Some pictures are worth a thousand words. This one is worth at least a million. When this frame appeared in Issue #12 of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 comics, the Buffy forums went in fire. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it that way since the series finale Chosen. A lot of people liked it, and more than a few dissed it. I refrained from writing about the issue for a day or two to ponder, because I didn’t want this post to sound too emotional. Now, let’s take a closer look at the arguments, shall we?

Where did that come from?

While I admit that even I was surprised, upon reflection, I think the nano-second of disbelief at the sight of Buffy and Satsu in bed was more of “Joss actually went ahead with that?!”, rather than “But that’s impossible!”. The Buffy/Satsu thing has been developing for quite some time. I re-read the whole season and came up with this timeline:

Issue #1 - We are introduced to Satsu as one of the slayers in Buffy’s squad. In fact, Satsu’s the first character we ever see when we open the pages of Issue #1. Is Joss trying to tell us something?

Issue #2 - Amy does a Sleeping Beauty spell on Buffy, putting her in slumber until someone wakes her with a kiss of true love. Seriously.

Issue #3 - The spell was broken, but the kisser remained a mystery (as she wakes, Buffy says she senses “cinnamon buns” on her lips). The only ones present in the room besides Buffy were Xander, Willow, and the slayers. What are odds, right?

Issue #4 - Amy laid a trap and kidnapped Willow. Buffy tells Satsu to join her in the rescue mission. Before they embark, typical self-conscious Buffy asks Satsu if she has a lip gloss for some last minute prep. She tries it on and her eyes open wide as she says, “Cinnamon.”

Issue #11 - Buffy invites Satsu to go vampire hunting, just the two of them, for some much needed girl talk. Satsu is cornered and forced to admit her feelings. Buffy understands how she feels, but warns Satsu that her love affairs often turn to tragedy.

Issue #12 - Buffy and Satsu have sex. From their conversation, it seems like a spontaneous act. Buffy complained that she “didn’t get a lot of prep time here”. What happened in between? If Joss doesn’t explain it, I’m sure a lot of fanfics will.

Out of Character?

#1 - Sexuality. It has long been established that Buffy is open-minded. When Willow came out to her, her response was everything a friend could ask for. So she’s not against the idea of same-sex relationships, at least for other people. How about for herself? Based on Buffy’s previous relationships, she was certainly seen as straight. Angel, Parker, Riley and Spike? What more does one need to prove it? And yet, as one Buffy fan pointed out, there was never a chance to prove or disprove her openness to sex with another woman until now. No one has simply tried. Faith would be the closest, as Eliza Dushku herself encouraged it, but that never materialized into more than just subtext (Oh, I just can’t wait ’til Faith hears about this). This time, Buffy knows only too well how much Satsu loves her. There’s the “kiss of true love” to prove it. Buffy said it herself to Satsu: “You’re hot, you have great taste, you’re a hell of a slayer, and you smell good.” Clearly, there’s respect and physical admiration, if not attraction, going on there.

#2 - I want the fire back. Frankly, Buffy has already resorted to sex as anti-depressant before with Spike. So it’s not surprising that she’d do it again under these circumstances where she doesn’t feel connected. It’s logical that with Satsu’s feelings out in the open, flattering as it is, there is a great temptation for her to connect, and she acted on it. But being logical doesn’t mean it makes it less annoying to see her use Satsu this way, although Satsu for her part is also a consenting adult. Honestly, I’d rather see what the consequences of their actions will be in the next issues, the implications on the story, rather than dwell on the question of “is she or is she not gay?”

Cheap Marketing Ploy?

Some people assert that this latest plot twist is no more than a marketing tactic to boost the comics’ sales. A one-shot experiment to get people talking then Buffy goes back to boys. While it certainly got people talking in an “Oh my god” moment, I don’t think it was a gimmick (feel free to disagree with me here).

One, the actual sex was not shown, only the aftermath. The comics does away with the “juicy part”, because we really didn’t need to see that (tough luck to the people who would like to). It delves directly on the repercussions of what they did. In fact, among the first things Satsu said was, “How do we handle tomorrow?” That’s the real context of the scene.

Another is that, like I pointed out, the writers have planted many things along the way to lead us up to this point. Satsu’s role in Buffy’s life will be very important, whether or not they pursue a relationship. Dark Horse editor Scott Allie wrote, “This story is going to speak for itself over the next few issues and the next few years. There are two things I feel the need to say. One: Joss did this purely for the sake of character development with his girl, taking her to the inner places that he takes his characters.”

