Essay: Hells Bells by One Bit Shy
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lateseasonloveThis past half year I've been following reviews by first time Buffy watcher Arbitrar of Quality on this google newsgroup. One of the other members - called One Bit Shy - always has the most fascinating insights in his comments on AOQ's posts. Well a few weeks ago AOQ reviewed 'Hells Bells' (and he *really* didn't like it). OBS sprang to the the defence writing what is the most indepth and insightful analysis of the episode I've ever read. So here it is - enjoy! :)
If ever you hated Xander for walking out of the wedding - if ever you wanted to kick the writers for what they did - read this! Actually read it even if you love the episode - I'm sure you'll find something new! (Quotes from AOQ's original post in italics.)
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Season Six, Episode 16: "Hell's Bells"
This may prove to be the most difficult response I've had to compose yet.
For, you see, contrary to the typical reaction to this episode - including
yours - this is a clear Excellent for me. And not just that. One of my
favorite BtVS episodes of all time - currently sitting #7 on my BtVS top ten
list. Having a contrary view isn't such a deal - I just rated the much
despised As You Were a Good - my guilty pleasure - fully understanding the
disdain so many have for what surely is a ridiculous episode. I get that.
I don't get this. Mind you, I don't expect the rest of the world to see
this as a top ten episode. But I don't get how something as moving as I
believe this episode is can be trashed as readily as people do. And I don't
get people's overwhelming focus on Xander when there is another half to this
partnership - Anya - who plays a thunderously important part in this
episode, in the foundation of the whole situation, and in where this points
to the future. It's like half of the episode and most of its foundation and
purpose is being blacked out. Weird.
So it is with some trepidation that I leap into this fray. Hopefully I'll
get out of here alive.
I made a comment last week about how hearing about the hellish antics
that'd happen when the two families collided was more fun than
actually watching it, and I stand by that.
Heh. This must be the predictable part of the review. Cliche maybe? (Just
kidding.)
The early sequences manage
a few smiles with Xander's dad successfully managing, when shown in
small doses, that trick of irritating everyone except the audience with
his unplumbed depths of crass. Plus, Clem is in a few scenes. Hi,
Clem! Interspersed with that, we have a few tender moments amongst our
heroes, which don't tend to stand out but are acceptable. The gag at
the end of the Buffy/Xander exchange is a highlight, though: "I hope
I'm as lucky as you guys someday." "You wanna get lucky? I've
still got, what, fifteen, twenty minutes?" The affection in the
delivery and the characters' history make it funnier.
I enjoy the humor in the early scenes. Finding Xander's cufflinks on cousin
Carol's ears. Decorating the Sunnydale Bison Lodge by putting a bridal veil
on the bison head. (No, it doesn't really look like a bison head to me, but
it's supposed to be one.) Spike having nothing to say about his date other
than - well, this is his date. Date for the wedding. (Though I suppose
it's good that he's out and about enough to dig up a date.) Clem is
wonderful going with the circus folk story.
Clem: Well, there are ancient ways.... Clowning, as an occupation, grew out
of the commedia del'arte, and, uh, ancient sports, of course.
The whole circus folk pretense is fun and, of course, totally ridiculous,
what with all the insane looking demons at the wedding. Later, when Dawn
and the demon teen are casually talking about whose parents are worse, I
idly muse about how much of the Sunnydale scene really is pretense, and how
many casual encounters like theirs really go on. Brings to mind Buffy's
fast food friend dancing with Clem at Buffy's birthday party. Though, of
course, human's and demons still don't mix well as a whole, so we get
Xander's drunk father calling one "Squidly" and mocking him with wiggling
fingers below his chin to imitate the demon's strange appendages. And sweet
cousin Carol who just wants everyone to get along - so she can do some
serious husband hunting. Hey, that's good enough reason for me to be nice
to the demons.
Cousin Carol: No! No, the Harrises are very broad-minded. We're
Episcopalians.
I also enjoyed the initial encounter with D'Hoffryn
D'Hoffryn: Ah. Hymen's greetings.
Dawn: Hy - what?
D'Hoffryn: Hymen, the God of Matrimony. His salutations upon you. May the
love we celebrate today avoid an almost inevitable decline.
What a decidedly vengeance demon way of offering good luck. Heh. (I wonder
if D'Hoffryn might actually know Hymen. "His salutations upon you," almost
sounds like a personal message.) I think it's interesting seeing
D'Hoffryn's tender concern for Anya this episode - rather different than
what we saw back in S3 when he refused to return Anya's demon powers.
Perhaps, as THE vengeance demon, he really can't bear to see a broken heart,
has a big dose of sentimental fool in himself. Granted, turning to
vengeance as an act of sentiment is kind of sick, but - hey - evil demon
here. His idea of proper behavior isn't the same as you and I. But more
than most demons we see, he does care a lot about his idea of proper
behavior. We saw that with his polite offer to Willow. And I think he
probably believes the single most appropriate response to what was done to
Anya is to return her to her calling.
Or maybe this is D'Hoffryn's act of vengeance upon Anya.... I wonder if
D'Hoffryn would know the difference.
Back to the wedding. I enjoy the humor shown, but that's not what's
best to me about the various scenes swirling around the wedding party and
guests. What I really like, and why I've spent so much time on this part of
the show, is how all the show's players are brought together for a little
snapshot of where they are right now - which by Sunnydale standards is
pretty darned happy. Granted, that gets seriously messed up at the end.
(That intrusion - not Xander/Anya specific - is something I'll return to a
few episodes into the future.) But for a moment - a pretty long moment
actually - this episode serves a function somewhat akin to what The Prom did
in S3 by giving the characters a chance to just be happy.
And show the audience how much some of them have achieved. Willow and Tara
enjoying each other's company again, on the simplest terms. You can tell
that they really want to put the past behind them and find a way to just be
together. Xander and, especially, Anya initially in a mighty fine place.
And most especially Buffy, with a sparkling smile that she can't get rid of,
fully engaged in the events and people around her. Something that would
seem nigh on impossible such a short time ago.
I think this is nowhere clearer than her scenes with Xander and their simple
pure affection. "You're one of the decent ones, Xander." One of the sadder
parts of the season for me has been Buffy's estrangement from her friends.
But somewhere, maybe it was sitting on the bed with Willow at her lowest and
realizing that she had much the same kind of weakness within herself, maybe
not fully realizing it, Buffy forgave Willow for the spell that brought her
back and connected with Willow's life again. And she's closer to Tara than
she ever was. And now quietly re-affirming her love for Xander, her gallant
protector, the guardian of her heart.
Not exactly a return to the old days of musketeer like unity I know - I
think they've all grown up too much into their own lives to really pull that
off anymore. But the bonds tying Buffy to her friends remain, and it's nice
to see.
There are other interesting moments too. Xander and Willow sentimentally
remembering the fluke. "Your double X's don't look too bad there, either."
And of course the Buffy/Spike scene that you mention below.
All of it amidst the barely controlled chaos of an impending wedding with
the improbable mixing of families and friends that are strangers to each
other and so on that itself feels very true to me for that kind of scene.
With all the personal struggles thrown at all of our characters this
season - shortly to be more - it's worth pausing to appreciate the good
times offered. Not everything that happens to them is bad. And their
resilience keeps coming through.
Also, Anya's
vows are great - the first time, anyway.
