lost. Thankfully, she does still have someone who won't turn their back on her, and won't just go with emotion. And it is Spike.
Spike has never been welcome with anyone here but Buffy herself, and even between the two of them, there were problems, and every time she had to defend him from the others, she would bring up his physical strength. She'd always say they needed him because he was muscle and good in a fight. And she was right about that. He is good in a fight. But what's so interesting about this scenario is as follows. Buffy did need Spike, but for a different reason, and she may not have known it herself. She is now at the point of giving up and abandoning all, and if she does, nothing good comes anyone's way, she has to come back. But she can't come back by herself, she needs someone to bring her back, and that happens to be Spike. He is more experienced than any other of the heroes, and he has now known Buffy for a good time, and he can tell when a bad decision has been made. The good guys getting rid of Buffy was a bad decision, and her decision to finally give up is no good either, and Spike is there to convince her to return. Words can cut deep and hurt bad, but they can also help when they are the right ones and well-meant. And that's what Spike has to say now. Watching him and Buffy finally talk to each other calmly, reaching understanding and warmth after all they've been through, that was something special. Remember, a man is not just "muscle", a man is also common sense, and a heart. And Buffy going up against Caleb once again was as brilliant as it was simple. The confrontation between them in the end of this episode reminded me of Buffy facing Adam in "Primeval", and few things can do that.