The Watcher Diaries - Crush - Buffy Episode 5.14

Posted by Jason Chamberlain on 02.02.2010

Spike makes his feelings for Buffy known, just as Drusilla returns to Sunnydale looking to reunite!



5.14 Crush
Writer: David Fury
Director: Daniel Attias

Slayer Speak

Dawn: I feel safe with you.
Spike: Take that back!

Harmony: What the heck is this? Who is— Oh wait, I get it. Our little sex game was just the beginning. Now you've gone and picked up some cheap queen of the damned to dress up like your precious Droodzilla. Well, you'd better not be thinking what I think you're thinking, because my answer is the same as always — no threesomes unless it's boy-boy-girl. Or Charlize Theron.

Watcher’s Notes

This is Drusilla’s last appearance in present day ‘Whedonverse’ continuity, not counting The First’s use of her visage in the final season.

Mike Gorman has the full review!

It would seem that theme of season five has become revelations. Last week Dawn and Glory's secrets were laid bare and in "Crush" Spike's not so secret love for Buffy is finally revealed. While really a departure from the main storylines of the season, this episode has a great "old school" Buffy feel as all of the women in Spike's converge including the return of the amazing Juliet Landau as Druscilla.

At the outset of "Crush," Buffy believes she has uncovered that Dawn has a crush on Spike. Dawn laughs this off and tells her that Spike is actually in love with Buffy. It is from this point that Buffy's attitude shifts for the hour, and if you are a Spike fan, it is not in a good way. She is incredulous about Dawn's revelation.

A carload of people on a train have been killed by vampires and Spike uses the situation to get some alone time with Buffy. He tells her that he has a lead on the nest of the vamps who did it. What follows is one of the funniest scenes of the episode as Spike sets up his date with Buffy. You can see he is nervous and fumbling. It is during these moments of awkward conversation that Buffy realizes he does think he is in love with her. She has a pretty strong reaction to this and immediately rejects him. As I said, if you are a Spike fan, Buffy's behavior borders on cruel. Dejected, Spike then encounters Druscilla who tells him that she wants to restore him to his previous glory. If you are also watching the concurrent season of Angel you know that she has been a force of destruction on that series also of late.

Really from here "Crush" becomes about misdirection. It appears that Spike is "back to his old ways" with Dru. She presents a dead girl to him and allows him to feed. Has Buffy's rejection pushed him over that dark edge? In what really is a grand performance, James Marsters takes us into the head of a truly conflicted character. Spike is not sure what he truly wants and walks an edge this week. Just when you think he is about to turn on Buffy, he also turns on Druscilla. There is some nice drama here as Spike pulls a betrayal to prove his love for Buffy is real. He kidnaps Buffy and also takes Druscilla hostage. He offers to kill Dru for Buffy. It is twisted and makes no sense, except inside of Spike's head. It really does, and that is the beauty of the character. He is not a good guy really. He is a creature of passion and love, which are not always good things.

There is some comic relief tossed in when Spike's current girlfriend Harmony returns home to find Dru and Buffy tied up. She feels betrayed herself by Spike. What a mess. That really is the beauty of this episode. In real life crushes are usually messy, one sided, and in the end not a good thing for either party. This is clearly the case here. Is Spike's love real? That is actually a question for another day and one that Buffy has made it clear (Well for now, as we all know) she doesn't even want the answer to. This little love square erupts into a real fight between Dru and Buffy, as Harmony leaves.

It is great to see Druscilla again but as a swan song on the show, this is not the strongest of exits. She leaves because she knows Spike is not hers anymore. I would prefer a much grander gesture as her farewell.

As "Crush" draws to a close, Spike follows Buffy home in his usual puppy dog fashion but is shocked to find that she has had Willow revoke his invitation to her home. Oh man. Let me say that I know that at this point, and any point really, Spike and Buffy should not and do not work as a couple but I have long held out hope that it might actually happen.








GRR!!! ARGH!!!