They, and some of her comments around them, are a statement of what she has
made of herself - with Xander's assistance. A good dose of her amusing, yet
endearing quirkiness that makes her and these vows so funny. But they're
also a progression of understanding and appreciation for Xander and what
life has to offer. Her excitement over spending the rest of her life with
her best friend. And especially her final version of the vows.
Anya: Okay. For the last time. 'I, Anya, want to marry you, Xander,
because ... I love you and I'll always love you. And ... before I knew you,
I was like a completely different person. Not even a person, really ... and
I had seen what love could do to people, and it was ... hurt and sadness.
Alone was better. And then, suddenly there was you, and ... you knew me. You
saw me, and it was this ... thing. You make me feel safe and warm. So, I
get it now. I finally get love, Xander. I really do.'
This is Anya at her happiest - and you can see how thoroughly tied to Xander
that happiness is.... Recited as Xander miserably walks through the rain.
I wonder. Would it have made a difference if he could have heard that? Or
might it have only made it worse?
Then Xander gets a vision of the future. The nightmare scenario is a
very effective bit of storytelling. The slices of life show things
gradually get older and uglier over the years. Tantalizing little
details make this short sequence richer. Take NightmareScenario!Xander
(hereafter prefixed "NS!") being unable to work because of a failed
attempt to help Buffy against something unspecified. Hey, it's a
premise that ties into something that's been discussed in past X/A
scenes. Also, the vision ends with NS!Xander attacking and possibly
killing NS!Anya. That would be exactly Xander's worst fear at a time
like this, and it's the only thing that could... well, okay, nothing
could make the ending of HB work. (Hmm, does it seem like a certain
review is about to take a very sharp bitter turn?) But if anything
could, it'd be this.
And Anya cheating on him - with a demon. That it's a demon is as important
as the cheating.
While this is Xander's vision, built out of his fears, it's still worth
mentioning how a couple of things tie into Anya's own fears. (Xander is
probably well aware of those fears, so it's not so unreasonable for them to
make their way into his vision.) One is her fear of growing older and no
longer being desirable to Xander. Another being betrayal - the inevitable
betrayal that her past life taught her. From her vows, "I had seen what
love could do to people, and it was ... hurt and sadness." There is some
irony that she's the one who cheats in this vision.
Before we get to any bitter turnings, let me say that the episode had
me at this point, especially since the followup to "all they bring
each other is pain" is Buffy and Spike. They may be doomed to be one
of those couples who're more fun for me when they're pining for
each other than when they're actually together, since this is a great
little exchange, very well scripted and performed. Funny, but only in
a better-to-laugh-than-mope kinda way. "But it hurts?"
"Yeah." "Thanks."
Buffy's private, "You're welcome," that follows is the clincher for me. An
appreciation for what Spike did for her - in spite of the problems - that at
this point likely includes a sense of owing him. He's well earned whatever
little she can give him, even though that be nothing more than a sop to his
pride by being hurt that he brought a date.
I'm not sure why exactly you prefer the pining, but for me, that along with
their separation is when their relationship is honest. I'm not sure that
it's more stable than any other time, but it's the only time that they can
both express their true feelings, and squeeze in the most affection and
respect. And honest frustration.
After Xander and Willow share a best-friends moment, the show veers
into the realm of the generic with, sure enough, one of the pre-weds
running away and leaving the other at the altar. Ugh.
That reads to me as seeing only the generic events without the meaning
played out during them. This device is used so often because it's one of
life's greatest point of no return moments when one can no longer postpone
the decision. It's naturally dramatic with its own built in tension. It's
also nigh on impossible to replace with something else. That's just where
the dividing line rests.
So in choosing this scenario, they're just putting the drama in its proper
place, and more importantly, letting it do its work by itself while the real
story of why can be focused on without having to expend special effort on
where and when.
What makes the story not generic is the unique set of causes brought by
Xander and Anya. When we see Anya take her terrible walk at the end, that's
not a generic person left at the altar. That's Anya with the whole weight
of her shattered life worn on her face. A life we've followed intimately
for 3 years, and have come to love. One that's taken instantly from the
peak of her life to utter despair, with particular meaning unique to her.
Personal. Not generic.
It's a wedding. Weddings are automatically cliche practically by
definition. The cliche doesn't matter. It's what behind it that does.
I admit, and
I'm ashamed to do so, that I did laugh at Buffy's dissertation
about the mini-tor. As everyone should know, I generally dislike that
long-running gag of Buffy stammering out absurd excuses and having
people believe them. I think the sheer unadulterated excess is what
made it into a guilty laugh here. Otherwise, things quickly go awry as
our heroes have to hide the fact that something's wrong. Never been
fond of watching that stuff, even though HB keeps my goodwill a little
by showing it in bits and pieces rather than in long scenes.
I'm quite fond of Buffy's attempts to entertain the audience. The charades.
The juggling. I loved how Krelvin gallantly handed a ball to Buffy when she
dropped one of hers. There's a sweet humor to this in line with the things
I discussed above.
But by
the time everyone erupts into a big brawl, it's clear that the
episode has lost its way, wandering into uncomfortable barely-comedic
farce, which seems especially inappropriate given the heaviness of what
we've just seen. These sequences stick out in memory as the bulk of
the episode, regardless of how much actual time they take up, because
they feel very very very long.
Come to think of it, I'm going to take the stance that the
farce/drama balance is out of whack, since now I'm wondering if maybe
these scenes weren't even supposed to be that funny so much as a way
to look at Mr. Harris and compare/contrast with NS!Xander. This
didn't even occur to me until it was time to write the review.
I'm not sure what exactly you mean by that, but the fight *is*
representative of the core issues working to stop the marriage. The
horrible role models that are Xander's parents, and their disasterous
marriage. And the conflict between being demon and being human. So, no,
it's not just farce.
In the end we take a second to sabotage the drama we've built up by
having it just be an Evil Thing.
I'm curious. Did you buy into the idea that he was Xander's future self? I
really don't know how convincing that is. When I first saw this episode, I
had just started watching the series and understood very little of it. The
next time I saw it, I knew it wasn't really Xander all along.
At least the idea of having lots of
be-cursed monsters gunning for Anyanka is fine.
Ummm. And here we start my despair. The nature of this monster is a huge
deal. He's not just some evil thing. He's specifically Anya's creation.
Nor does his revelation sabotage the established drama. It complicates it
by bringing Anya into it as a cause.
We'll come back to that, but here's your subversion of the cliche. It's not
just Xander (the guy) working through his issues and walking out. We've
also got Anya's literal demon (Sunnydale - remember? - how many times are we
reminded of what the hellmouth does?) acting to sabotage the wedding.
Indeed, this demon is the proximate cause of the wedding not coming off. So
this version of the cliche has the girl left at the altar stopping the groom
from taking his vows via a monstrous representation of her own sordid past.
The fight scene is
pretty good, even if the demon-voice speech isn't. But then, since
the visions came out of Xander's fears, he then decides that it means
they shouldn't get married. Um...
Um. Sort of.
Words cannot adequately convey my distaste and contempt here, and
attempting to do so may only expose my weaknesses as a writer, but
I'm going to try my best. I don't buy this. Not for an instant.
The wedding is crashed by pure plot device, an external force altering
things for no adequate dramatic reason.
That would be the plot device that brings Anya into what goes wrong. Makes
the story about her issues as well as Xander's. The device that completely
muddles blame and even what's right.
