Change in Spike's Voice

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dan k

Bangel Is Eternal
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Just got to season 5 on my Angel rewatch and i'am most probably alone in thinking this but Spike's voice sounds different then when he appeared on Buffy.

Its hard to explain but the tone is different, was wondering if anyone else thought the same?

Obviously you'd probably have to watch the second episode of season 5 again but why not use it as a good excuse.

Please tell me if i'am nuts, its just something i've picked up on this evening so it might be down to tiredness.
 
I thought so, too. It seemed less... I dunno lol. Spike-ish? Less cocky, determined, passion-driven? More annoying and immature?

I think that his voice had a stronger accent and was more passionate in Btvs. And then in Ats it took on a more whiney tune. Or maybe JM was getting old and losing his voice. I dunno. 😉
 
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dan k
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True, he whined differently in Ats, if I remember correctly (he was whiny on both shows "Buffy, sleep with me" vs "Angel, you're stupid"). I guess something changed with James' voice over the summer, or it was a deliberate choice. I don't remember Spike being all thet confident around Buffy in season 7. Maybe James felt "Now Spike can let go, release the his inner whiny child, now that Buffy's gone". Let's face it, in season 7, he was pretty much a tragic hero, a shadow of his former confident self. So maybe it was for the character, or James worked differently around other actors.

Or James forgot over the summer how Spike used to sound, or his voice changed on his own. I would like to compare BtVS S4 Spike with Ats S5 Spike, when he's cocky AND whiny, and see if there's similarities in the voice, due to where the character was in life (cokcy, without Buffy, being a apologizing shadow, and so on) but I don't have my DVDs with me.
 
Wishing Oceans
Wishing Oceans
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dan k said:
Just got to season 5 on my Angel rewatch and i'am most probably alone in thinking this but Spike's voice sounds different then when he appeared on Buffy.

Its hard to explain but the tone is different, was wondering if anyone else thought the same?

Obviously you'd probably have to watch the second episode of season 5 again but why not use it as a good excuse.

Please tell me if i'am nuts, its just something i've picked up on this evening so it might be down to tiredness.
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A contributing factor may be that Angel aired in Dolby Digital Sound, and BtVS did not.
 
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GrrArghx
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Wishing Oceans
Wishing Oceans
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Whatever the reason i don't like the change. Its like we've lost a part of Spike In Angel, like he has lost a part of himself.

Its almost if the pressure has taken its toll on him and that's reflected in his voice which isn't as strong and forthright as it was in Buffy.
 
Wishing Oceans
Wishing Oceans
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I agree with Buffyverse Fan.

IMO, his tone/speech wasn't different, just the actual sound of his voice. It sounds different in some episodes, and others it sounds like normal.

I just got done rewatching Season 5, and I noticed it too. But, I don't think it has anything to do with James himself.
 
I thought he wasn't doing the accent as well as he was on Buffy, he sounded more American on Angel.
 
Black Eye Guy said:
I thought he wasn't doing the accent as well as he was on Buffy, he sounded more American on Angel.
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Maaaaybe he wasn't holding onto his "bad ass" persona because he had his soul and had gone through all of these spiritual changes. Maybe it shows that he's changed, because he was faking the accent the whole time anyway and now he's trying to further distance himself from the demon part of him.

Okay, okay, even I don't believe my own psycho-babble. Perhaps James was tired?
 
Kelsey said:
Maaaaybe he wasn't holding onto his "bad ass" persona because he had his soul and had gone through all of these spiritual changes. Maybe it shows that he's changed, because he was faking the accent the whole time anyway and now he's trying to further distance himself from the demon part of him.

Okay, okay, even I don't believe my own psycho-babble. Perhaps James was tired?
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That actually is an interesting point. Angel, Liam, and Angelus all spoke differently...

Plus, even "in-universe," Spike's voice wasn't originally his natural voice. Angelus even mocked Spike when he began speaking the way he did...

Though I do think that his jump to Dolby Digital sound from old school stereo could have made a difference...
 
His accent on Angel seemed a bit broader and less convincing to me. I recently watched a couple of episodes from the final season of Angel along with some from Buffy's fourth season, and the difference is quite noticeable.
 
Chris said:
His accent on Angel seemed a bit broader and less convincing to me. I recently watched a couple of episodes from the final season of Angel along with some from Buffy's fourth season, and the difference is quite noticeable.
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I haven't noticed that myself, but I guess it's possible playing off of Tony Head helped James on BtVS...
 
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