as Damon, he grabs you in and makes you fascinated with him, makes you actually like him and sympathize with him, even as he's a psychotic ass

YES! *fangirls Ian madly*

See, I do think SMG did get and capture Buffy from the start, as Emmie argued above. But for some reason, I always feel like she's more natural in the role in the later seasons. Might be because of the stoic thing, like Joss said once. But it is an entirely subjective thing - I mean, there are those who think her acting declined in the last two seasons. (Boo to that theory, I say.)

WOOT! HAPPY ICON-COLLECTING.