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![]() post Angel s1 This article is intended to explore the nature of the ultimate forces of good and evil in the Buffyverse. As Joss has deliberately avoided exploring too deeply the precise set up of Powers, much of this will be speculation, and listing possibilities. Firstly, we know the following things as facts: 1) Higher forces of Good and Evil exist. By this I mean things significantly more powerful than the Slayer or any of the run-of-the-mill demons she regularly faces, Eg, the Oracles, Vocah, the Powers That Be (PTBs), the First Evil. 2) Neither side intervenes directly on a large scale in events on Earth. Every time we've seen the Powers at work it has been in a very limited fashion, and has involved a major player for either side. 3) The Powers are about evenly matched in terms of Earthly representation/influence. OK, only one Slayer, but she'e more than a match for most demons, and she's not the only Warrior of Light around. 4) This wasn't always true. "Demons ruled the Earth for millions of years..." 5) There is strong evidence of a powerful balancing force existing. For every intervention I can think of, I can also think of a price that was paid: Vampires appear, the Slayer appears; Angel gets resouled, the happiness clause; Angel gets re-resouled (some form of possession of Willow), Angel gets sent to Hell; Angel gets brought back from Hell, the First Evil gets a little one-to-one time to try and turn him to the dark side, etc. Also, magic seems to balance itself, eg Superstar - Jonathon uses magic to become a super hero, and a dark creature of equal power appears. With these facts, it's time to start extrapolating a little: It's fair to say that the Powers of Evil seem to want to reclaim the Earth, either by drawing it into Hell or by taking over in situ, or failing that, destroy it. In any case, they seem to want to cause as much suffering and despair as possible. The Powers of Good, however seem to devote themselves to alleviating suffering and countering Evil. They don't appear to be trying to completely eradicate all Evil however. On the other hand, both sides seem to be limited in what they can do: for example, both sides appear to be bound by prophecies. This suggests one of two possibilities: either the limitations are self-imposed: for whatever reason, the two sides have a "gentleman's agreement" not to cross certain boundaries without the other's consent. Or a third, neutral Power exists, which limits the actions of the other two, a referee if you will. Personally, I quite like the idea of such a referee, who, whether by joint consent or sheer strength, has the authority to arbitrate the struggle between Good and Evil, and ensure that both sides honour any agreements made. In this light, some of the events of the series take on a different cast. For example, when Buffy temporarily died, according to the strict wording of the terms and conditions surrounding the Slayer, another Slayer was called. Although it's possible that when Buffy dies a second time, there won't be a subsequent Slayer called (due to her successor already having been called), even so, the whole second Slayer thing represents a minor victory for Good, particularly with the End Of Days having (possibly) started. After all, one Slayer is usually enough to keep the demon situation under control. Add in a second and even the nastiest of demon hordes is going to be in trouble. The whole situation with Angel represents a lot of behind the scenes manouevering by the Powers of Good. Presumably, the time limit on the forces protecting the Oracles place from intrusion by Evil, and the various limitations on Vampires, such as the whole invitation thing, also represent some interesting compromises by the two sides. Through all this, it is possible to get some sort of idea for the two sides: the Powers of Good appear to plan long term more, eg the second slayer, Angel, who took about a century to rejoin the fight after being cursed the first time. The Powers of Evil seem to place more emphasis on short term gains and crippling blows, eg their attempts to sever Angels connection to the PTBs. The Powers of Good also appear to act more constructively - many of their interventions are hereditary - rather than a one shot ability which dies wih its bearer, they enable a successor to inherit - eg Doyle/Cordelia's visions, the whole Slayer thing. The Powers of Evil, on the other hand, seem to work destructively - Vampires reproduce by killing, more powerful demons such as the Judge, whilst inherently very dangerous due to their unkillability or near unkillability are essentailly one shot attempts - once neutralised, the Judge is gone (until someone manages to reassemble him). Kill a Slayer, however, and the next one will appear immediately. As to the hypothetical third party, their hidden hand is there in every intervention by either side. Their work is behind the fact (useful for plot purposes) that every spell has a counter-spell; every charm has a loophole of some sort. Since their major role is to enforce agreements between the two opposing forces, their actions will mostly be non-obvious and they will tend to react to the actions of the two sides rather than intitiating events on the own. It is possible that Angel's return from Hell was performed by the Neutral Powers, either to enforce a deal regarding him, or to maintain the validity of the Prophecies of Aberjian concerning him. In conclusion: there appear to be 3 major forces behind the scenes in the buffyverse: the Powers of Good, Evil and Neutrality. The Powers of Evil seem to seek to cause suffering, and to that end will tend to utilise massive strikes, which if averted are pretty much permanently dealt with. The Powers of Good work to prevent suffering, and tend to work and think long-term in so doing. The Powers of Neutrality seek to maintain balance, and ensure fair-play between the two sides, and as such rarely act directly.
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