Mark Re-Watches ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’: Fool For Love

I apologize for this being a couple hours late! I have a ton of errands to do today, many having to do with my recently-announced Mark Does Stuff Tour 2013, and I’m also DOG WATCHING a lovely dog who is SUPER ADORABLE and I CANNOT RESIST DOGS. Anyway, I am making time to put up this post and some of my ~deep thoughts~ so we can continue this lovely Buffy train.

Please check the Master Schedule, as this week and next we have some VERY EXCITING SHOWS TO DISCUSS. Lost is tomorrow, then “Tabula Rasa,” then Avatar: The Last Airbender later this week, and then OH MY GOD BLACK ADDER and the party NEVER ENDS.

All right, on to “Fool For Love.”

• I am so happy that I’ve recently re-watched “Darla” because good lord, those back-to-back episodes are great, especially since we get to see the Boxer Rebellion from Spike’s POV and then Angel’s POV. Also, if I ran either show, I would find an excuse to stick that ridiculous slo-mo walking scene into EVERY EPISODE because it’s so bad that it’s easily the best.
• OH MY GOD IT’S HALFREK.
• The Chaos Demon is honestly one of the best demons this show ever had. Bless. Plus, it offers up some lovely continuity.
• In hindsight, Spike’s flashback isn’t surprising because you can see William the Bloody in nearly everything he does. If you examine the way he treats both Drusilla and Buffy, it’s not exactly mind-blowing that he was always awkward, suffered from terrible self esteem issues, and wanted nothing more than to please the women he was attracted to. Though, even in a non-romantic sense, he does want to please others because he seeks validation. The only exception to this is Harmony, who often is the subject of Spike’s ire and projected fantasies. I’m actually curious what y’all think is the reason for this. Is she merely a surrogate to Spike? Does he get involved with her to force himself to get over Buffy and Drusilla?
• NOOOO IT’S THE POEM SPIKE FINISHES IN “NOT FADE AWAY” NOOOOOO.
• It was hard watching Nikki Wood’s death because now I know she just said goodbye to her son not long before it. Sad faces. SAD FACES.
• Do vampires get scars? I thought they healed quickly. I didn’t pick up on the fact that he got his scar fighting Nikki Wood until this viewing. Huh.
• How did I not notice the homoeroticism between Spike and Angel? No wonder they were intimate “that one time.”
• I really don’t hate Riley, but time (and his arc in season five) just made me disinterested in him. Meh?
• Ugh, this is a pre-“The Body” episode. I seriously think that is one of two episodes I could never, ever re-watch.
• This season clearly set-up Buffy’s dichotomous struggle with being a good, moral vampire Slayer and what she perceived as a “bad” decision to develop feelings for Spike. Here, it’s much easier for her to be reductive and refuse to accept complication or subtlety. OH, BUFFY, HOW THIS WILL CHANGE.

All right, let’s discuss!