Buffy - Season Five, Episode Seven: Fool For Love
Man, I love this episode. Not only is it a cross-over with Angel, but it also gives you a crash-course in William the Bloody. Spike is such an incredible and truly jaded character, so it’s nice to finally get some insight into his life pre-Sunnydale.
- William’s character is so believable when you really look at Spike. Spike might come off as a 100% punk rock badass, but we all know that he is one of the most sensitive and passionate characters on the show (not always a good thing). Having his human self be a sappy poet just makes sense.
- The costumes. Oh, god. William’s hair and glasses so completely change James Marsters’ face. It’s kind of incredible. And obviously Spike went through a Billy Idol/Sex Pistols faze in the late 70’s.
- While I totally admit to buying into the whole wounded-puppy-meets-bad-boy thing, I completely realize that Spike is not one of the “good” guys. I mean, this whole episode is him recounting his past spent killing Slayers for sport. And he fully intends to kill Buffy at the end. Not going through with it doesn’t excuse him from being this episode’s villain. Still, the “you’re beneath me” scene always kills me.
William the Bloody is an acrylic ink and micron pen illustration on bristol.