Gum Gnome33
"Well, yeah..."
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2011
- Messages
- 1,148
Ah ok. I understand what you're getting at now, (before it seemed that you were merely declaring it to be OOC for Buffy to trust Spike under any circumstance, but this specific example makes it easier for me to see what you're getting at). So your main issue seems to be the inherent contradiction of Spike being Buffy's main ally/strongest fighter versus the fact that he's currently being used by the First for essentially the same role. And the fact that the First is able to control Spike makes him by definition not Buffy's strongest fighter, or ally. Is that right?
That I can accept as a problematic scenario, (versus just "she can't trust him because he used to be evil" which is what I thought you were getting at). Honestly for me, here's the bottom line: certainly once Spike got his soul of his own accord he earned the right to be treated the same way any of the other scoobies did. (And yes, I'm including Anya; if the emergence of Anyanka 2.0 was in fact not her fault but something she was doing involuntarily then I'd expect Buffy not to kill her). Now I personally think that the good things that Spike did while soulless should play a role in the compassion he earns as well but I realize that it's much easier to instantly dismiss that plea. So for the sake of argument I'll say that it is first and foremost the voluntary acquisition of the soul that makes it acceptable, good writing that Buffy should come to trust him.
I'm curious to know what you think Buffy should have done if someone else was being controlled by the First? Someone who hadn't previously been her enemy, (like say Xander). Would the argument that you inherently can't trust someone who is being used as a puppet by your enemy still hold for you? Should/could she "trust" Xander in that position given who he is, and given that he isn't intentionally acting against her, and give him the benefit of the doubt?
