Little stuff that bugged you.

[wenxina]

Oct 4, 2009 12:40:12 GMT -5 Emmie said:

As for Willow and Tara doing something to help - did they have jobs? There was no evidence of that. So no, I don't think they really stretched themselves to help her.

No evidence for them not having jobs either. Absence of proof is not proof of absence. At no point did Anya bluntly say, "Hey, you lesbians are really mooching off a dead woman's money. Shame on you!"
I agree that they weren't stretching themselves, but then again, who's to say what they wouldn't have done later on? Buffy was gone for all of one summer, and everyone was still out of sorts then, trying to slip into their new roles. Willow's belief that everything will be okay as long as Buffy comes back was less about finances as it was an emotional need to bring back her best friend. It was something she believed she could do, and to not do it would've wracked her with guilt.
As for the money sitch, it's not like the Scoobs just plonked it on Buffy the moment she got back. The reason it came up as soon as it did was because the house needed repairs, and Buffy had to be made aware that they didn't just have much of it lying about.
A friendship is neither a charity nor a business transaction. Just as Willow and Tara don't get paid for being surrogate moms, Buffy doesn't get charity just because she's their friend. Harsh as it is, her household is her responsibility, and Willow and Tara are only obliged to help as much as they owe, as in bills, or kinda paying rent. Nothing more should be expected of them. I don't think they spent the insurance money imprudently on themselves... Dawn was an early adolescent then, and probably outgrew her clothes quite quickly. Heck, she was taller than Buffy.
There's an episode in Sex and the City where Carrie gets mad at Charlotte for not even offering to help out with her financial situation (this was when Aiden was going to evict Carrie, after they broke up). Charlotte says something to the effect of "I'm your friend, but your business is your business, not mine". The honesty of that statement was brutal, but there's a certain truth to it.

[xxxvaliumxxx]

i think personally, if i were in that situation, i would go out and get a job and contribute myself.
its not like buffy didnt do anything back.. she saved them all alot and most of the scoobies wouldnt be alive in season 6 if it weren't for her. not saying that saving a life should equate to providing financial support but surely that should factor into reasoning into deciding whether to help out or not.

and sure becoming surrogate guardians to dawn would probably be demanding but if you choose (although i guess its not really a choice seeing as there was no one else) to look after someone else, you have to take on all responsibilities, not just some and not others

[tkts]

Oct 4, 2009 11:06:03 GMT -5 wenxina said:

Why would anyone expect Willow to drop her own life? You don't think that Willow would eventually resent her friend if that had been the arrangement? Besides... slaying is mostly a night-time gig.

Plus, don't Buffy's Slayer powers include not needing to sleep all that much?

As for Willow and Tara placing an unnecessary burden on Buffy, I'd disagree in that they acted like surrogate mothers for Dawn while Buffy was out playing the absentee sister who occasionally had dumpster sex with Spike.

Don't know about putting Willow in the "good camp" on that one. For much of Season 6, Tara was probably the only one of the triumverate who could really have provided a stable home life for Dawn. Buffy and Willow both spent the season in various levels of basketcasedom.

[tkts]

Things that would be likely to eat up large pieces of Joyce's life insurance settlement:

-- Medical bills. Yes, she probably had health insurance, but I know that when I had to have emergency surgery, even though most of the $170,000 cost was covered by Blue Cross, I still ended up owing more than $2,000 out of pocket. At any rate, Willow and Xander refer to this as a factor.

-- Funeral expenses. Those can get pretty big, although it's implied in the shooting script for "Forever" that Giles quietly took care of, at the very least, buying the coffin.

-- Taxes. I don't know what the due dates are in California's property tax system, but it's not unreasonable to think that a tax bill from the city or county might have arrived while Buffy was dead.

-- Mortgage payments. Probably coming due at a rate of once a month. As Anya points out, "this house, just sitting here doing nothing, in itself costs money."

-- Not to mention any other debts that might have been in Joyce's name.

