Spoiler Slayer

Note: I updated this entry with spoiler info from AICN. You'll find it at the bottom of the post

Share And Enjoy

I know a lot of people were expecting a huge spoiler release today. All I promised was that I heard some information would be surfacing. The nature of tracking spoilers is tricky, you never know what to expect. But I have found out that with very rare exceptions, it's the spoilers that trickle out that are often more accurate than those that cover several episodes at once. While not completely new, it is independently confirming things that have been stated in interviews with the cast and crew, and providing some alternate details.

The Oracle Speaks

As expected, a bit of spoilage came out at the Cross and Stake message board today. 'The Oracle' posted some information about the first episode of the season, which is still untitled. Not all of it is new, but it is further confirmation of spoilers that we have heard. While it's coming from a 'new' source, it's actually one that I've known and talked with in the past. For example, they helped me confirm or deny several spoilers that found their way into my Inbox last season.

'The Oracle' had this to say today...

SIGNS POINT TO YES

Episode 1 (Untitled as of now)

- Ep: 1. Written by Joss Whedon. Directed by David Solomon (and Joss Whedon).

- According to Joss Whedon, Sunnydale High School will be reborn in season 7! Dawn begins school at the newly-built high school in the first episode.

- Willow and Giles will be in England for a couple of scenes to deal with Willow's use of magic and prepare her for a return to Sunnydale.

- Buffy teaches Dawn about fighting evil in Sunnydale.

MAYBE TRUE, MAYBE NOT

Episode 1 (Untitled as of now)

- Spike is already back in Sunnydale and struggling with his new soul.

- Dawn gets trapped in a potentially dangerous situation for much of the episode. But it's the Scooby Gang to the rescue. Oh yeah...and there's this unique blond vampire who helps too.

- A new possible big bad makes an appearance in Sunnydale...but just wait until you see what it looks like.

This is it for the information I have to offer. If it wasn't said above...there's nothing more to say.

Most of the new info relates to Dawn and Spike. I'm still torn about whether or not any of the other cast members will be part of the scenes in England. It just seems that they're going to quite a bit of trouble to film scenes that could easily be done on a soundstage or on location in the States.

Hopefully we'll hear more in the upcoming weeks, and shooting here in the States should begin very soon.

Fall Premiere Date - Maybe

Fraz posted some info on the start of the new season at FanForum

FROM UPN: HEREWITH FIRM ORDER ON THE ABOVE TUESDAY PRIME TIME SCHEDULE FOR THE 2002/2003 SEASON. NEW SEASON PREMIERE OFFICIALLY BEGINS MONDAY, 9/23/02; HOWEVER, THERE MAY BE STAGGERED LAUNCH DATES FOR VARIOUS SHOWS.

Which is pretty much saying that the new Buffy Season could begin on September 24th, but it could also start sooner or later than that date. I doubt it will be sooner, but later could be more likely. If they air the final two episodes as a whole, then the 24th is doable. But if they split them up over two weeks, then October 1st is much more likely. Especially if they decide to air the first two episodes together, like they did last season.

Info On Links

I just wanted to take a moment to address something that I've gotten a few e-mails about, wondering why I pulled the link to The Kitten, The Witches, and The Bad Wardrobe from the site. One in particular accused me of being biased against the Willow/Tara relationship, which is completely untrue.

There were a number of links that I pulled, because the sites have either not been updated in a very long time, or they have stopped posting spoilers entirely. The Kitten Board falls into the category of the latter, which is why I dropped the link. As I mentioned in the original post when I explained why I pulled those sites, if they begin posting spoilers or shooting location reports in the future, I will then add them again to the link list. For all intents and purposes, the Kitten Board was never intended to be a spoiler-source, but a place where fans of Willow and Tara could get together to discuss the characters and their replationship. Since the tragic end of that relationship, the Kitten Board has decided to focus solely on Willow and Tara and avoid discussion of spoilers or the show in general. However, it is still alive and well at .The Kitten, The Witches, and The Bad Wardrobe

This Is Our Spoiler Day

Hercules did actually post some spoilage today at Ain't It Cool News. It mainly backs up what 'The Oracle' had to say earlier today, but is yet more confirmation of events that will likely occur in the first episode. Although not as spectacular as last year's spoilage, it's likely only the beginning. Once shooting begins in earnest, spoilage will probably start coming in on a regular basis.

Just to note, I believe that by the time the series hit the air last season, we had solid spoilers on five of the first six episodes. So don't get discouraged just yet.