Reviewed by Sanguine
Equivocal
(adj.)–subject to two or more interpretations.
This episode was all about equivocation. It presented both sides of the conundrum of Spike. It did not provide any easy answers about the further development of his character. This episode was a turning point.
First, I have to say that David Fury did a brilliant job writing this episode. It was, in my opinion, the best episode of the season thus far. So major kudos to him. We may not completely agree about Spike (not that my opinion matters one whit!) but Fury captured the character’s essence and ambivalent nature. As many of you know, I disagreed with some of his comments in the infamous interview of 9 February. But the interview and the episode are two separate entities, and I will not consider the interview in this review. As this episode was about equivocation I will provide an analysis of both sides of the Spike question, laying out the evidence that Crush provided.
At
the beginning of the episode, we see a "new" Spike. He has ditched his
flowing black slayer coat for an attractive brown number, and he is showing
a newfound penchant for grays and other earth tones. It appears that he
is changing his image from neo-goth chic to J. Crew. The Spike presented
throughout this episode was indeed one painted in gray, so the costuming
choices were appropriate (I keep thinking back to Restless here, where
he was pretending to be a scary vampire and was filmed in black and white).
He tries to sit down with Buffy and be a normal, almost human guy, making
small talk about the onion blossom, but she won’t let him. Years of him
trying to kill her can’t be erased with his awkward attempts at friendship.
Xander arrives and says that Spike has taken his seat. Spike leaves (after
stealing cash–he’s not a nice or moral guy) and Anya says, "Xander, I think
you may have hurt his feelings." Xander replies, "You should never hurt
the feelings of a brutal killer." We are being reminded that for all of
Spike’s human qualities and recent "softness" he is what he is: "a brutal
killer."
The
scene in Spike’s crypt rearticulates the point that Spike is one twisted
guy. He has stolen Buffy’s sweater and is stroking and sniffing it. Harmony
comes on to him, but Spike can only, ahem, perform if she dresses up like
Buffy and pretends to stake him. I don’t even want to deconstruct that
one, but you get the point. Spike is not a normal guy. He is a vampire
whose feelings of love are always filtered through the demon that has set
up shop in his body. Without the demon he will die. With the demon, he
cannot ever really go back to being human. The demon will not fully allow
him to be the "good man" he once was. But that doesn’t stop William from
occasionally surfacing.
The
scene at school with Tara, Willow, and Buffy clearly presents both sides
of the issue. The women discuss Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Willow,
the romantic, wishes that Quasimodo and Esmerelda could have ended up together.
Tara, who in recent episodes has been the voice articulating the position
of moral ambiguity, surprisingly is the one to lay down "the law": "all
of Quasimodo’s actions were selfishly motivated. He had no moral compass.
Everything he did he did out of love for a woman who would never be able
to love him back." Sound familiar? Of course, we’re really talking about
Spike. Spike only does good deeds because he loves a woman (Buffy) who
will never be able to love him back. But I ask this question: if Spike
genuinely realizes that he will never attain Buffy’s love and he continues
doing good deeds, will that still be selfish? Quasimodo knew that he didn’t
have a chance with Esmerelda, and yet he still helped her.
The
scene with Dawn in the crypt was also telling and raised a whole slew of
issues about her nature. Does she have a soul (which in the Buffyverse
seems to be analogous to having a conscience)? She seemed to relish Spike’s
gruesome tales of his nasty past. She didn’t show disgust for his obvious
disregard for human life; in fact, she found it fascinating. Spike’s story
served two purposes: to make the audience question Dawn’s nature and "moral
compass" and to reinforce the fact that he is an unrepentant killer. He
is not sorry for his past deeds. He may not be able to kill any more, but
that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to . . . maybe.
The
conversation between Dawn and Buffy that follows once again gives both
sides of the debate. Dawn takes the "he’s so cute and he has a chip which
is like a soul" position and Buffy stands firm, "vampire=bad." The chip
is not like a soul in the Buffyverse (Spike does not have a conscience
or a sense of remorse for his past misdeeds) so in this skirmish I’m going
to have to give the edge to Buffy, but that’s simply because the arguments
that Fury provides Dawn in this scene weren’t particularly convincing,
not because Buffy is necessarily completely correct. Spike’s actions that
follow (the scene in the kitchen with Spike trying to be a jovial, normal
guy, laughing with Joyce and Dawn and the painfully awkward "date") show
how hard he is trying to be someone Buffy could love. Sometimes he tries
so hard to be human, even he momentarily forgets that he’s a vampire: "I
lie awake every night." The most significant exchange comes when Spike
and Buffy discuss the chip. She says, "The chip is just holding you back.
