Poll pants on

[beer_good_foamy]

OK, I'm bored, let's have a poll on Season 8. If nothing else, it should be useful to have as a reference point a few issues from now, see who was right and who was wrong. So no more waffling, throw your hats in the ring and pick a winner. Or loser. Spoilers include recent comments by Allie.



...and it just struck me that I forgot the option "there will be no major
character death" on #4. So just check "Other" or something.

[Poll #1435256]

Comments

[shapinglight]

Great poll. I wanted to pick the last option for question 1 as well as the 'combination' answer, but the poll won't let me. In other words, I'm sure something dramatic will happen, but I'm equally sure Allie is exaggerating to sell more comics.

As for whether any of the characters could do something unforgiveable, not in my book, because I don't care about any of them anyway. They're not the characters I knew and loved in the show. They're not even (in some cases)the characters I knew and didn't like that much in the show.

If anyone dies permanently, it'll be Giles IMO. He's old, he's a bloke, and given what happened to Ethan, being popular with the fans isn't going to save him, those first two things being so.

If Twilight's not Deadpool, someone should give him a good talking to about nicking Deadpool's costume.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

In other words, I'm sure something dramatic will happen, but I'm equally sure Allie is exaggerating to sell more comics.

Oh, definitely agreed. Allie's always acting like the next issue will be the greatest thing in Buffyverse history, but unlike his hyping of the last issues of "Wolves At The Gate" and "Predators And Prey", where pretty much nothing at all happened, we do seem to be heading for something rather substantial here.

If anyone dies permanently, it'll be Giles IMO.

Which would be rather cruel, considering he's been written out of the comic for the most part. Then again, in the TV series Joss wrote Joyce back in only to kill her off, so...

[next_to_normal]

I wanted to pick the last option for question 1 as well as the 'combination' answer, but the poll won't let me. In other words, I'm sure something dramatic will happen, but I'm equally sure Allie is exaggerating to sell more comics.

My thoughts exactly.

I agree on thinking Giles is the one to die, and if he does, he'll stay dead. If it's Buffy, Willow, or Xander that gets killed, they'll be coming back, but anyone else probably not. (Until he needs them in season 9, of course.)

And I'm so far beyond caring who Twilight is at this point, I didn't bother to vote.

[frogfarm]

Twilight is Edward. As in: "And Buffy staked Edward. The End."

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Heh. That was actually one of my alternatives, but LJ only allows so many poll answers. But unless he sparkles and Season 8 ends with Buffy ditching her entire life to have his babies, can he truly be Edward?

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

In that case have you seen this (http://shakatany.livejournal.com/260743.html)?

[elisi]

I swear I started reading, and then my eyes glazed over and all the words started doing a little jig. Not your fault, that's just how s8 affects me.

Although I'd so, so love for the 'thing that will make the fans angry' to be a major character death. Go on Joss, kill a Scoobie. I dare ya! (One of the core 4 I mean, Andrew etc don't count.) ETA: Neither does Giles.

*goes back to watching the show with the (canon) boykissing and all the deaths*

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Although I'd so, so love for the 'thing that will make the fans angry' to be a major character death. Go on Joss, kill a Scoobie. I dare ya!

I'm guessing it would push a lot of people off the fence. If there are still people on that fence by now.

*goes back to watching the show with the (canon) boykissing and all the deaths*

Just so you know - I have been reading your posts, and found them all interesting, I just... couldn't think of anything intelligent to add. :-)

[menomegirl.livejournal.com]

I'm tired of guessing who Twilight is because I've thought about it and Connor is the only character I can think of who disliked magic that much.

I just hope it isn't Riley.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Well, unless there's some weird time travel thing going on, I'd say Riley is in the clear. He's just Twilight's minion for some reason that may or may not make sense to Joss. *shrug*

Personally, I don't think any of the remotely plausible candidates make a lot of sense. But then we've been told that the characters' motivation in doing things doesn't matter in Season 8, it's all about the shocking reveals, so...

[powerofthebook.livejournal.com]

I'm kind of thinking that Giles is up for the axe. The Buffy/Giles snit has overshadowed half of the season, and is ended in the last issue without any real explanation - it reminds me uneasily of the Willow/Tara quick reunion before Tara's death.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Or the sudden Fred/Wesley, or the bit with Book's sanctuary in Serenity, or... yeah, it's not looking so good for him, is it?

