Are you sure "Canada" is big enough to describe the soft spot he has for Spike? Maybe the whole of North America... ;)

I agree with you on Sam, but going back and rewatching season 1 it has occurred to me that for a former soldier, Sam's not always too good at taking orders. But maybe you're right about giving up control, because he's been the most rebellious at the beginning of the series and now.

And I think the majority of the end scene was scripted, but there's something about the last few lines and the reactions at the end that make me wonder if they took some liberty.