@Toasterlad: And ironically, Spike's turn to the good side is less meaningful if he had really always been a "special" vampire. At least IMHO. Those Spike-lovers who imagine that he was never really all that evil deep down inside aren't doing their favorite character any favors.

Commentary notwithstanding, I'd deny that Spike held onto human values of right and wrong throughout his vampire days. That's not what we see on screen. Instead, he was all vampire for a century, then developed a new set of humane values after falling in love with Buffy. (Aided by a little electroshock aversion…

On the other hand, Spike's eagerness to blame Angel for making him a monster has to count against him.

Joss is always (or almost always) good at knowing which story elements can safely be glossed over to hurry us along the the dramatic or humorous payoff.

Re the SPOILER: That is indeed a disappointment. My way around it is to assume that W&H (or any other very powerful Buffyverse entity) just always has enemies looking to rip it off or take it down. These are just some examples who become the monsters of the week. Much like how on BTVS there were always various demons…

Or the famed Muncie branch.

I was seriously disappointed by the lack of a Gellar guest appearance at the time, but in hindsight the lack makes sense. Either they would have had to keep Buffy from ever interacting directly with Angel and Spike, which would have been a waste of a guest star, or else they would have needed a very different script,…

There castle!

Whew! I was starting to worry one of us might have to take over trivia duties.

@tossin (Hopefully this comment will go in the right place.) Re:  terminology, not to get in a big argument, but most of us use "Buffyverse" or "Slayerverse" to refer to the BtVS/Angel/Fray fictional universe. Whereas "Whedonverse" refers to all of Joss's fictional creations. Yes, it's an illogical term since they…

Oh, and I just remembered he was in the TV movie and/or failed pilot Celeste in the City, where he played the title character's gay cousin. The show was, if not *bad*, at least forgettable, but NB was definitely the best thing in it.

Remember, no matter how excellent something is, it's still always possible to overrate it.

I go back and forth a lot, but I rank S4 ahead of S5 on at least one day out of every two. (And S3 ahead of both. Most of the time.)

Agreed on all that. Xander could have been a lot of fun on Angel. But Spike was the one character on BTVS with a rabid fanbase who could be expected to follow him to Angel, so from a purely business standpoint he was the logical choice to bring over. I don't know if it was Joss's own idea or the network's command, but…

No, Angel had a point. Regardless of how or why you got it, a Buffyverse soul is a Buffyverse soul. Its main function is to give you a conscience. So why didn't Spike feel remorse for his evil days the same way Angel did? I think the real difference is not in the soul, but in the circumstances. Angel had nearly a…

Sometimes Spike fans have this weird tendency to see him as nobly and saintly, even in cases when that interpretation would make him a much less interesting character.

Hey, some of us think "Seeing Red" is neither the devil incarnate nor a regular episode, but actually a very good one.

Wait 'til Veronica Mars season 3.

I don't think that was an accurate description of the Anya episode at all. The episode is mostly about how Anya stagnated in her personal development because she always got obsessed with her boyfriend/job/both instead. It is a sad or at least melancholy episode. But it definitely gives you a sympathetic look at the…

I read it! I'll be on the lookout for your comments on the AtS reviews. And on the classic Firefly reviews that the AV Club simply HAS to do someday, right?