BSV Forum - General - The Bloodshedpub

Noticing Spike

May 08 2007 03:37 pm   #1Maddy

Last week I started watching BTVS again after quite a big break. Like over a year or so break.

No compromises, from the first season, no fast-forwarding, skiping episodes etc  (yeah, I do it somethimes, my hubby says it's cheating. Is it?). 

I'm in 2nd season now, Spike appears for the first time. What strikes me most - he is undefined, he's not the Spike I remember. He's like undone, full of flaws. And his accent is all wrong.

Do you have that impression too? That Spike must yet evolve, be redifined?
I can't wait for the 4th season.

Here in Poland TVs gave us only the 1st to 3rd season (it sucks, thay have all the seasons in Russia!!!). Most Buffy fans (really small fandom here) didn't get to see more. And when I talked to people it seemed like thay didn't find Spike special at all. Like he came unnoticed. Not so surprising though, it's not  the right Spike yet.

Well, I've noticed him from the first episod he was in so maybe I saw the potential.

So the main question here is: when did you noticed Spike? I mean really saw him, like drooling-all-over-him saw?
I'm curious and would like to compare the notes. :-D


ps. Do I use too much commas? we like commas in polish, never know where to put it righ in english.

May 08 2007 04:07 pm   #2maryperk

Well, I didn't really 'notice' Spike as anything but the Big Bad who wouldn't go away until Something Blue in season 4.  That episode made my dislike of Riley grow into loathing.  LOL  Now, the drooling probably didn't come till season 6, when we actually got to see him naked every week for a couple of months. 

May 08 2007 07:18 pm   #3FetchingMadScientist

I don't know...maybe I'm different.  But, I "noticed" Spike right from the beginning.  Angel didn't do anything for me, Spike did.  The minute he stepped on screen, I thought, "Whoa! I gotta see what he does." And, hadn't even spoke.

And, to be honest, 'Spike didn't scare me.  I guess it was something in the way Mr. Marsters performed, but everything Spike did screamed "hero " to me; right from the start.

"Never a fetching mad scientist about when you need one." -Spike
May 08 2007 07:53 pm   #4Scarlet Ibis

I'm kinda with FetchingMadScientist here- I noticed Spike as soon as he stepped out of the DeSoto with his raggedy combat boots.  We first see him in vamp face, and even then, before I ever heard of James or knew what the hell he looked like, I was totally enthralled.  Yes, the accent was all wrong in the beginning (which I only realize James points it out later in some DVD extra), and yes, he was "the bad guy."  You know what?  I didn't even care.  Then we see him without the vamp face after the commercial break, and I was in luvvvvv.

When the show first started it was like (for me) oh, Xander's cute in a goofy way, Angel's all... mysterious, but when Spike came, it was like "More. More. MORE, damn it!"  I couldn't get enough.  I felt teased in s3 when he was in just one ep, but it was then that I knew that yes, they were going to bring him back- they had to if they were, ya know, *sane*.  It was such a shame that Riley and the whole Initiative arc killed that season for me.

Also, I'm fairly certain I have a thing for "bad."  Ripper, Angelus resurfacing in s4- it was so thrilling to see!

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."
https://www.facebook.com/FangirlNovel
May 08 2007 08:24 pm   #5spikes_wish

It wasn't til the end of s4 i really got into spike- me and my other spike-obsessed friend think its cause oz was distracting us. Alyhough i kinda did think he was ace cause he was so funny. and i hafta say it was noce to hear a british accent on US TV that wasn't ridculously posh or completely overdone cockney (that means you mr dick van dyke!). so i noticed him for that i guess.

May 08 2007 11:57 pm   #6slaymesoftly

I think I noticed him right away - the way he prowled through the Bronze, watching Buffy dance....*cough* where was I?  Oh yeah.  Apparently a lot of people noticed him and commented, as he was originally supposed to be a disposable villain and then the audience reaction was so good, that Joss decided to keep him around. I saw season II after I had watched some later epis,though, so I may have been less into the Angel love than Buffy was. :)

I am not a minion of Evil...
I am upper management.
May 09 2007 12:09 am   #7Maggie2

I definitely liked him as his villainous self when he first showed up in School Hard. But I think I first got *really* interested when it became clear at the end of I Only Have Eyes For You that he was going to turn on Angelus.  That's when he went from being a cool character, to a character who was going to grow and change in interesting ways. 

May 09 2007 01:05 am   #8ClawofCat

As one of the younger members here, I was only 11 when Spike rolled onto the scene in Season 2. I remember instantly thinking how incredibly cool he was and adored him and Dru. I can recall gliding around the corridors of my middle school with a male friend of mine reciting Spike and Dru lines between classes.