Xander decides that his
deepest desire is to not do anything that could hurt Anya, so he rips
her heart out and sends her running back to D'Hoffryn. Yeah, I can
really see how his thought processes would work that way. Note my
employment of sarcasm, a rhetorical device in which a sentence is used
to express the opposite of its stated meaning.
I will try to avoid comparable sarcasm, for your position is hardly unique,
and is, I believe born of simply misunderstanding the real depths of this
story - even what it's about. Xander's story matters a lot. And he is the
vehicle for the terrible decision. But ultimately this story is more about
Anya than Xander. Not just what happens to Anya. But who she is. Xander
faces his own demons and tries to make a decision. Maybe bad. Maybe not.
But he's always known this about himself and does not walk out of this
wedding fundamentally different. Anya is confronted by her own literal
demon (both in the sense of what she created and the demon she once was),
can't handle it, is destroyed by it, and she walks out a demon.
Part of the hell of it is, S6 has attempted to set this up so that it
doesn't come out of nowhere, but it's been done so in such a
hopelessly inept manner that it'd be hilarious if it weren't
depressing. We've seen Xander get apprehensive about matrimony, and
then convincingly seen such fears written off as the perfectly normal
kind. Lately we've seen him get annoyed with the wedding, and then
we've been reminded that the wedding does not equal the marriage.
There's even OMWF, in which Xander's need for everything to be just
right causes that episode's single biggest flaw and is never properly
addressed. The end result is that the great fears that supposedly
shape this decision do in fact come out of nowhere, and are entirely
unconvincing.
OK. Let's look at the foundation for Xander's part. Starting with set up
elements that you observe above. I don't see you directly say it, but it
appears to me that you're implying that this set of pre-wedding jitters
doesn't add up to walking out. I agree. It doesn't. And it didn't. The
wedding was going to happen - until the demon entered the picture. By
themselves those worries weren't near enough to stop the wedding. Indeed,
on the whole I think they really were just jitters - and probably didn't
contribute much at all to his decision. With a couple of exceptions you
don't mention that I'll get to in a sec.
There is one generalized fear of commitment - best reflected in Xander's
reluctance to announce the engagement. That probably was largely founded on
Xander's deeper fears that come out in this episode, but at the time was too
generalized, too formless to actually stop anything.
Second, I think it's highly questionable how much he was really acting of
his own volition when he backed away. It's certainly impossible for the
decision to have been well reasoned. The man was the victim of powerful
magic that took his worst, darkest fears and made them come to life. Made
him live them as real. That's a profoundly shocking experience, still quite
fresh in his mind. There is no way that he can be close to past that so
quickly. No way that he can be rational about it. No way that he can be
anything but terrified at what's inside him. He tried to kill Anya with a
frying pan for heaven's sake. That's still running through his head when he
says he can't get married. Yes, I know he says the he understands the
visions weren't real and that he understands that it's something within him
and it's his fault and so on. But so what? Of course he says that. He's
being noble and taking the responsibility onto himself. But that doesn't
take away the powerful mojo just worked on him. I don't know how anybody
could go on with a wedding right after what he's gone through.
The proximate cause of Xander walking out rests squarely on that demon.
Without him the wedding goes on. With him it doesn't. It's the demon's
stated purpose and the result he achieves. Xander is just his agent - his
patsy. And that demon isn't the product of anything Xander has done. He's
the product of Anya's vengeance demon past. The wedding doesn't fail
because of Xander's loss of courage. It fails because a thousand years of
cruel acts of vengeance are finally catching up to Anya.
Everybody is in such a stew about not seeing this coming for Xander and
missing that it's Anya that broke up the wedding. That's the twist. And
it's a good one. Hell, even Anya hasn't figured it out yet.
Even so, the visions given to Xander do matter. Probably will continue to
affect him. Partly because you don't forget something like that. Partly
because they do illuminate his nature and his fears. And partly because the
message that marriage to Anya isn't a good idea likely is correct. Let's
look at Xanders' two core fears.
Becoming his parents - the one most directly shown in the visions. This is
the single biggest defining characteristic of Xander. People have already
pointed out some of the long standing references to that in BtVS going back
to S1. His dream in Restless where going upstairs - taking his parents'
path - isn't the way out for him. Sleeping outside on Christmas Eve to get
away from the yelling. Sitting with his friends in the basement pretending
not to hear the yelling, crashing and broken glass from upstairs. And
assorted other references. But these scattered mentions through the series
don't represent scattered incidents in his life. For him this was
pervasive. It was every day life growing up in the Harris household.
Xander's whole personality is built out of that experience and his fear of
becoming that himself.
You're right that this aspect of Xander is rather less than overtly
referenced in the lead up to the marriage - that most of the jitters exist
naturally in the way they would with anyone. We, the audience, don't really
need to see overt references to an established part of Xander's personality,
but that's not the excuse. I think it's really part of the story. Xander
moved out of the basement a little more than a year ago. Put physical
distance between himself and that awful environment. That's good - and
certainly has helped him grow up in a number of ways. But that doesn't mean
that this core aspect of him has just gone away. He's only 21 and has still
spent 90+% if his life living at home. He's nowhere near over that - he's
just pushed it out of his mind for a while. Enough to let him get married.
But a shock reference can bring it all flooding back in. The kind of shock
the demon provides. And the kind of shock of actually watching his parents
in their full drunken glory at his wedding. People keep looking for the
lead in clues to how this is going to ruin the wedding. But they've got it
backwards. It's the wedding that draws it out of Xander. His problem is
that he *wasn't* thinking about it - and probably should have been.
The thing about the visions isn't so much that they remind him of his fears.
Rather, the literal living of them, showed him like never before how
grounded those fears were. What he learned at the wedding is that he really
was capable of being that. It's no longer an abstract possibility. He felt
how naturally all of it came to him. The person in the visions is someone
he really could be. And until that moment he hadn't truly faced it. Hadn't
worked out how to stop that from happening. Perhaps it really would be wise
to come to better terms with his own nature before entering a marriage. I
don't know - nobody does - including Xander and Anya - how things really
would have worked out. Whether the marriage would have been a good bet.
But it's not a crazy reason to draw Xander up short.
The other issue is, "Am I marrying a demon?" - This is probably the lesser
of the immediate concerns for Xander. (Though crucial for Anya.) And one
that probably mainly manifests as being afraid that he can't accept Anya as
she really is - tying into the first fear, which includes turning on his
wife. But the core of it has always been can he - should he - cope with the
vengeance demon part of Anya. It's something he's dealt with every day that
he's known Anya since the prom date where she regaled him with vengeance
stories. All his efforts to show Anya how to be human are also about taking
her away from her demon background. But it never really goes away. She
talks about it frequently - even is proud of it. Just recently we heard
Anya speak of why demons are better than people. Xander may be a demon
magnet when it comes to women, but his normal instinct is still to grab the
weapons and go kill the demon. In that sense he's a decidedly odd one to be
living with an ex-vengeance demon. But, of course, Anya is mighty endearing
too, and he's learned to live with her strange background and way of
thinking that he often doesn't approve of - assuming he even gets it. But
the concern lurks.
And on this front there has been a big honking bit of foreshadowing that
goes by the name of Halfrek. You see, Xander knows *about* Anya's past.
But he doesn't know vengeance demons. Halfrek is a sight to behold. And,
of course, that's the first thing he latches onto. Is that what Anya looked
like? But it was never really about looks. The real question - is that
what Anya was? Look at their first encounter.
