Purely technical point but FutureWillow hasn’t been human for some time.
True, like I said above. Though the question is if Buffy knows that when she puts a foot of sharp wood through her chest.
Melaka gets credit for not going slayercidal until the end but where does Buffy even consider killing Fray as a goal?
To me, that's almost the scariest part about Buffy here. Killing Fray, by way of wiping her entire world and everyone in it from existence, isn't a goal, true; it's just an acceptable consequence.
Buffy is prepared to do whatever it takes to save her world even if it risks the existence of Fray’s particular future.
Except the way I read it, the stakes (heh) are slightly different. If what Willow told Fray is right, then Buffy going back to her own time will wipe out Fray's world. It's a certainty. Whereas if she doesn't, well... as the issue shows, the 21st century keeps spinning without Buffy. The Slayers manage without her. Buffy's world doesn't immediately go kaboom if she goes missing for 24 hours. Maybe it would eventually lead to Fray's world - though we still don't have it spelled out in so many words, even in Fray's history books, that it happens during Buffy's lifetime. Maybe the 20th 21st century can soldier on without Buffy? Shouldn't that at least give her pause?
I don’t see the conversation you quote as taunting
Calling someone names, playground-style, while they're begging for their right to exist isn't taunting?
Buffy kills Willow because that’s what Willow tells her she has to do.
As far as I can see, what Willow tells Buffy is essentially: 1. The portal is opening again. On the rooftop, at midnight. 2. You will have to "go through" me. 3. The 20th century yada yada. 4. No, I won't tell you what happened, we don't have time. 5. Urgh.
Nobody ever says anything about killing Willow being a necessity. Maybe it took place off-screen, which seems a cheap way to set up such a (supposedly) powerful moment, but nothing in the text says: "Buffy has to kill Willow to get through the portal." Maybe Buffy considers it a mercy killing. Maybe Willow does too. But the portal is already open and all that's standing between super-strong Buffy and it is a slightly built girl who Buffy happens to care a lot about.
she understands all that FDW has done to engineer this including her own ultimate sacrifice
But neither she, nor we, understand why. She has the opportunity to find out in her own time; instead, she kills the messenger.
Though your point about trust is well taken. It seems to be an underlying theme of this entire arc - Future!Willow trusting everyone to play their parts in her Xanatos gambit (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/XanatosGambit?from=Main.TheXanatosGambit), Present!Willow trusts Saga Vasuki and Kennedy, Mel and Erin have started working as a team where both trust the other - Erin questions Mel's act at the end of #18, but trusts her. Etc.
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Date: 2008-11-29 10:19 am (UTC)True, like I said above. Though the question is if Buffy knows that when she puts a foot of sharp wood through her chest.
Melaka gets credit for not going slayercidal until the end but where does Buffy even consider killing Fray as a goal?
To me, that's almost the scariest part about Buffy here. Killing Fray, by way of wiping her entire world and everyone in it from existence, isn't a goal, true; it's just an acceptable consequence.
Buffy is prepared to do whatever it takes to save her world even if it risks the existence of Fray’s particular future.
Except the way I read it, the stakes (heh) are slightly different. If what Willow told Fray is right, then Buffy going back to her own time will wipe out Fray's world. It's a certainty. Whereas if she doesn't, well... as the issue shows, the 21st century keeps spinning without Buffy. The Slayers manage without her. Buffy's world doesn't immediately go kaboom if she goes missing for 24 hours. Maybe it would eventually lead to Fray's world - though we still don't have it spelled out in so many words, even in Fray's history books, that it happens during Buffy's lifetime. Maybe the
20th21st century can soldier on without Buffy? Shouldn't that at least give her pause?I don’t see the conversation you quote as taunting
Calling someone names, playground-style, while they're begging for their right to exist isn't taunting?
Buffy kills Willow because that’s what Willow tells her she has to do.
As far as I can see, what Willow tells Buffy is essentially:
1. The portal is opening again. On the rooftop, at midnight.
2. You will have to "go through" me.
3. The 20th century yada yada.
4. No, I won't tell you what happened, we don't have time.
5. Urgh.
Nobody ever says anything about killing Willow being a necessity. Maybe it took place off-screen, which seems a cheap way to set up such a (supposedly) powerful moment, but nothing in the text says: "Buffy has to kill Willow to get through the portal." Maybe Buffy considers it a mercy killing. Maybe Willow does too. But the portal is already open and all that's standing between super-strong Buffy and it is a slightly built girl who Buffy happens to care a lot about.
she understands all that FDW has done to engineer this including her own ultimate sacrifice
But neither she, nor we, understand why. She has the opportunity to find out in her own time; instead, she kills the messenger.
Though your point about trust is well taken. It seems to be an underlying theme of this entire arc - Future!Willow trusting everyone to play their parts in her Xanatos gambit (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/XanatosGambit?from=Main.TheXanatosGambit), Present!Willow trusts Saga Vasuki and Kennedy, Mel and Erin have started working as a team where both trust the other - Erin questions Mel's act at the end of #18, but trusts her. Etc.