Given how long Spike was with me, so to speak, and that I always liked him as a character, I have a hard time remembering when I starting lusting after him. I missed the original airing of most of Season 6 and only caught up with it about a year later thanks to FX re-runs. I know when I saw him all sexed up my tongue was definately lolling, but it's also possible I fell in love during "Fool For Love." I think most of us would agree that the ep contained some of the best Spike moments ever on the show.

May 09 2007 01:51 am   #9Scarlet Ibis

ClawofCat, I so agree.  I was going on twelve when season two originally aired.  I fell in love with the character in FFL as well- his William parts and all.  But I think... "Out of My Mind" was another one for me, as well as "Something Blue."  But I knew from point one when he first ran through the Sunnydale sign that I would never be bored with him.  He makes you (well, me) laugh, cry... his character is highly emotional, and because JM is so damn good an actor, he takes you along for the ride.  I am one of those people who never cries during a movie- when Rose jumped off that life boat, I was like, "Puh-leeze."  But with Spike, yes, I am there with him.

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."
https://www.facebook.com/FangirlNovel
May 09 2007 03:07 am   #10Blood Faerie

Yeah, never scared me... and the only thing I ever noticed was that he looked all anorexic in the first seasons, but my roomie pointed out he was probably a "starving artist" back then before Spike become permanent and he had a steady gig, lol

Unfortunately, we had big vampires in the next room, and I didn't think they'd wait while we had hot monkey sex. ~Cerulean Sins :: (Anita to Jean-Claude)“Is there anything your bloodline does that doesn’t involve getting naked?" ~Danse Macabre :: I’m dating three men, living with two more, and having occasional sex with two others. That’s seven men. I’m like a pornographic Snow White. I think seven is plenty. ~Danse Macabre
May 09 2007 03:30 am   #11Guest

Since I only saw new episodes starting with Season 4, I viewed Spike as comic relief. I didn't get the droll factor at all until seeing him in Season 5 when he rips his shirt off in OOMM. I was like "He's hiding THAT? Wow!" But it wasn't until OMWF that I really started appreciating the full nuances (and got into James).

By the time I got to seeing all of Season 2, it filled in a lot of back info, and I enjoyed Spike's snark as always. It was different recently, though, when I watched School Hard for the first time as a James fan......and the accent was still wavering between English and Southern....so cute!

May 09 2007 03:30 am   #12Guest

That was me, Caro Mio.

May 09 2007 03:48 am   #13slaymesoftly

Hey EAS, I remembering reading/hearing an interview with James years ago in which he talked about how he had actually worked out and bulked up before heading for Hollywood, and the first thing they wanted him to do was to lose some weight so as to look cadaverous and vampire-like. So, you can tell your roommate that it was intentional. LOL 


I am not a minion of Evil...
I am upper management.
May 09 2007 04:02 am   #14Blood Faerie

omg, that poor man... I always watch those eps and want to feed him, probably the italian mama in me, hehe

Unfortunately, we had big vampires in the next room, and I didn't think they'd wait while we had hot monkey sex. ~Cerulean Sins :: (Anita to Jean-Claude)“Is there anything your bloodline does that doesn’t involve getting naked?" ~Danse Macabre :: I’m dating three men, living with two more, and having occasional sex with two others. That’s seven men. I’m like a pornographic Snow White. I think seven is plenty. ~Danse Macabre
May 09 2007 10:25 am   #15Guest

Yeah, he kinda decided that when he got to L.A., though....all the guys at auditions were more lithe at the time. He'd been bulked up from doing a play in Seattle...and his genes tend toward that direction, anyway. He burned off 50lbs of muscle to go into TV.

CM

May 09 2007 05:39 pm   #16spikes_wish

Caro Mio- a lot of people had that reaction to James/Spike after OOMM. I heard on an interview on YouTube with James and Anthony Stuart Head, before that eppie aired, everyone was like "Great actor, man, really great" and the day after he kissed buffy and got topless, it was like "DUDE, TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF!". If you wanna see the interview it was on Rove(?) an australian tv show I think. just type it into youtube should come up with it.

May 09 2007 07:16 pm   #17Guest

Oh, I know....there isn't really anything I haven't seen in Jamesdom by now. Once I got curious, I started reading anything I could find!

James still mentions that, every so often.

I had the "Ooo, pretty!" reaction, but it was the singing that got me curious enough to start digging. Otherwise, he was just another good-looking actor good at his job. :)  And now, I like the inside of the guy a lot, too.

