fans_speak

Article from Jamie Marsters - Don't Kill Spike Club

I’ve been a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer since the very beginning, and likewise, a fan of Spike since his first appearance. From the very moment he first appeared on our screens it was evident that he was going to be an interesting character and he proved to be, right from the get go. His relationship with Drusilla was probably the first significant instance of him being something more than just your regular baddie of the week. His obvious love and dedication to her, still to this day, sets him apart from every other vampire (without a soul) that ever appeared on the show. There’s just something about a bad boy who’s not afraid to be "love’s bitch" and admit it, that’s very appealing.

Spike’s evolution throughout the show is another thing that, I believe, makes him a fan favourite. He went from being a vampire with a difference, to a vampire with a chip, to, finally, a vampire with a soul. And not just a vampire with a soul, but one who purposefully set out to ‘earn’ one.

His relationship with Drusilla allowed us to see a little of the man he was (as opposed to the monster he was), but his relationship with Buffy is when we really got a good look inside the heart of a soulless vampire. He obviously loved Buffy and, yet, even loving her didn’t hide his true nature of being a soulless vampire (as evidenced in "Seeing Red," which I still find difficult to watch). Eventually, it seemed that nature, itself, was what drove him into changing himself, and striving to make himself a man worthy of Buffy’s love: by seeking out his soul. Even if you hated that relationship, you have to respect it as being the driving force for a lot of Spike’s life changes. Without that relationship, we may never have reached the point where Spike could be called a ‘champion.’

The club I founded, the Don’t Kill Spike Club, came about towards the end of Season Four when Spike was chipped and working with the Scooby Gang (if a little reluctantly). The reason we started the club is that fan opinion, at the time, seemed to be that if/when Spike got his chip removed it seemed likely that he’d end up dust. (Though that didn’t mean we wouldn’t like to see what happened when he did lose the chip). So I, myself, and a couple of fellow Spike fans (Dayloro and Amezri) decided to start the club to show that there were Spike fans who, no matter the cost, did not want him dead (or, you know, dust…). Incidentally, we found out a couple years after we started the club, that at about the same time, James Marsters himself had taken to walking around the set with a t-shirt that read "Don’t Kill Spike." So, evidently, it wasn’t just the fans that felt the same sentiment!

I like to believe that, even if only in some small way, we fans had something to do with Spike sticking around ‘til the very end. He’s still kicking ass in the current comics, and looks set to do so for some time. So, it’s apparent that Spike has quite the dedicated following, still to this day.

Thank you.

….jamie_marsters

Founder of the Don’t Kill Spike Club

http://dontkillspike.50webs.com

http://twitter.com/jamie_marsters

http://dontkillspike.50webs.com

http://dontkillspike.proboards.com (All Whedonverse)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dontkillspikeclub/join

http://dontkillspike.livejournal.com/

http://twitter.com/jamie_marsters