Stoyline Musing for AtS Virtual Season 6
May. 9th, 2004 09:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shipperxI sort of floated the idea of an AtS Virtual Season 6. I've discovered in other fandoms that it's sort of a cathartic way to let go. Anyone interested can join up here:
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I sort of floated the idea of an AtS Virtual Season 6. I've discovered in other fandoms that it's sort of a cathartic way to let go. Anyone interested can join up here: <a href="http://www.sparklies.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=40" title=""Angel" Virtual Season 6" >"Angel" Virtual Season 6</a>
Note: Many of the ideas I'm discussing are from the list discussion. And spoilers for the finale are involved.
<lj-cut>
<b> Wssixwe wrote: </b>
<i>And what if the Apocalypse is entirely personal, with each and every soul experiencing it in a unique way?{...} And could/should/would the FGs be able to save somebody from their personal APOC?
-JanR</i>
I said a few days ago that this question haunted me. I really like this question and I think it can be part of the season. It's sort of <b>"Hell is of your own making"</b> which I think is a very interesting psychological and philosophical premise. What are the things the characters do to sabotage themselves? What are the things with which they torment themselves? What are the patterns they repeat that prevent them from finding the happiness they deserve? What's holding them back? What brings about a character's downfall, and what do they need to overcome, to triumph, to escape their hell and to allow themselves to be happy?
More difficult... how do we approach this metaphorically? (And I do want to keep the story working on a metaphorical level. I think BtVS screwed the hell up when they stopped using fantasy to explore these issues and made things too literal)
One thought came with the whole "spreading apocalypse" and the "post-apocalyptic world" thing. On a storytelling level I would like things appear to be one way at the beginning of the story then be turned inside out in the middle of the story. In the first part of the season it could look like a spreading apocalypse/post apocalyptic world but that later we discover that the characters aren't following the apocalypse. . .the apocalypse is following <b>them</b> (fits with the concept that it's the Sr. Partners punishing them for having destroyed the Circle of the Thorn). And I'm not against the concept that near the end of the season they discover that rather than being in the post-apocalyptic world. . .they're in a specially (constructed just for them) hell that they must escape (which on another level is about breaking old patterns of things that hold you back and allowing yourself forgiveness and allowing yourself the freedom to be <i>happy</i>. . .an issue Spike, Angel, and Gunn all have. (So instead of yet another apocalypse, we're planning <i>The Great Escape</i>).
In a way I'm thinking of an Orpheus/Euridyce plot, except they are their own Eurydice. (When Orpheus' wife, Eurydice, was killed by the bite of a serpent, he went down to the underworld to bring her back. Hades agreed to allow Eurydice to return to the world of the living. However, Orpheus had to meet one condition: he must not look back as he was conducting her to the surface. Just before the pair reached the upper world, Orpheus looked back, and Eurydice slipped back into the netherworld once again.)
Not sure how the specifics of this hell would work since I would like to continue using characters who aren't just the surviving character. Maybe the hell is a localized phenomenon... it's like a wall of glass or an expanding bubble around them that other characters can pass in and out of. Dunno. But maybe something can be developed with that. (Actually metaphorically that might work. It's sort of like someone with depression. How they perceive the world might not be what the real world is. Those that are around them aren't necessarily in the personal hell and they can't see why that person is in it.) Er... or something.
I have no idea of the Big Bad. I do think we need something to sort of personify a jailer for them in their own personal hell. Did do a quick drive-by of mythological creatures. Not sure what would best represent/personify the jailer.
<blockquote>
<b>Cerberus</b>The three headed dog from Greek mythology. Cerberus acts as the guard of Hades. Some say that the Cerberus, instead of having three heads has fifty. It was one of Heracles' tasks to take the Cerberus out of Hades, which he succeeded in doing.
<b>Ammut</b> The Egyptians call her the eater of the dead, for her function in the Hall of Double Justice of Osiris. The hearts of the dead were weighed against the feather of truth and those that failed to past the test were fed to Ammut.
