I feel like I should add why Spike's character being salvageable wouldn't be enough for me. I used to like Spike way more than I liked Buffy - if this was S2 or 3 or 4 then I wouldn't give a crap. But the fact is that Spike grew for, because of and in some ways in spite of Buffy - his character depends on hers, and if she's been recast as shit then, no matter how independent Spike's become, his development is sullied with that same shit in my eyes, because, really, who the hell did he fall in love with?