Ronny Sarnecky	The main point of this episode was to reveal Spike’s true feelings for Buffy. The writing staff on “Buffy” have done a great job in turning the evil Spike into a sympathetic character. When Buffy was telling Spike that there was no way that she would ever love him, I couldn’t help but think back to the flashback segments from past episodes that showed a pre-vamp Spike in love with a woman, and writing her poetry, only to be laughed at by a group of party goers. Early in the episode, Willow and Tara were discussing the book, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” The dialogue used mirrors the Spike/Buffy relationship. “It can't end [happily], 'cause all of Quasimodo's actions were selfishly motivated. He had no moral compass, no understanding of right. Everything he did, he did out of love for a woman who would never be able to love him back.” This IS the Spike character. Despite him only doing things to try to get on Buffy’s good side, the Spike character really does care. Look at how he was hanging out with Dawn during this episode. He knew that Buffy wouldn’t like it if Dawn was hanging out there, but he let Dawn stay because he cares for her. I like that he treats her as an adult, it’s such a huge contrast on how the rest of the gang treats her. The only Spike relationship I find more entertaining is his relationship with Buffy’s mom. Unfortunately, that will be coming to an end.	9
Ron Martin	I'm going to use my Anya-esque ratings style for this episode in that any episode that has Drusilla in it is infinitely better just because she is in it. I suppose this episode had to be done if they are continuing down the ill-fated Spike/Buffy storyline. We needed closure from Drusilla. We get it in a briefly entertaining and then quickly agitating episode. Could the writer's fellate Spike anymore? Every girl in the series wants Spike save for Buffy -- but give her time. I realize Spike is a popular character, but there is such a thing as character overload. I did, however, think it was interesting that though he didn't kill the girl, Spike still drank from the dead girl which is just as incriminating. No one seems to care about this, however. Again, Spike conveniently, though irrationally avoids the stake in exchange for being banned from Buffy's house. Apparently, he's dangerous enough to not come in the house, yet still okay to keep alive for some reason. There is some good here as the Spike/Dawn relationship moves to the next level. As I mentioned last episode, Spike has become the secondary protector of Dawn. Naturally, Dawn has a bit of a crush on him because of this. Spike is being set up to have a similar relationship to Dawn that he has with Joyce. When one ends, the audience can fall back on the other. Couple that with the Drusilla closure and there are choice nuggets to be plucked out. Other than that, the dialogue left a lot to be desired and plotholes/continuity drag this one down. Is this the last we see of Drusilla in the Buffyverse	6
Jeremy Thomas	"Crush" is one of those episode that your enjoyment of depends entirely on your opinion of the Spike/Buffy relationship. I won't deny being a fan of said relationship and of Spike in general, and the added presence of Drusilla is a bonus as well. This episode is James Marsters's in which to shine and shine he does, delivering on several levels. Spike forever alters his dynamic with several characters here and it's a lot of fun to see. As Mike said, Spike is not a good man; he is a vampire after all and thus is a demon inhabiting his host's body. But he is also a passionate creature, and that passion is what helps makes him such an intriguing character. All of the vampires in the Buffyverse who have been truly memorable have had something that set them apart from the pack. Angel was the master of cruelty and evil but bound with a soul; the Master was the ancient Machiavellian with the horrid countenance and long-reaching plans. Drusilla was crazy and psychic, while Darla became interesting when she returned on Angel and had her whole storyline. Spike's passion is what sets him apart; he's always been a romantic and as a hopeless romantic myself, I can relate. Watching this episode play out, one can almost understand Spike's motives. He's going about it in a messed-up, demonic way, but really who hasn't done stupid things in the quest for love? Not all is golden here though. Harmony's appearance is a bit of a let-down for me; outside of her playing Slayer bedroom games I just didn't dig her arc in this episode. For humor I much prefer Xander's indignence when he hears that Dawn has a crush on Spike and not him. How dare she? As for Spike getting banned instead of staked, I see the criticism but I would argue that Buffy has her own, selfish reasons for doing so. Buffy is lovelorn and is just coming down from a terrible break-up. Even knowing that Spike is a monster, she can't just destroy something that loves her, even if that thing is abhorrent to her. It means that someone loves her in a non-familial way and thus, she has to hold onto it even if it's dangerous. Smart? Not at all. Understandable in context? Definitely.	8.5
Jason Chamberlain	As a Spike fan boy, I love this episode. James Marsters gives a powerhouse performance in this one. He and the writers make it okay to care about, even feel for a murderous vampire. He seems to genuinely be changing, even in his own twisted way, and though Buffy is understandably harsh to him, it’s hard not to feel bad for him. I point specifically to the moment at the end when he realizes he has been ‘uninvited’ from the Summers house. The pain and confusion played over his face says more than any words could, and proves again why Marsters is one of the best actors on the show.	9

The 411: This is why the end of this episode really hits me hard. Buffy's cold reaction to Spike hurts him more than any stake ever could and you can read it plainly on James Marster's face. Here he shows why he is one of the characters they could not let die when the series did. Here we see that perhaps the episode's title does not refer to his feelings for Buffy but instead describes what she does to his heart.

Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]