I kinda wanted Buffy to dust Spike one day in a fit of annoyance. They're just hangin' out, he says something lame and she goes, "bam!" right in the heart and maybe doesn't even tell anybody until a few episodes later.

Bwahahaha! Oh man, that would have been great. Not really in character for Buffy, but I would have laughed for days and days.

And we thought the uproar of crazy Tara fans was loud...

And we thought the uproar of crazy Tara fans was loud...

I was just typing that very thing, Matt. So many ways to have killed Spike and made the show better, so many writer crushes not letting him go.

I am a Spike fan, and I wanted him redeemed, and I still think the story they told was sort of lame and gave me whiplash. IIn Season Five, it seemed like they were going for "vampire redeemed by unrequited love", which was fine, but then, frankly, he never should have had a real relationship with Buffy. In Season Six, he was the bad boy boyfriend, which was also fine, but didn't seem to go with Season Five, so I kept expecting him to be redeemed instead. Again, that story would have worked, but I didn't even get what they were going for (I am lame) until Season Seven, when there was yet another story of a vampire with a soul, being redeemed, but by that time, I couldn't forget the "bad boy" stuff, even if he did have a soul. Plus, there was already a souled vampire. Plus he said "make me what I was so I can give her what she deserves", and he never was a souled vampire before!

Plus he said "make me what I was so I can give her what she deserves", and he never was a souled vampire before!

I'm not sure whether he specifically asked for his soul back or whether it was a monkey's paw sort of wish.

I think I'm in agreement with Jessica's assessment back when that the glowy-eyed demon in Africa gave Spike his soul just to mess with him.

I think I'm in agreement with Jessica's assessment back when that the glowy-eyed demon in Africa gave Spike his soul just to mess with him.

I would think that too, but I don't recall him acting like it wasn't what he wanted.

I think that they didn't tell him (JM) and then it (the soul) drove him (Spike) mad.

Oh, God. I never thought I'd see the did/didn't Spike wish for his soul back debate, again.

I'm now having bad, bad flashbacks.

Jessica's assessment back when

Was it? I don't remember having that theory. (I mean, it sounds like something I might say, I just have no memory of actually doing it.)