Spoiler Slayer

Ch-Ch-Changes

I've noticed several people have been commenting on rumored changes made to the final scene of 'Beneath You'. If you recall, this is the scene between Buffy and Spike, where she either discovers or he reveals that he is now ensouled.

While I have no information on the specifics, it does appear that changes may have been made. It doesn't necessarily surprise me, plus I don't think that they will be major changes. However, it does appear that this was done outside of the normal modifications made to the script between the final draft and the actual shoot. Supposedly they filmed the changes a few days or weeks after the first one.

If at all possible, once the episode airs I will try to provide a list of what changes were made. It might be interesting to see what was pulled, added or modified.

Clarification

I received several interesting letters about yesterday's speculation. I appreciate the feedback and alternate ideas as well. A couple of points that were brought up more than once.

- Is Principal Wood a Watcher? It's definitely a good question and it's not something that I overlooked. While signs might point to him being something more than a principal, I would keep in mind that Principal Snyder also gave that same vibe (yet it never came into play). Right now, I'm leaning more towards him having a hidden agenda.

- Hostile 17 vs Number 17. Several people pointed out the reason why Spike was referred to by a number, as if I had overlooked Spike's storyline in Season Four. I am well aware of the designation given by the Initiative by Spike. What I was pointing out, was the fact that Adam did not refer to Spike as 'Hostile'. The question is, after working so hard to keep the speech consistent with the various characters who are speaking the lines, how could a slip like this get through. I could be wrong, maybe Adam did refer to Spike as 'Number 17' at some point, but I don't have the time to review all my copies of Season Four. Just seemed strange to me that used a much more neutral designation, over the one we heard time and again in Season Four.

- Do I really think the Shapeshifter is good? Though I did say that, it appears that I contradicted myself further on in the speculation. The problem is, I don't really have an idea as to what the shapeshifter could be. Perhaps it's a part of Spike himself, perhaps it's the spirit of the Hellmouth, perhaps I'm completely wrong and it is the 'First Evil'. The only reason I doubt that it's the 'First Evil', is that it's just not evil enough. While it certainly wasn't a lighthearted speech, it certainly seemed that it was more about manipulating both Buffy and Spike as if they were pawns in a much larger game. But that's my own opinion, and the speculation yesterday was exactly that. Speculation and not spoilage.

- Finally, a clarification on what I mean when I talk about Mythos. Some have read it to mean that I think the shows are now in completely separate universes, rather than just network. What I mean in terms of Mythos, is that while the shows do share a universe, the overall theme, atmosphere, and plot threads are completely different. In much the same way the Marvel Comic Books share a common universe, but the Mythos of the Mutants (X-Men, X-Factor, etc) is very different from the Mythos of the SuperHero (Spiderman, Captain America, etc). They can crossover with the other Mythos, but the underlying themes of the comics are very distinct. Much in the same way that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is very different from Star Trek: The Next Generation, or how the suburbs differ from the city. Same realities, different perspectives.