You’re like a serial killer in prison." Spike (the demon) responds, "Women
marry them all the time." He quickly adjusts, however, and the more human
"ghost" of William argues, "But I’m not like that. Something’s happening
to me. I can’t stop thinking about you. And if that means turning my back
on the whole evil thing . . . " Spike is telling Buffy that he isn’t like
a serial killer in jail.
Something
is happening to him (note the passive construction here, it’s happening
to him–perhaps something external is causing this alteration in his behaviour
and feelings?). Buffy still scorns him. "You don’t know what feelings are."
Buffy states more than once in this episode that Spike does not have a
soul and thus cannot love. But both Spike and Drusilla demonstrate that
indeed they can love. As Dru says in a surprising moment of clarity, "We
can love quite well, if not wisely." Spike does genuinely love Buffy and
he is willing to give up something incredibly precious to him–his identity
as a killer, his "escape from mediocrity"–to be with her. Spike’s interaction
with Drusilla in this episode is fascinating, and shows just how confused
our boy is about what direction to take. After being rejected by Buffy
he returns home to find his sire. She claims she can return him to the
dark side and Spike is definitely tempted. Drusilla thinks the chip is
"all in his head."
She
believes that he could overcome the pain if he really wanted to and deep
down he is a "killer," a "bad dog." Spike (now dressed in his de rigeur
black) and Dru go to the Bronze to wreak havoc. She snaps the necks of
two victims, offering the female to Spike. This is the pivotal moment of
the episode (and this may be what Fury was talking about when he said Spike
did not have a "choice"). Spike looks down at the dead girl and looks at
the demon that has surfaced in Drusilla as she drinks. His eyes become
glassy (I think they fill with tears having watched the episode twice now)
and he still hesitates. Finally, he plunges his fangs into her neck and
drinks deep. Why does Spike drink? Either he is confused and torn, wanting
to be good for Buffy but unable to overcome his demonic nature and bloodlust,
or he has already formulated his plan about how he is going to stake Drusilla
for Buffy and he doesn’t want to arouse his sire’s suspicions. Both sides
can be argued here, and in the episode Spike’s motivations for feeding
are left decidedly ambiguous.
The
final showdown among Buffy, Spike, and Dru is absolutely brilliant. Spike
chains both women up in a misguided attempt to "prove" his devotion to
Buffy. He will stake Dru for her. Buffy, who doesn’t believe vampires can
love, doesn’t think this action would mean anything to him. But she should
know better! In Becoming Pt. 2, Spike helped her because of Drusilla. She
should know how much Dru means to Spike. For some reason, Buffy refuses
to acknowledge the significance of Spike’s offer. Spike did truly love
Drusilla and he does truly love Buffy. That much is clear after this episode.
It may be a twisted kind of love, a good emotion filtered through the demonic
presence, but it is love nevertheless. Buffy continues to reject Spike
in no uncertain terms. If Spike were pure, unadulterated evil, he would
simply unchain Dru at they would torture and kill Buffy. But he doesn’t
do that. Instead, when push comes to shove, he unchains Buffy and protects
her. In that moment (pace David Fury--I really did love the episode) he
chooses to do
good.
He knows that Buffy loathes him, but he can’t hurt her. Drusilla realizes
that her boy is gone when she says, "Poor Spike. So lost. Even I can’t
help you." Even Dru can’t turn him back into the Big Bad. He loves Buffy
too much, and that love seems to have had an effect on him. As Spike says,
Buffy has completely inhabited his body, she’s inside him and his love
for her is consuming him until there is very little else left.
At
the end of the episode, Spike still persists, refusing to believe that
there is nothing between them. Buffy (who perhaps logically should have
staked him by now) makes herself very clear, uninviting him from the house
and closing the door in his face. Spike’s final expression shifts from
cajoling, almost pleading, to shock and sadness. Absolutely brilliant.
The "human" face of Spike is the last thing we see as the door slams shut.
Who
is Spike? According to this episode, he is a brutal killer without remorse
(we must never forget that), incapable of genuinely moral behaviour at
least at this point in his development. His "good" actions are entirely
selfish. Yet he genuinely loves the Slayer and is not going to give up
on his misguided attempt to win her heart, even if that may mean "turning
[his] back on the whole evil thing." I am utterly fascinated and compelled
to go along for the ride.
One
final note: James Marsters did a spectacular job with this episode. I heartily
agree with USA Today that if he were on another show on another network,
he would definitely be a shoo-in for Best Supporting Actor. His work in
Fool for Love and Crush was subtle and intelligent and moving. His performance
(coupled with outstanding writing) is what makes Spike’s character so fascinating,
compelling, and complex. I hope his performance in Buffy this season will
finally land him the high-profile acting roles that he so richly deserves.