I'm admittedly not Buffy/Spike fan, but I acknowledge her love for him. The issue I have with this scene is that I don't think it conveys what it should convey. We know from Joss Whedon the intention was for Buffy to love him, and we know Spike does not yet feel deserving, and is fine with his love not being reciprocated, but James Marsters delivers the "no, you don't" in such a honest, matter-of-fact way, when I think there should've been a hint of inhibition. There is then only a microsecond for her to leave, no time to contradict him, but her expression seems practically glad or relived by his response. I don't know if that is fitting for someone you love believing you don't.

So that's why I think some people will still argue she doesn't, despite all the proof she does. I can't say It's a crazy interpretation with how they decided to direct the scene.

When Buffy chooses to remove Spike’s chip in S7E14, giving him a second chance at being good (despite Giles protests and concerns), Buffy justifies her decision by telling Giles to trust her.

In S7E17 (Lies My Parents Told Me), Giles and Principal Wood try to kill Spike. If the chip was repaired instead of removed, Spike would have been killed by Wood and thus not have been there to make his sacrifice in the final episode. He wouldn’t have been there to encourage Buffy when they gave up on her. Buffy’s decision was not only important for Spike, it was important for the entire mission.

This just fuels my love and awe of Buffy. There was no way she could have known that Spike would play such a big role both in the end and with Buffy herself, other than having so much trust in her intuition and in Spike. She was the only one that knew that he’d use his power for good before it even happened. She thought of him as a warrior and champion despite everything.

I always forget about this moment until I do a rewatch. It happens so quick and never even gets acknowledged. What do you guys think? Do you wish this had ever been addressed by the Scoobies? How do you think things would have gone down if Buffy had stopped, a look of shock on her face and looked to Willow like “What?”

Can someone please emphasize...I feel ancient!!!! Just saw the scene when Willow explains to Xander what google is 😭. I watched this live in the WB/UPN and am finally doing a long overdue rewatch

Season 7 was not nearly as bad as yall made it out to be and are so dramatic. I hadn’t seen the show in years and was dreading it but it was a top tier season. The potentials are not even that bad and barely given an ounce of screen time. If we’re talking plot holes, I honestly found more wrong with seasons 5 tbh when watching. I still love season 5 but there are some things. I haven’t rewatched in years but it’s a great season and I think it would be better regarded if it wasn’t the final season.

It's like an axe had a baby with a neon red electric guitar and then someone glued a stake to the end.

Upvote for visibility and discussion, not because you agree with this decision

Just got past this part of the show on my current rewatch and oh my god I forgot about this joke. I laughed so hard.

Can someone explain to me why that scene gets fans so upset? Because while it is sad and kinda annoying when Dawn says "its my house too", I understand why they "turned against" Buffy. She was being reckless. She led them into one battle that got a few of them killed, many of them injured. And she wanted to go right into another battle without actually stopping and thinking.

Would you have blindly followed Buffy if you were her friends or the potentials?