I've always been intrigued by the idea that for all the selective blindness going on in Sunnydale, there must be hundreds of "ordinary" citizens who know a lot more than they let on and make sure to use that knowledge. (The Magic Box can't make a profit on scented candles alone.)
Good point. I noticed that big opening sale for the magic box and there were a LOT of customers. But were they all locals, or does Sunnydale have a reputation beyond the city limits, ie a greater awareness of the situation than the residents themselves have? (There is that bank manager who refuses to give Buffy a loan in S6 who says something about Sunnydale property values just not "keeping up" for "some reason". He seems perplexed by this, but obviously the town has a reputation if people are moving out AND not choosing to move in.
(On the other hand, I'm overthinking this. The writers were just having fun with a situation they hadn't thought through in the beginning. I guess that's what fans are for?)
Also, of course, he's human; there's not a lot Buffy can do about him
True but in S1-2 there were other human villains who at least got their comeuppance in some way (the swim coach in Go Fish; the little league coach the boy in the hospital had nightmares about - hmmm, sensing a theme here. Was Joss getting revenge for never being picked for the team? I kid...sort of...)
Beer Bad stood out for me as the first time the instigator didn't come to justice (although I'm not counting Spike/Dru, and I could be missing someone else.) I still wonder if that was part of the point - S4 is very transitional, entering a more adult world outside of high school, and the boundaries between good/evil continue to become more fuzzy - Willow experimenting with darker magics, Riley with Maggie's chip in his heart, etc - so as much as you're probably right that it was tossed off for a laugh by the writers, it still somehow fits in the season.
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Date: 2012-08-22 08:23 pm (UTC)Good point. I noticed that big opening sale for the magic box and there were a LOT of customers. But were they all locals, or does Sunnydale have a reputation beyond the city limits, ie a greater awareness of the situation than the residents themselves have? (There is that bank manager who refuses to give Buffy a loan in S6 who says something about Sunnydale property values just not "keeping up" for "some reason". He seems perplexed by this, but obviously the town has a reputation if people are moving out AND not choosing to move in.
(On the other hand, I'm overthinking this. The writers were just having fun with a situation they hadn't thought through in the beginning. I guess that's what fans are for?)
Also, of course, he's human; there's not a lot Buffy can do about him
True but in S1-2 there were other human villains who at least got their comeuppance in some way (the swim coach in Go Fish; the little league coach the boy in the hospital had nightmares about - hmmm, sensing a theme here. Was Joss getting revenge for never being picked for the team? I kid...sort of...)
Beer Bad stood out for me as the first time the instigator didn't come to justice (although I'm not counting Spike/Dru, and I could be missing someone else.) I still wonder if that was part of the point - S4 is very transitional, entering a more adult world outside of high school, and the boundaries between good/evil continue to become more fuzzy - Willow experimenting with darker magics, Riley with Maggie's chip in his heart, etc - so as much as you're probably right that it was tossed off for a laugh by the writers, it still somehow fits in the season.