General Season 6 Spoilers - Part 9

[wiltar]

Wow...just WOW

Patricia

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"What are they looking at?"
"The hotness of you, doofus!"

[willowtarasandwich]

What a weekend. First the good news about the ep18 kiss and makeup, then I checked again on Sunday and saw the topic had grown to 20+ pages and it was clear something was up.

So I started reading, and the full horror of it began to hit - followed by the denial, "No, it can't possibly be" and every type of emotion there can be.

Now, another day on, and things are no clearer, though all sorts of possibilities have been put forwards.

My emotions have ranged from the "I don't believe it" through the "if this is what happens I'll never watch again" to my current one of "there must be something planned for ep 21 and ep22, so let's wait for them".

I have to admit that I am grasping at the bits of comfort that have been posted - Amber's rumoured S7 signing, Anya's claim that it will have a happy ending etc.

I know it's just a tv program, but it's obvious from the number of messages how deeply it affects people. Why do people associate themsleves with fictional characters so much? Because real life sucks in general. Real life is my newspaper headline this morning about proposed nuclear attacks on Iran, Iraq, Syria, North Korea, China etc. Real life is watching passenger planes crashing into tall buildings, or hearing of suicide bombers blowing up innocent diners. Or in my case, it was sitting in a stand at a football match watching nearly 40 Italian supporters crushed to death in a riot. There is no 'off' switch in real life. So we turn to fantasy and expect it to take us through a roller-coaster but generally pan out better than reality - otherwise, what is the point?

Tara and Willow aren't about a lesbian relationship as far as I am concerned - they are about a couple DEEPLY in love. Black or white, straight or gay, it is the deepness of their love from day one that has enthralled me. I am a straight 40-something male, married with four children, all of us BtVS addicts. I love W/T more than any other couple, and it is definitely the Tara-part that I find as the biggest cause of my love. Her selfless devotion throughout 3 series has been the core of the program as far as I am concerned.

I managed to avoid spoilers until the BBC in England halted S5 immediately after 'Tough Love' for the Winter Olympics. Otheriwse, I would have waited a week and gone on with the story. But I couldn't wait a month to find out what happened, so I found this board. But after finding out that Willow gets Tara back, I then saw that they split up early in S6. So I got hooked again, downloaded the eps, watched them, marvelled at the beauty of OMWF and TR, and began to hope again as OAFA showed the start of the way back.

As television series progress, they have to incude twists and turns, but they also have to be seen to be going somewhere. After the heartbreak of TR, Willow's descent into madness and her brave recovery, to do this is too cruel. It sends out the wrong messages. "Hey kids, drug or alcohol addiction? No problem. Go cold turkey, think you've beaten it? No chance, cos life is going to kick you in the teeth and you'll end up ten times worse than when you started."

So I'm going to carry on deluding myself that it will all turn out right, that Amber laughed in the great UK Buffy mag because she knew that ONLY Xander escapes death, and if that is the case there are only two possibilites. One, a reversal through a wish-type unfulfillment in ep22. Or two - season 7 is called Xanda the avenger, cut to 1 episode because despite his best intentions he is no match for the vampires and supernatural demons as he is just a normal guy.

So keep hoping, and I'll be looking out for some happy spoilers for once.

But if I see a thread has added 20+ pages in one day - then I'll REALLY panic!!

[Kendahl897]

Could someone please tell me who posted something about the death not being permanent, but not involving resurrection either. I tend to think it was Wanda, but I wish someone would clarify for me. I know she's the one that said 4th one's a charm and the one who dies will have a broken heart.
I'm also going to go with 2 other rays of hope. First, if I was Amber and I was through with a show, I wouldn't be wasting my time doing signings or comics. I would hopefully be on a movie shoot somewhere. Second, as I've stated earlier, it's just way too cliched and not what I expect from Joss and the others, as they have stressed repeatedly how sensitive they are to this.
Finally, having Willow kill a human, for whatever reason, it's just beyond redemption. If they cross that line, I can't believe they wouldn't have a way to bring her back from it.
Emma Caulfield said she thought everyone would like how this season ended. Not with these spoilers, surely not.

