[continued from previous message]   
      
    > world she herself was studying. This made the Initiative look worse than   
    > the time Spike escaped.   
   I think the myth angle is the answer to that one. They only wanted to   
   know what they wanted to believe what they could use for the monster   
   building.   
      
      
    >   
    >   
    > 4   
    > Was The Initiative Going To Do Anything About Pre-Season 4 Big Bads?   
    >   
    > Revealing the Initiative not only begged the question of where were   
    > these commandos during the college-related demonic events in “Reptile   
    > Boy,” but it also caused viewers to question where they had been during   
    > the last three seasons at all. Prior to season 4, the Scoobies averted   
    > at least four apocalypses.   
    >   
    > Any of those villainous Big Bads could have overpowered Buffy and   
    > destroyed the world and the Initiative was right there all along. Did   
    > the organization have any plans to intervene if they got too close to an   
    > apocalypse? Since they did not know about Buffy, they had to assume no   
    > one else was going to stop them. Perhaps they had no idea of anything   
    > outside the UC Sunnydale sphere, but that is just silly.   
   Depends on which ball their eye was on.   
   They were not secret super heroes doing good and heroic stuff.   
   They were more an R & D organisation.   
      
      
    >   
    > 3   
    > Where Was The Initiative During The Apocalypses After Season 4?   
    >   
    > Season 4 started and also essentially concluded the Initiative story   
    > arc. The U.S. government determined the experiment was a failure and   
    > walked away. After Buffy and Riley's painful breakup in season 5, Riley   
    > also walked away. However, in season 6, he returned with an   
    > Initiative-adjacent group and in season 7 the government returned to the   
    > old Initiative base to assist Buffy.   
    >   
    > So, the government continued dabbling with and responding to the   
    > supernatural, which leaves fans wondering why they never came to Buffy’s   
    > aid during any of the apocalyptic events occurring before season 4.   
    > Narratively, this would not have worked for Buffy’s story, but   
    > logistically it is hard to believe that the government relied on one   
    > Slayer to repeatedly save the world, even if it was Buffy.   
   The Intiative itself was gone forever ("salt the Earth" etc.). Only some   
   black-ops soldiering was done. Riley and Sam etc. Never got the vibe   
   there was an overal vision to that all let alone some group that was   
   able to comprehend or know what to do.   
      
    >   
    >   
    > 2   
    > How Did The Scoobies Never Encounter The Initiative Prior To Season 4?   
    >   
    > As much as fans wondered how the Initiative could not have known the   
    > Slayer was real, many also question how the Scooby gang never   
    > encountered the commandos before season 4. Once the Initiative plot   
    > began, it was not long before Buffy figured out what was going on.   
    >   
    > Episodes like “Hush” even directly showed Initiative soldiers patrolling   
    > downtown Sunnydale, which is often frequented by the Scoobies. Yes, the   
    > Initiative was tucked away under UC Sunnydale, which the show treats   
    > almost like a separate community from the town. Still, it seems highly   
    > unlikely that the Scoobies never saw the Initiative in action earlier.   
      
   But were they in action in the first place? They weren't there to   
   protect people.   
      
    >   
    > 1   
    > Were There Other Initiative Bases At The Other Hellmouths?   
    >   
    > Throughout Buffy’s seven seasons, there have been multiple mentions of   
    > at least one other Hellmouth in Cleveland. Giles even stated this again   
    > in the series finale after the Sunnydale Hellmouth closed, and the   
    > season 7 episode “Never Leave Me,” also showed a map that had all the   
    > other Hellmouths around the world.   
    >   
    > Given the Initiative’s overall mission, there is reason to question if   
    > they had facilities at any of these other locations. The end of season 4   
    > appeared to fully sever government involvement with the supernatural,   
    > but seasons 5, 6, and 7 proved that to be untrue, so the question   
   remains.   
   I very much doubt they had other bases. As for other government   
   operations, I think they were purely military.   
   The Initiative itself was an initiative to try to weaponise monsters.   
   That was Maggie's great plan. Her soldiers were prety much in the dark   
   about the true goals.   
   I think the plot was insprired by the movie 'Return of the Living Dead III'.   
   And in turn I think Buffy's 'Intiatiive' inspired the 'Avengers initiative'.   
      
    >   
    >   
    >         [[MY question -- how was the Initiative able to excavate such a   
    > huge underground facility without anyone attending the college knowing   
    > about it?]]   
    >   
    >   
      
   Maybe it was an existing structure? Maybe some old shelter that was   
   officially 'forgotten'.   
      
      
   --   
   Wouter Valentijn   
      
   Kirk: "No beach to walk on..."   
   Star Trek (s01e07): The Naked Time   
      
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