The famous saying, "You can only hate someone you loved," seems to hold true in this situation. Angel was Buffy's love interest and audiences loved Angel and Buffy as a fictional television couple. Many people were very upset that Angel broke Buffy's heart and turned evil and this left them with more ill feelings towards Angel than would just any other evil character. Someone that hurts Buffy hurts thousands of viewers who watch the show and love Buffy. I think that this is the main reason why Angel is considered to be the number one villain on the show.
Spike, on the other hand seemed to be very evil when he was introduced to the show, but as Buffy the Vampire progresses, it becomes obvious that he is a much weaker vampire who does not stand a chance against Angel, who is not only stronger and evil minded but who is also better looking on the show. The most evil character is not who can kill or torture the most, but who leaves a greater impact on the emotions of the audience.
It makes sense that people would see Angel as the number one villain on Buffy because everyone fell in love with him before he became evil. When you actually get to know a character and really like them, it becomes that much easier to hate them if they become evil.
ReplyDeleteI think Spike was ranked so low is because he isn't really much of a threat to Buffy. Like we discussed in class, he's kind of a spry guy who's really cocky and overconfident in his skills. Yes he did kill two slayers, but it seemed to be that he lucked out in those occasions. And plus since he's in love with Buffy, it kind of weakens his evilness because it will diminish his desires to truly cause harm to her.
ReplyDeleteFollowing the sentiment of this post, I most definitely agree with the bit that upholds the saying, "You can only hate someone you loved." As clichéd as that may sound, it is true in that in loving another, you get to know the other inside and out, knowing personal details such as one's faults and one's fears. This being said, one would know exactly what would most hurt their partner because they know him or her so well. Those who fall in love also bare the risk of being hurt at one's most vulnerable state. This being said, when a loved one hurts you the pain is magnified, for the fact that he or she knew exactly how to do it and did so anyway is hard to swallow and it breaks the trust some are scared to even establish in the start of any relationship.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget that Spike slept with Anya..that hurt Buffy! And after all that, he almost raped her..I think Spike should be a little higher up on that list. I agree that Angel should be the #1 for all the reasons listed above. The quote that Michele quoted in her post best describes all the bad things about Angel!
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