Messages About Sex and Violence in the Buffy/Spike Relationship on Buffy the Vampire Slayer

A Fine Line Between Love and Hate

By Heather Fowler, published Jun 01, 2006
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One of the most popular sci-fi/fantasy/horror television series of all time, Buffy the Vampire Slayer amassed extraordinary accomplishments during its 7-season run. The show spawned a successful spin-off, Angel; garnered a deeply dedicated legion of fans, and gave birth to an entire academic discipline, called "Buffyology." The show's most impressive - and sometimes its most troublesome - achievement has been its pervasive effect on American fan culture. As an hour-long network "dramedy," Buffy the Vampire Slayer was forced to contend with influences ranging from fan feedback to network interference and sponsor input. Beyond those influences, the show was also written by an eclectic group of writers, and sometimes fell victim to difficulties such as continuity errors, conflicting characterizations, and inconsistent story arcs. Although these problems didn't effect the overall quality of the show, they did on occasion present a troublesome social message. In this paper, I deal specifically with the message given by the complicated sadomasochistic relationship between the series' heroine, Buffy Summers, and the wildly popular arch-villain-turned-hero, Spike. For brevity, I will refer to this relationship alternately as Buffy/Spike or "Spuffy," common fan names for the pairing.

 
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Spike was and is my favorite character, but I always was very down on Spuffy. He was never a believable love interest for Buffy or any other human and was never shown - until the "Damage" episode of AtS - to have any remorse over his murderous past. Where's the romance that others find?!

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Posted on 03/26/2008 at 1:03:40 PM

 
(continuied from the prevous entry) Not the violence part, but the fighting in any way, "opposites attract" kind of stuff. I got involved in that type of relationship, only I had no feelings for him, I just wanted "someone" and it was a danger to me because of who he was and that he totally used me. It was kept under wraps and stopped and started. I think the spuffy relationship contributed. I became bussy and stopped watching my DVDs and one day I popped them In and I relized. Everytime I was with him, I would tell him how much I hated him and no. I mean I am not blaming the show, It is my faorite in the world, but I am just stating the spuffy relationship is not the best one to emmulate.

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Posted on 09/26/2007 at 2:09:00 PM

 
I am and avid watcher of BTVS and a spuffy fan myself, I started watching the show the begining of season 6. Maybe that is why I love the spuffy dynamic of the show. In a few months after watching I saw all the prevous episodes and now own all of the, so I kno what I am talking about. When I look back on season 6 I do not see the rape, I dont Believe Buffy deserved that, nor she should forgive Spike, I think SPike was hurt, and that in his mind was the only way to get her back, we've seen this thinking "Fool For Love" I believe that is teh episode that Spike tells Buffy about the two slayers he killed, and at the end attempts to shoot Buffy. That kind of rash thinking. Buffy was hurt therefore she hurt Spike, Spike let her hurt him because he wanted any part of Buffy he could in a sexual way. I do agree with the unhealth relationship part of this article. Maybe because I was young at this time, I loved that love hate relationship. Not the violence part, but the fighting in any way, "op

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Posted on 09/26/2007 at 2:09:00 PM

 
This has to be one of the most misguided articles I have ever read. The author either did not watch season six of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or just wants to ignore everything that happened in season six while preaching her point. Clearly, these narrow-minded tactics are absolutely eaten up by people who ship in other directions. To end this once and for all, the climactic moment in season six cannot be the only thing people observe when they look at the season. That's like just looking at Jews scorning Hitler without knowing what Hitler did to them. Bad analogy, maybe, but Buffy abused Spike repeatedly, both verbally and physically, throughout that season. She punched him almost half to death in "Dead Things" and his face was disconfigured for weeks afterward. Did she say "sorry" to Spike after that? No. She almost raped him in "Gone" when he CLEARLY said no. Did she say sorry then? No, she went back to his crypt and had sex (or raped) him again. She repeatedly told him that he was dirt

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Posted on 09/18/2007 at 10:09:00 PM

 
Domestic Abuse and Gender Role Reversal in Season 6: My Letter to Mutant Enemy by Kristen Smirnov Since this issue has come up again recently, I thought I'd share the letter I recently sent to Marti and Joss regarding different kinds of sexual abuse as portrayed this season. I'm aware that this might anger some people, and that's truly not my intention. I'll just say that, as a college student on a liberal campus, I've been exposed to a staggering wave of excused or ignored domestic abuse doled out by females that seems to increase with every semester. I'm hyper-sensitive to it, and that's the stance where I'm coming from with this. I've been letting this letter stew for a while to see if my feelings changed. I knew this would be a long letter, addressing a touchy and uncomfortable issue. But it was one raised by the show throughout the season, and was one approached from increasingly unsettling ways. Thus, I felt compelled to write in the hopes that my viewpoint, even if it'

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Posted on 08/03/2007 at 9:08:00 PM

 
Spike is my most hated fictional character in any medium, including tv, movies and books, and his usefulness was done after season two. The writers, though, needed a toy to play with and it was horrific what the writers did to this character. The neutering of season 4, becomming "one of the gang" in season five, the stalkerness of season six and the Angel soul immitation of season seven. Buffy became involved with Spike in season six to feel something because she was just a shell of a person after comming back from heaven. That's it. Spike took advantage of this and the attempted rape was the climax of his sick obsessivness of Buffy. Season seven did such a horrible job at resolving the rape, pretended that it never happened, and made Buffy and Spike bestest friends. These thing don't happen in real life but because it is Spike and "everyone" loved him it made it okay. The entire Spike Buffy relationships is one of the negative parts of what otherwise is an amazingly wonderful sho

