Dianthus

Whedon has said (in front of recording equipment) that he was basically working out his own personal issues over the course of the show. Considering his mother died and his dad packed him off to boarding school, I'd say that's a big part of the 'darkness' of s6. I mostly prefer the camp of earlier seasons, but I'd rather light a candle than curse that darkness. So I try to understand, and find what good I can in it. That said, Doublemeat Phallus is one of my least favorite episodes of the whole series, and I usually like Espenson eps. A giant penis monster rising out of an old lady's head? Srsly?!? Paging Dr. Freud. Dr. Sigmund Freud.

This is where we first see the Darkness in Buffy. Darkness she refuses to deal with (or examine too closely) until forced to do so.

Eegah: Obviously, the writers didn't see eye-to-eye on Spuffy. Espenson and Fury seemed to be having a dialog in s5, with Triangle, Crush, and Intervention. I'd say it was due to a lack of communication on Whedon's part. I disagree that trying to understand their relationship is pointless. It was, IMO, an important part of Buffy's development. So pardon me if I carry on talking about it regardless. A vampire who likes to murder people?!? Unpossible! Unlike his other victims, the Slayers had the speed, skills and strength to defend themselves. In Spike's mind, that was honorable combat. He was taking on a fight he wasn't sure he could win. As we see in FFL, he only won those fights due to circumstance. BtVS is hardly the first work to draw a link between the kill and sex for vampires. Obviously: thru most of s4, Spike was still thinking of himself as evil. He was working both sides of the fence and trying to get the chip out of his head so he could "resume his killing ways." They made a joke out of him to make him more acceptable as part of the group. Obviously, he couldn't be a regular character if he was killing people all the time. Some folks (not necessarily saying you're one of them) hate Spike 'cuz he doesn't behave the way a vampire should. That's one of my favorite things about him. I've always been into oddballs and outliers.

Hey, I never said I was a fan of s7, or of all the choices Joss &Co. made. I thought Buffy was incredibly foolish to leave Spike down in the HS basement as long as she did. She didn't know he was being manipulated by TFE, but she did express concern about the HS being rebuilt over the Hellmouth, and the problems that could cause. You'd think that would translate into concern for Spike as well. Despite the AR, he's been an ally. Also, he could be affected by it. The writers kept him there because that's where they wanted him, so he could pop up and help Buffy defeat whatever. Then they/she can just throw him back down into the hole when she doesn't need him anymore. Klassi. What's more, she accepts Willow back into her home, even tho' she's still dangerous as well. Don't forget, the ending of s5 is pretty contrived too. The apocalyptic stuff was some of the weakest stuff they did. By doing the spell, Buffy and Willow change the status quo. They create a new "normal." It's not all sunshine and lollipops. Embracing the darkness within isn't about "winning the day." It's about growing up, which is really the whole point of the whole fcking show.

Loandbehold: The Zeppo being a case in point. It's a strong ep in general (IMO), and a great Xander ep.

Carrie Anne: In Primeval, Buffy and the Scoobies do the joining spell. They are all, in a sense, free-range aspects of her. Giles is her Intellect, Willow her Spirit, and Xander her Heart. Spike saves them from a lesser threat while Buffy's busy saving them from Adam. It's so they won't stake him, of course, but they are saved all the same. They set up parallels in this episode between Buffy and Spike. They share the same irreverent attitude towards the deadly serious and deadly powerful Adam. Also, they both display an inability to follow orders. He also acts in lieu of the Slayer over the 147 nights she's dead. He stayed in Sunnydale, fighting the Good Fight, when he didn't have to, when there was no one around to give him credit, or points, or whatever. It is Spike who represents an aspect of Buffy, not the other way around. Embracing him is the equivalent to embracing that aspect of her character. Plus, she went to him of her own volition. She's not helplessly in thrall. She's not making the best decisions, given her trauma and state of mind, but they are her decisions. We all have darkness inside us, just as we do light. Dealing with that darkness, accepting it, is healthy and necessary.

