tv show freak !

Whipped boyfriends

and all of that is without mentioning the absolute genius and mastery of just how brilliantly shot that scene is! it’s harrowing, and it’s disgusting, and it’s disturbing, yes, but it’s also brilliantly done. the way the music cuts out, just like it did in the body, to show that we are with buffy, we are with her suffering, we feel her pain, it makes it so confronting and so effective.

In fact I think the scene is very in character for Spike (and like op said) is part of his character arc.

I've seen people saying the scene in Seeing Red is out of character because Spike has always been devoted to his partners (Drusilla) and wouldn't hurt them because of how much he cares. I think this misses a huge part of Spike and Drusilla's dynamic! Yes, he cares about her but that care is obsessive and violent.

I feel a large part of the Buffy fandom forgets that the reason Spike first helps the Scoobies is because of his obsession with Drusilla. He can't stand to see Angel take her away from him to the point where he literally goes against Drusilla's wishes and effectively kidnaps her after knocking her out.

I think in Seeing Red Spike realizes he can't truly love Buffy without a soul, at least not in a healthy non-obsessive way. The way he loves has been dangerous throughout the show, it's exactly what makes him such an interesting character. He holds genuine care for the characters around him and yet still defaults into a part of himself that needs to have control or closeness with the people he cares for the most.