and that Joss's refusal to tie this off quickly and painlessly signals that there's something in that transition that is important to Buffy's on-going story (even if Spike himself has no future in that story.)

And I'm afraid that I'll continue to believe that it's not so much a refusal as a failure to see Spike as being important to Buffy any more in any way whatsoever.

While of course hoping to be wrong.