Spoiler Slayer

Paging Mr. Blutarski
Some interesting casting news, which sounds strange to say the least.

I have two reports that the show is casting female extras for a, no I'm not joking, dorm room pillow fight. If they weren't going to air the episode on Tuesday, I would have guessed that it would be for a fantasy-sequence in Andrew's Documentary.

Mmmm, SIT pillow fight...

Oops, lost my train of thought for a moment.

Anyway, I would expect that this will be filmed for Episode 18, as I can't see how it would fit into 17 at all.

Thanks to the sources (don't know if you wanted to be named, but I appreciate the heads up).

Double-Drew

Speaking of Episode 18. Dachelle posted at drewgoddard.com, that he will be doing the writing chores for Episode 18. As she points out, he just finished co-writing Episode 17 with David Fury. They are certainly keeping him busy.

More On The Spin-Off

Again, these are just my thoughts and impressions, but I have gotten a number of questions about my speculation on the spin-off. I'm pushing back the 'First Date' review until this weekend, just because I've decided that it would be interesting to compare and contrast with 'Get It Done'. Let's put it this way, I really liked ONE of the episodes. But I don't want to leave all these questions hanging in the air.

I know many are wondering what made me come up with the cast that I listed yesterday. There are a number of factors that came into play in my picks. Some of them are logical, some of them are based on things that I've been seeing. Here are my thoughts on why certain cast members won't take full roles in the spin-off.

Anya: Emma has stated numerous times that this is her last season.

Xander: Normally, I would expect him to take a part in any spin-off. The problem is that they're moving him further and further into the background, while at the same time further developing Andrew. If Andrew was going to take a fall, then it would have happened by now or with less development. Meanwhile, 'First Date' almost seemed like a send-off to the character, a homage to all things Xander. My guess is that he might stroll off into the sunset with Anya at season's end.

Giles: Same with Emma, I doubt that Anthony would take a role in the a new series.

Dawn: While I would love to see Michelle continue into a spin-off, unless she becomes a Slayer in the finale, I really doubt it. The problem is that she's tied to Buffy. If Buffy stays in Sunnydale, you wouldn't expect Dawn to leave (and vice versa). The two are connected, and without the death of one (which I'm not foreseeing), I don't see this changing.

Spike: Would you believe more than twenty people asked about Xander, not one person questioned leaving Spike off the list. Spike would be a good character to bring to the new series, but I've had my doubts. If there will be a spin-off, you need your Ships. While I'm not expecting a happy ending this season with Buffy and Spike, James has hinted that much will happen between the two, being both romantic and sad. Whether that means Buffy and Spike sail into the sunset (or Spike blows into the sunset), is yet to be determined. When it comes to Spike, there are fans that either love or hate him, and neither side going to accept Spike at this point in a relationship with anyone else (or anyone period). Pretty much makes him a third-wheel if Faith is indeed the direction the show will go in. Besides, we don't need a repeat of the first season of 'Angel'.

Update: Before I get even more email on the topic, I realize that I made a broad statement about Pro-Spike fans. A number of Spike fans have written stating that they really don't have any preference to who Spike is with, as long as he's on the show. I didn't intend to lump the fans of Buffy/Spike and just Spike into the same category. Obviously, there are many fans who would be more than happy with Spike, by himself or paired with Faith.

What about the ones that I do think will join the cast.

Over the course of the season, I've heard three likely scenarios as to the future of Buffy. All from what I consider to be credible sources, all of which I considered to be possible. None of these really had any more details, other than what the title character would be based around. Faith, one of the SIT's, or something entirely different. As time went on, the Faith scenario grew more and more likely. There are a few things that I'm considering nearly confirmed, based on news reports and other bits of information.

Faith is the most likely direction the production company wants to go in, and what the networks will more than likely accept and be willing to pay for.

In order to seal the deal, Sarah will likely appear in a set number of episodes during the season (cough - Sweeps - cough).

The rest I'm piecing together on speculation and impressions.

With the emphasis on Kennedy and Andrew, they are likely candidates for the spin-off. I'd also point out that if Kennedy is evil (as some have speculated), why get her involved with Willow at all. All that's going to do is add fuel to fires that were started when the writers chose to kill Tara. The only real sense in the relationship with Willow is to either progress to a happy ending (with both Willow and Kennedy strolling off into the sunset), or to have them both on the spin-off.

I can certainly see Alyson staying on, especially if she and Eliza share the spotlight as co-leads. I don't think it's just a throwaway that it's been said that there will be mention of Willow graduating from college this season. If the Hellmouth is closed at season's end, there's no reason for her to stick around at that point.

Caleb is the wildcard at this point. I've been waiting for months for another male lead to appear that could take on the Angel/Riley/Spike role in the new series. Caleb would seem to be a perfect match, though I'm not sure exactly which side he's on. Principal Wood is another possibility, so I'm not ready to rule him out just yet. The idea to tie him with with Nikki occurred only recently, so perhaps he's a better choice than Caleb. Caleb is the one question mark, but the way they worded his character outline, makes me feel that they weren't looking for any old fallen preacher.

But in the end, this is just my own idle speculation. I've been wrong in the past, take for example, this season's Big Bad. So while I might be good at sorting out the good spoilers from the bad, speculating is a tricky thing at best. Especially when you're trying to suss out what some of the most creative writers in the industry are planning.

Remember, when it comes to Buffy, it's usually E: None Of The Above