Reviewed by Sanguine

Grave, written by former redemptionista antagonist David Fury, seems to tell us loud and clear, "All you need is love," baby.

But Joss has told us that love is pain! And this season certainly proved that statement, again and again and again. But love has also been an agent of profound transformation in the Buffyverse. Angel stopped moping and starting being an active agent for the forces of good after he spied a Lolita-esque Buffy. Um, that was kind of an icky catalyst for change, but I have more examples! Willow gained confidence and a sense of self-worth through her friendship with Buffy. OK, another shaky example. Buffy went from being a reluctant Slayer to being a . . . very reluctant Slayer as a result of her bad relationships with men and her resurrection from the grave by those who loved her. Yikes! Wait, I know I can come up with something good. Anya loved Xander with amazing loyalty and gradually learned about being human. Then Xander trounced on her heart and publicly humiliated her and she became a vengeance demon again. Bad example. How about Spike? He's a Fool for Love, right? There must be something good there! Over the course of Season 5 Spike went from being a rather silly bad guy to a rather silly fool for love. He tried to be a better man for Buffy, to live up to her ideals and for a while he succeeded. See! Love, love, love! Of course, when Buffy got all depressed and started treating him like an evil thing, even though she was shagging him at every possible opportunity, Spike reverted back to badness, selling demon eggs on the black market (bad). He eventually became so screwed up that he thought sexual assault was a viable mode of communication (v. bad). And Willow? Well, Willow loved Tara, truly, madly, deeply. And Tara died, horribly, in a random act of violence. So Willow's love for Tara transformed into hatred and a thirst for revenge. And we all know what happened then. Warren FlambŽ.

So love can transform people on Buffy, but love doesn't always provoke a positive change. Love can lead to ugliness and hate and pain.

But it doesn't have to.

Love, and a wicked cool way with a sword, can make your overprotective sister realise that you don't need protection. Love can give a Slayer a new sense of purpose. Love can make a Watcher risk his life. Love can transform Dark Willow into Just Willow. Love can give an ordinary guy the power to save the world. Love can make a soulless vampire want a soul.

Love is all you need.

Grave had many wonderful moments, effectively wrapping up the season even as it acknowledged the season's flaws. My favourite moment was when Buffy explained to Giles what had happened since he'd left town. Giles listened. And Giles laughed. Hysterically. Really, it's the only appropriate response.

I miss Giles.

Giles, besides giggling at the farcical qualities of Buffy's so-called life, also had a wicked way with the wiccan arts. Having been imbued with power by a Good Coven in Devonshire, he's the only one that can beat Willow at her own game. For a little while.

But ultimately magical mojo isn't enough. It all comes down to love, to a simple carpenter, offering love in the face of certain death. And through his love he saves the world.

Hmmm. Xander=Christ? Nah.

But Xander, after showing a distinct lack of direction in his personal life, and, more recently, as he struggled to keep Andrew and Jonathan from Willow's clutches, comes into his own at the end of the episode. He may have been horrible to Anya. He may have acted like a jerk to Buffy about Spike. He may not know how to do anything right. But he's knows Willow. The Willow who cried when she broke her yellow crayon. The Willow who saw him do the Snoopy dance. The Willow who loved him unconditionally for many years without him noticing, or caring to notice. The Willow who knew the softer side of Sears.

Just Willow. And Xander is the only one who can get her back. And for me, it made dramatic sense.

As the episode ends, we hear Sarah McLachlan croon, "And it's in dying that we are born to eternal life." Applicable on many levels, no? Buffy and Dawn emerge from the grave less graver. Maybe they won't have eternal life, but it is a rebirth of sorts. The old Willow is dead forever. As Giles observes, she's killed a man, and will never be the same. Buffy knows: "Killing changes you." Hopefully, she'll find some sort of peace. And then the camera focuses on someone who chose eternal life as an escape many years ago: Spike.

Since Seeing Red, Mutant Enemy has been playing a nasty game with us. They wanted us to think that Spike, in a fit of rage and frustration, was going to get the chip out so he could kill Buffy and friends.

But Spike could already kill Buffy if he wanted to. And viewers who listened closely to what Spike said realised that he didn't go to Africa to get the chip removed. Sure, he's angry. But Spike isn't angry because his desire to kill Buffy has been thwarted by the chip. He's angry because the chip and his love for Buffy have forced him into an untenable situation. He's not a monster anymore, but he can't be the man she needs. So, as he tells us ad nauseum, something is gonna change.

Some might believe the demon gave him an unexpected surprise. But I don't think so. I think he got exactly what he asked for. Let's examine Spike's lines in Grave, shall we?

"I'll take anything you can throw at me, if it'll get me what I need to take care of the Slayer. Give her what's coming to her."

One could read this as: "Take the chip out. I want to kill the bitch" or "I want a soul so I can really take care of Buffy, make up for my past transgressions, and give her what should be coming to her, after all she's done for the world." Of course, Spike is irritated that he has to take such a radical step, that stopping killing wasn't enough, but for Buffy, he'll do it anyway. He is, after all, a pathetic excuse for a demon--a fool for love.

After passing his trials Spike asks the demon, "So, you'll give me what I want? Make me what I was, so Buffy can get what she deserves?"

This can also be read in more than one way. Spike may either mean, "Make me a proper demon again so I can have the rocks to kill Buffy, once and for all," or "Give me my humanity back, so I can be what Buffy deserves: a partner with an operational moral compass."

The demon replies, "Very well. We will return your soul." Apparently, that's what Spike asked for all along. If we believe the demon, then he is just granting Spike's wish.

And that Spike would travel to Africa and ask for such a thing is completely remarkable. A soulless vampire CHOOSING to get a soul? It's not Angel Part Deux. Angelus never chose to get a soul. Why would a vampire choose to give up the wonderful lack of conscience that allows them to kill at random, to take what they want, to never feel guilt or remorse?

But Spike, for whatever reason, is unique. He did feel guilt about what he did to Buffy. He did feel remorse. And whatever Buffy says, Spike did change. He changed enough to see his own deficiencies. He changed enough to hate that he couldn't be a man for her. He changed enough to ask for his soul back.

So, Spike now possesses the one Mutant Enemy criterion for redemption: a soul. And Spike has a lot to be forgiven for. Perhaps the writers were hinting at what was to come as far back as Tabula Rasa. Amnesiac Spike believes he has a soul and therefore must be "A noble vampire! A good guy! On a mission of Redemption!"

We shall see if that is the case. We shall see if Spike actively chooses to pursue redemption, to atone for his past. At least he has a better than average chance of success. He has as good a chance as any of us.