Make no bones about it; I'm a Spike apologist. From the time he showed up in Season Two's "School Hard" I've known that Spike is the epitome of the Anne Rice vampire legend: violent, emotional, brutal and gentle all at once, Spike was the anti-Angel in Buffy's life. And I loved him.
Five seasons later Spike has gone through many evolutions and has come out stronger for it, despite the weakness he's shown thus far in Season Seven. He's a fascinating character to analyze - and there as too many layers to strip away and come to any final conclusion. Is he a monster not worthy of divine forgiveness? A man cursed to search for redemption that will never come? A lover who can never attain true love? He's all that and more, ladies and gentlemen.
The character of Spike is so complex that it's difficult to know where to begin. Some fans attribute that to the fact that Spike has several different writers - each of whom view him differently. Some view him as a vampire, and write him evil and apathetic. Others see him as the dark hero, writing him romantically. A lot of fans feel this makes Spike not so much complex as suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder. I am in the camp that believes the different writers' perspectives have helped develop the most interesting character on the show.
So we'll begin at Spike's beginning: As William the Poet in "Fool For Love" (S4), we saw him in the late 1800s failing in his attempt to woo Cecily with a poorly written poem. She tells him he's beneath her, and he's justifiably devastated. In this one scene, William is seen as a dreamer, a romantic, and someone desperate for the affection of the woman he adores from afar. Although it's the only scene the viewers have had of pre-Spike William, it's a touching and heartbreaking scene because it shows a man suffering emotionally at the hands of the woman he pines for.
Moments later, having left the party, he meets Drusilla, a vampire who takes an immediate fancy to lovelorn William. She vamps him, and they quickly become a couple as they crusade through Europe with Angelus and Darla. In all of Spike's scenes with Dru throughout Season Two, we see a couple that worships each other, will do anything for each other, and loves with just a little bit of violence.
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