3. This also ties into Andrew's story in season seven. Because the human world of the Buffyverse is basically based on our world, the Trio treated magic in season six as, basically, human fans watching the TV series might: as a tool to spin grandiose stories about themselves within the narrative. In season seven, Andrew's "redemption" highlights the worst traits of fan engagement and the possibility of a better engagement with the text just as it's ending. "Storyteller" is the sixth-to-last episode of the series, and ends with Andrew turning the camera off (and for us, turning the TV off) and actively engaging in life. Buffy tells Andrew that he should NOT be using her story, and his imagined role in it, as an excuse to avoid dealing with his actual life. I don't want to overstate this, because I don't think Jane E is really being anti-fan here; but I do think that there is a big element here of Buffy communicating, through Andrew, the necessity of viewers letting the show go after it's over -- or, at least, of finding ways to marshal the story to make our lives and the world better. Which is also why we are left out of Buffy's thoughts at the end of the series -- she has in that moment grown beyond belonging to us, and we have grown beyond needing her. I think I'm making this sound like the season is some condescending critique of us, which I really, really don't think it is (or, maybe it is, but that's not how I interpret it), but I think that "Storyteller" deals with the negative side of fannish engagement as well as preparing fans for the upcoming bittersweet separation from the narrative.
It's interesting that the two women you explicitly identify as being stifled by the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" narrative (Faith and Willow) are also the two women who I was thinking could be argued as being "above" Buffy in season seven: Willow is more powerful than her as Kennedy points out, but is understandably reluctant to use that power; and Faith eventually inherits Buffy's protagonist status for an episode. Part of Buffy's final act is to reaffirm Willow's power and to affirm Faith, and all the other slayers', identities as being in league with hers.
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It's interesting that the two women you explicitly identify as being stifled by the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" narrative (Faith and Willow) are also the two women who I was thinking could be argued as being "above" Buffy in season seven: Willow is more powerful than her as Kennedy points out, but is understandably reluctant to use that power; and Faith eventually inherits Buffy's protagonist status for an episode. Part of Buffy's final act is to reaffirm Willow's power and to affirm Faith, and all the other slayers', identities as being in league with hers.