Always curious about artist's takes on their work, I want to lend her
some support here. She had trouble with the sixth season of Buffy...
the dark, twisted dive Buffy took in her relation with Spike went against
Gellar's strong intuition. Whedon pushed that on her in one of his rare
mistakes. I'm with Ms Gellar here. While my wife and I had no trouble
with Buffy's growing sexual bond with the gilt-headed one, often
funny and quite poignant, even inevitable, its explicit shame and
tortured nature seemed gratuitous and off the mark in this otherwise
jewel of a show. Once in a commentary, Whedon had the wit to
acknowledge that "no one understands Buffy like Sarah". I wish
he'd listened to his own words. Her artistic instincts are unfailing and
fine. Among her gifts are a luminous clarity, where she is completely
there in the moment and a generous ability to explore that moment
and not hurry on to the next. An example: An early moment at the
Bronze where Buffy is quietly facing Angel. A small moment. Yet she
radiates love, strength, vulnerability, utter openness. A small miracle.
In that moment we can see her embody the reason Angel fell for
her in the first place... she carries her heart before her. Who could NOT
love her?! And we see why the side of the angels chose her to carry
the terrible gift and burden of Slayer. Only such strong purity and love
could survive and not be corrupted or reduced by it. It's not too much
to say that in these moments she is in a state of grace.