One Overlooked Buffy Scene Foreshadowed Spike’s Entire Redemption
Even though 25 years have passed since Buffy the Vampire Slayer concluded, fans still debate the characters’ motivations, arcs, and endings. One of the most divisive storylines in Buffy was the relationship between the titular Slayer and Spike, who went from arch enemies to love interests. With a government chip, his own quest for a soul, and his love for Buffy, Spike eventually becomes something of a ‘frenemy’ to the Scooby Gang, but Buffy and friends still questioned his true motives. His full redemption didn’t come until the Season 7 finale.
Though Buffy’s hesitation was understandable, Spike’s redemption arc was arguably foreshadowed in one particular episode in the second half of Buffy‘s run. The scene arrives after Buffy’s mother, Joyce, dies in tragic circumstances. Long hailed as one of the most heartbreaking and raw depictions of grief, Joyce’s death is one of the most grounded storylines in Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s entire run, and it sowed the seeds for Spike’s epic transformation.
Spike Pays His Respects to Joyce After Her Death
Season 5, Episode 16, “The Body”
Joyce Summers was a popular recurring character in Buffy, featuring in 58 episodes across 5 seasons until her untimely death in the Season 5 episode “The Body.” Joyce’s death made her one of the most tragic characters in Buffy, and her heartbreaking end understandably affected Buffy for a long time, forcing her to drop out of college, look after her sister Dawn, and process her overwhelming grief. Most of “The Body” centers on the human characters and their shock, but vampire Spike takes on an extended role in the next episode, “Forever,” which kick-starts his redemption journey.
Spike brings flowers to Buffy’s house to pay his respects after Joyce’s death. Xander questions Spike’s motivations and refuses to let him enter the house to comfort Buffy, but Willow is quick to point out that Spike didn’t even leave a card with the flowers, which suggests he wasn’t trying to score points with Buffy or take credit for the gift. Instead, he just tried to quietly offer something for Joyce’s death. She was one of the few people in Sunnydale who “never treated him like a freak,” as Spike points out, and the touching scene proves that he is capable of being good, not just when he is forced to be.
Buffy had already established its vampire rules by this point, portraying them as soulless, demonic entities. The exception to this rule was, of course, Angel, who was cursed with a soul. And Spike also, initially, fit this formula; when he first arrived in Sunnydale in Buffy Season 2, he was soulless and bloodthirsty, but the character’s popularity led to a change in direction when he returned as a season regular in the fourth season.
Spike’s redemption Arc Begins After Joyce’s Death
He Spends The Rest Of Buffy’s Run As a Hero
One of Spike’s reasons for turning up to pay his respects to Joyce Summers in Buffy‘s most heartbreaking episode was due to her ability to make a good ‘cuppa’, but deep down, she meant more to him then he’d previously cared to admit. Bringing flowers to pay his respects was an unusually selfless act for a soulless vampire.
It’s a short, quiet scene, but it shows a hint of real character development for the formerly-named William the Bloody. Later on in “Forever,” another small moment illustrated Spike’s true intentions: he helps Dawn cast a spell to bring Joyce back to life, but the one caveat is that she can’t tell Buffy about it. Once again Spike is not looking to get Buffy’s attention, and despite his reservations about the spell, he helps Dawn carry it out so she can contend with her own grief. Even though the spell was unsuccessful, it’s a kind act from Spike.
In the final two seasons, Spike and Buffy strike up a romantic relationship, which divided fans then and continues to do so now. Buffy and Angel were always the fan favorite couple, and the only thing that enemies Angel and Spike had in common was their feelings for the Slayer. The romantic relationships in Buffy were the definition of ‘it’s complicated’, but Spike’s actions in “Forever” did foreshadow that his redemption arc was coming, as he showed genuine care for Buffy. Spike’s redemption arc properly kicks off when he seeks his soul in Season 6 an d comes full circle in Season 7, when he sacrifices himself to save Buffy and the rest of the Scooby Gang as the town of Sunnydale disappears into a giant sinkhole, It’s a full season or two after his act in “Forever.”
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| Spike’s good deeds include protecting Dawn against bikers and local threats in Season 6, choosing to get a soul in Season 7, and helping the Scoobies in the fight against The First Evil in Season 7. |
Of course, Spike returns as a ghost in the final season of the spin-off, Angel, and that was ultimately the last time fans saw him, as he joined Wolfram and Har to assist in more good deeds. There had been rumors of Spike’s possible return in the now-canceled Buffy reboot, with James Marsters open to reprisibg the role. If Spike does ever return, he should be a fully formed good guy who has paid for his sins. Long before he became an unlikely hero in Season 7, the seemingly insignificant moment after Joyce’s death proved that there was more to Spike than the monster he appeared to be.
Original article at Game Rant
