Did Spike help or hinder

[Mott1]

Hi all, this is my first attempt at a poll on here, so I hope all goes well. My question is - do you feel the arrival of 'Blondie Bear' helps or hinders the final season of Angel? I've heard strong arguments both for and against (sometimes by the same people)! My personal vote is probably 'helped', but I'm interested in the different views.

Vote & discuss...

 

[KaitKat]

I actually loved Spike in Angel. He felt like his own character again.

 

[thrasherpix]

I think he was a good foil for Angel, and their arguments and flashbacks could be fun (even now, just remembering their argument about cavemen vs astronauts makes me smile in amusement). There were moments that it annoyed me, but more often than not he was a good addition.

It's also where I can actually believe he has a soul. This was shown poorly in Buffy season 7 where he could show similar acts of devotion and self-sacrifice even to Dru in season 2 as he did to Buffy, and his psychopathic behavior had been toned down since at least season 5 Buffy. So it just didn't feel real to me.

But it did in Angel season 5 (that doesn't mean that he therefore became a saint, just as the vast majority of people with souls aren't saints, but he did feel like a person with fangs rather than a demon who found another woman to worship in his own demonic way, which could be painful at times as it was with Dru). When people say "souled Spike" to contrast with chipped, I more easily think of Angel season 5 than Buffy season 7.

 

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

Spike hanging around definitely kept Angel on his toes. And it was so much FUN to watch their competitive relationship. Spike so enjoyed annoying Angel; some of the best dialogue in S5 is between those two. Especially their mutual loathing of the Immortal. 😅

 

[thetopher]

Helped the show, hindered the characters. Well, Angel, specifically.

 

[burrunjor]

Spike was the best thing to happen to Angel season 5.

He brought so much to the show in terms of conflict, humour, and also helped it get back to the shanshu prophecy and Wolfram and Hart which had been sidelined, and kind of brought those stories to a head too.

He and Angel have one of the best relationships of any two characters in the franchise. There was obviously a lot of potential for humour like Astronauts vs Cavemen, whilst there was just as much potential for really great drama like in Destiny. They could switch from Frasier and Niles as Vampires, to the bitterest enemies in an instant.

At the same time however it wasn't all just conflict. It's subtle, but as the season goes on you can see that Angel and Spike develop a special bond. They can share things with each other that they can't with anyone else, they can relate to one another better than they can with anyone else, and surprisingly they trust each other completely when fighting together. Also rather touchingly Spike does genuinely believe in Angel, whilst Angel similarly calls Spike a hero. I love Spike's reaction to hearing Angel called him a hero, and Spike being the first to join him in the final fight.

It's funny because in a way Spike feels more at home with Angel's gang than Buffys. With the Scoobies everybody hated him, but with Angel's group he not only has Angel, who underneath it all knows what he is going through, but the rest of the gang, who having been through it with Angel are at least a bit more sympathetic to Spike.

Season 5 did have a lot going for it in the sense of it had finally dumped the awful Connor story arc and Cangel (though Cordelia herself was a big loss and Charisma's departure should have definitely been handled better.) Still I think it needed something else to really help it get over the disaster of season 4, and Spike definitely did that.

 

[CHK DeWilSon]

Probably 'Helped for the AI team as a whole in their battles.

Definitely 'Helped' for virtually most of the viewers who enjoy/love the character.

Absolutely 'Hindered' my enjoyment for the last series/season of ATS. A few amusing moments but I could have seriously been happier without his presence. As bad as so many may dislike series 4, I'll watch that any day over the final series. Whatever was happening with Wesley and Gunn regarding Fred, they NEVER got as ridiculous and petty as Spike and Angel did over Buffy.

I was a person who was never ever enthralled with the character of Spike even before spuffy happened so I never wished for him to returned once the 2nd series had ended but then again I wasn't bother about any of the seasons villains coming back again. And yes that includes Angelus especially given his arc in ATS. The character wasn't quite the same which was a shame.

 

[Stake fodder]

I voted "Helped" because he was a strong character and brought some great comedic scenes to the season, as well as being a good foil for Angel. Personally though, I didn't like how it required sidelining some of the long-term characters, and I didn't like how Spike regressed in behavior at first from BtVS S7. But I can see what other people say that it brought him back to a more popular pre-souled characterization.

 

[ILLYRIAN]

In the beginning the series Angel was a novelty that worked, its appeal became raised when Kate was involved but interest went up a notch when the person new to the show took control, like Spike. He visited, but on his terms. Hmm, I can see why Buffy liked him!