<b>Erinyes or Erinnyes</b> means "angry ones." They are often depicted as carrying a torch or a whip. They were also known in Greek myth as the Furies. There are two possible origins for the Furies. In one account, they spring from the blood of the castrated Uranus. In another version, they are mothered by Gæa with air and bad human emotions. Either way, their purpose is the same: to pursue and torment guilty people. Because of this, they cannot die while sin exists. The three Furies are named Alecto, Tisiphone, Megaera. Sometimes the Erynnyes are called Eumenides which means "kindly ones" as it is bad luck to say their real name.
<b>Keres</b>In Greek mythology, when the fates had decided the hour of death for a man, they would send the Keres to do their bidding. They were most often seen hovering over the battlefields, wearing red robes and had dark skin. They had sparkling eyes and vicious white teeth. At the moment of death the Keres would let out a chilling cry and descend down to the victim. They would then drink the blood from his wounds and carry him off to Hades</blockquote>
Some lesser beings that might be employed as MOTW that could relate to the themes:
<blockquote><b>Doppleganger</b> Meaning "double walker" a doppelganger is a shadow-self that accompanies every human.
<b>Empusae</b> cannibalistic female monsters. They are half-ass and half-human, but could change themselves into bitches or beautiful maidens. In these shapes they would lure travelers to themselves and would then devour them. Sometimes they are depicted as blood-sucking vampire-like creatures.
<b>Baku</b> is called the 'eater of dreams'</blockquote>
Some story ideas and perhaps some ways we might employ the <b> "You make your own hell"</b> concept. . . Bringing over Paratti's post from the General Spoiler discussion, because I sort of like it.
<b>Paratti wrote</b>
<i>Spike runs up the dragon in the manner of Legolas slaying the oliphant in ROTK, kills it and jumps down - Duster V2.0 flying beautifully behind him,
in time to behead a demon trying to kill Gunn - who with Illyria and Angel have been kicking butt in the meantime.
Angel says, "That was my dragon!" But carries on slaying demons. They slaugher hoards but are tiring just as Illyria finds she's one last time slow in her and does it while holding hands with the boys who each have one of the crystals off her sarcophagus. Our Heros slay the remaining demons and slip through a portal to Pylea to have a break and find a healer for Gunn - who is Not Dead </i>
Now that we have detailed finale spoilers we can begin kicking around ideas for the premiere.
I do love the Angel/Spike arguing over who gets to slay the dragon. And I think that we can use Spike's repeated "What's your plan?" and even the quip that's been showing up about Spike always seeming to play First Lieutenant to leaders with the battle plans of Custer. Maybe he and Gunn pulled out the crystals from Illyria's sarcauphagus or something. Anyway, I saw possibilities in the idea.
And actually there's something to be said thematically that they exit the fight into some slightly Eden-like place. If the theme is that you make your own hell, then offering them a possible place of peace and happiness that they would walk away from would make sense (and would allow Gunn to heal). Their battle in the finale was that you have to fight the fight every day. They choose to leave Vahalla or Eden or the Elysian Fields because they each feel (guilt) that they are compelled to continue to fight (well maybe not Illyria... but I don't think Illyria would want to be alone. I think she's bothered greatly by having outlived her time and the loss of her worshippers and armies. . .and even Wesley. She doesn't want to be alone and continues with her companions). They decide to return to earth and the suicidal battle... only to find that things appear remarkably "normal..." (anything in this workable for anyone? Any ideas? )
Ep 2 - my first idea concerning the whole Eurydice thing wasn't really about all the characters but Wesley. I thought of using him in a sort of foreshadowing capacity about what's <b>really</b> going on.
Didn't Wes first sign onto W&H to try to extricate Lilah from her contract with the Sr. Partners? And wasn't Lilah brought back after her death? So when the survivors return to "this" dimension they find W&H restored and Wesley and Hamilton there (which should be a subtle hint that this is a hell they've entered). Hamilton "fires" the rest of them (just as he had fired Eve). Of course everyone is surprised that the Sr. Partners are just letting them go. The finale is put down as the Sr. Partners being a bit miffed but they've had time to calm down (yeah, right, boys you in heeeellll). However, Wesley can't be fired, he's dead. . .and he died having a contract with W&H. Guilt, guilt, and grief for the survivors. Wesley tells Angel that he made his choices. Wesley chose to sign onto W&H. And. . .well, he did so to try to release Lilah from her contract. (Lilah could also appear in the episode). The Wes/Fred/Illyria thing could be addressed with Wes realizing that he'd lost Fred forever. (part of what inspired this for me was Illyria pretending to be Fred reminded me of when Lilah dressed up as Fred). Maybe, now, Wes is willing to accept Lilah. . .and maybe he can still work on finding a way to break that contract, only now he would try to find a way to break the contract for both himself and Lilah.
