I agree with all of the above, except the first clause from justkim, and the last line from Sean. I think those words (justified, justification) are problematic; the word choice makes the rest of it untrue. If the killings were justified, that would literally excuse them. To justify something means to make prove something or somebody right (righteous); to make it/them free from blame; to absolve (from) guilt.

But Cindy, I didn't say that the killing was justified, I said

For me, Wood's desire for venegence is justified, but the method he wanted to take his vengence was not.

Wood's desire to kill Spike is excusable, the actual killing of Spike is morally questionable at best and wrong at worst within the scope of Buffyverse morality.

(Edited to not continue the display of my crappy typing.)

The desire is understandable, sympathetic; it's not justified. Vengeance, and the desire for it, cannot be justified (at least not in a 'verse where vengeance is represented by Gypsies who won't modify a curse, even when the object of the curse is and has been not killing for a century, and is now fighting for good; where it's represented by demons who wreak havoc).

It's no accident that Cordelia also suffered and died in the wishverse of The Wish. Vengeance harms everyone, even (especially) the seeker. When Giles tells Willow she's opened herself up to dark forces when she re-enacts the Curse of Restoration. She opened herself up to vengeance, not just dark magicks. Follow that train of thought down the road for the four seasons from S2 to S6, (with a great pit stop in season 4) and see where vengeance got her.

Also, your point was (and I didn't reference it in my post) is that he should have sought his vengeance in a different way. When actually, the point of the episode was that he shouldn't have sought vengeance at all. If he instead looked for some sort of restitution (and what that can be for killing a mother, I don't know), or amends, or something, I would agree that those sorts of desires are justified in the Buffyverse.

Desires though, in and of themselves, aren't the problem. It's how they're either sated or controlled - what acts are used, that are the real problem.

What, as usual, Cindy said. I think it's also worth emphasising that Wood himself hit Spike's trigger in order to bring vamp Spike out. I think that shows that Wood knew that he wasn't completely justified in killing AllInOne!Spike. Bringing vamp Spike to the surface might have given Wood a salve to his conscience.

And if that's true then the writers have shown us that killing Spike was wrong under those circumstances.

I always thought they didn't kill Spike because he was hot and good for ratings.

My whimsical theory for the day: when the First merged with *cough* had metaphysical sex with *cough* Caleb, his eyes went black, something we've seen as symbolic of possession by mysterious powers before, with Willow. Very notably, with Willow when she was possessed in "Becoming 2" and re-ensouled Angel. Offering a sort of back-handed suppot for the theory that the First had plans for Angel way back when, even before "Amends."

I'm not terribly attached to this theory, because I think that magic ought to equal power (which is dangerous and tempting and amoral in itself), not evil power; but it's fun to play with.

I wanted Spike to be very different from Angel, more than that I wanted Spike not to be the remorseful vampire with a soul because everyone's been working on the assumption that having a soul will make a vampire good. I wanted Spike to be different than that because I wanted Spike to be different than Angel.

Also because I'm rather bloodthirsty and I wanted to see how Buffy would deal with souled Spike who would kill once he got the chance. Because soul != good. But that's not what happened, instead Spike became whatever the hell he is.

I never saw Spike killing Nikki as anymore personal than when he killed the Chinese Slayer or his first attempts to kill Buffy. He took Nikki's coat as a trophy. Wood never really had possesion of Spike's coat, at least not in my eyes---he attempted to take back Spike's trophy but he lost the fight so Spike kept the duster.

Anyone else been to ebay to see the Buffy auction yet? I'm waiting for the soiled socks that Buffy wore in a scene that was cut out of Episode 25. Nothing else moves me, but when those socks go up for bid, stand back and watch me toss my life savings down the bidet.

A coaster!!! For god's sake, people are bidding money on a coaster. A. Coaster. "A", as in the singlular. A coaster. A paper coaster, no less.

Call me when they put Clem's sweat glands up for bid.

what's the url again?

www.ihavetoomuchmoneyand/ortoolittlesense.com

I never saw Spike killing Nikki as anymore personal than when he killed the Chinese Slayer or his first attempts to kill Buffy.

Wrod. "This is war. This is what men do."

Wood saw Spike as an enemy soldier as well as the ------- who killed his mother. And despite the soul, Spike was still killing and vamping humans in S7 -- still the enemy soldier (brainwashed, yes, but still an enemy soldier). Thus, perfectly legitimate to see Spike as a threat to be neutralized.

Wood's plan fails on moral grounds because it required him to trip Spike's trigger. Destroy the man (soul) and make him pure monster (vamp), to borrow Spike's metaphor from SR.

OTOH, lesser means (the bug in the eye) didn't work. So how do you deal with a Spike that's still a threat?

My point? No longer sure I have one.