I pulled this interview, two days after posting it. I spoke with Fury about the dozens of letters I received, and he thought that since it was hurting people, we should just scrap it. I know that once something hits the 'net, it can circulate forever, so I decided to pull it in order to add the context for those of you who don't know Fury as well as the fans for whom this interview was intended.

We both received dozens of emails regarding Fury's use of the word, "rape" within the Q&A. Most of the emails I received were from fans who were angry that Fury was calling a character named Spike a rapist, when he was "only an attempted rapist," or that Fury was being "mean" to Spike fans. One told me that Fury's opinions on Spike was the reason for BtVS' lower ratings this season. I ignored most of those letters, because I don't happen to have a ticket for the big yellow bus to the Land of Crazy, yo. No, don't email me. Really.

The emails that concerned me were the ones from people who thought that Fury was making light of the crime of rape. Those were the emails I answered, no matter how heated they were. Without context, I can completely understand those emails. I re-read the interview from the point of view of someone who isn't as entrenched in the fandom, and you know, I would have been upset, too.

Here's the context:

Two years ago, David Fury wrote an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer titled, "Crush." In the episode, a character named Spike who had spent some time stalking the show's heroine, Buffy, deciding to "prove" his love to her by chaining both her and his ex-girlfriend to wall, and offering to kill his ex-girlfriend for Buffy. When Spike's current girlfriend interrupted his plans, he punched her.

A small group of fans who found Spike to be sexy went to the Bronze posting board to call Fury a "hack" and "without imagination" for the episode, because they wanted Buffy and Spike to fall in love and have some sort of epic romance, despite Spike's habit of trying to murder Buffy, and later sneaking into her home to steal her panties. Fury responded to the criticisms:

Fury says: (Tue Feb 13 09:48:23 2001 216.186.167.140) "...To those who feel my conviction that Spike can never be redeemed and cannot someday end up with our heroine, shows a lack of imagination of my part, I say you're right. It is beyond my limited imagination to see a strong, independent, female character end up falling for a murderer who would be killling innocent people were he not suffering from chip affliction.

I regret I don't have the creative mind that, say, Thomas Harris has when he saw fit to sell out the character of Clarice Starling by having her become lovers with a cannibalistic psychopath, charming and brilliant as he may be.

That's just one of my many weaknesses as a writer.

For those of you who fault my thinking, I can only say I'll try to be more openminded in the future. In the meanwhile, S/B shippers, you can go back to writing your penpals, Richard Ramirez and the Hillside Strangler, and I hope they finally accept your marriage proposals..."

Courtesy of Bronze VIP Archives

Thus began a long battle with people who believe that Fury was being offensive to fans. His view was that a character that had spent two hundred years killing people and eating them, and then threatened to murder the woman who professed to love if she didn't reciprocate, is not a good boyfriend. He's an abusive bastard, actually.

In season six, an episode titled "Seeing Red" aired, written by Steven S. DeKnight. In the episode, the character Spike attempts to rape Buffy on her bathroom floor. The scene is horrific. Buffy screams NO! STOP! PLEASE PLEASE Stop! She cries, digs her nails into the floor and tries to crawl away, but Spike pulls her back. He forces her legs open and rips open her bathrobe. He says, "I'll make you feel it." Buffy is able to kick him away, and Spike slams into a wall. Buffy says through tears and fear, "Ask me again why I could never love you." Spike, only after having been slammed into the wall says, "I didn't..." Buffy says, "Because I stopped you."

For the next five months, some fans of the character Spike, denied that he tried to rape her. Not ALL fans of the character, but enough very vocal fans to keep a Summer-long debate going. I saw posts at the UPN posting board that "Buffy was a bitch, she deserved it," hence the phrasing of my question. I saw posts that "Buffy liked rough sex, so how was Spike supposed to know?" The characters had a sexual relation prior to rape, that was drenched in mutual abuse and violence. It was depicted as dark and frightening, yet some fans saw romance and love.

Fury gave an interview on the Succubus Club radio show and was asked if there was any chance that Spike and Buffy could work it out. Fury's response was, "never trust your attempted rapist." Sage advice.

Fury's first episode for BtVS, "Go Fish" featured an attempted date rape, in which the woman wasn't believed, because the man who tried to rape her was a star athlete. In his episode, "Helpless" the ultimate evil vampire was once a man who "murdered and tortured more than a dozen women before he was committed to an asylum for the criminally insane." In Bargaining Pt. II, it is the threat of a demon raping her friends that causes Buffy to spring into action and fight.

Rape is depicted by Fury as horrific, it's imagery and the threat of rape is used to connote evil, it's equated with evil in his scripts.

In this interview, I ask Fury whether it was a rape in Seeing Red, because I thought that there were a few too many people who thought the scene was a debatable. The phrase, "or the bitch got she deserved?" was in reference to posts stating that was the case. Fury responded as he did with irony in mind, because in the past, he's been incredibly vocal about his views that a few noble acts and a bagful of charm do not negate years of abuse, murder, and an attempted rape. So when he says, "can't it be both?" it is said with irony, not humor. He repeatedly says RAPE! to drive home the point that it was an attempted rape, and not a simple error of judgment. It's actually been infuriating to read letters telling me that it wasn't an attempted rape, and that Fury's insistence that it was is "disrespectful to fans with another point of view." Hence, the irony. Fury is known within the fandom as being the guy who repeatedly tells fans that Spike is NOT a good man. We were supposed to find the irony of his statements funny, not to find rape funny.

