Watching "Wrecked..."

[fenderlove]

I've been rewatching BtVS episodes in French to help me in my language class, but... My God, was the final scene in "Wrecked" the most out-of-place thing ever? I don't know why it never bothered me so much before, but Buffy, sitting on her bed surrounded by garlic and clutching a cross to her chest, just seems utterly ridiculous. If she was that worried about Spike descending into her bedroom like a ghoul, I would have been holding a SuperSoaker filled with holy water and a crossbow (given the fact that de-inviting him would be out of the question with Willow going through the magicks withdrawal). And when have any of the shows vampires really been afraid of garlic anyway? Spike eats pub food; there's bound to be garlic in that. I sorta want to know what would have happened if he had come by...

Spike: "Hey, Buffy, are you trying to make your bedroom smell like the Olive Garden? I love that place. It's like eating in the kitchen of a delightful Italian stereotype. If you want to go, I've got coupons clipped fresh from the PennySaver-"

Buffy: "Go away! Can't you see that I'm trying to keep you away from my vagina?!"

Spike: "Oh, God, is there garlic in there too?"

Comments

[rahirah]

I'm still not sure if that scene was supposed to be serious. I mean, it's so... silly.

[fenderlove.livejournal.com]

Well, Buffy seemed serious... I mean, she went through all that trouble of nailing the garlic up, and she has this look on her face like she's about to piss herself out of fear. I just don't understand why anyone would think that a scene like that would be necessary. If they wanted a light-hearted note after seeing Willow freaking out, the scaredy Buffy take really fell quite flat.

[rahirah]

Yeah, but her sitting there wreathed in garlic is just so weird. I can't take it seriously, and as you say, if it's supposed to be funny, it falls flat. I have no idea what the writers were thinking. (Well, that goes for most of S6, so...)

[fenderlove.livejournal.com]

Well, that goes for most of S6, so...

So, so, so very true.

[velvetwhip.livejournal.com]

Buffy: "Go away! Can't you see that I'm trying to keep you away from my vagina?!"

Spike: "Oh, God, is there garlic in there too?"

This made me laugh so hard I couldn't breathe! I'm envisioning a brand new feminine hygiene product...


Gabrielle

[fenderlove.livejournal.com]

Hehehe. I'm glad you can breath again... XD

[sockmonkeyhere.livejournal.com]

"Try Summer's Eve, now available in 'Fresh Onions 'n Garlic' Scent! It's a pizzaria in your panties!"

(Brought to you by the makers of Massengill Cool Ranch Flavor douche)

[velvetwhip.livejournal.com]

Exactly! And you can accent it with the marinara feminine wash!


Gabrielle

[sockmonkeyhere.livejournal.com]

*sporfle* XD

"One-night stands leaving you feeling 'not so fresh'? Clean those Big O's with SpaghettiOs!"

[velvetwhip.livejournal.com]

OMG!

"Chef Boyardee Feminine Hygiene Products. Boy-oh-boyardee, does he know what makes a woman feel fresh!"


Gabrielle

[sockmonkeyhere.livejournal.com]

*dies and iz ded and not fresh* XD

[sockmonkeyhere.livejournal.com]

Chef Boyardee iz pleezed. ;D

[kats-meow.livejournal.com]

BWAHAHAHAHA!

Yeah, now that you mention it, that was pretty random. I think what the "message" was supposed to be was that she didn't trust herself to stay away from him and still wanted him anyway, so she was using very half-hearted attempts to keep him at bay. It's funny you mention the garlic, I have a scene between Spike and Fred where he claims that garlic might do in some "poncey bugger" of a vamp, but not him. Any spicy buffalo wing worth its garlic salt would have done him in years ago if it was really that much of a threat.

[fenderlove.livejournal.com]

Heee, Spike and Fred are adorable. I can imagine that Fred might be very interested in vampire biology. ^_~

[sockmonkeyhere.livejournal.com]

I remember the first time I saw that episode and said to myself "...the hell? Since when has garlic ever been mentioned as a Whedonverse vampire repellent, and why is Buffy acting like a frightened, frail widdle thing who thinks Spike's going to crash through her window and maul her to death, and although Blue Oyster Cult's 'Don't Fear the Reaper' would be a PERFECT kick-ass song for this scene...the scene itself is really stupid."

