Spike Talk
Aug. 29th, 2009 12:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
caliente_ukThere have been some fascinating discussions about Spike taking place on LJ over the last couple of days. People seem to interpret the show (and Spike) in so many different ways. It's almost as if some people were watching a completely different show to the one I saw! As I said - fascinating. ETA: A discussion is also only a discussion if people are allowed to express opposing viewpoints. That's what makes fandom discussions so fascinating in the first place!
But one thing remains consistent throughout these discussions - and that's our interest and fascination in Spike. That's some accomplishment, when you think about it. It's been more than a decade since Spike first burst on to our screens, knocking down the 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign...and stealing many of our hearts in the process. Our opinions may differ, but that's okay. Fandom would be a boring place if we always agreed on everything - and Spike would never have held our attention for so long if he was Mr Perfect.
But that's what I like about him. I like that he's a complex character. I like that he was William 'the Bloody Bad Poet'. I like that he was evil when we first saw him (but oh so beautiful). I like that he doesn't always know right from wrong, and that he fucks up big time on occasion. I like his devotion to Dru, even though their relationship was so dysfunctional at times. I love everything about the Spike/Buffy relationship and how it developed over the years. I love the darkness and reality of it. From enemies, to reluctant allies, to dysfunctional lovers (I thought they were both equally to blame for what happened between them in S6 - there will be no 'whitewashing' of Spike here), to friends...and then finally to the love I saw developing between them in S7.
Everything Spike did (and went through) throughout the course of the show shaped him into the character we know and love. He was an evil, murdering, soulless vampire...and enjoyed it! But he came to Sunnydale and slowly changed and evolved. His journey from evil vampire to souled champion made his redemption in S7 all the more remarkable, in my honest opinion.
Yes, Spike is definitely a complex and interesting character, and I suspect he will continue to be the focus of many fandom discussions for a long time to come.
And after more than a decade, that truly is a remarkable accomplishment. :)
But one thing remains consistent throughout these discussions - and that's our interest and fascination in Spike. That's some accomplishment, when you think about it. It's been more than a decade since Spike first burst on to our screens, knocking down the 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign...and stealing many of our hearts in the process. Our opinions may differ, but that's okay. Fandom would be a boring place if we always agreed on everything - and Spike would never have held our attention for so long if he was Mr Perfect.
But that's what I like about him. I like that he's a complex character. I like that he was William 'the Bloody Bad Poet'. I like that he was evil when we first saw him (but oh so beautiful). I like that he doesn't always know right from wrong, and that he fucks up big time on occasion. I like his devotion to Dru, even though their relationship was so dysfunctional at times. I love everything about the Spike/Buffy relationship and how it developed over the years. I love the darkness and reality of it. From enemies, to reluctant allies, to dysfunctional lovers (I thought they were both equally to blame for what happened between them in S6 - there will be no 'whitewashing' of Spike here), to friends...and then finally to the love I saw developing between them in S7.
Everything Spike did (and went through) throughout the course of the show shaped him into the character we know and love. He was an evil, murdering, soulless vampire...and enjoyed it! But he came to Sunnydale and slowly changed and evolved. His journey from evil vampire to souled champion made his redemption in S7 all the more remarkable, in my honest opinion.
Yes, Spike is definitely a complex and interesting character, and I suspect he will continue to be the focus of many fandom discussions for a long time to come.
And after more than a decade, that truly is a remarkable accomplishment. :)
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Date: 2009-08-29 03:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-29 01:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-29 05:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-29 01:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-29 08:34 am (UTC)I'm so friending you, because this post... My thoughts, exactly! :)
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Date: 2009-08-29 01:19 pm (UTC)Thank you! I'm glad you agree with me. :)
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Date: 2009-08-29 01:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-29 01:20 pm (UTC)Beautifully said! I completely agree.
Thank you, Gill. :)
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Date: 2009-08-29 04:39 pm (UTC)Thank-you, honey.
♥
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Date: 2009-08-31 07:20 pm (UTC)Bless his heart - when he was bad, he was a very bad boy, but when he was good...he was incandescent. :)
Oh yes!
Thank you for reading! :)
*hugs*
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Date: 2009-08-29 05:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-31 07:22 pm (UTC)Thank you! I think they look good together. :D
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Date: 2009-08-29 08:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-31 07:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-29 11:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-31 07:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-01 12:38 am (UTC)The enigma of Spike and his motivations was definitely what kept me invested in BtVS after others loss their shine. Nice to see fandom feels the same way with discussions and debates building long after the show has ended.