Halfrek: I have been called, and vengeance shall I wreak. Cower, masculine
one ... tremble as you face my wrath!
Anya: Xander, I'm starting to think that maybe we should do a pot-luck
thing.
Xander: Honey?
Halfrek: Hello. I am here to tear this man apart. How many pieces do you
wish?
Anya: Halfrek!
Halfrek: Anyanka? Oh my god!
Suggesting that he be torn in pieces I'm sure doesn't thrill Xander, but the
disturbing part is that Halfrek and Anya are clearly good friends thrilled
to see each other. Now he sees what Anya used to be. What she still
relates to. He wishes it ended there. But it didn't. Halfrek went on to
perform a nasty little piece of vengeance in Dawn's name that Xander had a
front row seat for. It was bad enough seeing Halfrek in action, and so
remorseless in attitude. (Justice demon? They all deserved this?) But the
real kicker is that Halfrek went merrily along with her vengeance even
though it caught up her friend Anya, in the process. Is that what Anya was
like too? Is that something still inside Anya? Is that a clue to what
could happen to him? Hmmm. Did Anya boot Halfrek from the guest list
afterwards?
That's why Halfrek is here. To show what Anya was and maybe still could be.
The thing about Anya is that as lovable as she can be, as much work as she's
put into being human, there still remains the question of how human she's
really become. Does she in fact get it? Xander's invested a lot in the
humanizing of Anya. The last thing he wants to believe is that he's come up
short. Especially not after all the genuine love he's received from her.
But, you know, sometimes love really isn't enough. Just look at Spike. And
Xander can't avoid the worry. Halfrek won't let him. All the crazy demons
at the wedding won't let him. The demon that Anya herself created, and
who's come back to ply his own vengeance directly on Xander won't let him.
The vision including Anya cheating on him with a demon won't let him.
And it shouldn't. This is the greater reason why they shouldn't marry.
It's Anya, much more so than Xander, that really isn't ready for marriage.
Because mentally, she never quite stopped being demon. Now it's true
physically as well.
Bottom line: this doesn't feel organic to the characters involved.
Look deeper.
This feels like the writers wanted yet another episode to end with
someone sobbing.
They wanted to take Anya where she needs to go.
I've pointed out a parallel between Anya and Spike before. Here is where it
comes to full flower. They each are or were immortals attempting to become
more human for the sake of love. They each used the object of their love as
their moral guide. They each made tremendous progress in their own fashion,
making themselves valuable and appreciated in their own way. But they both
fail in the end for the same reasons. The are unable to face their evil
demon sides and understand what's wrong with them. There's no guilt. No
remorse. No atonement. They just don't get it.
It's funny seeing all the outrage over the notion of letting Spike be
anything more than pure evil. But Anya was far more powerful than Spike,
and plied her trade far longer than him. What trail of blood and tears do
you suppose she has? Yes, Anya was made physically human and hasn't plied
her vengeance trade in years. But Spike hasn't been killing people either.
And Anya doesn't have Spike's excuse of no soul to explain her lack of
remorse.
Well, now it's Anya's turn for that to catch up with her. It's her sordid
past - literally - that has stepped forth to tear apart her wedding. She's
getting a taste of her own justice. And with all the wailing about how mean
Xander is to Anya, I must have missed the part where she told Xander that
any of this was her fault.
Anya was living a fairy tale. It was sweet and fun and even had a dashing
knight wooing her. Alas, it couldn't last. She was kidding herself and
everybody.
But Anya's is an epic tale - just like Spike. One that is not done. What
will Anya get out of this? Is she human? Or is she demon?
So...
One-sentence summary: All smoke and mirrors.
AOQ rating: Weak
I love Anya and Xander. As individuals. And as a couple. Their pairing is
my favorite of all BtVS (and AtS for that matter) couples. And the one I
think worked best for the couple - except maybe Spike and Dru. Their love
was true, and they gave so much too each other. Anya was incredibly
fortunate to have found Xander as a role model for living human. Anya so
desperately needed that, and Xander gave his heart and soul. It was a great
gift that can't be lost even through this. Anya gave much back to Xander
too. She made him a man in ways he didn't know was in him. He's so much
stronger for it than I think he believed he had a right to be.
I have no joy in such a bitter split. But I don't think it negates any of
what came before. What they had was as genuine as it gets in this series.
But I think it had to end. Anya has to find redemption. And Xander can't
take her there.
I'm sorry the episode offends you so much. It is possible to see it
otherwise. This is one of my favorite BtVS episodes ever. It's a tragic
end to a great part of this couple's lives, and a scary place to step
forward from. But it's thrilling drama to me.
OBS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I jumped in with a comment saying how excellent the analysis was and also said:
I was half-expecting AOQ to give 'Hells Bells' an
Excellent, since he has in the past very much enjoyed episodes where
the angst is piled on (IWRY, 'Wild At Heart'). Funny how these things
turn out... :)
elisi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To which OBS replied:
Yeah, but hardly anybody responds well to this. Xander's stated reason for
his decision is constructed to virtually assure loathing for him and what he
did. Leaving someone at the altar invokes a kind of automatic emotional
feeling that this is one of the great sins that man can commit - the kind
that has a special place in hell reserved for it. Xander's explanation by
itself is the kind that demands to know why he proposed in the first place
and built Anya's hopes and dreams to their highest conceivable point, where
tearing them down hurts the most, over something he should have known all
along. By normal standards it's just not a good enough reason to renege on
such a solemn promise.
I believe that's a deliberate construct in the writing. Maximum pain for
Anya. Maximum guilt for Xander. Maximum misdirect away from the other
underlying cause - the one with greater lasting implications. But I think
the writers may have done too good a job at it and somehow disguised the
elephant in the living room. I mean that was a literally larger than life
demon standing in the middle of the room for everybody to see and hear,
telling Anya directly that he's a victim of her vengeance returned to pay
her back by using Xander as a patsy to ruin her wedding. I think that
counts as in plain view. Yet everybody blames Xander. AOQ himself
describes it as Xander ripping out Anya's heart and sending her running to
D'Hoffryn.
I wonder what the writers think of this reaction. Did they expect it? It's
not like they didn't include things about the demon/human conflict in the
story past and present. I suppose that something like wanting people to
wear the traditional burlap and blood larva may be too amusing to recognize
as representing Anya's ongoing identification with demonhood. But it's
actually kind of blatant - practically blurting that she misses being a
demon. There's been a goodly amount of that of late what with going on
about why demons are better than people and being so buddy buddy with
Halfrek even though Hally is transparently trying to drive a wedge between
Anya and Xander.
At the wedding you've got a room literally divided between humans and demons
that breaks into a wild brawl. Pretty strong symbolism. But in case you
don't get it, Xander pulls Buffy aside so that he personally can kill the
demon with a ridiculously large blunt object. Do you think he might have an
issue with the demon part of Anya? And D'Hoffryn - the lord of all
vengeance - doesn't even mention Xander to Anya. He blames Anya. Says she
let them domesticate her and vengeance is where she belongs. Do you think
there might be an unresolved internal conflict of Anya's besides Xander?
And does anybody remember how she became a vengeance demon to begin with?
Might Anya have a wee problem with rejection perhaps? One that she's
obsessed over for as long as we've known her and whose grand plan for
dealing with it is for it never to happen again? The girl's got issues.
