I've always had a special fondness for that episode, myself. I don't see how anyone who's a fan of this series can't love our heroine taking on the vampire, with him portrayed in classic form. Yeah, yeah... "But, he's doing all these things the Master, Angel, etc, can't do!" Well, yeah, that's Dracula. How he was able to do all of those things was explained within the episode. He's learned things, including not needing to go into "game face". He's an evolved vampire, which makes him that much more dangerous. He's gained a certain mastery over the demon. Yet, at the same time, he's still a relic, a product of his age.
And, he's playing counterpart and parallel to Buffy in Season 8, a season that's all about evolution and changing the world. The Slayer had to evolve, of course. We see many arguing for a return to the old, old, status quo of one Slayer, one Watcher, as though the current set-up is upsetting some sort of "balance", but any balance was already being upset before Buffy arrived in Sunnydale. The First Evil herself said she was tired of having a "balance", and had been altering things for years. The earlier Slayers were just having to clear out nests of vampires, not having to face a full scale Apocalypse at least once, sometimes twice a year. The other side raised the stakes, and the Slayers had to evolve to meet that new threat. Buffy, herself, has noted in Season 8 that all the Apocalypses indicate the world is trying to change because it has to. Twilight represents stagnation, and those who profit keeping the mess exactly as it is, even if the long term consequences are horrible.
Dracula, himself, is feeling the weight of all his years, a relic of the past trying to find his way in this modern world.
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Date: 2008-04-06 07:57 pm (UTC)I've always had a special fondness for that episode, myself. I don't see how anyone who's a fan of this series can't love our heroine taking on the vampire, with him portrayed in classic form. Yeah, yeah... "But, he's doing all these things the Master, Angel, etc, can't do!" Well, yeah, that's Dracula. How he was able to do all of those things was explained within the episode. He's learned things, including not needing to go into "game face". He's an evolved vampire, which makes him that much more dangerous. He's gained a certain mastery over the demon. Yet, at the same time, he's still a relic, a product of his age.
And, he's playing counterpart and parallel to Buffy in Season 8, a season that's all about evolution and changing the world. The Slayer had to evolve, of course. We see many arguing for a return to the old, old, status quo of one Slayer, one Watcher, as though the current set-up is upsetting some sort of "balance", but any balance was already being upset before Buffy arrived in Sunnydale. The First Evil herself said she was tired of having a "balance", and had been altering things for years. The earlier Slayers were just having to clear out nests of vampires, not having to face a full scale Apocalypse at least once, sometimes twice a year. The other side raised the stakes, and the Slayers had to evolve to meet that new threat. Buffy, herself, has noted in Season 8 that all the Apocalypses indicate the world is trying to change because it has to. Twilight represents stagnation, and those who profit keeping the mess exactly as it is, even if the long term consequences are horrible.
Dracula, himself, is feeling the weight of all his years, a relic of the past trying to find his way in this modern world.