Spoiler Slayer

This is going to be my third attempt to write this post. The first entry got fried due to some bad java code in a pop-up ad (killed the browser), the second time around I hit the 'Refresh' key while reaching for my Coke, hopefully the third time will be a charm. I want to focus a bit on things other than Buffy and Spike for a moment. While their story arc has gotten interesting, I think some of the things about the others are being lost in the shuffle.

My big question is how she managed to suddenly figure out how to de-rat Amy. One second she was stumped, the next the answer appeared out of thin air (literally). It's another example of how everything is coming to her so easy, but I'm still thinking something (or someone) is behind it. We've been seeing two sides of Willow lately, and this episode was no exception. Take what happened in the Magic Box, one second she's returning to her hacker roots, the next she's mixing it up with magic again. Now that she has another spellcaster to hang with, things (as we saw) can only get worse. Though the consequences are lying just around the corner, as we can see in the preview for next week. Amy, while it's good to see her standing on two legs again, is not what Willow needs right now.

While it's good to see that Amber will be not be taking a break for a while, there was little to be seen of Tara, Dawn, Xander and Anya. Though I think that the Xander/Anya story arc will take up most of the second half of the season, one wonders what might happen when Willow and Amy actually get home. Tara is very protective, and right now she seems to be the only one looking out for Dawn. It's also good to see her character continue to assert herself, I really hope that we'll continue to see more of that in the future. But I would put off any hopes of a Willow/Tara reconciliation for a while. Willow has some very dark roads to follow, it's going to be a while before she makes it back to the light (if she does at all.)

Now on to the big question, What's wrong with Buffy?

It might be a longshot, but I've seen it discussed in multiple places, so I feel that we might be on the right track. We've heard that in 'Wrecked', that Buffy's tryst with Spike leaves her shaken to the core. Which is probably more due to the revelation that she isn't exactly 'right', than the actual sleeping with Spike. In fact, I have a hunch that the two are connected. Did Willow's spell misfire, that's a possibility. Did something come back with Buffy (aside from the other demon), maybe. But recalling how much Joss and Company love to use Irony, there might be a simpler explanation. One which could explain not only why Spike's chip isn't working on Buffy, but how it differentiates between human and demon. It would also explain why Buffy just can't seem to care about anything, why there's not emotion behind her actions. It's not a matter of what she brought back, but what she might have left behind.

She doesn't have a soul.

While I was skeptical of the theory, even though it came to me immediately after reading the Wildfeed, seeing the episode kind of drove the point home. From what we know, demons don't have souls. It's something that only humans (and cursed vampires) can have. Plus not having a soul doesn't make one evil, I can think of many examples of evil humans and good demons in both Angel and Buffy. It would also answer a lot of questions. Right off the bat, it would solve a bunch of questions about Spike's chip, and exactly how it works. I know there are theories that she's part demon, or that she came back more Slayer than human, but that never affected the chip in the past. Obviously the Slayer has powers and isn't quite human, so the chip shouldn't work if that were true. Somehow the lack of a soul would be a better twist. Which is why I think we should be careful about how we read her comments to Spike in the opening. I think the point of her calling Spike a thing, really wasn't about how she really felt. I think it was a device to show the contradiction. How ironic it was that she called Spike a thing, when at this moment she might be just like him. Everyone wants to focus on how this episode proves that Spike is evil, but I think that this might be what this entire season is about. Exactly what makes a person evil? Suddenly, we've got several levels of 'evil' in the show. We have the Troika, which while bumbling, is certainly up to no good. But then look at Warren compared to Jonathan or Andrew. We have Willow, who's in over her head, but how does she compare to Amy? Even Spike, though he had to work himself up a bit to test the chip (and he would have gone through with it), now has what he always wanted in the past. He can kill the Slayer, but even in the midst of battle, he's not the one who comes off cold and emotionless. If anything, Buffy's actions freaked me out more than Spike's. It wasn't Spike who initiated anything more than a fight (and on a side note. Aren't the best fights either between two Slayers, or Buffy vs. Spike or Angel). She's obviously torn, but that could be her conscious fighting her urges.

The more I look at it, the more sense it makes. Darla, who didn't have a soul when she died, came back with one. Vampires, who have a soul when they are killed, don't come back with one. While Buffy isn't a vampire, what if the resurrection has the same result. What if it's not even Buffy that resides in her body anymore, what if it's something that just has her memories? What if her soul is still in that place she called heaven?

As for Buffy and Spike's relationship, while I would be worried, I think the preview for next week actually gave out a little too much. Regardless of the Morning After scene, I'm relatively sure that the episode will end (or it will be close to the end), with the two of them talking as they walk down the street. That's where Spike is telling her okay, but sooner or later she's going to want another taste. It looks like it could explain the spoiler that Buffy and Spike get back to normal. In fact, I think we've pretty much had most of the Buffy/Spike arc for this half of the season. The next one is going to be all about Willow and what happened to Buffy.