I am aware that it is two days past Christmas and two days past the date I should have posted number 25 in my Top 25 Christmas Episodes list. While a lot of life has gotten in the way of my posting these entries on schedule, this delay was planned. I’ve timed this to go along with an even more important event going on over at my friend Nikki Stafford’s bog (nikkistafford.blogspot.com), the final installment of the Great Buffy Rewatch of 2011. Any ideas about what my top Christmas episode is???
On December 15, 1998, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode “Amends” showed us that religious hasn’t cornered the market on forgiveness, that even those who claim no God can believe in the power of forgiveness, an act that creates reconciliation. Joss Whedon is one of those people who, while an atheist, believes that humans themselves have the potential for great goodness, and it is shown in almost every moment of “Amends.” While haunted by the most powerful form of evil, Angel shows that love has more power and is willing to sacrifice himself for that love. Oz’s love for Willow gives him the power to resist another form of temptation. Love motivates the goodness of the living and the undead, then, and that love, especially in Angel’s case, is the “amends” that compensate for the truly terrible acts of Angelus, which have been haunting Angel in his dreams. As proof of this, Angel’s sacrifice is rejected by a true Christmas miracle…
…which is what makes “Amends” my favorite Christmas television episode. While the holiday is an observance of a supernatural miracle, we should always remember that miracle was an act of love, and love is not limited to those of religious faith. We all fall short of whatever standard our faith sets for us or we set for ourselves, but with love, all can be forgiven. For more of this love and goodness, visit Nik at Night; there will be a lot of it as the Great Buffy Rewatch comes to an end.
On December 15, 1998, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode “Amends” showed us that religious hasn’t cornered the market on forgiveness, that even those who claim no God can believe in the power of forgiveness, an act that creates reconciliation. Joss Whedon is one of those people who, while an atheist, believes that humans themselves have the potential for great goodness, and it is shown in almost every moment of “Amends.” While haunted by the most powerful form of evil, Angel shows that love has more power and is willing to sacrifice himself for that love. Oz’s love for Willow gives him the power to resist another form of temptation. Love motivates the goodness of the living and the undead, then, and that love, especially in Angel’s case, is the “amends” that compensate for the truly terrible acts of Angelus, which have been haunting Angel in his dreams. As proof of this, Angel’s sacrifice is rejected by a true Christmas miracle…
…which is what makes “Amends” my favorite Christmas television episode. While the holiday is an observance of a supernatural miracle, we should always remember that miracle was an act of love, and love is not limited to those of religious faith. We all fall short of whatever standard our faith sets for us or we set for ourselves, but with love, all can be forgiven. For more of this love and goodness, visit Nik at Night; there will be a lot of it as the Great Buffy Rewatch comes to an end.
RSS Feed