Spoiler Slayer

PM Update - Spoilerdale change, Cross and Stake Site Review

No new spoilage to report at this time.

Spoilerdale wrote again, this time to pull the Willow-centric spoiler for Episode 16. It's now been replaced with the Wedding spoilage at the site. In light of the fact that this is now the third spoiler that I've had to pull (as opposed to none for any of the other spoiler sites), I have now created a new ranking - 'Pulled By The Site'. This one will track the spoilers that have been circulated, but have since been pulled. It won't affect the statistical ranking, but will make it easier for the fans to see where some of the spoilers have gone. In addition, it’ll probably reduce the amount of mail that I get about ‘What happened to this spoiler?’

Site Review - Angel X at the Cross and Stake

For over four years, the Cross and Stake has been providing some of the best Buffy spoilage and discussion available on the Internet. I'm going to split this review up into two sections; one covering the actual site and the other the message boards.

When I first started looking around the Internet for Buffy Spoilers, the Cross and Stake wasn't the first site that I came across, but it was the one that I continued to visit on a daily basis. What set this site apart from the rest was the fact that it only posted confirmed and reliable spoilers. Whenever I was in doubt, a quick check of the Cross and Stake usually gave me the answer to my questions. Angel X also puts her heart and soul into maintaining the site. In fact, I can’t think of a site operator that comes close to her level of commitment. In terms of spoilers, she might not be the most prolific spoiler. Since she only posts those spoilers that she has independently confirmed, there are times when her site doesn't have spoilers for a certain episode, or posts them after other sites have reported them. For example, during the first part of Season Six, she didn’t post as quickly as Hercules or Wendy. She posted spoilers as she confirmed them, but after other sources had already broken them. However, for the last few episodes, she has been posting spoilage in advance of the other sources. This is understandable, as I’ve noticed that the entire spoiler industry goes in cycles. Hercules provided most of the info for the first eight episodes, Angel X has stepped up now and is providing info for the mid-season, Wendy may very well finish out the season for us.

However, I would presume that most of Angel X’s time is devoted to covering the most popular portion of her site, the message boards. I myself was a regular poster to the Cross and Stake Spoiler Board, long before I ever started working on either the Buffy Formula or the Spoiler Slayer. Although the Spoiler Board itself produces its share of real and false spoilage, it is perhaps one of the best places to congregate and discuss the show. I'm not the only site operator to have started on the Spoiler Board. Leoff (who posts the Wildfeed summaries), first started posting them at the Cross and Stake. Wendy was also a fixture of the board as well.

Handling a single Buffy message board could be considered a full-time job. Angel X manages two Buffy boards and one Angel board, which are probably the most active boards on the Internet. It's a greatly varied group of posters as well, with topics ranging from favorite episodes or quote, polls about the characters, in-depth analysis of the show's philosophy, and of course, spoilers. This is where the Buffy Formula got its start and where we've discussed, analyzed, and speculated about practically every spoiler that has ever been leaked about the show. Angel X is always willing to take the time to answer questions, provide further details about her spoilers, and provide one of the most fan-friendly sites on the Internet. She doesn't stop with her own site. She also takes the time to drop by other boards on occasion, to discuss spoilers and provide information specific to those boards (like when she swung by the Kitten Board earlier this week). She's also quick to let me know if I've paraphrased one of her spoilers incorrectly, or if she's posted new information to her site. If you’re looking for a place to talk Buffy (or Angel), The Cross and Stake is your best bet.

This is going to be the last of my Site Reviews for now. The three sites I’ve reviewed are perhaps the best resources on the Net for Buffy Spoilage. Sadly, none of them gets the credit that I feel they deserve. There are too many doubters out there, who will complain about one aspect of their sites or another. However, in all the time that I’ve known them and visited their sites, they have provided nothing but the best in spoilage and information about the show. If these aren’t the first three sites that you visit on your search for Buffy spoilage, you’re looking in the wrong places.