But Xander's poor attempt to explain and take on the burden of it being all
his fault somehow overwhelms all else and really does make it all his
fault - in other people's eyes at least. Did the writers intend that?
OBS
If ever you hated Xander for walking out of the wedding - if ever you wanted to kick the writers for what they did - read this! Actually read it even if you love the episode - I'm sure you'll find something new! (Quotes from AOQ's original post in italics.)
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Season Six, Episode 16: "Hell's Bells"
This may prove to be the most difficult response I've had to compose yet.
For, you see, contrary to the typical reaction to this episode - including
yours - this is a clear Excellent for me. And not just that. One of my
favorite BtVS episodes of all time - currently sitting #7 on my BtVS top ten
list. Having a contrary view isn't such a deal - I just rated the much
despised As You Were a Good - my guilty pleasure - fully understanding the
disdain so many have for what surely is a ridiculous episode. I get that.
I don't get this. Mind you, I don't expect the rest of the world to see
this as a top ten episode. But I don't get how something as moving as I
believe this episode is can be trashed as readily as people do. And I don't
get people's overwhelming focus on Xander when there is another half to this
partnership - Anya - who plays a thunderously important part in this
episode, in the foundation of the whole situation, and in where this points
to the future. It's like half of the episode and most of its foundation and
purpose is being blacked out. Weird.
So it is with some trepidation that I leap into this fray. Hopefully I'll
get out of here alive.
I made a comment last week about how hearing about the hellish antics
that'd happen when the two families collided was more fun than
actually watching it, and I stand by that.
Heh. This must be the predictable part of the review. Cliche maybe? (Just
kidding.)
The early sequences manage
a few smiles with Xander's dad successfully managing, when shown in
small doses, that trick of irritating everyone except the audience with
his unplumbed depths of crass. Plus, Clem is in a few scenes. Hi,
Clem! Interspersed with that, we have a few tender moments amongst our
heroes, which don't tend to stand out but are acceptable. The gag at
the end of the Buffy/Xander exchange is a highlight, though: "I hope
I'm as lucky as you guys someday." "You wanna get lucky? I've
still got, what, fifteen, twenty minutes?" The affection in the
delivery and the characters' history make it funnier.
I enjoy the humor in the early scenes. Finding Xander's cufflinks on cousin
Carol's ears. Decorating the Sunnydale Bison Lodge by putting a bridal veil
on the bison head. (No, it doesn't really look like a bison head to me, but
it's supposed to be one.) Spike having nothing to say about his date other
than - well, this is his date. Date for the wedding. (Though I suppose
it's good that he's out and about enough to dig up a date.) Clem is
wonderful going with the circus folk story.
Clem: Well, there are ancient ways.... Clowning, as an occupation, grew out
of the commedia del'arte, and, uh, ancient sports, of course.
The whole circus folk pretense is fun and, of course, totally ridiculous,
what with all the insane looking demons at the wedding. Later, when Dawn
and the demon teen are casually talking about whose parents are worse, I
idly muse about how much of the Sunnydale scene really is pretense, and how
many casual encounters like theirs really go on. Brings to mind Buffy's
fast food friend dancing with Clem at Buffy's birthday party. Though, of
course, human's and demons still don't mix well as a whole, so we get
Xander's drunk father calling one "Squidly" and mocking him with wiggling
fingers below his chin to imitate the demon's strange appendages. And sweet
cousin Carol who just wants everyone to get along - so she can do some
serious husband hunting. Hey, that's good enough reason for me to be nice
to the demons.
Cousin Carol: No! No, the Harrises are very broad-minded. We're
Episcopalians.
I also enjoyed the initial encounter with D'Hoffryn
D'Hoffryn: Ah. Hymen's greetings.
Dawn: Hy - what?
D'Hoffryn: Hymen, the God of Matrimony. His salutations upon you. May the
love we celebrate today avoid an almost inevitable decline.
What a decidedly vengeance demon way of offering good luck. Heh. (I wonder
if D'Hoffryn might actually know Hymen. "His salutations upon you," almost
sounds like a personal message.) I think it's interesting seeing
D'Hoffryn's tender concern for Anya this episode - rather different than
what we saw back in S3 when he refused to return Anya's demon powers.
Perhaps, as THE vengeance demon, he really can't bear to see a broken heart,
has a big dose of sentimental fool in himself. Granted, turning to
vengeance as an act of sentiment is kind of sick, but - hey - evil demon
here. His idea of proper behavior isn't the same as you and I. But more
than most demons we see, he does care a lot about his idea of proper
behavior. We saw that with his polite offer to Willow. And I think he
probably believes the single most appropriate response to what was done to
Anya is to return her to her calling.
Or maybe this is D'Hoffryn's act of vengeance upon Anya.... I wonder if
D'Hoffryn would know the difference.
Back to the wedding. I enjoy the humor shown, but that's not what's
best to me about the various scenes swirling around the wedding party and
guests. What I really like, and why I've spent so much time on this part of
the show, is how all the show's players are brought together for a little
snapshot of where they are right now - which by Sunnydale standards is
pretty darned happy. Granted, that gets seriously messed up at the end.
(That intrusion - not Xander/Anya specific - is something I'll return to a
few episodes into the future.) But for a moment - a pretty long moment
actually - this episode serves a function somewhat akin to what The Prom did
in S3 by giving the characters a chance to just be happy.
And show the audience how much some of them have achieved. Willow and Tara
enjoying each other's company again, on the simplest terms. You can tell
that they really want to put the past behind them and find a way to just be
together. Xander and, especially, Anya initially in a mighty fine place.
And most especially Buffy, with a sparkling smile that she can't get rid of,
fully engaged in the events and people around her. Something that would
seem nigh on impossible such a short time ago.
I think this is nowhere clearer than her scenes with Xander and their simple
pure affection. "You're one of the decent ones, Xander." One of the sadder
parts of the season for me has been Buffy's estrangement from her friends.
But somewhere, maybe it was sitting on the bed with Willow at her lowest and
realizing that she had much the same kind of weakness within herself, maybe
not fully realizing it, Buffy forgave Willow for the spell that brought her
back and connected with Willow's life again. And she's closer to Tara than
she ever was. And now quietly re-affirming her love for Xander, her gallant
protector, the guardian of her heart.
Not exactly a return to the old days of musketeer like unity I know - I
think they've all grown up too much into their own lives to really pull that
off anymore. But the bonds tying Buffy to her friends remain, and it's nice
to see.
There are other interesting moments too. Xander and Willow sentimentally
remembering the fluke. "Your double X's don't look too bad there, either."
And of course the Buffy/Spike scene that you mention below.
All of it amidst the barely controlled chaos of an impending wedding with
the improbable mixing of families and friends that are strangers to each
other and so on that itself feels very true to me for that kind of scene.
With all the personal struggles thrown at all of our characters this
season - shortly to be more - it's worth pausing to appreciate the good
times offered. Not everything that happens to them is bad. And their
resilience keeps coming through.
Also, Anya's
vows are great - the first time, anyway.
They, and some of her comments around them, are a statement of what she has
made of herself - with Xander's assistance. A good dose of her amusing, yet
endearing quirkiness that makes her and these vows so funny. But they're
also a progression of understanding and appreciation for Xander and what
life has to offer. Her excitement over spending the rest of her life with
her best friend. And especially her final version of the vows.
