Spoiler Slayer

Slow weekend for spoilers, haven't heard anything new for a while. Though I do want to discuss some comments made about the possibilities of a Buffy and Spike relationship.

First, I can agree that Buffy and Spike getting together is going to be tricky at best. Spike is not Angel, and chip or no chip, soul or no soul, he never will be. Yet as vampires go, and overlooking how he got his nickname (though I have to think they got what they deserved), Spike has also never been evil on the same level of Drusilla, Darla, or Angelus. While he might be a cold-blooded killer, he also seems to think much more about his actions than some of the other examples that we have. In addition, he does tend to do the right thing when it's required (although his motives aren't always as pure). Still, when it comes down to it, Spike is a killer, he is a demon, and he has no soul.

Second, I wasn't saying that Buffy and Xander don't have chemistry. Everyone on the show has chemistry, otherwise the show wouldn't have made it through the first season. However, I don't see the same chemistry existing if Buffy and Xander were to get together. Even worse, it might not work at all, thus leaving the writers with a very awkward situation. It's my own opinion that getting any of the core Scoobies into a relationship with another just won't work. Much in the same way that Mulder and Scully, David and Maddie, Picard and Crusher, and many other screen couples either didn't happen or backfired horribly when they did. It's probably why we never did see anything more than a brief dalliance between Xander and Willow. Now of course you can point to Buffy and Angel working very well, but that was something that was setup in the very first episode. There really was no beating around the bush, they were a couple almost from the very beginning.

It would be great to think that Buffy and Xander could have a future. That Buffy could find a 'normal guy' to be with, rather than souled-vampires, military experiements, or chipped vampires. Then again, we've seen that Buffy has a problem with 'normal' relationships. Although Xander is very aware of the world that she lives in, he still is a 'normal guy'. That's his role on the show, and it's unlikely that it will ever change. Part of the reason I started the Spoiler Slayer was because of all the rumors about Xander's destiny. Xander can't have a destiny, can't have superpowers, because he is the 'normal guy' for the show. He's the person that we can relate with, just like one could relate to Willow in the earlier days. Things have changed for her over the years, making it that much more important for Xander to be both an anchor for the fans and for the characters. Last season demonstrated that more than once, as Xander was often the voice of reason (much like he's been since the very first season). Being the 'normal guy' or 'the zeppo' gives him a clarity that the others often lack.

I know it's not the popular opinion, but that's the way I see his character in the show. It doesn't mean I'm going to automatically declare any Xander/Buffy spoilage false, I do think about these things a great deal before I judge them. Like any great piece of fiction, the characters themselves represent themes and ideas. If you understand what makes the characters tick, why the writers choose to portray them the way they do, then you have an idea of what may happen in the future. What I find that most people miss, is the obvious parallels between Spike and Xander. In some ways, they are two sides of the same coin. Don't believe me, watch "The Zeppo" and "Fool For Love" again, it's all right there if you know what to look for.