#though I still love s*puffy and s*pike don't get me wrong

[oveliagirlhaditright]

So, I guess I’m going to get into some of my issues with S*puffy in the comics, and the unfairness towards A*ngel in my opinion? At first I wasn’t going to, because I try to keep this a positive blog, but I need to get this off my chest.

So, at first, I liked what they were doing with them in season 10. I enjoyed that S*pike actually admitted that the “love” he felt for Buffy without a soul was a selfish kind (and that he really didn’t love her then), and even if his love was killing her he never would have done the right thing and let her go. And when he said that last part, it made me think of how A*ngel did do that right thing, so shouldn’t that prove that A*ngel is the better man and A*ngel should be with him? Though, to be fair, just because someone did a right thing first doesn’t necessarily make them the right person for you. 

He then again starts talking about his regrets for trying to rape B*uffy. And again: I actually appreciated this.

But then B*uffy started trying to excuse this S*pike for it, because it essentially wasn’t him. She then goes on to say how she can’t blame him for that anymore than she can for A*ngel torturing nuns, back in the day. I’ll come back to the A*ngel thing in a minute.

And this... also almost works. Except that it almost comes off as B*uffy defending this attempted rape targeted at her, even though I know that isn’t what they were going for at all. Whatever.

But here’s where it all falls apart for me. In this arc, S*pike and A*ngel’s sire is trying to take control of them. And S*pike is worried that it can still his soul? In which case, S*pike was telling B*uffy that she had to kill him if that happened. Because he didn’t want to go back to being the monster he was. But then B*uffy says that she refused to do that, because S*pike was becoming a good person even without his soul, and he could do it again.

Do you see the issue here? You can’t have it both ways. Either S*pike without his soul wasn’t him, and thus shouldn’t be held accountable for thing such as the attempted rape. Or him without the soul was: and if you’re counting his good deeds there, then you also need to hold him responsible for the bad ones. Like the attempted rape.

And that’s why I now think that pretty much every thing with S*pike towards the end of season six and then all of season seven was a bad idea. I get why it happened from a character development perspective, but from a lore one the writers wrote themselves into a corner. Like, even though it seemed like S*pike was starting to do selfless things, you could still argue that it was done with selfish intent (and I think it was). But I guess the line started to get to blurred for the writers, so they wanted to show that S*pike without a soul was still bad. So they wrote the attempted rape thing. And that’s the thing that makes S*pike realizes he needs to get a soul. But I just feel there was no completely salvaging the relationship after they did that, even though I get why they did it.

There are another annoying lore things, too. Like, if S*pike can go get a soul without strings attached to it, why can’t Angel? And if you are saying that vampires can potentially start to become good without souls, is Buffy potentially wrong for staking them the moment they raise from the grave, then?

Quick segue here: it also annoys me how hellbent B*uffy is on not killing S*pike.  I actually think that hurts her character! One of the things that set her apart, was that she was always willing to do the right thing for the world, despite what it cost her. She did this with A*ngel. And yes, she probably would have tried to find another way if there was one, but she still did it. The only person she wasn’t willing to do this with was D*awn: her little sister. Which I got and respected. And thinking she might have to kill D*awn was the darkest moment o f B*uffy’s life, until she realized she could die in her place. And J*oss Whedon partly wrote this story, as it was similar to the B*uffy and A*ngel thing in season two, but this time it was about B*uffy’s sister, because her life didn’t revolve around her boyfriends. Which I loved. But then this is spat on, when in season seven, B*uffy suddenly says she would be willing to kill D*awn to save the world if it came down to it now... but yet she’s reluctant to do the same thing to Spike? What?!

Onto my irritation with how A*ngel is treated in these comics. So, there was this weird prophecy that B*uffy and A*ngel--who were high on god powers at the time--would have sex and give birth to this new universe. This happens, but B*uffy realizes that she doesn’t want to stay in this new universe and leave her old one behind. So she and A*ngel go back. But the universe they created (a universe called “Twilight”. No, not the Stephenie Meyer book series) is pissed that its “parents” left after just having made it, and without really defining it, so it possesses A*ngel, possessed A*ngel kills G*iles, and then possessed A*ngel and B*uffy fight. This whole thing is ended when Buffy ends up ripping most of the magic out of the universe, thus killing Twilight too and freeing A*ngel. But since possessed A*ngel killed G*iles, B*uffy can’t even look at him, and they spend most of the comics apart and on bad terms. And I’m just like... he was possessed. If you can forgive S*pike the crap he did without a soul, why can’t you forgive A*ngel this? Especially since you’ve forgiven the stuff he did without a soul. I know it was Giles, and that emotions aren’t always logical, but dang. And maybe it’s that B*uffy thinks A*ngel somewhat wanted all of that. And maybe he did. He even somewhat eludes to that. Which is probably character assassination, but whatever. But then I don’t entirely buy that, either, because when X*ander is blaming B*uffy for fulfilling that prophecy, she talks about how it was a prophecy millions of years in the making, and she had no control of herself in that moment. SO WHY CAN’T SHE BELIEVE THE SAME ABOUT A*NGEL, THEN?!

There’s also this part where A*ngel is possessed by his sire and tries to kill S*pike because he’s with B*uffy... and just why? Why, when S*pike gets this nice scene where he tries to kill B*uffy, but then B*uffy tells him she knows he wouldn’t hurt her and he gets to break through? I kind of get why this happened, because B*uffy was with S*pike at the time and A*ngel was hurt by it and the Sire probably could have used that... if it had been the other way around, S*pike probably would have done the same thing. And I even sort of enjoy how S*pike gets to help A*ngel out of this... But it seems sort of OOC for A*ngel (I’d honestly expect this thing out of S*pike more). And just seems to be another reason for B*uffy to hate A*ngel in these comics, so she temporarily chooses S*pike.

There’s also a bit where B*uffy goes into S*pike’s mind and sees how much he loves her, and how much it hurt him to get a soul for her... and she’s so moved by it. And first off: he partly did that for selfish reasons. But why can’t we get a scene of B*uffy seeing how A*ngel gave up his humanity and happiness with her to save her life (that she doesn’t even remember), and how much that hurt him? Especially since B*uffy kind of treated him badly forever after, because he then had to put up this guise that he wanted them to be over?

Just... J*oss Whedon’s whole thing is that people shouldn’t get rewarded for the selfless things they do. They should do it just because it’s the right thing to do. And yet he sure goes out of his way to reward S*pike for things, and give A*ngel nothing, when he’s had it way harder and done way more.

That part at the end of the A*ngel crossover in season 10 almost makes me cry. When he says that he doesn’t think B*uffy and S*pike will last, because in his experience happens never does and what does is the pain. Poor guy:(

Rant over, I think.

Edit: Honestly, I wish the B*uffy comics would have done something different. I wish we could have moreso seen who S*pike was without B*uffy--and how much of a hero he is without her--and how this new A*ngel and B*uffy are together, as they hadn’t really gotten to spend time together in forever. But alas. We stayed to the same trends.