Re: Marti Noxon Season 7 interview *Spoilers*

[danspector@xxxxxxxxx]

Replying to Kirayoshi,

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Well, I wouldn't be looking for a totally new character as Willow's s.o.
(you're right that it wouldn't be very "surprising"), but as long as
Marti didn't misspeak, I think that the "coming on" would refer to
someone not **currently** in the cast.

If the parameters are accurate and it's someone "new" (who she hasn't
dated before) and "surprising", who isn't currently on the show, that
would seem to point to either Giles or Faith (or, in the land of "ew!",
Jonathan or Harmony). Or perhaps Ethan?

I've disqualified Amy on the grounds of "not that surprising", and Oz
and a resurrected Tara for not being "new".

(Cordelia would also qualify, but I seriously doubt they would do the
whole Angel/Cordy/"higher being" thing, go through a difficult contract
negotiation, and then have her switch shows and plots.)

I do have hope that "coming on" just means "later in the season" and
"you'll never believe" means Buffy, but unless David Fury is
spectacularly incompetent, I doubt it. I've never seen them just leave
an arc hanging, as B/W was left in the finale, if they were going to use
it again. Look at the closure B/S got in Season 5, moving from "Crush"
to "I know I'm a monster, but you treat me like a man". That was
foreshadowing; this was "she's done the villain thing, now get off the
stage." And Marti didn't say anything like "Willow has to make it up
with Buffy for her behavior" or "Buffy and Willow have to find a way to
mend the rift after last year" or even "Willow has to find a way to
repair the damage with her friends". Not a thing dealing with her
relationships in the group, much less Buffy.

No, the Willow-plot sounds like it's in its own little corner. Guilt,
check. Fight addiction, check. New romance, check. Might be an
interesting corner (why? was anything interesting other than in a "when
is this going to end?" sense this season?), but doesn't sound like it
has anything to do with Buffy, who will be 

a) guiding Dawn
b) exploring her slayer roots
c) dealing with the change in Spike (which happened because of her and
therefore seems to augur *some* sort of B/S story, albeit not
necessarily romantic/sexual)

And that doesn't count the Big Bad, if there is one. I don't see a lot
of room in Buffy's life for a B/W arc, much less a romance. 

Hoping I'm wrong,

Dan