Who Made The Better Team?

[white avenger]

This is a ship question, but not the kind of ship question that is normally discussed, in fact I don't know for sure that it has ever been discussed specifically, so, here goes.

COMPLETELY DISREGARDING ANY ROMANTIC ISSUES, who, of her three former lovers, do you think covered Buffy's back the best when they fought together as a team?

1) Angel

2) Riley

3)Spike

(Since this poll is to evaluate these three particular men, no "Other" choice is included. Sorry if you wanted to vote for Parker)

 

[Vengeance]

If we're talking raw combat here, I'd say Angel.. Spike only ever seemed to jump in when she never actually needed any help. They both have her back at various times but I think Angel had more opportunities to do so.

 

[Skytteflickan88]

I say Angel. Riley was human, and Buffy seemed to feel like he was in the way (I can't remember which scene it was she showed that, but Spike was in it too, mocking Riley with nitting-needles and such). And Spike, while having a soul in season 7, might not have reached the level of trust Buffy and Angel had, because of the attempted rape. On the other hand, in season 3, Buffy and Angel suffered the aftermath of Angelus, so maybe Buffy had some trust issues there too.

So it's kind of a tie between Angel and Spike. Fighting-wise, they're both assets, but I think Buffy felt more comfortable around Angel than she ever did with Spike, which makes Angel "win" this poll for me.

---------- Post added at 04:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:59 PM ----------

PS. I meant pre-Ats S5 and BtVS S8, since I can't tell what Buffy felt about Angel working for W&H, and Season 8 is a big confusing mess.

 

[PrincessBuffy16]

I know this is again going to be Angel vs. Spike, and no one is going to choose poor little Riley. Or he'll get one or two votes. But, I think Angel was her best pair. He was strong, but yet protective. But hey, so was Spike. And Riley, he tried to help her even when he didn't wanted to. I only clicked Angel because it said who's Buffys best pair. I really can't choose.

 

[Skytteflickan88]

I thought about something else that makes me think Angel & Buffy made a better team. While Spike might have dragged a injured Buffy to safety, even if the world was at risk, Angel would have looked into her eyes, she would have nodded and he would have gone on, completing the task.

So if I had to choose which team to hire to protect the world or a bag of candy, whatever, I would definitly choose Buffy & Angel, because they would be more effective. I suppose that's what the thread is about? Or is it about who would protect Buffy the best, not her/their mission?

 

[BuffyElevated]

This was a hard choice for me...
Angel was Buffy's first love. Full of the drama of high school relationships, everything was always so romanticized and emotional. But you know, I didn't mind that. Buffy was a scifi show, not a reality show, so it made the drama ok for me. Buffy and Angel always had each others' backs; they faught together (as well as against each other when the time came for that), and they proved that there was nothing they wouldn't do for each other. From Angel feeding the heart of a demon to Buffy when she was going crazy from hearing everyone's thoughts, to Buffy letting him drink from her to regain his strength when Faith's arrow poisoned him, they would go to the ends of the Earth for each other.
Personally, I always wanted Buffy to end up with a human man. I wanted her to (eventually) be able to get married and have a family. But as we saw with Riley, Buffy wasn't able to hold up her end of a relationship with someone who didn't have the superpowers she did. But who knows... Maybe Xander's speech to Buffy in "Into The Woods" would have been enough to open her eyes a little and show her that she had to give a little more to the relationship than she had been. But we'll never know 'cause she didn't get to the helicopter in time.
Spike.... Hmmmm. When their relationship first started, it more of an obsession for Spike and an escape for Buffy. It wasn't love; it was lust, and it made it hard for me to see them as an actual couple for a long time. However, towards the end of Season 7 I finally saw that Spike truly did LOVE Buffy, and I believe in my heart that Buffy loved him back even if she couldn't say it and believe it.
All that being said, I voted for Angel. 🙂

 

[Black Eye Guy]

Angel by far, he actually fought along side her, and actually wanted to protect her. Spike spent a season trying to impress her and getting in the way, and then in season seven was about as useful in a fight as candy floss.

 

[Skytteflickan88]

Angel by far, he actually fought along side her, and actually wanted to protect her. Spike spent a season trying to impress her and getting in the way, and then in season seven was about as useful in a fight as candy floss.

This reminds me, Buffy & Spike didn't fight side-by side as much as Buffy & Angel did, did they?

I have a hard time remembering when Spike & Buffy fought together (other than in Lover's walk). Chosen maybe?

This also makes me think that Angel & Buffy would make a better team; Experience. They know how to work together, not just how to fight each other (which Spike & Buffy have lots of experience of, probably more than Angel(us) & Buffy).

 

[BuffyElevated]

Skytteflickan88 agrees: You didn't really argue clearly why Buffy & Angel made the better fighting-team. More relationship-team. 🙂

Guilty.... I didn't read the first post to find out that it was all based on fighting skill. LOL
Still, my vote would be for Angel.

 

[Flannen]

Definitely Angel. I loved watching them fight together. They were totally synchronised and it almost felt like they had some kind of telepathic thing going on. They reflected each other in their fighting.

