Jon Sandys

Chosen answer: He wished to return to live in England with his family, so made an agreement that he would take a reduced role in the series.

Tailkinker

Fool For Love - S5-E7

Question: In this episode we see some of Spike's history - when he's human there's a bit where he walks down a street tearing up his poetry and bumps past Angel and Darla. We don't see their faces, but it's obviously them. I remember an episode of Angel when we see a flashback of Spike still human - can anyone remember the episode, and am I right in thinking that the bit we see is exactly the same moment in history, but we're focusing on Angel and Darla instead?

Jon Sandys

Chosen answer: This would be the episode "Darla", and, yes, it's exactly the same moment - I'm pretty sure that the same shot is used. In a nice bit of coordination, Darla is Angel episode 2.7, which corresponds exactly to Fool For Love, which is Buffy episode 5.7. - at the time, I think, the two series were shown on the same night, one after the other, making the two episodes, in effect, a double-length history lesson on the vampires of this particular bloodline. In an even nicer bit of coordination, this particular scene occurs at about the same point in each episode (around the 15-minute mark).

Tailkinker

Doomed - S4-E11

Question: Specific answer needed, not a general "dialogue is sometimes re-recorded". Near the start of this episode, Buffy's talking to Giles about the significance of the earthquake. Buffy's dialogue sounds completely normal and recorded at the time, but all of Giles' dialogue is dubbed. I can only think he had a sore throat that day or similar, but does anyone know the specific reason he did his later?

Jon Sandys

Chosen answer: He had larangitis and because of the shooting specifications they had to have him shoot the scene with a bad throat, they then re-recorded his lines and dubbed them. At various points during the scene and indeed the episode you can see him touch his throat or rub it.

Show generally

Question: Was the Angel spin-off created because it was time for the character to be written out of Buffy but Angel was too good a creation to ditch, or was the character written out because people thought a spin-off would be a better idea?

Jon Sandys

Chosen answer: Joss Whedon claims to have had the idea for a spin-off series while watching David Boreanaz's performance in the late second season episode "I Only Have Eyes For You" - he began to feel that Boreanaz would be capable of carrying his own series. From that point on, taking Angel off to his own show was on Joss's mind and many of the events of the third season were written with this intention.

Tailkinker

Chosen answer: "So goes the nation" seems to have been used on many occasions, with various different US states in the "As .... goes" section. Most commonly it seems to be California that's considered to lead the way, but probably most other states have appeared in the lead role at some point or another. Other things have also been used - no less a person that Pope John Paul II said "As the family goes, so goes the nation...". The origin of the quote format is unclear - in US politics it goes back into the 19th century, when it was Maine that held the title spot, but, while no definitive origin is known, it seems highly likely that it goes back considerably further than that.

Tailkinker

Show generally

Question: In the title sequence (series 1 and 2, anyway), at one point the theme music has a squeal over the top of it and there's a shot of Buffy (or possibly Willow) holding her hand up against a blast of light. What episode is this from?

Jon Sandys

Chosen answer: If this is the bit I think it is, it's from the episode "Witch" - the person in the shot is actually Catherine Madison, the villain of the episode. The shot used in the title sequence is different from what's seen in the episode - possibly an alternate take.

Tailkinker

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