The first full episode I saw of Buffy was "Buffy vs. Dracula." I hadn't seen the earlier seasons until FX (I think) ran the entire series. So, by the time I saw Tara's introduction, I already liked her - but I did feel her character wasn't used well during S4.

Spike's a load of fun. I came >< this close to picking up a "Randy Giles?!?" icon. He may be love's bitch, but he's man enough to admit it - and his whole character arc in Buffy lived up to that sentence. Only a vampire who was love's bitch could try to reclaim his soul.