Okay, so this was lengthy, I know, but I think that the emails that I've received regarding this Q&A merit a thorough response. I don't expect this added context to quell the anger and hurt some of you have expressed so eloquently to me. I do apologize for making you feel that way, and understand why it is that you do feel maligned. I realize that saying, "that wasn't our intention" sounds like a lame band-aid on a gaping wound.

So, here's the Q&A, back online, in its entirety. I welcome your responses, and a dialogue in one of the open forums some of you mentioned in your letters to me. Please feel free to email me at the address listed on the contact page, anytime.

Allyson

davidfury.net

Allyson: Last season's Buffy has been described as, well, "dark" by Joss and other such Mutant Enemies. As a comedy writer, what was the biggest challenge for you in hammering out episodes in an almost humorless season? Was it difficult for you to hold back the funny?

Fury: I'm not sure I qualify as a comedy writer anymore after six seasons. I'm almost certain my membership to that exclusive club has lapsed. Regardless, I think it's odd to refer to a season that included LIFE SERIAL, ONCE MORE WITH FEELING, TABULA RASA, DOUBLEMEAT PALACE, GONE, HELL'S BELLS, etc. (not to mention all the stuff with The Trio in other eps) as "almost humorless." Unfunny? Sure, that's a subjective call but I can get behind that.

As far as the darker episodes are concerned, including the ones I wrote or helped write, there's no inherent difficulty. In fact, I think everyone here does them quite well and easily. Just doesn't play to my particular strengths.

A: There's been a lot of speculation about the opening credits in Seeing Red. Some think Amber Benson was added as a stunt to fool viewers into thinking she wouldn't die, others think it was to give props to Amber, still others think it was part of a vast conspiracy to fuck her over (I dunno, perhaps she has pics of you and Joss in a compromising position). Why was Ms. Benson in the credits for Seeing Red, and no other episode?

Fury: There was no major ulterior motive for putting Amber in the credits. It was thought to be a fitting (albeit, ironic) tribute to the actress and character that she should share the screen with the regular cast for the credits on her last show. And as company policy dictates, if it increases the pain quotient, all the better. The idea that it was an "f*** you" to Amber is insane. We loved her, and Tara.

A:The Bathroom scene in Seeing Red. "Attempted rape" or "the bitch got what she deserved?" Bonus points for not mentioning what a completely loaded question this is.

Fury: Can't both be true?

I mean... Rape! Definitely rape!

A: Given that there's been so much backlash in the fandom about the tone of Season Six, how come you writer types still give us the love?

Fury: Uh... what makes you think we still do?

I mean... Rape! Rape rape rape! Plain and simple. (Stop looking at me like that.)

A: In the shooting script for "Grave," it wasn't yet clear if Spike got a soul, became human, got the chip out, or won a trip to Disneyland. When the episode airs, we learn that Spike has earned his soul through the tests. Why not end on a cliffhanger and torture the fans all Summer? Isn't that way more fun?

Fury: I think the fans will always find ways to torture themselves with or without our help.

A:Will the social worker from "Gone" ever get her revenge on Buffy? Buffy was awfully mean to her. I hope she didn't get fired.

Fury: Doris Kroeger retired from Social Services, currently owns and operates a children's day care center in Simi Valley and is happier now that she's come out to her family. I'll tell her you asked about her.

A: Rumor has it that the cute brunette in the social services office raising an eyebrow at our tortured social worker was your wife, Elin. How'd a guy like you land a hottie like that? I'd like to interview her, baby.

Fury: Severe nearsightedness on her part. As for the interview, have your people call her people. Best of luck.

A: Congrats on the Consulting Producer cred at Angel. Aside from having to run up and down the stairs several times a day, how have your responsibilities at BtVS changed? Do you get to boss around more people? And more importantly, what are we going to do about Angel's hair? Isn't it awfully crispy?

Fury: I have no responsibilites at either show. As soon as one crops up on ANGEL, I sneak away to BUFFY and visa-versa.

A: We're placing bets on the next writer to reproduce. Now that Marti and Joss have produced wee ones, my bets are on Petrie. Care to gamble with us?

Fury: Petrie's son was born a few weeks after Marti's so I guess your bets are voided. Joss and Kai aren't due til late December. My money's on Greenberg. He's got that glow.

A: There seem to be new writer-shaped people on the rosters at both Buffy and Angel. Who are they, and where do they live?

Fury: Drew Goddard, all nine-foot, two-inches of hunky goodness, is the new god on Olympus, I mean, writer at Buffy. He's written a great episode in "Selfless."

Liz Craft and Sarah Fain, new writing team on ANGEL. They've written a fine Fred episode titled "Supersymmetry."

A: Aside from the greatly exaggerated Doctor Who rumors, do you have any extracurricular activities outside Mutant Enemy going on?

Fury: None that I can list on a family-friendly web-site.

A: The rumor is that this is the last season of BtVS. If Sarah Michelle Gellar doesn't renew, and Joss bows out, are there still lots of stories to tell about Sunnydale and its inhabitants? What do you think is left to explore in this mythology?

Fury: That's Joss' call. And he's got a million of 'em.

Well, four.

A: Many thanks for your time, David. Any parting words to the fandom before this season gets underway?

Fury: Yes. Stay in school, keep off drugs and support you local law enforcement.

RAPE!!!!

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