Wes's predicament is really the situation that all of them are in. . .only the rest of them don't know it. Not only would Wes's ep foreshadow the whole "personal hell" concept, but it foreshadows the possibility of escape (and in an episode near the end, we can have a second wes ep where he does escape, because I don't want Wes in hell. :cry:
Other stuff that could happen early in the season...
I liked the idea of the rogue slayerettes who Ethan Rayne became "Watcher" to and that Faith (and perhaps Wood) show up. Of course this was the area where i have to wonder how the "personal hell" works. I'm not sure. Again, maybe they really are in the real world and the hell is just for those who enter their bubble of it. That might work in that Faith is faced with her own version of who she was in the corrupted slayerettes. Wood still has his hate of Spike to feed off of. Slayers having been corrupted by power could also foreshadow a future Buffy plot (as many early season episodes tend to foreshadow stuff later in the season). If Faith (and Wood) can overcome their past, then they escape the hell bubble, they've moved beyond the issues that kept them miserable.
And I also continue to like the Fred in every dimension but one was destroyed by Illyria. . .or perhaps the one remaining Fred cooked up some device that opened demonsion portals.
Hey, actually, this was Fred's first plot in the Pylea thing, right? She was opening portals at random. Hmm... that might work really well, a version of MadFred in Pylea who opened portals at random and opened a portal into the present. Naturally PastFred can't last long in the same place with Illyria. It's a paradox. So maybe it's rapid aging of something. MadFred "catches up" to Illyria (meaning she sanes up, before weakening because you can't change the past no matter how you try. However as she's dyiing, this time they capture her soul -- orb of Thessula anyone?) Illyria is left with the quandry of whether to accept Fred's soul. (which could be interesting with Angel and Spike as well). Illyria accepts Fred's soul. Illyria/Fred's hell is that NEITHER of them can be the person they used to be. (Illyria was metaphorically 'corruption,' and the corruption of Fred. Innocence once lost can't be regained. ) Basically giving Illyria/Fred an almost split personality as they struggle to become one and accept who she is now (and giving the benefit of giving Illyria yet more in the way of emotion and humanity).
And... honestly... I wouldn't mind seeing Frillyria become fascinated/caring of/infatuated with Spike...because...well... who wouldn't?
I also continue to like the other eps people have mentioned. (I know the all naked ep was a bit of a joke. . .but I honestly like it. It would work with the exposure of vulnerabilities, insecurities, and the things that you hide. It's these things that are why people protect themselves, self sabotage themselves, hold themselves back. I could see an all-naked-ep working metaphorically (and in a comedic ep. . .which, there's no reason to be ALL dark and dreary. Same thing with the cousin Penelope and the regurgitating demon. I think we need to sprinkle in some humor here.)
Mid-season I still love the Dru-arc which looks like it would take at least three eps as she would return and cause havoc ... It would work in the theme in that, Dru is the monster that Angel created. Dru is the monster who created Spike and is the monster he loves. It ties back into "you make your own hell" ... Angel created a monster and that he created her haunts him. Spike succumbed to her and became a monster... and I think some of that self anger can be displaced onto Angel because it was Angel that broke Drusilla. So Spike and Angel would be at each other's throats and distrustful of each other. Second in the arc would be to capture Dru and re-soul her (if they've done that to Illyria they could do the same for Drusilla). Third ep... of course it really can't work for Drusilla. She can't handle it. If you can't let go of the past it can destroy you, it becomes your hell. And I think Dru commits suicide.