[MAJIK]

Got my comfy seat on the big fat bus of denial...........

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WILLOW-
'So hard to believe such a hot mama yama came from humble geek-infested roots.'

[Zerattakis]

Damn, when i'm wake to keep up with the posts, everyone else is getting their well deserved sleep. Hope you all wake up feeling a slightly bit better, or at least calmer.
Sweet dreams Kittens.

Zera

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SO: Okay, last question. What advice would you give to someone who gets their brains sucked out?
AB: Um ... eat a lot of apple sauce, preferably fed to you by attractive young lesbians.

[mariacomet]

Ruth, thank you for betaing my post. That was 25 pages you had to go through to get to that one. I am fairly impressed you found me.

The misspelling apparently obscured what I meant to say, what I felt was important to say in a time like this...

That is: Joss sets up the pins the way that other shows would. He does what other t.v. shows do. But then in midstream, he changes the game, twists it, and makes it his own.

The mood is black and bitter round the kitten today. I understand that. I feel it too. I would be lieing if I said I didn't have doubts. I would further be lieing if I said that Marti writing 20 doesn't strike fear into my heart. But I'm not going to be bitter for five weeks during the hiatus about something that has yet to come to pass.

It is still possible that Angel X is wrong about this. It's still possible that something will happen in 21 and 22. If Angel X has the script for 20 and they refer to Willow as the big bad, it seems to me that this would be a better cliffhanger in episode 22, or if they are doing a Restless type of thing then episode 21.

If I'm wrong, then I'll be heartbroken. Just as I was when I first heard all this. But the next 5 weeks I will spend in hopeful naive bliss.

Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.

One last thing...no matter what happens, what I don't want to see is us getting snarky with one another. No matter who believes what or why, this is a hard time for everyone. Respect that.

[Amazon]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo! I've been away from the Internet for w-end, but found out about Tara from bessie friend. I feel so silly, I'm sat in a uni computer room desperately trying not to let the tears pour down my face. After all, it's only a TV character.....what??!!? of course it's not, it's Tara. Oh, stuff them, if they think I'm wierd that's there problem....if I want to cry, I'll cry, there's plently of time for being 'strong like an Amazon' later.

Big hugs to you all
Amazon
xxx

[chronic]

I'll keep this brief.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Why Joss why???

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When he wakes up tell him... I don't know. Think of something cool, tell him I said it.

[Willowlicious]

I'm too tired to write anything deep, but as I was in lucid dreaming this morning, for some stupid reason Wanda's "fourth one's a charm" hint popped into my brain. I know it's been analyzed to death and someone may have already said this, but does it mean the fourth death at the end of the season is the only real one? Like Tara dies, Willow goes poof, Spike gets dusty, then Anya, broken hearted with charm in hand, becomes the fourth Scooby death and reverses it all? Fourth one's the "charm" = Fourth one's the real death. Charm, of course, speaking both to the validity of the death and to its method.

Just clinging fiercly to my "Tara's coming back" life view!

Back to sleep now. Sorry.

EDITED TO ADD: I just read the wildfeed for "Normal Again." The ending sounds a bit ambiguous and there's no Anya. Gee, is it possible that she's already cursed them at that point and nothing is going to be real--including future Anya scenes--until the last moment of the last episode when Anyanka, who has been Anyanka since we last saw Anya turn her unreadable face up towards D'Hoffryn, reverses everything back to the end of the wedding?

Probably not. Sigh.

[This message has been edited by Willowlicious (edited March 11, 2002).]

[whiz]

[wishful thinkin']

what about those devices..... the time controller and the invisible ray gun..... Buffy could use them to maybe... get close to the unstoppable Willow, and turn Willow back to her normal self, and maybe with the time control device, they could maybe reverse time to right before Tara got shot?

i really don't want to lose Tara & Willow. I love them too much

[Still Waters Run Deep]

A question for Bob.

