A New Man

This seems like another monster-of-the-week shows with a twist: Giles is the monster, transformed by Ethan Raines (of course). But even though it is essentially a stand-alone, not an integral part of the Big Bad plot this season, this episode more clearly introduces the philosophical question at the core of this season, and, in ways, the series.

What does it mean to be a man? Put in a less (potentially) sexist manner, what does it take to be human? Even though he looks like a Fyarl demon (note how close the word is to "feral"--it's pronounced Furr-ral; as Jung said, there are no coincidences), Giles retains his intellect, his human emotions, and his soul. Ultimately, Buffy doesn't kill him because she recognizes him when she looks into his eyes as she's about to stake him--the saying "the eyes are the windows to the soul" seem especially appropriate.

Spike, who just happens to speak Fyarl, agrees to help Giles...for a price, of course--which comes into play in the next episode. Spike is an interesting counterpart to Giles in this episode. Is Spike a man? That question may be unvoiced, but it resonants loudly from this season until the end of the series. He has no soul, hence the Scoobies and the Initiative quickly deem Spike as "other"--"Hostile 17," in fact. Spike's insight, emotions, and intellect are not in question; he's only one soul (and one beating heart) away from being a real boy--in the Buffy spin-off Angel, that issue is explicitly addressed as it applies to both Spike and Angel (who, because he has a soul, is closer to human and worthy of Buffy's affection). In this episode, also, Spike declares himself off-limits for the Slayer and her "Slayerettes." Giles, who was obviously assuming Spike would want to work with them since he can fight demons, was taken aback by Spike's strident insistance that he is evil, that he's a Big Bad they should beware of. (Point of Fact: Spike is never the Big Bad. Season Two, when it looks as if he will be, Angel emerges as the threat--and Spike partners with Buffy to quell him.) Spike looks like a human, thinks and acts like a human in most ways...and in this episode, he again protects and helps humans.

It's worth noting that Giles starts off the episode feeling lost and out of place, at a birthday party for Buffy at the college. He discovers that Buffy has a boyfriend--which everyone else obviously knew--and Riley inadvertantly rubs in Giles' displacement when making small talk. Giles is a man, no question about that...but old, worn, out of place. This episode is the first clear marker that eventually, he will have to leave--that Buffy is outgrowing her need for him, and that he is becoming redundant.

Then....Maggie makes it worse, telling Giles that Buffy needs a stronger father figure, more discipline and focus. Those are Giles' jobs, ones that he defined himself by, yet both the Watcher's Council and now Maggie (unknowingly) question his ability to do this job. Giles is ripe for a crisis, for a re-definition of himself--thanks to Ethan, his crisis is a doozy, blatantly leading to question who he is, how he fits in, and if he is, in fact, human. Giles' totally out-of-character terrorizing of Maggie while he is Fyarl is an interesting peek both at his latent "Ripper" persona, and at the emotion he swallows when Maggie insulted him; as a soulless demon, he was free to react. As a reasonable man, he wasn't.

That Buffy and the gang do not question Giles' humanity once they realize he the "demon," magicked by Ethan, is interesting. Their definition of "human" is fluid; it will be tested by the creation of Adam, the person/demon/cyborg Maggie has created that will be unveiled in the next episode--and the question will echo next season as Buffy refuses to kill "Ben" because he is human, even thought he's a conduit for the evil Goddess Glory. But I'll talk more about that later, I'm sure!

The Dark Age

Eureka! I know why this episode follows "Lie To Me." It's the counterpoint, the answer, to Giles' closing speech--where he tells Buffy (at her request), that life is very simple, the men stalwart and true, good & evil easily identified, etc. He is the wise one, but in doing what Buffy wants--what they both know isn't true--he is still the mage, the Merlin. Ironically, Buffy scoffingly but fondly says "liar," as they walk out of the frame and the credits roll. We know she's right; life isn't black & white, and Giles is lying about the big picture. But the lies he tells there are only the shiny white snow covered tip--and they don't really count because we do see them.

However, "The Dark Age" reveals a Giles whose entire idenity is called into question. Ethan shows up again, and places everyone in danger. That's what he does. No big. But one snitch of dialogue is crucial: Ethan says something along the line of "They (the kids) have no idea who you are, do they? They believe the tweed covered librarian act. They don't have a clue.." And Giles is terse and powerful, making big, strong, definative movements. Ethan calls Giles "Ripper," a symbolic name--especially for a Briton. And Ethan seems to honestly believe that Giles can kill him, will kill him. Ethan, who's known Giles longer than anyone thus far, sees a morally ambigous person capable of unremorsedly killing.