May 09 2007 11:06 pm   #18Guest

I started to really notice Spike when he made his truce w/Buffy at the end of season 2 & was sooo happy to see him visit in season 3 and then back in season 4. What I've always wondered is when Joss decided that Spike was a keeper?? Was it just the popularity of the Spike character or the talent of JM?? I must say that I never liked David & only watched Angel season 5 to get my JM fix.

May 09 2007 11:22 pm   #19Guest

Well, I would say that the popularity of the character was sparked by the talent of JM.  He added a lot to that role, made it more multi-dimensional, so that he became an interesting character that was possible to keep and build on.  I've been told the season 3 epi was basically to try him out and see how he interacted with the entire cast (he has scenes with almost everyone).  Course I'm not sure if the "he" referred to is Spike or JM.  So still doesn't answer your question.

Cas/Anaunthe

May 09 2007 11:51 pm   #20ElizaB

Yeah, the season 3 episode was a 'try-out' apparently. I believe that Spike wasn't supposed to last even through all of season 2 I don't think, but when JW realised how popular the character was and how well it worked in the show (which was definitely due to what JM brought to the character and how talented he is) then JW thought about bringing him back.

Lovers Walk in season 3 was a test really to see whether they could fit him back into the show. And then because that was popular and worked so well, then they bought him back for season 4 as a permanant thing.

In season 4 he was bought in as a replacement Cordelia (someone who's telling them how stupid they are basically! :P and the comic relief factor) and then it evolved from there.

That's what I remember anyway, from various interviews and things I've read over the years. I also remember how JM said he played the Buffy attraction thing from the start a bit (which is way obvious I think in School Hard when he's watching her dance) because it's sexual in a predatory way sorta thing, so that might also have influenced JW's decision to go with the Spuffy!

As for me personally when I started noticing him, I'm not sure. It was always from earlier on. I never saw the show in order. I started watching when they were showing season 2 and season 4 re-runs (though I bought season 1 videos quite early on) and were showing season 5 for first time. So all the episodes I was watching had him in, and I was definitely drawn to the character very early on I think.

I don't remember a turning point, but I always remember that it was the end of OOMM that made me come online and look up stuff about the show and led me to fanfiction because I was so desperate to know what happened after and was instantly drawn to the idea of Spuffy. So I guess that episode was crucial, but I was just always drawn to him.

Wow that was a long post... Ooops! Sorry.

May 10 2007 12:26 am   #21Eowyn315

Heh... when did I first notice Spike? Before I started watching the show, actually...

My flatmate in London junior year of college had a James/Spike calendar hanging on her wall, and we used to ogle his cheekbones and sexy body. And I remember she was SO disappointed to find out that he wasn't really British, lol. (She's American, too.) Anyway, although I'd caught random episodes before that, I didn't really start watching the show until the following year (on DVD) and I already had a Spike bias right from the beginning. All during season 1, I was just thinking, "Hurry up and get to Spike already!" :) So, no real turning point, though I admit, seasons 5 and 6 definitely upped the drool factor.

Writing should feel easy, like a monkey driving a speed boat.
May 10 2007 01:55 am   #22GoldenBuffy
and the first thing they wanted him to do was to lose some weight so as to look cadaverous and vampire-like.and the first thing they wanted him to do was to lose some weight so as to look cadaverous and vampire-like.

If they wanted James to get all skinny what was the deal with David. But now that I think about it, he was kinda bony too, so it evens out, lol. Poor man he had to be all model skinny, not good.

The first time that I noticed Spike. When he drove through the Sunnydale sign. I knew we were in for a ride with him. but I had no idea that Joss was going to kill him off. I was shocked to find that out like three years later ROFL. I'm late in finding out about almost everything.

I was into DB in season one but after seeing JM I was all over him, and I enjoyed him with Dru too. I was sad to find out that he wasn't British though, the same with Wes. I was like "Their both AMERICAN? Holy cow." lol

And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along
May 10 2007 04:17 am   #23Scarlet Ibis

Hey GB, actually, Wes grew up partially in London, and went to school there when he was young... And was friends with Tony Head apparently, before he got on the show.

Also, even though Spike was supposed to be this "disposable villain" or whatever, I loved how they made him the opposite of Angel in every way- Irish and English thing, blonde/brunette, tall/ and um... average height ;), and how Spike lights up a room, and Angel was as dull as a table lamp (unless he was Angelus or in the same room as Spike).  And they have the same name, for crying out loud!  Love it... And skinny, big, whatever- I'd take JM anyway I could get it.

