Now, what should one make of it in light of S6, and the fandom's view of S6 relationships?
Not sure what you mean by "fandom's view" since I find it varies depending on which sector of fandom you're in. But the fact that you brought up s6 is interesting... because the first thing I thought of when I read the Audrey Hepburn quote was Spike and Buffy's exchange from "Seeing Red":
SPIKE: Trust is for old marrieds, Buffy. Great love is wild and passionate and dangerous. It burns and consumes. BUFFY: Until there's nothing left. Love like that doesn't last.
(Sidebar: I wonder if Buffy is speaking from experience here, if she recognizes that this is what happened with Angel, or if she's just disagreeing with Spike on principle.)
In any case, I think they're making the same statement then as they were in the episodes discussed here. Spike's passionate, all-consuming love for Buffy is dangerous, and they're better off in season 7, when they've built trust, even if it's not a sexual relationship.
You could also apply the same idea to Willow and Tara, I think. Their relationship only goes bad when Willow taps into her own "inner monster" - her use of magic.
Xander, on the other hand, seems to ruin his relationship with Anya out of fear of the monster, before it ever really makes an appearance.
no subject
Not sure what you mean by "fandom's view" since I find it varies depending on which sector of fandom you're in. But the fact that you brought up s6 is interesting... because the first thing I thought of when I read the Audrey Hepburn quote was Spike and Buffy's exchange from "Seeing Red":
SPIKE: Trust is for old marrieds, Buffy. Great love is wild and passionate and dangerous. It burns and consumes.
BUFFY: Until there's nothing left. Love like that doesn't last.
(Sidebar: I wonder if Buffy is speaking from experience here, if she recognizes that this is what happened with Angel, or if she's just disagreeing with Spike on principle.)
In any case, I think they're making the same statement then as they were in the episodes discussed here. Spike's passionate, all-consuming love for Buffy is dangerous, and they're better off in season 7, when they've built trust, even if it's not a sexual relationship.
You could also apply the same idea to Willow and Tara, I think. Their relationship only goes bad when Willow taps into her own "inner monster" - her use of magic.
Xander, on the other hand, seems to ruin his relationship with Anya out of fear of the monster, before it ever really makes an appearance.