I posited this query earlier on in the last thread [no8..the dead one] but somehow you missed it Bob.

I fully agree with your assessment that the story as it stands does not bear scrutiny, and for the reasons you gave.

But there's another reason why I have my doubts that this is the be all and end all of S6.

That is 'Character Development'. IMO the character of Tara is still a work-in-progress for the remaining seasons of Buffy. Lets face it it really is'nt until S6 that she has shrugged off the 'Will's g/f' tag and because she has shown herself to be strong, principled, intelligent and spiritual she is the natural successor to Giles, being a guide, mentor and enabler to all the Scoobies...bar none.

Killing her off makes no sense at all...in fact I would suggest a lot of S7 arcs would have her in a pivotal role [may second guessing Joss here].

You know I've been banging on for ages as to how I feel that there is a lot more to Tara than meets the eye. I still feel that way, and cutting her out at this point is just plain daft.

Bob - am I making any sort of sense here?

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love and kisses

Still Waters Run Deep

*Hands! Hands in new places!*

[Salix]

Okay, the first denial bus is full so I rented another. I'll even drive. And pitch in on gas. I don't doubt the source (and a million thanks for being the source). I don't doubt that script. I'm just hoping it isn't the only one. I even hope they filmed a couple of different endings just to mess with everyone. Is my ticket paid in full now?

Denial. It's not just for breakfast anymore.

S

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Buffy: The world is what it is---we fight, we die. Wishing doesn't change that.
Giles: I have to believe in a better world.
Buffy: Go ahead. I have to live in this one.

[the literary exterminator]

Angel X has some info on her Extra Spoilage page. Not sure what its implications are, though.

Edited to add: Other than, of course, it gives us hope.

[This message has been edited by the literary exterminator (edited March 11, 2002).]

[nika]

This all makes me wish I wasn't such a spoiler ho'. I was sooooo happy with the coffee date bit and now...
Damn it! I think to keep my sanity I shall take the road of -DENIAL- I refuse to be totally wrecked until the arc is fully resolved. I'm going to close my eyes and imagine snugglies and puppies. Yeah, that's it, many-many snugglies. Btw thanks to AngelX and dark sheep for giving us the scoop first.

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"The word 'GULP!'comes to mind." Tara

[Dr.G]

I would not be so quick to say that if Willow -no matter why- kills Warren she can not be redeemed because Warren is a human. If that is the case then Buffy is unredeemable, she killed some of those knights last year. Faith killed that geology professor. Giles killed Ben. Anya surely killed people, even if not directly. Because of Xander´s actions during OMWF a man died. I think the only characters not directly or indirectly responsible for someone dying are Tara and Dawn (and Willow so far).

What bothers me most about the upcoming scenario is just not what Willow might be made to do, but that they actually refer to her as a Big Bad, that they actually would hurt Tara and Willow in the worst way, and not just them, but every Scoobie gets hit hard. This is a doomsday scenario. I will have to see (or rather read) how it plays out, but I can tell this in advance, Willow I will forgive just about anything, and whatever plotdevice they may use to bring them back together or undo all of this I will cheer. I truly have liked almost all of this season so far. It has given us great classic eps and scenes, as well as some -eh- missers, but that is all subjective anyway. No matter how this ends, this will have been a very rough ride, but all I care for is that W/T make it, together. They have earned it, ten times over and more.

*editing to add: In reply to the link Literary Exterminator posted to AngelX' Extra Spoilage. AngelX, if you read this, you owe us no apology should this all turn out differently. You have stated what you know in a very respectful way. I hope you are wrong, and if so, you can just join the party we'll be having, assuming any possible changes are better for us all, but for now I still do not really doubt you are not wrong.

[This message has been edited by Dr.G (edited March 11, 2002).]

[Epicurus]

The only good thing to come from these spoilers (whether true or not or reversed or whatever) is that at least Amber is feeling the love right now. Emotions are so raw and strong and in support of Tara all over Buffy Fandom. If nothing else, that makes me happy.

