Have you read it? No? Well go read it and come back. There are massive spoilers this time, and you shouldn’t read it without giving it a gander yourself.
I’ll wait.
Check that out, it’s slayer on slayer on slayer action in this issue of Buffy! Buffy-Bot-Who-Is-Actually-Buffy’s-Consciousness goes looking for Buffy’s-Body-Who-Doesn’t-Remember-she’s-the-slayer to protect her from Simone-the-former-slayer-who-REALLY-hates Buffy. Man, that’s complicated, let’s just call them Buffy Bot, Buffy Body, and Simone, cool? Alright, onward!
Andrew doesn’t always make the best choices (see Season 6). And now Buffy finds herself and the very course of her life profoundly affected by one of Andrew’s over-the-top, idiotic . . . hair-brained . . . schemes. Together with Andrew and Spike, the worried Slayer will have to confront herself and her comrades, as well as a long-standing annoyance, the number-one Buffy hater of all Buffy haters: Simone, the gun-toting Slayer.
- Executive produced by Joss Whedon!
- Slayer vs. Slayer vs. Slayer!
It’s been a rough week for Buffy. First she thought she was pregnant and was resolved to end it, then she found out she was actually a robot built by Andrew to protect the real Buffy (Buffy Body) in a suburb of San Francisco while they looked for threats to Buffy Body’s, well, body. Not only that, but there actually IS a danger to her life and it comes from disgruntled former slayer Simone to Punk Rock Wonder. Buffy never wins, right?
Buffy Bot must have had a particularly tough time in her Body’s house, as it was literally the life she could’ve had, provided she weren’t the chosen one. We’ve always seen what kind of life Buffy chooses for herself when she runs from her duties as the slayer (Anne, anyone?), but the surreality of glimpsing through the looking glass to a where she might have been had she not been the slayer must have been heartbreaking for her. She’s even dumbfounded at the idea of how Andrew provided a better life for her (or rather, Buffy Body) than she ever good, and even saw fit to possibly leave room open for a family in the future. Buffy Bot, Andrew, Spike, and Spike’s insect crew had little luck locating Buffy Body until Andrew managed to regain the signal embedded in Buffy Body’s locket.
We cut to Simone torturing Buffy Body in an old room. She’s tied to a chair, and getting pistol whipped. Simone, who would like nothing more than to take out her rival, realized something was amiss when Buffy Body ended up begging for her life. She even asked “who are you?” (Clearly she hasn’t been reading along, right?)
We cut to Xander, Dawn and Detective Robert Dowling are on the hunt for a zompire nest that may have taken his parter. He ends up finding her (later in the book, after the following scenes), and while he processes the reality he has to kill what used to be his partner, she nearly kills Xander! But Robert gains his bearings eventually and rescues Xander.
Oh that Xander. Naked ladies around you are almost EXCLUSIVELY homicidal demons bent on killing you, aren’t they? Poor guy.
Meanwhile, Buffy Bot and the rest of her compatriots head toward the place where her body is being held, and that just so happens to be…Angel Island. Angel Island, for those of you who desire a history lesson, would likely be described as the Ellis Island of the West, as it was where millions of immigrants were processed into the population in the 19th century. But that’s not why we care about Angel Island or why it gave Buffy, Spike AND Andrew pause. It made for an awkward moment because of the fact that Buffy has an ex with the name “Angel” (you know, that guy who stars in the other Season Nine book). Oh man, was THAT awkward.
In the following scene with Buffy Bot and Andrew, she finally gets some of her balance back, so to speak, and gives her another arm to replace the one that she lost at the end of issue 7. Now she has a cool Terminator arm (it even resembles the arm from the James Cameron classic, you can bet that was an Andrew-ism).
Continued belowWhen they finally get to Angel Island, Spike pouts some more, as he is the broody sort, especially with Angel not here to provide most of the angst. SOMEONE has to do it (besides everyone…) and Andrew provides the much needed comic relief, being terrified of the hinted at monsters on the island. Buffy, meanwhile, goes into the mostly ghost town and finds Buffy Bot’s locket, only to be knocked out from a blow to the head by Buffy Body, who, curiously enough, now sports several lavender highlights. The same color lavender that Simone’s hair is dyed.
This is probably the most important part of the issue, and it will hopefully be explained in detail in the next issue. This likely means that Simone figured out that her body was, for lack of a better term, an empty shell and either implanted some sort of post-hypnotic suggestion into Buffy Body to further punish her rival. But here’s an important observation: how can a blow to the head actually damage Buffy Bot? Unless Andrew was THAT thorough and made it possible to give her brain damage, it seems odd that she could possibly get a concussion and lose consciousness, especially from wood? Her skull is metal, no? Unless it’s made of aluminum…
Also; going back to Xander, Dawn, and Robert, this new detective’s growing importance not only builds upon the new environment that they’re living in, but gives the city a sort of avatar to grow with the city in terms of the vampire/zompire threat. But how important will he be later on? There’s also a certain level of symbolism in the fact he’s a detective learning about the supernatural world that has not been a part of life in San Francisco, so while he’s learning, he could also represent what the city is learning. It’s an interesting thought.
When it comes to the character arcs of the various characters, it’s a really pleasant surprise to see Andrew developing further and further within the gang. He’s always been the outsider, going as far back as his time in The Trio with Warren and Jonathan. Buffy Bot even referenced Warren when dressing down Andrew, stating that he’s still trying to impress Warren, even in death. It’s not an unfair assessment. Given that Andrew is likely a gay character (who, as far as I know, has never come out of the closet, even though there are hints), he possibly even loved Warren and is still trying to impress him after his death.
Buffy herself continues to become more and more confused, and I really wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up in a real asylum this time, not just one put on by a demon to complicate Buffy’s life from without. Rather, her life within is spinning all sorts of out of control and she may not be able to handle it. It’s even growing the rift between her and her peroxide-haired former paramour Spike, who will be moving off into his own series soon. Given that fact, his exit feels very much organic and almost expected, even without the news he’s getting his own series.
All in all, this was a solid issue that touched on a lot of deeper issues than what might appear at face value. Leave any thoughts in the comments below!
