First of all, Ballard/Echo isn't a patch on Spike/Buffy - there's none of the richness and deep complex layers of their relationship- but there are bits ("breadcrumbs") that remind me of Spike/Buffy.
You've got Ballard sleeping with Mellie while pining over Echo (shades of Dru and Harmoney), you've got Ballard taking care of Echo while they are on the run without getting anything as a reward (shades of the Riley era) and you've got him willing to die getting her back to the L.A. Dollhouse ("Chosen"). Like I said earlier, not a good match because Joss never seemed as interested in exploring their relationship and maybe he should have because it might have made the show a lot more interesting. But he didn't so all we have are breadcrumbs.
On the other hand, maybe he just threw that scene in to apologize for recent developments in the Season Eight comics "cough, Twilight, cough".
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You've got Ballard sleeping with Mellie while pining over Echo (shades of Dru and Harmoney), you've got Ballard taking care of Echo while they are on the run without getting anything as a reward (shades of the Riley era) and you've got him willing to die getting her back to the L.A. Dollhouse ("Chosen"). Like I said earlier, not a good match because Joss never seemed as interested in exploring their relationship and maybe he should have because it might have made the show a lot more interesting. But he didn't so all we have are breadcrumbs.
On the other hand, maybe he just threw that scene in to apologize for recent developments in the Season Eight comics "cough, Twilight, cough".