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

By now, I'm pretty sure the twist in S8 is that Buffy detoriates so much into moral greyness/blackness that ultimately she wont be any better than the guys she's fighting and thus be her own big bad, and that the one betraying her will do so for good reasons.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

I don't have a problem with that story per se, I just wonder if Joss would actually do it. He's always referred to Buffy as a hero, as his hero, as a deliberate role model. To me, that's been one of the problems with the dark!Buffy storyline all along; no matter what he does to her, I'm sure he'll call her back from the brink in time and have her end up the good guy.

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Alley is exagerrating. I don't think Joss plans to kill anybody. The Betrayal... well, I'm almost sure they think they've dealt with it when they've proudly presented us the Spangel kissage. The Twilight is Caleb and Caleb is The Twilight.

As to "doing somethinmg horrible" - Willow tried to end the world and she's still a good guy. :)

BTW, mind if I link your poll on Newly Legion?

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Alley is exagerrating.

Definitely, but the question is if he's exaggerating something that will happen or making something up out of thin air. I'm pretty sure something will happen, but I wouldn't be the least surprised if the promised character death turns out to be... say, a couple of nameless Slayers and Oz' girlfriend.

The Betrayal... well, I'm almost sure they think they've dealt with it when they've proudly presented us the Spangel kissage.

And I still don't see how that makes any sense, sorry.

Willow tried to end the world and she's still a good guy.

True, but ultimately she didn't cause any irreparable damage. She didn't actually turn Dawn back into green energy, she didn't actually kill Giles, she didn't actually burn the world to a cinder.

BTW, mind if I link your poll on Newly Legion?

By all means, go ahead. :-)

[quinara]

Heh, I followed the poll link from sueworld2003 and now I feel guilty for voting and not commenting, seeing as I'm a randomer... Yet all I can say is, up with S8-mockage! May Ethan be Twilight just so he isn't dead - it would let Joss wank all the non!death as foreshadowing!

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

May Ethan be Twilight just so he isn't dead

As much as I don't want Ethan to be dead, I very much doubt it. First of all I don't get why he would want to end all magic, and second of all - if Ethan were to be a major player, then they would at least have had Giles mention him. (Actually, that bugs me all on its own; Ethan gets killed - supposedly, or at least until Joss forgets - and we don't get any reaction at all from Giles?) But like I said, none of the plausible alternatives makes much sense to me, so I guess we'll see. :-)

[xlivvielockex.livejournal.com]

I seriously love you for this poll. It made me laugh. I know that, at least from your other review, you weren't liking the tone of your reviews but honestly, with all the meh about the comics, I think your review tones are spot on. Just because someone can write a television show with help from a lot of other people doesn't mean they can do well in a comic form where they are the only one. Nobody is there to tell you that your ideas are strange and out of character. Most people at least bounce ideas off their friends before they write. And that is what writer's rooms are for. I feel like these comics are lacking that, input from others.

So now that I am off my soapbox, I think it will probably be Willow betraying Buffy or Buffy betraying Willow. Otherwise what was the point of the foray into the future. I did ticky the whole Twilight will be someone we don't want it to be because well, I really want it to be Deadpool. We could use some sarcasm and some kick ass fighting, you know? Deadpool versus the Slayer, what a crossover. LOL

I picked Dawn for the chopping block because without turning her into Dawnzilla or a horse, she really doesn't have a purpose in the comics. But reading the comments, I am leaning Giles now. Which really sucks but I can totally see it. Not because it would be good storytelling but because it would be killing off a loved character to get ratings sell comics. There is only so many times you can kill off the fan favorites before it's no longer shocking and just schlocking (yes, I made up a word! LOL) Then again, maybe Giles will come back as a Hellgod or at least the Prime Minister.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

:-) Love ya too. Though in fairness to Joss, he seems to have talked through the "let's forget what actually happened with Warren" approach with Jane Espenson, at least.

I think it will probably be Willow betraying Buffy or Buffy betraying Willow

Yeah, and I'm leaning towards Buffy being the betrayer. #10 goes out of its way to not say that she's the one who's been betrayed; we see Buffy crying, we're told there's been "betrayal", and we assume that she's the victim... it looks like a misdirect to me. Joss always liked ambiguous prophecies.

I picked Dawn for the chopping block because without turning her into Dawnzilla or a horse, she really doesn't have a purpose in the comics.

Plus that whole bit about Buffy "loving her to death" - sounds way too much like exactly like that line in Dr Horrible - "the only thing that's looming is me loving you to death." And we know what happened to Penny, right? And the comics have gone to some length to establish that this incarnation of Buffy doesn't really care much about Dawn, so...

