Buffy Rewatch - What's My Line Part I
Let's talk about Drusilla, who Spike is attempting to revive to full health in this two parter. I'll go into the plot more in Part II.
We've seen that she has certain extra-sensory abilities that haven't been observed in other vampires, having the ability to sense and predict things... ("Don't worry. Everything's switching. Outside to inside. It makes her weak " "Did my pet have a vision?..."It hums. I can hear it.") And this probably endows her with a very unique perception of the world. Add that to all of the psychological damage that Angel inflicted + the influence of the demon and you have one complicated vampire.
I believe that this is supposed to be the factor that makes Drusilla getting back her strength a scary prospect. She's NOT just another vampire. Her mental illness doesn't weaken her and her extra abilities are a threat. She's written about in the Watcher diaries, which is a lot more than you can say for the random vamps that Buffy stakes every night. (However, I do really have to agree that this episode goes a bit overblown in emphasizing the stakes and exaggerating them to create drama.)
What I love is that Spike tries to engage with her on HER wave length instead of trying to force her to operate on his own. He understands her multiple challenges, how she's been damaged and gifted, and he curbs himself every time he gets too impatient with her. I think that Drusilla does take advantage of this, because she's crafty and especially insightful, regardless of her mental challenges. But I think it tells us a lot about Spike that he understands that the way she reacts to things often really isn't her fault.
It's a nice juxtaposition to Buffy's growing acceptance of Angel. We've gone from a place where Buffy would allegedly bring up Angel's vampirism in every argument to where she'll kiss him in "vampire face" without flinching or being repulsed.
Oh Dalton and the big brain! I love that we have a sort of meek, brainy vampire who isn't just an animal.
Plus Willy! A human who knows all about vampires without being connected to the slayer and tries to play neutral party. FASCINATING.
Also, “I am Kendra, the Vampire Slayer.”
ZOMG! This melted my brain the first time I watched.