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As a huge Spuffy shipper, I don't think I belong in this thread, but I will say that I loved them more in season 5 and then in season 7. Season 6 did give Spuffy fans what they craved for but in a horrible and toxic way. I did not like that at all, so I do agree with you about how S6 just brought in more and more of the "monster" out of Spike. What truly sold me to Spuffy was Spike getting his soul back.I liked Spike and Buffy while Buffy kept Spike at a distance because that was most believable and true to Buffy. So I liked a lot of their interactions in season 5- Buffy kissing Spike to show appreciation for how he didn't give Dawn/Buffy up even though he was being tortured, and when Spike says to Buffy "I know you'll never love me. I know I'm a monster but you treat me like a man". I know Spuffy fans do count these scenes as Spuffy scenes.
It's mainly when Spike actually gets in Buffy's pants that the monster comes out and never went back in entirely for me when it comes to Spuffy.