Spoiler Slayer

Believe It, Or Not

Lots of random stuff floating around the net, just thought I'd take a moment to address a couple of them.

An interview with Clare Kramer has recently surfaced, which would seem to indicate that Glory will return to full action sometime this season. I'm a big skeptical about this, especially since there have been several so-called 'recent interviews', which are actually recaps of the original press tours from a few months back.

I've also noticed it mentioned on a few sites, and received a couple of emails as well, that Halfrek dies in episode Five. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get any confirmation from one of my trusted sources. Definitely 'Possible', maybe even 'Likely'. The Oracle already dropped hints at the price of a wish reversal, and we know that Anya's not going anywhere this season, so it's a pretty obvious option.

Thoughts on 'Beneath You'

Though it's easy to focus on the final scene of the episode, there was a lot going on besides Spike and Buffy. The pieces are being put into their places, in preparation for whatever lies ahead. What is the status of Xander and Anya? When will Willow come back? How will Dawn and the others deal with Spike's return. These questions were answered in this episode. This episode was about the couples, Buffy and Spike, Xander and Anya. Next week, it's Willow's turn to be fit into the puzzle.

This is the way most of the seasons have begun. The Scoobies separated or splintered and slowly finding their way back to each other, or finding their way period (Season Four). As always, we are also getting the first clues as to why they need to get back together. Something's coming, and with Buffy now actually dreaming about them, it must be Slayers-In-Training that are being killed at the beginning of each episode (and I have no doubts to their fates, I don't need to see a bloody knife to know that).

I've gotten many requests to provide details on the changes to the final scene. For reasons I can't go into, I don't feel comfortable listing the changes word for word. Scripts are scripts, and copyright applies even to those bits that don't make it on the air. Overall, the changes were mainly in the dialogue. The scene as I originally had it described to me, did not end with Spike on the cross. It ended shortly after that, with Spike and Buffy looking at each other. In terms of the changes, it's my feeling that this is a more Spike-positive version. The pain that both Buffy and Spike are going through is much more obvious, but so was the fact that the old Buffy/Spike relationship is gone. This is a whole new ballgame, and I wouldn't get my hopes up for a return to days past.

Does this mean Buffy and Spike aren't going to find each other again? At this time, I think it could go either way. There will be forgiveness, but will that result in them being anything more than friends is hard to predict. The same holds true with Xander and Anya, they're finally talking to each other, but can they bring back the past. Even more important, do they want to?

In terms of speculation, this episode doesn't provide anything that would alter the comments I've made in the past. There were a few scenes that I found interesting, especially the moment when Buffy wakes up from the dream. Somehow the image of both Buffy and Dawn looking out the window sticks out in my mind. Dawn wasn't necessary to the scene, so why was she there.

I've talked about the Buffy/Spike relationship, but right now even Spike is a question mark. I can't rule out the possibility that he could take a turn for the worse. To me, his entire struggle seems to be William versus Spike. If you recall, it took some time for Angel to come to grips with what he did when he was Angelus. I think we're really seeing two halves of the character right now, which one will become dominate. The one advantage Angel had, was the fact that Liam wasn't a great person to begin with. William, on the other hand, was much more straightlaced. I would expect it to be a much harder adjustment for him, than it was for Angel. Yet even that didn't stop him from snapping occasionally in this episode.

Again, another great episode, and another indication that this could be one of the best seasons yet.