This can also be part of Spike's hell in that he always allows himself to love those who are incapable of TRULY loving him back, he hurts himself giving to someone so broken that they can't love him as he deserves. There's something in that that. . . I don't know. . .maybe Spike doesn't really feel that anyone could love him. Maybe he feels his worth is to someone who needs him, someone he can give love <b>to</b> (in an oblique way it's addressing part of the problem with his relationship with Buffy). Which is why I also suggested that Frillyria become affectionate and desirous of Spike. . . and I think Spike be oblivious to it. Fryllyria is strong, not some damnsel in need -- troubled with Fred's soul? Absolutely. But I think Fred and Illyria both had a lot of inner personal strength so while troubled I don't think she needs to be NEEDY. And remember, Illyria wanted Spike as her pet (which really is sort of the opposite of Spike's past relationships). Anyway, having seen Spike in endless unrequited love, it might be nice to see him being the one oblivious to someone falling for him.
Just a thought.
Cordy could appear for an Angel story. Cordy was a woman that Angel lost because he never really opened up when he needed to. He stood around and he lost her because he waiting until too late. This could tie into his having sent Nina away in the next to finale. Angel doesn't allow himself to have relationships. He withdraws (I was struck by how his actions with Nina are almost exactly Graduation Day II).
And I like Buffy as Big Bad (or maybe Little Bad). And maybe it's not the really, real Buffy. . .or maybe it is. I don't know. BUt the tiny bundle of misery had certainly caused her fair share. And if she is in a hell... it's one of her own making as well. The whole Immortal plot could tie into W&H since it was established that the Immortal had dealings with the Roman branch of W&H. And maybe Buffy's attraction to shiny things has created her own hell...
... or maybe not and Buffy is just the penultimate manisfestation of Angel and Spike's hell and ultimately it's revealed that "Buffy" isn't Buffy, but just a Sr. Partner creation to torment Angel and Spike (thereby giving an out to those who still love the character... and allowing those who don't... to not love her).
Wesley could break his contract and rescue himself and Lilah from hell which would foreshadow the way that Angel, Spike, etc can break out of their own personal hells.
The Buffy could be revealed to be one of the mythological hell creatures I had listed before. Besting the monster allows the heroes to escape the bubble hell . . . and to see life for what it is. . .a chance. .. a hope.
Wouldn't mind Gunn coming to terms with his newly revised self, maybe hooking up with Gwen.
Frillyria making peace between her halves.
Spike. . .could recognize Frillyria's genuine caring for him... and you know... I don't know. Maybe...
And Angel could pursue some actual happiness with Nina.
Fight the Good Fight. . . but remember there's happiness to be had along the way. You deserve to have more to your life than fighting, the mission, the job. . .and even heroes deserve a personal life and some happiness.
Anyway, just musing/rambling. I'm not quite ready to let Spike and AtS go. . .
Note: Many of the ideas I'm discussing are from the list discussion. And spoilers for the finale are involved.
<lj-cut>
<b> Wssixwe wrote: </b>
<i>And what if the Apocalypse is entirely personal, with each and every soul experiencing it in a unique way?{...} And could/should/would the FGs be able to save somebody from their personal APOC?
-JanR</i>
I said a few days ago that this question haunted me. I really like this question and I think it can be part of the season. It's sort of <b>"Hell is of your own making"</b> which I think is a very interesting psychological and philosophical premise. What are the things the characters do to sabotage themselves? What are the things with which they torment themselves? What are the patterns they repeat that prevent them from finding the happiness they deserve? What's holding them back? What brings about a character's downfall, and what do they need to overcome, to triumph, to escape their hell and to allow themselves to be happy?
More difficult... how do we approach this metaphorically? (And I do want to keep the story working on a metaphorical level. I think BtVS screwed the hell up when they stopped using fantasy to explore these issues and made things too literal)
One thought came with the whole "spreading apocalypse" and the "post-apocalyptic world" thing. On a storytelling level I would like things appear to be one way at the beginning of the story then be turned inside out in the middle of the story. In the first part of the season it could look like a spreading apocalypse/post apocalyptic world but that later we discover that the characters aren't following the apocalypse. . .the apocalypse is following <b>them</b> (fits with the concept that it's the Sr. Partners punishing them for having destroyed the Circle of the Thorn). And I'm not against the concept that near the end of the season they discover that rather than being in the post-apocalyptic world. . .they're in a specially (constructed just for them) hell that they must escape (which on another level is about breaking old patterns of things that hold you back and allowing yourself forgiveness and allowing yourself the freedom to be <i>happy</i>. . .an issue Spike, Angel, and Gunn all have. (So instead of yet another apocalypse, we're planning <i>The Great Escape</i>).
