Spike and the Attempted Rape

[Beck]

In season 6 when Spike attempted to rape Buffy, I have heard many different arguments about why it happened. I've heard that it was because he's evil, because he didn't realise she really meant no, etc. What does everyone else think?

My personal opinion is that Spike didn't realise Buffy really meant no this time. He didn't listen properly and let his own desire take over and he went momentarily crazed. I don't think he meant to hurt her - his regret is evident once he realises what he has done. He should have been listening to her and realised this time she really did mean no. She was upset already and this time was very different to the other times she had said no and not meant it.

[Kana]

Spike is stradling between his vampiric self interest and his love for Buffy. Seen as they already had a violent sexual relationship, the boundaries become ill defined especially as a soulless vampire. I agree that he didn't realisee Buffy meant no and if the past has shown that she's said no but really meant yes.

Spike tends to 'feel' things rather than think things and I think in this instance his intuition was wrong.

Hear me out when I say this but this is a mistake that Angel(us) wouldn't make in my opinion because he's too contemplative and something of a 'purist' one way or the other. In other words Angel would never do that and Angelus would but it would never be a mistake he'd feel guilty about. Because Spike is such a product of his environment he went into an identity crisis. He was no longer William the Bloody, he was in love with the slayer and had just shared a violent relationship with her too. He became a conflict product of his situation and sought to resolve that conflict, so he went to Africa...

[Nico]

I agree look at previous scenes between spike and Buffy, she would say no but she never meant it, She was saying it to make herself feel less *guilty* about the situation and Yeah Spike seemed in between angel and angelus, like was said angel would never do that and angelus would and wouldnt feel any guilt or remorse whatsoever.

[Allan]

I'm not sure whether Spike thought that Buffy didn't actually mean "no", or whether it was a case of him not comprehending that no means no - as we've seen throughout the series, vampires are very sexual creatures and seem to have sex quite readily - it's all about the sensory pleasures. Without a soul, Spike doesn't quite understand the difference between right or wrong in that instance - only that his actions hurt Buffy.

[Lizzie]

I agree that Spike went temporarily insane. I also agree that Angel probably wouldn't do something like this - he's had much more time to consider his actions, whereas Spike was much more impulsive.

I think the argument that Buffy deserved what she got is heinous.

[Allan]

Angel mightn't have, but Angelus would have. The sexual gratification of his actions was very thinly veiled in season 2. The main difference is that he would know exactly what he's doing, and would be going out of his way to crush Buffy's spirit.

[spikeluvva]

I have to agree that Spike went insane temporarily. He obviously didn't know what he was doing and when he finally realised, it was too late and he had already hurt Buffy. I think that he was blinded by love...and momentarily taken over by lust and just tried to take what he really wanted, which was Buffy and when she rejected him, he lost it.