A small fandom rant

[katekat]

WHY, oh WHY do people insist that Spike deliberately fought for his soul? Did anyone actually watch the same TV show I did?

Ok, I know, even the writers put that into Buffy's mouth - the whole "he fought for his redemption" line (or maybe it was Willow's? Someone's? I didn't really pay attention that much to S7, so forgive me if I screw that up).

HOWEVER, I was paying attention when Spike got on his bike and went away, after his horrible attempt to convince Buffy she loved him. I was paying attention to what he said to the demony guy in africa, but in case you'd like a refresher:

His last line from 6.19:
SPIKE: Get nice and comfy, Slayer. I'll be back. And when I do ... things are gonna change.

And his lines from inside the demon cave in 6.22:
SPIKE: So you'll give me what I want. Make me what I was. So Buffy can get what she deserves.

DEMON: Very well.  (Spike watches the demon nervously.)

DEMON: We will return...  (The demon's hand reaches out toward Spike's chest.)

DEMON: ...your soul.

The hand touches his chest and it glows fiery yellow-orange. Spike's eyes glow the same color. He throws back his head and screams.
[ from here ]

What she DESERVES?  How is that "give me a soul so I can be soulmates with her?"  In my world, it's not.  It's a vampire who is angry and jilted, who wants revenge on the woman that made him feel that way.  OH, and wants the chip out.  He says "make me what I was" ... the implication there is get rid of the damn chip, not 'give me a soul'.  And he says it like he's angry and annoyed and ready to tear Buffy's head off along with the rest.  How does that become Spike toddling off going "I'll get a soul to win Buffy over"??   And why is it so important for so many fans that it does?  The vamp's way cooler with out the damn soul, if you asked me.

And fine, so Joss (or, in the realm of the show, the demon that cursed him with it) gave Spike a bright and shiny soul so he could be tortured.  And fine, technically he fought for it.  But it wasn't what he thouht he was fighting for!  Do you, when they hand you the rinky-dink colored eraser prize off the bottom of the shelf at the fairgrounds, the consolation prize when you were aiming for the big stuffed panda bear that's taller than you are and that you'd have to strap to the car on the way home, do you say "I was trying for the consolation prize?"  NO!  You say "I was trying for the panda bear, and all I got was this rinky-dink eraser!"

I'd just like for people to remember that about Spike!  Remember that he was trying to get the damn chip extracted, and all he got was the stupid soul.  Now that should go on a t-shirt:  "All I wanted was my chip removed, and instead I got this stupid soul."  (ok, that one probably only amuses me.)

ETA: elizabuffy points out that I am so not up on my S7 lore, and I missed the parts (or wishfully ignored them) where Spike in his crazy rants and raves admits to deliberately going after his soul. I always said cannon should end in S5.

Comments

[ba4ever.livejournal.com]

Just came here through suherald. But I want to say THANK YOU. I've always thought that, but people just told me it was only *because* I was a B/A shipper, but I'm glad to know that other people see it that way as well.

[katekat]

*hugs* You are NOT the only one!! Although it seems we might have to start a support group or something.

And even though if you look at some of the other comments, people are citing S7 stuff to basically prove me wrong, I'm just going to firmly stick to S6 as cannon and S7 as Spike's crazy justification phase. So welcome to the croud!

[ba4ever.livejournal.com]

The problem is, that I think that they wanted to *force* this "twist", but then they got it wrong because they had to go and retcon it all.

"I'm going to give the bitch what she deserves" to me does NOT equal - I LOVE her and therefore WILL get a soul for her.

He loved her, deeply, obsessively, I get it. He loved her so much that he hated it because he was a demon, and this was all sorts of wrong, that's how I've always felt about it. It's not SUPPOSE to be like that, and is not a demon with a soul, essentially an abomination? I can't imagine him asking for it.

[katekat]

Exactly!! Oh my, you say that so much better than I could have! That's exactly what I was trying to state. Especially when Spike said it in such an angry voice! The vampire that hopped on his bike at the end of S6 did not want his soul!

btw - that's a beautiful icon too.

[ba4ever.livejournal.com]

Oh thankies! Eliza is just *hot*.


It's just this twist didn't work out, and I feel like Spike fans WANT to believe he went looking for it. But when I watch the show, I want to believe what I see, I want to make judgements by what is shown on my screen, I don't make my decisions AFTER based on what the writers said they were "supposedly" doing. If I didn't see it that way, then they didn't do their jobs.

[(Anonymous)]

i think a lot of spike fans just want to believe he didn't go looking for it. it's funny to me that everyone is so firmly split down the middle on this issue but it's all because they love the character so much. :) well, and because half of everyone is completely wrong... j/k

[liliaeth]

But that's exactly why it's a Spike thing to do. Because you can't imagine him asking for it. Because it doesn't fit in the box. Because it's so insane a thought that it's exactly what Spike would do, and sure he might regret it later on, but in that moment where insanity and clarity meet he chose to get that soul, because it's what he needed to understand Buffy.

It just makes more sense to me than Spike taking a risk like that, playing with magic which he doesn't like, just to do something (aka hurt Buffy) that he's already capable of.

[katekat]

And we'll just have to agree to disagree on that point, because I don't think you're going to completely change my attitude towards it, and I know that I won't change yours. I see where you're coming from with your position, and I already admitted (when I edited the post) that I was wrong about the way cannon presents Spike in S7. I think we'll have to leave it at that.