Scoobies need a vampire?

[some spykie ship]

I have this thought that keeps running through my mind. For the most part on BtVS, the Scoobies had a harmless creature as an ally. What if that has to be the case at all times? What if some higher power insisted that Buffy and Co. have a sort of liaison who's not completely human? What if there's a prophecy somewhere that explains it, since Buffy herself is no stranger to prophecy? Since Angel was gone, maybe Oz was a remaining replacement, and with Oz gone, maybe Spike was somehow lured to Sunnydale in a time and place where he would end up being helpful because he was bored or in love? Do the Scoobies have to have an extra mystical ally with them to keep them grounded, and does the presence of so many Slayers change the need for a local vampire or werewolf? If the Slayers don't change a requirement, would Spike or some other anomaly be drawn to the Scoobies some time in the future?

[Skippcomet]

1. In a word....No. The Scoobies don't "need" a "harmless" vampire or werewolf. Not that, ultimately, Angel, Spike, or Oz turned out to be "harmless."

2. I don't think there's any such prophecy that Buffy and Co. "need" any such "liason." I don't think Angel or Spike, and certainly not Oz, performed any such function. Angel was there because he wanted to help Buffy, and because he had fallen in love with her. Spike was there because he was first chipped, and thus later an outcast from the vampires and demons, and then he was later in love with Buffy. Oz was there because he was in love with Willow, and only later did he become a werewolf. At no point did any of them, least of all Oz, "report" to any forces on the side of the vampires or demons or whatever was supposed to be "evil," so none of them were a "liason" to anybody. I don't think the "higher powers" insist on any such thing of Buffy or the Scoobies. After all, Buffy once remarked that there weren't any prophecies about "a Slayer and her friends"....so it stands that aren't any prophecies or declarations from any Higher Powers (which Buffy wouldn't pay any attention to anyway) that Buffy "has" to have a token monster.

3. The only people I've seen anywhere bemoaning the lack of such a "token" vampire or whatever so far have been, primarily, Spike fans complaining that there isn't anybody in the cast currently snarking on the rest of the Scoobies, or somebody with some "monster" in him to become Buffy's newest romantic partner. Quite a few people I had seen who were openly critical of Season Eight suddenly were quite pleased when Dracula showed up in Japan, asking "Is anybody going to finish this?" about Aiko's corpse, hurling insults at Buffy, Willow, Renee, etc., calling Xander "manservant," and so on...and were hoping he would stay on past the arc and be a "substitute" for Spike, and thus were disappointed when he left.

IMO, three of the four most important characters of this comic/show are Buffy, Xander, and Willow....and after seasons six and (especially) seven were so focused on characters other than them, I don't want some new character brought in to deflect the spotlight off of them, especially some new "snarky reluctant monster." Once with Angel was one thing. Twice with Spike was pushing it, especially considering all the illogical twists and turns the writers forced the story into to accomidate the characters not doing the sensible thing and staking him without looking back. A third time? Would be going too far, IMO.

[sueworld]

Soooooooo, not keen on the idea, huh?

I doubt if the PTB require Buffy to have a supernatural bing as part of her set up at all times, charming as that idea may be though.

[Nina]

I think that the writers were sometimes a bit sloppy with the funny (ex) bad guys. After season 4, there was no good reason to not dust Spike until season 7, Andrew the little rapist/killer who got away after a few tears and Anya didn't care about what she did. Yes, the characters are funny ... but there is no reason to keep them in the show if they make the scoobies look like hypocrite dummies. I doubt that there are bigger ideas behind this than; 'Oh I love the character/actress/actor, can we keep him/her in the show?'.

season 8:

Spoiler:

The fact that Dracula saved their ass in season 8, makes this clear again ... Dracula and Xander, oh funny! the baby eating Dracula is funny! Let's use him and not care about the fact that Xander won't write letters to a vampire that he hates.

Angel has demons in his team who are funny (Lorne, soulled Spike, Groo, Doyle etc.) but somehow those aren't questionable but they are non-human. Why didn't they do that with BtVS? Why are their funny characters, characters who don't show remorse or are still evil? If they want Anya in the group, why not give her a decent story and some depth, so we aren't looking at an ex-murderer who doesn't care about that and is only really funny?

This always annoyed me, because I don't believe that there is a real reason behind this all ...

[sueworld]

I doubt that there are bigger ideas behind this than; 'Oh I love the character/actress/actor, can we keep him/her in the show?'.

Well I suspect that it's more that they their characters worked well with the rest of the groups, and that they proved popular with both the writers and the audience.

Sometimes you have to just think beyond the story and look at how a series is produced. Some behind the scenes reasons help shape how a show is made.

If you're too pedantic you'd be in danger of making the Sunnydale authorities run around sending social workers to interview Joyce about why her daughter is often seen covered in bruises, and why one of the local teachers appears to be keeping some blond man chained in his bathtub...

[dinamo]

I think they don't need a vampire on their team, but I like that they do have a connection to a vampire this season in Dracula. It's nice to have someone connected to the team who isn't good persay and who can give a different insight and is one of those things they're meant to kill but don't. One thing I would like to see if more vampire villians. Buffy isn't the God slayer, or the Demon/cybord killer, or huge snake slayer etc she's the Vampire Slayer. I'd love to see a Master/Kakistos type vampire come along with a bunch of century old vampires come a terrorize the slayers.

[ThePoet's<3]

...and why one of the local teachers appears to be keeping some blond man chained in his bathtub...

Um...is there something wrong with that?

I don't believe it was a requirement from the PTB however, because Buffy found herself associated with vampires, and werewolves and demons - oh my! - she can't help but take a few home with her!

Kinda like Vetinarians - you will at some point take a stray animal home with you.

[sueworld]

Kinda like Vetinarians - you will at some point take a stray animal home with you.

"Xander, can you go and walk the Vampire, he's been whining and scratching at the door again!".