Ah, I love it when writers manage to divide my sympathy between two opposing characters or factions. It’s just so amazingly wonderful when all sympathy isn’t placed with one part while the other is demonised. Of course, in an ideal world, this would have been how all conflicts were described in every form of media, but alas…

In this episode and character arc, though, my sympathy’s mainly with Spike, although I obviously understand at least parts of Buffy’s point of view, too. His constant attempts at making her love him only increases her loathing of him, and even his most desperate and noble tries earns him no respect. Which I think is unreasonable of Buffy. Sure, she don’t want to fall in love with him, or have him loving her, but wouldn’t it be more constructive to at least show him some respect from time to time?

Oh well. Good episode, but not necessarily great. Nice to rewatch it, though, seeing as the last time I watched season five, I watched it in one or two sittings, and this episode was most likely in the middle of the second sitting, meaning that my concentration was kinda low.