[xxxvaliumxxx]

did everyone else still believe that buffy was alive?
i know they used the buffybot to convince dawn's teachers that buffy was still around, but government wise was she technically dead to them or still alive?

because i guess if she was still alive in their books then everything would keep coming but if they thought she was dead then im sure something would have been done.

i'm not too clear with laws and regulations concerning death

[tkts]

Oct 4, 2009 19:45:32 GMT -5 xxxvaliumxxx said:

did everyone else still believe that buffy was alive?
i know they used the buffybot to convince dawn's teachers that buffy was still around, but government wise was she technically dead to them or still alive?

because i guess if she was still alive in their books then everything would keep coming but if they thought she was dead then im sure something would have been done.

i'm not too clear with laws and regulations concerning death

I think it's safe to assume that Buffy's death was never reported.

If the only legal guardian of a minor dies and it's reported through normal channels, there's no way the minor's school wouldn't know about it.

Presumably control of Joyce's estate passed to Buffy, and in her absence, that control was exercised by the Buffybot.

[xxxvaliumxxx]

yea thats what i figured, cuz surely dawn would have been taken away or at least they would have had a review regarding who would take over her guardianship

[wenxina]

Oct 4, 2009 19:29:28 GMT -5 tkts said:

Don't know about putting Willow in the "good camp" on that one. For much of Season 6, Tara was probably the only one of the triumverate who could really have provided a stable home life for Dawn. Buffy and Willow both spent the season in various levels of basketcasedom.

True, but in the interim between S5 and S6, Willow was presumably helping out. But then again, Tara kinda bailed, and even though she still had her weekly milkshake or whatever with Dawn... it was abandonment of sorts. The writers did play that out kinda like a divorce... which to Dawn anyway, would've been divorce #2.
Not placing anyone in the good here... no one really deserved to be in the good in S6. Apparently your early 20s are supposed to be basketcase-ish. So I've learned from the Buffyverse. Or perhaps the Whedonverse in general.

[tkts]

Poor Dawn. Two divorces, and three mother figures (Joyce, Buffy and Tara) dying in the space of a year and a half.

And when you look at all of the adults in Dawn's life -- Joyce, Hank, Buffy, Giles, Willow, Xander, Anya, Tara -- Xander is the only one who's never died, gone crazy and tried to kill everyone, or left the country.

No wonder she has issues.

[The Girl In Question]

Whenever they said "wrastling" always bugged the crap out of me. They're not Southern. In Cali we say "wrestling." At least I never heard any native Californian use the word "wrastle." That always irked me.

[tkts]

I think the preferred spelling is "rassle."

[The Girl In Question]

Oct 8, 2009 23:14:00 GMT -5 tkts said:

I think the preferred spelling is "rassle."

Ah, see I never knew that. The only time I've ever even heard that word was on TV. I've never seen it spelled before. Kind of like people who have never heard of the word "inasmuch." Both words are rather silly sounding. ;D

[elenasaur]

I don't know if this has been said before, because I don't feel like looking through 15 pages of this thread.

In Earshot, when Jonathon goes up to the clock tower, Buffy talks him down and he says that he was only going to kill himself. He had a legit sniper rifle on him. I doubt he could have held it far enough away from his body to actually hit himself. And why would he kill himself in the school's clock tower?

[sagewoman]

Oct 21, 2009 21:00:26 GMT -5 elenasaur said:

I don't know if this has been said before, because I don't feel like looking through 15 pages of this thread.

In Earshot, when Jonathon goes up to the clock tower, Buffy talks him down and he says that he was only going to kill himself. He had a legit sniper rifle on him. I doubt he could have held it far enough away from his body to actually hit himself. And why would he kill himself in the school's clock tower?

Really good point!

Emmie and Wexina - fabulous debate!! I loved it.

Can't remember who asked, but it was an Australian member who asked about college students working while in school.

Perhaps California is a bit different. In Canada, I think most students have part-time jobs.

I went to University while raising my family and working full-time (flexible hours job).

