Spike the Best thing to happen to BtVS?

S

Sullivan

Zompire
Joined
Aug 11, 2011
Messages
81
I dunno about everyone else but Spike was a breath of fresh air in this series. Until he came along it was either a cheesy MOTW (Monster of the Week) or the Master and his cronies trying to act out another obscure prophecy. Seriously under the Masters command they couldn't bat an eye-lid until a new prophecy popped up on the calendar.

Also after the Master died we were left with the anointed one. A Vampire kid who's power is his ability to stare blankly, pout and deepen his voice. I dread to think what would've become of the show if Buffy had to have a showdown with him.

That's why it was great when Spike came along. He was a renegade and loose cannon. He was more interested in killing and chaos for fun and he didn't always have to worry about some prophecy or another before he made a move. Also it was a great relief seeing him host the anointed one into the sunlight and thus removing the least intimidating bad guy from the whole show.
 
Okay, so without getting into what the impact was on the series, I would definitely agree that he was a breathe of fresh air to Season 2. A bit of spark and spunk was exactly what the series needed. They couldn't have pulled off more than a few episodes with the annoying one and Spike and Dru were perfect.

Actually, I think a rule breaker was exactly what BtVS season 2 needed. Season 1 was all about Buffy finding her place. Season 2 was about vampires breaking the rules and Season 3 was about slayers breaking the rules. I liked it. It worked well to see the vamps not care about rules and just do what they wanted.
 
Yep sorry I should've specified the best thing to happen to season 2.

caitaintdead said:
...Spike and Dru were perfect.
Click to expand...
Dru did get a little bit on my nerves initially with her quirky English accent, but together her and Spike made for a great pair of antagonists

Actually, I think a rule breaker was exactly what BtVS season 2 needed. Season 1 was all about Buffy finding her place. Season 2 was about vampires breaking the rules and Season 3 was about slayers breaking the rules. I liked it...
Click to expand...
Interesting I didn't realise season 2 and season 3 were all about breaking the rules by the respective sides. I'll need to revisit the series again.


It worked well to see the vamps not care about rules and just do what they wanted.
Click to expand...
Indeed. There's only so many prophecies one can take before they feel like turfing their Buffy DVD out the window
And I completely agree about the Vamps.
 
I think he was the best thing to happen to anything ever. Spike was pretty darn awesome.

In terms of what you mean here as far as what his role in season 2 meant for the show, I'd say you're right. Changing it up and adding a villain like Spike was exactly what the show needed. If they had stuck to what they were doing, the show wouldn't have run for 7 seasons.
 
K
kittenpoker
haha...best thing to happen to anything ever. yep I'm right there with you. :-)
P
peaches71
Spike being awesome karma!!
I loved Spike in the beginning, and I still love him at the end of the show, but I thought he was best as the villain instead of the lovesick puppy we saw him become after he fell for Buffy. We got some truly sweet moments from the Spuffy ship that I can appreciate but I still prefer Spike as a badass vamp rather than the comedic relief he became in Season 4 and on. If he hadn't been played by James Marsters, I probably would have found him annoying as Hell after Season 4 but James made him loveable. 🙂
 
brinkster130
brinkster130
[No message]
Yeah. I love Spike and Dru. I always enjoy watching them. And I feel like they brought a different kind of energy that was really cool.

Plus I really liked that it was shown that vampires could really care for each other. Adds a lot more gray into the black and white of "vampires are evil." Sure they are still murderers and everything, but that they are capable of love has always been interesting to me.

And if we'd had a season of the Annoying one . . . I probably would have stopped watching. So yeah, he was a great addition. Unpredictable even. Which is always nice to see.
 
I agree with Spike, but I think the writing was much better. It went from a "Monster of the Week" Show with Buffy dressing all hot and sexy, to an intelligent show where the focus was on honor, friendship, brains, and duty rather than Buffy's hotness.

In other words, Season 1 with Spike would have still been Season 1. All the planets aligned in Season 2 (about mid-way), and stayed that way until the end. 🙂
 
Taake
Taake
[No message]
brinkster130
brinkster130
Good point. The writing really took off around S2.
I think Oz was the best thing to happen to Season 2 (fawns over Oz).

Seriously, Spike was one of the best things to happen to the show ever. Some of the aspects of the later seasons would have been hard for an old school Buffy fan like me to take without him. He breathed so much emotion and at the same time humor (frequently being the most funny and moving character) that I cannot imagine BtVS without him. Even Angel the Show improved after Spike entered in my opinion (and I say that as a huge Angel fan).

