In revisiting these books, I'm starting to understand why I fell of reading them. These two mini series that are smooshed into a single volume are not great stories and they reek of men writing women in the wrong way. Everything about Buffy's pregnancy scare is awful. It's tropey as hell and not done in a new and original way, in the manner that Buffy always upturned and played with tropes. And everything about how Buffy handles feels out of character and very "men writing women." And then, just in case that plotline wasn't already awful, they pull the rug out from under it with a "whoops, she wasn't pregnant she was just a robot" in a mind-numblingly stupid Andrew-replaced-Buffy-with-a-robot-to-protect-her-but-didn't-ask-permission-or-tell-anyone gambit. What the actual fuck? Again, this plot all feels very "men writing women," as well as super trope-heavy and not in a fun way. And, as if that wasn't enough, the character based stuff with Buffy (and also Spike) feels like ground we have very tread before with both of them. Also, I have no idea what they're doing with Dawn and Xander. Them as a couple will always be gross, but them as an awkward, Xander punches the wall when Dawn doesn't answer him fast enough couple is a whole new level of gross that I hate very much.

There is no part of this that feels like the Buffy the Vampire Slayer that I love. But I guess at least there are cute bug aliens.