Angel was 'in it' for the same reasons as Buffy. Spike, like others have, spent a large amount of his fighting time with her as a way of impressing her, and Riley's 'mission' was also not one that went hand in hand with Buffy's.

As for her maybe having trust issues with Angel post-Angelus, like with Spike post-SR, I disagree. She trusted him with the glove and with the amulet on two separate occasions which again demonstrates how well they work as a team.

 

[Tome]

Actually I went with Spike because I think he would have defended Buffy no matter what, even if she was wrong or turned bad. While Angel would have been hesitating depending on the situation. I know not everyone will agree and i'm kinda talking of things that didn't happen, but this is my side of it. Spike just always seems to put more importance on the one he love instead of the cause that person is about. You know... the 'die for my love' type.

*hides from Bangel shippers*

 

[Flannen]

lol, don't think I'm bashing you here, I'm just interested.

What sort of situations do you think Angel would hesitate in? I think if anyone was going make Angel question the cause it would be Buffy. Of course he would die for her, just as Spike would. But where Spike falls down for me, is that he would happily let the world get sucked to hell in order to hold Buffy's body and cry. Whereas Angel, would, as has been said, do what Buffy had set out to do and save the world.

So in terms of most effective fighting team, and the man that 'gets' Buffy and would follow her wishes, it's Angel.

Like, I said, I'm not bashing you, I just feel like you're doing Angel (that's not Angel, not Bangel, lol) a bit of a disservice.

 

[Taake]

Definitely Angel. I loved watching them fight together. They were totally synchronised and it almost felt like they had some kind of telepathic thing going on. They reflected each other in their fighting.

Angel was 'in it' for the same reasons as Buffy. Spike, like others have, spent a large amount of his fighting time with her as a way of impressing her, and Riley's 'mission' was also not one that went hand in hand with Buffy's.

As for her maybe having trust issues with Angel post-Angelus, like with Spike post-SR, I disagree. She trusted him with the glove and with the amulet on two separate occasions which again demonstrates how well they work as a team.

I voted Angel but since it's all been said I'm just going to say 'here, here!' to Flannen's post instead of repeating it :biggrin3:

 

[BibliophileAnn]

Who Made The Better Team

I voted Angel of course. Buffy and Angel love like they fight and their hearts and minds are in harmony. That is why I consider Buffy and Angel to be Soul Mates.

 

[dan k]

Love both Bangel and Spuffy ships as most know but i think Buffy and Angel were the best fighting team. Firstly we saw how well they worked on a consistent basis which we didn't see with Spuffy. I don't think we saw enough of Buffy and Spike worknig together as a team to judge how strong a force they were together.

 

[Tsquared]

Actually I went with Spike because I think he would have defended Buffy no matter what, even if she was wrong or turned bad.

What sort of situations do you think Angel would hesitate in?

Flannen, I think what Zalos mentioned would be a situation where we'd probably see Angel hesitate a bit more than Spike. I know Buffy never actually went bad, or even evil for that matter, but it's a hypothetical situation. This of course could probably go both ways. Spike would probably trust his heart more than his brain and that isn't always the best route to take (as much as we would want it to be).

So, I voted Spike too. As much as I think Buffy and Angel are probably the best tactical team, Spike's devotion always stood out to me a notch above Angels. I've always trusted seeing him in a battle with Buffy than I ever did Angel, even when things went or looked sour. =/

Edit: Oops, I forgot what the title pointed out. Emotions aside, Angel/Buffy > Spike/Buffy. Of course teams don't work that way and that is something that probably couldn't be factored out IRL.

 

[xaphania]

I agree with Dan - I don't think there's enough of Buffy and Spike fighting together on screen to be able to judge this accurately.

 

[TheVoid68]

To be honest, were any of them that good at fighting together? Buffy never wanted Riley around, he was strong but not nearly as strong as Buffy, Spike or Angel. Buffy was annoyed at Spike's interference in S5, in S7 he was pussying out of fights, and in S6 he spent most of his time following Buffy around and moping that she wasn't/was/wasn't sleeping with him. And I can't actually recall Buffy and Angel fighting together - maybe someone will correct me but IIRC they spent a lot more time moping in each other's company in graveyards than they did actually fighting in them.

Spoiler

Buffy and Faith turned slaying into a new Olympic event.

 

[Black Eye Guy]

xaphania, there was more then enough time for them to fight side by side, so I don't think we can say we can't judge the two evenly, if anything that just shows that they didn't work as a team.

 

[xaphania]

xaphania, there was more then enough time for them to fight side by side, so I don't think we can say we can't judge the two evenly, if anything that just shows that they didn't work as a team.

Well, I don't think we can judge them fairly - we saw Angel fighting alongside Buffy a heck of a lot more than we saw Spike fighting with her.

Does this mean that Angel is a better fighting partner for her? No. If Spike had fought alongside Buffy more often, then perhaps we could judge. That's the point I think both Dan and I were trying to make...

On to another point: this thread has made me realise how much fanon influences my view of canon. I really did have to stop and think about the specific instances when we saw Buffy and Spike fighting on screen. In fic it's such a common occurence, I automatically assumed that Spike is a better fighting partner for Buffy. I do still think that; I don't think Angel and Buffy match up very well in anything, lol.