Discussion of Buffy 9.03 "Freefall: Part 3"- Released 11/09/11 (Dark Horse)
- Thread starter brinkster130
- Start date
OK, got my copy, quick summary
Spoiler!
The issue starts with Buffy and Severin in the alley where we left them in #2. Buffy wonders how his powers work since there is no magic now and then she thinks that turining vampires into corpses is not exactly magic. Severin replies that she is the slayer and he expects her to tell him. Buffy tells him that she gets blamed for all the corpses he leaves behind, she grabs him and she takes him on the rooftop of the building while the police arrives on the scene. The both watch the police from the rooftop and Severin tells her that he didn't mean to get her in trouble. Then Buffy asks him if he knows some place where she can sleep, someplace where the police won't find her.
Next we see the police in Buffy's appartment talking to her roommate, the page we have already seen in the previews. We continue looking at Spike, again the page we have already seen, which continues as the real estate demon tells Spike that he doesn't know the name of the demon that is after Buffy, all he knows is that he lives in Alcatraz, that's the place he found for him, because it reminds him of his home and we see the demon sitting in a cell looking at a picture with Buffy's face commenting that she is hard to find.
We continue next panel with Buffy, she is sleeping. Severin tries to touch her but suddenly Buffy wakes up and she grabs his hand and stops him from touching her. Severin says that he only wanted to wake her up while holding a cup of coffee. He tells her that he has never seen someone falling asleep so fast and that he is a trust fund kid, that's why he has such an appartment. Buffy wonders why he risks all that just to play the exorcist on vampires and Severin tells her that he has never wanted to do that, but what he wanted was to become a vampire himself.
So he tells her his story. It was his girlfriend Clare that got him into that, and she was the one that made the connections with the fanged community. Finally she found someone named Alesssandra that she went to high school with, and the arrangement was Alessandra to turn Clare, and then Clare to turn Severin. Severin got a little bit nervous when the time came, but Allessandra reassured them and Clare really wanted it so they could be together forever. As Severin continues he says that he watched his girlfriend die in front of his eyes but Alessandra told him that Clare would wake up in a few hours as a vampire and everything would go right on schedule. Buffy realizes that it was Clare that wanted to be sired and not Severin, but Severin replies that he really wanted to become a vampire himself...until Clare woke up. She wasn't like the other vampires they had seen in bars, but she was mean, bloodthirsty, an animal, she didn't even know who he was. He then says that he didn't mean to do it (=kill Clara), he didn't even know that he could, he was just trying to protect himself. The power surged right from his hands, and as he was killing her, right for a second before she died, she saw it in her eyes that she was human again, but then she was totally gone. He still doesn't know how he did it, his hands just pipped out whatever made her a vampire.
Buffy then tells him that it was a good thing that he killed her and that he wasn't sired, since she wouldn't have hesitated to kill them if they had crossed paths. Severin then mentions that it is not just Clare, but every vampire that he has seen turned ever since and he only uses his powers to kill the vampires that still sire humans or putiing the mindless ones out of their misery. Buffy asks him when Clare was sired, he says 2 months ago, and Buffy tells him that probably it is because of the destruction of the seed and it is her fault that this thing happens with the newly sired vampires now.
We continue with the last 2 panesl from the preview pages, the police talking to Dawn/Xander and Buffy calling a Scoobie meeting. Buffy uses Dawn's phone to call Willow. Willow picks it up rather happy that Dawnie is calling, only to realize that it is actually Buffy using her sister's mobile. Buffy says that she wasn't sure that she would pick it up, Willow is kind of rude telling her "I'm at working, and shouldn't you be on the run from the police?" but she gets kind of excited when Buffy tells her that there are consequences from breaking the seed. Then Buffy continues talking to Dawn and Xander, having Willow on the phone at the same time listening to the conversation. The topic of their meeting is not Severin, as she tells them, but why the vampires are on steroids (meaner, faster, stronger and drool a lot more). Dawn mentions the Vampyr book and Severin seems quite interesting in hearing that there is a book, but Buffy replies to her sister that it is more than 5.000 pages and she hasn't read it and that she can't go to her apartment now to pick it up. Willow says from the phone that they should have thought about it, since when someone becomes a vampire a demon comes from another dimention possessing the body, but now with the seed broken, the demons have to possess the bodies from another dimension. Buffy realizes that they are a kind of vampire-zombies, and Xander names them "Zompires" mentioning with a big smile that his work is done now. Severin then says that he knows a nest and he could use Buffy's help to take the zompires out. Xander then says that their job is done but Buffy wonders why, since she thought that they came there to be scoobies. But Dawn interferes saying that they only came so they could give Buffy's the card that the police gave them, so she could the detective. Dawn says that nobody is complaining about the vampires right now, and Buffy is all over the news and she should clear things with the police. Xander adds that Buffy can't hide from reality anymore, although she was trying to do the right thing. Severin then says that she can't trust the police, they only want to lock her up, and that she should help him with the vampire nest. As Dawn and Xander leave Severin's apartment, Xander adds that now everybody knows about the vampires and everybody likes them and Buffy should work with the police about the zompires. Dawn tells Buffy to be careful because she would hate to see her in jail.