[fenderlove.livejournal.com]

The thing is that, if Spike wanted to follow her home, he would have had opportunity helping her get Dawn home from the ER (just like he was helping take her to the ER from the alley). He would have had a great excuse to stick around "for Dawn's sake" in case that demon or his otherworldly buddies tried to show up again. However, he obviously either leaves once they get to the ER or he leaves once they get Dawn home. Could be that *gasp-shock-horror* Spike actually recognized that Buffy needed some space to deal with her injured sister and magick-addicted best friend; you know, that kind of reality Spike described Buffy not realizing that they lived in right before they found Dawn?

[ms-scarletibis.livejournal.com]

Now that I've had some time to ponder it, did Dawn stay overnight at the hospital? Or at lest was there for several hours? I wonder why she wasn't there with her sis as opposed to hiding her in her room.

Then I thought, Spike was probably with Dawn, and Buffy assumes he'll stop by her room next, but then he never shows, which is why she decides to keep the lighter in the next ep, having had the chance to miss him.

At any rate, stupid scene is stupid.

[fenderlove.livejournal.com]

According to Buffy when she talks to Willow in Joyce's old room, Dawn is in her room, sleeping off the pain meds.

[ms-scarletibis.livejournal.com]

Oh, okay. Been awhile since I've seen that ep.

I read a fic once that addressed this to a degree...that Spike purposely stayed away from her because she "smelled." But I agree with you--Spike can't possibly have a problem with garlic and eat the food that he eats.

<--wonders how long she kept that stuff up before feeling ridiculous.

[sockmonkeyhere.livejournal.com]

Also, Fred would eat the garlic.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Spike: "Oh, God, is there garlic in there too?"

Oh my gosh... spit-take! I was eating soup when I read that. It got messy.

[fenderlove.livejournal.com]

Heee! Sorry about the mess! XD

[fenderlove.livejournal.com]

:D

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

Hee! I'm pretty sure I've seen funny fic along the lines of what you've got there, but this takes the garlic-studded cake! Well done! *salutes*

[fenderlove.livejournal.com]

I don't think I could handle the hilarity of garlic-related fic right now. XD

[shapinglight]

Spike: "Hey, Buffy, are you trying to make your bedroom smell like the Olive Garden? I love that place. It's like eating in the kitchen of a delightful Italian stereotype. If you want to go, I've got coupons clipped fresh from the PennySaver-"

Buffy: "Go away! Can't you see that I'm trying to keep you away from my vagina?!"

Spike: "Oh, God, is there garlic in there too?"

ROFL. Hilarious. Also more sensible than the actual scene.

[fenderlove.livejournal.com]

ROFL. Hilarious. Also more sensible than the actual scene.

Thanks! I knew there had to be something that made more sense than that. :D

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

Buffy: "Go away! Can't you see that I'm trying to keep you away from my vagina?!"

Spike: "Oh, God, is there garlic in there too?"

I laughed out loud. This was too funny and perfect. It was strange to see a fully functional slayer surrounding herself with passive ways to deflect a vampire, particularly a vampire that she had to know would shrug off garlic. I actually "got it" though. She was feeling helpless against her need for him and reacted accordingly, as if keeping him out of her bedroom would keep him out of her life.

[fenderlove.livejournal.com]

I understand that the writers were trying to draw a parallel between Willow struggling with her addiction and Buffy struggling with her "addiction." There just had to have been a better way to visually show that than a comical amount of garlic and Buffy huddled on her bed because, with the whole garlic thing, when had that ever worked on the show? We see garlic a couple of times in boxes of slaying supplies, but never really repelling a vampire. Also, shouldn't Buffy have realized based on Spike's speech that he was going to let her stew in her own juices for a few days, make her crave him as he craves blood as it were. Maybe Buffy wasn't listening due to the sister-in-danger, but Christ... Spike sucks down hot wings and blooming onions; he's not going to be hurt by garlic... or a teeny little cross for that matter. If Buffy wanted to make herself feel better about her own ability to "stay away" or "keep away" there had to be a better way to do that.

[erykah101.livejournal.com]

Here via Sueworld's rec. I thought the same thing at the time but then I figured Buffy was having a panic attack and not thinking at all straight, so I wrote this.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/480185/1/Falling_Faster

(possibly should have a depression trigger warning on it)

But I think you're right, that would be Spike's exact reaction to it (and I love your scene! :D ). It's a silly thing for her to do, that's why I don't think it's meant to be funny. It may be instead a reaction to experiencing a surprising jolt of happiness and instead of embracing it, she's trying to shut it out because it's scared her. But it's happiness, and so she doesn't really want to. She's therefore picked something she really knows wont actually work.