Hmmm. The more I think about that statement, the more I wonder. Is there some mystical mojo that happens when two slayers, uh… come in intimate contact? It has certainly never happened before, and I’d like to think that Joss set this up for more than just drama. Buffy has been complaining about not feeling connected. Will the two of them develop a closer connection via, let’s say, being able to hear each other’s thoughts? That would be handy in battles. Would they be able to channel their energy to each other if needed? Is Satsu Buffy’s heir apparent? And what does Kennedy have to say to that?

The Consequences

#1 - Buffy was unprepared for the attack. The whole gang lost valuable time being stunned in Buffy’s room. The other slayers were left to face the intruders without their leaders. They were quickly overwhelmed and lost the scythe. In the wrong hands, who knows what could happen?

#2 - The Scoobies react. Xander was, for the most part, just surprised and embarrassed at what he saw. Andrew was adorable. Dawn has been jealous of the other slayers because Buffy spends more time with them, what more now? That’s aside from the “ick factor” of seeing your sister naked in bed with another person. And judging from Willow’s reaction, these best of friends seem to be heading further apart. I hope they’ll have a chance to have BFF talk about it. Awkward moments aplenty! (Willow: You can’t be gay! *I’m* gay!) Now all the original Scoobs have been involved with a (potential) slayer - Buffy/Satsu, Willow/Kennedy, and Xander/Renee. Like I said before, it was bound to happen. Simple supply and demand.

#3 - The Slayers react. I wonder how Renee and the other slayers would feel if they knew, and I’m assuming that nobody can keep that sort of secret very long. Would they lose respect for Buffy? Would they be supportive of a broken-hearted Satsu? I refuse to believe that in Issue #3, all the people in the room really followed Willow’s order to close their eyes, so that someone can go ahead and kiss Buffy. I know I’d be curious. Most of them probably know about Satsu’s feelings before this, but the whole sleeping with Buffy thing is bound to shake them. Also, let’s look at the stats: 2000 active slayers, more than 500 are with Buffy. Is Satsu the only girl who swings that way? I think not. They might not show it, but there are probably more “special friendships” out there in the castle. I’d like to see more panels dedicated to the slayers, because for a group so big, they get very little “screen time”. Kudos to Joss for Satsu’s character development.

#4 - Satsu. She looked like a lost lamb at the end of this issue. I think her feelings will be important in the next few issues, as she will most likely play a big role in the upcoming Tokyo trip. The prospects for Buffy/Satsu are dim, considering that Buffy herself said that she doesn’t see it becoming more. Joss Whedon said as much in an interview, that he’s “not going to make her gay.” Will Satsu cross over to the other side because of anger at Buffy? I don’t think so and I hope not. Some people say she may be the person who is set to betray Buffy, as prophesized by the demon in issue #10. I have an uneasy feeling it’s gonna be Willow, and Satsu will sacrifice herself for Buffy. Didn’t Buffy warn her that all everyone who loves her… oh, die? But for now I’ll hold on to what optimism I have left. Joss tends to kills people that the fans are very emotionally invested in. He loves making us cry. At this point, nobody is that invested in Satsu. Yet. Satsu, live long, and prosper. \\//, (^_^)

#5 - Buffy. To paraphrase the OMWF line, “Where does she go from here?” Granted, this isn’t Buffy’s finest hour. And, yes, she should’ve learned her lesson with Spike, using sex just to feel. Is she going to keep repeating the same mistakes? That would be tiresome. I think she’ll feel a little guilty at what she did to Satsu, because anyway you look at it, she took advantage of the girl’s feelings. How awkward would it be when those two are left alone together? I hope Buffy either settles in a serious relationship, or stay single and happy. Because contrary to popular belief, those two things are not mutually exclusive. And zooming out, how would this affect the overall plot of Season 8? I believe this is integral to the storyline, otherwise the writers wouldn’t have gone through all the pains of setting it up since the first few issues.

Conclusion

Fact: Joss Whedon would’ve never gotten away with this on TV. The network executives would have his head. The censors would cut it. And would SMG be willing? Maybe, maybe not. But this is comics, a more liberal medium, and he’s the project lead.

Bottomline: He can do whatever the hell he wants without censorship - besides his own, of course. I’m disappointed that Buffy did the same stupid thing twice, but it’s been known to happen to people. Will I continue to read the comics? Hell, yeah. More than ever, I’d like to know what happens next.

May I just say, having to wait a WHOLE MONTH for the next issue is torture. TORTURE.

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