Then we go to Spike, who has already arrived in the jail and he is looking for the demon. He goes in his cell but the demon isn't there. Or that's what Spike thought, since he was hiding and he attacks Spike. Spike fights back and demands to know why the demon is looking for Buffy. The demon says because Buffy broke the seed, and Spike indignant with the whole seed thing mentions that people should just get over it. But then the demons says that he was to thank Buffy, he had been imprisoned by his enemies since a millenia ago, trapped with magic. His name is Eldre Kho and he swears that now he is bound to the one that got him free. Spike doesn't believe him and he attacks him, telling him that he has beein hearing rumors that Koh has come for Buffy. But Koh tells him that it is not him that wants to hurt Buffy, but it is Siphon. Spike still doesn't believe him mentioning that Koh has just got out of jail so he can't know more things than him. But then Koh adds that he knows demons older than the vampires and they all feared the arrival of the Siphon. A being that rips mystical energy from whatever it touches, demons, vampires, even slayers.,,and he is heading towards Buffy.
Next we see Severin and Buffy going to the vampire nest together. Buffy is worried whether Severin will be able to handle it, but then Severin tells her that there is something that he hasn't told her yet about his powers. Everytine he kills a vampire, he gets stronger and stronger. So maybe, after they take out the nest, he maybe even stronger than Buffy. They open the door of a warehouse, and we see hundreds of dead vampires on the floor. Buffy surprised tells him "They are all dead!" and Severin replies, " I know" in the last panel, when it basically leaves us with the impression that he is going to attack Buffy. He has a very creepy appearance, with power coming out of his hands.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Spoiler!
The issue starts with Buffy and Severin in the alley where we left them in #2. Buffy wonders how his powers work since there is no magic now and then she thinks that turining vampires into corpses is not exactly magic. Severin replies that she is the slayer and he expects her to tell him. Buffy tells him that she gets blamed for all the corpses he leaves behind, she grabs him and she takes him on the rooftop of the building while the police arrives on the scene. The both watch the police from the rooftop and Severin tells her that he didn't mean to get her in trouble. Then Buffy asks him if he knows some place where she can sleep, someplace where the police won't find her.
Next we see the police in Buffy's appartment talking to her roommate, the page we have already seen in the previews. We continue looking at Spike, again the page we have already seen, which continues as the real estate demon tells Spike that he doesn't know the name of the demon that is after Buffy, all he knows is that he lives in Alcatraz, that's the place he found for him, because it reminds him of his home and we see the demon sitting in a cell looking at a picture with Buffy's face commenting that she is hard to find.
We continue next panel with Buffy, she is sleeping. Severin tries to touch her but suddenly Buffy wakes up and she grabs his hand and stops him from touching her. Severin says that he only wanted to wake her up while holding a cup of coffee. He tells her that he has never seen someone falling asleep so fast and that he is a trust fund kid, that's why he has such an appartment. Buffy wonders why he risks all that just to play the exorcist on vampires and Severin tells her that he has never wanted to do that, but what he wanted was to become a vampire himself.
So he tells her his story. It was his girlfriend Clare that got him into that, and she was the one that made the connections with the fanged community. Finally she found someone named Alesssandra that she went to high school with, and the arrangement was Alessandra to turn Clare, and then Clare to turn Severin. Severin got a little bit nervous when the time came, but Allessandra reassured them and Clare really wanted it so they could be together forever. As Severin continues he says that he watched his girlfriend die in front of his eyes but Alessandra told him that Clare would wake up in a few hours as a vampire and everything would go right on schedule. Buffy realizes that it was Clare that wanted to be sired and not Severin, but Severin replies that he really wanted to become a vampire himself...until Clare woke up. She wasn't like the other vampires they had seen in bars, but she was mean, bloodthirsty, an animal, she didn't even know who he was. He then says that he didn't mean to do it (=kill Clara), he didn't even know that he could, he was just trying to protect himself. The power surged right from his hands, and as he was killing her, right for a second before she died, she saw it in her eyes that she was human again, but then she was totally gone. He still doesn't know how he did it, his hands just pipped out whatever made her a vampire.
Buffy then tells him that it was a good thing that he killed her and that he wasn't sired, since she wouldn't have hesitated to kill them if they had crossed paths. Severin then mentions that it is not just Clare, but every vampire that he has seen turned ever since and he only uses his powers to kill the vampires that still sire humans or putiing the mindless ones out of their misery. Buffy asks him when Clare was sired, he says 2 months ago, and Buffy tells him that probably it is because of the destruction of the seed and it is her fault that this thing happens with the newly sired vampires now.
