>>it was HIS ACTING and INTERPRETATION that made me believe in Spike's remptitive journey, not the writing. In fact, the writing contradicted what we were being told from their acting!<<
That's basically what he's saying. That it's his fault, and his mistake, that we liked Spike, because he "subverted the writing" by portraying Spike too sympathetically.
But I still think that's nonsense. Go rewatch "Intervention" or "The Gift" or "Afterlife." Spike's heroism in those episodes (and many others) is in the WRITING. Certainly, the acting adds quite a bit, but it's still in the writing. James has no reason to blame HIMSELF for the fact that the audience liked Spike. "I couldn't live, her being in that much pain; I'd let Glory kill me first," "Till the end of the world," "147 days," "Every night I save you." That's the WRITING.
I also suspect that if the audience hadn't liked Spike so much, and JM hadn't played him so sympathetically, we never would have gotten a redemptive journey at all. Spike probably would've been castrated for the audience's "pleasure" like Caleb. James should be proud for playing Spike so well, not angry at himself.
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Re: he's an ass
Date: 2003-06-09 12:38 pm (UTC)That's basically what he's saying. That it's his fault, and his mistake, that we liked Spike, because he "subverted the writing" by portraying Spike too sympathetically.
But I still think that's nonsense. Go rewatch "Intervention" or "The Gift" or "Afterlife." Spike's heroism in those episodes (and many others) is in the WRITING. Certainly, the acting adds quite a bit, but it's still in the writing. James has no reason to blame HIMSELF for the fact that the audience liked Spike. "I couldn't live, her being in that much pain; I'd let Glory kill me first," "Till the end of the world," "147 days," "Every night I save you." That's the WRITING.
I also suspect that if the audience hadn't liked Spike so much, and JM hadn't played him so sympathetically, we never would have gotten a redemptive journey at all. Spike probably would've been castrated for the audience's "pleasure" like Caleb. James should be proud for playing Spike so well, not angry at himself.