But they want us to like Spike and even root for him. Ain't gonna happen after an attempted rape.

And yet I do. So go figure.

Souled!Spike is very different than early Spike--not so much from Spike trying to be good of last season. However he IS different--for me he's lost his edge of danger that made him, well, sexy. Now I find myself looking at him and thinking "what a handsome man." Where I used to think "Gimme some of that."

ETA__it's the ScytheAxe. It seemed to give strength to Faith as well.

Did she take any punches when it was out of her hands?

Definitely. Plus a couple of good pick-er-up-and-throw-er-against-the walls, the type that knocked her out earlier this season - like, two eps ago.

Maybe snapping Ms. On-and-On's neck drained Caleb of some of his strength of something.

Man, I suck at fan wanking.

Well, both are still James Marsters.

Let's not do this actor/character thing again. It doesn't end well. IJS.

Well, both are still James Marsters.

Yeah, but DB makes Angel(us) pretty distinct.

JM being a more experienced actor type than DB, methinks that in this case, one must look sternly to the writing.

I've been wondering something about Axercalibur and the Slayer line. When Buffy was talking to Giles, she said that she could feel its power, but it seemed to be kind of a vague feeling. When Faith picked it up, she very specifically said she felt like it was hers, even though she then gave it back to Buffy, saying something like I guess that means its yours.

Did anyone else get the feeling that in terms of the force(s) creating and guiding the Slayer line that maybe Faith was THE Slayer? If so, why is the FE so focused on Buffy?

The last thing Spike said to the soul demon is:

VOICE

You have endured the required trials.

SPIKE

(weakly)

Bloody right I have.

He pushes himself up to address the DEMON of the cave.

SPIKE (cont'd)

So, give me what I want. Make me

what I was... so Buffy can get what

she deserves.

VOICE

Very well.

A GNARLY DEMON HAND reaches out to Spike's bare chest

VOICE (cont'd)

Your soul is returned to you.

As the hand touches him, Spike throws his head back and SCREAMS in agony... -----

Dude, I've *seen* your purity test results. No way were you Andrew. Unless Andrew had a really interesting Mardi Gras.

Those results came about after a deliberate program designed to make me not!Andrew any more.

Which probably bespeaks a deap-seated pathology on my part.

Did anyone else get the feeling that in terms of the force(s) creating and guiding the Slayer line that maybe Faith was THE Slayer? If so, why is the FE so focused on Buffy?

But Buffy also got that feeling.

ETA: And Buffy is the one who has jumped the track on the Slayer railroad.

You know, last night before I went to bed I was like "oooohhh, by tomorrow, they will open a new thread." Damn me for not just staying up until the new thread opened. I don't even get the pleasure of commenting on the newness of the thread. Sorry, I'm whiney today. Also bitter because I really want to join in the buffistas promy goodness and no such luck.

Back a ways, somebody said that the Big Evil of the attempted rape had to be balanced. For some of us, a re-souling does just that, because there can not be any real redemption unless the perpetrator can really understand, and repent of, the transgression, and a soul would be a specific requirement for that. A re-souling is indeed a very big deal....)

(Sorry, I have to go and do some rush work now -- will return later to the discussion, which will probably have moved on!)