---------- Post added at 09:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:56 PM ----------

I think Oz was the best thing to happen to Season 2 (fawns over Oz).

Seriously, Spike was one of the best things to happen to the show ever. Some of the aspects of the later seasons would have been hard for an old school Buffy fan like me to take without him. He breathed so much emotion and at the same time humor (frequently being the most funny and moving character) that I cannot imagine BtVS without him. Even Angel the Show improved after Spike entered in my opinion (and I say that as a huge Angel fan).
 
brinkster130
brinkster130
Oz was awesome!
I thought Spike (and Dru) were a great addition to the show in season 2, but I think Spike peaked then and went down hill from there. I loved bad-ass villian Spike and was somewhat underwhelmed by lovesick Spike. I did enjoy some of the humor that Spike brought to the show as well as his history with Angel, Darla and Dru. Also, like Goby said, the writing in season 2 really started to pick up and it changed the show for the better.
 
I definitely agree with everyone here that Spike really took the show to another level. A funny note (not sure if anyone knows this... probably, but it's worth mentioning anyway): Spike and Dru were never meant to last longer than a handful of episodes. They were originally supposed to be MOTW-esque with a very short story arc, but Joss loved James and Juliet and their chemistry and what they did for the show.

I think season two really fell into place with everything. You add Oz into the mix, plus better storylines, acting, and fuller, more in depth characters and the rest of the series is set up by season two.

Honestly, when I take people through the series, I skip over a lot of season one and go straight to the second season.
 
Something about Spike's introduction to the show that a lot of people tend to overlook is that, for the first time, Buffy fights an opponent who she can't beat, who, in fact, if it had not been for the interference of her mother, would have killed her. (And no, I am not forgetting the Master in Season 1. Buffy tried to kill him with a crossbow bolt, and when that failed, he bit her. They never actually fought until later, when she did, in fact, beat him) Certainly, a lot of that was because she underestimated just how dangerous he actually was, but that in itself was, I believe, a valuable lesson for her.
 
Aside from the great and unique vamp characters that Spike and Drusilla brought to the season - more important, IMO, was how they allowed the series to bring in more adult themes. The series went from the black/white model that had been established with Angel The Souled Vampire when he was the only possible demon or vampire that exhibited any human qualities additionally it also introduced two lovers other than high school aged romances. For the older viewers, Spike and Drusilla were more interesting as a romantic couple than the high school characters. The moment that Spike goes from his demon face and turns into Spike as he faces Drusilla, something wonderful had been introduced in the series for me.
 
wickedtiger86
wickedtiger86
Totally agree.
white avenger said:
Something about Spike's introduction to the show that a lot of people tend to overlook is that, for the first time, Buffy fights an opponent who she can't beat, who, in fact, if it had not been for the interference of her mother, would have killed her. Certainly, a lot of that was because she underestimated just how dangerous he actually was, but that in itself was, I believe, a valuable lesson for her.
Click to expand...

I think this is a really good point to make and another reason why in s2 Spike was an important introduction to the show. Spike and Drusilla where a breath of fresh air and as WA pointed out - one of the few truly dangerous vampires Buffy got to face at that point, she has to accept that she's as all-powerful as the majority of expendable vamps have suggested. A good lesson for her, and a good lesson for us the viewers.

Spike and Dru also brought a whole new attitude and magnetism to the show. Lets face it, as the Big Bads they were far more engaging than "the Master" who was all-scary, all-bad and all-too disappointing (in putting up a fight) at his final release.They also helped to create an important dynamic for the Angel character who until then had just been a loner, lurking in the dark, In other words they were like fresh blood pumped into the vein of the show, helping to take it to a new level.

As for Spike being "the best thing" for the entire show... see Kean's answer. 🙂
 
Goby
Goby
Great post! BTW, I think The Master was so underused. He could have been amazing, but I think the writers were still not sure where they were going.
Well, I'm not sure if Spike and Dru were meant to be the big bad of season 2 or it was Angelus, but I think the Angelus arc could have been a bit (just a bit) boring without Spike. I can't imagine the entire season without him. Season 2 is one of the best seasons on TV, and I think at least part of it is because of Spike. He's just not boring!
 
Spike to me was the thing that made me love that show so much. Besides for him I loved Willow 100%. I love the other characters they just don't stick out as much with all the fandoms I watch.

Now the time he came in was a big change for the show and it was very well done. I think him sticking around was good because no matter what Spike never lost his humor. That added to the mix and spiced things up. He kept things interesting. Plus he made me like Buffy herself more so that doesn't hurt.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom