Spike's insanity

[itsnotmymind]

Someone once said that it would have been interesting if Spike had been sane when he came back with the soul. That it was a bit of a cop-out for him to be crazy, because of course Buffy would feel sorry for him.

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I can see their point. The show has definitely relied on Buffy-feeling-sorry-for-Spike to deal with the things he’s done to her. “Intervention”, for example. Both the viewers and Buffy are encouraged to feel sorry for tortured Spike, so that we can forgive him for the sexbot. Obviously, the fact that Spike endured the torture to protect Dawn is what makes him one of the good guys again, but the torture itself helps to regain our and Buffy’s sympathy after the events of “Crush”, and the ordering of the Buffy bot.

On the other hand, I think it’s good that Buffy has to take care of Spike in early S7. It forces her to stop playing the “I-hate-you-but-you-can-come-into-my-house” game, i.e. where she insists that she hates and despises him while simultaneously letting him into every part of her life. She’s never had to put any work into her relationship with Spike: He was there when she wanted him to be, and there when she didn’t. Spike needing her help in early S7 forces her to ask herself if Spike, and her relationship with Spike, is worth putting effort into, and if so, why?

On the other hand, I really liked their interactions in “Beneath You” when he seemed to be sane…it would have been interesting to have more of that.

On the other, other hand I think it’s interesting that the way the writers handled the attempted rape was by, essentially, having Spike gradually lose or give up all power and control to Buffy, culminating in the basement scene in “Never Leave Me” where he tries to convince her to kill him, and fails, losing that last little bit of control (“You don’t know me. You don’t even know you.”). And putting Buffy in a position where she has all the control and she is very careful to treat Spike well and not misuse it is a good way of showing that she’s not S6 Buffy anymore (“I don’t hate like that. Not you, or myself. Not anymore.”).

Comments

[selenak.livejournal.com]

The latest objection to Spike's state in early s7 I've seen was that it puts the emotional emphasis on his suffering rather than on Buffy's reaction. Which I don't think is the case, but views may differ, etc.

Personally, I think the nervous breakdown/insanity at the start of s7 was necessary for both Doylist and Watsonian reasons. In addition to those you already listed (which I agree with), there is the fact that you have to play by in-universe established rules. Yes, Spike wanted a soul, as opposed to Angel, but that doesn't change the fact both shows had established getting a soul after a lifetime or several as a joyful serial killer is a shattering event that does drive you temporarily out of your mind. AtS season 1 was already years back by the time s7 of BTVS was written, and in the AtS episode Five by Five we get a flashback to Angel immediately post souling (in addition to that bit from Becoming; that is). And he does have a mental collapse. He's stable two years later for the China flashbacks from Darla and Fool for Love; but that's two years. Given that, I don't think I would have bought Spike going through the experience and coming out on top immediately.

On a Watsonian level, I think seeing Spike in this way from the church scene onwards is what makes Buffy believe this is genuine, the real article, no question about it, not a trick or a mindgame. It's part of what makes her looking for alternate explanations months later when Holden reveals he's been sired by Spike; she's seen Spike broken down, with the soul having this raw impact, she knows, really knows, he hasn't faked that.

[metanewsmods.livejournal.com]

Great post! Can we link it on metanews?

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

It's an interesting complaint. Yes, Buffy has the option of feeling sorry for him if she wants to. IMO, she doesn't show much sign of that, exactly. It's more like she takes him/his situation a bit more seriously, not so much that she pities him. IDK.

But if people want evidence that a soul makes a difference, what other sign of that would they like to see? If he came back the exact same, then wouldn't that mean that the soul is without importance? Which, again, is an interesting possibility, but not the one we've got to work with.

Thanks for a post that inspires the thinky thoughts!

[lookingforoctober (from livejournal.com)]

I don't think it's that Spike is crazy that's a cop out, it's really that he's crazy in a way that's...relatable. He's crazy in a way that makes sense. Which I suppose ties back to the idea of feeling sorry for him, because if he was crazy in a way that was more truly off, he could very easily be a lot more scary than pitiable.

And it's not just crazy, it's also The First messing with him. I don't think it really takes the influence of The First to make 'vampire with newly acquired soul' into loose cannon just waiting to blow up. And by making his actions because of The First, to some extent it is taking away a culpability that he might have earned on his own (probably in different ways), and removing the idea of responsibility from Spike. That's an odd thing to do when you've just given him a soul and in a way made him responsible for the first time.

I also feel like Spike is too much like Dru when he's crazy (and different people should break differently), but that may be just me, and it may be an imperfect remembrance of S7, for that matter.

Oh, and hi. I'm here via metanews, btw.