I'm still reeling...‏

So, my mouth was literally hanging open for the last 10 minutes of the show. Literally. I was totally aware of it, yet there was nothing I could do to stop it. I was absolutely floored. And, holy shit, it's only the 7th episode of the season. I can't even begin. Has there been one episode this season that hasn't made mention of something in the past, something from the beginning. I really don't think so, and I am LOVING it! This episode left me with so many questions and thoughts and possible conclusions. My brain is overloaded with information and I can't think about anything else. So Jane Espenson (who hasn't written a great episode in awhile) and Drew Goddard (who wrote the best episode in two years, Selfless, as his first Buffy episode) did an incredible job. It almost made me forget that Amber Benson wasn't around. Almost. Ok, so onto my thoughts: ~ Michelle Trachtenberg is kicking some major ass this season. I REALLY like what they are doing with Dawn, and Michelle has really shown some brilliant acting in the past two weeks.~ All that shit with Dawn was seriously creepy.~ Was that really Joyce? I think probably yes.~ Alyson Hannigan deserves a fucking Emmy goddamit! Those first two scenes with Cassie were just so....I can't even describe. She is such the best actress on television.~ Damn UPN and their spoiling stuff for me. I probably would have assumed that it really was Tara talking to Will (until Will realized it wasn't) except that in their episode description, UPN said that Willow is contacted by someone she *thinks* is Tara. So, the whole time I assumed it wasn't her. That didn't make those initial scenes any less powerful, but the payoff might have been stronger, had I not suspected.~ I like Azura Skye (Cassie). I thought she was a good alternative to Amber, since they couldn't work anything out. Will Cassie continue to haunt Will as I assume Tara would have?~ So Big Baddie wants Will dead? That makes me think that she will be quite the player in the grand scheme of things which makes me very happy. It almost makes it sound like the world would be doomed without Willow. Me likey.~ Why was Adam Busch's name in the guest credits. He would have been so much better as a surprise.~ And how about that bastard Andrew? His worship of Warren did have some homosexual undertones last season, but he is SO in love with him, which I think was made obvious last night.~ I can't believe they killed Jonathan! How blinded by love is Andrew? He's dead as soon as he proves useless. I missed Jonathan though, especially since he ended last season so strong. I hope Danny Strong sticks around and haunts Andrew or something.~ I don't know if you caught it, since you're not that familiar with Star Wars, but the dialogue between Andrew and Warren ("There is another...") was hilarious.~ Was that really Warren? If no, I forgive Andrew and assume that he was under the power of Big Bad Morphing (Wo)Man.~ Why was Jonathan having dreams about "From beneath you, it devours."? Was that just the Big ol' Baddie's way of getting him back to Sunnydale, or does he have a role yet to play?~ Wonder what Anya and Xander were doing?~ I liked the guy who played the vamp that analyzed the Buffster. Although their scenes were a bit slow moving at times (maybe cuz I wanted to see more Will and Dawnie action), it was interesting nonetheless.~ Scott Hope is gay - HA!~ Ah, Spike proves interesting yet again. It's about time. You think that was really him? I hope it was. I REALLY hope it was. Of course, it might not be, cuz who knows how great the powers of super duper Big Bad Morphing (Wo)Man really are. But how excellent would it be if Spike is up to his old tricks with a soul and a chip. That would rule so much! If he somehow felt a way to deal with the pain (physically and soul-fully), that would really intrigue me. Spike is SUCH a better bad guy. And a bad guy with a soul is really interesting to me. But how stupid can he be? Why would he turn someone? (Unless it's not really him...)~ "From beneath you, it devours." How many meanings is this going to have? Does it ultimately mean that whatever Andrew and JOnathan dug up will (attempt) to destroy them all? Does it mean that Buffy is going to destroy all her friends, at least Dawn, as Joyce warned? (Cuz Buffy said that she is beneath them) Does it mean that Will will be overcome by the magic that she is trying to hold beneath her and she will destroy her friends as "Cassie" warned? (Just cuz it's bad, doesn't mean that it's wrong. Maybe it was trying a reverse psychology thing with Will.) I just don't know.


I've thought of some more things though (I'll save my best for last): ~ "The Yoko Factor" - season 4 ep when Spike tried to split up the group for Adam. "Conversations" was very similar - and Spike seemed to be at the center of this episode too.~ I thought Buffy was visiting Joyce's grave at the beginning of the episode.~ What if all the "Dead People" were manifestations of the Biggest Baddest and they were all attempts to create distrust? Will distrusting herself and her magic; Dawn distrusting Buffy; Buffy distrusting herself and Spike. Buffy never seemed to remember that Holden fellow. Maybe that's because he never existed. His presence could have just been to create some seeds of doubt within Buffy about herself and Spike. Explain it with the tae kwon doe if you will, but he was a really good fighter for a newly risen vamp. And it can't just be a coincidence that he was sired by Spike. It can't. ("There's two things I don't believe in: coincidences and leprechauns.")~ Incidentally, Buffy was "whispering in a dead man's ear again." Wonder if that's significant.~ If Big Bad creature thing wants Spike out of the picture too (if Buffy thinks he's doing harm, he's not gonna be around much longer), then that tells me that Spike has quite the role to play as well.~ All leading me to the biggest point of all: The chick that Spike bit was evil! She offered him cigarettes (a sure sign of evil in the Buffyverse), yet I don't think Spike ever took one (i.e., Spike is not evil). Maybe she was sent by the Biggest Baddest to crazy up Spike some more. Maybe he could tell cuz he was so in tune with the Morphing Monster. Maybe he could just tell she was bad and by killing her, he was doing good. How about that?!