BtVS 5x22: The Gift [The Issue with Spuffy]
In my book, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and Angel too) is a damn well near a perfect show. That is not to say I deny that they both have flaws (the treatment of Cordelia in Angel season 4 is the biggest one), but Joss creates such a perfect blend of amazing characterization, poignant and witty writing and great style that these flaws are hard to ignore. Still, there are occasionally some eyebrow-raising moments for me, and the more I rewatch the show, the more I want to talk about them.
This time my issue is with the Spike/Buffy scene at her house in the season 5 finale, "The Gift".
Before the final battle, Buffy and Spike go to pick up more weapons from her house. She re-invites him in after he was banned from her house as the result of the events of "The Crush" and makes him promise to protect Dawn if anything happens to Buffy herself. Spike agrees. Then this happens:
(c) scooby-gang
This statement rubs me the wrong way for many reasons. First of all: Buffy never really treated him like a man. She treats him like an enemy, then like a nuisance, then like an asset, but she never actually demonstrates any respect for him. Whenever she needs some muscle, she turns to Spike - but always grudgingly and because he's objectively useful against any non-human threat. Buffy's treatment of him gets a bit less hostile after "Intervention", but then he earns it. Arguably, Buffy doesn't start treating him with any sort of respect all the way until he gets a soul. Buffy's view of vampires is less black and white than most people's, but she puts a great emphasis on the presence or the absence of soul. She often stresses that Spike, no matter what good deeds he does, is not like Angel: Angel has a soul, which makes him all but human in Buffy's eyes. She denies Spike's ability to love because he is apparently incapable of feel that without a soul (even though he clearly feels it and Drusilla also states that vampires can love just fine). Throughout the whole show, Buffy has been developing towards being more accepting of non-humans. It is established that demons in the Buffyverse canon have no souls, but several non-hostile demons have been introduced, such as Clem, Lorne, etc., and Buffy has never been anything but civil to Clem f.ex. Which sort of brings me to the second issue here.
I'm not very well acquainted with the BtVS fandom, but I know that Buffy hate is unfortunately a very big thing there. Buffy gets hate for many things, including her treatment of Spike. To be clear: I don't think that Buffy has treated Spike like a man in series 5 - and I don't think she has to. Spike's actions in series 5 have been anything but honourable until the last few episodes. When Buffy turns to him for help as Riley's life is in danger, he rudely turns her down and then endangers it even more by kidnapping the doctor that was supposed to help Riley. Afterwards, he realizes his feelings for Buffy and from then on, everything he does is purely for credit. He attempts to help a wounded woman and points out how he's not trying to taste her blood. He swoops in to help Buffy when she doesn't need it. He drives a wedge between her and Riley by exposing Riley's bite addiction (admittedly a good thing in the long run because I do believe Buffy deserved to know, but Spike's motives were never pure). Apart from that, Spike stalks her, steals her things, makes a shrine to her, orders a sexbot copy of her and finally knocks her out, ties her up and tries to blackmail her into loving him back! Excuse me, but in which crazy world a person like that should be treated as anything but a monster!? In the real world, she would get a restraining order against him and possibly even have him arrested. In-verse, Spike should be glad she merely uninvited him and not staked him.
Spike is a magnificent character in the sense that, like many of Whedon's creations, he undergoes terrific character development and growth, both by himself and through his relationship with Buffy. Spike may be a monster, but he's not a complete bastard. He has his own code of honour as he demonstrates in "Intervention" and later in "The Gift". He is capable of feeling remorse ("Bargaining", "After Life", even "Seeing Red"). And he is capable of learning: compare his attempts to win Buffy's affection in "Into the Woods", "Triangle" and suchlike with his later genuinely selfless acts such as keeping Dawn's identity from Glory, helping Dawn in "Forever", bringing flowers for Joyce in "Forever" and protecting Dawn later on in season 6. Spike's change isn't complete, drastic or abrupt: he keeps acting quite selfishly in season 6 when he, unwittingly or deliberately, contributes to the distance between Buffy and her friends growing. But at the same time, it's not all about him anymore. Before "Intervention", Spike acted like Buffy was just the object of his feelings, something to project on. Afterwards, she becomes a real person, develops into someone he would address his iconic monologue in "Touched" to. He starts taking her feelings, her relationships, her own well-being into account in the way that he didn't before. Of course it's still raw, underdeveloped, but so is Spike himself. In my opinion, that - and not the actual soul - has always been the main difference between him and Angel. Spike, in his soulless state, was still capable of becoming someone who would want to have a soul, who would accept the misery, the guilt and the self-loathing that come with it, process it and learn from it.
But the point is: as of series 5 finale, he is not that person yet. He is on his way, but he has a long way to go. He has 4 seasons of being a monster and an outright jerk behind him and as of "The Gift" he has done very little to deserve normal treatment from Buffy of all people. I love both Buffy and Spike a ton, but objectively, they have both been pretty horrible to each other; at least Buffy has reasons to be that way. Her respect and amity must be deserved; Spike deserves them in the end, but not yet. Which is why both his statement in "The Gift" and the hate Buffy gets for this statement not being technically true are kidn of ridiculous.
