Because I can do better than the snotty post I made on Tumblr.

[eilowyn]

Today, I made this post on Tumblr in response to a confession on the Buffy Confessions blog. I often do this to confessions I have feelings about. This one started with the snarky response, "Isn't it nice how people disregard season 7 in order to self-righteously get their Spike/Spuffy hate on?" but I expanded it. That post on Tumblr came from the

Comments

[tennyo_elf]

The AR could have been left out. It could have been something different. I agree with you on that. I hate that it came to it and that I think it shouldn't have been done. Oddly enough though, I think the AR does make sense if you think about Spike's skewed morals at that point and the sexual relationship he had been in with Buffy. That sounds like rape apology but I don't mean it in that sense, just that it can be viewed as an organic come to point (which is pretty disgusting, because even though Spike did the AR I felt so much sympathy for both him and Buffy and then I felt ugly for having sympathy for Spike...but maybe that is what they wanted because so many fans liked Spike when they weren't supposed to or some such :rolls eyes:). Do I think it's good? Hell no, I think it was a really stupid thing to do while also filming it the way they did.

Joss isn't perfect, he's done a lot of great things and a lot of questionable things (season 8 and 9 come to mind, as well as ATS 4 and the whole Slayer origin thing from season 7...and I have big issues with the empowerment spell). So the AR was one of the hick ups he did.

But I do like how messed up their relationship was in season 6 because Spike was a soulless vampire. I don't particularly believe in soulless redemption. I get that it makes a much more engaging story line about a soulless/moralless vampire trying to do go only by the love he has for a good woman. However there are also issues with that too and ultimately Spike needed to have his own moral compass.

That is where I agree and love the soul fighting/regaining of Spike's story line. It seems many people have different ways to view vampirism in the Buffyverse. Vampirism to me is essentially a study in the dark side of the human condition. Anyone could be a murderer in the right circumstances, we all love a little destruction, and we're all a bit evil. But good, honest people know it and dismiss it (my view on the soul in the verse). So Spike needed his soul to be fully good and not just a shadow of what he could be, to be fully self sufficient and not need a woman or his love to guide him to do right.

Another thing, too, is the Buffy of it. She kills vampires nightly and if they all could possibly be good her moral stance is darkened. Yes, she kills or slays vampires, but it's because they are evil. She is destroying the dark parts of human nature, which I find a better message (empowering me to do good even when life throws you lemons), than her being a killer of demons that could have the potential to be redeemed.

So I am glad that Spike did get a soul and the writers choose that as a plot point. What I do care about it is how they came about it and the AR is down right careless and lacks a bunch of foresight. I think it's mostly because of that, that people can not let go of what happened to Spike and Buffy in season 6. Personally I think their season 6 relationship not only explored depression and bad choices but the dark side of love and obsession. Some people can't see past that and I suppose I can understand that since most aren't going to be analyzing the story.

One reason I gave up on those damn comics is because I didn't see anything between Dawn/Spike. Spike was so reduced to love interest that he seemed to only exist for that and showing us that spuffy is good and dead. I wanted Spike to matter to other characters too, not just Buffy. But it is what it is unfortunately. There is a lot wasted potential in season 7, 8 and 9. That's why I love fix it fan fic. :)

[kwritten]

YOU.

[eilowyn]

which is pretty disgusting, because even though Spike did the AR I felt so much sympathy for both him and Buffy and then I felt ugly for having sympathy for Spike...but maybe that is what they wanted because so many fans liked Spike when they weren't supposed to or some such :rolls eyes:

Which is one of the major problems I have with the AR. We sympathize with Spike. It's all too forgivable because of his state of mind at the time. Lesson learned? It's okay to rape if you're having a mental breakdown, because whether or not we were *supposed* to like Spike, so many fans did, and would be approaching the AR from Spike's perspective, where it's easy to understand where he's coming from.

She kills vampires nightly and if they all could possibly be good her moral stance is darkened. Yes, she kills or slays vampires, but it's because they are evil. She is destroying the dark parts of human nature, which I find a better message (empowering me to do good even when life throws you lemons), than her being a killer of demons that could have the potential to be redeemed.

I follow you on your idea about vampirism, and agree that it's a really good assessment. However, the problem with Buffy killing beings who could be *redeemed* would be easily solved by a flashback to Dru saying something like Miss Edith told her the soul never went away and Spike was never her knight or something cryptic like that. Mythology can change on a dime like that. We got some random, never before seen character called Whistler telling Buffy that Angel was always supposed to be the one helping her and was supposed to stop Acathla, so why not have a character we already know twist canon like that? For that matter, bring back Whistler. Have him tell Buffy Spike's unique to the vampire race. That isn't too hard. Only problem? That's making Spike a special snowflake, and according to Mutant Enemy, Angel's the only one who gets to be special (I really want to insert my gif of the Man in Black from Lost telling Jacob "I'M SPECIAL!" right now). That was a step they weren't willing to make. A kind of obvious one, too - making Spike a special vampire would take just a quick little line, and because most of the audience was sympathetic to Spike anyway, they'd believe it. Spike could continue to be soulless but special, Buffy could continue to kill vampires without remorse. The end.

And yes, I ultimately appreciate that they kept the mythology of the soul intact in a way that still allows Spike to make his heroic quest.

And I just read about Angel getting number sixty-something on a 100 greatest sci-fi heroes poll. I was going to make a comment on Whedonesque about how the people who voted for him obviously didn't read the comics, but then I read that the Daleks were ranked higher than the Doctor. So evil villains are on that list. Angel should feel right at home among the Daleks. Since he wanted to exterminate the whole universe and everything. This was my short reply about the comics.

[tennyo_elf]

Which is one of the major problems I have with the AR. We sympathize with Spike. It's all too forgivable because of his state of mind at the time. Lesson learned? It's okay to rape if you're having a mental breakdown, because whether or not we were *supposed* to like Spike, so many fans did, and would be approaching the AR from Spike's perspective, where it's easy to understand where he's coming from.

This is why I think the AR was something that really lacked foresight. They wanted people to view soulless Spike as evil and unlikable. But people loved his character already. You can't force feed your audience your will. You tell a story and hopefully the messages get across, but some people are going to see it completely different than how you intended.

Spike could continue to be soulless but special

I really don't like this personally. I hate the special snowflake mentality. Because who really in life is special? No one. No one is special, no one is different. We are all unique individuals with strengths and weaknesses. And that doesn't take away that for almost 120 years Spike was killing and raping and enjoying it. And then, all of a sudden because he fell in love with Buffy he magically grows a conscious without a soul? I generally agree with you on stuff, but this one I gotta respectfully disagree on. I think Spike would lose something by becoming special. He's the underdog who underneath just wants love and acceptance. He's everyone, he's you and he's me, because he isn't a special snowflake, he is one of us. To me that makes his status a thousand times better than being "special".

[kikimay]

Your opinion is great.