The reason for titling the most recent Spoiler Thread "Show Called Angel" was, I believe, a reaction to the announcement at the end of last year that Spike would become a regular, and severe worries that it would become the Spike Show. It was "Show called Angel! Show not called Spike!"

In retrospect, do people think Spike's addition helped or hurt the final season? Let's leave aside the issue of "the suits wanted Spike so he had to be there or there would be no final season"; I'm talking artistically, not practically.

My answer is a mixed yes/no. I've always been Spike-neutral (just can't see what the big deal is either way) and I disliked the direction the show went in season five in a general sense, but focusing very narrowly on Spike's contributions I have to say that sometimes they were forced and annoying, and sometimes they worked really well. All in all I'd rather have had Connor, but that's just me (and a few others). Also, the forced and annoying was more obvious toward the first half of the season; by the second half Spike seemed a more appropriate part of the ensemble (except for TGIQ, in which the whole danged episode was forced and annoying. Yes, I know some people liked it.)

I've actually enjoyed Spike a great deal this year; he's even been a bright spot sometimes in episodes that I wasn't otherwise overwhelmed with.

He was superfluous. Not in a malignant way, but since his screentime took time away from other characters and storylines (Lorne!), his contribution was ultimately detrimental to the show. Dawn in seasons 6 & 7.

since his screentime took time away from other characters and storylines (Lorne!)

But we don't know he did. We know that we might have given his time to Lorne, but Wesley could have gotten it. Or Harmony. Or Nina. Or Eve. Or naked sweaty Lindsey.

It's like the lack of Xander in late Buffy.

In the first third of the season, I found Spike actively annoying, and wanted him off my show. Since then, he's been better integrated, but I'm still not sure the season's been made better by his presence. He's fine, but whatever.

I'm dreadfully Spike-centric, so I was all excited about the change. I've loved seeing Angel have to deal with this blast from his past, having someone around who knows exactly how to make him furious fastest. True, Spike was shoehorned in a couple of places for contractual obligations, and his parts could have been done by others occasionally, but they've pretty much kept it a Spike-Angel dynamic.

The Fred-Spike angle seemed forced, but not too badly so.

He's fine, but whatever.

That's my opinion too. Unless someone told me what they'd have done if they hadn't written for him, who the hell knows?

But we don't know he did. We know that we might have given his time to Lorne, but Wesley could have gotten it. Or Harmony. Or Nina. Or Eve. Or naked sweaty Lindsey.

No, we can't know what they would have done with the time. But, new character is shoehorned into the show and another character gets far less facetime and no arc? I feel confident that they are correlated. (I also feel like all the other characters were not underserved.)

Moreover, a lot of Spike's purpose could have been filled by Lorne--e.g., watching Illyria; being the Anya/Cordelia "truthteller." I think every Spike storyline and his character arc could have been discarded this season with no net loss to the show's arc and storyline.

Then what explains last season's underuse of Lorne? It'd have been nice if they'd sat down and figured out what his best use was, but it wasn't Spike stopping them from doing it.

I feel like he's far more sidelined this season, but I could be wrong.

I still feel that he AND Spike is one wacky sidekick too many.