I feel like your making excuses for Angel and being unfair to Spike. He was unsouled at the time compared to souled Angel after all.
(This maybe just a lot of rambling that may not make much sense! 🤔)
Maybe so but we could all be accused of doing that for our favourite?...
I was actually trying to say that those two particular scenarios aren't really comparable not just because of the state of the souls being there or not but just the situations in general.
The difficulty with Spike soulless and Spike souled is that there isn't much difference to him. I'd blame that on JW and the writers with their decision to not have made a distinctive change (IMO) with Spike's personality and traits when he got his soul. I understand that Spike was a popular character as a soulless vampire so they didn't want to change so much in him that would upset his fans but for me it felt like I was watching the same character even with the return of his soul.
Plus as when you said about not comparing Spike's behaviour as a soulless vampire why then give him any due when he goes for his soul when he was still soulless then? Why is he supposingly acting noble when he is still soulless?
I just don't believe when he decided to get his soul that it was a noble act on his part and in his conscious because of what he truly was at that time. I mean what was the point that he decided this to be the only way for him in being with her? When Buffy quite firmly told him it was over and he actually believe her? Because IMO it wasn't. For me it was when he realised he could not have her sexually that this was the turning point for him because he equated (at that time) sex as being the most important thing in his 'relationship' with Buffy. So if he couldn't have any sexual relationship with her than it wouldn't be enough to just be involved with her without that.
And again I don't see it being noble to get a soul for girl that has told you that what ever was between you both is over and you can't accept it. Instead you will literally do anything to get that person back. Not very health but it was soulless Spike thinking this so his version of love isn't the healthiest. The problem is those that I don't think there is much of a difference in Spike's feelings about Buffy once he does get a soul.
With Angel, I'm all about Angel and Buffy and their love for one another.
Angelus was an exciting twist to their tale which brought it to another level but I am clear about who I love Buffy with. Angelus was never an option. He may have been a bit obsessed about Buffy at one point but in the end he want her to die and not turned like he did with Drusilla. Angel and Angelus may live within the same body but they are so distinctive different even in the way they carry themselves. They feel very differently about people. They feel very differently to me as characters. I was intrigued with Angelus and on perspective love his arc in series 2 but if they never brought him back again like they did in ATS I would have been ok with this because the development of Angel on ATS gave him much more facets in his personality and traits. However if they had killed Angel in the series 2 finale and had kept it permanent, I would have been devastated and can't say if I would have stay on for BVTS to the end and I did even if I wasn't that happy with a lot of stuff that happened.
From what I can remember about Buffy and Spike before the realisation of him getting a soul was that there was still a lot enthusiasm for them being together. The glee about their sex being more than anything that happened with Angel and Buffy because they literally took the house.down 🙄 Because that's the most important thing about having sex?! Anyway I just feel like regardless of whether Spike got a soul or not, the fans of his relationship with Buffy would still have wanted them to be together so I don't believe that him getting a soul to get her back is anything that makes him better in comparison to Angel.
The relationship that Buffy and Angel had grew IMO just as much as what you think regarding her relationship with Spike. It becomes more than a typical young high school romance because of the characters that they are and what the relationship means to them. Even if they were to never get back together again it wouldn't devalue what they felt and believed as time moved on with their lives.
And it's a No from me in splitting Buffy in two. I'm a all or nothing person and I'd rather Angel not be with Buffy if it ain't ALL of Buffy. Sorry. But not really sorry?! 😏
I guess for me I just connected with Angel in the same way you connect with Spike. Which is fine because it would be a pretty boring world if we all agreed about everything?! 😉