Anya: Okay. For the last time. 'I, Anya, want to marry you, Xander,
because ... I love you and I'll always love you. And ... before I knew you,
I was like a completely different person. Not even a person, really ... and
I had seen what love could do to people, and it was ... hurt and sadness.
Alone was better. And then, suddenly there was you, and ... you knew me. You
saw me, and it was this ... thing. You make me feel safe and warm. So, I
get it now. I finally get love, Xander. I really do.'
This is Anya at her happiest - and you can see how thoroughly tied to Xander
that happiness is.... Recited as Xander miserably walks through the rain.
I wonder. Would it have made a difference if he could have heard that? Or
might it have only made it worse?
Then Xander gets a vision of the future. The nightmare scenario is a
very effective bit of storytelling. The slices of life show things
gradually get older and uglier over the years. Tantalizing little
details make this short sequence richer. Take NightmareScenario!Xander
(hereafter prefixed "NS!") being unable to work because of a failed
attempt to help Buffy against something unspecified. Hey, it's a
premise that ties into something that's been discussed in past X/A
scenes. Also, the vision ends with NS!Xander attacking and possibly
killing NS!Anya. That would be exactly Xander's worst fear at a time
like this, and it's the only thing that could... well, okay, nothing
could make the ending of HB work. (Hmm, does it seem like a certain
review is about to take a very sharp bitter turn?) But if anything
could, it'd be this.
And Anya cheating on him - with a demon. That it's a demon is as important
as the cheating.
While this is Xander's vision, built out of his fears, it's still worth
mentioning how a couple of things tie into Anya's own fears. (Xander is
probably well aware of those fears, so it's not so unreasonable for them to
make their way into his vision.) One is her fear of growing older and no
longer being desirable to Xander. Another being betrayal - the inevitable
betrayal that her past life taught her. From her vows, "I had seen what
love could do to people, and it was ... hurt and sadness." There is some
irony that she's the one who cheats in this vision.
Before we get to any bitter turnings, let me say that the episode had
me at this point, especially since the followup to "all they bring
each other is pain" is Buffy and Spike. They may be doomed to be one
of those couples who're more fun for me when they're pining for
each other than when they're actually together, since this is a great
little exchange, very well scripted and performed. Funny, but only in
a better-to-laugh-than-mope kinda way. "But it hurts?"
"Yeah." "Thanks."
Buffy's private, "You're welcome," that follows is the clincher for me. An
appreciation for what Spike did for her - in spite of the problems - that at
this point likely includes a sense of owing him. He's well earned whatever
little she can give him, even though that be nothing more than a sop to his
pride by being hurt that he brought a date.
I'm not sure why exactly you prefer the pining, but for me, that along with
their separation is when their relationship is honest. I'm not sure that
it's more stable than any other time, but it's the only time that they can
both express their true feelings, and squeeze in the most affection and
respect. And honest frustration.
After Xander and Willow share a best-friends moment, the show veers
into the realm of the generic with, sure enough, one of the pre-weds
running away and leaving the other at the altar. Ugh.
That reads to me as seeing only the generic events without the meaning
played out during them. This device is used so often because it's one of
life's greatest point of no return moments when one can no longer postpone
the decision. It's naturally dramatic with its own built in tension. It's
also nigh on impossible to replace with something else. That's just where
the dividing line rests.
So in choosing this scenario, they're just putting the drama in its proper
place, and more importantly, letting it do its work by itself while the real
story of why can be focused on without having to expend special effort on
where and when.
What makes the story not generic is the unique set of causes brought by
Xander and Anya. When we see Anya take her terrible walk at the end, that's
not a generic person left at the altar. That's Anya with the whole weight
of her shattered life worn on her face. A life we've followed intimately
for 3 years, and have come to love. One that's taken instantly from the
peak of her life to utter despair, with particular meaning unique to her.
Personal. Not generic.
It's a wedding. Weddings are automatically cliche practically by
definition. The cliche doesn't matter. It's what behind it that does.
I admit, and
I'm ashamed to do so, that I did laugh at Buffy's dissertation
about the mini-tor. As everyone should know, I generally dislike that
long-running gag of Buffy stammering out absurd excuses and having
people believe them. I think the sheer unadulterated excess is what
made it into a guilty laugh here. Otherwise, things quickly go awry as
our heroes have to hide the fact that something's wrong. Never been
fond of watching that stuff, even though HB keeps my goodwill a little
by showing it in bits and pieces rather than in long scenes.
I'm quite fond of Buffy's attempts to entertain the audience. The charades.
The juggling. I loved how Krelvin gallantly handed a ball to Buffy when she
dropped one of hers. There's a sweet humor to this in line with the things
I discussed above.
But by
the time everyone erupts into a big brawl, it's clear that the
episode has lost its way, wandering into uncomfortable barely-comedic
farce, which seems especially inappropriate given the heaviness of what
we've just seen. These sequences stick out in memory as the bulk of
the episode, regardless of how much actual time they take up, because
they feel very very very long.
Come to think of it, I'm going to take the stance that the
farce/drama balance is out of whack, since now I'm wondering if maybe
these scenes weren't even supposed to be that funny so much as a way
to look at Mr. Harris and compare/contrast with NS!Xander. This
didn't even occur to me until it was time to write the review.
I'm not sure what exactly you mean by that, but the fight *is*
representative of the core issues working to stop the marriage. The
horrible role models that are Xander's parents, and their disasterous
marriage. And the conflict between being demon and being human. So, no,
it's not just farce.
In the end we take a second to sabotage the drama we've built up by
having it just be an Evil Thing.
I'm curious. Did you buy into the idea that he was Xander's future self? I
really don't know how convincing that is. When I first saw this episode, I
had just started watching the series and understood very little of it. The
next time I saw it, I knew it wasn't really Xander all along.
At least the idea of having lots of
be-cursed monsters gunning for Anyanka is fine.
Ummm. And here we start my despair. The nature of this monster is a huge
deal. He's not just some evil thing. He's specifically Anya's creation.
Nor does his revelation sabotage the established drama. It complicates it
by bringing Anya into it as a cause.
We'll come back to that, but here's your subversion of the cliche. It's not
just Xander (the guy) working through his issues and walking out. We've
also got Anya's literal demon (Sunnydale - remember? - how many times are we
reminded of what the hellmouth does?) acting to sabotage the wedding.
Indeed, this demon is the proximate cause of the wedding not coming off. So
this version of the cliche has the girl left at the altar stopping the groom
from taking his vows via a monstrous representation of her own sordid past.
The fight scene is
pretty good, even if the demon-voice speech isn't. But then, since
the visions came out of Xander's fears, he then decides that it means
they shouldn't get married. Um...
Um. Sort of.
Words cannot adequately convey my distaste and contempt here, and
attempting to do so may only expose my weaknesses as a writer, but
I'm going to try my best. I don't buy this. Not for an instant.
The wedding is crashed by pure plot device, an external force altering
things for no adequate dramatic reason.
That would be the plot device that brings Anya into what goes wrong. Makes
the story about her issues as well as Xander's. The device that completely
muddles blame and even what's right.
Xander decides that his
deepest desire is to not do anything that could hurt Anya, so he rips
her heart out and sends her running back to D'Hoffryn. Yeah, I can
really see how his thought processes would work that way. Note my
employment of sarcasm, a rhetorical device in which a sentence is used
to express the opposite of its stated meaning.