In a way I'm thinking of an Orpheus/Euridyce plot, except they are their own Eurydice. (When Orpheus' wife, Eurydice, was killed by the bite of a serpent, he went down to the underworld to bring her back. Hades agreed to allow Eurydice to return to the world of the living. However, Orpheus had to meet one condition: he must not look back as he was conducting her to the surface. Just before the pair reached the upper world, Orpheus looked back, and Eurydice slipped back into the netherworld once again.)
Not sure how the specifics of this hell would work since I would like to continue using characters who aren't just the surviving character. Maybe the hell is a localized phenomenon... it's like a wall of glass or an expanding bubble around them that other characters can pass in and out of. Dunno. But maybe something can be developed with that. (Actually metaphorically that might work. It's sort of like someone with depression. How they perceive the world might not be what the real world is. Those that are around them aren't necessarily in the personal hell and they can't see why that person is in it.) Er... or something.
I have no idea of the Big Bad. I do think we need something to sort of personify a jailer for them in their own personal hell. Did do a quick drive-by of mythological creatures. Not sure what would best represent/personify the jailer.
<blockquote>
<b>Cerberus</b>The three headed dog from Greek mythology. Cerberus acts as the guard of Hades. Some say that the Cerberus, instead of having three heads has fifty. It was one of Heracles' tasks to take the Cerberus out of Hades, which he succeeded in doing.
<b>Ammut</b> The Egyptians call her the eater of the dead, for her function in the Hall of Double Justice of Osiris. The hearts of the dead were weighed against the feather of truth and those that failed to past the test were fed to Ammut.
<b>Erinyes or Erinnyes</b> means "angry ones." They are often depicted as carrying a torch or a whip. They were also known in Greek myth as the Furies. There are two possible origins for the Furies. In one account, they spring from the blood of the castrated Uranus. In another version, they are mothered by Gæa with air and bad human emotions. Either way, their purpose is the same: to pursue and torment guilty people. Because of this, they cannot die while sin exists. The three Furies are named Alecto, Tisiphone, Megaera. Sometimes the Erynnyes are called Eumenides which means "kindly ones" as it is bad luck to say their real name.
<b>Keres</b>In Greek mythology, when the fates had decided the hour of death for a man, they would send the Keres to do their bidding. They were most often seen hovering over the battlefields, wearing red robes and had dark skin. They had sparkling eyes and vicious white teeth. At the moment of death the Keres would let out a chilling cry and descend down to the victim. They would then drink the blood from his wounds and carry him off to Hades</blockquote>
Some lesser beings that might be employed as MOTW that could relate to the themes:
<blockquote><b>Doppleganger</b> Meaning "double walker" a doppelganger is a shadow-self that accompanies every human.
<b>Empusae</b> cannibalistic female monsters. They are half-ass and half-human, but could change themselves into bitches or beautiful maidens. In these shapes they would lure travelers to themselves and would then devour them. Sometimes they are depicted as blood-sucking vampire-like creatures.
<b>Baku</b> is called the 'eater of dreams'</blockquote>
Some story ideas and perhaps some ways we might employ the <b> "You make your own hell"</b> concept. . . Bringing over Paratti's post from the General Spoiler discussion, because I sort of like it.
<b>Paratti wrote</b>
<i>Spike runs up the dragon in the manner of Legolas slaying the oliphant in ROTK, kills it and jumps down - Duster V2.0 flying beautifully behind him,
in time to behead a demon trying to kill Gunn - who with Illyria and Angel have been kicking butt in the meantime.
Angel says, "That was my dragon!" But carries on slaying demons. They slaugher hoards but are tiring just as Illyria finds she's one last time slow in her and does it while holding hands with the boys who each have one of the crystals off her sarcophagus. Our Heros slay the remaining demons and slip through a portal to Pylea to have a break and find a healer for Gunn - who is Not Dead </i>
Now that we have detailed finale spoilers we can begin kicking around ideas for the premiere.
I do love the Angel/Spike arguing over who gets to slay the dragon. And I think that we can use Spike's repeated "What's your plan?" and even the quip that's been showing up about Spike always seeming to play First Lieutenant to leaders with the battle plans of Custer. Maybe he and Gunn pulled out the crystals from Illyria's sarcauphagus or something. Anyway, I saw possibilities in the idea.
