CAUTION: EXCESSIVE RAMBLING AHEAD.

Are there any Buffy fans in the Clay universe?

Did anyone here ever watch "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer"? I only ask because I've been watching it a ton lately. I tend to go through these phases where I obsessively watch certain old tv shows. It's an unfortunate product of easy internet access and having no life. Anyway, my latest obsession is Buffy. Or, perhaps a better term would be "revisited obsession." I started watching because I wanted to find out when Spike became a good guy, so I started with the sixth season. Note to anyone who has not seen the show, the sixth season may not be the best one to start with if you're opposed to excessive sexual content as I am. Fortunately, I had the ability to skip whole scenes when I wanted to. Anyway, by the time I went on to season 7 right after season 6. I really liked that season tremendously. It might be my favorite. I was really happy that they decided to give Spike a soul. I may be really weird, but I kind of liked Spike better than Angel. I guess I just like my men skinny and sarcastic. I also enjoyed that their relationship could finally be based on something other than lust. Of course, the accent didn't hurt. Anyway, by the time I'd finished season 7, I was hooked. So, I decided to see how it all began and went back to season 1. But, by the time I was ready to watch season 3, the website that I usually used to watch all of them was no longer available. So, now I've finally gotten to see the missing season. And, since I've watched all the seasons relatively back to back, I've made some observations. First of all, my least favorite character in the entire show is Xander. I know that he's supposed to be a pretty lovable guy and all that, but he seemed like a jealous hypocrite to me. At least, most of the time. First off, his treatment of Angel was totally unfair. He mentioned that he hated Angel before he lost his soul, when he'd actually been instrumental in saving him and his friends many times. His dislike for Angel didn't stem from his having been bad before. He didn't like Angel because Buffy was in love with him, and Xander was jealous. He can say that it was because of who Angel was without a soul that caused the hatred, but that's just not how it plays. If he really loved Buffy, he would've told her that Willow was trying to restore his soul. Now, lets zoom ahead to his relationship with Anya. Anya was just as bad before she became human, and she actually chose to be that way. And still, he didn't see that relationship as wrong at all. And, when she returned to her demon ways, he had the nerve to tell Buffy that it wasn't the same as Angel. He couldn't admit that it wasn't so easy to do the right thing when it's your heart on the line. Although, he was right that it wasn't totally the same. With Anya, the burden of stopping her didn't fall on Xander, as Angel's demise fell on Buffy. He expected Buffy to make an exception because of their friendship, but thought she should be above true love when it came to Angel. Anyway, that's why Xander is my least favorite character. Now, on to the favorites. Personally, my favorite character throughout the entire series is Oz. They really never should have gotten rid of him. Willow and Oz were perfect together. The show itself is so "girl-power" all the time. Oz was a refreshing change. I mean, sure, Angel was protective of Buffy and helped her fight, but it wasn't the same. Buffy could really take care of herself, and Angel was super-human. It wasn't as much of a sacrifice for him to swoop in and save the day. Oz, however, protected Willow at great risk to himself. His love for her even survived her affair with Xander. You could see that his driving force was her happiness and safety. Oz and Willow represented what a real relationship should be. They didn't bicker or fight for control. They were completely balanced. It's not often that you see that kind of harmony on a tv show. I think deep down most girls want to feel protected by their man, even if they are physically able to protect themselves. I guess I just like the whole "knight in shining armor" scenario better than the "I can take care of myself, thank you" mentality. But, that kind of thinking is apparently too old-fashioned for tv. It's sad, really. My other favorite character is Willow, though you may have already guessed that. I think her giddiness in the face of danger is adorable. The way that that character is played is pure genius. I guess that kind of sums up why I like Willow. I hated when they turned her evil though. It really wasn't cool. Well, I've come to the end of my ramblings about Buffy. I hope you were at least mildly entertained. Of course, if you weren't, you probably won't get far enough to read this. I was going to tack my new song onto the end of this, but it wouldn't make much sense. So, I'll do that in a couple days. Until then, have a great day!

God Bless! Hannah