Just watched Intervention again and the kiss at the end is one of my favourite Buffy/Spike moments, and to me it is Buffy declaring she has feelings for Spike. She talks about gratitude, but there is something deeper there, and you can see that Spike feels it too. Do you think it was more than a 'thank you' kiss or am I reading too much into it?
The Intervention Kiss
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Kana
Soulless human
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I guess this could divide shippers. I personally think that at least consciously, it was just a thank you. I don't think she could have reconciled herself with any feelings for Spike at this point. I mean, she could barely do that in Season 6 and definitely believe she had romantic feelings for him then.
I don't think the feelings were there just yet, but you mileage may vary.
I don't think the feelings were there just yet, but you mileage may vary.
It's one of my favourite Spuffy moments too. 🙂
I think if she wanted to just say thank you, she would have just said a heartfelt thank you and left it at that. I do think there is more to it than just gratitude, in a way it's her acknowledging what he's done for Dawn, but also showing him the sort of gratitude he would appreciate. It's clear by the gesture that she cares about him, but not to the level he cares about her.
Whether she has 'feelings' at that point, and the level of those feelings, is up for debate. I personally don't think she is making any sort of declaration of those feelings, I think she's just genuinely thankful of what he went through to protect Dawn. I don't think she thought him capable of that, so she's genuinely in awe of him in that moment. She sees the man for the first time, as opposed to the demon.
I think if she wanted to just say thank you, she would have just said a heartfelt thank you and left it at that. I do think there is more to it than just gratitude, in a way it's her acknowledging what he's done for Dawn, but also showing him the sort of gratitude he would appreciate. It's clear by the gesture that she cares about him, but not to the level he cares about her.
Whether she has 'feelings' at that point, and the level of those feelings, is up for debate. I personally don't think she is making any sort of declaration of those feelings, I think she's just genuinely thankful of what he went through to protect Dawn. I don't think she thought him capable of that, so she's genuinely in awe of him in that moment. She sees the man for the first time, as opposed to the demon.
Skanky Vamp
Sniffin' the Slayer
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Skanky Vamp
Sniffin' the Slayer
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A kiss on the lips is no more intimate than you want it to be. It wasn't an intimate kiss.
This is the episode that Xander has to remind Spike that he is still a monster, as Spike seems to have forgotten. For me Intervention is the episode that shows Spike as he is to become, and the kiss is part of that. Spike no longer thinks of himself as a monster, his actions are noble, and he is rewarded by the romantic kiss of the woman he loves.
Spike had already declared his love for Buffy. She knew how he felt. Wouldn't kissing him on the lips just encourage his feelings for her, feelings she professed to hate? What he did was heroic, but she could have just hugged him or said thank you. Buffy must have known Spike would see a kiss as intimate/romantic, and I don't think Buffy was ever cruel enough to just throw a dog a bone
Skanky Vamp
Sniffin' the Slayer
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No.
And she rewarded him with a kiss- something he could appreciate more than a hug or a thank you- especially since she took his sexdoll away.
GoSpuffy
Vampire Lover, I mean Slayer
I think the feelings were there but she was still in denial about them. Although Buffy was grossed out by buffybot she must also have noticed things about it (her?) that pleased the real Buffy. Spike didn't create a skanky sex doll, buffybot was demurely dressed and programmed for fighting, among other things. So although the bot itself is disgusting and disturbing the fact that he spoke tenderly too buffybot and tried to love it speaks volumes about his feelings towards Buffy. When Buffy kissed Spike she absolutely knew how important it was to him, it was more than "thank you". When she said "I won't forget it" she was telling Spike he was back in her life.
white avenger
white avenger
From personal experience, I can tell you that kissing someone like that, knowing that he has feelings for you, and you have no feelings for him, isn't gratitude, it's cruelty. Buffy knew that Spike had feelings for her, the bot was evidence of that, and she didn't return those feelings. Spike might have been a vampire with a century if sexual experience, but he was also a man who had most likely died a virgin, who had almost certainly never had any sort of real romantic experience. There are better ways that Buffy could have expressed her gratitude, like, maybe, taking him back home with her, taking care of his wounds, and bringing him fresh blood. She should have shown him that she was grateful, not given him hopes for a more intimate relationship.
Priceless
Agreed. If Buffy was only kissing him from gratitude, it was a very cruel thing to do
GoSpuffy
Vampire Lover, I mean Slayer
Buffy isn't cruel. She is a nice person. That is why I think she had feelings for Spike by this point but just didn't realize it. She isn't the type to be cruel or to give kisses and gratitude where she doesnt feel it.
white avenger
I hope you're right. It just seems sort of out of place at that moment to me.