Then again, maybe Giles will come back as a Hellgod or at least the Prime Minister.

What if the Doctor and Rose cameo in #6 was actually a plot point, and he comes back as that alien ASH played in "School Reunion"? I'd buy that.

[snickfic]

I wandered in from sueworld2003's link, and then found I couldn't answer the poll. At this point, everything that happens in the comics seems so arbitrary that predictions seem pointless.

But I enjoyed reading the discussion. :)

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear it - and thanks for friending!

[speakr2customrs.livejournal.com]

Satsu will betray Buffy - for the good and valid reason that she'll discover that Buffy really died during 'Chosen' and was replaced by a corporeal version of the First Evil. Satsu will be the 'major' character death, ignoring the fact that only twenty-eight people in the entire world regard Satsu as a major character.

Although that would actually make sense, so perhaps not.

Twilight is Kim Jong-il of the Democratic Republic of Korea. Unfortunately Buffy doesn't know the difference between the two Koreas and has stolen a submarine from Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea in an act of mistaken retaliation.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

ignoring the fact that only twenty-eight people in the entire world regard Satsu as a major character.

Well, she's had more story than both Giles and Dawn so far within Season 8. And at least it'd be more major than yet another gaggle (or is it a gossip?) of nameless Slayers. The exact words they've used so far is that "people" are going to die. I assume that includes background characters and a monk or two.

What if the twist is that everyone died on the show? Buffy died in "Chosen" (or was never resurrected in "Bargaining"), Xander died from shock following "Dirty Girls", Willow really was executed by the coven, Giles got his head chopped off by a bringer, and all of them are just robots/doppelgangers implanted by different demon clans (or lawyer firms) in order to spy on the others, unaware that they're just spying on other robots/doppelgangers...?

Unfortunately Buffy doesn't know the difference between the two Koreas and has stolen a submarine from Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea in an act of mistaken retaliation.

Heh. I still want to see the PRC's reaction to finding a South Korean sub in Tibet. Rocks ICBMs fall, everyone dies.

[zanthinegirl.livejournal.com]

Hee! I've long since given up on the comics, but that doesn't stop me from having an opinion!

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

:-)

[rahirah]

I tried to answer this poll, but I found myself paralyzed with not caring very much.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Ditto.

And I'm actually grateful to learn that I really, really don't care very much.

[frogfarm]

If we go by the numbers, then it looks clear that Buffy will betray herself.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Clearly, it could have been avoided if she'd just talked to herself more.

[peroxidepirate.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm the one who never, ever solves the mystery before the Big Reveal, so I'm not even making any serious predictions. Which didn't stop me from voting in the poll, cuz I just like polls... but my voting was pretty random. Can't wait to see what happens, though!

[arkeus.livejournal.com]

Ok, on-the-spot-theory: In the OTL, Bufy betrayed Willow thinking that she should destroy all magic as Magic/Demons/WeirdThings are *bad*, and it's then revealed it was twilight plan all along, and she beaten then discared/laughed at as she is of no longer any consequences. Willow Herself was banished into the hell by buffy (miss "ido whati have to except when it's about current boyfriend/obssession") , and afetr wars/etc she is changed hence the "lon longer human" comment, or maybe it was irony at Buffy not considering her human anymore.

She then plots into making Buffy more determined, and not being someone who is rolled over mentally/philosically into doing twilight's bidding. Her solution to this is to destabilize Buffy earlier on, giving either Buffy more time to think, or else making sure that Buffy has "tells" that would warn younger!Willow. Henceh, orchastrates Buffy killing her.

as to what will happen in this timeline... I'd say Buffy Betray Willow, then both realizes what happens and Willow sacrifices herself to help out (mostly because she feels she must do something good before buffy's betrayal really gets to her).


[Spot-of-the-moment-theory/]

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

maybe it was irony at Buffy not considering her human anymore.

That's an interesting point; quite a few people, both in the comics and in fandom, differentiate between "humans" and Slayers/witches/etc. That line by Willow can easily be read ironically. If only they had actors reading these lines...

She then plots into making Buffy more determined, and not being someone who is rolled over mentally/philosically into doing twilight's bidding. Her solution to this is to destabilize Buffy earlier on, giving either Buffy more time to think, or else making sure that Buffy has "tells" that would warn younger!Willow. Henceh, orchastrates Buffy killing her.

But aside from the fact that TOYL just seemed to push Buffy further in the "let's do what Twilight wants" direction, wouldn't have been easier to just, well, tell Buffy?