There's an interview with James Marsters on EW.com. (spoilery for some JM casting news) He says some interesting things about Joss and Spike.
[link]
[But] I don't think the character of Spike really sparked Joss' imagination. I think that he was designed to be a throwaway character that got popular with the fans. Personally, he never really got into him. Every character on the show was a version of Joss, but Joss didn't see Spike that way. Spike was the other guy. He was the guy who might mess up the show, actually, because vampires are supposed to be ugly and hated.
Except for the Master, were any of the leading character vampires ugly?
Angel,
Darla,
Harmony,
Drucilla,
Buffy's school chums
Who was ugly and hated?
Not a vamp though.
true, but your question was "Who was ugly and hated?" If you want an ugly vamp, I'll give you Dalton in Surprise.
Also, Kakistos and whoever the vamp was in Helpless (is that the episode where Giles puts Buffy through the cruci-whatever-it-is ritual? Dear lord I'm rocking a huge case of medicine head + sleep dep today) Some of the shempires were gnarly.
actually, now that think about it, the Vessel was no cover boy, either
the Vessel
Luke, right, in WttHM? Damn, I really need to do a re-watch. I'm actually fogetting stuff I didn't even have to think about.
eta Like how to spell "forgetting" for example.
Luke, right, in WttHM?
Yes, his name escaped me, but I knew that someone would know it.
true, but your question was "Who was ugly and hated?" If you want an ugly vamp, I'll give you Dalton in Surprise.
I was responding directly to Marster's comment about Joss' attitude towards vampires, which I attempted to refute. The comment was:
Every character on the show was a version of Joss, but Joss didn't see Spike that way. Spike was the other guy. He was the guy who might mess up the show, actually, because vampires are supposed to be ugly and hated. emphasis mine
It just struck me as an odd comment from an actor who gained 'pretty boy' status from playing a character that Joss wrote.
I'm reading subtext into it that may not be there, but it seems as if JM felt under appreciated for the contribution he brought to what was originally planned as a 'throwaway' character. In the commentaries and interviews I've seen, Joss seemed to actively value Spike's development...aka, Marster's spin on him.