We continue with the last 2 panesl from the preview pages, the police talking to Dawn/Xander and Buffy calling a Scoobie meeting. Buffy uses Dawn's phone to call Willow. Willow picks it up rather happy that Dawnie is calling, only to realize that it is actually Buffy using her sister's mobile. Buffy says that she wasn't sure that she would pick it up, Willow is kind of rude telling her "I'm at working, and shouldn't you be on the run from the police?" but she gets kind of excited when Buffy tells her that there are consequences from breaking the seed. Then Buffy continues talking to Dawn and Xander, having Willow on the phone at the same time listening to the conversation. The topic of their meeting is not Severin, as she tells them, but why the vampires are on steroids (meaner, faster, stronger and drool a lot more). Dawn mentions the Vampyr book and Severin seems quite interesting in hearing that there is a book, but Buffy replies to her sister that it is more than 5.000 pages and she hasn't read it and that she can't go to her apartment now to pick it up. Willow says from the phone that they should have thought about it, since when someone becomes a vampire a demon comes from another dimention possessing the body, but now with the seed broken, the demons have to possess the bodies from another dimension. Buffy realizes that they are a kind of vampire-zombies, and Xander names them "Zompires" mentioning with a big smile that his work is done now. Severin then says that he knows a nest and he could use Buffy's help to take the zompires out. Xander then says that their job is done but Buffy wonders why, since she thought that they came there to be scoobies. But Dawn interferes saying that they only came so they could give Buffy's the card that the police gave them, so she could the detective. Dawn says that nobody is complaining about the vampires right now, and Buffy is all over the news and she should clear things with the police. Xander adds that Buffy can't hide from reality anymore, although she was trying to do the right thing. Severin then says that she can't trust the police, they only want to lock her up, and that she should help him with the vampire nest. As Dawn and Xander leave Severin's apartment, Xander adds that now everybody knows about the vampires and everybody likes them and Buffy should work with the police about the zompires. Dawn tells Buffy to be careful because she would hate to see her in jail.
Then we go to Spike, who has already arrived in the jail and he is looking for the demon. He goes in his cell but the demon isn't there. Or that's what Spike thought, since he was hiding and he attacks Spike. Spike fights back and demands to know why the demon is looking for Buffy. The demon says because Buffy broke the seed, and Spike indignant with the whole seed thing mentions that people should just get over it. But then the demons says that he was to thank Buffy, he had been imprisoned by his enemies since a millenia ago, trapped with magic. His name is Eldre Kho and he swears that now he is bound to the one that got him free. Spike doesn't believe him and he attacks him, telling him that he has beein hearing rumors that Koh has come for Buffy. But Koh tells him that it is not him that wants to hurt Buffy, but it is Siphon. Spike still doesn't believe him mentioning that Koh has just got out of jail so he can't know more things than him. But then Koh adds that he knows demons older than the vampires and they all feared the arrival of the Siphon. A being that rips mystical energy from whatever it touches, demons, vampires, even slayers.,,and he is heading towards Buffy.
Next we see Severin and Buffy going to the vampire nest together. Buffy is worried whether Severin will be able to handle it, but then Severin tells her that there is something that he hasn't told her yet about his powers. Everytine he kills a vampire, he gets stronger and stronger. So maybe, after they take out the nest, he maybe even stronger than Buffy. They open the door of a warehouse, and we see hundreds of dead vampires on the floor. Buffy surprised tells him "They are all dead!" and Severin replies, " I know" in the last panel, when it basically leaves us with the impression that he is going to attack Buffy. He has a very creepy appearance, with power coming out of his hands.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Joan the Vampire Slayer
Thanks for this!
Since this comic is so lame, the final twist is probably going to be a red herring. I hope it won't be because if Severin's story is true then he is too stupid to live. He is basically like the vampire cultists from Lie to Me, only he had plenty of time and resources to find out what vampires ereally were so his stupidity is even more unforgivable.
And why the hell are "zompires" (talk about silly name and an even sillier concept) being sold as a bad consequence of destroying the seed? New vampires being feral is like a godsend in the battle to make people realize that vampires aren't cuddly. Of course, this would require the writers to realize that and they like their vampires way too much for this to happen. And if a demon from another dimension can't posses the dead body, how is the body even animated? It's not like vampires were literally possessed by demons before, they kept their personalities, only in a twisted evil way with no inhibitions.
And why the hell are "zompires" (talk about silly name and an even sillier concept) being sold as a bad consequence of destroying the seed? New vampires being feral is like a godsend in the battle to make people realize that vampires aren't cuddly. Of course, this would require the writers to realize that and they like their vampires way too much for this to happen. And if a demon from another dimension can't posses the dead body, how is the body even animated? It's not like vampires were literally possessed by demons before, they kept their personalities, only in a twisted evil way with no inhibitions.
Last edited:
Joan the Vampire Slayer
[No message]
Just read #3 and here are some rushy thoughts:
Buffy: She's too tired from lack of sleep that she slept so fast –as Severin says. I still think Xander and Dawn should have let her sleep in their apartment and then talked to her about going back to the police.
She's wondering why someone like Severin with a big loft and nice looking life would want to go out at night and slay vampires, she uses the word "risk", knowing that getting involved with that life style may make a person lose a lot of what they have: money, home, friends, family, and sanity.
"You too?" When I first read that line, I didn't think Buffy was talking about herself. I thought of Ford when she said it. But thinking about it now, she's probably talking about the people who want to be vampires now due to vampire popularity.
Buffy uses the word "kill" instead of "slay": "Clare wouldn't have been better off as a normal vampire. Neither would you. No offence, but I would have killed both of you if we'd crossed paths."
I'm not saying she never used the word "kill" with vampires before, but she made a point to the police that the term is slay and not kill, so I thought she'd be more careful how to phrase it in the future.
