Spoiler Slayer

The Final Apocalypse

TV Guide has an in-depth interview with Joss Whedon about the possibility of this being the last season of Buffy. I personally don't doubt that this will be Sarah's last season (along with a few of the other cast members), but it certainly won't be the end of the franchise.

Which seems to be what Joss is hinting at in the interview. Whether the future be with 'Faith, the Vampire Slayer' or 'Dawn, the Vampire Slayer' or 'Vampire Slayer of the Week', there will likely be continued slaying for some time to come. We should be glad, Buffy's lasted longer than most Starfleet Captains.

Spoilers And Speculation

Sadly, but not unexpected, the latest batch of spoilers brings back memories of last season's Willow and Tara storyline. The Spike fans are very upset, and with good reason. Within the space of 24 hours, people are ready to abandon the show, start letter writing campaigns, and numerous other things which are jumping the gun to say the least.

I understand the passion behind the purpose, but in the end it's not really going to change the story. For one, it's a reaction based on nothing more than what are rumors (no matter how solid we might feel that the sources are). In addition, the scenes themselves have already been filmed, which means it's a moot point anyway.

I know that a lot of people expected me to have more positive news on the latest spoilers, perhaps some details that haven't come out yet. There was a good reason for why I didn't, I simply don't have any information either way. The same type of reaction started last season with the now infamous 'Chip Malfunction' storyline, but at that time I had additional info that wasn't known that led me to believe that this wasn't going to be the case (namely, continued Buffy/Spike sheet action in 'Gone'). This time around, I don't have that luxury. All I know is that from what little I've heard, this isn't just one girl or one scene.

Could this all be a dream sequence, or some manipulation by the 'Shapeshifter'? It's entirely possible. But I have to be honest and say that I can't rule out the fact that it could something much worse. Yes, there are many Spike-positive signs in the early part of this season (and 'Him' is only going to build on that even more), but this is ME that we are talking about. The outlook for Willow and Tara was extremely positive in 'Entropy' and the first 50 minutes of 'Seeing Red'. As it was for Buffy and Angel in 'Surprise'. You just have to expect the unexpected.

Whatever the case, and even if Spike isn't involved or is being framed, I think the other speculators are correct in their assessment that it's going to be Ship-Free first half of the season (and I'm even thinking it might last longer than that).

Personally, I think it's still looking to be a great season. You're just going to have to trust me on that one.