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."
https://www.facebook.com/FangirlNovel
May 10 2007 04:46 am   #24Unbridled_Brunette

I noticed Spike from the moment he stepped his gorgeous self onto the screen. :P He was so snarky, so tough. And I loved how he bucked convention and dusted that annoying little "Annointed One." God, that kid was irritating. I also loved the sweet and tender way he cared for Dru, and the way he took comfort in her (resting his head on her shoulder, letting her stroke his hair, etc). Even when they planned him to be a "disposable" villain, he seemed so much more than that.

Faithfully bowing at the altar that is Stephen Colbert
May 10 2007 05:27 am   #25GoldenBuffy

Cool. never knew that about Wes. But he's still an American lol so living in England for a spell so dosen't count. No, just kidding. That's neat that he knew Anthony as well, wonder if he told him about the casting for the younger watcher's role?

And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along
May 10 2007 05:52 am   #26Scarlet Ibis

lol GB :D  I just read that article too (it was in an older Buffy or Angel mag- I was going through my drawer).  Anyway, I remember distinctly reading that Tony congratulated him when he made it to the auditions- something like "you finally made it."  I have to go find it...

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."
https://www.facebook.com/FangirlNovel
May 10 2007 05:54 am   #27Eowyn315

Oh, God, yes, UB... No matter what else Spike said or did, or how attractive he was, I think I would've fallen in love with him just because he killed the Annoying One, lol!

Writing should feel easy, like a monkey driving a speed boat.
May 10 2007 09:04 am   #28Maddy

Wow.... never though my little question got so many response :)

In my journey through Buffy I reached season 4 yesterday.

And now I'm sure when my drooling over Spike really started.

In "The harsh light of day", the first scene with Spike when he's taking off that protective head gear. Oh, that look, those cheakbones... (drool).

And the same episode -  the scene in bed with Harmony, when he is doing that cat-like prowl toward her... auuuu. 

That was my moment. After that drooling was inevitable.

May 10 2007 09:12 am   #29Guest

Tony and Alexis had done a play together. That's how they met. It was a few more years, at least, when AD got the Wesley role, and the rest is history.

Well, with David, he was still under 30 when he started playing Angel...and most men don't achieve their true body mass until 30-35. There's a filling out that happens, often bone structure-wise, even if they're not gaining fat.

And James lost the bulky look for Hollywood in general....still keeps a more trim frame for that.

May 10 2007 10:08 am   #30Dead Man Walking

I noticed Spike... wow. I don't remember. But man. Re-watching all my favorite Spike episodes- Fool For Love, Once More With Feeling, Harsh Light of Day, Restless, - actually, any episode he's in - made me realize how mcuh love I'm actually in. 


And also makes me need a cold shower, but that's off topic.

May 10 2007 01:33 pm   #31Guest

i read that Tony Head actually recommended Alexis for the role of Wes somewhere

Anyway i loved Spike as soon as he smashed into the welcome... sign when i was going back over eppys mainly s2 i was in a punk stage n was like dude he is so hooootttttt lol guess i've loved him ever since

it's also because he is completely different to over vamps aswell that makes him so adorable i mean which other vamps would stay n look after their crazy n ill sire and to go and fall in love with Buffy it was just like awwww for me

Sarah aka Madcow x x

May 10 2007 03:03 pm   #32Blood Faerie

LoL, I'm not even British myself and I was all crestfallen when I found out James wasn't really a Brit... I was all "Dammit, that's false advertising!!" lmao

Unfortunately, we had big vampires in the next room, and I didn't think they'd wait while we had hot monkey sex. ~Cerulean Sins :: (Anita to Jean-Claude)“Is there anything your bloodline does that doesn’t involve getting naked?" ~Danse Macabre :: I’m dating three men, living with two more, and having occasional sex with two others. That’s seven men. I’m like a pornographic Snow White. I think seven is plenty. ~Danse Macabre
May 10 2007 04:21 pm   #33Guest

i am a Brit n i didn't even realise at first he wasn't a Brit lol

Sarah aka Madcow

May 10 2007 10:02 pm   #34GoldenBuffy
"Dammit, that's false advertising!!"

ROFL we're in the same boat.

And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along
May 11 2007 03:22 am   #35Spikez_tart
i am a Brit n i didn't even realise at first he wasn't a Brit lol

Really S Madcow?  I always wondered how JM's accent went over in England.  When I went back and watched School Hard again, it seemed very bad, but by the time JM and SMG are in the scene were Faith is in Buffy's body and taunts Spike (yum) I thought JM got it right.

