I read the over lit spike attack on Buffy as a sort of starkness, a grim way of saying "We're not pretending this isn't what it is. We've had a threat of rape subtext for five seasons, but now we're dragging that into the light."

I have mixed feelings about Buffy not fighting back effectively. The times I've been attacked by friends/acquaintances, it shocked the fuck out of me, but I did keep my head and I did fight back effectively. (Go go gadget kung fu training). At the same time, I can easily see it be so shocking to the person it is happening it too that they would freeze. I've never been attacked like that by someone I'd been fucking. I bet that would be a hell of a lot more shocking.

I'd rather she fought back effectively, I really would. At the same time, I can see how it might go down the way it did.