This is the first real sign of the world becoming a worse place after the loss of the seed, newly made vampires becoming zompires: brainless feral creatures. Now Buffy is finally considering Willow's argument. She wasn't convinced at all that what she did was the wrong thing, still doesn't believe it, but she couldn't really see a downside to not having magic except that it hurt her friendship with Willow. She did slip before and called it "My mista… my actions" but she corrected herself right away.
LOVED Jeanty's art in the panels with Buffy calling Willow, you can just hear their voices from their expressions. You can just see how hard it was for Buffy to admit that Willow was right and the way she rolled her eyes at Willow's "Really?" before quickly replying, "I'm not saying I made the wrong choice." *claps her hands for Jeanty*
I think Buffy was being irrational when she didn't listen to Xander and Dawn. It seems that she doesn't want to do things the sensible way (going to the police) because she's so used to fixing her problems herself. She's also used to getting away from the cops with a lot of luck – S2 in Ted and Becoming, S3 in Consequences, S8 stealing. Slaying is her priority, but Xander and Dawn have a point, the world is aware of vampires, so there's no difference between Buffy's job and the police's job. Buffy and the police can work together.
Xander and Dawn: I'm not really sure if they were really fighting over Dawn's birthday or if that's a fight they made up to use whenever the police showed up at their door. Buffy had sneaked into their apartment yesterday, so they had a whole day to think of a good story to tell the cops. Xander stressing that their fight is real and ridiculous shows exactly that it wasn't their real fight. They were acting from the start.
They obviously care so much about Buffy, which wasn't clear at all in #2, but they lied straight to the police to protect her, showed up right away when Buffy texted them and they listened to what she wanted to tell them, not brush it off from the beginning because it's not their business, and they gave her a very reasonable advice. Too bad Buffy didn't listen to them.
Again, a term Xander comes up with gets picked up. He was the one who came up with Scoobies, and now zompires.
Willow: She's upset with Buffy and is ignoring her because Buffy has been ignoring her concerns, but she showed interest and readiness to help when Buffy admitted that she was right. I have to say I was being harsh on Willow before, she didn't sound nasty when I read the issue. She, too, thinks that Buffy should go to the police instead of running away from them. It's the right thing to do and shows a lot of concern for Buffy.
I don't know if Willow's explanation to the zompires is the right one, she's been wrong before when she thought that Buffy was sucking other slayers' powers.
Spike: He's got Buffy's back. He's trying to find out who's after her. There's no new insight about his character so far.
Buffy: She's too tired from lack of sleep that she slept so fast –as Severin says. I still think Xander and Dawn should have let her sleep in their apartment and then talked to her about going back to the police.
She's wondering why someone like Severin with a big loft and nice looking life would want to go out at night and slay vampires, she uses the word "risk", knowing that getting involved with that life style may make a person lose a lot of what they have: money, home, friends, family, and sanity.
"You too?" When I first read that line, I didn't think Buffy was talking about herself. I thought of Ford when she said it. But thinking about it now, she's probably talking about the people who want to be vampires now due to vampire popularity.
Buffy uses the word "kill" instead of "slay": "Clare wouldn't have been better off as a normal vampire. Neither would you. No offence, but I would have killed both of you if we'd crossed paths."
I'm not saying she never used the word "kill" with vampires before, but she made a point to the police that the term is slay and not kill, so I thought she'd be more careful how to phrase it in the future.
This is the first real sign of the world becoming a worse place after the loss of the seed, newly made vampires becoming zompires: brainless feral creatures. Now Buffy is finally considering Willow's argument. She wasn't convinced at all that what she did was the wrong thing, still doesn't believe it, but she couldn't really see a downside to not having magic except that it hurt her friendship with Willow. She did slip before and called it "My mista… my actions" but she corrected herself right away.
LOVED Jeanty's art in the panels with Buffy calling Willow, you can just hear their voices from their expressions. You can just see how hard it was for Buffy to admit that Willow was right and the way she rolled her eyes at Willow's "Really?" before quickly replying, "I'm not saying I made the wrong choice." *claps her hands for Jeanty*
I think Buffy was being irrational when she didn't listen to Xander and Dawn. It seems that she doesn't want to do things the sensible way (going to the police) because she's so used to fixing her problems herself. She's also used to getting away from the cops with a lot of luck – S2 in Ted and Becoming, S3 in Consequences, S8 stealing. Slaying is her priority, but Xander and Dawn have a point, the world is aware of vampires, so there's no difference between Buffy's job and the police's job. Buffy and the police can work together.
Xander and Dawn: I'm not really sure if they were really fighting over Dawn's birthday or if that's a fight they made up to use whenever the police showed up at their door. Buffy had sneaked into their apartment yesterday, so they had a whole day to think of a good story to tell the cops. Xander stressing that their fight is real and ridiculous shows exactly that it wasn't their real fight. They were acting from the start.
They obviously care so much about Buffy, which wasn't clear at all in #2, but they lied straight to the police to protect her, showed up right away when Buffy texted them and they listened to what she wanted to tell them, not brush it off from the beginning because it's not their business, and they gave her a very reasonable advice. Too bad Buffy didn't listen to them.