[Ari]

I would just like to say I can't believe how much I've posted this weekend. Ya'll must be sick of me by this point so I duly promise to make a concerted effort to shut the hell up after this.

Of course, the catch is, this one should be a monster post.

Okay, so I woke up this morning and my mind just kept prattling on about all this stuff so I figure I'll just write it all down and see if it makes any kind of sense of it and then maybe I can get some freakin' sleep.

So what's it about? Wishes, Realities and Causality. Otherwise entitled: Why I'm not worried.

Okay, so here's the thing: Wishes.

What to we know about wishes? In The Wish, we see that the moment a wish is granted reality is essentially altered from that moment on. We also know that by reversing the wish, it takes you back to the moment the wish was granted and the world goes on as if it never existed.

But we also know that the reality created by the wish still exists. Vampire Willow's reality, even if it was finite, still had to exist in some form or fashion for her to be pulled into ours. This can be because, even though our human perception is based on a linear chronology (thank you Dead Things), that is not necessarily a universal truth. This also can explain where the demon from Hell's Bells came from. Because even though the wish was reversed in our reality, the one where he was cursed can easily still exist, as Vamp Willow's did, and all that's needed is the ability to move over into our reality.

Wishes can also have many unintended and far reaching consequences.

Along those lines, invoking the demon in OMWF could be seen as a wish of sorts on Xander's part for a happy ending. Obviously, things didn't quite turn out that way.

Okay, moving right along: Realities.

We have seen several examples and numerous mentions of alternate realities through the course of the show. And we have also seen that there is a distinct difference in merely altering perception, and altering reality itself.

Magic has always been shown to alter perception. The Monks' spell that created Dawn, Jonathon's Paragon spell, and even Willow's forget spells all showed the ability to alter peoples perception of reality. But, to quote Tara, it's all surfacy stuff. Events themselves weren't changed, merely the perception of how they happened did.

For example, there was still a class protector award given at the prom in Superstar, only it was Jonathon and not Buffy who received it. Likewise, the memory of Dawn's existence was something constructed by the Monks, but they never actually changed reality to accomplish it. They merely changed everyone's perception of what had already happened.

In All the Way, when Tara is pissed, Willow asks if Tara wants her to go back in time and take it back. But she doesn't do that, because that's not the nature of her power. Instead she alters Tara's perception by removing the memories, which again only changes things on the surface instead of changing the event itself. The same is true of Tabula Rasa.

The power to actually alter reality itself, meaning going back to a certain point and changing things, is something we've only seen accomplished through wishes, and the reversal of wishes.

Another example is Jonathon's spell on Buffy in Life Serial. The perception of the people caught in the time loop was either experiencing the same moment over and over again with no realization of that fact, or in Buffy's case, realizing it but not being able to alter it without breaking the spell.

However time was not altered for the nerds themselves, they could sit back and watch everything unfold before the cameras because only the perceptions of the group in the Magic Box had been changed. Even though it took the longest, from Buffy's perspective it was the shortest of all. Also, it is made clear that even by altering his appearance to look like the demon, he didn't change anything more than people's perception of himself. He still had the same strength and vulnerability.

And last but not least: Causality.

Humans are linear creatures. One event effects another, which effects others and others and others in turn.

Cordelia's wish was that Buffy had not come to Sunnydale. However, Buffy had affected, and been affected by, her time in Sunnydale greatly. And so without her presence there we saw how differently everything had turned out. Changing a single event affected nearly every aspect of the lives of people in Sunnydale.

On the other hand, when Dawn made her wish, it wasn't to alter something which had already happened. Instead it was about doing something in the present - keeping people from leaving. So when her wish was granted it didn't seem to affect reality itself. But it did. Everything that happened in that house and the consequences of it all are things that were directly caused by the wish itself.

