Pet peeve: I know everyone knows that Spike never told her he wasn't dead. But I just don't get that. He delayed. When he goes to tell her, she's out with her boyfriend. And he's given the impression that she knows he's back, loves him, and maybe will catch up with him some day. I don't know what he's supposed to do. He thinks they're both up to date on where each other is, and Buffy's actions say she's neither miffed nor particularly interested. That's his POV. Turns out she wasn't there. Alas, I can't imagine any scene that writes well around all of that, especially since I'm the only one who sees it that way, so I'll probably have to live with the premise that Spike was derelect in his duty to Buffy.
I'm not sure I see Spike as being all that boxed in. Buffy and Angel have just destroyed the world by having sex, even though they both know perfectly well that them having sex tends to start apocalypses. Nobody in the room is happy about Buffy boinking the guy she should have staked. Buffy should be feeling guilty as hell. Spike, along with every other person on the planet, has got every right to be angry. Will anti-Spike fans portray it in an anti-Spike way? Of course. They always do. But that's because there's nothing Spike could possibly do that isn't going to come up short. That's not peculiar to Spike. Nobody is immune from being found with fault if there's someone out there who wants to find fault.
Sidebar: My favorite latest argument. Spike is not special because he fought for a soul. Why? Because Angel was the first to ask to be a demon with a soul (in IWRY). And Spike sought the soul for selfish evil reasons anyway. Never mind that a human who wants to become a demon is not exactly the same as a demon who wants to get a soul. People who can be happy with that logic cannot be reasoned with. Back to the topic at hand.
I think Spike's boots are a good sign. It's a call back to his first entrance. That flags him as a big deal. Less ritual and more fun. In this latest issue we see Angel with candles and flames and ritual-looking like stuff. Spike's coming in with a cool ship, and apparently better information than anyone else has to date. Hopefully he'll be more all about business than anything else.
But the main reason I don't share your worry is this. Spike cannot be unimportant to Buffy. She has to have given him more than a fleeting thought. Why? Because this story is about Buffy. Spike doesn't get the big dramatic entrance at this moment so we can follow *his* story about where he stands with Buffy. If she really doesn't care, he can't matter to her now and there's no drama to his arrival from her side. If she shrugs and clearly doesn't care, the non-Spike fans will shrug and not care. The only drama would be for us Spike POV people. But this story isn't being written for us. Ergo, his entrance now means that he matters to Buffy. Something dramatic will happen for Buffy because of Spike's presence. Joss has said repeatedly that Spike is incredibly important to Buffy. We just got unequivocal text that says Willow sees him as one of Buffy's true loves. Joss has said that the boys will arrive at a moment of maximal pain.
Sorry for the ramble. I'm Spike first also -- the difference being I'm not a veteran of the fandom wars, and from my POV looking at the series as a whole, Joss's comments, and the sheer fact that Spike (and not Angel and not anybody else) gets the last grand entrance I just don't see that it'll be total shite for us. I'm not expecting a big Spuffy outcome, though I do expect respect on that front. But Spike is a big deal to Buffy and to the story. I'd bet cash on that.
P.S.: I don't think Emmie is wrong about the Chen covers for #36 and #37 being connected.
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Date: 2010-08-19 06:03 am (UTC)I'm not sure I see Spike as being all that boxed in. Buffy and Angel have just destroyed the world by having sex, even though they both know perfectly well that them having sex tends to start apocalypses. Nobody in the room is happy about Buffy boinking the guy she should have staked. Buffy should be feeling guilty as hell. Spike, along with every other person on the planet, has got every right to be angry. Will anti-Spike fans portray it in an anti-Spike way? Of course. They always do. But that's because there's nothing Spike could possibly do that isn't going to come up short. That's not peculiar to Spike. Nobody is immune from being found with fault if there's someone out there who wants to find fault.
Sidebar: My favorite latest argument. Spike is not special because he fought for a soul. Why? Because Angel was the first to ask to be a demon with a soul (in IWRY). And Spike sought the soul for selfish evil reasons anyway. Never mind that a human who wants to become a demon is not exactly the same as a demon who wants to get a soul. People who can be happy with that logic cannot be reasoned with. Back to the topic at hand.
I think Spike's boots are a good sign. It's a call back to his first entrance. That flags him as a big deal. Less ritual and more fun. In this latest issue we see Angel with candles and flames and ritual-looking like stuff. Spike's coming in with a cool ship, and apparently better information than anyone else has to date. Hopefully he'll be more all about business than anything else.
But the main reason I don't share your worry is this. Spike cannot be unimportant to Buffy. She has to have given him more than a fleeting thought. Why? Because this story is about Buffy. Spike doesn't get the big dramatic entrance at this moment so we can follow *his* story about where he stands with Buffy. If she really doesn't care, he can't matter to her now and there's no drama to his arrival from her side. If she shrugs and clearly doesn't care, the non-Spike fans will shrug and not care. The only drama would be for us Spike POV people. But this story isn't being written for us. Ergo, his entrance now means that he matters to Buffy. Something dramatic will happen for Buffy because of Spike's presence. Joss has said repeatedly that Spike is incredibly important to Buffy. We just got unequivocal text that says Willow sees him as one of Buffy's true loves. Joss has said that the boys will arrive at a moment of maximal pain.
Sorry for the ramble. I'm Spike first also -- the difference being I'm not a veteran of the fandom wars, and from my POV looking at the series as a whole, Joss's comments, and the sheer fact that Spike (and not Angel and not anybody else) gets the last grand entrance I just don't see that it'll be total shite for us. I'm not expecting a big Spuffy outcome, though I do expect respect on that front. But Spike is a big deal to Buffy and to the story. I'd bet cash on that.
P.S.: I don't think Emmie is wrong about the Chen covers for #36 and #37 being connected.