I will try to avoid comparable sarcasm, for your position is hardly unique,
and is, I believe born of simply misunderstanding the real depths of this
story - even what it's about. Xander's story matters a lot. And he is the
vehicle for the terrible decision. But ultimately this story is more about
Anya than Xander. Not just what happens to Anya. But who she is. Xander
faces his own demons and tries to make a decision. Maybe bad. Maybe not.
But he's always known this about himself and does not walk out of this
wedding fundamentally different. Anya is confronted by her own literal
demon (both in the sense of what she created and the demon she once was),
can't handle it, is destroyed by it, and she walks out a demon.
Part of the hell of it is, S6 has attempted to set this up so that it
doesn't come out of nowhere, but it's been done so in such a
hopelessly inept manner that it'd be hilarious if it weren't
depressing. We've seen Xander get apprehensive about matrimony, and
then convincingly seen such fears written off as the perfectly normal
kind. Lately we've seen him get annoyed with the wedding, and then
we've been reminded that the wedding does not equal the marriage.
There's even OMWF, in which Xander's need for everything to be just
right causes that episode's single biggest flaw and is never properly
addressed. The end result is that the great fears that supposedly
shape this decision do in fact come out of nowhere, and are entirely
unconvincing.
OK. Let's look at the foundation for Xander's part. Starting with set up
elements that you observe above. I don't see you directly say it, but it
appears to me that you're implying that this set of pre-wedding jitters
doesn't add up to walking out. I agree. It doesn't. And it didn't. The
wedding was going to happen - until the demon entered the picture. By
themselves those worries weren't near enough to stop the wedding. Indeed,
on the whole I think they really were just jitters - and probably didn't
contribute much at all to his decision. With a couple of exceptions you
don't mention that I'll get to in a sec.
There is one generalized fear of commitment - best reflected in Xander's
reluctance to announce the engagement. That probably was largely founded on
Xander's deeper fears that come out in this episode, but at the time was too
generalized, too formless to actually stop anything.
Second, I think it's highly questionable how much he was really acting of
his own volition when he backed away. It's certainly impossible for the
decision to have been well reasoned. The man was the victim of powerful
magic that took his worst, darkest fears and made them come to life. Made
him live them as real. That's a profoundly shocking experience, still quite
fresh in his mind. There is no way that he can be close to past that so
quickly. No way that he can be rational about it. No way that he can be
anything but terrified at what's inside him. He tried to kill Anya with a
frying pan for heaven's sake. That's still running through his head when he
says he can't get married. Yes, I know he says the he understands the
visions weren't real and that he understands that it's something within him
and it's his fault and so on. But so what? Of course he says that. He's
being noble and taking the responsibility onto himself. But that doesn't
take away the powerful mojo just worked on him. I don't know how anybody
could go on with a wedding right after what he's gone through.
The proximate cause of Xander walking out rests squarely on that demon.
Without him the wedding goes on. With him it doesn't. It's the demon's
stated purpose and the result he achieves. Xander is just his agent - his
patsy. And that demon isn't the product of anything Xander has done. He's
the product of Anya's vengeance demon past. The wedding doesn't fail
because of Xander's loss of courage. It fails because a thousand years of
cruel acts of vengeance are finally catching up to Anya.
Everybody is in such a stew about not seeing this coming for Xander and
missing that it's Anya that broke up the wedding. That's the twist. And
it's a good one. Hell, even Anya hasn't figured it out yet.
Even so, the visions given to Xander do matter. Probably will continue to
affect him. Partly because you don't forget something like that. Partly
because they do illuminate his nature and his fears. And partly because the
message that marriage to Anya isn't a good idea likely is correct. Let's
look at Xanders' two core fears.
Becoming his parents - the one most directly shown in the visions. This is
the single biggest defining characteristic of Xander. People have already
pointed out some of the long standing references to that in BtVS going back
to S1. His dream in Restless where going upstairs - taking his parents'
path - isn't the way out for him. Sleeping outside on Christmas Eve to get
away from the yelling. Sitting with his friends in the basement pretending
not to hear the yelling, crashing and broken glass from upstairs. And
assorted other references. But these scattered mentions through the series
don't represent scattered incidents in his life. For him this was
pervasive. It was every day life growing up in the Harris household.
Xander's whole personality is built out of that experience and his fear of
becoming that himself.
You're right that this aspect of Xander is rather less than overtly
referenced in the lead up to the marriage - that most of the jitters exist
naturally in the way they would with anyone. We, the audience, don't really
need to see overt references to an established part of Xander's personality,
but that's not the excuse. I think it's really part of the story. Xander
moved out of the basement a little more than a year ago. Put physical
distance between himself and that awful environment. That's good - and
certainly has helped him grow up in a number of ways. But that doesn't mean
that this core aspect of him has just gone away. He's only 21 and has still
spent 90+% if his life living at home. He's nowhere near over that - he's
just pushed it out of his mind for a while. Enough to let him get married.
But a shock reference can bring it all flooding back in. The kind of shock
the demon provides. And the kind of shock of actually watching his parents
in their full drunken glory at his wedding. People keep looking for the
lead in clues to how this is going to ruin the wedding. But they've got it
backwards. It's the wedding that draws it out of Xander. His problem is
that he *wasn't* thinking about it - and probably should have been.
The thing about the visions isn't so much that they remind him of his fears.
Rather, the literal living of them, showed him like never before how
grounded those fears were. What he learned at the wedding is that he really
was capable of being that. It's no longer an abstract possibility. He felt
how naturally all of it came to him. The person in the visions is someone
he really could be. And until that moment he hadn't truly faced it. Hadn't
worked out how to stop that from happening. Perhaps it really would be wise
to come to better terms with his own nature before entering a marriage. I
don't know - nobody does - including Xander and Anya - how things really
would have worked out. Whether the marriage would have been a good bet.
But it's not a crazy reason to draw Xander up short.
The other issue is, "Am I marrying a demon?" - This is probably the lesser
of the immediate concerns for Xander. (Though crucial for Anya.) And one
that probably mainly manifests as being afraid that he can't accept Anya as
she really is - tying into the first fear, which includes turning on his
wife. But the core of it has always been can he - should he - cope with the
vengeance demon part of Anya. It's something he's dealt with every day that
he's known Anya since the prom date where she regaled him with vengeance
stories. All his efforts to show Anya how to be human are also about taking
her away from her demon background. But it never really goes away. She
talks about it frequently - even is proud of it. Just recently we heard
Anya speak of why demons are better than people. Xander may be a demon
magnet when it comes to women, but his normal instinct is still to grab the
weapons and go kill the demon. In that sense he's a decidedly odd one to be
living with an ex-vengeance demon. But, of course, Anya is mighty endearing
too, and he's learned to live with her strange background and way of
thinking that he often doesn't approve of - assuming he even gets it. But
the concern lurks.
And on this front there has been a big honking bit of foreshadowing that
goes by the name of Halfrek. You see, Xander knows *about* Anya's past.
But he doesn't know vengeance demons. Halfrek is a sight to behold. And,
of course, that's the first thing he latches onto. Is that what Anya looked
like? But it was never really about looks. The real question - is that
what Anya was? Look at their first encounter.
Halfrek: I have been called, and vengeance shall I wreak. Cower, masculine
one ... tremble as you face my wrath!
