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In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Halfrek is a vengeance demon who, like Anyanka, was the property of D'Hoffryn.

In the Season 6 episode "Older and Far Away", Spike and Halfrek find themselves in Buffy's house at the same time. Halfrek calls Spike by his human name, William. The Scooby Gang are surprised at this, but Spike and Halfrek refuse to comment.

Halfrek is played by the same actress (Kali Rocha) who played Cecily, the object of William's affection when he was still human in England, and so that seems to be their connection, i.e. it is implied that Cecily and Halfrek are one and the same. (This was actually confirmed in the commentary for the Season 7 episode "Selfless" — thanks @Richard for pointing this out!)

Question: Is there an explanation (e.g. by Joss Whedon himself or in the comic books) as to why Spike did not query Halfrek further about her life since their time in 19th Century England?

Given Spike's underlying sentimental nature (even in the face of repeated heartbreak), it seems out of character for him not to take a more direct interest in what has become of Cecily.

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    More than just implied. Confirmed in the season 7 commentary for the episode "Selfless".
    – Valorum
    Commented Feb 28, 2015 at 20:19
  • @Richard : That's good to know --- thanks for confirming! I'll fold this into the question.
    – Praxis
    Commented Feb 28, 2015 at 20:35
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    The out of universe reason seems to be because they hadn't yet decided whether Halfrek would officially be Cecily. By leaving it open, they gave themselves some wiggle room to use the same actress but not have to worry about back-story.
    – Valorum
    Commented Feb 28, 2015 at 21:34
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    "i.e. it is implied that Cecily became the demon later known as Halfrek." No, what I heard was that she already was the demon Halfrek, and attended that party (where she rejected William) in order to curse someone.
    – Andrew Thompson
    Commented Feb 28, 2015 at 23:44
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    @AndrewThompson : If you can pin down the exact comic, I'd be interested. Until then, I'm opting to view this with a healthy amount of suspicion: my interpretation is that it is clear that William was pining for Cecily for some time. If she was appearing at the time of the party only to curse someone, I doubt he would have had an opportunity to interact with her prior to it.
    – Praxis
    Commented Mar 1, 2015 at 1:16

1 Answer 1

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Although we don't see him reacting at the time of their first encounter in "Older and Far Away" (something that's hardly surprising given how short a time they were in contact and his extreme shock at finding out that the girl he thought was dead nearly 150 years ago, is in fact a vengeance demon), the simple fact is that he appears to have moved on emotionally.

When they're next in contact (in Buffy : Hell's Bells) he makes no effort whatsoever to speak to her although he's apparently given considerable thought to what impression he wants to make on Buffy.

As D'Hoffryn gently tugs Halfrek away, SPIKE and his date, A SKANKY GOTH GIRL approach.

DAWN : Spike.

SPIKE : Like you to meet my date.

DAWN : Hi. I'm Dawn.

SKANKY GOTH GIRL : Uh-huh.

They shake hands. There's an awkward moment of silence.

SPIKE : So, yeah. Anyway, that's my date. She's with me. My date for the wedding.

Dawn has no idea why he's making such a big deal.

DAWN : Yeah. Okay. Well, nice meeting you.

later...

SPIKE : Happy occasion. You meet my friend?

BUFFY : Haven't met. She seems like a very nice attempt at making me jealous.

SPIKE : Is it working?

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  • though -> thought
    – Faheem Mitha
    Commented Oct 2, 2015 at 23:48
  • @FaheemMitha - If you spot an error, why not use the "edit" button to correct it? Not only is it a good way to improve posts, but you get a rep bonus for doing it too! :-)
    – Valorum
    Commented Oct 3, 2015 at 6:42
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    Sigh. There's a 6 character lower limit on edits. Which is apparently not widely know. Believe me, if I could edit it, I would. And yes, I know about the 2 rep bonus.
    – Faheem Mitha
    Commented Oct 3, 2015 at 7:58
  • Incidentally, I think I'm missing some context. What is the significance of the meeting with Dawn?
    – Faheem Mitha
    Commented Oct 3, 2015 at 8:00
  • @faheemmitha - It demonstrates his utter disinterest in Halfrek.
    – Valorum
    Commented Oct 3, 2015 at 9:50

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