quite the problem child of fandom

Can we just talk about the good/evil double standard for a minute? Because I see it with Spike all the time, and it irritates me so much I can’t describe.

Spike is, essentially, William. We’ve gotten that confirmation multiple times, we see that Spike isn’t that different from his human alter ego. He’s ruled by love/lust/infatuation, puts his emotions first, and gets really dumb about them. And add the vampire to the mix, and he’s all those things and conscienceless, which means that his love for Drusilla is best expressed to her by being a wild, remorseless monster. Which he enjoys very much, too! Spike loves mayhem, he loves fighting and beating things up, and it’s partly malicious and partly just glee in being uncontrolled. 

But anyway. Spike? All about love. This is the guy who’s so awful at being the bad guy that on one occasion, he actually gives up on a room packed with humans and the slayer herself because of Drusilla. This is the guy who goes back to Dru after she presumably spends the months he’s in a wheelchair having sex with the guy tormenting him, the one who makes a deal with his worst enemy, perversely, to win her back, the one who comes back again after she cheats on him with a Chaos Demon. But somehow, that’s acceptable and badass because he’s killing people while he’s following around a woman who treats him pretty poorly.

BUT. When he falls in love with, of all toxic, dangerous people, Buffy Summers, suddenly he’s a weak woobie because “how dare he follow her around like a puppy?” Because apparently, it isn’t badass when he’s having rough sex with the slayer because he’s also there for her (and a bit emotionally abusive, but that’s another matter). It isn’t badass when he loves her or helps her fight evil or withstands torture for her. It isn’t badass when he basically gives the middle finger to his very nature out of guilt. 

Nope, because he’s being a good guy. Apparently, torturing Dru to get her back is much more palatable than working with Buffy in S7 to make a difference. Apparently, it’s much more awesome for him to try to kill a terrified girl from a couple of centuries back than to be thrown off a tower trying to protect another terrified girl. Apparently, fighting with the slayer and running off when he gets hit over the head by her mother is more impressive than going up in flames to save the world.

Because being evil because of a woman is sexy and being good because of another one is just pathetic. Didn’t you know?