The way they introduced that demon that can grant souls to the vampire that comes to take The Challenge is the same way they introduced that Slayer Guardian woman towards the end of Season 7. Never explained any of it beforehand. It just happened because it was a convenience to the writers because they’re lazy and just want a quick way to do something in the narrative.
Inventing random characters and places that have never appeared in the show before and there’s no explanation for why they’re appearing now.
The only time this actually works is with Dawn because the point was for her to appear at random.
I’m not a fan of writing that just drop things into the narrative just for the sake of concluding the narrative.
I’m happy that Spike got his soul back but I’m still scratching my head as to how he was able to do it. That it was ever even possible for him to do it at all. Because if this was an option all along for him, then why the hell didn’t he bloody do it ages ago? Attempt raping Buffy is the only event that pushed him so far as to even consider the thought? Did that whole thing just jog and jaunt his memory of “Oh, I can do this.”
Nah, it doesn’t seem right. It was a convenience for the writers to create this demon that can grant souls. It was a convenience for the writers to create this Slayer Guardian woman that can “pass on” the rights of the Scythe to Buffy or whatever that whole scene was about. I can’t even remember to be honest.
It’s not good writing.
Good writing is not convenient writing.
Good writing is set up and built up properly.
What they should have done was kept to the morally grey route with him and have him be the one vampire where it was possible he could turn good without a soul as that was clearly what was already happening.
What does this mean for all the other vampires?
Who the fuck cares?
What does this mean for Buffy? It means a very compelling avenue to explore for her character since they were going to reveal that her Slayer power comes from a demon anyway. That she was part demon too.
It would have made the entire story of ‘BtVS’ better and Angel could continue to be the only vampire with a soul since he seems to be so bothered about that.
Spike didn’t even need a soul. He got one because they couldn’t justify his grey morality without one. They tried to have it both ways with him and it sucked all the actual interesting parts about his character out because it could be put down to “he has a soul now”. It was dumb because he wasn’t the one who had to change but if this was the only way he would get any respect from Buffy and the protagonists, then so be it.