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Posted on 05/12/2007 at 7:05:00 PM

 
if anybody want to talk to me about spuffy they can write to me . my mail is blatralala@abv.bg-i`m from bulgaria -europe do you know my country - never mind i`ll be very happy if there are any volunteeres

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Posted on 02/27/2007 at 1:02:00 PM

 
Ms. Fowler's portrayal of the Buffy/Spike relationship in Season Six was criminally one-sided. She complained of the fans and the writers' disregard of what Buffy had endured at the hands of Spike. Yet, she committed the same crime by disregarding the fact that Spike had been abused and was nearly raped by Buffy in the episode, "Gone". If Buffy was not allowed to forgive Spike for nearly raping her, then Spike was not allowed to forgive Buffy for trying to do the same to him.

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Posted on 02/22/2007 at 10:02:00 PM

 
The author has done a wonderful job in describing the most disturbing concept in the Buffy Universe. Spike and Buffy as a couple. The harm inflicted upon the Universe and the series reputation is irreversible and the fact that it was all done in the name of an evil monster, who happened to appeal to a few of the female writers, makes the whole occurence that much more disgusting. Unlike the author, I can only find fault in Joss Whedon for being absent and allowing Seeing Red to be a writers necessity. Only in his absence could a group of normally intellegent writers, muck up his legacy. Looking back, is it really any wonder "certain" writers wern't invited to write for Angel the series once Buffy ended? Let this be a lesson to ALL creators.

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Posted on 08/05/2006 at 10:08:00 PM

 
How can you get that "aw-thats-so-cute-butterfly-feelings" when their "love making" is riddled with pain and immorality. The problem isn't only the rape. It was everything from the beginning on Season 6. I'll even go out on a whim and say, that it's disgusting. There may be chemistry, but acted upon them has only lead to this. Enough said. A superior paper!

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Posted on 08/02/2006 at 9:08:00 PM

 
Well written and I can only nod along. I agree that the Spuffy relationship was unhealthy in terms of the message that it portrays to young viewers. However, I do see the "side" of redemption that Joss and his writers are coming from. Without mistakes, there is no redemption. Having said that... there are areas that people have to respect. Areas that are sensitive and traumatic to others, such as rape. It is only just that the writer have to deal with the consequences, like their fictional characters have to do (like Buffy, Angel, Willow... naming a few). It is only just that...frankly, Spike and Buffy are never together. However, I agree with some people here that the Spuffy relationship wasn't all about the rape. Yes. It was more than that... It was about using another person (who then, deserved more?). It was about extreme-over-the-edge obssession. It was about lust and hate. It was about physical sexual pain. What message does that instill to others? How can you get that "aw-th

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Posted on 08/02/2006 at 9:08:00 PM

 
As you well know, I agree with you that "Seeing Red" was a point of no return for the Buffy/Spike "relationship." Their dealings with each other were mutually abusive to that point--Buffy continued to strip Spike and engage in sex while she was invisible despite his claims that he was unwilling. Does this mean he had the right to respond with violent rape? Hell, NO! However, in your use of terms such as Spikistas and Spuffys, you leave yourself open to accusations of favoritism. The issue of whether a soulless monster (Spike or Angelus) can seek to become more would have been an interesting one for ME to explore *without* resorting to soap-operaesque rape and redemption rhetoric. Could a truly soulless being choose to seek a soul/redemption? I doubt it. I think this was largely a problem of audience and writer fascination with the bad boy and inability to overcome the logical conclusion of such fascination at the beginning of the arc. Give me the angst-ridden, heroic Angel

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Posted on 07/30/2006 at 2:07:00 PM

 
Nice article, but I admit some things didn't mesh with me. I do think its unfair the way some fan statements are presented. Surely vampires aren't subject to rules and expectations other characters are and IMO that is important to remember when fan sentiment is expressed. WRT notions of forgiveness and souls symbolism has always been there instead of what RL is like and none of the redemption characters ever conformed to RL. Maybe the scene was a bit soap opera but I don't think it changed much. IMO only kids who think vampires in this exist will be influenced but would have early on. So I don't agree that the story in of itself sent a bad message. Maybe decisions the staff made.

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Posted on 07/29/2006 at 4:07:00 PM

 
I think it a little late to be bringing one story line that was finished 3 years ago to remind viewers to be wary of TV creators messages. I would agree that that victim's story was never explored fully. ME justed keep mining shock value approaches to their arcs repeatedly & never followed thru with the aftermath. It really wasnt needed in Season 6,there was enough of it prior to this episode.

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Posted on 07/28/2006 at 4:07:00 PM

 
It's amusing that people think abstract notions of redemption and forgiveness somehow trump blatant and obvious imagery in the mind of children. Young minds are not yet developed enough to understand complex philosphical concepts like that. If Joss Whedon felt this was necessary to the story (which I seriously question) he should have seen it through and shown some kind of aftermath for the characters involved. By absolving Spike, Buffy was made to look weak and lacking in any kind of self worth, not generous and forgiving. I work with survivors of abuse and rape, and you'd be shocked and horrified to hear how many of them felt they "deserved" it because of some past event, signal they thought might be "mixed," or something as simple as the fact that the boy bought them dinner.

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Posted on 07/28/2006 at 3:07:00 PM

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