I know exactly what you mean. I have this trouble with wanting to explain everything to the point of exhaustion. I have it especially bad with the middle of longer pieces--I guess because I feel like at first a story should come at you bambambam!, but that later on you should know the characters better. The latter should come naturally, but I never feel it in the stories I write so I get bogged down in it. I'm worried later chapters will share the same issues.

I think Buffy's capacity for reflection really depend on her state of mind. When she's on her game, she's go go go. But, for instance, in S6, I think she spends a lot of time reflecting on her dislike of herself, her difficulty with moving on.