Focusing on the continuing separation between Buffy’s desires and those of the greater good, this issue makes us question whether the Scooby gang will be able to put their differences aside and remain bonded once the fight is over. It’s going to be a tense situation all around.
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
The storyline has an Andrew focus, as he is trying to get a body for his long-departed friend Jonathan. Tired of waiting around for a corporeal form, Jonathan keeps pushing him to do something, but it’s not as easy as whipping up a new body in the lab. It takes time, energy, and knowledge that Andrew doesn’t have quite yet. What they need is a miracle, or a being with more power than they have at their disposal. Enter The Sculptor. He makes an offer to Andrew that it looks like he won’t refuse, despite his initial reluctance. All he has to do is switch out the Scythe with an exact copy and bring it back to The Sculptor. In return, Jonathan will get a new body. Seems like a great deal, and going back Andrew’s past actions, quite within the realm of what he might do in order to help save his friend.
Meanwhile, the Scooby gang has their own issues to deal with. While they are joined together to fight against the monsters, hoping to banish them back through the portals, they aren’t really on the same page with each other. They’re over at the Hoover Dam fighting the Kraken, and do manage to send him back through the portal, but not without putting Buffy in direct danger. D’Hoffryn almost sends her back through the portal with the Kraken, seen as a worthy loss in the ultimate battle, but that’s where Buffy’s difference in mindset comes through. She is all about the individual, while the rest see the value of team and the need to utilize the Vampyr book to increase their power.
With checks and balances in place, they can assure no one individual has ultimate power. And eventually Buffy sees this as a possibility, but she is still wary and wants to bring Giles to weigh in on the situation. And he agrees with the larger group, giving each member of the Council their own power, with the stipulation that the entire group can remove any individual’s power. It seems like the best possible approach in the battle, even if Buffy’s still not on board with it. And she’s not on board with Giles’s decision to retreat to the fairy realm either. It seems like everyone’s striking out on their own, doing what’s best for them, rather than doing what’s best for Buffy. She’s got to learn that the world doesn’t revolve around her.
Andrew is learning to let go of past notions as well. While Buffy’s out of her apartment, he sneaks in and it appears he will be taking The Sculptor up on his offer, but appearances are deceiving. He goes to the meeting place with The Sculptor and Jonathan’s got a body now, but suddenly it’s revealed that Andrew brought the Scooby gang along. He cannot let his past actions dictate his future, even if it hurts Jonathan in multiple ways.
As we leave the issue, Jonathan has escaped to look out for himself, The Sculptor has been defeated, and Andrew is left to deal with his future. He cannot continue making up for old sins with new ones, and that renewed approach starts today, no matter how hard it might be. Maybe the rest of the Scooby gang can learn from this situation as well. They’re going to need to bond together if they hope to win this war.
Rating: 3 / 5 Stars
