Spoiler Slayer

PM Update

Angel X released some information on Episode 16. She has posted that this will be the Wedding Episode.

Cinescape had an interview with David Greenwalt a few months back, which seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle (A Big ‘Thank You’ goes out to Kammie for the catch). It mentions that Faith is due to appear in the show this season.

Regarding what or who will be on the series this year, Greenwalt talks about Darla and Drusilla, saying, "You'll be seeing one of them, and soon." Also returning will be Christian Kane as Wolfram & Hart attorney Lindsey, Eliza Dushku as rogue Slayer Faith, and Elisabeth Rohm as Kate.

Slayage also has an article that appeared in The Register. It’s a combination of other interviews with some new stuff, but an interesting read. (Thanks to Stacy for that catch)

As episodes go, I was not expecting 'Gone' to be the light-hearted romp that it turned out to be. Which, considering that 'DoubleMeat Palace' will also be light and fluffy, gives me a great deal to be concerned about when it comes to 'Dead Things'. Since 'Older and Far Away' also looks to be light or semi-light in tone, one has to wonder what is lying in wait towards the end of the season.

I certainly enjoyed the episode, which was a nice change of pace after 'Smashed' and 'Wrecked'. I know that many fans aren't happy with the Troika; I actually find them to be a more interesting 'Bad' than we've had in the past. Now that they've announced their intentions, it will be interesting to see how seriously the Scoobies take the threat.

Warren is easily the worst of the bunch, and we know he's not going to get any better. However, is he the 'Big Bad'? One on hand it does seem too obvious, but I'm beginning to wonder if the Formula really doesn't work anymore. Again, we seem to have a 'Big Bad' that might last the entire season, but one that is weakened by other aspects of itself. With Glory, we had Ben who was an unwilling compatriot. With the Troika, we have Andrew and Jonathan growing concerned with Warren's real intentions. At this point, it's too early to tell, but I do see stronger signs of a connection with the 'Big Bad' arc from Season Five than I do with Season's Two through Four.

There is a lot of speculation about whether or not Xander actually knew what was going on between Spike and Buffy. I would say that he knows what is going on, but he's trying his best to let Buffy to say something about it first. I don't even need to see the bit in the crypt to know that, I thought that in the kitchen scene it was obvious that both Willow and Xander were aware of what was going on. I'm still pretty sure that since Buffy's biggest fear is of what the others will think, we're also expecting a huge anti-Spike reaction. Which will make it even more surprising when she finally spills and the Scoobies will say, 'And this is news?'

Spike finally got around to giving Buffy the boot, which I think is yet another sign of growth in his character. However, his actions don't completely mesh with the spoilers we have for 'DoubleMeat Palace' and 'Dead Things'. I'm beginning to think that Spike is the one trying to resist temptation and failing. Also, I'm still not entirely happy with the 'addiction storyline' being echoed in both Willow and Buffy.

What lies ahead in the second half? From what I can tell, it's going to focus more on Dawn, Xander and Anya. The other story arcs are still going to continue, but I would say the Wedding and Dawn's misbehavior are going to come to the forefront. There is also the question of Willow, is she getting better or is this the calm before the storm. It would seem to be that she’s getting a handle on her ‘addiction’, but there is still the question of her “don’t mess with the witch” behavior early on in Season Six. It’s something that hasn’t been repeated since, which seems a bit odd with more of the Scoobies questioning her use of magic.

Random Bits

To answer the few e-mails I received; Tito is Xander's friend, who fixes the plumbing in 'Flooded'. Nice to see that even in the midst of all the 'Tara Dies' spoilage, the Kitten's can find humor in it at times.

I’m also going to take a break for at least a week from speculation. It’s just too confusing at this point and I find myself going around in circles trying to suss out ‘Where Do They Go From Here’. Especially since the next two episodes seem to be taking a step backwards from the ground covered in ‘Gone’

I've also gotten a questions about why I keep using Blogger (or exactly what Blogger is - There is a link at the bottom of this page). It's a web-based publishing system, which I find extremely easy to use when it's up and running. There are other options out there, not the least of which would include me simply coding my own. The nice thing about Blogger is that it's running elsewhere. I don't have to worry about code, templates, etc. That also is the drawback, as if their system is down I can't effectively publish. However, I do like using it and they are busy upgrading the system (it is extremely popular, which is part of the problem). If it continues, I'll probably end up coding something myself, but I'm willing to give it another month or so.