Again, a term Xander comes up with gets picked up. He was the one who came up with Scoobies, and now zompires.
Willow: She's upset with Buffy and is ignoring her because Buffy has been ignoring her concerns, but she showed interest and readiness to help when Buffy admitted that she was right. I have to say I was being harsh on Willow before, she didn't sound nasty when I read the issue. She, too, thinks that Buffy should go to the police instead of running away from them. It's the right thing to do and shows a lot of concern for Buffy.
I don't know if Willow's explanation to the zompires is the right one, she's been wrong before when she thought that Buffy was sucking other slayers' powers.
Spike: He's got Buffy's back. He's trying to find out who's after her. There's no new insight about his character so far.
Hale Caesar
Sunnydale Nerd
- Severin was cool, I see some potential in him, and it should be fun to learn more about his "Siphon"-side
- It's very cool to see Willow pissed at Buffy
- I don't like Spike in this season...he's so lame, he used to be badass, what happened?
Overall, better than the first 2, but still very poor, IMO
- It's very cool to see Willow pissed at Buffy
- I don't like Spike in this season...he's so lame, he used to be badass, what happened?
Overall, better than the first 2, but still very poor, IMO
Moscow Watcher
Scooby
My review:
Mythology:
When it rains, it pours. The new issue introduces so many pieces of the new mythology that it's a bit overwhelming.
Turns out, since the destructon of the seed, all the newly-sired vampires are "remotely possessed" by demons from other dimensions; this type of possession makes them more feral and ugly. They can't control their basic instincts for blood. The logic behind the explanation is very flimsy, but whatev. It's make-believe after all. So, there are "old" vampires, who abide by "Harmony rules" and the are new "zompires" who are mindless killers.
Buffy's new slaying partner, Severin, tells her he has discovered his ability to rip the demon essense from vampires after the destruction of the seed. Maybe it's another consequence. Or maybe it's just a plot necessity.
Spike tracks the demon who escaped the mystical prison, Eldre Koh, finds him in Alcatraz (writers revel in trademark SF locations) and discovers that the demon considers himself indebted to Buffy because she has freed him by destroying The Seed.
Eldre Koh says Buffy shoulf beware of "Siphon" who drains magic from everyone he touches - vampires, demons... even the slayer. On the last panel Severin-Siphon tells Buffy that he becomes stronger with every vampire he drains... and it looks like he's about to attack her. Will he or won't he? The cover of the next issue features Spike and Eldre Koh running to the rescue; OTOH, the solicitation of # 4 calls Severin her friend.
I don't remember so many new elements of mythology introduced in a single episode, ever. The changes are staggering. Two types of vampires. A demon who considers himself Buffy's ally. A human who kills vampires - yet he apparently isn't a very good guy. Maybe he's a bad guy. He admits that we wanted to become a vampire.
It's a different world. More grey. More adult.
Relationships:
The much-debated Xander and Dawn's refusal to let Buffy sleep on their couch turns out to be a good thing, as police detectives visit them soon after. When Buffy calls the Scoobie meeting, Xan and Dawn are the only ones who arrive (Spike's on his way to Alcatraz and Willow is at work). Dawn gives Buffy Detective Dowling's number and ask her to call him. I can't figure out if we are supposed look at Xander and Dawn's stance from a RL standpoint or from a TV show standpoint. Because, from RL standpoint, Buffy is an irresponsible idiot who fled the police custody and now endangers the lives of her sister and her friends. They could end up in jail because of her. While from TV show standpoint, Buffy is right because of genre conventions and protagonist privilege: she was right to flee the police custody, because she's the one who saves the day, while cops have always been depicted as clueless and helpless. And Xander and Dawn are wrong to refuse her shelter because, according to the show, being arrested for helping a criminal is a non-issue on BtVS.
The same situation is with Willow who doesn't come to a Scoobie meeting because she's at work. From RL standpoint it's normal. From TV show's standpoint, work could wait; Scoobies' meetings have always been Scoobies' top priority.
Spike and Buffy don't interact in this issue, but he works hard to find out who's after her. I miss their snark. Hopefully they'll have some screentime together in the next issue.
Art:
Hit and miss, as usual. There are wonderfully executed panels of Buffy's close-ups. There are great details, especially in the demon (Nomed) rental agency. My favorite detail is Willow's co-worker off-screen reaction to Willow's line: "Shouldn't you be on the run from the police?": we don't see the co-worker, but the documents she has printed are flying around - apparently poor girl has tripped.
I wonder who is responsible for visual continuity. On the penultimate page, when Buffy and Severin approach the zompires' nest, there are stars on the sky on the upper panel, there are no stars on the middle panel and there are stars on the bottom panel. In the scene where Severin's girlfriend becomes a vampire, she doesn't wear striped stockings initially; when as she attacks Severin she wears stockings, but they mysteriously disappear as soon as Severin sucks her inner demon out of her. Apparently, her stockings were utterly demonic and Severin accidentally sucked them in.
Writing:
Fast-pacing narrative, full of shocks and twists. Inventive transitions from one scene to another through the use of offscreen dialogue. My only gripe is that the episode is heavy on exposition, and there is no time and space for small intimate moments. The dialogues are good, but after the brilliance of issue #1 simply "good" is a bit of a letdown.