Meaning that if Anya had succeeded in taking and destroying Halfrek's pendant, it wouldn't have just let them out of the house. It would have taken them back to the moment the wish was granted and been as though it never happened. Everyone would have left that first night like they intended to, Will and Tara wouldn't have bonded, no one would have learned of Dawn's stealing and etc. Instead of being reversed entirely, the curse invoked by the wish was simply lifted and the effects of it all still existed.

Why the distinction and what does this have to do with anything?

The instant a wish is made, it essentially creates a reality which is defined by the wish itself. It can change everything, as Cordelia's did. Or it can merely change things in the present onward, as Dawn's did. But from that moment, a sort of wishverse is created. Reversing the wishes means going back and changing reality itself from the point the wish was made. With every cause and effect it affected, even in the slighest, being changed.

Now, the relevance of all this is the fact that, from what we know, at some point before Tara's murder Anya grants someone a wish. This means, from that moment onward, they are for all intents and purposes existing in the reality defined by that wish. No matter who it is or what they wished, that is the truth.

And any effect that wish has on the chain of events which follows is something which exists only in that new wishverse reality.

In order to change this, the wish can't just be lifted, as Halfrek lifted the curse. It must be reversed. So at any point, the destruction of Anya's pendant would send everything back to the moment the wish was granted and everything from that point on would be altered accordingly.

Reality, power and perception have been the underlying themes all season. Used to explore the notion of growing up by examining the consequences and responsibilities of peoples actions and decisions.

What having a sort of wishverse that lasts through much of the final part of the season does is allow them to explore the most extreme consequences of these character's decisions and actions. It's not necessary for them to be aware of all this, any more than it was necessary for Buffy to know how much Sunnydale would have been altered had she not come around when she did in the Wish or Cordelia to realize that same fact and gain a new appreciation of Buffy in turn.

The purpose of those explorations is the story itself and the examination of the characters. They'll still be muddling through the process of growing up, but we as the audience will have a much better understanding of who they are and the potential consequences of their choices and mistakes they can make.

Anyway, that's what I'm expecting and why I'm not worried about how it will all end. As I said before, if I'm completely off base I'll be as upset as everyone else. But I gotta go with my gut, and that's what it's telling me. Well that and it wants some breakfast now.

So I'll do my very best to shut up now. *L*

Ari

[Still Waters Run Deep]

OK flying off into uncharted territory, levity, tenuous links and word association here........

We all know Anya has a pathological hatred of rabbits, and that the foreshadowing that is part and parcel of the Jossverse has done this aspect nearly to death......

Does Anya come to a sticky end at the hands of Warren

Warren = where bunnies live?

Still Waters

*Grasping at straws, but still on the Big Red Scully Bus of Skepticism*

[AlexisMQ]

Well, I have a spot staked out on the top of the denial bus. (Both buses being full to the brim and all that)

I do not think Tara will be dead at the end of the season and I may be living in denial, but I tend to agree with Zahir. I think that it will be something more along the lines of Tara appearing to be dead and that sending Willow over the edge. There are lots of little things that haven't been connected yet. Way back when the little things like 730 and Little Miss Muffet were signs pointing to Dawn. Well, in Bargaining, what was it Tara said? Something along the lines of, "No, lost is good. If she is lost I can find her." (I know that is not the exact quote but it is something like that.) I can see Tara's supposed death sending Willow over the edge and see Tara help pull her back. (At least this is my hope.)

Again, like many people if it plays out the way it sounds right now, season 6 will be my last, but I have faith for now. We will see if it is well placed or not over the next few months.

Thanks to AngelX for breaking the news to us, we do appreciate you.

Thanks to all the kitties because it is great to have a place to come and discuss this and people who feel as strongly about it as I do. My friends just look at me like I am nuts.

Hugs to all.

[mariacomet]

Fury is writing 22. Someone called Fury a 'heavy hitter' and that got me thinking...where can I find out what else he has written so I can get an idea of how heavy or non heavy a hitter he is for Joss? Also what about the writer for 21?

[xita]

Ok, my ride through the hills and valleys on the ScullyBus has brought me to normal again. I think that the key here is not Anya but Buffy.

