[continued from previous message]   
      
   > The penultimate episode of Buffy threw an absolute curveball in the   
   > shape of the Guardians – a group of powerful mystic women who just so   
   > happened to help the slayer from the sidelines while watching over the   
   > Shadow Men and the Watchers Council (the watchers of the Watchers, if   
   > you will). They also created the all-powerful scythe, hid it from the   
   > Shadow Men, and kept it secret in Sunnydale in the event of the apocalypse.   
   >   
   > This is all well and good, except it felt a little rushed from the   
   > writers' side to throw such a significant plot point in right at the   
   > end. Where were they when Buffy quite literally died in season one? Or   
   > during her apocalyptic battle against Glory?   
   >   
   >         [Or against the Master, or the Mayor, or Adam?]   
   >   
   > One explanation contends it was nothing more than a fast and dirty way   
   > for Whedon to explain away his deus ex machina of the scythe. Another   
   > reckons Willow was the next in line of the Guardians, as she momentarily   
   > resembled one (white hair and all) when she adopted the power of the   
   > scythe.   
   >   
   > Either way, there are plenty of questions surrounding these characters   
   > that are hopefully answered by the reboot.   
      
      
   I think it was the first explanation. :-)   
      
   >   
   >   
   > 7. Mantis eggs, sunny side up   
   >   
   > In the fourth episode of Buffy season one, 'Teacher's Pet', the evil   
   > mantis lady kicked off the trend for demons getting the hots for Xander   
   > by taking on the form of a beautiful substitute teacher and quite   
   > literally date-raping him in order to lay her eggs and continue the   
   > lineage of giant, shape-shifting beasts.   
   >   
   > Luckily, Buffy had a slayer-sized can of insect repellent to kill off   
   > the queen mantis, but that doesn't explain what happened to her babies.   
   > Close to the end of the episode, we saw the eggs begin to hatch, and   
   > then… nothing.   
   >   
   >         [And wasn't there an egg  left in a closet at the end of S2   
   > episode 'Bad Eggs'? What happened when it hatched?]   
   >   
   > It could very well be that Buffy had some spray left in the can, but the   
   > writing team could have had the courtesy to put our active minds at rest   
   > by showing us.   
      
      
   Maybe it was something for between episodes? :-)   
      
   Anyway, with the destruction of Sunnydale one may assume eggs like that   
   are no longer an issue.   
      
   >   
   >   
   > 8. The sequence of the slayers   
   >   
   > In each generation, there can only be one Chosen One, yada, yada, yada.   
   > Fine, cool. But the slayer lineage took a number of confusing turns   
   > throughout the episodes of Buffy, in part because everyone kept dying   
   > all the time.   
   >   
   > When Buffy first bites the dust, Kendra's power was activated. But Buffy   
   > came back to life and then there were two. Kendra died, so Faith was   
   > called in – despite the fact that Buffy was still kicking butt. Eh?   
   >   
   >         [I have no problem with this. Obviously, when Buffy died, she   
   > was out of the loop for creating new Slayers.]   
   >   
   > Of course, Willow went and messed up the sequence in the season finale   
   > by activating all the slayers at once – a mess the writing team are   
   > going to have to deal with when it comes to mapping out the new   
   > episodes. Better get the mop out.   
   >   
      
      
   Maybe there will be a legion of Slayers.   
      
      
   --   
   Wouter Valentijn   
      
   "We are the gift from our ancestors to the world that we borrow from   
   future generations, so, however, whatever, whichever, whenever, wherever   
   or whoever we are, we better be at our best."   
      
   http://www.prozaportal.j3v.net   
   http://www.essayportal.j3v.net   
      
   liam=mail   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)