 

 

If we want her to be exactly she'll never be exactly I know the only really real Buffy is really Buffy and she's gone' who?
May 11 2007 10:16 am   #36Maddy

Come on Spikez_tart how was it possible to be fooled at all?

English is not my native language (although all my English language teachers were Brits) and JM's accent in the 2nd and 3rd season sounded totally false too me. Every language (and dialect etc.) have a certain melody and JM's melody was wrong then.

At the beginning of the 4th season it's much better and I think till the end of it he got the accent right for good. At least the melody is right for my Slavic ear  :)

BTW I have seen some interview of JM's when he was doing different accents. And except his developed British voice all others where... well.. not very good, especially the French one. Fake like hell.

JM! Stay with the British! 

May 11 2007 11:15 am   #37Guest

well i remember watching s6 n s7 first then going back to s2 i had watched s1,2 etc like ages ago but i didn't realise he wasnt british untill i went back n watched it hey i never said i was the brightest spanner in the toolbox lol

Sarah aka Madcow x x

May 11 2007 04:29 pm   #38spikes_wish

Well, I am also british- not only that but my dad grew up in london and his father was proper cockney- although when im in london no one ever seems to gtalk like that- and we were both totally fooled. i was so disappointed when i found out he was american :(.

May 11 2007 11:12 pm   #39ElizaB

Im a Brit and I knew pretty much right off it was fake. But I think it's a pretty good one. Looking back on the episodes now I do think he's season 2 one is pretty bad though, and season 3 isn't much better. It sorta varies at first, being good and bad. But then by seasons 4 and 5 I think he got it much better. I do think it seemed to drop alot in Angel season 5 though and wasn't as good as in Buffy.

I always notice the odd word though, like when he says 'Buffy's a great Mom' in eh Gone is it? And I think 'nope, not right'.

It's perfect for the character though, because after being in the US so long it'd slip a bit and so the strange english-american mix fits real well!

May 12 2007 01:47 am   #40Eowyn315

It seems like his accent got better when he was working with Tony Head. At first, he says he modeled the accent off a guy he was in a play with - which means it was probably just from memory, and therefore uneven. When he started listening to ASH, he got much better and more consistent. Then, in Angel season 5, with no real Brits to listen to, it slipped more often.

The American words thrown in are probably the fault of the writers - although you'd think James would catch something like "mom."

Writing should feel easy, like a monkey driving a speed boat.
May 12 2007 03:22 am   #41slaymesoftly

I know I've mentioned this before, but Spike lived all over the world and for all we know, he hadn't been back in London for a hundred years or more. Even if his "accent" was his real one and not one he made up to sound tougher, it would have changed and evolved. Years of living (off and on) in the US would certainly have allowed some Americanisms to rub off on him- so pretty much anything James did was fine with me. LOL  He did say somewhere that his accent got better when he started getting help from ASH. I, too, began with later seasons, so I can't say that I paid that much attention to the accent - I was already used to it by the time I got to watch all the season II epis.

I'm really just rambling on here to have an excuse to see if the changes I made to my signature worked. Ignore me. :)

I am not a minion of Evil...
I am upper management.
May 12 2007 03:23 am   #42Blood Faerie

Well, that is something I don't understand too much, even if I loved his accent. But also, it might be different for different people... obviously. I mean, in Haunted, no one pointed out that similar to Angel, Elizabeth developped an American accent while Spike kept his British one. But then, seeing as "Spike" is his "alter-ego" in a way, the person he developped after becoming a vampire to be all Big Bad, hehe, he probably actively made sure to keep the cockney accent since that wasn't his original accent anyway. The reason I say that is that as a "transplant", after several years of living in the South I have developped a bit of a Southern accent... and thats me living here for around 13 years as opposed to how long Spike or Angel probably spent in America or at least out of Brittain, hehe, but at the same time they make fun of people like Madonna who move over to Brittain and after awhile develop a stange mix of accents... but then, making fun of celebrities is almost like the national passtime, huh? hehe

Unfortunately, we had big vampires in the next room, and I didn't think they'd wait while we had hot monkey sex. ~Cerulean Sins :: (Anita to Jean-Claude)“Is there anything your bloodline does that doesn’t involve getting naked?" ~Danse Macabre :: I’m dating three men, living with two more, and having occasional sex with two others. That’s seven men. I’m like a pornographic Snow White. I think seven is plenty. ~Danse Macabre
May 12 2007 03:24 am   #43Blood Faerie

