Great review, but as I'm a bit late to the party and everyone has already commented on everything, I'll just add this: ;-)
I was talking about practicing magicians. We don't know how strong Ethan Rayne was, but he mostly annoyed Giles. Rack was a magician and a very strong one but he wasn't interested in conquering the world.
But magicians/wizards/witches/warlocks are humans too, with different wants and needs. (By the same token, the fact that Adam (a robot) tried to control the world would mean that the Buffybot (also a robot) should be trying to do the same thing.) Most of the practicing magicians we see in the Buffyverse are not very powerful (for obvious reasons; it complicates the story if there's a character who can do absolutely anything) and wouldn't be able to conquer the world. Others (Rack, for instance - and judging from the lame magic he sold Warren, his powers lay more in inducing highs than actually hurting people) seemed perfectly content to just exploit the people around him, which is so much easier and comfier than trying to rule the world. That doesn't necessarily mean that there is something in magic that makes every user want to NOT conquer the world.
Also, it could be argued that W&H and the Black Thorn were ruling the world. By, among other tools, magic.
LORNE: Hmm, well, this is interesting. Apparently old Joe Kennedy tried to get out of his deal with the firm. ANGEL: That explains a lot. LORNE: Yeah, but George Sr, he read the fine print.
magiŃ became bad, period.
Did it? Tara was never bad - nobody had any trouble with her using magic in s6. The (never actually seen) coven in England were obviously a force for good. For the most part, Willow was too - at least pre-s6, and certainly by the end of s7. Giles and Wesley frequently used magic for more-or-less good purposes. I never saw the show stating outright that "all magic is bad" (well, OK, Connor said it a few times but that's Connor for ya *g*) - magic is powerful and shouldn't be used indiscriminately (as Willow was doing in s6) and there are definitely good and bad ways to use it, but like any sort of power, it's not good or bad in and of itself. Just like the fact that Faith used her powers to murder people doesn't mean Slayer powers are bad.
no subject
I was talking about practicing magicians. We don't know how strong Ethan Rayne was, but he mostly annoyed Giles. Rack was a magician and a very strong one but he wasn't interested in conquering the world.
But magicians/wizards/witches/warlocks are humans too, with different wants and needs. (By the same token, the fact that Adam (a robot) tried to control the world would mean that the Buffybot (also a robot) should be trying to do the same thing.) Most of the practicing magicians we see in the Buffyverse are not very powerful (for obvious reasons; it complicates the story if there's a character who can do absolutely anything) and wouldn't be able to conquer the world. Others (Rack, for instance - and judging from the lame magic he sold Warren, his powers lay more in inducing highs than actually hurting people) seemed perfectly content to just exploit the people around him, which is so much easier and comfier than trying to rule the world. That doesn't necessarily mean that there is something in magic that makes every user want to NOT conquer the world.
Also, it could be argued that W&H and the Black Thorn were ruling the world. By, among other tools, magic.
LORNE: Hmm, well, this is interesting. Apparently old Joe Kennedy tried to get out of his deal with the firm.
ANGEL: That explains a lot.
LORNE: Yeah, but George Sr, he read the fine print.
magiŃ became bad, period.
Did it? Tara was never bad - nobody had any trouble with her using magic in s6. The (never actually seen) coven in England were obviously a force for good. For the most part, Willow was too - at least pre-s6, and certainly by the end of s7. Giles and Wesley frequently used magic for more-or-less good purposes. I never saw the show stating outright that "all magic is bad" (well, OK, Connor said it a few times but that's Connor for ya *g*) - magic is powerful and shouldn't be used indiscriminately (as Willow was doing in s6) and there are definitely good and bad ways to use it, but like any sort of power, it's not good or bad in and of itself. Just like the fact that Faith used her powers to murder people doesn't mean Slayer powers are bad.