A massive discussion on my fav subject and I did not see it until now! Hope it is not too late to join in. The trouble is that there are so many interesting comments that I could reply to.
But let me talk about Spike - something I just do not get a chance to do enough! I enjoyed watching the early, funny, wicked, sarcastic Spike - he was so much fun and the show could sometimes be a bit earnest and angsty - especially the whole Angel/Buffy thing. So a touch of astringency was welcome.
However, I LOVE LOVE LOVE with all the passion of my repressed English heart, the later Spike - in all his complex, tortured, contradictory, redemptive glory. I was trying to pinpoint the moment when I knew that he was my favourite fictional character ever and the love of my TV watching life. Mmmm. not easy. Maybe when he did not betray Dawn (& I think that the severing of that relationship was one of the worst things that Joss did! I so longed for them to make up by the end as S's attitude to Dawn was really what made him seem like he was more human than demon and that he could be redeemed)
Anyway, Spike is so REAL - yes I know, a peroxided vampire with a soul - not often found in the real world. But part of my brain (or my heart, probably,) whispers that somewhere he must exist in some parallel universe, because Joss Whedon wrote a character with such emotional depth and complexity - with such truth in him - that it is hard to think of the director saying 'cut' and then Spike is no more.
Spike is in some ways the most human character - he changes and grows, he screws up and yet he tries to make things right - he TRIES, all the time, and that is what the best humans do, no matter what.
no subject
But let me talk about Spike - something I just do not get a chance to do enough! I enjoyed watching the early, funny, wicked, sarcastic Spike - he was so much fun and the show could sometimes be a bit earnest and angsty - especially the whole Angel/Buffy thing. So a touch of astringency was welcome.
However, I LOVE LOVE LOVE with all the passion of my repressed English heart, the later Spike - in all his complex, tortured, contradictory, redemptive glory. I was trying to pinpoint the moment when I knew that he was my favourite fictional character ever and the love of my TV watching life. Mmmm. not easy. Maybe when he did not betray Dawn (& I think that the severing of that relationship was one of the worst things that Joss did! I so longed for them to make up by the end as S's attitude to Dawn was really what made him seem like he was more human than demon and that he could be redeemed)
Anyway, Spike is so REAL - yes I know, a peroxided vampire with a soul - not often found in the real world. But part of my brain (or my heart, probably,) whispers that somewhere he must exist in some parallel universe, because Joss Whedon wrote a character with such emotional depth and complexity - with such truth in him - that it is hard to think of the director saying 'cut' and then Spike is no more.
Spike is in some ways the most human character - he changes and grows, he screws up and yet he tries to make things right - he TRIES, all the time, and that is what the best humans do, no matter what.