Mr Trick
Scooby
I do see it as gratitude more at this stage. At the very least Spike has earnt Buffy's respect. On some level maybe she was giving him some pleasure knowing what a lonely existance he lives. But maybe she wouldn't have given him a kiss like that if there weren't some feelings on her part too. Still made for great television.
cryptwarmer
I'm in charge of morale!
I think it was poor writing. Kissing someone who you know has feelings for you, who you profess to be disgusted by, not only them but their actions...is never a kindness, never a thank you, it's a sick mind game.
it's one of my most hated Spuffy scenes because of that. I've had a stalker, and he was basically a nice guy but the last thing I would every have done was kiss him and make him think he had a chance with me, if he didn't. It's not just mean, it's dangerous.
Don't throw a bone to a dog and not expect it to follow you home.
At best it's an insult. "Hey, I think you're sick trash, but you did something decent, so you get a kiss from wonderful me as a reward." WHAT THE???? Not only that but she dressed up at the bot. The entire interaction is bizarre and twisted.
If she respected him as a man, or respected his feelings for her, that is the last thing she would do.
it's one of my most hated Spuffy scenes because of that. I've had a stalker, and he was basically a nice guy but the last thing I would every have done was kiss him and make him think he had a chance with me, if he didn't. It's not just mean, it's dangerous.
Don't throw a bone to a dog and not expect it to follow you home.
At best it's an insult. "Hey, I think you're sick trash, but you did something decent, so you get a kiss from wonderful me as a reward." WHAT THE???? Not only that but she dressed up at the bot. The entire interaction is bizarre and twisted.
If she respected him as a man, or respected his feelings for her, that is the last thing she would do.
I think she was grateful and wanted to express that - the fact that she was dressed as the Buffy Bot is what to me makes it not cruel, but genuine. It wasn't a kiss for Spike, it was for Buffy.
Totally agree with you, which is why I have to read the scene differently. I do not believe Buffy would behave like that and I don't think it was sloppy writing either. Buffy isn't cruel and she doesn't play mind games, that's simply not part of her character, at least not in S5.
It's because it is such a cruel, nasty and dangerous act, if she didn't have feelings for Spike, that I have to believe she does have feelings. They may be subconcious, they may not be love, but there is an attraction there. There must be, because Buffy is a hero and she could not be so cruel.
I say it's not sloppy writing because I see Intervention as an episode with three pieces of forshadowing for S6 with the kiss being the last hint of what was to come. The first two being Xander having to remind Spike that he was a monster and Dawn stealing a pair of earings - in the following season Spike gets a soul and therefore becomes not-a-monster, and Dawn becomes a kleptomaniac 🙂 It's not sloppy writing, it's actually very subtle
GoSpuffy
I'm with you 100%. This was part of the transition of the characters relationship.
cryptwarmer
I'm in charge of morale!
Buffy is plenty cruel come S6, to nauseating levels. Yes, I know she went through horrible things and was in an emotional/mental wreck, but there is a twisted side of Buffy. And all S6 she maintained she despised Spike and despised herself for being with him. Either she's the mistress of denial or she's pretty twisted...well, actually she is pretty twisted, it's only the denial thing that's up for grabs.
So, it could just have easily been alluding to where Buffy was going to to...taking sick advantage of Spike's feelings and exonerating herself by telling herself he is incapable of real feelings and is lucky he gets anything from her at all.
I feel like how the writers intended for me to feel about that scene, but it was a total fail to me.
All it forshadowed was more of the same...
GoSpuffy
Vampire Lover, I mean Slayer
I disagree, this was the start of setting us up to accept that Buffy and Spike shared a connection and that she trusted him, trusted him to care for her friends and family, trusted hime with her secrets.
cryptwarmer
I'm in charge of morale!
She indeed did many things to show she trusted him. Inviting him in to get weapons, asked him to drive the camper, etc. A kiss on the lips to show you trust someone? Maybe it's somewhere in the secret language of kisses. After all Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss, so...
BUT...you know how I feel about kissing, so...obviously I am biased....yuck
GoSpuffy
Maybe you're just kissing the wrong people?
Mr Trick
Scooby
Good post. @Buffy Summers has probably answered this better than I can. I think the reason why the scene works is partly because of what it is building to, which Buffy heading down the dark route in S6. This is like the first step towards that or certainly the first step towards having romantic feelings for Spike. And that is how easily these things canm start with just one moment like this, which to Buffy was just a gesture, but in the long run it led to something pretty dangeous. The other thing is even if Buffy was wrong to do it, I would say to that and your point is?😉 This is a show where even the good characters are deeply flawed.
cryptwarmer
I'm flawed, she's flawed, we all flaw down!
Skanky Vamp
Sniffin' the Slayer
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I think some of the disagreement when people misinterpret the meaning is that they look at the subsequent seasons and say it was set-up for this or that no, it wasn't, because this was meant to be the final season. They were not thinking beyond that season let alone setting something up.