Except... once you've done this a couple of times, and the aforementioned laziness/blaseness sets in, it's easy for the story to shift from one about redemption to one that glorifies villainy and calls it redemption.

It's sort of a Sequel-itis. Author completes one idea, but the story must continue...attempt to do it again because they have no new ideas. Do the old one again, but bigger and badder.

You only get one shot at it and there are lines that once crossed you can never go back. Like, say, ordering the murder of someone for being 'part of the problem'. That's a bold statement and no more stutter-steps are permitted after.

I don't care much for redemption stories. That's not to say I can't enjoy them but they must be a part of the overall character arc, not the whole story in and of itself. It's why I could never really get into Angel. It wasn't so much the character, it's just the setup never worked. The characters were great, but the whole redemption/shanshu deal...nah. I don't think Spike as a redemption story, actually. I think it's more of a progression and self discovery story. Maybe that's why I like it more than Angel's. Angel's come across as more a self-repression story.