Cobalt Stargazer: I beg to differ. BtVS is about growing up. It's about emerging from the black and white world of childhood into the grey world of adulthood. As for Spike being a "special snowflake," it's not so simple as that. Spike is a pragmatist. He works with the Slayer long before he gets chipped. He makes truce with the Slayer of his kind to get what he (thinks he) wants, namely Dru. He works with her again in Lovers Walk, also pre-chip. Then, with the chip suppressing his more violent impulses, his latent humanity finds expression. His love for Buffy is much like his love for Dru. Selfish and possessive, yes, but genuine. Plus, his response to the AR shows how much he's changed. That's what matters, to me. He knew it was wrong, he cared that it was wrong, and he undertook a freaking Hero's Journey to fix the problem. The only other character who has a similar arc is Oz. Parallels are drawn between the two in New Moon Rising. Oz hurt Willow terribly, so he ran off to find a cure, to be a different (i.e., better) person. Still, in the end he lets Willow go so she can be with Tara, just as Spike lets Buffy go in Chosen. In her right mind, Buffy recognizes what Spike did for her and Dawn in Intervention. He is fully a part of the team for the rest of the season. It's not the same as having a sexual relationship with him, I grant you, but it partially informs her decision to do so, IMO. Willowy: I agree. Buffy never stops being a hero, even in the depths of her misery.

Carrie Ann: Spike comes to represent Buffy's Inner Darkness, her Slayer-ness (their power comes from the same place). He doesn't pull her into the darkness with him. The Darkness has been inside her since she became the Slayer. We see it for the first time in When She Was Bad (s2), before Spike is even introduced. She challenges Angel to "kick [her] ass" and torments Xander with the sexy dance. She will do both to Spike in s6. He's trying to get her to acknowledge that Darkness, something she resists doing. Her ambivalence towards him is the same as her ambivalence towards her Calling. Once again, subtext will become text in s7 (Get it Done).

I remember liking this ep overall. Snyder is a blast. A great foil for Buffy and her friends. I love Sid's film noir, forties tough-guy attitude. Very un-PC by today's standards, but I don't care. Also, actors playing non-actors, who couldn't act their way out of a wet paper bag. Too meta.

Rohaina, good to "see" you again. Glad you're sticking with it. Faith is the flip side of Buffy's coin. She hasn't had the same advantages Buffy enjoys. It makes her vulnerable. I was never her biggest fan, but it's interesting to see a different side of Slaying (IMO).

nosleepforme: Sorry, the words "too much Spike" simply do not compute. In Intervention, Buffy's spirit guide tells her that love will bring her to her gift. She asks, in all seriousness, if she'll be getting this gift or giving it. In that death is her gift, she both gives it (The Gift) and gets it (Chosen). I have no problem with that. Also too, Spike gets his moment of effulgence, something he's wanted for a very long time. That's the "big pay-off" for his character arc.

Willowy, I actually kind of agree, tho I don't see it as having been inevitable. While I was "shocked and disappointed" (my heart just about sank thru the floor), I can't help but think that Buffy was playing with fire, and we all know what happens then. She sings about wanting the fire back in OMWF, just as Spike sings about the torch (fire) he bears for her and that it scorches him. Spike is carrying the fire for her and she could've warmed herself by it, IMO. Carrie Ann, the way I see it, Spike (for all his flaws) was giving Buffy the strength she needed to pull herself back together for most of s6. Once she managed it, she (respectfully) kicked him to the curb. Subtext that will become text (sorta) in s7, when she tells him directly that he gave her the strength to go back and face Caleb again.

