I feel like I want to draw a parallel between Spike’s chip and Buffy’s Cruciamentum: both are trials that they must overcome after being hindered intentionally (depriving them of their inherent powers they’ve come to rely on) by an outside power who believe they have the right to determine the fate of another. by a shadow institution that doesn’t see them as real people, in a premeditated effort to prove that their existence is one of capability and obedience to the rules.
and for both Buffy and Spike, this was the turning point, the big moment that changes their perspectives forever. it’s when they started on the path to break free from their molds and become their own people, in charge of their own destinies—the start of their independence if you will.
it is the moment in which Buffy reconciles with herself that her Slayer power is a part of her she can’t ignore, not just a job she was chosen for. it is the moment which builds the foundation of Buffy accepting a leadership role because she is forced to recognize that she is on her own without the Council, and to be careful who she trusts. it is the moment when Spike is now confronted with the question he couldn’t face before: without other vampiric influence or ability to kill, who is he? what matters to him? what is the point of his life? it takes an external push meant to restrict them for them both to start an internal revolution.
