Can't Even Shout, Can't Even Cry
There are two things that bug me about 4.10 "Hush". First, why aren't Spike and Olivia at the Scooby meeting at the university? Spike is seen researching with the group later, which means he needs to know the information that the rest of the group learns at the meeting. So not bringing him along does nothing but make more work for Giles, who would then have to repeat everything for Spike, and possibly Olivia.
The only reason to do this is to punctuate the point that Spike is not a part of the Scooby Gang, and from the character's perspective there would be no other reason to do this than just to exclude him. Even though they need him later.
Good is not nice.
Second, the scene of Spike shifting face when he eats, right before Xander attacks him, makes no sense once you've watched the rest of the series. While it is true that most vampire will randomly shift into their game faces, without being aware, Spike is the exception, as shown in "Where the Wild Things Are" he has to be actively concentrating to remain in vampire face and slips out of when he isn't paying attention. He also shows differences from normal vampires in his response to pain. When Angel, or any other vampire, is in pain, they respond by instinctually changing to vamp face, as shown in 2.10 "What's My Line Part One", 3.22 "Graduarion Day Part Two", and Angel's 2.03 "First Impressions", when Angel uses this on another vampire he doesn't know, showing it must be a pretty common instinct for vampires. Spike does the exact opposite, responding to pain with changing to his human face, as seen in 6.13 "Dead Things". He's also never shown shifting to drink from a cup again. The only reason he does it here is so Xander will get upset. I like that it gets to show Xander's protectiveness of Anya, Anya's instinct to protect Spike, and that Spike is actually willing to consider Xander's reasons for attacking and understand that to the point of not even seeming angry. But it really doesn't make sense and is obviously only there because they wanted everything else to happen and couldn't come up with a better way to do it. It makes me sad.
And on the topic of "Dead Things"...
I'm sure we all remember that scene.
This, too, is an example of changing things to suit the story, but this comes after it is established that Spike isn't really like other vampires and breaks the usual rules, so it doesn't actually contradict things. (At least not the way I interpret it.)
Buffy punches Spike to the ground and, in his pain, he shifts. The shifting here is used to underline the wrongness of Buffy's behaviour. She stands over her, yelling how the man is only a mask for the monster, but what the audience sees is the monster is a mask for the man. Buffy's behaviour is not justified and not right at all, and it becomes incredibly obvious how much she is simply externalising her own problems and laying the blame for her own actions, which she understands as wrong, on Spike.
(Posted originally on Neopets, 26/8/12)
The only reason to do this is to punctuate the point that Spike is not a part of the Scooby Gang, and from the character's perspective there would be no other reason to do this than just to exclude him. Even though they need him later.
Good is not nice.
Second, the scene of Spike shifting face when he eats, right before Xander attacks him, makes no sense once you've watched the rest of the series. While it is true that most vampire will randomly shift into their game faces, without being aware, Spike is the exception, as shown in "Where the Wild Things Are" he has to be actively concentrating to remain in vampire face and slips out of when he isn't paying attention. He also shows differences from normal vampires in his response to pain. When Angel, or any other vampire, is in pain, they respond by instinctually changing to vamp face, as shown in 2.10 "What's My Line Part One", 3.22 "Graduarion Day Part Two", and Angel's 2.03 "First Impressions", when Angel uses this on another vampire he doesn't know, showing it must be a pretty common instinct for vampires. Spike does the exact opposite, responding to pain with changing to his human face, as seen in 6.13 "Dead Things". He's also never shown shifting to drink from a cup again. The only reason he does it here is so Xander will get upset. I like that it gets to show Xander's protectiveness of Anya, Anya's instinct to protect Spike, and that Spike is actually willing to consider Xander's reasons for attacking and understand that to the point of not even seeming angry. But it really doesn't make sense and is obviously only there because they wanted everything else to happen and couldn't come up with a better way to do it. It makes me sad.
And on the topic of "Dead Things"...
I'm sure we all remember that scene.
This, too, is an example of changing things to suit the story, but this comes after it is established that Spike isn't really like other vampires and breaks the usual rules, so it doesn't actually contradict things. (At least not the way I interpret it.)
Buffy punches Spike to the ground and, in his pain, he shifts. The shifting here is used to underline the wrongness of Buffy's behaviour. She stands over her, yelling how the man is only a mask for the monster, but what the audience sees is the monster is a mask for the man. Buffy's behaviour is not justified and not right at all, and it becomes incredibly obvious how much she is simply externalising her own problems and laying the blame for her own actions, which she understands as wrong, on Spike.
(Posted originally on Neopets, 26/8/12)