Specs:
Severin's story developed so quickly over the course of this issue that I have the impression that by the next issue his story will be over. Do you remember Buffy's roommate, Kathy, from "Living Conditions"? She represented a radical shift the the mythology, being a demon who could suck the souls out of humans - but, ultimately, she was just a one-episode concept. I may be wrong , but it seems to me that it's Severin's fate too. There are specs that Severin and the red-glasses guy from the flash-forward in #40 are the same guy, but I doubt it. The guy is left-handed, Severin is right-handed; Severin doesn't wear glasses or jewellery. I still hope that the red-glasses guy is Ripper.
Bits and pieces:
It's hard to keep an elastic timeline in the show as studded with cultural references as BtVS. According to Xander he has lost his eye three years ago; apparently now it's 2006 with iPhones and Lady Gaga's songs.
Dowling's police badge indicates that he works in South San Francisco police department (South San Francisco is a different town with a separate police department), but his card says he's from San Francisco police department. Another continuity blunder or a future plot point?
Is Andrew building another Buffybot to distract cops from real Buffy? And, BTW, the only way to tell that it's Andrew is the poster of a Lucas movie on the wall, THX 1138.
Spike is travelling in a boat, by day. He is smoking a bit, in his Sam Spade attire, but he doesn't turn into dust. Another consequence of the destruction of the seed or just a plot necessity?
Mythology:
When it rains, it pours. The new issue introduces so many pieces of the new mythology that it's a bit overwhelming.
Turns out, since the destructon of the seed, all the newly-sired vampires are "remotely possessed" by demons from other dimensions; this type of possession makes them more feral and ugly. They can't control their basic instincts for blood. The logic behind the explanation is very flimsy, but whatev. It's make-believe after all. So, there are "old" vampires, who abide by "Harmony rules" and the are new "zompires" who are mindless killers.
Buffy's new slaying partner, Severin, tells her he has discovered his ability to rip the demon essense from vampires after the destruction of the seed. Maybe it's another consequence. Or maybe it's just a plot necessity.
Spike tracks the demon who escaped the mystical prison, Eldre Koh, finds him in Alcatraz (writers revel in trademark SF locations) and discovers that the demon considers himself indebted to Buffy because she has freed him by destroying The Seed.
Eldre Koh says Buffy shoulf beware of "Siphon" who drains magic from everyone he touches - vampires, demons... even the slayer. On the last panel Severin-Siphon tells Buffy that he becomes stronger with every vampire he drains... and it looks like he's about to attack her. Will he or won't he? The cover of the next issue features Spike and Eldre Koh running to the rescue; OTOH, the solicitation of # 4 calls Severin her friend.
I don't remember so many new elements of mythology introduced in a single episode, ever. The changes are staggering. Two types of vampires. A demon who considers himself Buffy's ally. A human who kills vampires - yet he apparently isn't a very good guy. Maybe he's a bad guy. He admits that we wanted to become a vampire.
It's a different world. More grey. More adult.
Relationships:
The much-debated Xander and Dawn's refusal to let Buffy sleep on their couch turns out to be a good thing, as police detectives visit them soon after. When Buffy calls the Scoobie meeting, Xan and Dawn are the only ones who arrive (Spike's on his way to Alcatraz and Willow is at work). Dawn gives Buffy Detective Dowling's number and ask her to call him. I can't figure out if we are supposed look at Xander and Dawn's stance from a RL standpoint or from a TV show standpoint. Because, from RL standpoint, Buffy is an irresponsible idiot who fled the police custody and now endangers the lives of her sister and her friends. They could end up in jail because of her. While from TV show standpoint, Buffy is right because of genre conventions and protagonist privilege: she was right to flee the police custody, because she's the one who saves the day, while cops have always been depicted as clueless and helpless. And Xander and Dawn are wrong to refuse her shelter because, according to the show, being arrested for helping a criminal is a non-issue on BtVS.
The same situation is with Willow who doesn't come to a Scoobie meeting because she's at work. From RL standpoint it's normal. From TV show's standpoint, work could wait; Scoobies' meetings have always been Scoobies' top priority.
Spike and Buffy don't interact in this issue, but he works hard to find out who's after her. I miss their snark. Hopefully they'll have some screentime together in the next issue.
Art:
Hit and miss, as usual. There are wonderfully executed panels of Buffy's close-ups. There are great details, especially in the demon (Nomed) rental agency. My favorite detail is Willow's co-worker off-screen reaction to Willow's line: "Shouldn't you be on the run from the police?": we don't see the co-worker, but the documents she has printed are flying around - apparently poor girl has tripped.
I wonder who is responsible for visual continuity. On the penultimate page, when Buffy and Severin approach the zompires' nest, there are stars on the sky on the upper panel, there are no stars on the middle panel and there are stars on the bottom panel. In the scene where Severin's girlfriend becomes a vampire, she doesn't wear striped stockings initially; when as she attacks Severin she wears stockings, but they mysteriously disappear as soon as Severin sucks her inner demon out of her. Apparently, her stockings were utterly demonic and Severin accidentally sucked them in.