And actually there's something to be said thematically that they exit the fight into some slightly Eden-like place. If the theme is that you make your own hell, then offering them a possible place of peace and happiness that they would walk away from would make sense (and would allow Gunn to heal). Their battle in the finale was that you have to fight the fight every day. They choose to leave Vahalla or Eden or the Elysian Fields because they each feel (guilt) that they are compelled to continue to fight (well maybe not Illyria... but I don't think Illyria would want to be alone. I think she's bothered greatly by having outlived her time and the loss of her worshippers and armies. . .and even Wesley. She doesn't want to be alone and continues with her companions). They decide to return to earth and the suicidal battle... only to find that things appear remarkably "normal..." (anything in this workable for anyone? Any ideas? )
Ep 2 - my first idea concerning the whole Eurydice thing wasn't really about all the characters but Wesley. I thought of using him in a sort of foreshadowing capacity about what's <b>really</b> going on.
Didn't Wes first sign onto W&H to try to extricate Lilah from her contract with the Sr. Partners? And wasn't Lilah brought back after her death? So when the survivors return to "this" dimension they find W&H restored and Wesley and Hamilton there (which should be a subtle hint that this is a hell they've entered). Hamilton "fires" the rest of them (just as he had fired Eve). Of course everyone is surprised that the Sr. Partners are just letting them go. The finale is put down as the Sr. Partners being a bit miffed but they've had time to calm down (yeah, right, boys you in heeeellll). However, Wesley can't be fired, he's dead. . .and he died having a contract with W&H. Guilt, guilt, and grief for the survivors. Wesley tells Angel that he made his choices. Wesley chose to sign onto W&H. And. . .well, he did so to try to release Lilah from her contract. (Lilah could also appear in the episode). The Wes/Fred/Illyria thing could be addressed with Wes realizing that he'd lost Fred forever. (part of what inspired this for me was Illyria pretending to be Fred reminded me of when Lilah dressed up as Fred). Maybe, now, Wes is willing to accept Lilah. . .and maybe he can still work on finding a way to break that contract, only now he would try to find a way to break the contract for both himself and Lilah.
Wes's predicament is really the situation that all of them are in. . .only the rest of them don't know it. Not only would Wes's ep foreshadow the whole "personal hell" concept, but it foreshadows the possibility of escape (and in an episode near the end, we can have a second wes ep where he does escape, because I don't want Wes in hell. :cry:
Other stuff that could happen early in the season...
I liked the idea of the rogue slayerettes who Ethan Rayne became "Watcher" to and that Faith (and perhaps Wood) show up. Of course this was the area where i have to wonder how the "personal hell" works. I'm not sure. Again, maybe they really are in the real world and the hell is just for those who enter their bubble of it. That might work in that Faith is faced with her own version of who she was in the corrupted slayerettes. Wood still has his hate of Spike to feed off of. Slayers having been corrupted by power could also foreshadow a future Buffy plot (as many early season episodes tend to foreshadow stuff later in the season). If Faith (and Wood) can overcome their past, then they escape the hell bubble, they've moved beyond the issues that kept them miserable.
And I also continue to like the Fred in every dimension but one was destroyed by Illyria. . .or perhaps the one remaining Fred cooked up some device that opened demonsion portals.
Hey, actually, this was Fred's first plot in the Pylea thing, right? She was opening portals at random. Hmm... that might work really well, a version of MadFred in Pylea who opened portals at random and opened a portal into the present. Naturally PastFred can't last long in the same place with Illyria. It's a paradox. So maybe it's rapid aging of something. MadFred "catches up" to Illyria (meaning she sanes up, before weakening because you can't change the past no matter how you try. However as she's dyiing, this time they capture her soul -- orb of Thessula anyone?) Illyria is left with the quandry of whether to accept Fred's soul. (which could be interesting with Angel and Spike as well). Illyria accepts Fred's soul. Illyria/Fred's hell is that NEITHER of them can be the person they used to be. (Illyria was metaphorically 'corruption,' and the corruption of Fred. Innocence once lost can't be regained. ) Basically giving Illyria/Fred an almost split personality as they struggle to become one and accept who she is now (and giving the benefit of giving Illyria yet more in the way of emotion and humanity).
