Buffy the Vampire Slayer: People: Spike

Spike
The neutered vampire
Aka William the Bloody

Aww, Spike. Probably the most charming vampire in history. His arrival in Sunnydale was spectacular. Clad in black and red, he sauntered into the lair of a local vampire clan, casually punched some faces, bragged, joked, talked about Crucifixion and Woodstock in the same sentence, was caring and loving to his sick mentally disabled girlfriend and looked HOT. And that was just the first scene.

In his human days Spike was a gentle, sensitive poet (i.e. big nerd and laughing stock of his peer group) and probably the only 19th century Londoner with immaculate teeth. He spoke proper Queen’s English, wore glasses and had silly curly hair. In his case death surely seemed a big improvement.

He made a name for himself by killing two Slayers all by himself and was determined to make Buffy the third. Unfortunately, all his best laid plans had one in common: he always got bored with them and screwed everything up.

After Drusilla, his lover for a hundred years, dumped him, to add to his misery he was captured by secret government organisation that experimented on demons. They implanted into his brain a chip that causes severe neurological pain every time he tries to attack a living creature. He can still fight demons, vampires and, oddly enough, Buffy.

Rendered helpless and harmless, Spike sought help and protection from the Slayer gang and eventually became their ally. After some time he realised that the worst possible thing that could ever happen to a vampire happened to him: he fell madly, hopelessly in love with the Slayer.

To win Buffy’s affection he did everything he could. He helped her saving people, fought evil alongside her, chained her up and threatened to kill her, broke her up with her boyfriend, babysat her sister, served as Buffy’s friend and confidant, wound her up a lot, serviced her sexually, saved her life, failed to save her life, tried to make her jealous, tried to force himself on her. In the end, as a last desperate resort, he had his soul restored, and by the looks of him he bit off more than he could chew with that one. It seems that his new shiny soul is driving him bonkers – or maybe something else is at work here…

One of his trademark features used to be his long leather coat he took from the Slayer he killed in1977 and wore it ever since. It still has a hole in the back where ex-girlfriend Harmony shot him. While leaving for his soul quest Spike left the coat at Buffy’s, and since they did not part on the best terms I guess she burned it. Come to think of it, maybe it’s the absence of the coat that’s driving Spike bonkers.

So now, with the soul but without the coat, it’s really no telling what this new Spike is going to be like. But I believe that writing and the acting is good enough to keep Spike exciting, moving and complex character whatever happens. As long as he is, you know, HOT and often shirtless.

If you meet Spike in the pub, immediately check if you wallet is safe. Then you can relax and watch Spike being kicked across the room by Buffy, bunch of demon regulars, bunch of demons from out of town, by hellgod, sexbot and by Buffy again. Note: if you are in the pub with Spike and Buffy at the same time, it’s safest to leave straight away.

Spike is played by James Marsters

Spike: If every vampire who said he was at the crucifixion was actually there, it would have been like Woodstock. I was actually at Woodstock. That was a weird gig. I fed off a flowerperson and spent the next six hours watching my hand move.
(School Hard)

Spike: This is the crack team that foils my every plan? I am deeply shamed.
(Something Blue)

Spike: You take the killing for granted… And then it’s gone, and you’re like… I wish I’d appreciated it more. Stop and smell the corpses, you know?
(Where the Wild Things are)