Sunfleck: Oz and animal crackers. Yum! Ok, I'll confess, I had to think about that one for a second. "Oh, Spike. You're the Big Bad." I can't believe I forgot Spike's epic takedown of Glory from Intervention in my earlier post. Glory: "I'm a God." Spike: "The God of what, bad home perms?" "I never knew Gods were such prancing lightweights." "Mark my words, the Slayer's gonna kick your skanky, lop-sided ass back to whatever place would take a cheap, whorish, fashion-victim ex-God like you." Also, "We will bring you the limp and beaten body of Bob Barker."

taanja, Something Blue and Intervention are (not surprisingly) two of my favorite eps. tveyeonyou, Seeing Red is a very difficult ep for any Spike fan, I think, but it's his response to what he tried to do that really matters. Not only did he know it was wrong, he cared that it was wrong. You can see it in his face, once he's been jolted back to his senses. It's a real wake-up call for him, and thinking of it that way makes it (somewhat) easier for me to bear.

I liked the X-Files reference Buffy makes in this ep. I agree somewhat about the double standard. Xander was under the influence here, but so was Oddly enough, hyena gender relations don't really work this way. The females are bigger, stronger, and more aggressive than the males.

Looking back on it now, Owen kinda puts me in mind of William the Bloody (Awful Poet). I've been following the Buffy commix (for my sins) and the dating thing is still an issue, if you can believe it. I swear I want to shake Buffy until her eyeballs roll right out of her d*mn fool head. Girlfriend does not get to b!tch about lacking a love-life when she's got Spike chillin' in the friend-zone!

Thanks, tveyeonyou. Nice reflexes, BTW. I can't say s6 is my favorite, but there is a method to the madness. I'm not generally one to seek out conflict (honest). OTOH, I'm a Spike fan for a reason (i.e., snarky, stubborn and opinionated).

I remember that ep. Hollywood A.D. (IIRC) It was written by David Duchovny. Tofurkey! Too funny.

Is Neal really dead for good? This is the kind of show where that's not so clear cut, I think. I hope so(?), not b/c I hated the character, but I love Hook and Emma so, so much.

Beer Bad is one of my favorite eps! Very satisfying to see Buffy bonk Poophead Parker over said poopy head with a big stick. "Foamy!" Also: Xander: "Says the guy who spent the late 60s in an electric Kool-aid funky Satan groove." Giles: "It was the early 70s and you still should've known better." I personally think Joss has/had some serious issues with alcoholism. Not to say that he was himself an alcoholic. If someone you love is an alcoholic (his dad?), then it's an issue for you too. I also think that's partly why Spike takes so much more crap (not to mention pain and suffering) for his misdeeds than Anya does for hers, even tho' she was evil a lot longer than him, did more collateral damage, and (maybe) had a soul. That last bit was never really made clear, b/c her getting a soul or losing it to begin with, was never addressed by TPtB. Vampirism was obviously used as a metaphor for addiction: Angel going "off the wagon" in s2, Spike getting "clean."

Oh man! I was just part of a BtVS rewatch on another site that recently wrapped. I prob'ly won't be rewatching the eps, but I've seen them all multiple times, and discussed them with others who've also seen them multiple times. Wonder how many fights I'll get into this time? Spike's my favorite character, so I see things a little differently.

Yeah, Spike was a lot less fun in s7. His redemption was great and all, but "let's-take-our-funniest/sexiest/most-playful-character-and-make-it-so-he-can't-be-any-of-that" kinda sucked. Hoping Hook gets his groove back soon.

Back in the day, I played an on-line BtVS "dating game." I got Oz, best of three tries. The third time, I got Spike. I love both of them, and the idea of Spike and Oz sitting around discussing music. Spike and Joyce are totes adorbs.

I liked s4 well enough. Pangs and Something Blue are like crack for me, and Hush is genius. Restless works for me too, though I can see how it might be too esoteric/pretentious for some. Metaphors are a fine tool, but they're not the highest form of communication known to mankind.

I love Lovers Walk, and the Mayor is still my favorite Big-Bad. I was really into Buffy/Angel at the time, but I got over it. Loved Oz, too. Interesting bit of foreshadowing (?) in Lovers Walk, where Angel, Buffy and Spike are all standing shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the magic shop. One day...