And... honestly... I wouldn't mind seeing Frillyria become fascinated/caring of/infatuated with Spike...because...well... who wouldn't?
I also continue to like the other eps people have mentioned. (I know the all naked ep was a bit of a joke. . .but I honestly like it. It would work with the exposure of vulnerabilities, insecurities, and the things that you hide. It's these things that are why people protect themselves, self sabotage themselves, hold themselves back. I could see an all-naked-ep working metaphorically (and in a comedic ep. . .which, there's no reason to be ALL dark and dreary. Same thing with the cousin Penelope and the regurgitating demon. I think we need to sprinkle in some humor here.)
Mid-season I still love the Dru-arc which looks like it would take at least three eps as she would return and cause havoc ... It would work in the theme in that, Dru is the monster that Angel created. Dru is the monster who created Spike and is the monster he loves. It ties back into "you make your own hell" ... Angel created a monster and that he created her haunts him. Spike succumbed to her and became a monster... and I think some of that self anger can be displaced onto Angel because it was Angel that broke Drusilla. So Spike and Angel would be at each other's throats and distrustful of each other. Second in the arc would be to capture Dru and re-soul her (if they've done that to Illyria they could do the same for Drusilla). Third ep... of course it really can't work for Drusilla. She can't handle it. If you can't let go of the past it can destroy you, it becomes your hell. And I think Dru commits suicide.
This can also be part of Spike's hell in that he always allows himself to love those who are incapable of TRULY loving him back, he hurts himself giving to someone so broken that they can't love him as he deserves. There's something in that that. . . I don't know. . .maybe Spike doesn't really feel that anyone could love him. Maybe he feels his worth is to someone who needs him, someone he can give love <b>to</b> (in an oblique way it's addressing part of the problem with his relationship with Buffy). Which is why I also suggested that Frillyria become affectionate and desirous of Spike. . . and I think Spike be oblivious to it. Fryllyria is strong, not some damnsel in need -- troubled with Fred's soul? Absolutely. But I think Fred and Illyria both had a lot of inner personal strength so while troubled I don't think she needs to be NEEDY. And remember, Illyria wanted Spike as her pet (which really is sort of the opposite of Spike's past relationships). Anyway, having seen Spike in endless unrequited love, it might be nice to see him being the one oblivious to someone falling for him.
Just a thought.
Cordy could appear for an Angel story. Cordy was a woman that Angel lost because he never really opened up when he needed to. He stood around and he lost her because he waiting until too late. This could tie into his having sent Nina away in the next to finale. Angel doesn't allow himself to have relationships. He withdraws (I was struck by how his actions with Nina are almost exactly Graduation Day II).
And I like Buffy as Big Bad (or maybe Little Bad). And maybe it's not the really, real Buffy. . .or maybe it is. I don't know. BUt the tiny bundle of misery had certainly caused her fair share. And if she is in a hell... it's one of her own making as well. The whole Immortal plot could tie into W&H since it was established that the Immortal had dealings with the Roman branch of W&H. And maybe Buffy's attraction to shiny things has created her own hell...
... or maybe not and Buffy is just the penultimate manisfestation of Angel and Spike's hell and ultimately it's revealed that "Buffy" isn't Buffy, but just a Sr. Partner creation to torment Angel and Spike (thereby giving an out to those who still love the character... and allowing those who don't... to not love her).
Wesley could break his contract and rescue himself and Lilah from hell which would foreshadow the way that Angel, Spike, etc can break out of their own personal hells.
The Buffy could be revealed to be one of the mythological hell creatures I had listed before. Besting the monster allows the heroes to escape the bubble hell . . . and to see life for what it is. . .a chance. .. a hope.
Wouldn't mind Gunn coming to terms with his newly revised self, maybe hooking up with Gwen.
Frillyria making peace between her halves.
Spike. . .could recognize Frillyria's genuine caring for him... and you know... I don't know. Maybe...
And Angel could pursue some actual happiness with Nina.
Fight the Good Fight. . . but remember there's happiness to be had along the way. You deserve to have more to your life than fighting, the mission, the job. . .and even heroes deserve a personal life and some happiness.
Anyway, just musing/rambling. I'm not quite ready to let Spike and AtS go. . .
