10 Buffy Moments That Hit You Hard

Spike's character arc in Buffy is the stuff of legend. A one-off villain to be killed at the end of his first episode, School Hard, the fantastic performance of James Marsters saw Spike added to multiple episodes in season two. He appeared but once in season three, but was brought back full force in season four, and stayed with the show until the end, becoming one of, if not the, most popular characters on Buffy.

However, when Marti Noxon took over the day-to-day production of Buffy from a noticeably overworked Joss Whedon, (who at the time had Buffy, Angel, and Firefly), something of a personal touch was applied - not for the better. Working her own past history into the show, Spike was taken to places many fans were upset with - most notably an attempted rape of the Slayer which left many fans in disbelief despite the vampire's dark history.

That, however, spurred something of a turnaround. The question of whether the rape scene was necessary (it wasn't) can be left for another day, but in the end, it forced Spike to find a soul - which in turn left him tortured with guilt. When Spike drapes himself over a cross at the end of Beneath You, causing his flesh to smolder, and asks "Can we rest now, Buffy?" - that hits you hard.