Several people suggested over the weekend to me that this season was really Buffy's hell. And now we get normal again which introduces the idea of different realities. Now, I don't feel like I am grasping at straws when I see everything I love go to shit. It's here on the show, something to think about.

And this season has all been about perception, realities. We start out with a Buffy that was in heaven and now perceives the "real" world as hell.

There was Willow mentioning that she could (maybe not?) turn back time in All The Way but instead erases memories.

There is Tabula Rasa which creates a different reality.

Hell's Bells, Fake xander, fake reality.

I am sure there is more and I am not remembering it.

And now Normal Again, which I won't try to make sense of till I see it.

Our tragedy is too cruel for words! It can't stay like that. Different realities have been set up, it would not be coming out of nowhere.

[the literary exterminator]

You can get a Fury list for Buffy here and for Angel here. He's also writing episode 19 of Angel this season.

According to Steve DeKnight at the Bronze: Beta, Doug Petrie's writing 21.

[Willowlicious]

Excellent post, Ari. As I've said, I believe this is all going to be played out as an "alternate reality" that will be reversed by Anya. However, my question has always been, if they actually show Anyanka successfully grant a wish onscreen, won't most people figure out that it is an alternate reality and not really happening, resulting in the writers' "trick" being revealed too soon for their tastes? I keep thinking that they'd really try to hide at what point we enter a "wishverse," as you put it. I would think that the earlier you sneak it in, the more people you fool (which is the desired effect).

That's why I questioned if Anya had offscreen already cursed Xander to Hallie. Of course, that would mean that it is Hallie's pendant, not Anya's that is the key to the reversal. So that can't be quite right. Or maybe there really is no BSD. I don't know. I'm think out loud here. Sorry.

Anyway, what made me think of this was that "Normal Again" seems very wonky and could be used as a smoke screen for the fact that everyone was and is still in an alternate reality. It sounds like Xander is already convinced he made a big mistake and is frantic to get Anya back. Wow, that was fast. We didn't even see him mull over his misery for a moment before he changed his mind? Then, I was thinking about that super quick W/T reunion with Tara wanting to skip over the hard stuff and jump in bed. That's like Tara, but not quite like Tara. And boy doesn't that just set Willow up for disaster? Well, obviously from the spoilers, yes. I'm just saying that if you take a careful look, there are things that could be seen as being slightly "off" in the next couple of episodes. Maybe. Or maybe not.

Anyway, my point is that I think the spell will come early, but will it be so obvious as to have Anya doing it onscreen? Is it that she thinks it didn't work, but it did? Did she wish one, then go out and decide to wreak havoc by granting some? Are there more than one?

Hmmmm.

[KJ_Chicago]

OK, not sure who is writing Eppy 21. According to TV tome, http://www.tvtome.com/BuffytheVampireSl ... ason6.html:

S6E21 is entitled "Sunsets" and writer: Marti Noxon

***************

Well, I think that you all have done a marvelous job explaining how the spoiler can be true, but also not the "end all" for this season. I still am hopeful for a "reversal" and that Tara will be back for season 7!!

I'd be happier if this was a false rumor, but I am glad that Michelle is keeping us posted on any information that she finds out.

Be strong kittens!

[This message has been edited by KJ_Chicago (edited March 11, 2002).]

[Blixxt]

Steve DeKnight confirmed yesterday that Marti Noxon is actually the writer for 20, and Douglas Petrie is writing 21. Right now there's about five different "confirmed" titles from eps 20-22, all from sites which are supposed to never be wrong. Some of them have to be, however, so I'm guessing this is one of them (as they say Marti is doing 21, which everyone thought was true for a long time, but now is apparently not the case).

[AutumnT]

Oh look an unregistered voice of reason. They are always so helpful.

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Autumn

I have the sudden urge to dedicate my productive cooperation.