LoL *points* Patti apparently thinks like me and posted a similar thought at the same time... ooky much? *giggles*

Unfortunately, we had big vampires in the next room, and I didn't think they'd wait while we had hot monkey sex. ~Cerulean Sins :: (Anita to Jean-Claude)“Is there anything your bloodline does that doesn’t involve getting naked?" ~Danse Macabre :: I’m dating three men, living with two more, and having occasional sex with two others. That’s seven men. I’m like a pornographic Snow White. I think seven is plenty. ~Danse Macabre
May 12 2007 03:58 am   #44GoldenBuffy

I'm thinking along the same lines me and my beta were talking about this last week or was it the week before? But it was about Spike and some of the words in his speech, I though some of the modern Americanisms would have slipped into his speech but she thought more against it, lol. So we came to an agreement, lol. Even now I'm back in Pittsbrugh and I'm trying my hardest to change the way I sound, but after moving back from living in VA/MD area for six years I've found it very easy to slip up and sound like me fellow burgers. *sigh*

And no matter were I went when I lived in Maryland people always knew I was from Pittsbrugh, they said it was from certain words I said, lol. Hubby is from Baltimore and he used to call me Country Girl when we first got married. *roll eyes* When we were at Fort Dicks in NJ from JROTC summer camp in high school, the girls in my dorm who were from NJ called me CG (country gril) as well. So not funny. I do not sound country, lol. I'm from the North darn it.

And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along
May 12 2007 04:06 am   #45Blood Faerie

My parents, yeah, since they were older didn't pick up as much of a country accent, but they don't have "yankee" accents... except for when my mom runs into someone who's also from around where she grew up... then she sounds like those people from the movie Fargo, lol and both of us say Minnesota with a looong O (Minnesohhta) and people who grew up in South can usually tell my accent is a bit different, yeah

*points and giggles* GB, my mom once met a girl from NJ in the Army and still mocks her accent to this day, so don't feel bad because omg "I from Joy-zee, you from Joy-zee?" lol (*apologizes to any Joyzee people reading this*)

Unfortunately, we had big vampires in the next room, and I didn't think they'd wait while we had hot monkey sex. ~Cerulean Sins :: (Anita to Jean-Claude)“Is there anything your bloodline does that doesn’t involve getting naked?" ~Danse Macabre :: I’m dating three men, living with two more, and having occasional sex with two others. That’s seven men. I’m like a pornographic Snow White. I think seven is plenty. ~Danse Macabre
May 12 2007 09:00 am   #46Scarlet Ibis

Spike adapts, so incorporating American words isn't that big a deal.  And come to think of it- Angel lost his Irish accent in canon, and reverted back to it when he lost his memories in that spin the bottle eppie.  However, in "Dead Things," when Spike chases after Buffy and kinda shakes her, James totally drops the accent when he shouts her name that second time.  But I don't care- I still <3 my JM :D

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."
https://www.facebook.com/FangirlNovel
May 12 2007 10:25 am   #47Guest

I first noticed Spike in late 2003, being very bored and in posession of a television remote control. 

I happened upon the beginning of (unbeknownst to me) the first episode of Season Seven.  I watched with varying degrees of disinterest (Go Buffy! Save the perpetually squealing girl!) until the Slayer opened that door in the basement.

Hey look! Something tortured and attractive! And it can emote! Yay!

This feeling intensified as the bedraggled "Spike" babbled about watery chalk and self-mutilation. I thought of course the title character would provide him with some sort of comfort or assistance, ending the episode with a feel-good scene, and gave a surprised and indignant splutter when she said "I'll get back to you" and left.

But I kept watching, hoping the character who had managed to catch my interest would receive better treatment...

And then I started reading fanfiction.  Long live fanfiction.  ~asr

May 12 2007 11:01 pm   #48spikes_wish

Even in later seasons, you notice every now and then he says a word in a very american way.but when i first started watching Buffy came over here i was too young to really pay much attention to that stuff, but when i watch it now, knowing that he's American, I pick up on it much more. But I suspend my disbelief, mainly cause I really don't like his real accent lol- it just doesnt compare.

May 13 2007 04:13 am   #49Spikez_tart

Maddy - JM's accent didn't sound that bad to me (although I immediately questioned if it was real) and my husband thought he was from England, too.  I was discussing Spike in my law office's weekly meeting and a couple of other people thought JM was from England, too.  It must be the heavy Chi-CAW-go filter over our ears.  Everybody sounds like a foreigner.

I changed my mind when I got a look at his teeth - only an American can have teeth like that.  Don't beat me.