Writing:
Fast-pacing narrative, full of shocks and twists. Inventive transitions from one scene to another through the use of offscreen dialogue. My only gripe is that the episode is heavy on exposition, and there is no time and space for small intimate moments. The dialogues are good, but after the brilliance of issue #1 simply "good" is a bit of a letdown.
Specs:
Severin's story developed so quickly over the course of this issue that I have the impression that by the next issue his story will be over. Do you remember Buffy's roommate, Kathy, from "Living Conditions"? She represented a radical shift the the mythology, being a demon who could suck the souls out of humans - but, ultimately, she was just a one-episode concept. I may be wrong , but it seems to me that it's Severin's fate too. There are specs that Severin and the red-glasses guy from the flash-forward in #40 are the same guy, but I doubt it. The guy is left-handed, Severin is right-handed; Severin doesn't wear glasses or jewellery. I still hope that the red-glasses guy is Ripper.
Bits and pieces:
It's hard to keep an elastic timeline in the show as studded with cultural references as BtVS. According to Xander he has lost his eye three years ago; apparently now it's 2006 with iPhones and Lady Gaga's songs.
Dowling's police badge indicates that he works in South San Francisco police department (South San Francisco is a different town with a separate police department), but his card says he's from San Francisco police department. Another continuity blunder or a future plot point?
Is Andrew building another Buffybot to distract cops from real Buffy? And, BTW, the only way to tell that it's Andrew is the poster of a Lucas movie on the wall, THX 1138.
Spike is travelling in a boat, by day. He is smoking a bit, in his Sam Spade attire, but he doesn't turn into dust. Another consequence of the destruction of the seed or just a plot necessity?
Is it really "grey" to retcon vampires into productive members of society? Seems very childish to me. Sort of like the writers thinking "Gee, we like vampires, so let's have the general public in the Buffyverse do it too!". An adult story doesn't mess with continuity like that. An adult story wouldn't present the zompires more than half a year after the breaking of the seed and wouldn't retcon Buffy from infamous terrorist to someone totally unknown to the general public.
I really doubt that considering the solicitation for Issue 4 says Buffy and Severin will become friends. This will be a bit hard if he is to actually lure her into a trap and try to kill her. Most likely yet another "clever" misdirection. And if he does want to kil lher, then he is a moron for not doing it while she was sleeping.
Moscow Watcher
Scooby
So far, they're not productive members of society. The vampires who abide "Harmony rules" are party-goers, leading a fast life.
As to the rest of your points, it's genre conventions that demand the same suspension of disbelief as the notion that people don't officially admit the existence of vampires back in season 1.
I may be wrong; it's just an impression. To me, it looks like Severin wasn't strong enough to deal with Buffy until the last mass-killling. But of course, I may be wrong about it.
Not really. An outlandish premise isn't the same as violating your show's internal logic. It's one thing to have vampires in your story and quite another for them to be 100% evil when the plot says so and fully capable of not being evil when the plot demands that. The zompires explanations also violates continuity in about ten different ways.
Moscow Watcher
Scooby
Buffyverse was full of inconsistensies since season 1. In the pilot vampires have souls. (Luc to The Master: "My soul is your soul"). Angel can't do CPR but he can smoke. In Becoming Whistler sends Angel to help Buffy and then tells her "Nobody saw you coming". Etc., etc.
Joss is about emotional consistensy, not about factual one. After all, it's a fantasy show, and its internal logic is make-believe.
EVIL UU
Scooby
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2011
- Messages
- 1,755
white avenger
white avenger
Something that makes absolutely no sense at all to me about the new "zompires" is that the very act of rising from the dead after being sired is in itself magic. If magic either no longer exists in the Buffyverse or is quickly fading away, and the demons who occupy and reanimate the corpses, thereby making them vampires, are blocked from coming into Buffy's dimension, then there would be no way that the corpses could rise in the first place. And even if the rising from the dead part is separate from the demon occupancy, it couldn't take place because it would involve magic. Either way, no new vampires, zombies, or zompires should exist in a world without magic.
Except that it's very much possible to write a fantasy/sci-fi story that is not full of internal contradictions. Just because Joss (and many other writers) can't be bothered to do it doesn't mean this has to be the case because the genre requires it. And he wasn't that nonchalant about continuity early on, possibly because there was David Greenwalt to help him do his homework.
Furthermore, when continuity means nothing the emotional punch of the story can suffer greatly. For instance, The Gift. I know I am supposed to be in awe of Buffy's poignant sacrifice but whenever I watch it I can't but think "Joss, you never took logic in school, did you?" or "This is the most stupid plan ever, even if Dawn was made of you this doesn't make you a Key, you moron!" or "Why don't you try bandaging Dawn's wounds first?". Same with S9 - whatever story they choose to tell with about the vampires' popularity with the average Joe, I will dislike it because I just can't accept the crazy premise of the story. And when everything can be retconed away or up suddenly becomes down for no rhyme or reason the story becomes quite meaningless. Buffy is an infamous terrorist? Have no fear, everyone will mysteriously forget about that. Vampires are totally evil...wait, they are not, yes they are, no they are whatever the plot need them to be. Willow is addicted to magic, nah she was just imagining it, magic is not an addiction. Spike is dead? Don't worry, he will be back in the very next episode.
