Buffy's darkness in season 8 is part of what makes me think that there's some story to be told about Spike/Buffy. Just from a thematic point of view (since it looked to be closure and is now apparently not). And also because one of my first thoughts on the reveal that Buffy was robbing banks was that it really impacted how I see Spuffy.

If I'm Joss and I want to walk away from Spike, I wrap him up in an offhand bubble in the first issue -- the way Robin got written off. Joss didn't do that. That's pretty much my bottom line here.