 

If we want her to be exactly she'll never be exactly I know the only really real Buffy is really Buffy and she's gone' who?
May 13 2007 04:21 am   #50Blood Faerie

Unbearably white, clean and perfect? *grins*

Unfortunately, we had big vampires in the next room, and I didn't think they'd wait while we had hot monkey sex. ~Cerulean Sins :: (Anita to Jean-Claude)“Is there anything your bloodline does that doesn’t involve getting naked?" ~Danse Macabre :: I’m dating three men, living with two more, and having occasional sex with two others. That’s seven men. I’m like a pornographic Snow White. I think seven is plenty. ~Danse Macabre
May 13 2007 05:07 am   #51GoldenBuffy

ROFL spikez _tart, you do know you're wrong. But oh so true. *hides head*

And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along
May 13 2007 05:49 am   #52Scarlet Ibis

Bad accent or not, he had most people fooled (didn't notice- didn't care) when he first started in s2.  And Tony Head's teeth aren't bad.  I think we're all biased cause clearly James has wonderful everything ;)  And as for his real accent, no it doesn't compare.  But he still has a great voice- and his laugh is infectious and oh so sexy. Damn *sigh*

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."
https://www.facebook.com/FangirlNovel
May 13 2007 01:25 pm   #53Guest
When i found out he wasn't a brit I was crestfallen, it was like finding out the "Fonze" is really Henry Winkler..but I live in a place called "DeNile" so i got over it. OOOoo and I loved him from the moment Joyce upsided his head with an ax :) (RandiGiles)
May 13 2007 03:11 pm   #54Spikez_tart
British teeth

With reference to British teeth, I have only two words to say. 

Alan Rickman.

The guy's teeth are horizontal. 

 

 

If we want her to be exactly she'll never be exactly I know the only really real Buffy is really Buffy and she's gone' who?
May 14 2007 09:50 am   #55spikes_wish

In defence of the british and our teeth- our dentists suck.

Say you got two opinions? one would want to pull em all out and the other would say that they're fine.  So we therefore avoid them at all costs, so eventually our teeth will all fall out. lol.

May 14 2007 12:51 pm   #56Guest

 

'In defence of the british and our teeth- our dentists suck.

Say you got two opinions? one would want to pull em all out and the other would say that they're fine.  So we therefore avoid them at all costs, so eventually our teeth will all fall out. lol.'

lol so true!!

Sarah aka Madcow x xx

May 15 2007 02:24 am   #57Spikez_tart

In America we have all the options and it only costs $3,000 per tooth. 

If we want her to be exactly she'll never be exactly I know the only really real Buffy is really Buffy and she's gone' who?
May 15 2007 11:22 pm   #58Verda

Like Wendy, FMS, I was intrigued by this characeter that slammed into the "Welcome To Sunnydale" sign. I never liked Angels character. "Stalker creepy" was what I thought about him. The moment I watched Spike circle Buffy in the bar, I wanted them together. Never got into the Spike/Dru relationship. I'd always saw their relationship more of a one-sided affair. As I learned later, it was Julie's final decision who got the part, so for that I will always be grateful. When Spike was on screen, all I saw was a deliciously evil bad boy, with something to prove. It wasn't until two years later, after  Buffy first aired, I'd saw a sci-fi mag with this                                                          gorgeous blond on the cover. Having recorded all the shows before DVD's, I watched with new eyes.  eyes. I was so wrapped up in the character, I never saw the actor. That is a testament to James fantastic acting abilities. It had never happened to me before, I've always seen the actor along with the character. I'd seen the potenial for redemption, in his character, the moment they helped Buffy. His sense of fairness was unlike any other "villian o'the week. 

May 21 2007 08:19 am   #59ZoeGrace

hahaha I totally wanted Spike from the first ep.  But then I like the bad boys. ;)

May 22 2007 01:59 am   #60MadBrilliant

I was in my second year at UCLA when my roomate noticed my new "guy of the week" and said to me "You know, all the guys you date look like Trent from Daria or Spike from Buffy."

This was met with "Who from whaty?"

She sat me down and made me watch the series from the beginning. When we got to the second season and Spike stepped out of that Desoto, I knew she had been right. So, of course, I noticed him immediately. That was three years ago, and the start of my obsession.

Added to the sum, I'm BEAUTIFUL in all my insecurities & WEAKNESSES & PITIFULNESS??...

