Angel tonight. To watch or not to watch? unspoiled.

[timepiececlock]

Ambivalent.

I loved and adored Destiny, and consider it my new favorite AtS episode. However, have contradictory feelings about the other episodes this season, and I've never really adored AtS like Buffy anyway. Also, after Destiny I am profoundly scared that that was the best episode of the season and all others to follow will ruin and destroy Spike by simply not measuring up, or by making some huge OOC thing happen. As I loved Buffy Season 7 Spike, this AtS!Spike is a new and strange creature to me... only familiar in Destiny.

My main issue is that in order for Spike to be Spike at all, he needs to be given a good reason not run off to Buffy now that he's coporeal. In Destiny that reason was the cup and the madness at W&H... both have been resolved. Spike needs a good reason to stay, even if it's just "I am too conflicted about myself and my future at this moment to hunt down the woman I lived and died for and think of constantly." That's a stupid reason, but at least it's a reason.

My great fear is that we won't be given a reason at all. If the issue doesn't come up at least once in this episode after Destiny, if it's not even mentioned, then no place on earth will be free from my shrieks of outrage. It's not in Spike's character to just hang around because he has no place to go. He does have a very obvious place to go, and even Angel knows it.

This has been my thoughts since I heard he was cast on the show-- that they could have him, but it couldn't be for more than a season or two, and they'd have to have a really amazingly important reason for him to stay. In all likelihood I expect him to only be on Angel for the fifth season, because I can't imagine him there permanently, unless the scoobies were all dead or something.

The incorporeality was a very good reason for him to stay. Obviously now that he's corporeal and can drive beyond the city limits, he is no longer tied to L.A. Which means we need another good reason for him to stay, and since this is Spike we're talking about, we need it *now* because he's not the waiting type.

Or in lieu of that, we need to see someone else confront him about why he's staying, and then have his motives be mysterious. Either way, address the issue.

I'm so afraid that they won't address it. So I can't decide if I want to watch this new episode, because I'm dying to know what happens...or if I want to stop on a high note and never watch it again.

Comments

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

::points to icon::

My point exactly.

Not that I could ever stop watching; I like Angel the show for its own merits, but regarding my favourite character?

I'm seriously scared.

(Feel free to take the icon; foggi made according to my wishes but for everybody to share!)

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I will! Now! Thanks.

[muzakgurrl.livejournal.com]

Siiigh. My thoughts exactly. Heck, I didn't even like "Destiny" that much because of the Harmony thing--personally I don't think that Spike would have done that either, even though he'd been without sex for so long. I mean, hello? He was without sex for over a year, and he was *around* the woman who he would want to have sex with...so why now, with Harmony? There were definite good Spike/Buffy moments in the ep, but the Harmony thing was all I could think about. Blechh.

Oops. And now I'm ranting. I'm Sorry! Anyway, I completely agree with you, and *really* want it to be brought up--in a satisfying way. :)

Also, I'm so happy to read that you like Buffy s7 Spike! It seems like there are a lot of people in fandom who disliked him during that time, and I loved him.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Huh. I thought it was pretty obvious from my Spuffy posts. Yep, I adored Season 7 Spike, and S6 Spike. And 6-7 Buffy as well. I started watching with Bargaining, so I'm one of those late-coming fans who got starry eyed for the dark side of Spuffy, and weren't burned. How could I be burned or disappointed? I don't have all the expectations for Spuffy that a lot of people did, so the way it turned out was cool and wicked and beautiful and ugly and perfect to me. I got up in arms about the attempted rape, because by then I was deeply emotionally attached. But yep, I loved all of season 7. That's how it is with relativelynewbies.

[muzakgurrl.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think I knew that you liked s7, but I guess it just re-affirmed it for me? Hee. And I'm like you, I got in late in the game (waaay late) and love, LOVE all the later season stuff.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Though it's by no means a general rule, I've noticed that of the people who joined in season 6 or 7, sometimes also 5, there was negativity about the episodes. It actually got kind of annoying, because while I was riding high on my Newbie Love of All Things Buffy, I ended up beign surrounded by a lot of LJers who hated the episodes and indirectly rained on my parade. Then I got to ignoring all that and I was happy again. :)

[muzakgurrl.livejournal.com]

I've noticed the same exact thing. I'm still learning to ignore all the negativity. When it works though, it is very nice to be in my own happy world! :)

oops

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

there was supposed to be a 'less' in front of the bit about negativity in my comment

[octopedingenue]

I hope you watched the episode, because it was touching and hiiiilaaaaaaaarious, and because I'm interested in your reaction to Spike's rationale. (I for one was satisfied. As flimsy excuses go--and we've got to admit that ANY excuse to keep him away from Buffy is a flimsy one, quite frankly--this one seemed nicely, melodramatically Spike. ^_^)

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

so there is a rationale? They don't just, like, totally ignore the elephant that every fan can see hanging out above Spike's head? Good. I'll watch then. :)

Two Things

[raghnaid.livejournal.com]

1: Thank you so much for all the recs at Cavalaxis' LJ! Piles an' piles of 'em! Whee!

B: I've yet to watch this episode, but a thought I had was that perhaps he would be content to let her think him dead, left with many (realatively) good memories, and that to chase after her could mess it all to hooey. And I think the last thing he would want to do is mess it all to hooey.

thanks again!

Re: Two Things

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

1. You're welcome! And I urge you to read every single rec I gave (some of them repeat on different posts) in the LJ Memories link. I meant each rec. I love reccing fics... I gush by nature and reccing allows me to share the things I gush about! Some people love something and want to keep it all for themselves, and get bitter once it becomes mainstream and popular. Not me. Once I like something, I want *everybody* to like it too. :)

2. Relatively speaking (since I haven't seen it either ::eyes tape resting in VCR, full of unwatched goodness::) I would think that your theory sounds a bit too Angel-ish and not very SpikeLike. But then, I haven't seen the episode so I couldn't judge. After I watch it, I'll post what I think. :)

Re: Two Things

[raghnaid.livejournal.com]

1. You bet your sweet bippy I will.

2. You certainly have a point. I'll probably watch it over the weekend. I'm sure we'll dish.