Spoiler Slayer

Thanks to everyone who sent links to the Steven DeKnight interview. I know that there are MP3 files available, but I don't want to link to them without both the owner's and the Succubus Club's permission. However, here is a link to the interview at SlayerNews. It was transcribed by Rally at the Kitten Board.

Steve also dropped by the Beta Bronze, and his posts are available in the VIP Archive.

I definitely agree with what he has to say, as well as stating that I think it's a shame the way some fans are treating the writers. I really feel story for Steve, since he had to write the one episode that was guaranteed to tick off just about every shipper group. For all the effort Mutant Enemy goes to, in terms of talking with the fans or even the Posting Board Party, we shouldn't discourage them with criticism that isn't even deserved. I'm not saying that we shouldn't feel free to disagree with the plot direction a story might take, it's just that it's better to do it with constructive criticism. I also wouldn't blame a writer for lying to protect an upcoming plot point. As I said with the Marti interview many months ago, "Do you really expect her to come out and say, 'Okay, you got me. We're killing off that character for sweeps' "

As promised, I'm going to discuss some things that I have heard about the Season Finale. While it's been surfacing as speculation on a few boards, there really haven't been any spoilers that I have been able to confirm.

To be honest, I get a lot of e-mail from people who claim to have spoilers or work on the set. The majority of them never come to pass, even though they sound very believable and make a lot of sense. It's a bit more difficult sometimes, simply because I'm not seeing the spoilers show up on any boards or other sites. The question becomes one of how to determine the validity of the information. My usual stance is to file the information away and review it after the episode airs (or the spoiler is proven to be accurate or not).

I have to stress that at this point in time, I have not be able to confirm this information (nor have the few trusted sources that I have shared this with). The information comes from someone who e-mails about once a month, who claims to be 'in the know'. Over the course of the past year, they have sent me information that has been both correct and incorrect. Though when it's incorrect, it's usually in the ballpark. For example, they confirmed things like Riley's return and Buffy and Spike's wall-shattering encounter in 'Smashed'. However, they also passed along information such as a former or current Buffy/Angel actor going to 'Firefly'. Which might have been true at one point, but doesn't seem to be now. Early in the season, they wrote claiming that the Season Finale would take place in England. While this isn't the case, it certainly ties in with the current rumors for the start of Season Seven. They also claimed (and this is back in early October), that the finale would involve the gang travelling to England to seek Giles help in reining in one of the witches (they were not specific about whom) who had turned to black magic after the other one had been killed.

Which has nothing to do with the most recent spoiler that I've received from this 'source', but I do want to put this in the correct context. However, there is nothing to indicate that the source is doing nothing more than making educated guesses. Hercules had already mentioned the 'Big Scooby Death, Dark Willow' story arc at this point. One could logically presume that if filming was going to take place for 'Ripper', there certainly would be cameos from Buffy characters. Why not take the opportunity with the new budget to actually film an episode or two in England (which makes quite a bit of sense if you wanted to explore Spike's backstory as well).

Now there are a couple of other things which makes me think that this 'source' does have access to at least a few bits of inside info. However, it's still not enough to convince that this is a legitimate source, so I have to stress that this should only be considered speculation until some kind of confirmation arrives. It's entirely possible that this is false spoilage, but since it is being batted around on the boards, I felt obligated to at least mention that I've heard this echoed elsewhere.

Hey again, got some news for you on the end of the season.

Harmony will be part of Spike's trial, she could be seen as a so-called 'Spirit Guide' in his quest. "Annoyance Is Your Gift"

The final scene of the season is all about Spike and takes place after the Sunnydale storyline is wrapped. Spike is going to go through a change, but it isn't getting his chip out or getting a soul, not in the Angel sense that is. The final scene will be Spike walking out of the cave and into the bright midday African sun - FTB. It's supposed to be just like the final scene with Buffy and Dawn.

If I really had to rank this as spoilage (as if someone else posted it on another board), I would probably rank it was 'possible', but an iffy possible. I also don't want this 'source' to be confused with those that I trust (like the one who I use to verify UPN Promo information). This could go either way and right now I'm more doubtful than anything.