~ James Marsters
May 24 2007 02:53 pm   #61Guest
OOOoo I've had my own "Trent" before, but unfortunately never come across a "Spike" for my very own...pity. There should be a place in England you could order them from. Randi Giles
May 28 2007 11:52 pm   #62ZoeGrace

I think the likelihood of you running into a leather duster wearing, bleached blond, blue eyed, great abs, north london accented vampire are slim to none.  ;)

But you know there are lots of "spike-like" guys out there.  It's a subset of the "bad boy."  If you can tell the diff between the "bad boy" that's actually an abusive A$$ and the "bad boy" who isn't, you're in business.

Most of the good "bad boys" don't show their hand too early.  They're just Nice guys who can BE a bit bad, not bad guys who can pretend to be nice for short stints.  It's a hard distinction, unfortunately it took me trial and error to figure it out.

Jun 03 2007 09:52 pm   #63spikes_wish

LOL Zoe- you're totally right, and unfortunately its just as hard to come by a leather duduster wearing, bleached blond, blue eyed, great abs, north london accented *non* vampire, not even in north london itself, or even in the whole of england- believe me im still looking.

However, in saying that, i saw a clip of james marsters on Richard and Judy, from a convention, where this guy was dressed exactly like Spike, hair and all, and said he based his whole persona on our fave vamp.

He did, however, lack the killer abs. And seemed a little creepy. And a teeny bit lame. Crazy fan guy.

Jun 03 2007 09:59 pm   #64ZoeGrace

hahahahaha.  Yeah, that's the other side of the coin.  You don't really want someone who isn't original enough to have their own personality.  To me that screams "loser" or "potential sociopath."  (Since sociopaths often model other people's behavior rather than having their behavior come from genuine emotions.)

Jun 03 2007 10:03 pm   #65spikes_wish

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl7KnQhEHfM

 

here u go i found it on youtube. the guys only in it for a sec, but its a second long enough to make him a creepy, get-a-life type loser. :)

 

Jun 04 2007 12:29 am   #66MadBrilliant

the guy i was refering to did have bleached hair, painted fingernails, his duster wasn't leather, but hey, there was still a duster, eyes were blue. cute guy. nothing like james cute, but then, who is?

Added to the sum, I'm BEAUTIFUL in all my insecurities & WEAKNESSES & PITIFULNESS??...

~ James Marsters
Jun 04 2007 04:52 am   #67Blood Faerie

Man, he could make a lot of money if he charged for grabbing his bum......

Unfortunately, we had big vampires in the next room, and I didn't think they'd wait while we had hot monkey sex. ~Cerulean Sins :: (Anita to Jean-Claude)“Is there anything your bloodline does that doesn’t involve getting naked?" ~Danse Macabre :: I’m dating three men, living with two more, and having occasional sex with two others. That’s seven men. I’m like a pornographic Snow White. I think seven is plenty. ~Danse Macabre
Jun 08 2007 03:17 am   #68Guest
I hang my head in shame....I'd pay ta grab dat azzz (please excuse my sudden burst of ghetoness) RandiGiles
Jun 08 2007 04:47 pm   #69Guest

lol i so would pay any amount yum yum lol

Jun 08 2007 04:49 pm   #70Guest

bugger that above [looks up] was me forgot to log in and now im typing this i realise i still haven't logged in oh well we all have our moments lol

Madcow x [have enough common sense to write my name at the bottom this time tho lol]

Jun 08 2007 08:45 pm   #71cereza

Here in Poland TVs gave us only the 1st to 3rd season.

Oh, someone from Poland like me - yay us! You know, I think that they would have aired all seasons, if the fandom had been bigger. And now I don't think we can count on seeing the rest of BtVS, 'cos there are so many new and really popular shows (LOST, Heroes, Grey's Anatomy etc.). BtVS is considered to be out of date. At least by those, who are not BtVS Fans.

I've also noticed Spike at same the beginning of the series but not as Buffy's love interest. He was just a great character and a part of an absolutely hilarious and creepy and romantic duo with Dru and I liked him bickering with Angelus but since I've seen (at first) only seasons 1 - 3 I've never thought about him with Buffy. But then, when the case of their potential relationship became a thing in the show, I became a Spuffy fan immediately.

Do I use too much commas? we like commas in polish, never know where to put it righ in english.

God, it's awful that they don't use many commas. Commas are pretty, pretty things that make wonderfully long sentences... And I never know if there's a comma before 'but'. Sometimes there is and sometimes there is not. How is that even possible? Argh. It gives me a hell of a headache.

"People," Geralt turned his head, "like to invent monsters and monstrosities. Then they seem less monstrous themselves. (...) They find it easier to live."
~ Andrzej Sapkowski, The Last Wish