Are These Nice People?
Today (well, no, it's yesterday now) marks the fifteenth anniversary since the introduction of Spike and Drusilla in 2.03 "School Hard."
I kept trying to think of things to say about them, something long and lengthy to write, so I could show my appreciation, but... nothing came.
This is very disappointing.
Spike and Drusilla are my favourite characters of the series. They're what made me interested in Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the first place, and if they hadn't interested me in Buffy, then I wouldn't have watched Angel, or Firefly, or Dollhouse. I would have missed out on so much, and I'm so thankful for their existence!
Before the two of them stormed their way onto the scene, I was a little mixed about the series. Angel creeped me out, stalking girls and being mysterious should not make them fall in love with you. Buffy I was disappointed in, because Angel managed to seduce her with his stalking and lying and non-information. And while it was sort of interesting, monsters and all, it didn't quite have the pull it needed to make me dedicated.
And then, there they were.
Spike plows down the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign, lights up a cigarette to a very angry punk score, and knocks out a guy who's about a foot taller than he is without looking at him. Which was amazing, and I think some part of me knew something wonderful was coming just from that, but then, then, Drusilla showed up.
Spike's one-eighty from his casual violence and banter (about violence) to his concern for his sweetheart impressed me. I may have fallen in love with him in that moment. About three minutes of screen time and already he was one of the most complex characters of the series.
I love that Spike is all these little bits and pieces of personalities that probably shouldn't be put together, but are, and they work. He's strong, a good fighter, sappily romantic, dedicated to a fault, intense, earnest, a little insecure (but definitely not in his body), and takes sarcasm to new levels. Although he jumps at the chance to get into an all-out brawl, and gladly makes his own, he's still a natural caretaker. His hobbies include poker, fighting demons and women with superpowers, starting bar-brawls, chain smoking, reading, writing romantic poetry, and watching soap operas. And he takes his cocoa with those little marshmallows, thank you very much. And with all this, he still feels like a natural character. Like he's someone who could really exist.
And Dru... she was insane and disturbing and gorgeous and I honestly can't even put into words what attracted me to her, but she's an amazing character.
While I never thought for a second that Angel was human, I honestly can't recall if I had read a spoiler before beginning the series or if I simply wasn't fooled, but I knew he was a vampire. But when Drusilla showed up, I wasn't actually sure she was one. I'm not sure why, but since she entered the series in her human visage, and Spike immediately worried that she shouldn't be in a roomful of vampires, which he expressed after he turns to his own human face to look at her, I wondered if she was just a normal human girl. Well, an insane, blood-licking, fortune-telling, human girl. I wasn't sure what Spike was doing with her. Did she know he was a vampire? Did she know that the room was full of them? Was she some whacked out virgin sacrifice kept on hand?
It's a mystery~
And then she eats Buffy's classmate, and nope: she's a vampire.
Ah, but Spike/Drusilla is amazing. I have this habit of re-watching Season Two, but skipping all the scenes that don't include Spike and Dru. I wish she'd shown up in seasons Three and Four, even just a little. It felt awkward that she didn't appear, even though we got flashbacks later.
I felt like they were really devoted to one another, but Drusilla has such a different view on what is acceptable in a relationship, she's a polyamarous person, but she's not really capable of sitting down and discussing this with Spike. So, as much as they love one another, they can't really function as a couple. After having Drusilla's infidelities laid out in front of him, Spike is finally ready to admit that this isn't what he wants. He wants, perhaps not explicitly monogamy, but fidelity at least. Of course, being Spike, he's willing to sacrifice his own wants and desires just to be with her, but Dru won't let him do that. Remember, Spike tells Willow that Dru asked him to still be her friend. Dru knew he was meant to be with Buffy, and that's why she let him go. It just takes a crazy long time for us to get the entire story.
Hey, look, I wrote about them. (But a little too late.)
I kept trying to think of things to say about them, something long and lengthy to write, so I could show my appreciation, but... nothing came.
This is very disappointing.
Spike and Drusilla are my favourite characters of the series. They're what made me interested in Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the first place, and if they hadn't interested me in Buffy, then I wouldn't have watched Angel, or Firefly, or Dollhouse. I would have missed out on so much, and I'm so thankful for their existence!
Before the two of them stormed their way onto the scene, I was a little mixed about the series. Angel creeped me out, stalking girls and being mysterious should not make them fall in love with you. Buffy I was disappointed in, because Angel managed to seduce her with his stalking and lying and non-information. And while it was sort of interesting, monsters and all, it didn't quite have the pull it needed to make me dedicated.
And then, there they were.
Spike plows down the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign, lights up a cigarette to a very angry punk score, and knocks out a guy who's about a foot taller than he is without looking at him. Which was amazing, and I think some part of me knew something wonderful was coming just from that, but then, then, Drusilla showed up.
Spike's one-eighty from his casual violence and banter (about violence) to his concern for his sweetheart impressed me. I may have fallen in love with him in that moment. About three minutes of screen time and already he was one of the most complex characters of the series.
I love that Spike is all these little bits and pieces of personalities that probably shouldn't be put together, but are, and they work. He's strong, a good fighter, sappily romantic, dedicated to a fault, intense, earnest, a little insecure (but definitely not in his body), and takes sarcasm to new levels. Although he jumps at the chance to get into an all-out brawl, and gladly makes his own, he's still a natural caretaker. His hobbies include poker, fighting demons and women with superpowers, starting bar-brawls, chain smoking, reading, writing romantic poetry, and watching soap operas. And he takes his cocoa with those little marshmallows, thank you very much. And with all this, he still feels like a natural character. Like he's someone who could really exist.
And Dru... she was insane and disturbing and gorgeous and I honestly can't even put into words what attracted me to her, but she's an amazing character.
While I never thought for a second that Angel was human, I honestly can't recall if I had read a spoiler before beginning the series or if I simply wasn't fooled, but I knew he was a vampire. But when Drusilla showed up, I wasn't actually sure she was one. I'm not sure why, but since she entered the series in her human visage, and Spike immediately worried that she shouldn't be in a roomful of vampires, which he expressed after he turns to his own human face to look at her, I wondered if she was just a normal human girl. Well, an insane, blood-licking, fortune-telling, human girl. I wasn't sure what Spike was doing with her. Did she know he was a vampire? Did she know that the room was full of them? Was she some whacked out virgin sacrifice kept on hand?
It's a mystery~
And then she eats Buffy's classmate, and nope: she's a vampire.
Ah, but Spike/Drusilla is amazing. I have this habit of re-watching Season Two, but skipping all the scenes that don't include Spike and Dru. I wish she'd shown up in seasons Three and Four, even just a little. It felt awkward that she didn't appear, even though we got flashbacks later.
I felt like they were really devoted to one another, but Drusilla has such a different view on what is acceptable in a relationship, she's a polyamarous person, but she's not really capable of sitting down and discussing this with Spike. So, as much as they love one another, they can't really function as a couple. After having Drusilla's infidelities laid out in front of him, Spike is finally ready to admit that this isn't what he wants. He wants, perhaps not explicitly monogamy, but fidelity at least. Of course, being Spike, he's willing to sacrifice his own wants and desires just to be with her, but Dru won't let him do that. Remember, Spike tells Willow that Dru asked him to still be her friend. Dru knew he was meant to be with Buffy, and that's why she let him go. It just takes a crazy long time for us to get the entire story.
Hey, look, I wrote about them. (But a little too late.)