I think it's best shown by the fact that Buffy ended her story by sacrificing Spike to destroy the hellmouth and save the world from invasion by demons or really monsters. At the end, the black and white universe exists but has evolved with benign demons (Clem etc).
Interesting, I viewed it differently. Buffy didn't sacrifice Spike. He sacrificed himself. In fact, she attempts to get him to leave. She even tells him that he's done enough - and tries to save him. But Spike refuses - insisting that she leave, let him finish this. Let him save the world. It's his choice. She tells him she loves him - and he says, no you don't, but thanks. In part what he is saying there is - don't save me, don't go back there with the killing of Angel in Becoming, I got this - let me choose to do this. Similar in a way to what Buffy did in The Gift - where she ended her life.
I think it is important from a story thread perspective to see that Spike sacrificed himself. Otherwise Spike's redemption in Chosen makes no sense. It's an important distinction between Spike and Angel. Spike doesn't need the shanshu and doesn't require external approval. He serves as a sort of foil for Angel in this way. Because Angel, who gave them the amulet - wanted to do what Spike did - but for Angel it wouldn't be a pure sacrifice, it would have been s suicide or a get out of jail free card - which WRH were counting on him taking because it would ping him back to WRH and under their control. But Spike was a wild card and what he does - in some respects influences Angel's decisions in that final season.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2014-10-12 01:19 am (UTC)I think it's best shown by the fact that Buffy ended her story by sacrificing Spike to destroy the hellmouth and save the world from invasion by demons or really monsters. At the end, the black and white universe exists but has evolved with benign demons (Clem etc).
Interesting, I viewed it differently. Buffy didn't sacrifice Spike. He sacrificed himself. In fact, she attempts to get him to leave. She even tells him that he's done enough - and tries to save him. But Spike refuses - insisting that she leave, let him finish this. Let him save the world. It's his choice. She tells him she loves him - and he says, no you don't, but thanks. In part what he is saying there is - don't save me, don't go back there with the killing of Angel in Becoming, I got this - let me choose to do this. Similar in a way to what Buffy did in The Gift - where she ended her life.
I think it is important from a story thread perspective to see that Spike sacrificed himself. Otherwise Spike's redemption in Chosen makes no sense. It's an important distinction between Spike and Angel. Spike doesn't need the shanshu and doesn't require external approval. He serves as a sort of foil for Angel in this way. Because Angel, who gave them the amulet - wanted to do what Spike did - but for Angel it wouldn't be a pure sacrifice, it would have been s suicide or a get out of jail free card - which WRH were counting on him taking because it would ping him back to WRH and under their control. But Spike was a wild card and what he does - in some respects influences Angel's decisions in that final season.