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When it came to television dramas, Buffy the Vampire Slayer broke the mold. The WB series showed viewers that girls could be action stars, as Buffy Summers juggled life as a slayer with the responsibilities of being a high school student. However, it was still a WB primetime series, which meant the show had its fair share of romantic subplots. When the show began its sixth season, the producers told James Marsters that his character Spike would begin a romantic relationship with Buffy. While viewers were thrilled, Marsters was disgusted.

Marsters had come to see Buffy actress Sarah Michelle Geller as a sister, making any romance seem gross.

“I remember when I got told that we were going to be romantically paired,” Marsters says during a panel at Nightmare Weekend Cleveland 2025. “That was a problem for me, because I had come to think of Sarah as my sister. We had already shot a lot together, and I just loved her, and she drove me crazy sometimes as sisters do. And she loved me, and I drove her crazy as brothers do. And I was like, ‘I’m going to be kissing my sister. How am I going to do that?’ I spent all summer trying to figure it out, and I couldn’t do it. And we started filming that season, and I still hadn’t figured it out.”

However, it all began to click for Marsters as they were shooting an early scene from season six.

“I’m on the set waiting for Sarah to finish the previous scene where she’s in the Burger Palace, and she’s got that weird hat on, and she’s at the drive-thru, and she’s getting abused by the people at the drive-thru, and she’s trying to be nice about it.”

“It hit me. ‘Oh my god, Buffy just came from Heaven, and she’s back here, which probably feels like Hell. And now she’s got to be the mom to her sister. She’s the slayer, which is like Superman, but she’s got to get this burger job to pay the bills, and she’s getting abused, and she’s still being nice. And I was like, ‘Oh my god, I just fell in love with Buffy.’”

Buffy and Spike would go on to become a fan favorite couple, so it’s a good thing Marsters was able to shake those brotherly feelings.

Here's how to watch Buffy: The Vampire Slayer in order.