Spike Is Really Just A Ken In A Buffy Musical & Barbie Mashup-TGN

Summary

• Spike’s character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer was more than just a one-note villain, with human characteristics like jealousy and affection.

• Spike’s longing to be seen as more than a soulless monster intensified in the Buffy season 6 episode “Once More with Feeling.”

• Spike’s reintroduction in Buffy season 4 added complexity to his character, leading to the Ken-like song in the musical episode.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s Spike is really just a Ken in a clever Barbie TikTok mashup. In a show where most vampires and demons are unambiguously villains, Spike (James Marsters) quickly complicated the premise. He possesses human characteristics like jealousy and affection, which would lead to an arc where, similar to Ryan Gosling’s Ken in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, Spike would long to be seen as more than just a soulless monster.

A recent TikTok from aworldwithoutshrimp places the “I’m Just Ken” song from Barbie over a scene with Spike from the Buffy musical episode.

Spike’s longing came into particular focus during the Buffy season 6 episode “Once More with Feeling.” Spike’s song “Let Me Rest in Peace” is similar to Ken’s, where he sings about how Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) doesn’t really see him. The results of the TikTok are pretty convincing, playing on Spike’s complex relationship with Buffy that would only intensify from that point on.

Spike’s Kenergy Became A Problem For Buffy

Marsters had previously spoken about how he worked to add more dimension to Spike, even as that went against the Buffy script. The actor explained that he tapped into Spike’s love of Drusilla (Juliet Landau) to make his character more than just a one-note villain. But, at other times, Marsters has admitted that he probably would have killed Spike off as the presence of a layered antagonist went against what the series aimed to accomplish.

Spike’s situation only grows more complicated with his reintroduction in Buffy season 4 once he joins the main cast. To get around the issue of the villain’s more constant presence, a story is introduced where a chip in his brain stops him from inflicting any kind of physical harm on humans. He goes above and beyond that limitation, genuinely bonding further with Buffy’s mom Joyce (Kristine Sutherland), and Buffy’s sister, Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg). His growing connections and expanded character are what sets off the Ken-like song, which Spike croons about in the musical episode.

Related: Buffy Confirms That Drusilla Wasn’t Spike’s Darkest Romance

The TikTok highlights Spike’s similarities to Ken and both of their unhealthy obsessions. Spike’s relationship with Buffy is still a heated discussion, even decades after Buffy the Vampire Slayer went off the air. Some agree with Marsters that Spike went against what the series tried to do, with his arc adding an extreme level of darkness to the final two seasons. Others claimed Spike as their favorite, arguing that Marsters’ portrayal actually represents a necessary maturity and growth even if it didn’t always make for an easy watch.

Source: aworldwithoutshrimp