Hmmmm....and Buffy and Willow and Xander see a harmless Dewey Decimal disciple, a font of wisdom and teaching who can handle weapons maybe, but....not the front line unless an obscure language needs translated.

We know Giles can kill--or we will know it, in season 5 when he barehandedly kills Ben after Buffy doesn't. Buffy claims to get confused when things get ethically complex. To a large extent, that's her modus operandi throughout the series. For all the whining and emotional hermit-y stuff she does at various times, her resolutions tend to be simplistic. At first glance, Giles is the barometer for what is good. So far, he is stalwart and true, and the Scoobies count on that. He's choosing that, though--having apparently walked through the fire earlier in his life. Until season 7 when he supports Robin's attempt to kill Spike, Giles consistently chooses good--I think. I'm going to have to watch for that. (Well, and Band Candy...but what's a little B&E?)

While I'm thinking about it: is it possible that Willow wants things black and white, but can't manuvor that; she is essentially gray, living in the moral ambiguities, with the goofy naive reactions as her default? That with the exception of his feelings about Spike, Xander ultimately is the stalwart and true one? And that Spike, who wants to see the world as black & white as Buffy, really understands the gray and sees what the others are---I know, I'm not there yet. And Cordelia, she almost unerringly speaks the truth, not sugar coating; she knows black & white in the deeper ethical sense, but her reality checks are undercut by her overt superficially.

I think there are some undercurrents about what manhood is, but I've gotten sidetracked with other topics this time. But sometime, I should think about what Giles and Ethan are modeling about manhood. Later, though.

Halloween

Early in the show, Buffy makes a point of telling Willow that Halloween costumes are about getting to be something you're not--good girls play at being vixens, for instance. Irony alert: Willow and Giles, instead of pretending what they aren't, reveal what they really are. Willow starts out dressing like a ghost, no surprise for the girl who's goal is to be unnoticed by the mean girls. As circumstances happen, though...she's confidently parading around in a sleek, sexy outfit--although she does have the occasionally uncomfortable moment when she realizes someone is looking. And again, Oz sees her and asks "Who is that girl?" She's starting to be a bit less ghosty. (Oh, and even though Willow was appalled by Buffy lying to Giles in the last episode, she helps Buffy steal the Watchers Diary; apparently stealing information isn't bad.)

Giles is a surprise in the episode, too. Mr. Prim Librarian beats a man to a pulp, using his bare hands. Ethan, a friend from Giles' youth, is a trickster bent on creating chaos. To save Buffy and the rest of the town, Giles pounds on Ethan till he finally reveals how to stop the spell. Interestingly, Ethan says to Giles "they have no idea who you are, what you're capable of, do they?" There's a past that is only slightly revealed, but the parts we get are tantalizing. Even though Buffy will not consider killing a human, Giles has more flexible standards; Ethan believes Giles will kill him, and later in the series, Giles kills Ben and plots against Spike--but that's not for a while.

Overall, though, manhood is the theme that keeps popping up. Before Halloween, Buffy is baffled when Xander is upset that she rescues him from a bully. Xander explains that a black eye goes away, but a slight on his manhood never fades. Then, Xander becomes a soldier, protecting "the women," mainly a helpless 17th c Buffy. The manhood subtext continues. Soldier Xander shouts orders that Buffy, Willow and Cordy--and even Angel--immediately follow. He takes action as a leader and earns respect. He even fights the bully to protect Buffy and admits that gives him an odd feeling of "closure." When they get their memories back, Xander is the first to reach Buffy after she slams Spike into submission--yet again, he's her backup, even with Angel there--but her responses to Xander are cursory; Angel is where she's focused.

Quick note about Buffy/Angel: she wants to be girly, to remind him of the girls he presumably chased as a young man. She doesn't talk to him about any of those types of issues, just makes assumptions. Angel isn't the only one in that relationship that doesn't do conversation much, but somehow Angel's mysterious reticence is what gets the focus. There's a power imbalance in their relationship--which isn't necessarily a bad thing--but I'm trying to figure out what I'm seeing and how to say it so it makes sense.