This time my issue is with the Spike/Buffy scene at her house in the season 5 finale, "The Gift".
Before the final battle, Buffy and Spike go to pick up more weapons from her house. She re-invites him in after he was banned from her house as the result of the events of "The Crush" and makes him promise to protect Dawn if anything happens to Buffy herself. Spike agrees. Then this happens:
(c) scooby-gang
This statement rubs me the wrong way for many reasons. First of all: Buffy never really treated him like a man. She treats him like an enemy, then like a nuisance, then like an asset, but she never actually demonstrates any respect for him. Whenever she needs some muscle, she turns to Spike - but always grudgingly and because he's objectively useful against any non-human threat. Buffy's treatment of him gets a bit less hostile after "Intervention", but then he earns it. Arguably, Buffy doesn't start treating him with any sort of respect all the way until he gets a soul. Buffy's view of vampires is less black and white than most people's, but she puts a great emphasis on the presence or the absence of soul. She often stresses that Spike, no matter what good deeds he does, is not like Angel: Angel has a soul, which makes him all but human in Buffy's eyes. She denies Spike's ability to love because he is apparently incapable of feel that without a soul (even though he clearly feels it and Drusilla also states that vampires can love just fine). Throughout the whole show, Buffy has been developing towards being more accepting of non-humans. It is established that demons in the Buffyverse canon have no souls, but several non-hostile demons have been introduced, such as Clem, Lorne, etc., and Buffy has never been anything but civil to Clem f.ex. Which sort of brings me to the second issue here.
I'm not very well acquainted with the BtVS fandom, but I know that Buffy hate is unfortunately a very big thing there. Buffy gets hate for many things, including her treatment of Spike. To be clear: I don't think that Buffy has treated Spike like a man in series 5 - and I don't think she has to. Spike's actions in series 5 have been anything but honourable until the last few episodes. When Buffy turns to him for help as Riley's life is in danger, he rudely turns her down and then endangers it even more by kidnapping the doctor that was supposed to help Riley. Afterwards, he realizes his feelings for Buffy and from then on, everything he does is purely for credit. He attempts to help a wounded woman and points out how he's not trying to taste her blood. He swoops in to help Buffy when she doesn't need it. He drives a wedge between her and Riley by exposing Riley's bite addiction (admittedly a good thing in the long run because I do believe Buffy deserved to know, but Spike's motives were never pure). Apart from that, Spike stalks her, steals her things, makes a shrine to her, orders a sexbot copy of her and finally knocks her out, ties her up and tries to blackmail her into loving him back! Excuse me, but in which crazy world a person like that should be treated as anything but a monster!? In the real world, she would get a restraining order against him and possibly even have him arrested. In-verse, Spike should be glad she merely uninvited him and not staked him.
Spike is a magnificent character in the sense that, like many of Whedon's creations, he undergoes terrific character development and growth, both by himself and through his relationship with Buffy. Spike may be a monster, but he's not a complete bastard. He has his own code of honour as he demonstrates in "Intervention" and later in "The Gift". He is capable of feeling remorse ("Bargaining", "After Life", even "Seeing Red"). And he is capable of learning: compare his attempts to win Buffy's affection in "Into the Woods", "Triangle" and suchlike with his later genuinely selfless acts such as keeping Dawn's identity from Glory, helping Dawn in "Forever", bringing flowers for Joyce in "Forever" and protecting Dawn later on in season 6. Spike's change isn't complete, drastic or abrupt: he keeps acting quite selfishly in season 6 when he, unwittingly or deliberately, contributes to the distance between Buffy and her friends growing. But at the same time, it's not all about him anymore. Before "Intervention", Spike acted like Buffy was just the object of his feelings, something to project on. Afterwards, she becomes a real person, develops into someone he would address his iconic monologue in "Touched" to. He starts taking her feelings, her relationships, her own well-being into account in the way that he didn't before. Of course it's still raw, underdeveloped, but so is Spike himself. In my opinion, that - and not the actual soul - has always been the main difference between him and Angel. Spike, in his soulless state, was still capable of becoming someone who would want to have a soul, who would accept the misery, the guilt and the self-loathing that come with it, process it and learn from it.
But the point is: as of series 5 finale, he is not that person yet. He is on his way, but he has a long way to go. He has 4 seasons of being a monster and an outright jerk behind him and as of "The Gift" he has done very little to deserve normal treatment from Buffy of all people. I love both Buffy and Spike a ton, but objectively, they have both been pretty horrible to each other; at least Buffy has reasons to be that way. Her respect and amity must be deserved; Spike deserves them in the end, but not yet. Which is why both his statement in "The Gift" and the hate Buffy gets for this statement not being technically true are kidn of ridiculous.