Anya: Xander, I'm starting to think that maybe we should do a pot-luck
thing.
Xander: Honey?
Halfrek: Hello. I am here to tear this man apart. How many pieces do you
wish?
Anya: Halfrek!
Halfrek: Anyanka? Oh my god!
Suggesting that he be torn in pieces I'm sure doesn't thrill Xander, but the
disturbing part is that Halfrek and Anya are clearly good friends thrilled
to see each other. Now he sees what Anya used to be. What she still
relates to. He wishes it ended there. But it didn't. Halfrek went on to
perform a nasty little piece of vengeance in Dawn's name that Xander had a
front row seat for. It was bad enough seeing Halfrek in action, and so
remorseless in attitude. (Justice demon? They all deserved this?) But the
real kicker is that Halfrek went merrily along with her vengeance even
though it caught up her friend Anya, in the process. Is that what Anya was
like too? Is that something still inside Anya? Is that a clue to what
could happen to him? Hmmm. Did Anya boot Halfrek from the guest list
afterwards?
That's why Halfrek is here. To show what Anya was and maybe still could be.
The thing about Anya is that as lovable as she can be, as much work as she's
put into being human, there still remains the question of how human she's
really become. Does she in fact get it? Xander's invested a lot in the
humanizing of Anya. The last thing he wants to believe is that he's come up
short. Especially not after all the genuine love he's received from her.
But, you know, sometimes love really isn't enough. Just look at Spike. And
Xander can't avoid the worry. Halfrek won't let him. All the crazy demons
at the wedding won't let him. The demon that Anya herself created, and
who's come back to ply his own vengeance directly on Xander won't let him.
The vision including Anya cheating on him with a demon won't let him.
And it shouldn't. This is the greater reason why they shouldn't marry.
It's Anya, much more so than Xander, that really isn't ready for marriage.
Because mentally, she never quite stopped being demon. Now it's true
physically as well.
Bottom line: this doesn't feel organic to the characters involved.
Look deeper.
This feels like the writers wanted yet another episode to end with
someone sobbing.
They wanted to take Anya where she needs to go.
I've pointed out a parallel between Anya and Spike before. Here is where it
comes to full flower. They each are or were immortals attempting to become
more human for the sake of love. They each used the object of their love as
their moral guide. They each made tremendous progress in their own fashion,
making themselves valuable and appreciated in their own way. But they both
fail in the end for the same reasons. The are unable to face their evil
demon sides and understand what's wrong with them. There's no guilt. No
remorse. No atonement. They just don't get it.
It's funny seeing all the outrage over the notion of letting Spike be
anything more than pure evil. But Anya was far more powerful than Spike,
and plied her trade far longer than him. What trail of blood and tears do
you suppose she has? Yes, Anya was made physically human and hasn't plied
her vengeance trade in years. But Spike hasn't been killing people either.
And Anya doesn't have Spike's excuse of no soul to explain her lack of
remorse.
Well, now it's Anya's turn for that to catch up with her. It's her sordid
past - literally - that has stepped forth to tear apart her wedding. She's
getting a taste of her own justice. And with all the wailing about how mean
Xander is to Anya, I must have missed the part where she told Xander that
any of this was her fault.
Anya was living a fairy tale. It was sweet and fun and even had a dashing
knight wooing her. Alas, it couldn't last. She was kidding herself and
everybody.
But Anya's is an epic tale - just like Spike. One that is not done. What
will Anya get out of this? Is she human? Or is she demon?
So...
One-sentence summary: All smoke and mirrors.
AOQ rating: Weak
I love Anya and Xander. As individuals. And as a couple. Their pairing is
my favorite of all BtVS (and AtS for that matter) couples. And the one I
think worked best for the couple - except maybe Spike and Dru. Their love
was true, and they gave so much too each other. Anya was incredibly
fortunate to have found Xander as a role model for living human. Anya so
desperately needed that, and Xander gave his heart and soul. It was a great
gift that can't be lost even through this. Anya gave much back to Xander
too. She made him a man in ways he didn't know was in him. He's so much
stronger for it than I think he believed he had a right to be.
I have no joy in such a bitter split. But I don't think it negates any of
what came before. What they had was as genuine as it gets in this series.
But I think it had to end. Anya has to find redemption. And Xander can't
take her there.
I'm sorry the episode offends you so much. It is possible to see it
otherwise. This is one of my favorite BtVS episodes ever. It's a tragic
end to a great part of this couple's lives, and a scary place to step
forward from. But it's thrilling drama to me.
OBS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I jumped in with a comment saying how excellent the analysis was and also said:
I was half-expecting AOQ to give 'Hells Bells' an
Excellent, since he has in the past very much enjoyed episodes where
the angst is piled on (IWRY, 'Wild At Heart'). Funny how these things
turn out... :)
elisi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To which OBS replied:
Yeah, but hardly anybody responds well to this. Xander's stated reason for
his decision is constructed to virtually assure loathing for him and what he
did. Leaving someone at the altar invokes a kind of automatic emotional
feeling that this is one of the great sins that man can commit - the kind
that has a special place in hell reserved for it. Xander's explanation by
itself is the kind that demands to know why he proposed in the first place
and built Anya's hopes and dreams to their highest conceivable point, where
tearing them down hurts the most, over something he should have known all
along. By normal standards it's just not a good enough reason to renege on
such a solemn promise.
I believe that's a deliberate construct in the writing. Maximum pain for
Anya. Maximum guilt for Xander. Maximum misdirect away from the other
underlying cause - the one with greater lasting implications. But I think
the writers may have done too good a job at it and somehow disguised the
elephant in the living room. I mean that was a literally larger than life
demon standing in the middle of the room for everybody to see and hear,
telling Anya directly that he's a victim of her vengeance returned to pay
her back by using Xander as a patsy to ruin her wedding. I think that
counts as in plain view. Yet everybody blames Xander. AOQ himself
describes it as Xander ripping out Anya's heart and sending her running to
D'Hoffryn.
I wonder what the writers think of this reaction. Did they expect it? It's
not like they didn't include things about the demon/human conflict in the
story past and present. I suppose that something like wanting people to
wear the traditional burlap and blood larva may be too amusing to recognize
as representing Anya's ongoing identification with demonhood. But it's
actually kind of blatant - practically blurting that she misses being a
demon. There's been a goodly amount of that of late what with going on
about why demons are better than people and being so buddy buddy with
Halfrek even though Hally is transparently trying to drive a wedge between
Anya and Xander.
At the wedding you've got a room literally divided between humans and demons
that breaks into a wild brawl. Pretty strong symbolism. But in case you
don't get it, Xander pulls Buffy aside so that he personally can kill the
demon with a ridiculously large blunt object. Do you think he might have an
issue with the demon part of Anya? And D'Hoffryn - the lord of all
vengeance - doesn't even mention Xander to Anya. He blames Anya. Says she
let them domesticate her and vengeance is where she belongs. Do you think
there might be an unresolved internal conflict of Anya's besides Xander?
And does anybody remember how she became a vengeance demon to begin with?
Might Anya have a wee problem with rejection perhaps? One that she's
obsessed over for as long as we've known her and whose grand plan for
dealing with it is for it never to happen again? The girl's got issues.
But Xander's poor attempt to explain and take on the burden of it being all
his fault somehow overwhelms all else and really does make it all his
fault - in other people's eyes at least. Did the writers intend that?
OBS