ladydorotea
Scooby
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2009
- Messages
- 722
I assume they are treating magic a bit like something substantial and physically real, perhaps a bit like electromagnetic field. Imagine a house fully without electricity (groan - New England in winter). You electrical appliances requiring external power won't work, but everything that has batteries will be operational - for a while. I imagine they treat demons and vampires sort of like electric eels - if you had a tank of these fellows in your powerless house - they can still shock you to death merrily, cause they carry their 'power' along. Witches and mages, though, are like your tvs or electric ovens. 🙂 No external power - no show. While I find the idea of ze zompires overall lame, it makes for some nice drama. Demonic possession from another plane though... I am shaking in my pumps here... lets go after the analogy of a bunch of neutrinos passing through 'solid' matter... were particles more substantial will be stopped, weird be my middle name, but what the heck ? - I have seen far worse 'scientific' explanations.
Joan the Vampire Slayer
Carpe Spuffy!
Moscow Watcher
Scooby
"To analyse a piece of art in depth is much like dissecting a butterfly. Once the scalpel is applied, the beauty vanishes."
In that case, Severin is a powerful portable accumulator with endless capacity?
I think it works on a symbolic level: baser instincts (to feed and to kill) manifest easier than more advanced emotions. Yet the whole idea of zompires, so far, is a bit confusing. Why Joss needs a new breed of vampires? Unlike ubervamps in s7, zompires have the same strength as regular vamps. Maybe Joss wants to create stratification in a vampire society? Maybe he wants Buffy to partner with "good" vampires to fight "bad" vampires? (I know, it's a lame idea, but I can't come up with anything else).
I wouldn't really call my complaints an in depth analysis. I am talking about a glaring plot holes. Do you know any fans who haven't noticed at least a few of those? Becuase I don't.
Furthermore, I am not convinced by the validity of the quote either. Yes, some of the people who spend their lives analysing Shakespeare or Hitchcock or Mozart fall into this trap but many also keep their ability to enjoy the works in question. If I didn't enjoy much of BtVS I wouldn't be posting her in the first place. It's entirely possible to notice a huge plot hole and don't care about it. Like in Prophecy Girl where there is no reason why the Master's death should close the Hellmouth or make the gang of vampires retreat. I love the episode nevertheless. But when a narrative is pretty much a series of plot holes nad inconsistency as is IMO the case with the comics for me it's impossible to just go with the flow.
Oh god, it will be like the Dracula arc, only many times stupider.
Actually Severin says they are faster and stronger than regular vamps.
VisionGirl
Newly Human
I agree with everyone's points of confusion re: zompires (besides, didn't we have earlier confirmation from Allie that vamps can't sire anymore?). But overall I liked this issue the best so far. I really liked the emotional impact of the supposed villain & the supposed ally switching places. The art has really improved too.
One thing I was quite confused about was when Spike told the midget-demon "Not before I kill you. And without the Seed, you won't go back to a cushy hell dimension". Does he mean that this demon is from another dimension or that when he dies he no longer goes to hell? So what kind of afterlife do demons go to now, if any?
I completely understand Buffy's reluctance to go to the police given her history with them, their lack of willingness to accept or understand supernatural matters, & their inability to help in the past. I also don't understand Xander, Willow, & Dawn's insistence in this matter, when they know all these things to be true.
One thing I was quite confused about was when Spike told the midget-demon "Not before I kill you. And without the Seed, you won't go back to a cushy hell dimension". Does he mean that this demon is from another dimension or that when he dies he no longer goes to hell? So what kind of afterlife do demons go to now, if any?
I completely understand Buffy's reluctance to go to the police given her history with them, their lack of willingness to accept or understand supernatural matters, & their inability to help in the past. I also don't understand Xander, Willow, & Dawn's insistence in this matter, when they know all these things to be true.
Abby27
Potential
Hmmm. I am a little confused as well. This is always how I thought sireing worked in the Buffyverse: A soul and the body are 2 totally different entities. Like Angel said in "Angel," when you die, nothing touches your soul. Your soul, your essence and ability to emote goes to heaven, hell, shrimp dimension, etc...but your body then gets inhabited by a demon from a hell dimension. Now, a demon from another hell dimension comes and inhabits the body. It might sound like the person, and even have that person's memories (because that is all in the body, memories are all in the brain) but it's a demon that has inhabited the shell of that person.
If all the above is correct, I wonder where the soul goes when you die. If demons can't enter the world, then I imagine the souls of those who have died probably can't leave.
If all the above is correct, I wonder where the soul goes when you die. If demons can't enter the world, then I imagine the souls of those who have died probably can't leave.
brinkster130
Riley's BFF
If Severin is sucking magic out of everyone/demon he touches where is the magic going? Is he absorbing it and using it for power? Is his power potentially limitless?
Why is Andrew building another robo person?
Willow ignoring Buffy's text but answering Dawn's call? Lame - sad to see that the Scoobies pretty much aren't even friends anymore.
Why is Andrew building another robo person?
Willow ignoring Buffy's text but answering Dawn's call? Lame - sad to see that the Scoobies pretty much aren't even friends anymore.