I'm not sure that there isn't an argument to be made that Spike would be dominant. In the power structure of the Buffyverse, Spike is more powerful than Xander, especially post-chip, I would argue even pre-chip. Xander has heart, sure, but he's often been passive, only on rare occasions willing to take initiative, mostly content to sit and snipe witty comments from the background or bring the doughnuts. Don't get me wrong, I like Xander, and he could step up when needed, but he was deliberately drawn by the writers to be the everyman, the common man.
Spike however is not. He's a supernatural creature with greater strength, speed and healing ability. He's resilient in adapting to new situations and environments. Sure, he was probably even a bigger geek than Xander before being turned, but after? He might be a fool for love and impulsive, but he was never without power.
Which is why pairing him with other creatures of some power - with Buffy, with Willow, with Dru, or with Angel, doesn't necessarily put them in rigid pre-defined roles, but does level the playing field. To me, Spike and Xander are something like Buffy and Riley, in the end, one is just a human and one is more. And the differences that the non-human element makes in their nature ultimately would prevent them from ever being equal partners.
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Date: 2003-10-15 01:42 am (UTC)Spike however is not. He's a supernatural creature with greater strength, speed and healing ability. He's resilient in adapting to new situations and environments. Sure, he was probably even a bigger geek than Xander before being turned, but after? He might be a fool for love and impulsive, but he was never without power.
Which is why pairing him with other creatures of some power - with Buffy, with Willow, with Dru, or with Angel, doesn't necessarily put them in rigid pre-defined roles, but does level the playing field. To me, Spike and Xander are something like Buffy and Riley, in the end, one is just a human and one is more. And the differences that the non-human element makes in their nature ultimately would prevent them from ever being equal partners.