[tkts]

Oct 21, 2009 21:49:42 GMT -5 sagewoman said:

Can't remember who asked, but it was an Australian member who asked about college students working while in school.

Perhaps California is a bit different. In Canada, I think most students have part-time jobs.

I went to University while raising my family and working full-time (flexible hours job).

It just depends. I worked all through college (mainly on-campus jobs, like in the dining hall or the campus post office). Some of my friends didn't. It depends largely on your family's financial means.

Certainly, Willow not having to work while in school seems plausible. Buffy, debatable. Xander, had he gone to college, certainly would have had to work.

[The Girl In Question]

Oct 21, 2009 21:49:42 GMT -5 sagewoman said:

Can't remember who asked, but it was an Australian member who asked about college students working while in school.

Perhaps California is a bit different. In Canada, I think most students have part-time jobs.

I went to University while raising my family and working full-time (flexible hours job).

Born and raised in Cali, and it's not different. In my college, nearly everyone has a full workload of school, a full or part-time job, AND an internship (especially the students who have kids, and Dawn was kinda Willow and Tara's kid while Buffy was dead). In Willow and Tara's case, they were being lazy turds. o.0 Shame on them! Using up all of a dead woman's money to the point where there as none left...tsk tsk.

[Tea - Total]

The only thing that bugged me was that in graduations part 2, why did the parent left their children.

[Angel Beast]

I just watched Selfless. And the thing that always annoys me is the end. I hate that Xander just doesnt hold Anya after what happened. He gets upset when D'Hoffryn says to undo what Anya did it required the life of a vengeance demon. He just talks to her a bit calls her a dope when she says "What if I'm nobody?", which was a kind of an "awe" moment. But I really felt like he should have been hugging her close, cause clearly he still loved, after almost losing her forever. But thats just me.

[tkts]

Oct 29, 2009 20:11:17 GMT -5 Angel Beast said:

I just watched Selfless. And the thing that always annoys me is the end. I hate that Xander just doesnt hold Anya after what happened. He gets upset when D'Hoffryn says to undo what Anya did it required the life of a vengeance demon. He just talks to her a bit calls her a dope when she says "What if I'm nobody?", which was a kind of an "awe" moment. But I really felt like he should have been hugging her close, cause clearly he still loved, after almost losing her forever. But thats just me.

Given what had passed between them, I don't think it could be as simple as that -- as simple as "aww, Anya, let me give you a hug." Even with the closeness of that moment, there was still a lot of inherent discomfort.

[buffyfan21]

Oct 30, 2009 0:39:31 GMT -5 tkts said:

Oct 29, 2009 20:11:17 GMT -5 Angel Beast said:

I just watched Selfless. And the thing that always annoys me is the end. I hate that Xander just doesnt hold Anya after what happened. He gets upset when D'Hoffryn says to undo what Anya did it required the life of a vengeance demon. He just talks to her a bit calls her a dope when she says "What if I'm nobody?", which was a kind of an "awe" moment. But I really felt like he should have been hugging her close, cause clearly he still loved, after almost losing her forever. But thats just me.

Given what had passed between them, I don't think it could be as simple as that -- as simple as "aww, Anya, let me give you a hug." Even with the closeness of that moment, there was still a lot of inherent discomfort.

Agreed. He probably wanted to comfort her, but didn't feel as though it was appropriate for the moment. I mean, given everything that had happened only moments before, he probably wasn't sure how she would react or what he should do, so I think he was just being cautious in that sense. I don't think a simple hug would have fixed everything. Maybe he felt it would be insulting to her after all she had just lost. Or perhaps he blamed himself for her being in this terrible state and felt he was the last person who had a right to comfort her. She was just saying, after all, how she wanted him to stop saving her, and how she should just be alone; maybe he felt she would have viewed a hug as some kind of saving gesture. There could obviously be any number of reasons, but I feel that even though he didn't hug her, he was still trying to comfort her, and you can see how much he wanted to comfort her, but I think Anya was the one pulling away, so he refrained out of respect for her. I dunno if I explained that well but that's my theory.