Jamie's Top 5 ways Sark is like Spike

Now that Kacey has finished Alias, here it is, the top 5 ways in which Sark (Alias) is like Spike (Buffy).  I spent some time thinking about this because, well, these two deviants are among my favorite television characters of all time.  There are some Buffy season 6 issues that complicate some of this as tortured, in love with Buffy, but still doesn’t have a soul Spike is complex… to say the least.  (minor spoilers in the list, significant spoilers in the last paragraph)

1) Blonde. Thanks to a weekly dye job for Spike (or Captain Peroxide as he as been called), both are blonde.

2) Neither actor is actually British. Seriously. I was surprised too.  Especially since David Anders (Sark) is also British in his role as Adam on Heroes.

3) Flexible Loyalties. In other words, they are survivors. Sark flat out says that his loyalties are flexible. He is constantly changing sides to save his own ass and come out on the winning side.  Plus, I think he gets bored and just likes to change things up.  While Spike is very loyal to his lady love of the moment, after that he is certainly all about survival. If he needs to team up with the slayer to make sure Angel doesn't end the world or steal Dru, he has no problem with that.

4) They like to cuddle. Arguably the best line in all of Alias (at least as far as lines not said by Marshall), definitely of season 5, when Rachel makes clear, just in case she dies, that it was Sark who wanted to cuddle after their ill advised but very hot one night stand. And come on, we know that Spike is a cuddler. Between the poetry and his manly admission that he is love’s bitch, he is clearly not opposed to some serious cuddle time.

5) Respects the skills of their female nemesis. They often belittle their male nemeses, but seem to prepare more for the ladies, who can kick their asses. This probably says more about the creators/writers of these shows (than the characters themselves) that one characteristic of their most beloved villains is that they never underestimate the skills of their opponent just because she is female. Evil, selfish, sadistic, yes.  But they are practically feminists. 

Both of these shows are so wonderfully done, and have such brilliant, badass leads that it makes me appreciate even more the complexity of their nemeses.  And unlike some (many?), I love the end of both of these shows.  Now, the penultimate seasons of each show can be a little challenging to stick with, but I think it’s worth it to make it to the last season and their respective finales.  Sydney lives happily ever after, and Buffy, well, she lives on to fight another day.  [Coming soon: a look at the Buffy Season 8 Comic because the story there is too awesome to end.]