De-Evolution of Angel

[shipperx]

:
So, I'm trying to understand the various Allie and Jeanty Q&A's:

*      In the comics we see Twangel cheering on the anti-Slayer crowd, urging his followers to find stuff to turn people against Slayers, turning up the heat on  the persecution of Slayers, and Twangel announcing that he had to do these things in order  'to bring Buffy low' ( to get her super-special super powers), so he beat Satsu  and plays 'general on the sidelines' figure at the 'epic' battle that kills hundreds of Slayers.


*     Then we get the about-face and are told that Twangel hasn't actually harmed anyone.  He's been trying to help (squints really had to see how.  Still have nothing.  We just need to take on faith that without his invisible interference things would have been worse than they are and worse than the unknown alternative... that we also didn't see.)
 
 

*      But we still had that Twangel had to don the mask to 'bring her low' [though apparently, according to the Q&A and Twangle's 'explanation,'  he actually didn't do anything to accomplish that goal and was secretly 'helping' -- in direct opposition to his stated goal (and even though we never see him helping the slayers) ]  in order to bring about Twilight.


*      Except now Jeanty tells us that Twangel didn't know that Twilight meant space-frakking or the death of the world or... well, let's see....

Looks like Angel basically didn't know anything-- not what Twilight was, how it was activated, what it involved, what it meant, or what it did (nothing wrong with volunteering for a mission like that!).  He did, however, know that it was 'better' than the alternative (whatever that was). So, um... he 'knew'  the alternative was 'worse' than the Twilight that he had no understanding of ... because a talking dog told him so.  Makes perfect sense, right?  Who couldn't be persuaded by that?  He's not stupid at all!  And besides, he didn't actually do anything except the helping stuff that we didn't see.


*      So in pursuing the creation of the Twilight  [that he didn't know what it was but had decided  to  'bring about' by doing ... something (though we're not entirely sure what... which is okay because he had no idea what it would be either) ]

Well, anyway, after he did or didn't do whatever it was he thought he needed to do (but he didn't know what he actually needed to do) to bring about Twilight (whatever he thought that might be), we -- and he -- see that it's destroying the world.  So how does he react?  Twangel wants to stay in his special world even though he can see that it's bringing about the end of the world.  He even gives the circular logic of the present universe being replaced, but Scoobs, who are in the world that is being replaced, would be okay... somehow.  In the dead, replaced world that's coming apart at the seams.  

 

Makes perfect sense, right?  (  Huh?  )
 
 

*    And it's only because Buffy was going back to the world, leaving him in Twilight alone, that Angel decided to go back to the world that was being destroyed, that he didn't seem particularly bothered by it being destroyed (because he wasn't willing to help it until Buffy made him do it) but apparently -- we're now told -- he had no idea was going to be destroyed (other than his standing there witnessing its destruction and not caring very much).  In summary, he didn't actually know what 'bringing about Twilight' actually meant, so he didn't actually intend any of what he did (whatever that was that we're still not clear about).  And he did it just 'cause a talking dog told him to.


*    Then we get Twangel being taken over by Twilight so we can be extra doubly sure that he's really, most sincerely not in control over what he does at the end...even though he's not responsible for any of the rest of it either. 

 

So, let me sum up Twangel's 'character arc' of Season 8:

Angel didn't know anything.   He didn't do anything.  And anything he did do or it looks like he did, he's not actually responsible for except for the 'helping' stuff that we didn't see.  But he's gonna feel really bad about... something (not that he did anything, knew anything, or was actually responsible for anything) so feel really bad for the guy, okay? 

Great character arc, huh.


    

Comments

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, we mustn't allow the witches (who are female) to have power that they learn how to use and get from the earth and nature, that comes from knowledge and learning, and isn't connected to a man in any way. That would be bad. Much better to let the slayers keep their power, because they inherited it from a girl who was chained, while a bunch of male "shamans" of her tribe inserted a demon in her. That's a far more feminist message after all.

[sp23.livejournal.com]

Well the witch-Earth power thing probably has something to do with menstruation, and as all the guys know you just can never trust something that bleeds for five days every month and doesn't die.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Oh lord. Whedon's "bleeding on the seal over the hellmouth represents menstruation" bit.

Seriously, Whedon, what the frell made you think that was a good idea. Women have periods. They aren't interested in hommages to them. And what does it say that it's connected to the hellmouth? o.O

[rahirah]

Vaginas are scary, yo.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

My favorite bit was how more than one empowered woman in all the world ruins everything! It threw off the balance, and that status quo balance is important, people!

So of course the way to fix it is to have a guy go behind the womans back and trick her into having a baby that has mommy issues and has a world destroying tantrum until the woman who destroyed everything breaks the egg.

Oozes with feminism doesn't it?

And I guess earth magic doesn't exist in Whedonverse. It all has to come from somewhere else. So female witches and slayers are depowered, and...well... there you go. That and the guy didn't actually do anything wrong. He was helping damnit!

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Exactly.

And..let's not forget that this all happens so the Frayverse can come about, because wouldn't it be cool to have a hot adolescent thief, who has super-powers, is mentored and betrayed by a male demon, and handicapped by the fact that she only has the physical prowess and her twin brother has the dreams and has become a powerful vampire? And let's add to it that Willow (the witch) has become a deranged helper of Fray's vampire half-brother.

This is the human scale. The right way of the universe.

Sigh, and we thought Stephanie Meyer's Twilight was...bad.