Will Spike love `Buffy' or leave her?

DAVE MASON
02/05/2001
Chicago Sun-Times

Copyright The Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.

PASADENA, Calif. Spike can go in one of two directions, according to the star who plays the vampire. "Out of his love for Buffy, he could be driven to embrace good. He is a fool for love. If his love is great enough for Buffy, that would be interesting," said James Marsters , who plays Spike on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

On the other hand, that love might drive Spike crazy and make him more evil, Marsters said. "If I don't embrace good, and if they take the chip out, I could go out on a night of rampage." Viewers could find out the result after the Feb. 13 episode, when Spike tells Buffy ( Sarah Michelle Gellar ) about his feelings. "I'm going to make her knees weak," Marsters joked with Spikelike pride. "Oh, yeah, it would be healthy; no conflicts," Marsters joked about a Buffy-Spike relationship.

The episode, called "The Crush," also will feature the insane vampire Drusilla (Juliet Landau), Spike's old girlfriend. Beware of spooky love triangles.

Spike still has a chip in his head that causes him pain if he harms a human. And his love for Buffy has led him to grudgingly protect her mother Joyce (Kristine Sutherland) and mysterious sister Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) from Glory (Claire Kramer), a wicked, sarcastic "goddess" out to suck everyone's minds.

But the chip simply keeps Spike from physically harming someone, Marsters said. "It doesn't mean he can't do acts of evil," he said.

Until last fall, he wanted to kill Buffy, this generation's slayer of vampires. Now he's in love with her, and she caught him in one episode trying to steal photos of her from her basement.

Marsters said he didn't know what "Buffy" executive producer/ creator Joss Whedon has planned for Spike. The actor said the series' strength is its great writing, and he trusts Whedon with his character's future. "I just try to get my lines correct. I'm having fun," Marsters said. "I offered one idea in which Spike might try to do something different to get Buffy's attention," Marsters said. The producers rejected his suggestion, and Marsters understood. Spike has shown that despite his evil core, he's capable of great love, Marsters said.

During recent seasons, his girlfriends have included the shallow vampire Harmony. "Spike is interesting," Marsters said. "He was truly in love with Drusilla. "(But) he's a soulless psychopath, no morals at all, addicted to evil." To play Spike, Marsters said, he has to think like the character and embrace evil.

Marsters said he would love for Spike and Angel to appear together again in an episode. "David (Boreanaz, who plays Angel) and I work so well together." When Angel was the evil Angelus, he and Spike were pals. When Angel became the vampire with a soul, he turned good, and he and Spike became enemies who attack each other.

Marsters, who grew up in Modesto, Calif., said he likes working on the "Buffy" set. "It's
idyllic. These are kind, talented people working very hard. A lot of us get together two or three times a week to read Shakespeare for the love of it. "We (the cast and crew) are working 100 hours a week, but we can't get enough of each other," Marsters said. " Sarah ( Michelle Gellar ) is great at keeping it fun."