[Ari]

Willowlicious,

Darn it, I was trying to shut up. *L*

My best answer is that even though she grants a wish, like Dawn's it won't be the wish itself that seems so far reaching or extraordinary but that it will inadvertently set the chain of events in motion. I bet the wish itself at the time seems fairly innocuous at the time.

So maybe it won't be until Giles comes around after things have already gone all to crap that anyone thinks or mentions reversing it. But then they have to somehow get to Anya and try to convince her to break the pendant. If she's as pissed as it sounds that wouldn't be easy, and as established in OAFA, the justice demons aren't easy to kill. Also, if it's true that she will be destroyed as well (something I bet they don't let us know for a while, even if it is true) then it would take some kind of extraordinary circumstances to convince her to do it.

And I would think all the core Scoobies, meaning Buffy, Will, Giles and Xander would all have to be involved somehow in helping that to happen. I'm really looking to all this as the ultimate culmination of Restless so I think each will play their symbolic part in it, but in the end it will be Anya herself who decides to make the sacrifice.

Ari

[Robin]

When I read carefully the interview with Emma Caulfield there was one sentence that made me thinking. She said that the fans would like the end of this season. I can hardly believe she would say that if she knew that Tara would still be dead at the season's finale. Maybe I'm just making too much interpretation but it's like saying people will like the episodes "The body" and "Forever" - nobody would say that.
And another thing: I just read the wildfeed for "Normal again" and actually I didn't understand it, cause I didn't get whether Buffy was in the real world or not at the end of the episode.

[This message has been edited by Robin (edited March 11, 2002).]

[Dr.G]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Buffy Fan--Visitor:
Third, don't kill me for saying this, but I don't think Tara's death represents any kind of 'anti-gay' stance on the part of the show's writers (keeping in mind that this rumor may not even be true!). Until now, the only gay character who died was Larry, and saying a gay character can't die 'cuz it'd be anti-gay is a double standard I'm highly uncomfortable with. Of course gay people die: they grow old, get sick, have accidents, and sadly, are murdered.

Fourth, character death is IMO a perfectly valid dramatic option, and yes, it's tough for fans of the character(s) involved,

And taking the stance that "they're gay; they must live happily ever after, or it sends a message that gay people are evil and their relationships always end tragically" is just silly. If anything, I think it's a lot more "socially responsible" (ugh) to show that a gay couple faces *exactly* the same joys and pains in this life as straight ones, and that includes stuff like breakups and death. Think of it as "equal opportunity heartbreak."

Just trying to inject some objectivity here!

---

I am sure no one in the Buffy staff is remotely homophobic. This scenario pleases the homophobes and that is bad enough.

I think we are well aware that gay people are just like everybody else, except that maybe they get murdered in real life more often because they are gay. Bummer. And now we get to watch reality on TV again. Woo Hoo.

I *love* the portrayal of the W/T relationship, they have done a fantastic job, but if they end it with Tara getting murdered and Willow losing it, it will undo the good that has been done. Never has a gay couple on TV been allowed to 'live happily ever after', and in this case that would only mean one more year before the show is over anyway. They could not give us that? For the sake of 'good' drama? We should be happy because we had 2 good years? Please.

*Just injecting some subjectivity here, if I want objectivity I will go to a board that is not devoted to the Willow/Tara relationship

[This message has been edited by Dr.G (edited March 12, 2002).]quote:

[Epicurus]

Ok, stay away from the spoilers? What the hell has Mr. DeKnight been drinking.
How can watching all this depressing shit he’s writing be more entertaining as I sit happily enjoying my favorite couple reunite and BLAMO one of em lies dead on my television screen ALL without warning??? Don't read the spoilers my ass. At least being spoiled means I get to deal with my rage and live in denial until I read new more happy spoilers before the death episode even airs and if those never surface at least I was prepared and didn't go on a rampage ripping my house apart. I believe the writers think us fans are a bunch of masochists.
I’m all for alternate realities and resets at this point. It’s all a means to an end and that end better involve Tara, happiness, and her in Willow’s arms by 9:00pm EST May 28th, 2002.